On May 17 2011 13:32 DimmuKlok wrote: Hey everyone,
I'm still having some lower back pain when I'm doing squats. Just as a reminder, I mentioned earlier that all I have to work with is a smith machine. I lowered the weight 20lbs and my form seemed to be better but to be honest I'm not even sure if proper form translates over to this machine. I wont know for sure if the pain is from the machine or my technique until I can find a place to do it properly.
For now I was wondering if you guys know any lifts I could do to substitute the squat with while I look for a new gym. Thanks.
You could just use a leg press machine in the interim. You can go sprinting, do goblet squats, do a clean into a front squat, do pistol squats.
If I were in your shoes, I'd prob just do leg presses until i find a power rack
I'm a competitive swimmer. 6'3, 165lbs. I'm in great shape, but have massive ADHD-induced insomnia and sleep apnea.
I teach swimming at all levels and work to motivate students to get healthier through reasonable, "real life" methods. I haven't yet had a student who wasn't able to stick with my simple goals.
Training wise, I just swim. And swim. And swim. About a mile a day, on average.
I also do push-ups and sit-ups on my days off, and run my neighbor's dog every morning (I want a dog )
Here are some tips for people who have no exercise background whatsoever.
1.) stop drinking soda. Switch to diet, drink water or juice (100% juices, stuff without sugar added) or tea. if you drink 2-4 cans of soda a day, that's 80-160 grams of sugar saved. 4 sodas = 0.35 POUNDS of sugar.
Drink more water. make a goal out of drinking 32oz of water throughout your day.
2.) go for a walk. Jogging sucks if you're overweight or don't exercise regularly. Don't even try, you'll just be sore for days. Go for WALKS. Once a day. A little bit farther every day (one more block, for example) once you can walk about a mile a day, start working in a SMALL amount of jogging.
3.) Try a simple program that doesn't require any weights. push-ups and sit-ups. This guide is fantastic for beginners. Start small. Don't join a gym until you're regular with your non-weight exercises.
4.) take a multivitamin. Nerds don't eat well. vitamin b12 deficiencies can be major causes of depression. If you eat well, it isn't necessary, but if you don't (and be honest) then it can help energy and mood.
The biggest goal for getting in shape is not "feeling the burn" or going crazy with your diet. It's about starting with -SMALL- changes and then STICKING WITH THEM. Don't make changes that make you miserable. Make small changes that you can live with. And once you've made them routine, try changing something else.
Also, don't tell anyone that you're "getting in shape." There are lots of statistics that show people who keep their goals to themselves are more likely to follow through with them. It's strange, but has been shown to help. Telling people "I joined a gym" gets you immediate adulations from those you tell, but you won't get the "high" you felt afterwards.
Sleep well, get outside as much as you feel comfortable with, even if it's just to sit outside and play on your laptop at first. More sunlight = less depression, more energy.
I'll keep my goals to myself, but I do have some areas that I want to improve on.
6'3/165 is really skinny isn't it? You probably rock that surfer's physique though. My former roommate was 6'4 215 and could pretty much eat/drink whatever he wanted and still be rock hard because he played college water polo/coached hs bball.
Question for you guys: What do you do when your motivation starts to wane? Looking back on it I really haven't been feeling it for the past week and a half (I don't think my binge drinking helped me on this one either).
On May 17 2011 15:05 nemY wrote: 6'3/165 is really skinny isn't it? You probably rock that surfer's physique though. My former roommate was 6'4 215 and could pretty much eat/drink whatever he wanted and still be rock hard because he played college water polo/coached hs bball.
Question for you guys: What do you do when your motivation starts to wane? Looking back on it I really haven't been feeling it for the past week and a half (I don't think my binge drinking helped me on this one either).
It sounds really skinny, but I'm not all that skinny. I just have a really light build. and last weigh-in I was a tad dehydrated, so I could be closer to 170. it was also a bone dry/ nothing but boxers weigh-in.
I just don't have any fat on me, really. I'm not "built" per se (not much definition in my muscles) but I'm really, really high endurance. I can out-swim my navy seal friends. But I suck at running.
I'm also an intermediate parkour-runner.
Really, REALLY avoid drinking (at least, drinking to get drunk) until you have been exercising for over a year with regularity. It can throw off your nutrient/hydration so badly that it takes well over a week to recover. As a swimmer, if I drink more than 2 drinks at a time (and my limit is about 10) no matter what I do, I feel -HORRIBLE- the next day.
A good way to build hydration if you've been binging and get back into the "feel" is to murder a couple bottles of pedialyte a day. I always have at least four bottles on-hand. Great hangover cure, as well. It really brings up the hydration. Also, start back slow. The problem I've noticed with all of my students is if they take a week or two off, they expect to be -exactly- where they were when they stopped. It doesn't work that way. Back off your weight 15% and your reps 10% (or more, or less, depending on your feel.) and work from there. You'll get back to where you were very quickly, but you can't just take a break and be exactly where you were.
The biggest problem is the human mindset. If you're struggling with -anything- in life, break it down and approach it piece by piece. If you're struggling with the workout mindset, break it down and only do half your workout. But doing -something- will benefit more than nothing, and you can build on that something. I'm the only teacher who has students that LIKE to learn butterfly. People may be better than me at the stroke, but they don't understand how to break it apart into easy-to-handle components and build on those. My guide above is for people who aren't exercisers. It's the building block to -become- an exercise junkie, because you can't just start at step 3 (which is where you're really putting in regular time into intense workouts)
I should preface that I'm all about "practical" exercise. I don't like weights/running alone like 90% of people do. I prefer bodyweight training (pull ups, push ups, swimming, crunches, jumping, parkour, rock climbing, even dancing is great) It teaches you to be more "at home" with your body. Throw a bodybuilder into a pool with me and I'll murder him in a sprint, even if he knows exactly what to do. There are lots of muscles that machines just don't reach (stabilizer muscles, for one) I prefer people to be healthy and enjoy being able to do anything, rather than needing a weight room to get their full workout.
The easiest way to get into the REAL strength training is to find an activity once you're comfortable with basic, regular exercise. Rock climbing is astoundingly good for your muscles. Dancing is also fantastic (and you also get to meet women and learn to pull tail like nobody's business) gymnastics, parkour (there are special gyms that do parkour training,) something that excites you.
Throw a bodybuilder into a pool with me and I'll murder him in a sprint, even if he knows exactly what to do. There are lots of muscles that machines just don't reach (stabilizer muscles, for one)
I like your post and your enthusiasm, but this one made me laugh. "I'm a swimmer and if you throw a bodybuilder in the pool to make a swim race against me, I am gonna win."
Well, I sure hope you do, otherwise you would do something extremely wrong . And about the machines, we don't use machines here, we use barbells. Actually, everyone in this thread that is using machines (besides for rehab) is getting yelled at.
But pretty cool to have s swimmer in this thread, we need more diversity in here I believe, I think all our squatting-advice might scare people off
Anyway, at the moment I just get ~5-6 hours of sleep at night and I have no idea why. I'm working hard in the gym, outside it's cold and I am eating fine, everything's good. But I just wake up so freaking early, it's really strange.
On May 15 2011 21:19 Logros wrote: Thanks for the quick replies. That sounds more serious that I thought I'll see if I can go to a doctor this week then.
The doctor said it was just a sprain thank god. I can't load it with weights for at least 2 weeks and after that I have to build up slowly. Good thing I was planning to start SS in 2 weeks when I switch gyms and finally have access to a squat rack! I'll just start with the empty bar on press/bench/power clean I think and go up 5-10kg every session so it doesn't take to long to get back to my old numbers.
I've hit novice in everything but bench and deadlift.
I think I could deadlift that much, but I started low and will maintain constant progression.
My bench is really really really proportionally abd though. Only 5lb better than press.
Fuck my press sucks. According to this I am novice on squat, getting there on DL, but way way off on press (not even what they call untrained). I hate presses :-(
Guys, I've continually been feeling really, really tired the past year. I work out 5x a week, I sleep around 10 hours a day and take Vitamin B&C tablets as of late. No luck so far. It's no pfeiffer. Is this just puberty? (17 years old) My parents don't molest me or anything, so I doubt stress is a big problem.
On May 17 2011 23:35 BouBou.865 wrote: Guys, I've continually been feeling really, really tired the past year. I work out 5x a week, I sleep around 10 hours a day and take Vitamin B&C tablets as of late. No luck so far. It's no pfeiffer. Is this just puberty? (17 years old) My parents don't molest me or anything, so I doubt stress is a big problem.
Could be overtraining at 5 days a week, also could be a suboptimal diet (which I'd say is pretty common when living with parents)
The easiest thing to try would probably be to cut back on your volume
On May 18 2011 00:02 Froadac wrote: 5x a week seems like a lot. Although I don't know anything that well, the general feeling is that you need to recover between workouts.
If you really work out that much you may not have enough time to recover.
With a starting strength/stronglifts/5/3/1 style workout 5 days a week usually is too much. I think it's pretty common to see 5day splits from clueless people and from bodybuilders though- interesting how it's usually the extremes. Until the beginning of this year I was doing 5 days a week, and it was usually like one muscle group per day, and the hardest part about SS was cutting back on my gym time
On May 17 2011 23:35 BouBou.865 wrote: Guys, I've continually been feeling really, really tired the past year. I work out 5x a week, I sleep around 10 hours a day and take Vitamin B&C tablets as of late. No luck so far. It's no pfeiffer. Is this just puberty? (17 years old) My parents don't molest me or anything, so I doubt stress is a big problem.
You getting enough food? If not I'd label it as the infamous overtraining syndrome, the cure being getting more food.
Puberty would just help since your testosterone is through the roof. You just need to fuel the engine
@Zafrumi: Sick lunch you have :C You'll nail that 170kg x 5 easy next time. Just put some insanity into it
EPT
)
. And about the machines, we don't use machines here, we use barbells. Actually, everyone in this thread that is using machines (besides for rehab) is getting yelled at.
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