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[deadbeef]

Hi squat booty thread! For the past 2 months or so I've felt like I've been stuck at a wall on my lifts. Hoping to get some advice. My info:

Age: 28
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 207 lbs
Goal: 500 lb deadlift, 400 lb squat (really just continual improvement, I'd eventually like to compete in local powerlifting events)
Current Training Schedule: Starting Strength Adv Novice program, MWF
Current Training Equipment Available: Olympic bar and weights, squat stands, bench

Comments: I've been lifting consistently for the past 13 months now. Started doing Strong Lifts (5x5, then 3x5, then 1x5), got my squats up to 305 5RM, DL up to 330 5RM, and bench press up to 235 5RM before switching to Madcow. I ended up completely worn out from Madcow in about a month. Constantly fatigued, always starving despite eating roughly 3000 calories a day, couldn't sleep even when I went to bed, started to get some knee and elbow soreness and discomfort, and just generally felt miserable overall. I did get my lifts up a bit, squat to 320 5RM, DL up to 350 5RM, bench press up to 250 5RM.

That was about 2 months ago. I switched to Starting Strength Advance Novice and dropped all my lifts about 20% so I could do 3x5 again and have just recently switched back to 1x5 on the big lifts. Also added in stuff like front squats in place of low weight wednesday squats, and power cleans and chinups/pullups in place of rows. I alternate power cleans and DLs on alternate wednesdays.

The issue is I don't really feel like I'm getting any stronger now. I feel much better overall than when I was doing Madcow, but not stronger. I managed a 355x5 DL on wednesday but it felt significantly more difficult than the 350x5 a few months ago. I'm back up to 300x5 on squats but they don't feel any easier at all either. I did start eating a bit less beginning in July or so but only marginally (down to ~2500/day vs ~3000) as I wanted to drop some fat and I generally only get about 6-7 hours of sleep per night during the week (8-9 hours weekends). I'm thinking it's likely diet and sleep, but I've never felt this shitty with lifts and it's becoming pretty discouraging. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I'm sure that you'll reach your goals if you continue to work hard. Sometimes it's frustrating when progress seems to stagnate - we've all been there.

Some of the things that I've done in the past to break barriers is to change the rep scheme and to add in some partial ROM lifts. For example, I really broke through that 300-315 lb range on squats by just working up to heavy 3 reps or even heavy singles. What I would do is to do sets of 5 until they got too difficult, then to switch to sets of 3 and then do a heavy single. I would then set the bar on the pins and do single squats starting at the bottom pin, starting at 135 until I couldn't get 1 rep. Then I would set the pins way high, so that the bar resting on the pins was like a quarter squat. I would then start at like 315 racked - walk it out, and then do progressively heavier sets. You should be able to do WAY more weight with a quarter squat and you will be able to adapt to having heavier weights on your back, so that low 300s won't feel as heavy. So to summarize, I might do something like this:

(fabricated numbers, trying to remember from a few years back)

Squat:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x3
315x3
345x1
355xFail

Followed by Squats from Bottom pin:
135x1
225x1
245x1
265x1
275x1
285xFAIl

Followed by Quarter Squats - Unrack, walk out, squat until bar rests at a dead stop on the pins, then rack again:
315x5
365x5
405x5
425x3
455x3
475x1

I found this to work REALLY well with my squat.

Follow that up with some strict form Good Mornings and some ab work.

 

[MrToughPants]

Cot damn triceps exploded...did 3 sets of bicep db curls too, LOL, my biceps are pathetic compared to my triceps, they're like the redheaded step-child muscle group.

CGBP is getting better with improved shoulder health, I might be back to 352 by December if I'm lucky and stop eating the chips and chicken wings for breakfast, maybe not the wings. Tricep extensions are sort of stagnating now stuck at 176 but I don't expect it to get any heavier at my bw, 187 won't happen any time soon... :/

 

[OreoKraickerz]

I'm sure that you'll reach your goals if you continue to work hard. Sometimes it's frustrating when progress seems to stagnate - we've all been there.

Some of the things that I've done in the past to break barriers is to change the rep scheme and to add in some partial ROM lifts. For example, I really broke through that 300-315 lb range on squats by just working up to heavy 3 reps or even heavy singles. What I would do is to do sets of 5 until they got too difficult, then to switch to sets of 3 and then do a heavy single. I would then set the bar on the pins and do single squats starting at the bottom pin, starting at 135 until I couldn't get 1 rep. Then I would set the pins way high, so that the bar resting on the pins was like a quarter squat. I would then start at like 315 racked - walk it out, and then do progressively heavier sets. You should be able to do WAY more weight with a quarter squat and you will be able to adapt to having heavier weights on your back, so that low 300s won't feel as heavy. So to summarize, I might do something like this:

(fabricated numbers, trying to remember from a few years back)

Squat:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x3
315x3
345x1
355xFail

Followed by Squats from Bottom pin:
135x1
225x1
245x1
265x1
275x1
285xFAIl

Followed by Quarter Squats - Unrack, walk out, squat until bar rests at a dead stop on the pins, then rack again:
315x5
365x5
405x5
425x3
455x3
475x1

I found this to work REALLY well with my squat.

Follow that up with some strict form Good Mornings and some ab work.

That sounds great; thanks a lot! I'll have to give that a shot once squats become too difficult again. The only question I have is about the quarter squats. I was under the impression that partial ROM squats were really bad for your knees (too much shearing force on the knee and not enough hamstring activation or something like that). Is that not the case?

Lifting felt good tonight in contrast to Monday and Wednesday. Feels good to have a good night after a couple shitty ones.

 

[UrokeJoe]

Focus on low weight, high reps. And by low weight, I mean you should be able to do 20-25 reps before maxing out.

Thanks for your suggestion. I was kind of thinking along the same lines. Maybe I can work it out of my joints?

Haven't yet, but I am going to try some raps as well and see how that feels.

 

[deadbeef]

That sounds great; thanks a lot! I'll have to give that a shot once squats become too difficult again. The only question I have is about the quarter squats. I was under the impression that partial ROM squats were really bad for your knees (too much shearing force on the knee and not enough hamstring activation or something like that). Is that not the case?

Lifting felt good tonight in contrast to Monday and Wednesday. Feels good to have a good night after a couple shitty ones.

I guess I haven't heard that. I'm 35, and I have never had any problems with my knees ever. I have been doing partial ROM heavy squats for 2 years periodically - maybe for a few weeks every 3-4 months.

But anyway, you may want to see how you respond to heavy triples or singles - singles especially if you are wanting to compete in PL.

I don't know if you have kept up with my bench problems but I seem to respond better to low rep bench presses, I've been warming up with sets of 5 and 3 lately but just doing heavy singles for the past few weeks and like it much better.

 

[Etrian Oddity]

What are you fellas' recommendations for workout recovery?

Lately I've been taking a scoop of protein with one cup of milk, for both protein and carbs. I'm not sure if that or a water+protein shake with 12oz of g series Gatorade is the better route.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

What are you fellas' recommendations for workout recovery?

Lately I've been taking a scoop of protein with one cup of milk, for both protein and carbs. I'm not sure if that or a water+protein shake with 12oz of g series Gatorade is the better route.

Mountains of carbs, especially on leg day if you do leg day like a fucking baus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisCkxU544c

 

[Noema]

A this rate I'm going to hit a 400lb Deadlift 5RM before I can bench 200lb for reps.

 

[OreoKraickerz]

I guess I haven't heard that. I'm 35, and I have never had any problems with my knees ever. I have been doing partial ROM heavy squats for 2 years periodically - maybe for a few weeks every 3-4 months.

But anyway, you may want to see how you respond to heavy triples or singles - singles especially if you are wanting to compete in PL.

I don't know if you have kept up with my bench problems but I seem to respond better to low rep bench presses, I've been warming up with sets of 5 and 3 lately but just doing heavy singles for the past few weeks and like it much better.

I'll have to give it all a shot then. Thanks for the tips!

I just found out that this thread existed the other day and kinda blew through the whole thing in a few days so I'm not super familiar with everyone yet. Were you having some shoulder problems from bench pressing? I remember someone was and that they had recovered recently.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

I'll have to give it all a shot then. Thanks for the tips!

I just found out that this thread existed the other day and kinda blew through the whole thing in a few days so I'm not super familiar with everyone yet. Were you having some shoulder problems from bench pressing? I remember someone was and that they had recovered recently.

There's been a few of those, but I think MTP and Nerdy are the most recent shoulder issue recoveries.

 

[deadbeef]

I'll have to give it all a shot then. Thanks for the tips!

I just found out that this thread existed the other day and kinda blew through the whole thing in a few days so I'm not super familiar with everyone yet. Were you having some shoulder problems from bench pressing? I remember someone was and that they had recovered recently.

No shoulder problems but I've found that with multiple reps on the bench press my shoulders don't stay pinned together - they sort of start to spread out and I lose the tightness in my upper back. Dropping the reps has worked for me - I like it better because my shoulders stay tight. Note that this is only an issue for "heavy" (for me) bench press. I can do lighter sets of 10 with no problem

 

[Veezy]

That sounds great; thanks a lot! I'll have to give that a shot once squats become too difficult again. The only question I have is about the quarter squats. I was under the impression that partial ROM squats were really bad for your knees (too much shearing force on the knee and not enough hamstring activation or something like that). Is that not the case?

Lifting felt good tonight in contrast to Monday and Wednesday. Feels good to have a good night after a couple shitty ones.

From a mechanical stand point, while partial squats are bad they won't fuck your knees up if they aren't your only form of squatting and can assist with the squat.

Basically, squats will fuck your knees. Eventually. There's no avoiding it. Just like running, walking, sitting and standing, and whole bunch of other shit will. living is going to damage your joints. The only way your body won't progressively lead to snap city is by laying in bed all day AND EVEN THAT causes bed sores. Sorry.

The reason partial squats are bad is because they really only train the quads with little hamstring activation or hip activation. In addition, many people do partial squats with bad form, think legs too close together, causing weight bearing on the knees in a way that's inefficient. Prolonged consistent training in this manner will cause unequal load bearing on the knees and eventual degradation in a way that regular squats will not. This is discussed thoroughly in Starting Strength, but one just needs to look at the anatomy of the knee to see how only bearing a load though partial leg activation, over a long period of time, will cause issues.

That being said, so long as you're using quarter squats as a tool to train your actual squats your not really going to hurt yourself. People front squat to improve their clean and jerk, people use rack pulls to get better at the deadlift, people overload their press and use push presses to up their press weight, people use glute ham raises to improve their squat, etc. Just make sure if you're using them as a tool. So long as they don't replace the main lift you're straight. deadbeef's progression is an example of that.

Or, you can see if the issue is form, diet, rest, etc.
Or, you can use steroids. Those help, too.

 

[deadbeef]

Thanks I'm not advocating extensive use of quarter squats but I have found them a useful tool to get used to heavy weight on your back so that less heavy weights aren't the mental block for you that they were before.

 

[Veezy]

Thanks I'm not advocating extensive use of quarter squats but I have found them a useful tool to get used to heavy weight on your back so that less heavy weights aren't the mental block for you that they were before.

Powerlifters do hella heavy quater squats to overload the hip joint and quads when their training their 1RM in sumo stance squats. They're a solid tool when used like a tool.

The issue comes when tools at the gym believe that the close legged quarter squat is a "squat" proceed to up the weight and the quarter squat becomes a sixth squat, then eighth squat... and brag about dat 315 squat when 245 past parallel would have them pinned.

 

[OreoKraickerz]

Powerlifters do hella heavy quater squats to overload the hip joint and quads when their training their 1RM in sumo stance squats. They're a solid tool when used like a tool.

The issue comes when tools at the gym believe that the close legged quarter squat is a "squat" proceed to up the weight and the quarter squat becomes a sixth squat, then eighth squat... and brag about dat 315 squat when 245 past parallel would have them pinned.

Got it, thanks for the explanations!

I lift in my garage and have no slack-jawed dipshits to impress by pretending to squat heavy so any quarter squats I do will be an accessory to ass-to-grass squats.

 

[MrToughPants]

Got it, thanks for the explanations!

I lift in my garage and have no slack-jawed dipshits to impress by pretending to squat heavy so any quarter squats I do will be an accessory to ass-to-grass squats.

If you're doing high bar full squats you probably shouldn't be doing quarter squats or box squats...

 

[Mully]

Good Mornings, back day or leg day?

 

[godhandiscen]

I've started doing some mild weight lifting, and my left hand is reacting in a way that has me worried. I feel as if my little and ring fingers have given up, and my thumb is barely there. I cannot play videogames, I suffer to press the LB and LT buttons of my 360 controller. I can barely button my shirt down, and today, I was struggling to open a cliff bar wrap. What have I done wrong?
I am lifting 15lb dumbbells only. Maybe I am just too weak, but still, I've never heard of anybody going through something like this.

 

[Veezy]

Good Mornings, back day or leg day?

GMs are weird.

See, if you're doing them correctly you'll feel the majority of the pull in your glutes and your hams. Which would lead you to think "out of the pocket of the squat."

But, holding the lumbar curve throughout the movement gears the spine to stay in place when bearing a load while bent at the hip, which is deadlift territory.

So, really, either or. Whichever you prefer. I believe Wendler puts them on the Squat days, but I've seen other programming with them on the deadlift day.

The better question to ask is "what am I already doing on my squat/deadlift day." If you have a hole in one or the other, there's your filler.

 

[despire]

I've started doing some mild weight lifting, and my left hand is reacting in a way that has me worried. I feel as if my little and ring fingers have given up, and my thumb is barely there. I cannot play videogames, I suffer to press the LB and LT buttons of my 360 controller. I can barely button my shirt down, and today, I was struggling to open a cliff bar wrap. What have I done wrong?
I am lifting 15lb dumbbells only. Maybe I am just too weak, but still, I've never heard of anybody going through something like this.

You should probably go see a doctor about this.

 

[HarryHengst]

I've started doing some mild weight lifting, and my left hand is reacting in a way that has me worried. I feel as if my little and ring fingers have given up, and my thumb is barely there. I cannot play videogames, I suffer to press the LB and LT buttons of my 360 controller. I can barely button my shirt down, and today, I was struggling to open a cliff bar wrap. What have I done wrong?
I am lifting 15lb dumbbells only. Maybe I am just too weak, but still, I've never heard of anybody going through something like this.

Yeah, go see a doctor. That really does not sound right.

 

[SeanR1221]

Decided to go ATG on squats today. It felt good. Real good. Can't push 225 on them since I need to build flexibility first. I'll start at 155 and add 15-20 pounds a workout or less if I get shakey.

 

[Mully]

The better question to ask is "what am I already doing on my squat/deadlift day." If you have a hole in one or the other, there's your filler.

My hamstrings are a little weak compared to my quads so I'll add it into my leg routine on Monday.

 

[Poindexter]

Decided to go ATG on squats today. It felt good. Real good. Can't push 225 on them since I need to build flexibility first. I'll start at 155 and add 15-20 pounds a workout or less if I get shakey.

I noticed on ATG it gets tough REALLY quick for me. Like I can squat ATG 205 comfortably, but the jump to 210 or 215 all of a sudden turns into a hell of a struggle. So I'd be careful with such huge jumps.

 

[JB1981]

Crossfit has shown me just how out of shape I am. Jesus. Several of the girls there best my times, makes me feel terrible!

Today was:

12 min Cleans x2 - find your 2 rep max

WOD

You partner up with a person. You get 3 minutes total for each set, and alternate doing as many reps as possible between the two of you. Once one set is complete you get 1 minute rest before starting the next set of workouts

Thrusters (95/65)
Ring rows
Hang cleans
Hand release pushups
Pullups
Double Unders

It was very hard, but timed workouts are not as hard as rep-specific workouts. It was kind of fun having a partner to do it with though.

 

[OreoKraickerz]

If you're doing high bar full squats you probably shouldn't be doing quarter squats or box squats...

I do low bar squats. I thought ass to grass just meant going below parallel.

 

[JB1981]

I noticed on ATG it gets tough REALLY quick for me. Like I can squat ATG 205 comfortably, but the jump to 210 or 215 all of a sudden turns into a hell of a struggle. So I'd be careful with such huge jumps.

That's because you are sacrificing strength for depth. Stop going so deep.

 

[SeanR1221]

I noticed on ATG it gets tough REALLY quick for me. Like I can squat ATG 205 comfortably, but the jump to 210 or 215 all of a sudden turns into a hell of a struggle. So I'd be careful with such huge jumps.

Good piece of advice. I'll definitely scale back if it gets too tough.

 

[rando14]

I've started doing some mild weight lifting, and my left hand is reacting in a way that has me worried. I feel as if my little and ring fingers have given up, and my thumb is barely there. I cannot play videogames, I suffer to press the LB and LT buttons of my 360 controller. I can barely button my shirt down, and today, I was struggling to open a cliff bar wrap. What have I done wrong?
I am lifting 15lb dumbbells only. Maybe I am just too weak, but still, I've never heard of anybody going through something like this.

Sounds like cubital tunnel/ulnar nerve entrapment.

 

[Noema]

Taught a kid how to do Squats and RDLs yesterday. He actually came up to me and asked me to teach him.

He'd been doing quarter squats with 135lb with really bad form (rounded back, knees caving in, feet really close together). I gave him some cues to help him keep lumbar extension and after some practice sets with the bar he was doing some solid reps. He tried 135lb going below parallel and got pinned under the bar in the first rep, so he ended up doing 3x5 with 95lb with good form.

He looks like he's disciplined and dedicated. He even carries a paper notebook around and records all his lifts. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. It's refreshing to see someone who actually wants to learn. One time I politely pointed out to one dude that his deadlift form wasn't optimal (rounded back, unlocking the knees way to early on the way down and hitting them with the bar on every rep, etc) and he basically told me to go fuck myself.

He's doing a gimmicky program that promises the moon and the stars with that annoying used car salesman, ebook prose kind of pitch, and I think he'd be much better served by doing a simple novice Linear Progression like Starting Strength or Greyskull Linear Progression, but I don't want to go all evangelist on him.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

LTTS is going on in London Ohio right now at the EFTS compound, really wish I was there. I think I might be able to go to the next one depending on when it is.

They keep posting pictures and I keep getting more jealous.

 

[MrToughPants]

That's because you are sacrificing strength for depth. Stop going so deep.

Moving less weight at increased depth doesn't mean you're sacrificing strength. My parallel squat, 18" depth, is almost 100lbs more than my full squat, ~5" depth.

The deeper you go the more glute activation which would recruit the larger muscle group increasing actual strength.

The purpose of this study was to measure the relative contributions of 4 hip and thigh muscles while performing squats at 3 depths. Ten experienced lifters performed randomized trials of squats at partial, parallel, and full depths, using 100-125% of body weight as resistance. Electromyographic (EMG) surface electrodes were placed on the vastus medialis (VMO), the vastus lateralis, (VL), the biceps femoris (BF), and the gluteus maximus (GM). EMG data were quantified by integration and expressed as a percentage of the total electrical activity of the 4 muscles. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc tests indicated a significant difference (p < 0.001*, p = 0.056**) in the relative contribution of the GM during the concentric phases among the partial- (16.9%*), parallel- (28.0%**), and full-depth (35.4%*) squats. There were no significant differences between the relative contributions of the BF, the VMO, and the VL at different squatting depths during this phase. The results suggest that the GM, rather than the BF, the VMO, or the VL, becomes more active in concentric contraction as squat depth increases.

 

[Mik2121]

So, guys... some help here! I'm not going to a gym and won't be able to go to one until January or so because I'm stuck at work until late.... but I at least have dumbbells at home, and I've been doing some exercise.

First I'll post what I've been doing, which was all based on some simple google searching

Height: 5.8ft
Weight: 143lb

I haven't checked exactly what I eat everyday, but the other day I checked the calories count on the places I go to, and it seems I get about 2,400 per day. Hopefully that makes sense and I didn't check something wrong.

Anyway, the actual workout I've been doing with just dumbbells at home was this one:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw3.htm

Number 1 (the workout table is right before the second workout list starts). I also threw in running 2 or 3 times a week, but only run some 4km a day (that's about 2.5 miles...).
As for the weight, I bought 2 15kg (33 pounds) dumbbells. For chest training I can lift that much without any trouble, though for biceps I have to lower it to 10kg (22 pounds) to finish all the reps.

My idea would be to get a bit of a bigger build because right now I'm quite slim, but I also don't want those big soft and rounded muscles. Maybe something more towards how Brad Pitt looked in Fight Club. I also wanna do more leg workout because right now it's just 1 day a week and my legs are laughably skinny. I spend all day in front of the computer working and only walk from home to work and then back, and maybe some running. But I don't think there's much leg workout to do at home with just dumbbells... :S

Is there any workout I should follow using dumbbells that can work good enough until I move and can go to a gym? Also, any diet? I've done some search around and some people say that for slim people that wanna gain weight, pretty much just eat as much as you can without really worrying much about what you eat. I barely eat sweet stuff and drink quite some milk (been doing this since I was a kid), also eat mostly meat as I'm not a big fan of fish... :/

Anyway, hopefully this kind of stuff is alright to post here. I haven't checked the whole thread so maybe you guys have some rule against lazy people coming here to get it all done for themselves... if so, lemme know and I can delete this!

Thanks!!

---------------------

Edit: I've been reading some of the posts above me and there's a bunch of fitness slang (?) that I don't understand like ATG, WOD, etc... so if you guys reply to me with that, could you also explain what it means? Thanks again!

Edit 2: Also bolded some words to make it easier to spot what I wanna say. Sorry for the messy post, been editing it and now it's all over the place.

 

[wenis]

I've got a question for you fellow runners. Anyone else suffer from really bad heat rash all over the body after a session? I've tried taking a benadryl before going out, but it still gets kinda bad. I've also tried just going out with a tshirt and running shorts, but my body still freaks out. I stay well hydrated before and after runs (I don't like carrying stuff with me while I'm out) but I am pretty much in agony when I get home.

It's a bummer having to take 2 tabs of bendryl and being completely knocked out by them for a few hours after. Lose most of my night after work because of it. Are there any pre-cautions you take before hand? anyone?

 

[snoopen]

I've never had a heat rash.. are you sure it isn't allergy related? It's spring here and hayfever etc is rampant.

The only thing I get from running is shin splints and sore knees if I spend too long doing incline sprints on a treadmill.

 

[wenis]

I've never had a heat rash.. are you sure it isn't allergy related? It's spring here and hayfever etc is rampant.

The only thing I get from running is shin splints and sore knees if I spend too long doing incline sprints on a treadmill.

I usually run at nightfall out in the hills of san francisco. My allergies are bad, but they aren't that bad so I can't really pinpoint one factor in this, but I've consulted a nurse and she claimed it was heat rash so that's what I went with.

 

[deadbeef]

I've got a question for you fellow runners. Anyone else suffer from really bad heat rash all over the body after a session? I've tried taking a benadryl before going out, but it still gets kinda bad. I've also tried just going out with a tshirt and running shorts, but my body still freaks out. I stay well hydrated before and after runs (I don't like carrying stuff with me while I'm out) but I am pretty much in agony when I get home.

It's a bummer having to take 2 tabs of bendryl and being completely knocked out by them for a few hours after. Lose most of my night after work because of it. Are there any pre-cautions you take before hand? anyone?

I used to get real bad heat rash whenever I would sweat but it went away as I got older- how old are you?

 

[wenis]

I used to get real bad heat rash whenever I would sweat but it went away as I got older- how old are you?

25

 

[deadbeef]

25

Mine may have started to go away by then - it would be all over my chest and neck. Sorry man :-/ cold showers always helped me

 

[strobogo]

I took a few days off from all activity because my knees and elbows have been killing me. Today I picked up my kettlebell again and was doing some swings. I heard a loud noise while I was doing it and turn and smashed it on the inside of my right knee and crumpled instantly. It's fine now, but there is a massive bruise and slight swelling. Hurt like a mother fucker.

 

[wenis]

Mine have may started to away by then - it would be all over my chest and neck. Sorry man :-/ cold showers always helped me

damn, alright. Yeah, it usually starts on my chest and legs, but I've had it spread to my face. That was a crazy night, but the benadryl kicked in and the swelling went down.

 

[snoopen]

I took a few days off from all activity because my knees and elbows have been killing me. Today I picked up my kettlebell again and was doing some swings. I heard a loud noise while I was doing it and turn and smashed it on the inside of my right knee and crumpled instantly. It's fine now, but there is a massive bruise and slight swelling. Hurt like a mother fucker.

Ouch... give it at least a fortnight and ice it for a few days to take down the swelling.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

So, guys... some help here! I'm not going to a gym and won't be able to go to one until January or so because I'm stuck at work until late.... but I at least have dumbbells at home, and I've been doing some exercise.

First I'll post what I've been doing, which was all based on some simple google searching

Height: 5.8ft
Weight: 143lb

I haven't checked exactly what I eat everyday, but the other day I checked the calories count on the places I go to, and it seems I get about 2,400 per day. Hopefully that makes sense and I didn't check something wrong.

Anyway, the actual workout I've been doing with just dumbbells at home was this one:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw3.htm

Number 1 (the workout table is right before the second workout list starts). I also threw in running 2 or 3 times a week, but only run some 4km a day (that's about 2.5 miles...).
As for the weight, I bought 2 15kg (33 pounds) dumbbells. For chest training I can lift that much without any trouble, though for biceps I have to lower it to 10kg (22 pounds) to finish all the reps.

My idea would be to get a bit of a bigger build because right now I'm quite slim, but I also don't want those big soft and rounded muscles. Maybe something more towards how Brad Pitt looked in Fight Club. I also wanna do more leg workout because right now it's just 1 day a week and my legs are laughably skinny. I spend all day in front of the computer working and only walk from home to work and then back, and maybe some running. But I don't think there's much leg workout to do at home with just dumbbells... :S

Is there any workout I should follow using dumbbells that can work good enough until I move and can go to a gym? Also, any diet? I've done some search around and some people say that for slim people that wanna gain weight, pretty much just eat as much as you can without really worrying much about what you eat. I barely eat sweet stuff and drink quite some milk (been doing this since I was a kid), also eat mostly meat as I'm not a big fan of fish... :/

Anyway, hopefully this kind of stuff is alright to post here. I haven't checked the whole thread so maybe you guys have some rule against lazy people coming here to get it all done for themselves... if so, lemme know and I can delete this!

Thanks!!

---------------------

Edit: I've been reading some of the posts above me and there's a bunch of fitness slang (?) that I don't understand like ATG, WOD, etc... so if you guys reply to me with that, could you also explain what it means? Thanks again!

Edit 2: Also bolded some words to make it easier to spot what I wanna say. Sorry for the messy post, been editing it and now it's all over the place.

You probably shouldn't just eat as much as you can if you're not going to a gym. Those dumb bells may not have been the best investment either, since you really can't do much with them. You're going to need a pretty intense body weight exercise program to get the results you want. I'm afraid I don't have much advice, but best of luck.

 

[Mik2121]

You probably shouldn't just eat as much as you cna if you're not going to a gym. Those dumb bells may not have been the best investment. You're going to need a pretty intense body weight exercise program to get the results you want.

Gotcha. Yeah, I knew the dumbbells were not going to do it even before buying them, but I thought they'd be better than nothing, and it's not like they were expensive to begin with. I will be going to a gym hopefully starting January which is when I'm moving. I guess I could also start going this month and then just change gyms, but the closest one nearby is kinda far still, and I'm busy at work (game development so most of you guys probably have heard or know how stuff works here lol).

Anyway, you think dumbbells were a waste? Compared to last month, I definitely gained some weight and my muscles are more defined, but I believe I could have done much better going to a gym, that's for sure... As for the trainings, yeah, the page I linked has a bunch of trainings but I already feel like I'm missing a bunch. I guess I can always keep the dumbbells for whenever I'm at home and for some reason can't go to the gym, yet I wanna do some exercise...

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Gotcha. Yeah, I knew the dumbbells were not going to do it even before buying them, but I thought they'd be better than nothing, and it's not like they were expensive to begin with. I will be going to a gym hopefully starting January which is when I'm moving. I guess I could also start going this month and then just change gyms, but the closest one nearby is kinda far still, and I'm busy at work (game development so most of you guys probably have heard or know how stuff works here lol).

Anyway, you think dumbbells were a waste? Compared to last month, I definitely gained some weight and my muscles are more defined, but I believe I could have done much better going to a gym, that's for sure... As for the trainings, yeah, the page I linked has a bunch of trainings but I already feel like I'm missing a bunch. I guess I can always keep the dumbbells for whenever I'm at home and for some reason can't go to the gym, yet I wanna do some exercise...

I think you'll get something out of the dumb bells, but they'll outlive their utility pretty soon once you adjust to the weight. Try adding basic body weight exercises like pull ups and dips to your routine (you can weigh yourself down with the dumb bells if you feel strong enough), but don't expect to see major results until you get access to a gym.

 

[HarryHengst]

So, guys... some help here! I'm not going to a gym and won't be able to go to one until January or so because I'm stuck at work until late.... but I at least have dumbbells at home, and I've been doing some exercise.

First I'll post what I've been doing, which was all based on some simple google searching

Height: 5.8ft
Weight: 143lb

I haven't checked exactly what I eat everyday, but the other day I checked the calories count on the places I go to, and it seems I get about 2,400 per day. Hopefully that makes sense and I didn't check something wrong.

Anyway, the actual workout I've been doing with just dumbbells at home was this one:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw3.htm

Number 1 (the workout table is right before the second workout list starts). I also threw in running 2 or 3 times a week, but only run some 4km a day (that's about 2.5 miles...).
As for the weight, I bought 2 15kg (33 pounds) dumbbells. For chest training I can lift that much without any trouble, though for biceps I have to lower it to 10kg (22 pounds) to finish all the reps.

My idea would be to get a bit of a bigger build because right now I'm quite slim, but I also don't want those big soft and rounded muscles. Maybe something more towards how Brad Pitt looked in Fight Club. I also wanna do more leg workout because right now it's just 1 day a week and my legs are laughably skinny. I spend all day in front of the computer working and only walk from home to work and then back, and maybe some running. But I don't think there's much leg workout to do at home with just dumbbells... :S

Is there any workout I should follow using dumbbells that can work good enough until I move and can go to a gym? Also, any diet? I've done some search around and some people say that for slim people that wanna gain weight, pretty much just eat as much as you can without really worrying much about what you eat. I barely eat sweet stuff and drink quite some milk (been doing this since I was a kid), also eat mostly meat as I'm not a big fan of fish... :/

Anyway, hopefully this kind of stuff is alright to post here. I haven't checked the whole thread so maybe you guys have some rule against lazy people coming here to get it all done for themselves... if so, lemme know and I can delete this!

Thanks!!

---------------------

Edit: I've been reading some of the posts above me and there's a bunch of fitness slang (?) that I don't understand like ATG, WOD, etc... so if you guys reply to me with that, could you also explain what it means? Thanks again!

Edit 2: Also bolded some words to make it easier to spot what I wanna say. Sorry for the messy post, been editing it and now it's all over the place.

Read this book: http://brainoverbrawn.com/get-the-book/. Its free, and starting from page 78 it shows a bunch of bodyweigt movements you could do until you can get to a gym.

Also, please stop worrying about getting big and bulky. It takes forever to become like that, and it will not happen until you consciously decide to go for that look and work on it for years.

 

[Corky]

Hey guys

First things first : I'm going to call my doctor the very first thing tomorrow monday morning.

Ok... from the look, feel, everything, it seems I have a rotator cuff strain injury. What I'm wondering now is that if it turns out to be the case, what am I looking at when it comes to weightlifting? Do I have to completely shelve upperbody workouts?

I can workout arms,chest,back etc but that's not without pain in the shoulder and by now it has accumulated to a degree that I no longer remain painfree outside of the gym.

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Mik2121]

I think you'll get something out of the dumb bells, but they'll outlive their utility pretty soon once you adjust to the weight. Try adding basic body weight exercises like pull ups and dips to your routine (you can weigh yourself down with the dumb bells if you feel strong enough), but don't expect to see major results until you get access to a gym.

I see. Yeah, I think I'll need to search for gyms close to where I'm now and just start doing some real workout

Read this book: http://brainoverbrawn.com/get-the-book/. Its free, and starting from page 78 it shows a bunch of bodyweigt movements you could do until you can get to a gym.

Also, please stop worrying about getting big and bulky. It takes forever to become like that, and it will not happen until you consciously decide to go for that look and work on it for years.

Thanks! I will check it out. For now I'm doing stuff like pushups and all everyday before starting the dumbbell exercises.

I guess I don't need to worry about getting big and bulky, it's just I read some stuff about how there are two kind of exercises to get the lean and more compact (?) body build and the one to get the bulkier bigger though softer body build. I guess a good balance out of those two would be optimal.

Anyway, I will check the book and also hopefully start going to a gym too. As Dr. Guru de Peru said, I'm already hitting the comfort zone with the dumbbells and while I still struggle a tiny bit when doing biceps training, for the pecs I just have no issues at all...

 

[deadbeef]

Hey guys

First things first : I'm going to call my doctor the very first thing tomorrow monday morning.

Ok... from the look, feel, everything, it seems I have a rotator cuff strain injury. What I'm wondering now is that if it turns out to be the case, what am I looking at when it comes to weightlifting? Do I have to completely shelve upperbody workouts?

I can workout arms,chest,back etc but that's not without pain in the shoulder and by now it has accumulated to a degree that I no longer remain painfree outside of the gym.

Anyone have any experience with this?

I had the same - I was pretty much a whole summer. I could squat and DL and stuff but my upper body work was restricted to just rehab work with bands for my shoulder.

 

[despire]

I read some stuff about how there are two kind of exercises to get the lean and more compact (?) body build and the one to get the bulkier bigger though softer body build.

Yeah that's just bullshit.