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[Cudder]

Haven't Done the Barbell Bench Presses normal/incline in a while. I tried them yesterday and today I am not sore at all in my pecs. I do feel it in my shoulders though. Weird thing is that I had great form too. I guess I will stick to Dumbbells

Your shoulders will give out doing Bench Presses before your chest starts to give/get sore if your shoulders are particularly weak. The more you work your shoulders the more you can bench.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

I always thought the Wider your grip the more it hits your pecs and the narrower hits your tris.

At a certain point it's a balance of the 3.

All 3 are worked in all 3 "grips," however, positioning will emphasize one side over the other. Extreme close grip (elbows tucked) is going to be mostly tricep, gripping out all the way to where you can barely cover the rings on both sides is going to be heavily shoulder focused. There's a sweet spot right in the middle where you're going to maximize chest work.

Your shoulders will give out doing Bench Presses before your chest starts to give/get sore if your shoulders are particularly weak. The more you work your shoulders the more you can bench.

Yeah, however, this also depends on where your "sticking point" is.

Also, this is why OHP is great for increasing bench and the other way around.

 

[JB1981]

Depends on what your diet is of course. Just eating eggs 6 days a week wouldn't cause any issue if you're also eating fruits, vegetables, staying away from high fatty foods. But for someone living on McDonalds 6 eggs a week wouldn't help things obviously lol.

Yes I eat a lot of broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes (here and there), i usually eat nuts (brazillian nuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts) as a snack every day w/ greek yogurt. I take about 6 pills of fish oil every day w/ vitamin b-complex. I have been eating a lot of avocado lately, some pineapple, strawberries.

Last night I had some salmon w /spinach and roasted potatotes. Most of the carbs I eat are brown rice or some type of rice/potato. I love my carbs and I'm skinny so I don't plan on giving them up anytime soon.

Eggs I made this morning were scrambled cooked in olive oil on organic multigrain bread.

 

[Cooter]

Meat is a non-essential? Nope.

You can buy beer and wine with food stamps? Nope.

I apparently wasn't eating right and was told to change my diet in this thread. I said I couldn't because I couldn't afford it. But if I use foodstamps to buy unprepared meat and cook it in a healthy way, this is apparently an aggregious affront to everything ever, and a gross manipulation of the system, despite the fact that I have very, very, very little spending money and I qualify for foodstamps. In order to qualify for any assistance at all you have to have income of less than 1100 total per month.

But hey, let's all jump on Timedog because we have wholly ideological (rather than thought out, pragmatic) objections to "handouts" despite the fact that without "handouts" society, and in turn you, would. be. completely. fucked.

I'm using foodstamps. I'm buying healthy foods and making good use of them. You're paying for them.

I'm done talking about foodstamps in this thread. If you wanna argue about the validity of foodstamps as a program in this country, PM me with your objections and I'll destroy your shit.

(although I'm expecting a few responses in the thread, knowing there will be no reply, and no PM's)

I'm not PMing you and nor do I care if you respond. Let's just say we have a disagreement and leave it at that.

 

[Dosia]

At a certain point it's a balance of the 3.

All 3 are worked in all 3 "grips," however, positioning will emphasize one side over the other. Extreme close grip (elbows tucked) is going to be mostly tricep, gripping out all the way to where you can barely cover the rings on both sides is going to be heavily shoulder focused. There's a sweet spot right in the middle where you're going to maximize chest work.



Yeah, however, this also depends on where your "sticking point" is.

Also, this is why OHP is great for increasing bench and the other way around.

How should my elbows be if I am trying to focus on my chest the most. Currently if my elbows are out my arm makes a 90deg angle. Is that good or should I tuck my elbows or narrow my grip more?

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

How should my elbows be if I am trying to focus on my chest the most. Currently if my elbows are out my arm makes a 90deg angle. Is that good or should I tuck my elbows or narrow my grip more?

You're elbows are way too flared. That's actually bad for your shoulder IMO. I tend to keep mine around a 45 degree angle, although when the weight inevitably gets heavier, I do approach 90 degrees.

Much like grip, degree to which your shoulders are flared also changes focus.

 

[Dosia]

You're elbows are way too flared. That's actually bad for your shoulder IMO. I tend to keep mine around a 45 degree angle, although when the weight inevitably gets heavier, I do approach 90 degrees.

Much like grip, degree to which your shoulders are flared also changes focus.

Thx for the advice. I will adjust my grip on Monday and give it a shot.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Thx for the advice. I will adjust my grip on Monday and give it a shot.

No problem, just realize you're going to be weaker moving "in" with your grip as opposed to moving out. So adjust for that.

 

[kylej]

In order to qualify for any assistance at all you have to have income of less than 1100 total per month.

If I was on foodstamps I would probably be spending my time rectifying that, rather than typing out a lengthy response about my budget to the 12 people who read the GAF fitness thread. To each their own.


Back on fitness, I think I'm going to stop locking out on bench. Kind of using the lockout as a crutch to take the strain off my muscles, but it's murdering my elbows. Feels bad man.

 

[Timedog]

In my exercises the 3rd set is usually the easiest to get the weight up. Like I'll do two sets of 5 reps of 5 in bench and barely get the weight up on the 5th rep, making it so that if I wanted another rep I'd need a spotter. But then the 3rd set I'll get 6-7 reps, no spotter.

I'm wondering if this is the case with other people, and it's some phenomenon with getting more warmed up as the sets go along, or if it's maybe psychological, where since I've done the same weight two times very recently, I'm not as "afraid" of how heavy it is anymore, and I can snap right into form without as much thought.

 

[cuevas. PhD.]

In my exercises the 3rd set is usually the easiest to get the weight up. Like I'll do two sets of 5 reps of 5 in bench and barely get the weight up on the 5th rep, making it so that if I wanted another rep I'd need a spotter. But then the 3rd set I'll get 6-7 reps, no spotter.

I'm wondering if this is the case with other people, and it's some phenomenon with getting more warmed up as the sets go along, or if it's maybe psychological, where since I've done the same weight two times very recently, I'm not as "afraid" of how heavy it is anymore, and I can snap right into form without as much thought.

The phenomenon is called not having a good warm up.

 

[Timedog]

The phenomenon is called not having a good warm up.

I do 5-6 sets of warm up *shrugs*

Heres a typical warmup on bench:

2x10 with just the bar. On these I'll explode up as fast as possible and very slowly lower the bar back down to my chest.

1x10 @95

1x5-7 @135

1x3 @ 165

1x1@185

working sets @205

 

[DrBaalzamon]

Hey thanks everyone for the egg responses! My primary concern was with the cholesterol but those have been assuaged. Keep on lifting everyone!

 

[JB1981]

I do 5-6 sets of warm up *shrugs*

Heres a typical warmup on bench:

2x10 with just the bar. On these I'll explode up as fast as possible and very slowly lower the bar back down to my chest.

1x10 @95

1x5-7 @135

1x3 @ 165

1x1@185

working sets @205

Too many reps for your warm ups

Try:
45x5x2
95x5x1
135x3x1
175x2x1
205x5x3

 

[Petrie]

Too many reps for your warm ups

Yep. Warm up sets should be the same number of reps or less as your working sets, not more. change those first sets to 2x5, 1x5, 1x5 and then get back to us.

 

[Slayer-33]

Have any of you guys used this?

http://youtu.be/SkcPgAoGcNo

I did at work and the damn thing is solid.. I was only looking for a dip station that didn't take much space but this thing serves so many more purposes... I'm going to order one off ebay now since it'll be cheaper than ordering from amazon..


Excellent piece of equipment, no fucking wobble.

 

[Bearded Dudebro]

That seems like alot, I'd be curious of what your actual sets are if you're doing that many warm ups.

I do 5-6 sets of warm up *shrugs*

Heres a typical warmup on bench:

2x10 with just the bar. On these I'll explode up as fast as possible and very slowly lower the bar back down to my chest.

1x10 @95

1x5-7 @135

1x3 @ 165

1x1@185

working sets @205

 

[Timedog]

That seems like alot, I'd be curious of what your actual sets are if you're doing that many warm ups.

3 sets of 5 reps.

Too many reps for your warm ups

Try:
45x5x2
95x5x1
135x3x1
175x2x1
205x5x3

I'll try this today, but what about my issue with my last set actually being easier?

 

[Cooter]

I do 5-6 sets of warm up *shrugs*

Heres a typical warmup on bench:

2x10 with just the bar. On these I'll explode up as fast as possible and very slowly lower the bar back down to my chest.

1x10 @95

1x5-7 @135

1x3 @ 165

1x1@185

working sets @205

I can only offer you my routine as it is how I prefer to lift.

5 warmups with 135

10x205 (this is a half warmup/half working set.)
8x225
6x255
4x285

It is 28 reps total not counting the warmup 135 that I do for 5 reps. I use this formula for almost every exercise I perform. Good luck!

 

[JB1981]

3 sets of 5 reps.



I'll try this today, but what about my issue with my last set actually being easier?

Maybe you are miscalculating your 5 rep max? Increase your work set weight. FWIW I always felt that my 2nd and 3rd sets felt best when I was squatting

 

[AdventureRacing]

1) What are your goals (build muscle, lose fat, better cardio, etc)

Build muscle and improve cardio, i need to do both (i play rugby)

2) How many reps are you doing for those excercises.

I have been doing 3 sets with 12 reps.

3) What's uncomfortable about the grip on squats? What part/s are in pain or are uncomfortable?

Well in general i find it makes my wrists quite sore and i wasn't really sure if the bar should be resting on my shoulders at all which is also uncomfortable.

 

[balddemon]

Build muscle and improve cardio, i need to do both (i play rugby)




I have been doing 3 sets with 12 reps.




Well in general i find it makes my wrists quite sore and i wasn't really sure if the bar should be resting on my shoulders at all which is also uncomfortable.

since you play rugby, you need explosiveness and strength, right? less rep and more weight. also, make sure your wrists are straight, and your thumbs are behind the bar. that will probably alleviate most of hte wrist issues. as for the bar being uncomfortable, i try to find a nice spot and wedge it in there. it's going to hurt at high weight no matter what though lol. rest it on your traps

 

[Petrie]

since you play rugby, you need explosiveness and strength, right? less rep and more weight. also, make sure your wrists are straight, and your thumbs are behind the bar. that will probably alleviate most of hte wrist issues. as for the bar being uncomfortable, i try to find a nice spot and wedge it in there. it's going to hurt at high weight no matter what though lol. rest it on your traps

Yeah, the uncomfortableness of having all that weight on your shoulders is just something you kind of get used to.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Yeah, the uncomfortableness of having all that weight on your shoulders is just something you kind of get used to.

It doesn't even bother me anymore. I think once your shoulders/traps get big you don't even notice. That or you just become numb to the discomfort. I don't know.

 

[Petrie]

It doesn't even bother me anymore. I think once your shoulders/traps get big you don't even notice. That or you just become numb to the discomfort. I don't know.

Probably just numb to it. At 320 it doesntmbother me anymore. Ive been stalled for a bit though so being around the same weigt for awhile probably allows me to get even more used to it.

 

[AdventureRacing]

since you play rugby, you need explosiveness and strength, right? less rep and more weight. also, make sure your wrists are straight, and your thumbs are behind the bar. that will probably alleviate most of hte wrist issues. as for the bar being uncomfortable, i try to find a nice spot and wedge it in there. it's going to hurt at high weight no matter what though lol. rest it on your traps

Thanks for the advice. I'll be back at the gym tomorrow and give it a try. I don't mind if it's somewhat uncomfortable on my shoulders i just figured that probably meant i was doing something wrong.

 

[kylej]

holy shit, I guess on Wednesday when I did Back 5-3-1 I got a bigger pump than I realized. Looked in the mirror last night and noticed deep red, horizontal stretch marks on the top of my biceps (near my shoulder). Looks pretty terrible but I guess I'll wear them with pride.

 

[JB1981]

Thanks for the advice. I'll be back at the gym tomorrow and give it a try. I don't mind if it's somewhat uncomfortable on my shoulders i just figured that probably meant i was doing something wrong.

If you are doing a low bar back squat and you have the bar in the correct position, your shoulders should not be bothering you.

 

[HarryHengst]

I started seeing a girl recently and she doesnt care at all about muscles on a man, and rather see a bit of a beer belly on a man than a sixpack. What is this, this is not the right kind of motivation. :lol

She just has to deal with me going to the gym and becoming stronger though. Not going to give up my swole for a girl.

 

[JB1981]

I started seeing a girl recently and she doesnt care at all about muscles on a man, and rather see a bit of a beer belly on a man than a sixpack. What is this, this is not the right kind of motivation. :lol

My ex girlfriend was the same way (she was not fat). She jus said that she loved a little but of a gut on a man, said it was great feeling the gut on their you-know-what during s-e-x.

 

[X-Frame]

holy shit, I guess on Wednesday when I did Back 5-3-1 I got a bigger pump than I realized. Looked in the mirror last night and noticed deep red, horizontal stretch marks on the top of my biceps (near my shoulder). Looks pretty terrible but I guess I'll wear them with pride.

I have multiple on both shoulders from when I lifted heavy in college. Still think they're badass.

My brother has me beat though - his entire biceps on both arms are full of tiny stretch marks.

Pssh, curls.

 

[Cheeto]

My ex girlfriend was the same way (she was not fat). She jus said that she loved a little but of a gut on a man, said it was great feeling the gut on their you-know-what during s-e-x.

Their gut?

 

[MjFrancis]

My brother is riddled with stretch marks on his chest under his arms, on his biceps, shoulders, lats... he was a beast. At 6'2" he jumped from 140lbs to 230lbs - 240lbs, cut to 215lbs at 10% BF or so and stayed there for years. A half-year back he slimmed down to as low as 175lbs, dropping his bodybuilding split and pretty much only keeping his arms muscled up.

He got to the point where he was working out for purely superficial reasons, and since most of the women he hooked up with didn't care he didn't either. So unfortunately he isn't rocking the beast mode anymore. On the other hand, he's hasn't been small enough for me to theoretically beat him up in years. And while as grown men we don't brawl or fight anymore, I take a certain delight in mentioning this at family outings.

 

[Mr.City]

My brother is riddled with stretch marks on his chest under his arms, on his biceps, shoulders, lats... he was a beast. At 6'2" he jumped from 140lbs to 230lbs - 240lbs, cut to 215lbs at 10% BF or so and stayed there for years. A half-year back he slimmed down to as low as 175lbs, dropping his bodybuilding split and pretty much only keeping his arms muscled up.

He got to the point where he was working out for purely superficial reasons, and since most of the women he hooked up with didn't care he didn't either. So unfortunately he isn't rocking the beast mode anymore. On the other hand, he's hasn't been small enough for me to theoretically beat him up in years. And while as grown men we don't brawl or fight anymore, I take a certain delight in mentioning this at family outings.

How unfortunate.

On a side note, I'm down to 237 from my original 285 with no real strength loss. I'll soon be doing be low enough that I'm benching bodyweight for sets across.

 

[bro1]

Depends on form. A lot of people strap weight on and form goes right out the window. I still don't do weighted dips or pullups/chins.

Also, you can work on rest days, the key is to not over do it. Rest days don't have to mean do jack shit. You can still do conditioning/muscle stimulation. The idea is to keep it from being on par with a work day.

Something people seem to forget here, that nothing is 100% right for everyone. Some people can get away with doing more, some can't. It's up to the individual to experiment and find their own limitation.

How do you have bad form with dips or chins? As long as you don't kip or swing, it's kind of hard to screw up.

 

[MjFrancis]

As long as you don't kip or swing, it's kind of hard to screw up.

Real easy to do, especially with high reps. The other major contributor to screwing things up is a piss poor ROM.

I've seen dips where reps are a slight bend in the elbows and chins that top out with the eyes on the bar.

 

[Petrie]

How do you have bad form with dips or chins? As long as you don't kip or swing, it's kind of hard to screw up.

Its pretty easy to have bad form on dips. Particularly to not go the full ROM.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

How do you have bad form with dips or chins? As long as you don't kip or swing, it's kind of hard to screw up.

No, it's really not.

Awesome week, every day was a PR got 340x3 on my third set for bench today. Feel beastly.

 

[FallingEdge]

I started seeing a girl recently and she doesnt care at all about muscles on a man, and rather see a bit of a beer belly on a man than a sixpack. What is this, this is not the right kind of motivation. :lol

She just has to deal with me going to the gym and becoming stronger though. Not going to give up my swole for a girl.

That's the spirit.

I was talking to one of my co-workers here and found out that he was a powerlifter back in the day. His knowledge is incredible. Some of it is brosciency, but he is on point with his knowledge. He said by next summer, I can be 250 (I weigh 220 right now). I asked him for a routine to focus on size for this summer as I am trying to cut. Man, I can't wait haha.

 

[bro1]

What do you consider full ROM on a dip? To me it's elbows slightly above shoulders.

 

[abuC]

How unfortunate.

On a side note, I'm down to 237 from my original 285 with no real strength loss. I'll soon be doing be low enough that I'm benching bodyweight for sets across.

Im down from 268 maybe a year and change ago, to 244-247 right now and even though to my own eyes I don't see a big difference people who haven't seen me in a while are shocked. At the weight of 268lbs, I would struggle with repping 135lbs 10x, little more than a year later and I can rep 315 for sets. It's a great feeling having your own body weight drop, but watching your strength gains continue to climb.

And MJfrancis, you should challenge your brother for one final match, come out of retirement and stake claim to the throne.

 

[MjFrancis]

And MJfrancis, you should challenge your brother for one final match, come out of retirement and stake claim to the throne.

If there were some sort of throne at stake, perhaps.

Really I'd just rather he throw his hat back in the ring and pick up some iron. He'd appreciate the beauty of muscle memory and how quick he could build himself up again.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Im down from 268 maybe a year and change ago, to 244-247 right now and even though to my own eyes I don't see a big difference people who haven't seen me in a while are shocked. At the weight of 268lbs, I would struggle with repping 135lbs 10x, little more than a year later and I can rep 315 for sets. It's a great feeling having your own body weight drop, but watching your strength gains continue to climb.

Truth. When I first started working out I weighed 250 lbs, couldn't do a single pushups, pullups, and could only bench the bar. I noticed the strength gains much more than the weight loss until I dropped under 200. I don't know how other people noticed. Either way it's really nice going from fat to fit, you see success on multiple fronts, it gets addicting.

I remember the day I did my first pullup. I was actually pretty close to my first goal of 190 lbs and strong. I just had this crazy mental hurdle form being teased as a kid for being the failure during those fitness exam gym days. So I never tried. I just hopped up on a bar and started cranking them out, completely changed my perspective on my body.

Tried the 100 reps thing not too long ago and managed it alright, pullups are one of my favorite exercises now.

 

[Tater Tot]

Is it possible to still get good chest development with Smith Machines and Hammerstrength?

 

[CliqWriter]

Gained 5 pounds this week. Diet is everything. I only spend 150 and month and I can do it, I'm sure others can as well.

Also, how do you guys feel about dri-fit type shirts? Tried my first one on today and hated it. Guess I'm more of a cotton
guy for working out.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Is it possible to still get good chest development with Smith Machines and Hammerstrength?

I'm sure it's possible if you lift heavy and eat right. Why not use free weight DB/BB?

 

[Petrie]

Gained 5 pounds this week. Diet is everything. I only spend 150 and month and I can do it, I'm sure others can as well.

Yeah, it's much harder though when you're trying to eat organic/grass-fed/etc. I don't do that personally, I get myself big bags of frozen tilapia and salmon from Walmart, but those paying $6+ a lb for chicken are obviously being picky. To each their own.

 

[Timedog]

Yeah, it's much harder though when you're trying to eat organic/grass-fed/etc. I don't do that personally, I get myself big bags of frozen tilapia and salmon from Walmart, but those paying $6+ a lb for chicken are obviously being picky. To each their own.

$6 a lb for chicken is all they have at the store. I probably spent about 150 on food last month, and gained like 8 lbs. I've already said that I don't give a fuck about how things taste.

 

[Price Dalton]

Real easy to do, especially with high reps. The other major contributor to screwing things up is a piss poor ROM.

I've seen dips where reps are a slight bend in the elbows and chins that top out with the eyes on the bar.

Or chicken necking to get your chin over the bar. I've learned my lesson after several spinal tweaks.

 

[HarryHengst]

American food is so cheap. I pay like 3 euros for 250 gram of chicken, and not even the organic variant. That easily goes up to 6-8 euros for 300 gram or something ridiculous. Im single and probably spend 300 euros a month on food. :lol