EPTFitness Questions & Answers - Page 128
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Deadeight
United Kingdom1629 Posts
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BeMannerDuPenner
Germany5638 Posts
that 5x5 stronglift thing looks interesting and did it 2-3 times so far but i have 3 questions: 1. i never worked legs before. so even very light starting squats i feel 1-2 days after. at the same time i can bench weight supposed for week 10+ and barely notice it the next day. rest is more in the middleground. how do i balance that? just try to force myself through fast squat/deadlift progress? just keep benchweight and slowly build up on the others? whats the best way to even things out? 2. later how can i do higher squat weights at home? atm i only have a bench i recently bought. do i need to invest in a rack or something? those things are quite expensive. any tips? 3.any good options to do more if i want to? just throw in some additional arm work after the 5x5 or something? | ||
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mordek
United States12705 Posts
 2. If you want to do heavier squats you would need a rack yes. Or go to a gym but it sounds like you're interested in a home gym owning a bench? 3. Do the main lifts and you can add in assistance work afterwards. If it feels like you're overworking yourself and you're not recovering between workouts back off on the added stuff. Hope that helps You could also look into Starting Strength which is similar to SL but the book gives more details. | ||
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phyre112
United States3090 Posts
for home training, yes youre going to need a rack or at least squat stands eventually. if you cant get them, youre going to have to join a gym. good equipment definitely isnt cheap, but it will last you forever- what can you afford to spend? give yourself at least a month of not adding anything to the routine. after that, add alternating chinups and dips (3 sets to failure of each) and give that a few weeks. after that if you still want more volume add 3 sets of arms work - biceps with chinups and triceps with dips. Remember that with this routine youre handling heavier weights than a bodybuilder, so you need to be careful with form and be on the lookout for overuse injuries like muscle strains and tendonitis. | ||
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BeMannerDuPenner
Germany5638 Posts
will do as you guys said for starting at different bodypart strength. guess taking it slow is smarter. since you mentioned dips, did some since i got the bench (it got bars) but noticed that when i do many the mid of my chest often starts to hurt. doing something wrong? doing too much? muscles there just weak? | ||
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phyre112
United States3090 Posts
On March 22 2013 02:32 BeMannerDuPenner wrote: yeah im i wanna do stuff at home, recently bought the bench and some more weights for my old bars. would be nice to have a rack but those thingsa re damn expensive (when i quickly checked most where between 400 and 800€..). i could throw some money at it soon but dont know if i want to spend that much at this point :/ , just squat stand ~170€ but guess i would rather get the whole deal if i spend some again. will do as you guys said for starting at different bodypart strength. guess taking it slow is smarter. since you mentioned dips, did some since i got the bench (it got bars) but noticed that when i do many the mid of my chest often starts to hurt. doing something wrong? doing too much? muscles there just weak? sternum area? thats a pretty common complaint. could be just not used to it. try building up slowly to whatever volume - if your capable of 3x10 for example, start with 5x6 and good long rest periods, then increase reps slowly. could be poor form. Try staying more upright, try leaning forward more - see if either helps. You might be going too deep (although thats more likely to bother your shoulder than chest). might be that the bars youre using are too wide or too narrow. if theyre adjustable, adjust... if not, find a place where you can use a different grip width, or even use rings. could be mobility - roll out tight muscles and do more stretching of the upper body. you very likely have a tight chest and weak back since youve been benching a lot before and not balancing it with upper back work. finally if none of these things help (mobility will take weeks of work, so be patient).... some people are just not buolt for dips, they are going to hurt, and youll have to find an alternative. | ||
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OuchyDathurts
United States4588 Posts
I'm looking for a plan to become more fit. I seem to be blessed with some not so great joints. I don't plan on getting a gym membership since working out at a gym solo basically means I'll just not go to the gym. I have a few dumbells, chin up bar, curl bar, kettlebell, and some weights around but no bench or anything. I've run into some issues with injuries in the past using standard weights with my joints before. Probably doesn't help that I'm sure I overdid it. At the end of the day I think I'd be more into bodyweight stuff. Seems like it's better for overall body strength which might help my joints some and IMO I know that whole body strength is better than the more showy stuff. I'd rather have function over flash. I think things like kettlebells/maces/etc would be a good way to build some stabilizing muscles to help joints and try and build some flexibility. So I guess I'm looking for some recommendations. Here's the situation. I've got all hard floors so I'll probably have to invest in a mat or some form because there's literally nothing soft around here lol. I would workout outside but I live in Minnesota so that's not an option 9 months out of the year. I'm 6'2" and can easily touch the ceilings so swinging things wildly above me is going to end in me having to do a lot of drywall repair. The ceilings in the garage are higher in some places but its not exactly warm or clean in there. I used to bike 10+ miles a day easily in highschool and loved it so I want to try to get back into biking when it warms up and dries out outside. Currently I walk the dog 30-60 minutes a day. Any input would be appreciated, if there's any questions let me know! | ||
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Thor.Rush
Sweden702 Posts
I'd recommend easing into it. Don't lift heavy in the beginning, take it slow. Maybe only do high repetitions for the first month (like 12-15). A lot of people go into it with an elaborate plan with training and diet, only to end up quitting really soon. Keep it simple in the beginning (imo). You can get into phenomenal shape with what you have. I'd also recommend buying a set of exercise bands, since they are super cheap and give you more options for different exercises. I work out at a gym, but I still find the bands incredibly effective for certain exercises. As for the ceiling, you can find other alternatives. For example, the half kneeling one-arm press. And finally.. eat lots of protein | ||
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mordek
United States12705 Posts
Eshlow is an awesome resource | ||
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Najda
United States3765 Posts
On March 22 2013 19:44 mordek wrote: Check out the bodyweight thread! http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=288386¤tpage=23#453 Eshlow is an awesome resource I second this, especially if you don't want to go to the gym. | ||
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Ahzz
Finland780 Posts
My elbows, especially my left elbow (right not as much, but just a little to be sure) is slowly starting to ache after heavy squats. I have studied SS book, and according to it there are two sources where this may come from: One, is that I have the bar too low, which prevents me from having my elbows up, and thus making part of the weight rest on my elbows which may cause stress on heavier weights. Two is that I otherwise have poor hand placement on the bar, aka elbows directly under the bar which again causes the same problem, part of the weight on the elbows. TBH, I really don't think that either should be the case here. I guess I may have to verify this with a camera so I (and maybe you guys) can judge it better, but it's not as easy as it sounds because I have no video capturing device at all, and I go to the gym alone. Basically I feel that if I were to put the bar any higher, the next natural position where it would stay snugly is on my traps, which I believe is the high-bar squat. As for the second problem, due to the ache (and even pain if I do this over a longer period of time) I have made effort to make SURE my elbows are up, and my back is tight. My wrists are straight etc. I even asked a really strong guy in the gym to see if he notices anything, and he just said it looked fine to him. IDK, I already took a week long break in order to rest my elbows because the pain was growing stronger, and now that I'm back it pisses me off to realize that I'm still not able to fix it. Could it be shoulder mobility or something? Because right now I can feel the ache on my elbow when getting UNDER the bar, in what I assume is the correct position, so I notice it even before I squat. Maybe something like shoulder/arm tightness, messing up with blood circulation or something? I don't know I know it's hard to judge these things over the web tho, based on someone's explanation. I'm aware that I may have to take several videos to judge proper posture and bar position. | ||
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mordek
United States12705 Posts
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TheMooseHeed
United Kingdom535 Posts
So when I feel hungry is it simply that my stomach is empty after a certain period of time and needs refilled or is it that my body actually needs more calories so makes me feel hungry? | ||
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GuiltyJerk
United States584 Posts
On March 24 2013 00:34 TheMooseHeed wrote: So I have been meaning to ask this for a while but I am afraid I will look stupid :D So when I feel hungry is it simply that my stomach is empty after a certain period of time and needs refilled or is it that my body actually needs more calories so makes me feel hungry? I don't know a TON about it, but I do know a few things, so I'll offer what I can. A LOT of hunger is in your head, your body gets used to eating under certain conditions/at certain times, since the body thrives on regularity. If you eat at the same time frequently, and then suddenly don't eat at that time for whatever reason, then your body will protest by telling you you're hungry. This means that you can kinda train when you're hungry though, by altering your eating schedule Also, from what I've heard (and again, experienced this too) your body is bad at distinguishing between hunger and thirst, so when you're hungry if you drink a big glass of water, sometimes that'll feel like it's filling you up and abating your hunger :D | ||
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Assault_1
Canada1950 Posts
Mon: bench press/skull crushers/lateral raises/incline dumbbell press Tues: squats/abs Thurs: chinups/military press/dumbbell flyes/barbell curls Fri: deadlift/abs If anyone could comment on it or recommend any changes to it I'd be greatful, thanks | ||
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Ahzz
Finland780 Posts
On March 24 2013 14:15 Assault_1 wrote: Hello, I've been looking to change my workout regime to the following weekly shedule: Mon: bench press/skull crushers/lateral raises/incline dumbbell press Tues: squats/abs Thurs: chinups/military press/dumbbell flyes/barbell curls Fri: deadlift/abs If anyone could comment on it or recommend any changes to it I'd be greatful, thanks What are your goals? How strong are you atm? Did you create this program by yourself, or did you get it somewhere? If you have bodybuilding goals and you diligently follow this program, you will probably get results. However, most people in this forum prefer programs that are more for pure strength, and less so for vanity. For example starting strength and strong lifts are both very popular choices, which I will also encourage you to check out at least (check out general training recommendations thread). In other words, if you want to be strong like a bull and get a ton of muscle mass, SUPPOSING you are still relatively weak (as most are, for example squat less than 1.5x their bodyweight etc), then most would recommend starting strength to you. However, keeping that in mind, it is not the ideal program to get 'shredded'. A big portion of that muscle is going to your thighs, hips and back. You will get a sick looking, strong body too, but to have show-off abs etc you probably take way way longer than with a bodybuilding program. Get muscle where you don't need it and which shows off, or get muscle where a human being NEEDS it, and show-off less. It's not exactly like that, but it's my experience of following SS for about 8 months-ish quite diligently. Personally I prefer SS because I feel the great effects in everyday wellbeing and life. If I'm strong like a bull, that gives me plenty of confidence even if I don't have pointy abs to show-off for (though I probably would, if I cut a little bit. I prefer being stronger for now though) Also, it should be noted that your program is doing some kind of a split routine, which is usually ADVANCED OR INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMMING. You will get much better gains doing compound movements like squat, bench press, overhead press etc every other day for example if you aren't yet at advanced level yourself. | ||
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Assault_1
Canada1950 Posts
On March 24 2013 16:24 Ahzz wrote: What are your goals? How strong are you atm? Did you create this program by yourself, or did you get it somewhere? If you have bodybuilding goals and you diligently follow this program, you will probably get results. However, most people in this forum prefer programs that are more for pure strength, and less so for vanity. For example starting strength and strong lifts are both very popular choices, which I will also encourage you to check out at least (check out general training recommendations thread). In other words, if you want to be strong like a bull and get a ton of muscle mass, SUPPOSING you are still relatively weak (as most are, for example squat less than 1.5x their bodyweight etc), then most would recommend starting strength to you. However, keeping that in mind, it is not the ideal program to get 'shredded'. A big portion of that muscle is going to your thighs, hips and back. You will get a sick looking, strong body too, but to have show-off abs etc you probably take way way longer than with a bodybuilding program. Get muscle where you don't need it and which shows off, or get muscle where a human being NEEDS it, and show-off less. It's not exactly like that, but it's my experience of following SS for about 8 months-ish quite diligently. Personally I prefer SS because I feel the great effects in everyday wellbeing and life. If I'm strong like a bull, that gives me plenty of confidence even if I don't have pointy abs to show-off for (though I probably would, if I cut a little bit. I prefer being stronger for now though) Also, it should be noted that your program is doing some kind of a split routine, which is usually ADVANCED OR INTERMEDIATE PROGRAMMING. You will get much better gains doing compound movements like squat, bench press, overhead press etc every other day for example if you aren't yet at advanced level yourself. Thanks ahzz, I've been going for about 10 months now. I'm currently 140 bench, 190 squat, 240 deadlift. I started off really weak (75 bench, 95 squat, 150 deadlift), so I've made some progress. I'm going for a balance of strength and cosmetic. Anyway, I'm mostly following the regime here: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-muscle-building-workout-routine/ Specifically the 4-day upper/lower split version. It lists the recommended workouts below it, but I cut out a bunch of them. This site is different than most in that it advocates doing similar workouts twice a week instead of once. For example, it says skullcrushers Monday/tricep pressdowns Thursday, or lateral pull-downs monday/pullups thursday. These pretty much target the same muscles twice a week in slightly different ways, though I feel doing it only once a week is sufficient. It also shows 7 different workouts in the same day, which I thought is also too much, though they have only 2-3 sets while I do 4-5. It's completely convinced of itself that its method is ideal, but for now I prefer going with the majority. Maybe I should find another site thats closer to what I'm doing. Edit: im 6'2'' 180 lbs | ||
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Ahzz
Finland780 Posts
It's completely convinced of itself that its method is ideal, but for now I prefer going with the majority. any program will consider itself to be ideal though. Sometimes it's utter crap, but other times it may very well be true. The real question is, what does the program offer to you? The program gives what the training regime suggests, and for those purposes it probably is ideal. It may not be ideal for most people though. Other people probably have more experience of more advanced routines than I do, so they may be able to give better advice on the balance of aesthetics and strength programming. Most people here, and myself as well, will think that while you aren't really weak anymore as in you have definately improved your main lifts for sure (squat, deadlift, bench), there is still a lot of improvement to be had before moving on to more advanced programming. However, it is your call. If you want to be STRONGER and BIGGER, then definately work more on compound movements, aka the main lifts. However, if you feel that you're happy with your current level of strength and it's no longer your main concern, then maybe a bodybuilding routine is closer to what your program should look like. Just make sure that the routine includes the main lifts some way. (As yours did, though some could argue that not enough times?) However, more experienced people can give better advice on this matter | ||
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Thor.Rush
Sweden702 Posts
Personally I think the more classic bodybuilding style of lifting would be more optimal for your goals. An example of how to do this method with the bench press: 12 reps, increase the weight for 10 reps, increase to 6, increase to 4, increase to 2 reps for the last set. And you shouldn't go to complete muscle failure. For the larger back exercises, you can start as high as 20 reps and go down from there (it's up to you how you many sets and reps..it's flexible). So it combines hypertrophy with strength training, which is why the classic bodybuilders were generally a lot stronger than today's. I only care about muscle mass so I mostly just train in the 8-12 rep range  | ||
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NeedsmoreCELLTECH
Netherlands1242 Posts
On March 24 2013 14:15 Assault_1 wrote: Hello, I've been looking to change my workout regime to the following weekly shedule: Mon: bench press/skull crushers/lateral raises/incline dumbbell press Tues: squats/abs Thurs: chinups/military press/dumbbell flyes/barbell curls Fri: deadlift/abs If anyone could comment on it or recommend any changes to it I'd be greatful, thanks I think your program is fine, however there aer some things I would change. I'd start the split with lower body (so monday and thursday squats/deadlifts). I'd also put the dumbell flies on tuesday and the lateral raises on friday. Just try to hit chest/triceps and back/shoulders/biceps for example. People here tend to (over)push starting strength or stronglifts, but that leaves a lot of muscle groups really lacking if you want to look great nekkid. Just take the Starting Strength programming idea and apply it to your lifts; monday is squat, tuesday bench, thursday Military press and friday deadlift. Do your isolation work as a bodybuilder and your strength lifts as strength lifts btw. 3x5 on compounds, 3x8-12 on assistance stuff. | ||
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