On February 22 2012 04:41 Deadeight wrote: Why is it awkward to talk to people?
If someone asks me how many sets I've got left if I'm by myself I offer to let them to rotate in. If it's someone squatting by themselves I will ask to rotate in, people don't mind. If you skip ahead of people waiting without realising, they will tell you they were waiting, and you do the same if you're in their position.
These are only dilemmas for people who can't talk.
I didn't come to the gym to make conversation. If someone asks me to rotate, I'll rotate, and if I wanna use the squat rack I will ask how many sets the guy has left, but I'd rather shut up and lift without someone tapping their foot behind me waiting for their turn.
Once I was in the shower while my gym was renovating it and there were no stalls. This old guy comes in after me, gets in the shower immediately to my right and starts talking about the weather. I feel I should have been within my rights to kill him. You do not speak in the men's room and you do not speak in the showers. That's against the CODE goddamnit!
In England we have an unwritten rule about only using every other urinal, apart from when they have those barrier things in between, then it's ok. People at school used to call it the "splash zone". I think it was introduced in the 70s though or something because old people don't seem to know about it.
But anyway, I imagine the splash zone in sweden is like 5 urinals.
On February 22 2012 05:29 Osmoses wrote: I didn't come to the gym to make conversation. If someone asks me to rotate, I'll rotate, and if I wanna use the squat rack I will ask how many sets the guy has left, but I'd rather shut up and lift without someone tapping their foot behind me waiting for their turn.
Once I was in the shower while my gym was renovating it and there were no stalls. This old guy comes in after me, gets in the shower immediately to my right and starts talking about the weather. I feel I should have been within my rights to kill him. You do not speak in the men's room and you do not speak in the showers. That's against the CODE goddamnit!
lighten up.
haha I have to agree.
I went through US Air Force boot camp and we would talk in the showers all the time together. We weren't gay. We just talked to each other like a brotherly bond type thing. It's not like he was trying to look at your penis in the shower while asking about the weather... or was he?
lol, that's a point. If I was in the shower with a load of hot women first off I think they would tell pretty quickly I was attracted to them (being naked and all) and I don't think I would be able to casually talk about the weather.
I'm sure Osmoses didn't mean it in that way though.
EDIT: @Raidern, are swedes known for being anti-social or something?
Hehe, OK I may have exaggerated slightly for the sake of comedy, but yes, I suppose swedes are... Not anti-social, but private. I have no problem meeting new people and socializing when it's expected, like at a party or when I happen to find myself in a group of people with whom I have something in common, such as having shared an experience or being stuck in a train that's broken down for half an hour. I can be charming as hell when I want to, and I enjoy interacting with other people... But only if I have nothing better to do.
When I'm at the gym is no different from when I'm reading a book or I'm playing a game. I'm busy, I'm trying to concentrate, leave me alone! As for the shower thing, being in the shower with your mates is different from being in the shower with a complete stranger who suddenly decides to engage you in a conversation you didn't ask for and you don't want, for no reason, when you're both at your most vulnerable. I have trouble with waifu pillow talk, you think I wanna talk about the fucking weather with some guy twice my age when we're both naked in a public place? oO
OK, fine, maybe I am slightly more introverted than average. It's not a disfunction, I don't need to be cured, just leave me be :p
Anyway, today was a bit disappointing for me. Didn't really have alot of energy for some reason, even though I got plenty of sleep. I did level up my squat to 70kg, managed 6 reps, but after that first set I was completely drained. I only had one more set of 60kg in me and I barely finished. Also, my back hurt all morning, didn't stop after warm-up. So then I went on the bench and I did 5 reps of 75kg, just like the time before and the time before that. Basically I'm stuck at 75kg atm. I'm on a cut so I suppose I shouldn't really be too concerned, but... I'm concerned.
When I got up from the bench my back was still hurting so I decided to skip deadlift and just walk away. Here's hoping I'll be fit for fight on friday.
Well at least you didn't go down. I had almost two months off the gym due to injury, christmas holidays and then illness, and I came back and had dropped weight. Before I was on 2x37.5kg dumbells, now I'm on 35kg. I don't think it should have dropped that quickly but hey.
Jesus heavy deadlift are heavy. Afterwards my teeth hurt because I was biting so hard haha. Got like six people cheering me on on the last 15 second grind :D:D
On February 20 2012 00:36 Daigomi wrote: I hurt my back today with squats. No idea what I did or what went wrong either. Everything just felt slightly off today, and it ended in a fucking sore back. At the start of the session I was worried that I'd been leaning forward recently, so I thought I'd focus on staying more straight. I warm-up on 75kg, and first rep I lose my balance and fall forward for no apparent reason. Second rep I put extra emphasis on staying upright, and I fall over backwards. I literally fall over so that the safety bars catch me, I've never done that in my life. Anyway, after that I try to just relax and do my warm-ups normally, and they go well. First set on 110kg goes ok, it was damn hard so I only do 4 reps, but nothing went particularly wrong. Second set, as I go down for the first rep I get this sharp pain up my ass and I cannot move.
Like I said, I have no idea what went wrong, there was no rep that felt particularly bad but the whole session felt a bit weird. I'm going to go to a specialist to find out what the hell is up with my back. My coccyx has had a slight ache for months now, but nothing serious enough for me to worry. Now I feel like I can't move, so I want to know what's wrong
Some positive news: I finished 72kg bench finally, and my chin-ups went fairly well (5-4-3.5). Just cannot believe
SOunds like it could be an SI joint issue.... are there any good physical therapists / physiotherapists from where you're at?
Good guess. Went to the sports doctor and she says the sharp pain I got the other day was caused by an SI joint injury. Interestingly, she says the coccyx pain was caused by my pelvis being slightly twisted, which ultimately caused the SI joint injury. My coccyx has been sore since I picked up an injury somewhere in the first two months of SS, so I must have twisted it back then with my poor form. Doctor's recommendation is a chiropractor to twist it back, so I've made an appointment for tomorrow.
I'm relieved that the injury now can be explained by the past injury, because I really didn't feel like I did much wrong recently and I don't want to have to redo my technique again. I will, however, focus on technique a bit more once I start squatting again, which is probably in about 10 days from now.
On February 22 2012 17:37 Deadeight wrote: In England we have an unwritten rule about only using every other urinal, apart from when they have those barrier things in between, then it's ok. People at school used to call it the "splash zone". I think it was introduced in the 70s though or something because old people don't seem to know about it.
But anyway, I imagine the splash zone in sweden is like 5 urinals.
Really? In the US, this "splash zone" is the absolute minimum distance. Read up on your technique:
On February 20 2012 00:36 Daigomi wrote: I hurt my back today with squats. No idea what I did or what went wrong either. Everything just felt slightly off today, and it ended in a fucking sore back. At the start of the session I was worried that I'd been leaning forward recently, so I thought I'd focus on staying more straight. I warm-up on 75kg, and first rep I lose my balance and fall forward for no apparent reason. Second rep I put extra emphasis on staying upright, and I fall over backwards. I literally fall over so that the safety bars catch me, I've never done that in my life. Anyway, after that I try to just relax and do my warm-ups normally, and they go well. First set on 110kg goes ok, it was damn hard so I only do 4 reps, but nothing went particularly wrong. Second set, as I go down for the first rep I get this sharp pain up my ass and I cannot move.
Like I said, I have no idea what went wrong, there was no rep that felt particularly bad but the whole session felt a bit weird. I'm going to go to a specialist to find out what the hell is up with my back. My coccyx has had a slight ache for months now, but nothing serious enough for me to worry. Now I feel like I can't move, so I want to know what's wrong
Some positive news: I finished 72kg bench finally, and my chin-ups went fairly well (5-4-3.5). Just cannot believe
SOunds like it could be an SI joint issue.... are there any good physical therapists / physiotherapists from where you're at?
Good guess. Went to the sports doctor and she says the sharp pain I got the other day was caused by an SI joint injury. Interestingly, she says the coccyx pain was caused by my pelvis being slightly twisted, which ultimately caused the SI joint injury. My coccyx has been sore since I picked up an injury somewhere in the first two months of SS, so I must have twisted it back then with my poor form. Doctor's recommendation is a chiropractor to twist it back, so I've made an appointment for tomorrow.
I'm relieved that the injury now can be explained by the past injury, because I really didn't feel like I did much wrong recently and I don't want to have to redo my technique again. I will, however, focus on technique a bit more once I start squatting again, which is probably in about 10 days from now.
Make sure the chiro gives you exercises you should be doing to correct it.
If he/she just manipulates you and you're good to go then it's worthless because if you've had something for more than a few days you'll need the exercises to help stabilize it until it can normalize again.
On February 22 2012 13:14 infinity21 wrote: If you can't trust your spotter, having his hands on the bar is more distracting than it helps imo Plus they do help 99% of the time if they have their hands on the bar in my experience
Exactly. It's literally impossible for them to not exert any force on the bar if their hands are on it.
The reason it feels lighter and you bench "better" is because you're getting help, not something psychological.
Have you tried spotting with your hands on the bar? It is extremely easy to follow the bar without applying pressure.
This is also a minor part of a bigger theme I see here, people don't trust anyone at the gym except themselves or their friends. Why not? Just because someone isn't on SS or SL doesn't mean they have no idea what they're doing. From my experience the vast majority of people in the gym are friendly and if you ask them to do something, they will do it. If you tell someone to not help with your bench unless you 100% need it does not mean, "do not touch the bar at any point in time until I absolutely need help getting it up". It is faster to spot with your hands already in place than it is to move them from out of sight of the lifter to under the bar. If you don't want them touching the bar be very explicit in what you ask of someone. If they still put their hands on the bar then they are an asshole and don't ask for a spot from them anymore.
You guys need to get over this stigma of everyone not on SS/SL being an idiot and that they are not to be trusted.
On February 22 2012 13:14 infinity21 wrote: If you can't trust your spotter, having his hands on the bar is more distracting than it helps imo Plus they do help 99% of the time if they have their hands on the bar in my experience
Exactly. It's literally impossible for them to not exert any force on the bar if their hands are on it.
The reason it feels lighter and you bench "better" is because you're getting help, not something psychological.
Have you tried spotting with your hands on the bar? It is extremely easy to follow the bar without applying pressure.
This is also a minor part of a bigger theme I see here, people don't trust anyone at the gym except themselves or their friends. Why not? Just because someone isn't on SS or SL doesn't mean they have no idea what they're doing. From my experience the vast majority of people in the gym are friendly and if you ask them to do something, they will do it. If you tell someone to not help with your bench unless you 100% need it does not mean, "do not touch the bar at any point in time until I absolutely need help getting it up". It is faster to spot with your hands already in place than it is to move them from out of sight of the lifter to under the bar. If you don't want them touching the bar be very explicit in what you ask of someone. If they still put their hands on the bar then they are an asshole and don't ask for a spot from them anymore.
You guys need to get over this stigma of everyone not on SS/SL being an idiot and that they are not to be trusted.
There is a difference between hands being an inch under the bar on the way up and hands touching the bar. They both achieve the same things, being there quick when the person needs help, except hands on the bar the person could be helping anywhere from 0.5 lbs to 10lbs depending on the amount the hands are touching. From the benchers point of view its impossible to tell how much they actually are helping even if they say they aren't. This is why its annoying. If I get a spot from someone touching the bar I get pissed and if I get 5 reps I count it as 2/3. Touching reps don't count, its a form of cheating.
On February 22 2012 13:14 infinity21 wrote: If you can't trust your spotter, having his hands on the bar is more distracting than it helps imo Plus they do help 99% of the time if they have their hands on the bar in my experience
Exactly. It's literally impossible for them to not exert any force on the bar if their hands are on it.
The reason it feels lighter and you bench "better" is because you're getting help, not something psychological.
Have you tried spotting with your hands on the bar? It is extremely easy to follow the bar without applying pressure.
This is also a minor part of a bigger theme I see here, people don't trust anyone at the gym except themselves or their friends. Why not? Just because someone isn't on SS or SL doesn't mean they have no idea what they're doing. From my experience the vast majority of people in the gym are friendly and if you ask them to do something, they will do it. If you tell someone to not help with your bench unless you 100% need it does not mean, "do not touch the bar at any point in time until I absolutely need help getting it up". It is faster to spot with your hands already in place than it is to move them from out of sight of the lifter to under the bar. If you don't want them touching the bar be very explicit in what you ask of someone. If they still put their hands on the bar then they are an asshole and don't ask for a spot from them anymore.
You guys need to get over this stigma of everyone not on SS/SL being an idiot and that they are not to be trusted.
I didn't really see anyone mention SS or SL in this debate, it's just about bad spotters
In the end, if you want someone to spot you, you have to give them precise instructions. If you cannot give them it is hardly their fault, because for many people "spotting" translates into "helping". If I give them clear instructions and they don't follow them, I will simply not ask them again. For certain I don't assume they are idiots and/or assholes.
I for once cannot concentrate on benching when my spotter has his hands close to the bar all the time, I need the space.
On February 22 2012 13:14 infinity21 wrote: If you can't trust your spotter, having his hands on the bar is more distracting than it helps imo Plus they do help 99% of the time if they have their hands on the bar in my experience
Exactly. It's literally impossible for them to not exert any force on the bar if their hands are on it.
The reason it feels lighter and you bench "better" is because you're getting help, not something psychological.
Have you tried spotting with your hands on the bar? It is extremely easy to follow the bar without applying pressure.
This is also a minor part of a bigger theme I see here, people don't trust anyone at the gym except themselves or their friends. Why not? Just because someone isn't on SS or SL doesn't mean they have no idea what they're doing. From my experience the vast majority of people in the gym are friendly and if you ask them to do something, they will do it. If you tell someone to not help with your bench unless you 100% need it does not mean, "do not touch the bar at any point in time until I absolutely need help getting it up". It is faster to spot with your hands already in place than it is to move them from out of sight of the lifter to under the bar. If you don't want them touching the bar be very explicit in what you ask of someone. If they still put their hands on the bar then they are an asshole and don't ask for a spot from them anymore.
You guys need to get over this stigma of everyone not on SS/SL being an idiot and that they are not to be trusted.
There is a difference between hands being an inch under the bar on the way up and hands touching the bar. They both achieve the same things, being there quick when the person needs help, except hands on the bar the person could be helping anywhere from 0.5 lbs to 10lbs depending on the amount the hands are touching. From the benchers point of view its impossible to tell how much they actually are helping even if they say they aren't. This is why its annoying. If I get a spot from someone touching the bar I get pissed and if I get 5 reps I count it as 2/3. Touching reps don't count, its a form of cheating.
Again, Have you tried it?
It is possible to be in contact with the bar and not exert noticeable force on the load. Try grabbing a small piece of paper, place your hand(s) under it, and let it fall while keeping in contact with it. Easy right? Now think about doing that but with a bar. Again, easy. This all comes back to not trusting other people.
I don't have a problem with you not wanting someone touching the bar, just be very specific when you ask for a spot.
Yeah well I can sympathise with not trusting people in the gym. I once rotated in with some guy doing bench press, and every time we swapped we took 10 off each side for him and put them back on for me.
Works ok for a couple of sets and then I ask him to put a 15 on his end instead of the 10. I didn't notice him pick up a 5 and put it on, so I go to do it and I pretty much launch one side of the bar into orbit and the weights fell off the other end (should've used clips, I know). Now I always check and always use clips.
On February 22 2012 13:14 infinity21 wrote: If you can't trust your spotter, having his hands on the bar is more distracting than it helps imo Plus they do help 99% of the time if they have their hands on the bar in my experience
Exactly. It's literally impossible for them to not exert any force on the bar if their hands are on it.
The reason it feels lighter and you bench "better" is because you're getting help, not something psychological.
Have you tried spotting with your hands on the bar? It is extremely easy to follow the bar without applying pressure.
This is also a minor part of a bigger theme I see here, people don't trust anyone at the gym except themselves or their friends. Why not? Just because someone isn't on SS or SL doesn't mean they have no idea what they're doing. From my experience the vast majority of people in the gym are friendly and if you ask them to do something, they will do it. If you tell someone to not help with your bench unless you 100% need it does not mean, "do not touch the bar at any point in time until I absolutely need help getting it up". It is faster to spot with your hands already in place than it is to move them from out of sight of the lifter to under the bar. If you don't want them touching the bar be very explicit in what you ask of someone. If they still put their hands on the bar then they are an asshole and don't ask for a spot from them anymore.
You guys need to get over this stigma of everyone not on SS/SL being an idiot and that they are not to be trusted.
There is a difference between hands being an inch under the bar on the way up and hands touching the bar. They both achieve the same things, being there quick when the person needs help, except hands on the bar the person could be helping anywhere from 0.5 lbs to 10lbs depending on the amount the hands are touching. From the benchers point of view its impossible to tell how much they actually are helping even if they say they aren't. This is why its annoying. If I get a spot from someone touching the bar I get pissed and if I get 5 reps I count it as 2/3. Touching reps don't count, its a form of cheating.
Again, Have you tried it?
It is possible to be in contact with the bar and not exert noticeable force on the load. Try grabbing a small piece of paper, place your hand(s) under it, and let it fall while keeping in contact with it. Easy right? Now think about doing that but with a bar. Again, easy. This all comes back to not trusting other people.
I don't have a problem with you not wanting someone touching the bar, just be very specific when you ask for a spot.
Yes I have tried it and know I was barely putting any force on the bar but definitely was putting a little at some points, which could be the difference between a rep and not a rep. But it should be the other way around, the norm should be not touching the bar, and if you want it be specific for touching the bar. I trust people, if I don't have a partner to spot me I'll ask someone who looks half competent to spot me, if he does it wrong I either won't ask him for the next set or I'll let him know my personal preference. Usually now if I ask for a spot I ask for a lift off on first rep, then keep hands away from the bar unless i'm failing a rep.
Edit* Also the point is just because me spotting someone, or you spotting someone with hands on the bar means giving little to no help. Its not the case for everyone. For some random people in the gym you ask for the spot, would rather over help you aka, hands on the bar actually giving you some noticable (3+ lbs) help, rather than under help you and allow you to hurt yourself.
Jesus heavy deadlift are heavy. Afterwards my teeth hurt because I was biting so hard haha. Got like six people cheering me on on the last 15 second grind :D:D
I thought you were one of those cool kids who don't "rest" but "go all out every damn day of the damn year". .
On February 20 2012 21:50 Trizz wrote: So I bought Jack3d and used it for the first time today, I took 1 scoop, 30 mins after I woke up, with about 350ml water. I didn't feel much, the only thing I felt was like I was walking on water, I felt really light. Not much extra energy or focus. I'm not a big guy either, probably around 160 lbs now.
Anyone have any experience with Jack3d? I'm considering taking 2 scoops next time and perhaps try a workout in the afternoon rather than early morning workout. And yes I did take it on empty stomach.
I tried 2 scoops today, and it worked miracles. I had much more energy, I felt like I didn't need any rest in between sets. I had a much bigger pump than normal, felt really really good. Adrenaline? I'm not sure I can't really comment on that. Mental focus? Absolutely, I just wanted to pick them up and put them down. Loved it, would definitely recommend it if you feel kinda sluggish before workouts.
On February 22 2012 13:14 infinity21 wrote: If you can't trust your spotter, having his hands on the bar is more distracting than it helps imo Plus they do help 99% of the time if they have their hands on the bar in my experience
Exactly. It's literally impossible for them to not exert any force on the bar if their hands are on it.
The reason it feels lighter and you bench "better" is because you're getting help, not something psychological.
Have you tried spotting with your hands on the bar? It is extremely easy to follow the bar without applying pressure.
This is also a minor part of a bigger theme I see here, people don't trust anyone at the gym except themselves or their friends. Why not? Just because someone isn't on SS or SL doesn't mean they have no idea what they're doing. From my experience the vast majority of people in the gym are friendly and if you ask them to do something, they will do it. If you tell someone to not help with your bench unless you 100% need it does not mean, "do not touch the bar at any point in time until I absolutely need help getting it up". It is faster to spot with your hands already in place than it is to move them from out of sight of the lifter to under the bar. If you don't want them touching the bar be very explicit in what you ask of someone. If they still put their hands on the bar then they are an asshole and don't ask for a spot from them anymore.
You guys need to get over this stigma of everyone not on SS/SL being an idiot and that they are not to be trusted.
There is a difference between hands being an inch under the bar on the way up and hands touching the bar. They both achieve the same things, being there quick when the person needs help, except hands on the bar the person could be helping anywhere from 0.5 lbs to 10lbs depending on the amount the hands are touching. From the benchers point of view its impossible to tell how much they actually are helping even if they say they aren't. This is why its annoying. If I get a spot from someone touching the bar I get pissed and if I get 5 reps I count it as 2/3. Touching reps don't count, its a form of cheating.
Again, Have you tried it?
It is possible to be in contact with the bar and not exert noticeable force on the load. Try grabbing a small piece of paper, place your hand(s) under it, and let it fall while keeping in contact with it. Easy right? Now think about doing that but with a bar. Again, easy. This all comes back to not trusting other people.
I don't have a problem with you not wanting someone touching the bar, just be very specific when you ask for a spot.
It has nothing to do with someone being on SS/SL but a matter of if I can trust them to follow my directions. I've had some idiots who I've explicitly told to not touch the bar and still did it anyways.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/ITofa.jpg)
