TL Fitness Initiative (Weight Loss/Gain) - Page 68

On October 01 2009 02:41 Slithe wrote:
I have a question for you guys about the bench press. I've been having this problem where my elbow will start making a cracking sound and will feel a bit strange on the outside part of the elbow. The more I use the elbow, the more likely it is for this to happen. Is there something I can do, like somehow strengthening the joint, so that this stops happening?

On October 01 2009 02:45 eshlow wrote:


That can honestly be a lot of different things.

If there's no pain, cracking noises are generally fine. BUT since it's feeling weird that may be a problem.

Are you absolutely positive you are doing correct benching technique (tucked elbows, retracted scapulas, etc.)?

Sometimes if you work your biceps or triceps too much you develop imbalances. Imbalances will screw with your joints. Usually this is the case for shoulders more than others (caveman posture, only working beach muscles, etc.), but I have seen it occur with the elbows as well.

Do you do too much triceps work? Or too much biceps work?

May have something similar to lateral epicondylitis as well... can't really tell from that description.

If you're still worried, see an orthopedic doctor. Preferably one that lifts weights so he won't just tell you to "stop lifting weights"

On October 01 2009 02:55 Slithe wrote:


I primarily do the rippetoe workout, except rows instead of cleans because I don't have anyone to teach me the cleans. I'm assuming that there's no bicep/tricep imbalance issue there.

It's probably lateral epicondylitis, since I did play some tennis the day before. If that's the case, then should I just hold off on the bench for a bit and let my elbow recover?

On October 01 2009 02:42 eshlow wrote:
ThatGuy,

Most of the Olympic bars weigh 45 lbs. Hence, two 45 lbs plates are 135# total. Bar always counts as part of the total.

The program adjustment is OK... but it works to a lesser extend than with the power cleans.

Did you do the correct initial ramp up? YOu should've started on a 5 reps where your form is perfect and add weight after that. It should take you about 1-2 weeks to reach your initial 5 RM or so.

Also, EAT!!

On October 01 2009 02:37 Chill wrote:
Girls' "I don't want to gain a lot of muscle" argument is so ridiculous. Girls think if they lift a weight once their arms are going to explode. If it was that easy why aren't most men ripped? Plus girls with slightly muscular arms and legs, especially triceps are really sexy. That's the argument I've used before.

On October 01 2009 10:51 NeverGG wrote:


I kind of agree with this. I just bought my first weights yesterday (2kg hot pink ones. The 1kg felt a bit too light for me so I went one size up to something that doesn't feel like too much, but does give me a sense of working out something in my arms.) for a beginner's work out I've found on a site run by a female fitness trainer. She's totally toned and even though she has a bit more muscle than I'm looking for on her thighs she looks so healthy and seems so into the life style in a positive way that it's pretty inspiring to try and do some light work outs myself.

I'm not worried about ending up looking like Arnie because I'm aware that unless I went crazy overboard and/or began taking steroids/changing my diet drastically it's not possible to bulk up to some extreme level. I just want to feel less flabby lol.

Because it's my first time doing weights should I add extra support to my wrists? I need them to be injury-free for photography so I was thinking it would be best to protect them. Also one other question - does anyone know where I can find accurate information on portion sizes for women dieters? I'm still feeling as though I'm eating too much even though I'm slowly introducing the 5-6 small meals idea into my daily routine.

On October 01 2009 11:54 eshlow wrote:


By lifting weights we mean lifting as heavy weights as you are capable doing the major lifts... deadlifts, squats, pullups, bench, military press, dips, etc.

2kg DBs are like.. nothing.

Weight training, done correctly, will improve your bone density and strength... which should make your photography much easier.


Portion control depends on your OWN basal metabolic rate and activity level. If you record everything you eat for 7 days and plug it into fitday.com it will tell you how many cals you ate. If you can determine how many cals you've eaten and haven't lost any weight, divide by 7 to get your daily caloric expenditure. You can then base your portions along these lines to hit that number (increase for weight gain, decrease for weight loss).

On October 01 2009 10:41 jfazz wrote:
Ok, sorry for the huge delay, but I have pictures. Feel free to laugh at my pirate beard
+ Show Spoiler +
Taken this morning, Oct 21. For completeness, my current body measurements are:
Chest - 96cm (goal 102cm)
Stomach - 70cm (goal 68cm)
Biceps - 28cm (goal 35cm)
Fear my impressive amount of body hair

On October 01 2009 02:45 eshlow wrote:
If you're still worried, see an orthopedic doctor. Preferably one that lifts weights so he won't just tell you to "stop lifting weights"

On October 01 2009 13:13 NeverGG wrote:


I was talking specifically about the girls part of Chill's reply. As in girls like myself who've never lifted anything in terms of weights. I chose to start almost as low as possible because of a few different factors;

1) Inexperience and lack of former training.
2) I've got no space for anything bigger.
3) I can't risk straining my wrists because of my photography.
4) I won't go to the gym because I don't like that kind of environment.

I also have issues with lack of strength in my knees - which is important due to the amount of squatting and kneeling down you have to do at finals. I always feel like crap after I get up.

So, yeah - for now it's only a small weight, but maybe I can progress to something bigger in the future. I'm not rushing this though. Thanks for the link - I'm going to start writing down my meals over the holiday (starts tommorrow.) ^_^

On October 04 2009 12:59 Thesecretaznman wrote:


You can follow a beginner program like SL5x5 (stronglifts.com). IIRC, the first day, you spend time finding out your starting lifts, so the program should end up suiting your level of strength. It's also difficult to do a program using barbells without a home gym or gym membership. ~.~

Why do you not like that kind of environment, if I may ask?

Thus an athlete who has strong legs and can perform the freeweight squat with extremely heavy weights over a long duration may get less distance on a standing long jump or height on a vertical leap than a weaker athlete who is able to generate a smaller amount of force but in a shorter amount of time. The plyometrically trained athlete may have a lower maximal force output, and thus may not squat as much, but his training allows him to shorten the amount of time required to reach his maximum force output, leading to more power from each contraction.

On October 04 2009 11:33 durza wrote:
Hey I wanted to ask some peoples opinions on the site. I like to run a lot but recently when I've run hard I have experienced some chest pain. Not enough to really make me stop running but enough where I clearly have noticed. The pain goes away when I stop running. I really never thought about it but today while at my grandparents I over heard my grandfather mentioning how chest pain can be a sign of heart problems. I did mention the pain to my family.
I'm very out of shape which is why I'm running, but I'm only 16 years old. What are the odds this is some form of a heart problem, or the odds that I'm just being really paranoid.

On October 04 2009 13:46 madnessman wrote:
Does anybody know any good sites where I can find good plyometric workouts?



I have this problem. I've only done weight training but I'm a sprinter (swimming) and I think that plyometrics would be good for me. Also, I want to train my vertical so I'll one day be able to dunk.

My shin splints haven't gone away but x-country ends in like 2 weeks and swim season starts after that so I'm fine for cardio I think. My abs are visible again but I don't have enough definition to have a 6-pack yet. My % body fat is still really high... Probably around 15-18% (my goal is 7%).

EDIT: jfazz is probably high than 8-10% body fat. Last year (when I looked like that) I was at like 22% body fat but it may have been the machine I was using. I heard those electric body fat machines aren't very accurate.

How old are you slithe? If you're still growing it's normal for your joints to crack a lot and have "growing pains".

On October 05 2009 01:25 eshlow wrote:


Take it slow.

If it persists, I would definitely get it checked out. You're probably a bit young for heart problems but really anything is possible if your diet isn't particularly good and problems run in your family.



You're a sprinter for swimming... why are you doing CC?

I don't think plyo is going to help you improve your swimming much, and while it may help you improve your CC it's not going to be that great with your shin splints. You should be lifting heavy in the weight room for improvements.

Best way to improve for most athletes is to focus on a lot of strength/power work, in addition to your sports specific training. For example, read this article on sprinting(track):
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/269/

As for plyo, I'll give you a site with articles (Kelly Baggett's one of the best in the business):
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/articles.html

There's a bunch on plyo and increasing vertical. But like I said, you're going to have to train strength. Plyo just gets the most out of your existing musculature and strength. If you don't have that much then you're not going to improve much, plus you will be more vulnerable to injuries.