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[parrotbeak]

Lol, no one here wants to force you to do anything you find awkward or discomforting.

Spoiler

Actually I guess it seems like a few guys do whenever you post pics of yourself, but I'm not one of them.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

I mean, really. What's better than doing squats, deadlifts, bench press, and standing OHP? Everything else seems pointless. I wish I can do regular squats and deadlifts, but I'll substitute DLs for t-bar rows and squats for front squats.

 

[MjFrancis]

For barbell exercises, they really are the bee's knees. I don't bench very often, though, so I may be breaking some kind of sacred rite of passage somewhere. No saggy pecs for me! Or much at all, lol.

 

[balddemon]

I'm gonna start seriously doing legs now, because I want to jump higher. I'm also going to focus on Benching/Chest. What do you guys think of this routine:

Mon/Wed/Frid
Chest
Bench 5x5
Incline 5x5
Decline 5x5
Cable Flys 3x10
Superset with 10 pushups (questionable)

As for weight on the benching: I'm at 155 now, thinking about increasing by 5 or 10 pounds each week as possible. Goal is repping 200 5x5. (which 200-210 is my max now I believe.)

Legs
Squats - I don't know the different names, or really too many types. I'd probably just stick to single leg and body squats, unless you guys let me know of something better.
edit: forgot to add in Lunges/Lunge Jumps and Box Jumps, and possibly something on the Leg Press
oh, and Calf Raises
Box Jumps
Leg Curls/Extensions

My goal here is to be able to dunk with ease. I already can, it's just reallly hard and takes tons of energy.

Tues/Thurs/Sat
Basically everything else, in order of what I consider to be important:
Upper Back --> Lower Back --> Shoulders/Traps --> Biceps --> Triceps
Will also do Insanity Plyometrics on these days, especially on days I don't already play a couple hours of basketball.

 

[X-Frame]

I mean, really. What's better than doing squats, deadlifts, bench press, and standing OHP? Everything else seems pointless. I wish I can do regular squats and deadlifts, but I'll substitute DLs for t-bar rows and squats for front squats.

Don't get caught up in that all-or-nothing mentality. They are not the be-all-end-all of exercises to get strong, stay mobile, and add mass.

As you already noted, front squats are a great substitute for back squats. Many strength coaches and trainers these days are REPLACING traditional back squats with front squats (Mike Boyle's Gym). Deadlifts are manly, yes -- but a lot of people can't do those or back squats correctly. It's much easier to teach the squat with an anterior load to help the body sit into the hole (front squat, goblet squat).

Deadlifts require a lot of hip mobility in order to successfully pull from the ground. If the lifter cannot lift from the ground without rounding their lower back, they should lift from raised pins in a rack. In all honestly, most of the benefit will still be there with Rack Pulls. You are not training to be in a powerlifting competition are you? So it really doesn't matter. It's not much of a difference yet you get to still pull heavy poundages.

Benching is great too, but once again -- many people have horrible imbalances that are pushing the body to systemic threshold failure and then RC injuries start popping up. Way too much benching in today's gyms without the rowing variations to counter them. 2:1 rowing:benching should be the norm for most people. Inverted Rows, Cable Rows, T-Bar Rows, etc. Row row rowwwww.

Overhead pressing is also very effective but alas -- it's also something that should be considered if you have a mobile thoracic spine, healthy RC's, no upper body imbalances, or else it could hurt you too. Overhead pressing if you're someone with inflamed rotator cuffs will lead you on a fast track to impingement and that's no fun.


Yada yada yada -- I'm being the overprotective Daddy here but it's the truth. These are complex movements and if you cannot do them correctly because of your body type, mobility restrictions, or you're just plain bad without a outside coach then don't sweat it. Switch the exercises up to more safe variations and reap 90+% of the benefits with much less risk.

Single-leg training for lower body work will cause your legs to explode so don't forget your weighted lunges. Hip thrusts for glute training. A lot of pull-ups and push-ups for shoulder health, back strength, back width. Incline bench (slight incline) with dumbbells with palms facing towards you for the best position for your shoulders, etc.

 

[parrotbeak]

milk diet sounds interesting, i mean drinking a gallon of milk a day seems pretty challenging, but i'm guessing its worth it then?

I think someone posted an article a while ago about how it's not healthy to do with modern homogenized milk, but I never had a problem gaining weight so never looked into it. But I'd rather have some variety in proteins anyway.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Don't get caught up in that all-or-nothing mentality. They are not the be-all-end-all of exercises to get strong, stay mobile, and add mass.

As you already noted, front squats are a great substitute for back squats. Many strength coaches and trainers these days are REPLACING traditional back squats with front squats (Mike Boyle's Gym). Deadlifts are manly, yes -- but a lot of people can't do those or back squats correctly. It's much easier to teach the squat with an anterior load to help the body sit into the hole (front squat, goblet squat).

Deadlifts require a lot of hip mobility in order to successfully pull from the ground. If the lifter cannot lift from the ground without rounding their lower back, they should lift from raised pins in a rack. In all honestly, most of the benefit will still be there with Rack Pulls. You are not training to be in a powerlifting competition are you? So it really doesn't matter. It's not much of a difference yet you get to still pull heavy poundages.

Benching is great too, but once again -- many people have horrible imbalances that are pushing the body to systemic threshold failure and then RC injuries start popping up. Way too much benching in today's gyms without the rowing variations to counter them. 2:1 rowing:benching should be the norm for most people. Inverted Rows, Cable Rows, T-Bar Rows, etc. Row row rowwwww.

Overhead pressing is also very effective but alas -- it's also something that should be considered if you have a mobile thoracic spine, healthy RC's, no upper body imbalances, or else it could hurt you too. Overhead pressing if you're someone with inflamed rotator cuffs will lead you on a fast track to impingement and that's no fun.


Yada yada yada -- I'm being the overprotective Daddy here but it's the truth. These are complex movements and if you cannot do them correctly because of your body type, mobility restrictions, or you're just plain bad without a outside coach then don't sweat it. Switch the exercises up to more safe variations and reap 90+% of the benefits with much less risk.

Single-leg training for lower body work will cause your legs to explode so don't forget your weighted lunges. Hip thrusts for glute training. A lot of pull-ups and push-ups for shoulder health, back strength, back width. Incline bench (slight incline) with dumbbells with palms facing towards you for the best position for your shoulders, etc.

Yeah, I do a shit load of rows. Seated cable rows, bent over BB rows (wide and narrow grip), upright row, dumbbell rows, Tbar row. I do more rowing than benching, although, my back routine being "enough" became a concern now that I'm doubling up on bench.

I'll just have to see how it goes.

Side note, bench 320 3x3 was pretty fucking easy today. Either I slept/ate well last night (didn't drink this weekend either), or getting in these second round of bench work in the week is really helping, or maybe it's a mix of both.

 

[X-Frame]

I think someone posted an article a while ago about how it's not healthy to do with modern homogenized milk, but I never had a problem gaining weight so never looked into it. But I'd rather have some variety in proteins anyway.

That was me. It was written by one of the trainers in Eric Cressey's gym.

Basically, he says raw whole milk would be the best option but it's also the most hard to find. If you're going the pasteurized route -- drink whole milk over skim milk. I'm sure most people would prefer that anyway if they were told it was okay since it's basically like drinking a milkshake once you've been drinking skim for so long!

Side note, bench 320 3x3 was pretty fucking easy today. Either I slept/ate well last night (didn't drink this weekend either), or getting in these second round of bench work in the week is really helping, or maybe it's a mix of both.

I think the drop to 3x3 really helped keep things progressing. Don't overdue it though on the higher-rep work. Once things start to stall for you that'd be the first place I would cut volume. Keep 3x3 for as long as possible and maybe do a single burn-set of 8 reps to get a little pump going.

Some people just respond to different variables. I remember I did really well on Single Factor 5x5 which is high frequency, moderate volume, moderate intensity. I am not an endurance guy so high volume for me never worked as I always lacked the endurance to make it meaningful. That's something I need to work on now as well.

 

[parrotbeak]

Don't get caught up in that all-or-nothing mentality. They are not the be-all-end-all of exercises to get strong, stay mobile, and add mass.

+1, good shit as always. Everyone eventually gets injuries that prevent us from doing what we're used to. You have to adapt and find healthy ways to continue training.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

That was me. It was written by one of the trainers in Eric Cressey's gym.

Basically, he says raw whole milk would be the best option but it's also the most hard to find. If you're going the pasteurized route -- drink whole milk over skim milk. I'm sure most people would prefer that anyway if they were told it was okay since it's basically like drinking a milkshake once you've been drinking skim for so long!



I think the drop to 3x3 really helped keep things progressing. Don't overdue it though on the higher-rep work. Once things start to stall for you that'd be the first place I would cut volume. Keep 3x3 for as long as possible and maybe do a single burn-set of 8 reps to get a little pump going.

Some people just respond to different variables. I remember I did really well on Single Factor 5x5 which is high frequency, moderate volume, moderate intensity. I am not an endurance guy so high volume for me never worked as I always lacked the endurance to make it meaningful. That's something I need to work on now as well.

Oh, I know. I just decided to do some high volume training these 3 weeks (next week will be the end) because I haven't in a very long while. This gave me the opportunity to mix that in and keep progressing. After next week I'll just rotate back to heavy/heavy.

And yeah, dropping to 3x3 main bench definitely helped to keep the weight progressing. I wonder how far I'll be able to take it before having to rethink again. At this rate assuming steady progress I could be 3x3ing 350 in 6 weeks. That would be really good, especially since 350 was my 1rm back in July.

 

[parrotbeak]

I still need to adjust to Sunday workouts. I love the fact that the gym is empty, but I only slept 5 hours Saturday night. Definitely felt it. After almost not making out of the hole on split squats in the last set, I decided to do everything at the same or lighter than Friday's workout but increase the reps to 3x8 instead of 5x5. Then having to do errands and chores while sore and exhausted sucked. Ya, my weekends need some rearranging if I'm doing Sundays now.

I'm wondering if it's also a factor that it's not a full 2 days of rest, since I work out Friday night and then go Sunday morning because that's when the gym is really empty. I bet sleep was the biggest factor though.

 

[Slayer-33]

Are there any "fitness model" gym routines on here for a target weight of 165 5'8" height? lol

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

I still need to adjust to Sunday workouts. I love the fact that the gym is empty, but I only slept 5 hours Saturday night. Definitely felt it. After almost not making out of the hole on split squats in the last set, I decided to do everything at the same or lighter than Friday's workout but increase the reps to 3x8 instead of 5x5. Then having to do errands and chores while sore and exhausted sucked. Ya, my weekends need some rearranging if I'm doing Sundays now.

I'm wondering if it's also a factor that it's not a full 2 days of rest, since I work out Friday night and then go Sunday morning because that's when the gym is really empty. I bet sleep was the biggest factor though.

Empty = no yoga pants, and that sir is a nogo.



My routine is 3 days on, one day off, 2 days on, one day off, and I'm getting pretty good results, but as we know, results will vary person to person. I also get a lot of sleep, so there's that.

If I had to guess, I would agree with you about the sleep issue, especially if you think your sleep is inadequate.

 

[entremet]

Are there any "fitness model" gym routines on here for a target weight of 165 5'8" height? lol

Fitness model? You mean you want to look like a Calvin Klein ad model?

That's all about what you eat and how much eat honestly. So you may need to count calories, eliminate problematics foods like sugar and refined grains, and get a good amount of protein. 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

Any of the beginner routines should suffice honestly.

 

[parrotbeak]

Haha, unfortunately the gym nearest my place has a separate room that I think gets the most yoga pants, so it doesn't matter if the gym is packed; not much yoga pants in the weight room. There's nothing in that room that I would use, except maybe a treadmill.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Haha, unfortunately the gym nearest my place has a separate room that I think gets the most yoga pants, so it doesn't matter if the gym is packed; not much yoga pants in the weight room. There's nothing in that room that I would use, except maybe a treadmill.

My golds is excellent. There's a few women who work in the weight area when I'm there, then the tread mills are right in eye sight. It's excellent.

The Golds I went to in South Carolina that was next to the beach had the weights tucked back in the rear, but they had excellent equipment, even had two ropes to climb in there. But the women were way hotter than are in my gym, which is to be expected since it was basically the gym for the beach people.

Man, that place made me wanna buy/own/operate a yoga pants store.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Don't like doing BB rows either, lol. It just feels awkward.

Look, if I do an exercise and my body is telling me that it's just awkward and discomforting, I won't do it.

Weighted pullups?

 

[MjFrancis]

+1, good shit as always. Everyone eventually gets injuries that prevent us from doing what we're used to. You have to adapt and find healthy ways to continue training.

Even if they aren't injured, let bygones be bygones. There's cats here who are bodyweight exclusive and others who are barbell nuts. Maybe a sprinter doesn't want to do anything but build their legs or something. It's all good, we're all training improve ourselves.

And occasionally using it as a platform to eyebang some hotties in yoga pants, apparently.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Even if they aren't injured, let bygones be bygones. There's cats here who are bodyweight exclusive and others who are barbell nuts. Maybe a sprinter doesn't want to do anything but build their legs or something. It's all good, we're all training improve ourselves.

And occasionally using it as a platform to eyebang some hotties in yoga pants, apparently.

Awww yeah.

 

[Mr.City]

My golds is excellent. There's a few women who work in the weight area when I'm there, then the tread mills are right in eye sight. It's excellent.

The Golds I went to in South Carolina that was next to the beach had the weights tucked back in the rear, but they had excellent equipment, even had two ropes to climb in there. But the women were way hotter than are in my gym, which is to be expected since it was basically the gym for the beach people.

Man, that place made me wanna buy/own/operate a yoga pants store.

Welp, we know your fetish now.

 

[Deleted member 12837]

I tweaked my right shoulder a bit while benching the other day (it was my first deload day too!). There's a small spot that's a bit painful when I press on it, and if I pull my arm down and back a certain way or if I do this stretch (http://www.puppetista.org/drums/images/StrBackRight.jpg) (swap arm positions though so the right arm is on the bottom, and without the drumstick, just linking fingers), I feel the pain as well.

Gonna rest it a week (should I wait longer?), avoid OHP, pull-ups, dips and benching (are rows still OK?). Kinda limits my workout, which sucks, but I've never had shoulder problems and I certainly don't want to start developing any now. Any other tips?

 

[X26]

how does the expiry date work on jugs of protein powder, I mean is 10/12 october 2012 or december 2010?

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

how does the expiry date work on jugs of protein powder, I mean is 10/12 october 2012 or december 2010?

October 2012!

 

[parrotbeak]

My golds is excellent. There's a few women who work in the weight area when I'm there, then the tread mills are right in eye sight. It's excellent.

Man, that place made me wanna buy/own/operate a yoga pants store.

The gym near my work is great for the hot young girls. I actually don't see much yoga pants there either, but it's usually shorts, often short shorts. I'd take that over yoga pants most days. But that gym is very crowded, which is why I hardly go.

Even if they aren't injured, let bygones be bygones. There's cats here who are bodyweight exclusive and others who are barbell nuts. Maybe a sprinter doesn't want to do anything but build their legs or something. It's all good, we're all training improve ourselves.

Oh ya, that too. I used to love checking out girls at the park while doing sprints and bodyweight stuff. Especially parks near the beach.

i was so hungry i forgot to wash the tomatoes I cut up for my salad. I hope there isn't some horrible virus on these. There's some fucked up sickness spread by slugs on unwashed veggies here, but I assume slugs aren't crawling over tomatoes.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

The gym near my work is great for the hot young girls. I actually don't see much yoga pants there either, but it's usually shorts, often short shorts. I'd take that over yoga pants most days. But that gym is very crowded, which is why I hardly go.

There's a PT at my gym that has these shorts that are like super tight spandex. Like yoga pants/shorts combined and her ass is amazatron. She's a butterface, but my god that ass.

I don't know what those shorts are, but I'll allow it!

 

[Bealost]

Ok fitness gaf, I'm doing squats, bench, chins, and inverted rows today, looking to add something whole body ish to get some extra gym time in. I used to do Turkish get-ups on bench day, but found my triceps would give out on me on holding the dumbell over my head, so I moved them to press day. What can I fill the void with?

 

[Dash27]

Ok fitness gaf, I'm doing squats, bench, chins, and inverted rows today, looking to add something whole body ish to get some extra gym time in. I used to do Turkish get-ups on bench day, but found my triceps would give out on me on holding the dumbell over my head, so I moved them to press day. What can I fill the void with?

Glute ham raises are coming to mind because that's what I do on bench/chin/squat days.

 

[MjFrancis]

You squat, bench, chin and row in a workout and feel ready for another lift? Increase the weight, lest your tea cup overflow, grasshopper!

Spoiler

When I feel ready for more but I've already done a sizable workload I'll add in movements that are easy to recover from and won't hinder further recovery from my big lifts, i.e. bar hangs for my forearms, shoulder shrugs for my traps, or calf raises. Even a brief sprinting session at the end of the day, so long as it doesn't spoil my recovery for my next training session.

 

[Bealost]

You squat, bench, chin and row in a workout and feel ready for another lift? Increase the weight, lest your tea cup overflow, grasshopper!

I love that quote. Basically, I'm trying to stuff some more points in for fitocracy. I've been in a "cut" since February so my lifts aren't exactly improving astronomically, but my conditioning is WAY better, so I'm not dead by the end of my workout. Maybe I'll add an extra workset of bench/squats.

 

[Mully]

Do sub 10 rep routines really work? In the past few pages, I've seen a lot of people talking about doing a 3x3 routine. I don't understand, I thought if you can't do 10 reps of a weight, you shouldn't be lifting it if you're not doing your max. I'm assuming I'm wrong again. Lol.

 

[kylej]

I love that quote. Basically, I'm trying to stuff some more points in for fitocracy.

Just don't hurt yourself for a website, brah.

 

[Price Dalton]

Ok fitness gaf, I'm doing squats, bench, chins, and inverted rows today, looking to add something whole body ish to get some extra gym time in. I used to do Turkish get-ups on bench day, but found my triceps would give out on me on holding the dumbell over my head, so I moved them to press day. What can I fill the void with?

Try some barbell hip thrusts. Looks silly, but hits the glutes really well.

 

[ezrarh]

Do sub 10 rep routines really work? In the past few pages, I've seen a lot of people talking about doing a 3x3 routine. I don't understand, I thought if you can't do 10 reps of a weight, you shouldn't be lifting it if you're not doing your max. I'm assuming I'm wrong again. Lol.

 

[parrotbeak]

You squat, bench, chin and row in a workout and feel ready for another lift? Increase the weight, lest your tea cup overflow, grasshopper!

Spoiler

When I feel ready for more but I've already done a sizable workload I'll add in movements that are easy to recover from and won't hinder further recovery from my big lifts, i.e. bar hangs for my forearms, shoulder shrugs for my traps, or calf raises. Even a brief sprinting session at the end of the day, so long as it doesn't spoil my recovery for my next training session.

Yup, sometimes I like to do light assistance stuff like rear delt raises, db shoulder raises, db flys. But light, just to work the stabilizers at different angles. But mostly I'll do cardio and core. And mostly I agree with Mj; if you still want to lift after doing all that, lift heavier and/or with more intensity and less rest.

Do sub 10 rep routines really work? In the past few pages, I've seen a lot of people talking about doing a 3x3 routine. I don't understand, I thought if you can't do 10 reps of a weight, you shouldn't be lifting it if you're not doing your max. I'm assuming I'm wrong again. Lol.

I think the 3x3 that Shogun and X-Frame were talking about was a way to overcome plateauing. I have sometimes only been able to do 3x3 instead of 5x5 but it's not planned, it's just all I can get up. Then the next time I'll try the same weight at 5x5 again.

 

[reilo]

Do sub 10 rep routines really work? In the past few pages, I've seen a lot of people talking about doing a 3x3 routine. I don't understand, I thought if you can't do 10 reps of a weight, you shouldn't be lifting it if you're not doing your max. I'm assuming I'm wrong again. Lol.

It's why I have been trying to tell you that you are doing twice as many reps as you should be Mully!

The OP has some really amazing resources, this image being one of the best.

 

[MjFrancis]

Do sub 10 rep routines really work? In the past few pages, I've seen a lot of people talking about doing a 3x3 routine. I don't understand, I thought if you can't do 10 reps of a weight, you shouldn't be lifting it if you're not doing your max. I'm assuming I'm wrong again. Lol.

Do you mean ten reps total per workout or per set? Either way there's nothing wrong with either, it's all goal-dependent.

 

[MjFrancis]

I think the 3x3 that Shogun and X-Frame were talking about was a way to overcome plateauing. I have sometimes only been able to do 3x3 instead of 5x5 but it's not planned, it's just all I can get up. Then the next time I'll try the same weight at 5x5 again.

I'm pressing every weekday this week; or at least I'm planning on it. Like you said, just as a nice plateau-breaker. Since my Press 1RM is 135lbs I'm doing 115lbs in sets of 5/3/2 and calling it good. If I can do this two or so weeks I'm hoping to be able to bust through and up my 1RM some. It's still 50 reps, just spread throughout the week and avoiding failure.

 

[Esch]

For barbell exercises, they really are the bee's knees. I don't bench very often, though, so I may be breaking some kind of sacred rite of passage somewhere. No saggy pecs for me! Or much at all, lol.

You're not alone. My routine's almost all barbell stuff and i stay away from the bench. I fucking hate it. Military standing is alright, but i just hate the bench press.

 

[Mully]

It's why I have been trying to tell you that you are doing twice as many reps as you should be Mully!

The OP has some really amazing resources, this image being one of the best.

Now I understand, I'm assuming I should stay between 8-10 reps then?

 

[Bealost]

Now I understand, I'm assuming I should stay between 8-10 reps then?

My understanding of the philosophy of lifting is this. You do low reps/high weight (3x5 is the most common) until you are strong. I'd define strong as benching at LEAST your body weight, squatting 1.5x it, and deadlifting 2x it. (benching 1.5x, squatting 2x, and deadlifting 3x is even better.)Those numbers are reasonable for anyone spending the time trying to get there. That does not make you strong amongst people who lift weights, its just a good starting point. Once you are stronger, you can start doing higher rep schemes (Which because you are strong will still be heavy) to induce hypertrophy and really gain size.

So getting stronger makes it easier for you to gain size later on.

So strength first, size later.

 

[Echoes of Pink]

Now I understand, I'm assuming I should stay between 8-10 reps then?

My take on the image is that 5 to 8 reps is the sweet spot with GAF saying 5 is all you really need to do in the end.

 

[MickeyKnox]

You're not alone. My routine's almost all barbell stuff and i stay away from the bench. I fucking hate it. Military standing is alright, but i just hate the bench press.

Try pressing from the pins. Turns the bench press into a non-stretch reflex movement (like the DL) it's great for building pure pressing power/strength.

 

[BlisterBrown]

How much should I expect to pay for an Olympic barbell and around 150 pounds of plates? I'm looking around Amazon and even if I go with cheapest possible stuff it looks like it'll still be around $200+, which seems kinda steep.

 

[aktham]

Weight: 165
Height: 5' 10"
Body fat: 14%

I look very skinny as I have long limbs. My wing span is 6' 5" (think Kevin Durant build)

My goal is to fill my frame and add muscle. I just started my bulking phase (clean bulking) and I honestly don't care about my weight as much as what I look like. My goal is to be somewhere between 185 to 205 with 8% body fat. I'm trying to add 1 pound of muscle every week. I am currently drinking "Serious Mass" which is making my skin break out and I feel like a teenager again lol. I hear it's a side effect of creatine, but since it's not permanent, I can put up with it for several months. Whey protein (in the cutting phase) doesn't have any negative affects on me on the other hand.

I've been an athlete all my life, but my activity has slowed down big time ever since I graduated from the university and got myself a desk job. I am very motivated to get back into my high school/college shape. Chest is my weakest point and it needs the most attention. The thing that sucks is I broke my collar bone in college and it didn't heal properly. I've been advised by doctors to not put too much weight on it when lifting weights. It's as if these long arms don't make bench hard enough already lol.

I already took some pictures before the routine and will take my 30 day progress picture on December 1st.

 

[TheFatOne]

Well GAF I think I'm done doing power cleans until I can at least get two 45 plates up. It feels like it's impossible to practice the correct form. I have been following SS should I just do bent over rows instead now?

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

Well GAF I think I'm done doing power cleans until I can at least get two 45 plates up. It feels like it's impossible to practice the correct form. I have been following SS should I just do bent over rows instead now?

Start at 45lbs?

 

[TheKaeptain]

How much should I expect to pay for an Olympic barbell and around 150 pounds of plates? I'm looking around Amazon and even if I go with cheapest possible stuff it looks like it'll still be around $200+, which seems kinda steep.

Dick's sporting good has bar plus 300 pounds for $200 bucks.

 

[TheFatOne]

Start at 45lbs?

I thought about just practicing with the bar for a while. Every time I add weight it all goes to shit, but when I don't add weight it's just to light. Think I'm going to just use the bar and slowly add weight, and keep watching youtube videos on the correct form. In the mean time I am going to do barbel rows. Yea I should just stick with the bar until I get comfortable with my form.

 

[J Tourettes]

Dick's sporting good has bar plus 300 pounds for $200 bucks.

What are the main benefits of an oly bar over a standard bar? For my home set up I have two seven foot standard bars and about 120kg in weights. I will need to buy more weights soon at my current rate of increase but trying to work out if I would be better off putting the money towards an olympic set.

 

[Chinner]

so if your trying to gain muscle weight, is doing cardio after weight training or even on the same day as weight training a bad thing? or does it totally not matter and it's up to calorie intake?