I usually don't work out too much, I do run, swim and play badminton. Not these last 2 months because of family and shits.
Anyway, I wanted to know if anoyne had heard of Testostrong and Nitric Power, what are these thing worth ?
I never tried any specific diet or whatever to gain muscle, because I usually don't have the will, but since I have a fairly healty life and since I will have more time in the very next future, I was wondering about these.
Would you recommend taking these ? Does it work ? Because the way the advertise the product seems like the rest, "uber impressive alpha male increase muscle in no time blazlbalblae"
thanks to anyone who may help
The only things that actually work to gain muscle that have conclusive evidence are:
Creatine, Whey/BCAAs/casein Vitamin D if you're deficient
Magnesium and Zinc potentially if you're deficient as well.
Ergogenically caffeine helps....
Anything else is likely a waste of money and you shouldn't do it unless you have extra cash lying around and you want to try it
I notice that my back muscles is my weakest. I've been trying to do barbell rows and deadlifts. But when I do them I mostly feel like my legs are being worked out compared to my back. I understand my legs are the ones that are keep me stable/falling. Yes I know that you have to squeeze your shoulder blades together for the barbell rows but I feel like my legs are being more used than my back, I don't really feel it in my back at all. As for deadlifts the same thing I feel it in my legs. My friend who I go to the gym with says to lean backwards on your way up & make sure that I pull with my back, is this the right technique?
^ These are the videos I use try to use to basically get the technique right.
Yeah I did not they also why I asked it there, thx a lot.
@eshlow
Thanks a lot, too.
I did not know about creatine, I though it was mostly a nootropic. I was interested in creatine for that reason, Did not know it was common in body building.
This makes me wonder then, why can i not find it in Toronto if it's fairly common :|
I am not common with US shops, but I will be travelling to chicago and NY, any place where I could get some creatine ?
Yeah I did not they also why I asked it there, thx a lot.
@eshlow
Thanks a lot, too.
I did not know about creatine, I though it was mostly a nootropic. I was interested in creatine for that reason, Did not know it was common in body building.
This makes me wonder then, why can i not find it in Toronto if it's fairly common :|
I am not common with US shops, but I will be travelling to chicago and NY, any place where I could get some creatine ?
Any store decently big store should sell it... and you can buy it off amazon or other places online for pretty cheap
On May 19 2013 14:35 iloveroo wrote: I notice that my back muscles is my weakest. I've been trying to do barbell rows and deadlifts. But when I do them I mostly feel like my legs are being worked out compared to my back. I understand my legs are the ones that are keep me stable/falling. Yes I know that you have to squeeze your shoulder blades together for the barbell rows but I feel like my legs are being more used than my back, I don't really feel it in my back at all. As for deadlifts the same thing I feel it in my legs. My friend who I go to the gym with says to lean backwards on your way up & make sure that I pull with my back, is this the right technique? + Show Spoiler +
Anyone have any experience with taking joint supplements? I've been having a lot of trouble with the area right below my elbows and my shoulder area (figure they are both cartilage, not joints). But, would taking a joint supplement help this? Also, is there any difference taking some supplement vs just picking up some glucosamine?
On May 20 2013 01:03 selboN wrote: Anyone have any experience with taking joint supplements? I've been having a lot of trouble with the area right below my elbows and my shoulder area (figure they are both cartilage, not joints). But, would taking a joint supplement help this? Also, is there any difference taking some supplement vs just picking up some glucosamine?
You can try glucosamine and chondroitin.
Fish oil tends to work decently along with low intensity aerobic exercise like an arm bike or swimming....
Yeah I did not they also why I asked it there, thx a lot.
@eshlow
Thanks a lot, too.
I did not know about creatine, I though it was mostly a nootropic. I was interested in creatine for that reason, Did not know it was common in body building.
This makes me wonder then, why can i not find it in Toronto if it's fairly common :|
I am not common with US shops, but I will be travelling to chicago and NY, any place where I could get some creatine ?
When you coming to chicago? Just moved here a few months ago.
Yeah I did not they also why I asked it there, thx a lot.
@eshlow
Thanks a lot, too.
I did not know about creatine, I though it was mostly a nootropic. I was interested in creatine for that reason, Did not know it was common in body building.
This makes me wonder then, why can i not find it in Toronto if it's fairly common :|
I am not common with US shops, but I will be travelling to chicago and NY, any place where I could get some creatine ?
When you coming to chicago? Just moved here a few months ago.
You gonna be in Chicago for the foreseeable future decaf? I might be going there sometime this year to visit a friend
Yeah I did not they also why I asked it there, thx a lot.
@eshlow
Thanks a lot, too.
I did not know about creatine, I though it was mostly a nootropic. I was interested in creatine for that reason, Did not know it was common in body building.
This makes me wonder then, why can i not find it in Toronto if it's fairly common :|
I am not common with US shops, but I will be travelling to chicago and NY, any place where I could get some creatine ?
When you coming to chicago? Just moved here a few months ago.
You gonna be in Chicago for the foreseeable future decaf? I might be going there sometime this year to visit a friend
Hi everyone, first post on TLHF for me. I started lifting ~3.5 months ago and have been following a modified version of Starting Strength called Babylover's Starting Strength along with some isolation work. I'm very satisfied with my progress thus far, however I'm finally at the point where I can squat my bodyweight (165 lbs... started from basically nothing) and I've noticed that squatting bruises my upper back/traps.
The program recommends that you switch to front squats in workout B and continue doing back squats in workout A once you are able to squat 135 lbs, but I foolishly never switched to doing front squats. With this being said, should I switch to solely doing front squats for the time being until my back/traps are strong enough to support the weight that I squat conventionally, or should I alternate back/front according to what workout I am doing? I figured I would post here since a lot of replies to this question that I have read on the site that I usually obtain information from (bodybuilding.com) are along the lines of "don't be a pussy" and whatnot. Thanks in advance.
Just kidding lol. But yeah you're gonna have to work through it until you're used to the weight on your traps. Assuming you're doing deadlifts too your traps should be getting stronger as well. You should definitely work on your front squats too though, i love em.
On May 21 2013 10:07 Brotatolol wrote: Hi everyone, first post on TLHF for me. I started lifting ~3.5 months ago and have been following a modified version of Starting Strength called Babylover's Starting Strength along with some isolation work. I'm very satisfied with my progress thus far, however I'm finally at the point where I can squat my bodyweight (165 lbs... started from basically nothing) and I've noticed that squatting bruises my upper back/traps.
The program recommends that you switch to front squats in workout B and continue doing back squats in workout A once you are able to squat 135 lbs, but I foolishly never switched to doing front squats. With this being said, should I switch to solely doing front squats for the time being until my back/traps are strong enough to support the weight that I squat conventionally, or should I alternate back/front according to what workout I am doing? I figured I would post here since a lot of replies to this question that I have read on the site that I usually obtain information from (bodybuilding.com) are along the lines of "don't be a pussy" and whatnot. Thanks in advance.
Babylovers is a pretty solid program that addresses the main problem with SS - the lack of upper back work. It's written by a guy with far more success and far more experience lifting than me, so far be it for me to tell you that you should go against his advice. the front/back alternating is a great idea.
Anyway, don't be a pussy. Squeeze them traps harder, try a low bar position, do some shrugs, whatever you have to do. Figure out a way to make it work - but you really lose out on a lot of progress if you become entirely unable to squat. The deadlift doesn't move as well, the lower back doesn't get as strong, and you really just don't feel like as much of a bad ass when you can't do a proper back squat. If I were in that position (but I never was, once I figure out how to position the bar) I would just say suck it up - it won't last long anyway.
Also, as someone who posts pretty regularly on BB.com..... TL is probably a better source of information. It's smaller, sure, and we have a lot of bias towards strength training... but over there, you never really know the quality of advice you're getting, while here there is just a greater proportion of people that know their shit. That's just my 2 cents though.
Is there a good way to ease myself into using hook grip? Or does it more or less boil down to "Grit teeth through pain and do it anyways?" Is there any difference in setup between hook grips for snatch and clean? Every time I try, my thumbnail feels like it's being crushed - and this is at really light weights, i.e. 95-135 lbs. Is this an indicator that I'm doing it wrong? I can't even imagine what this would feel like at a max CJ weight.
Now that I'm really getting into the Olympic lifts, I'm starting to do more overhead work than I've ever done in the past, and there have been some interesting incidents with my shoulders lately: while playing basketball, I'll experience a pinching sort of pain in the shoulder of my shooting arm, right as I hit the top of my release. It's not enough to be truly debilitating, but it's annoying all the same. Then yesterday, I was doing some CJ technique work at a really easy weight, 135 or so, and I suddenly started experiencing excruciating pain in the exact same spot of my opposite shoulder (left) when attempting the jerk. Without seeing a form video (which I'll post at some point,) is this an obvious indicator that I'm doing something wrong in the jerk?
You know there's an olympic lifting thread right? lol
anyways - hookgrip yeah just bite the bullet and deal with it. after a week or two it wont really bother your thumbs. you'll probably want to start taping your thumbs too. on the snatch i usually like come at the bar kind of at an angle with my grip. if you come at it straight down on to the bar you'll get worse calluses towards the outside of your hands.
make sure it looks like this:
and NOT like this:
As for overhead shit you're probably just getting used to using muscles you've never used before. i've had all sorts of pain in my rotator cuffs but most of it passes. just don't overwork these muscles that you've previously used very little. make sure you foam roll/lax ball and do mobility/stretching. Do you have an ac joint impingement? Look at some of kelly starrets videos for overhead mobility.
So I've been lifting on and off for about 3 years now, revamped a lot of times so my lifts aren't too impressive. bw: 93kg morning squat 140kg x5 highbar ATG belted dead 140kg x5 belted I can do more weight but anything over 3plate just feels like my ego taking over and getting me ready for a one way ticket to snap city so I've just decided to coast bench 95kg x5 clean 100kg x2
Did SS religiously in the beginning, then did my own push pull, then dogg crapp (rest pause), then some strength/density 4 day split. Now I just feel burned out and don't want to spend 2 hours at the gym doing all my warm ups and killing myself all the time, fighting tooth and nail for another rep or another bump in weight. So I have just switched to doing complexes to keep myself interested and aiming for fat loss.
Right now I'm just doing something I copied off T-nation: Deads SLDL Bent over row Power clean Front squat Push press Back squat Good morning 30kg working my way up in weight. 6 reps each lift no rest between lifts. 90 sec rest between sets. Descending rep scheme. Then I just do some shoulder external rotation work.
Is this legit in any way? I feel like I'm almost doing some crossfit shit. Does anyone have any better suggestions to keep it interesting in the gym? Any better setups for complexes? Are complexes even good?
On May 22 2013 02:57 pyrogenetix wrote: So I've been lifting on and off for about 3 years now, revamped a lot of times so my lifts aren't too impressive. bw: 93kg morning squat 140kg x5 highbar ATG belted dead 140kg x5 belted I can do more weight but anything over 3plate just feels like my ego taking over and getting me ready for a one way ticket to snap city so I've just decided to coast bench 95kg x5 clean 100kg x2
Did SS religiously in the beginning, then did my own push pull, then dogg crapp (rest pause), then some strength/density 4 day split. Now I just feel burned out and don't want to spend 2 hours at the gym doing all my warm ups and killing myself all the time, fighting tooth and nail for another rep or another bump in weight. So I have just switched to doing complexes to keep myself interested and aiming for fat loss.
Right now I'm just doing something I copied off T-nation: Deads SLDL Bent over row Power clean Front squat Push press Back squat Good morning 30kg working my way up in weight. 6 reps each lift no rest between lifts. 90 sec rest between sets. Descending rep scheme. Then I just do some shoulder external rotation work.
Is this legit in any way? I feel like I'm almost doing some crossfit shit. Does anyone have any better suggestions to keep it interesting in the gym? Any better setups for complexes? Are complexes even good?
Thanks in advance.
That's not half as legit as crossfit. If you want to do crossfit, but have more of a strength focus check out crossfit football. If you want to do pure crossfit, pick a box that has programming you like, and "like" them on facebook. 90% of boxes post their WOD there every morning. I just don't see what you think you're going to get out of doing something like that. There are better ways to increase work capacity, and there are (obviously) better ways to increase strength, promote fat loss, build muscle, or raise endurance.
Personally in your situation I'd say hop on a texas method routine, or possibly a 5/3/1 - either of those is only going to have you in the gym for ~45 minutes, 3-4 days/week, and you're not going to feel wrecked all the time, but you're still going to make progress. You didn't really list any goal besides "fat loss" though, so I can't be sure that's what you want.
On May 22 2013 02:57 pyrogenetix wrote: So I've been lifting on and off for about 3 years now, revamped a lot of times so my lifts aren't too impressive. bw: 93kg morning squat 140kg x5 highbar ATG belted dead 140kg x5 belted I can do more weight but anything over 3plate just feels like my ego taking over and getting me ready for a one way ticket to snap city so I've just decided to coast
dont...understand...
Your body is built to adapt to stress. Keep adding weight and crush it. You can switch up programs but there's no reason to stop pushing yourself. Have confidence in your form and strength.
Okay, I think I've settled on the Pendlay Nexgen HD (http://www.muscledrivercan.com/Pendlay-Econ-Bumpers-Pendlay-NexGen-HD-Bar-Free-Shipping_p_107.html) but I have a couple more questions left. Glenn said dumping a nice bar like this into the safety pins of a power rack means you should be drowned.
"One thing i would agree with... if you use a Pendlay NB or an Eleiko inside a squat rack with safety bars that you can drop the weight on if you miss, you should be made to undergo waterboarding... If you have a great bar and want to squat with it, learn to dump it or get some good spotters!!!"
Is he being dramatic, or am I actually going to need to pick up this bar for Oly AND another bar for use in the rack? I ask because this home-gym investment is getting seriously expensive already, between power rack $500, quality barbell $400, quality bumpers $550, bench $150, platform, and potentially rings and boxes. Kijiji and craigslist are dry for my needs. I could get the $150 barbell and the $300 bumpers, but I really don't want to have to buy anything twice because it ends up crapping out on me. Maybe I could put some sort of padding on the safeties? Also, any recommendations for a decent collar to pick up for my shiny new bar? Will the standard spring ones suffice?
EDIT: Has anyone had any issues with "folding" bumper plates when dropping a lift?
EPT
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