On June 14 2011 04:06 inimenesc wrote: i did them cus i was bored, and because i am bigger my arms are much stronger than my legs. I had to wait on my dad to get to home , i normally do only 5 sets, i had 4 day break too, so i felt strong
Arms are much stronger than your legs? What? That's really akward.. can you explain?
in my 5x5 workout, i should squat 60kg and then benchpress 40kg, but i can benchpress easily 50kgx5, but its hard to squat normally 45kgx5 with good tehnique.
That's fine. You're new to lifting, and your muscles are unbalanced. You'll train out of this in time. Also because you're so tall (6'8/203 cm right?) flexibility is going to come more slowly for the squat. That's absolutely fine, just stick at it and you'll normalize the numbers eventually. Everyone else is right though, don't fuck with the program.
Oh new to lifting, makes sense. And if you really are that tall, your range of motion is ridiculous too; it may take a tad longer, but you'll be insanely strong. Keep it up, and good job sticking with form. I work out with two friends, one short and one tall, and my tall friend has to move bars almost double the distance my short friend does.
One thing I found with squats when I started is even though the weight felt heavy and I had to push, I was still using too light of a weight. One day I was working out with a friend (different from the 2 above lol) and he was quite strong / experienced. He saw me rack up the weight I was going to use for squats and was basically like "No you're doing it wrong" and threw on an extra 90lbs. I felt like I was going to be crushed under the weight as 90lbs was probably way too much, but I still managed to do the same amount of reps and sets.
So once you're comfortable with your form, I would suggest pushing yourself with some heavy weights. Squats have always seemed to be decieving that way; but make sure you're comfortable if working out alone, or have a spot at the ready.
On June 14 2011 06:12 Razith wrote: So once you're comfortable with your form, I would suggest pushing yourself with some heavy weights. Squats have always seemed to be decieving that way; but make sure you're comfortable if working out alone, or have a spot at the ready.
I hate spotting for squats... I just made it a point to learn how to dump the bar once I started getting past body weight. Only downside so far has been that I chipped one of the safety bars and I scare people every week or so :D
And now I dislike benching because it's the only exercise you can't reasonably do without a spotter.
On June 14 2011 04:55 Michaelj wrote: anyone ever do tabata method for squats? It's basically do as many front squats as you can for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, then repeat for 4 minutes total. You're supposed to pick a weight that will ideally let you finish with 8 reps in the last set
I did this the other day on an off-day, with 65lbs on the bar. I managed to eke out 10 reps on the last set, but it was ridiculously painful, and I still don't think I went hard enough.
On June 14 2011 02:46 sJarl wrote: Great post Razith.
@Catch: I've always preferred deadlifts over rack pulls. Other than that, just GL&HF
@FFGen: Keep at it. Great to see you finally getting some progress on your mobility!
I would do deadlifts, but my lower back would be too beat up after a week or two. Between good mornings and the various squats I have in my program, I'll just have to stick with rack pulls.
On June 14 2011 02:46 sJarl wrote: Great post Razith.
@Catch: I've always preferred deadlifts over rack pulls. Other than that, just GL&HF
@FFGen: Keep at it. Great to see you finally getting some progress on your mobility!
I would do deadlifts, but my lower back would be too beat up after a week or two. Between good mornings and the various squats I have in my program, I'll just have to stick with rack pulls.
Rack pulls fuck up your lower back way faster than deadlifts in my experiene. Also when you start pulling more with your glutes and hams your lower back gets less stressed.
@MeShiet: Congratulations!
Oh god how Conan's Wheel wrecks your upper back. Not even power cleans/snatches can compare to the soreness. So you can guess how my squat 1 rep max went lol. Did a suuuuuper easy 140kg so I had to try 160kg. Was steady, went super deep and got stuck like and idiot in the hole...oh well.
Yeah I've done "tabata" style interval training for a while in college. I used it to supplement my martial arts training because in my martial arts days the idea was not to lift too heavy and hinder your flexibility. It is really great for endurance however as long as you keep yourself honest and bust your ass every workout. I never did it with pure squats though. Kinda wish I did.
I've recently heard that one of my friends is doing a similar method with the misguided idea that it will get him strong. I also know of a friend who is now doing a 20-squat program (coincidentally it's also the origin of the GOMAD diet or so I'm told).
I tried to explain to my friend how the 20-squat programs are a bodybuilding program and; if not totally outside the realm of his capabilities; are at least very less than an ideal way to "get strong" or even bulk up and add mass in the ways that I know he is seeking.
I tried to explain with a simple mathematical analogy. Like say for argument's sake that muscle mass on this program will increase at a rate of 10% per determined time period regardless of weight used. Well, the person who can squat 350lbs will have a helluva lot more growth than the person who only squats 150lbs. Simple math would obviously show that 10% of a 350 squat is significantly more than 10% of a 150 squat. So why start at the wrong end of the training and go for the pure mass before going for the pure strength approach.
Why is it that everyone I talk to doesn't understand this analogy? Or if they do they still seem to just nod their head and go on doing "their program"? I don't know why the mention of tabata sent me on this mini-tirade LoL. But damn I've come to see recently that all my friends want to become "strong" but everyone seems to have drastically different ideas of what "strong" even is and what it takes to get them there.
Again nothing against tabata. In fact, I am going to start incorporating some hiit very soon (before my firefighter's physical). It's just I've recently heard of people using those systems in a totally misguided fashion. Argh
The original idea of the 20-rep squats, or widowmakers, was to take your 10 rep max and then by pausing at the top and breathe properly you managed to do 20 reps. This wasn't something you'd do every week since it is so mentally draining.
I did it once and I thought I was going to die. The song that was playing in the background has now a godlike status and can instantly pump me up, no matter how low I am.
I have a hard enough time getting five reps for some of my squats. 20 sounds miserable, but I've been wanting to do a window maker set for the past few months...
We'll see how these rack pulls affect my lower back. I put them above my knee cap so there wouldn't be as big of a strain as mid-shin.
I "switched" from power to BB right after SS, however long I've been doing SS (I guess six months? Since a little before winter). I wouldn't even call it switching though, I just wanted a new routine. Baby got back happened to be that routine, although it is more of a bodybuilding one.
Bodybuilding was my first love, maybe I'll go back to power lifting or try my hand at olympic lifting. Gotta work on dem dere aesthetics though.
On June 14 2011 07:31 sJarl wrote: The original idea of the 20-rep squats, or widowmakers, was to take your 10 rep max and then by pausing at the top and breathe properly you managed to do 20 reps. This wasn't something you'd do every week since it is so mentally draining.
I did it once and I thought I was going to die. The song that was playing in the background has now a godlike status and can instantly pump me up, no matter how low I am.
Apparently the program calls for 6 weeks if you do it 3 times a week, 8 for 2. I thought it was only a once a week program the first time I looked at it o_O
I might do it someday. Next year? perhaps
@mojo, is your friend doing 20rep squats as a complete beginner? That doesn't sound good...
On June 14 2011 07:31 sJarl wrote: The original idea of the 20-rep squats, or widowmakers, was to take your 10 rep max and then by pausing at the top and breathe properly you managed to do 20 reps. This wasn't something you'd do every week since it is so mentally draining.
I did it once and I thought I was going to die. The song that was playing in the background has now a godlike status and can instantly pump me up, no matter how low I am.
Apparently the program calls for 6 weeks if you do it 3 times a week, 8 for 2. I thought it was only a once a week program the first time I looked at it o_O
I might do it someday. Next year? perhaps
@mojo, is your friend doing 20rep squats as a complete beginner? That doesn't sound good...
lol, it took me the whole week to man me up to do it. since I did it with a real 10rm (100kg) it was hell. I couldn't stand properly the next hour after it. good experience though.
On June 14 2011 07:31 sJarl wrote: The original idea of the 20-rep squats, or widowmakers, was to take your 10 rep max and then by pausing at the top and breathe properly you managed to do 20 reps. This wasn't something you'd do every week since it is so mentally draining.
I did it once and I thought I was going to die. The song that was playing in the background has now a godlike status and can instantly pump me up, no matter how low I am.
Apparently the program calls for 6 weeks if you do it 3 times a week, 8 for 2. I thought it was only a once a week program the first time I looked at it o_O
I might do it someday. Next year? perhaps
@mojo, is your friend doing 20rep squats as a complete beginner? That doesn't sound good...
For the most part, yes. Or at least he's a total beginner at squatting. Either way I know programs like that aren't designed for beginners who can't even squat bw. That was pretty much my point or at least why I am always sad to hear now when people do these things that are not the most efficient way to get their results. I guess I can say, "At least he is squatting."
But honestly, people have asked me what my squat numbers are now (and they're fucking low btw) and still their minds are blown. They ask me what I do and express their own desire to squat big. So I tell them. Then they change absolutely nothing about what they are doing. Like wtf is the point then? If I can channel Rip for a second and just scream at them, "Well you have to fucking squat big weights if you want to squat big!" I also tell them that in high school my squat was somewhere around 310 or something (right now after 8 years of de-training I just passed 2 plates LoL) and they never believe me. Even the friends who have known me since like 5th grade haha.
@FF; Yeah I would love to do some martial arts again. It was a lot of fun but at the moment (and for many years) it has been mostly a time and money issue sad to say. I had a pretty sweet deal in college and I was able to take a wide array of styles actually. I even started up an Iaido club at my school gym and eventually got something like 8 regular attendees. I also had my sensei come in and teach a class once every few weeks in order to give it some authenticity, and made it mandatory that everyone make a trip to my home dojo with me at least once every few months. Again for authenticity's sake. Especially since Iaido is more of a formal, meditative practice than competitive or "striking" art. (Definitely no striking as we are using metal blades albeit dulled) Ah, but now I'm just reminiscing . . .
I made it to 80 pounds on the bench today and I felt like I could have done 90 or 100. 15 more pounds to go and I can start using the 25 pound weights. :D To think I started off at 65 and could barely do the reps.
Anyways, I'm starting my third week on the program and am consistently making gains. I kind of want to start doing HIIT on tuesdays/thursdays (gym day is m/w/f). Not for fat loss as much as energy gains. I like to go dancing at the clubs and I run out of energy so easily. Do you guys think HIIT would be the best way to gain stamina for dancing?
I worry that HIIT may hurt my squats but I need to add it in eventually so that I have more stamina. A ripped body is worth nothing if I can't use it. :D
edit: Seems like it's not worth it at this point in time. Oh well.
On June 14 2011 08:31 FFGenerations wrote: ahhh i wanna set a goal like "1 year time start martial arts lol" will take that long before i can kneel down like that
Pretty much any martial art does wonders for your hip flexibility. I've seen like really jacked looking dudes who for whatever reason had no upper body flexibility yet could a) raise their heel over their head and b) open their adductors damn near past 180 degrees. Never made much sense to me except that they could behind the back heel strike a target that was over their heads.
@shinosai; Don't mess around too much with your off days. And realistically HIIT is probably the worst thing you can add to your off days IMO. It's a lot of work for a supposed recovery day and it'll definitely eat into your strength progress. It's really hard to train strength and endurance at the same time without actually impeding the progress of both of those things.
On June 14 2011 08:31 FFGenerations wrote: ahhh i wanna set a goal like "1 year time start martial arts lol" will take that long before i can kneel down like that
Start now man! The easiest way to get flexibility for martial arts is to do martial arts!
Just wondering how thick should a foam roller be? I'm going home this weekend to raid my dads shed for some pvc pipe. I'm hoping he's got some type of foam in there too.
also saw someone clean over the american record today :D
Lol you can do better than that, put it in the slot and balance at the bottom :-p Pretty sick triple at what like 90%?
Todays workout was kinda shitty, did cj till 125 focusing a lot on jerk form. Realized that i wouldn't be able to do more than 125 after it occurred to me i just finished a 5 day binge from visiting a friend out of town and was on 2 hours of sleep. Being upset i just said fuck it and did back squats at 10x75, 120, 140kg and a set of 10 at 70kg for push press. By now all my muscle groups were pretty much dead/cramping so i went to the track and did 15x100m sprint w/ 30 seconds rest between until i was ready to cry/puke/die. I think i got most of the fast food and booze out of my system, tomorrow will suck though lol.
@eshlow: Do i need vit d pills during the summer if i'm outside a decent amount? Also thoughts on ginger root for recovery and how much dietary fiber do i need? My mom is saying i dont get enough cause i dont eat any grains and something about cancer. And lastly, i think i probably broke my orbit at the end of feb as i still have numbness/lack of sensation on some of the nerves on my forehead/head. Is this ever going to come back?
EPT
, i normally do only 5 sets, i had 4 day break too, so i felt strong 
