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Does anyone go by the "if it fits in my macros" style? I've hit my protein and fats for the day but I'm short of maintenance about 5-600 calories. Pretty significant amount. I can fuckin eat anything right?

That's how I been doing it lately. Perfect time for a half pint of Ben and Jerry's.

 

[SeanR1221]

Went out with my bosses last night and had two slices of pizza and one light beer. I guess it wasn't so bad because I was only at 1600 calories going into it and 90g of carbs plus I was feeling pretty good after my deadlift PR.

I noticed on Fitocracy my workout posted 3 times. Anyway to delete two of them? I don't want to cheat the leader boards.

 

[fredrancour]

Went out with my bosses last night and had two slices of pizza and one light beer. I guess it wasn't so bad because I was only at 1600 calories going into it and 90g of carbs plus I was feeling pretty good after my deadlift PR.

I noticed on Fitocracy my workout posted 3 times. Anyway to delete two of them? I don't want to cheat the leader boards.

On the tracking page, if it's visible more than once, you should be able to just delete it there. If it only showed up once there too, i'd hit up their help forum.

 

[SeanR1221]

Yeah the tracking is listed one time but under my activities it's listed 3 times.

 

[PoweredBySoy]

So I've asked this question many times over the years, but have never really gotten a straight answer. Maybe one of you guys know....

If I do a workout, taking every set to failure, but in the next day or two I don't feel any soreness, am I still growing? Is the workout doing anything?

 

[fredrancour]

So I've asked this question many times over the years, but have never really gotten a straight answer. Maybe one of you guys know....

If I do a workout, taking every set to failure, but in the next day or two I don't feel any soreness, am I still growing? Is the workout doing anything?

Soreness does not equal growth. If you push yourself consistently you get results regardless of whether you're sore or not. If you do the same movements repeatedly you eventually stop getting sore; as long as you keep adding reps or weight (or speed, depending on what you're doing), that's progress.

 

[I'm an expert]

Going to failure alone or with a spotter? Because your true failure you can't really do alone. If you press those extra reps with a spotter I guarantee the next day you're sore. But fred brought up an important point, make sure you eventually vary the exercises as your body does get used to the same movements over and over.

 

[Fushin]

So I've asked this question many times over the years, but have never really gotten a straight answer. Maybe one of you guys know....

If I do a workout, taking every set to failure, but in the next day or two I don't feel any soreness, am I still growing? Is the workout doing anything?

DOMS go away after a while. Sometimes I miss the pain, but it doesn't mean you aren't growing. Just pay attention to the weight you're putting on the bar. If it keeps going up, you're growing and progressing. End of story.

 

[PoweredBySoy]

Well, that's the most consistent set of answers I've ever gotten, so thanks. It's what I've suspected, but it's good to hear from others.

Yes, I'm varying my workouts, but after years of lifting off and on, the soreness is gone, or greatly lessened. If I take a few months or a year off of lifting, but then get back into it, then I'll be super sore for the first week or two, but that too quickly disappears.

Solo-failure. Back in my 20's, when I was lifting like an animal, I would get spots all the time. I'll have to start asking for more I think.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Well, that's the most consistent set of answers I've ever gotten, so thanks. It's what I've suspected, but it's good to hear from others.
.

You don't even get sore in your legs the next day after workouts? I'm tight as hell the next morning.

 

[PoweredBySoy]

You don't even get sore in your legs the next day after workouts? I'm tight as hell the next morning.

Certain groups react differently for me. Yes, legs are probably the easiest to get sore. On the other hand, my biceps, no matter how hard I hit them, have almost never exhibited DOMS. And they've always been that way.

I've always used chest/back/triceps as my barometer for soreness - and those are the groups where soreness has severely dropped off.

I don't know, I guess like the guy above, I've always used DOMS as a gauge of success - a good workout, and I miss it. But I'd be much more content to know that, even without soreness, there's progress being made.

 

[bro1]

It seems like it depends on the person. I don't train until afternoon and usually don't eat at all until after I get done. I just fave some BCAA. Only time I train with food is if I can't get to the gym until like 7 pm.

I usually run at 5:30 am and swim at noon without eating.

 

[bro1]

Going to failure alone or with a spotter? Because your true failure you can't really do alone. If you press those extra reps with a spotter I guarantee the next day you're sore. But fred brought up an important point, make sure you eventually vary the exercises as your body does get used to the same movements over and over.

Why not? The only thing that you can't go to failure on is probably bench press. Squats, deads, shoulder press, chins, dips, etc can all go to failure. This is for positive failure of course. Negative failure is difficult, but not impossible without a spotter.

 

[PoweredBySoy]

Okay, here is a pretty good article I found:
http://www.myosynthesis.com/articles/doms-muscle-soreness

It’s been a long-held belief in bodybuilding and gym-rat fitness circles that muscle soreness is caused when tiny tears that happen in the muscle in response to weight training.

This is an example of sound-bite science. There’s a kernel of truth there, but some hasty assumptions and logical leaps that make it incorrect.

This was totally me 12 years ago. Sounds like I need to update my beliefs.

From the looks of things, DOMS and actual muscle growth don’t have much to do with each other.

 

[Kyaw]

I like the shape direction i'm going in, I'm hoping I can continue starting strength for 5 6 months before having to change to intermediate. I want my bench to be at least 70kg before having to switch.
http://i.minus.com/ibmyhcY3WPvGk0.jpg[*img]

I'm currently at 70kg, still skinny, still have a long way to go, granted. When I see the difference in my arms and chest, it just screams motivation.

Bench - 40kg
squat - 57.5kg (my squats are increasing really fast though)
deadlift - 70kg
OHP - 27.5kg[/QUOTE]

How long have you been doing SS?

I've been doing it for about less than 2 months now and I'm at 65kg squat and same deadlift/OHP/Bench. (Gonna be increasing squat today)

You could increase squat a bit more. I think I am shorter at 5' 4'' though.

 

[HisshouBuraiKen]

Are most of you 5/3/1 guys doing the 3 or 4 day week variation.

4 day, with only one day a week per exercise it seems like that's just the better way to go about it. I'm doing boring but big and the press+pullups is the quickest of the workouts so the extra day really isn't a huge time commitment.

 

[FallingEdge]

If you are bulking use a barbell of dumbell. I can guarantee you will reap benefits. Dumbells are good but you can't put that much pressure on your chest and shoulders with DBs, I save them for every 8th week or whilst cutting

Also, your tricep routine is bad. Sorry. The basics should have close grip, dips (which you are doing), don't do them assisted. Just do as much as you can as a set, and do 10 sets (google: GVT) and throw in some push downs too, and do your OH tricep extension with a barbell/EZ curl bar

Last thing is shoulders, do shrugs. Unless you're doing it on your back day

Fantastic. Love the advice, thanks.

General question for the peeps in this thread, but how low do you lower the bar when doing bench? Hit the chest? Stop just before the chest? Just trying to get a feel for things as I really want to do this right and not cheat myself.

 

[CrankyJay]

Fantastic. Love the advice, thanks.

General question for the peeps in this thread, but how low do you lower the bar when doing bench? Hit the chest? Stop just before the chest? Just trying to get a feel for things as I really want to do this right and not cheat myself.

Lightly touch the shirt, never bounce off your sternum. That being said, I go down slowly in a controlled motion, let it touch the shirt and immediately thrust it back up.

 

[agrajag]

So tried lifting first thing in the morning today. Felt pretty weak, only had a protein shake during the workout. Do you guys lift fasted or get up an hour before to eat?

I usually lift fasted and just drink water+vitargo during the workout. I eat before I go to bed anyway, I feel great like that. Then I come home and drink a protein shake and have a nice breakfast.

 

[Cudder]

Fantastic. Love the advice, thanks.

General question for the peeps in this thread, but how low do you lower the bar when doing bench? Hit the chest? Stop just before the chest? Just trying to get a feel for things as I really want to do this right and not cheat myself.

I hit my chest.

 

[I'm an expert]

Why not? The only thing that you can't go to failure on is probably bench press. Squats, deads, shoulder press, chins, dips, etc can all go to failure. This is for positive failure of course. Negative failure is difficult, but not impossible without a spotter.

If you can, cool, but I don't like the injury risk. Not worth it for me.

 

[agrajag]

going to failure on squats sounds frightening

 

[CrankyJay]

going to failure on squats sounds frightening

Some racks have safety bars, you can adjust the height. Still, it terrifies me to try in case those bars give out.

 

[muntersaur]

Some racks have safety bars, you can adjust the height. Still, it terrifies me to try in case those bars give out.

Meh, in a power rack you can go to failure on every exercise. I train alone and have missed many lifts. As long as the bars are set at the right height (test with an empty bar first), there is nothing to worry about as long as you don't dump the bar from a height (can't lift the weight back up, just guide it down to the bars).

 

[agrajag]

Some racks have safety bars, you can adjust the height. Still, it terrifies me to try in case those bars give out.

Speaking of the safety bars, I can never tell if I am going down past parallel. But the other day when I was squatting, the bar touched the bars on this rack:

But then again, I'm a short guy, so I'm still not sure.

 

[mooooose]

I'm going to make a video of me doing squats to make sure I am going below parallel because I don't think I was in the past.

 

[muntersaur]

I'm going to make a video of me doing squats to make sure I am going below parallel because I don't think I was in the past.

Learn what it feels like to go down to below parallel with just your bodyweight, and then progress to the bar, and add weights slowly. Do this regularly and you won't even have to think about going down below parallel because the squatting movement will become ingrained.

 

[bro1]

I hit my chest.

same here. Touch and go.

 

[Petrie]

Learn what it feels like to go down to below parallel with just your bodyweight, and then progress to the bar, and add weights slowly. Do this regularly and you won't even have to think about going down below parallel because the squatting movement will become ingrained.

Yeah. This was never a problem for me because I've always sat that way. I squat just normally to sit a lot of the time, so it's always been ingrained in me. Unfortunately that led me to other posture issues.

 

[sixghost]

Hi fitness-gaf. First of all, thanks for all the information in the OP. Just about everything I know about weight lifting came from there. I've been lurking in this thread for 3 or 4 months so I figured it's about time I posted because I need advice.

• Age: 23
• Height: 5’9
• Weight: 149
• Goal: Gain weight
• Current Training Schedule: Lifting - 3 days a week, Running 2-3 days a week, eating about 2500-2700 calories a day, 160g protein
• Current Training Equipment Available: University gym, which has just about everything
• Comments: This would be my 11th or 12th week following the beginner program in the OP. My progress by lift(these are the weights used for 3 sets, 5 reps, in pounds):

o Squat – 190->235
o Deadlift – 210->255(really just held back by grip)
o Bench – 140->160
o Barbell Row – 115->135
o Press – 80->95
o Cleans – I was kind of intimidated by this lift, and could never really figure out how to do them without feeling like I was fucking up. I usually just did pull-ups again. I know it was probably a dumb choice, but I just couldn’t get it.​

The starting numbers for bench, deadlift and squat would have been maybe 15-20lbs lower, but I had made a pretty half-assed attempt to do this program during the school year, and focused mostly on those lifts. I’m pretty happy so far. I’m about 6 or 7 pounds heavier and feel stronger, which were my main goals. The last three weeks I’ve just about stalled on every lift though, which is why I’m asking for advice. I'm not really sure what to do when you hit a plateau, is it time to move on to another program?

 

[fredrancour]

going to failure on squats sounds frightening

Nah, if you put the oh-shit bars at the right height and get stuck at the bottom you basically just sit down awkwardly while those ever-helpful pieces of steel bear the weight. I guess I've never failed halfway back up. Might be scarier.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Nah, if you put the oh-shit bars at the right height and get stuck at the bottom you basically just sit down awkwardly while those ever-helpful pieces of steel bear the weight. I guess I've never failed halfway back up. Might be scarier.

Yup. Only scary thing is failing without safety bars. I've had to spot people that way, squatting 400+ pounds. At that point, when they fail, all you can do is pull the bar backwards as hard as you can and hope they are able to lean back/they don't lean forward.

 

[BlueScrote]

Speaking of the safety bars, I can never tell if I am going down past parallel. But the other day when I was squatting, the bar touched the bars on this rack:

But then again, I'm a short guy, so I'm still not sure.

I've always had problems with the non-movable safety bars those racks being too high. Hitting the safety bars while squatting really messes with the feel of the rep.

 

[Petrie]

First really sure what to do when you hit a plateau, is it time to move on to another program?

It's time to eat more. A lot more. If you're lifting weights and running and hoping to make gains, you need another 1000 calories a day before you call anything a plateau.

 

[sixghost]

It's time to eat more. A lot more. If you're lifting weights and running and hoping to make gains, you need another 1000 calories a day before you call anything a plateau.

I'll give that a shot.

 

[Mecha_Infantry]

Fantastic. Love the advice, thanks.

General question for the peeps in this thread, but how low do you lower the bar when doing bench? Hit the chest? Stop just before the chest? Just trying to get a feel for things as I really want to do this right and not cheat myself.

No worries

As for the bar then I let that shit boy ce off my chest. But here's the thing, I take it down so slowly and the last inch I'll let it free fall then bang it back up

That probably not the best way, but hell. Light weight sets I control the chest bounce a lot more. It's minimal.

*edit. Has my av changed? I'm seeing some woman who isn't Bonnie Celeste!

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Ah, Folly beach, all that hard work paid off.

 

[Tashi]

If you are bulking use a barbell of dumbell. I can guarantee you will reap benefits. Dumbells are good but you can't put that much pressure on your chest and shoulders with DBs, I save them for every 8th week or whilst cutting

Also, your tricep routine is bad. Sorry. The basics should have close grip, dips (which you are doing), don't do them assisted. Just do as much as you can as a set, and do 10 sets (google: GVT) and throw in some push downs too, and do your OH tricep extension with a barbell/EZ curl bar

Last thing is shoulders, do shrugs. Unless you're doing it on your back day

Thanks. From what I understand bulking is more a nutritional thing. I prefer dumbell because I get a better range of motion and a better stretch. Better for my shoulders as well. Although I will mix it up here and there and add in a barbell press.

Close grip bench is definitely something I will do, as well as some skull crushers. I can't do a single dip unassisted so I'm doing them on the machine until I get stronger. I'm not a little guy. Same goes for pull ups. I'll definitely mix in push downs too.

And just for future reference as I post more often here. I'm 6'4'', ~235lbs.

 

[CrankyJay]

I think he meant close grip dips, not bench. Just checking.

 

[Tashi]

I think he meant close grip dips, not bench. Just checking.

Oh I thought he was pointing out a few difference exercises. lol

 

[I'm an expert]

Nah pretty sure he meant the king of tris - close grip bench.


I think.. Weird sentence on his part. =P

 

[OG Kush]

I personally feel dumbells are better for chest exercises. I feel it more in the chest and much easier on the shoulders. They're both good though, as the barbell for me hits the delts and triceps more as well.
It easy to injure with standard bench press.

 

[Tashi]

Just got my supplements in the mail. Probably the most delicious supplements ever lol

 

[SeanR1221]

So, I feel like my friend is only hitting big compound lifts a bunch of times to beat me on Fitocracy.

Example, today in squats he did...

45x10
45x10
95x10
95x10
135x8
135x8
185x8
185x8
195x8
205x6
205x6
215x4
215x4
225x3
225x1

I mean...is there even any point to doing that much volume?

 

[rando14]

So, I feel like my friend is only hitting big compound lifts a bunch of times to beat me on Fitocracy.

Example, today in squats he did...

45x10
45x10
95x10
95x10
135x8
135x8
185x8
185x8
195x8
205x6
205x6
215x4
215x4
225x3
225x1

I mean...is there even any point to doing that much volume?

BBB is a very high volume regimen, often over 200 reps in a workout, that seems to work well for many people. If he likes very high volume and it works for him, then he should do that.

Personally I don't have that much time to spend in the gym (I limit my workouts to under 60 minutes, usually a bit over 45 with lower rests), and I imagine a lot of others don't either.

 

[SeanR1221]

I guess I'm more cautious because these types of workouts were preceded by, "If Im going to beat you I'm going to have to start squatting."

 

[cryptic]

Shogun, do you have any videos of squat form? I was leaning forward today standing up.
Also, I don't quite get how I'm still only squatting 225 and barely. I didn't eat before working out but that was only about 17 hours since I'd last eaten and I don't think that should be a big deal. No pre-workout anything either. Any suggestions, should I eat some protein before working out?Thanks for any help guys.

 

[bro1]

Shogun, do you have any videos of squat form? I was leaning forward today standing up.
Also, I don't quite get how I'm still only squatting 225 and barely. I didn't eat before working out but that was only about 17 hours since I'd last eaten and I don't think that should be a big deal. No pre-workout anything either. Any suggestions, should I eat some protein before working out?Thanks for any help guys.

Look on youtube for videos on low squats by Ripptoe. 17 hours is too long to go without eating. Try and have a small meal maybe 2 hours prior to exercise.

As for me today, ran 5K in 31 minutes and swam non stop for 35 minutes right after. My goal is to get my tri split down to 1:20 minutes by the fall. Hopefully, I won't flounder in the open water next time!

Tomorrow morning is deadlifts. I'm resetting and getting rid of wrist straps. I was at 405x2 with them and I just bought chalk so I'm hoping to pull 315 withouth them. I have a weak grip and I know it's going to be a challenge. During my lunch break I will probably bike for an hour on my trainer. should be fun!

 

[Petrie]

I guess I'm more cautious because these types of workouts were preceded by, "If Im going to beat you I'm going to have to start squatting."

It won't last, don't worry.

 

[rando14]

Look on youtube for videos on low squats by Ripptoe. 17 hours is too long to go without eating. Try and have a small meal maybe 2 hours prior to exercise.

As for me today, ran 5K in 31 minutes and swam non stop for 35 minutes right after. My goal is to get my tri split down to 1:20 minutes by the fall. Hopefully, I won't flounder in the open water next time!

Tomorrow morning is deadlifts. I'm resetting and getting rid of wrist straps. I was at 405x2 with them and I just bought chalk so I'm hoping to pull 315 withouth them. I have a weak grip and I know it's going to be a challenge. During my lunch break I will probably bike for an hour on my trainer. should be fun!

17 hours is fine if you're following IF.