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Fitness |OT4| Squat Booty, Summer Cuts, and Super Swoletrophy

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Guys, I've gained some weight during this winter break... A friend told me cause it was because I used Craze as coffee (Had way too many all nighters this semester). Is that true?

I also dislocated my knee cap so I can't really do any cardio :(
 

rando14

Member
Guys, I've gained some weight during this winter break... A friend told me cause it was because I used Craze as coffee (Had way too many all nighters this semester). Is that true?

I also dislocated my knee cap so I can't really do any cardio :(

Bad sleeping habits can definitely help aid in weight gain. One thing that tends to be common in all nighters and late night study sessions is eating snacks that can add up in calories. If you're downing multiple milk- and sugar-laden coffees those add up too.
 

Wolfe

Member
It doesn't help that I'm 6'2" and my arm span is longer than my height.

I know that feel, I'm 6'2" and my arm span is 6'3".


Anyone have any suggestions for preventing cramping in my hamstring (left side) while doing bench press? Am I just driving too hard with my legs?
 

sphinx

the piano man
well, I decided again to try a before/after pic. Since it's been 3 months since I formally started going to a gym, I thought it might be worth looking at progress, I found a pic from september and one from yesterday and I paired them.

pic is here if anyone is curious

Before/After Pic

I have absolutely no reference as to what could be considered substantial progress for a timeframe of three months... I guess my core has been getting a bit stronger so it hasn't been all for naught, but looking at bodyparts individually I don't see much difference... maybe shoulders.

Being a guy 5'4 with a rather small frame, looking big is something that will probably never happen, my arms were always thin as spaghetti so getting them to a decent size will take its sweet long ass time

Anyway, my transition from bodyweight exercises and Machines to proper weigth lifting has been very slow and is still happening, I still have lots of things to change.
 

grumble

Member
Hiay fellas.

Does anybody here use an exercise bike and play videogames at the same time? Since getting a new job and having my lifestyle change dramatically last MArch, I am much less active. I bought a decent recumbent bike on Amazon tonight and I was hoping to make some use of the 45 - 60 mins I play videogames and get some decent cardio in.

Generally be playing Madden, non online stuff, and stuff I don't really care if I have to pause or not concentrate hard on.

Thoughts?

It can be tough if you're pushing yourself on the bike to concentrate enough to play a game, but if you treat it as light cardio and just moving around while you play, I think it's a great idea. Beats sitting on the couch!
 
Getting to the stage I want to be in the gym every day. Can I go to the gym 5 days a week doing compound lifts for strength?
No, rest is just as important as working out. You could do 3 days of lifting/2 days of cardio if you must exercise.

You could also take a look at a program like 5/3/1, which works with a 4 day split, but if you have to ask whether or not going to the gym 5 times a week is possible i do not think you are at the stage that such a program would work for you.
 

balddemon

Banned
Getting to the stage I want to be in the gym every day. Can I go to the gym 5 days a week doing compound lifts for strength?

depends on your split. and how long you've been working out. beginner? i wouldn't, stick to starting strength or just 3x a week with cardio in between if you insist.

intermediate/advanced? go for it. i do the following: chest/tris, back/bis, legs, rest, repeat. or i'll do chest, back, arms, legs. i like the latter the most as it allows me to focus on chest and back and arms with less fatigue than i would otherwise have doing both body parts on the same day. however, i can only do it if i know for sure i'll be able to work out 4 times that week haha.

also, take this advice with a grain of salt, as i'm considering going back to starting strength for a few months since i haven't really been consistent in the 8 months since i stopped doing it.
 

thomaser

Member
Somebody is about to build an outdoors street workout area with lots of bars and stuff near where I live. That should be fun! Except that this is Norway, and it's going to be near a lake with cold winds most of the year, so just grabbing those metal bars will freeze you stuck to them. Still, can't wait to try it out :) I'll become the next Hannibal, just you wait and see.

Edit: They're building one of these parks, called "Tufteparken". They build them all over the country. Pretty nice initiative!
 

balddemon

Banned
Somebody is about to build an outdoors street workout area with lots of bars and stuff near where I live. That should be fun! Except that this is Norway, and it's going to be near a lake with cold winds most of the year, so just grabbing those metal bars will freeze you stuck to them. Still, can't wait to try it out :) I'll become the next Hannibal, just you wait and see.

Edit: They're building one of these parks, called "Tufteparken". They build them all over the country. Pretty nice initiative!

I wish there was one of those around here. I haven't really looked too hard but mostly all the parks just have the bars along a trail so I'd have to run to get to them lol. Which would be a great workout but it's incredibly cold right now so I'm not entirely sure I wanna do that this time of the year.

I'm also not sure where to start. No way I could do those advanced movements that are in the video, so do I just start by doing pushups and pullups constantly?
 

sphinx

the piano man
I wish there was one of those around here. I haven't really looked too hard but mostly all the parks just have the bars along a trail so I'd have to run to get to them lol. Which would be a great workout but it's incredibly cold right now so I'm not entirely sure I wanna do that this time of the year.

I'm also not sure where to start. No way I could do those advanced movements that are in the video, so do I just start by doing pushups and pullups constantly?

I love that stuff in the video, I'd do that every day if possible but I don't have the required equipment, not in the gym nor the park :/

that handstand into a planch was cool but is pretty hard, it demands incredible balance, is not so much a matter of lifting your weight, most (or many) guys with some months working out have that strength, is the balance above the weight what makes it challenging.
 

fozzy

Member
I basically spent years fucking around with training, never really making much progress.

Recently started this routine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feY6vi6ORXo and I'm making really good strength and size gains.

The routine is aimed at beginners to aquire a great base for up to and beyond a year.

I considered myself a beginner because my lifts were so low even after 'lifting' for years.

Also Jason is a genius when it come to giving top notch advise and cutting right through the broscience.
 
Alright guys, I've changed up my goals a bit more. I want to lower my BF% to get visible abs. Are there any good BF% calculators out there? I'm interested in what I am now.

And I also need a good routine for just dropping BF%. Any good ones that you guys know?

Low carb (ketogenic) diet. Try to keep the load the same on your big lifts for as long as possible even if you have to back off on the volume.

Most accurate method that's cheap and easy is to use calibers. As for fat burning, incorporate more cardio in your workout. You can also look into HIIT.

I would go just by the numbers on the calipers vs. relying on the calculation, which can be inaccurate even if you do it at the exact same time and in the exact same spots. If there's less to pinch, you're losing fat :)
 

blackflag

Member
I basically spent years fucking around with training, never really making much progress.

Recently started this routine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feY6vi6ORXo and I'm making really good strength and size gains.

The routine is aimed at beginners to aquire a great base for up to and beyond a year.

I considered myself a beginner because my lifts were so low even after 'lifting' for years.

Also Jason is a genius when it come to giving top notch advise and cutting right through the broscience.

Yeah he is very knowledgeable. I usually read his posts in the bodybuilding.com nutrition forum.
 

Keen

Aliens ate my babysitter
Fuck squatting, downhill skiing is hard. And I've been skiing for thirty years (but not for the last three), but this week has been killing my legs.
 
I basically spent years fucking around with training, never really making much progress.

Recently started this routine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feY6vi6ORXo and I'm making really good strength and size gains.

The routine is aimed at beginners to aquire a great base for up to and beyond a year.

I considered myself a beginner because my lifts were so low even after 'lifting' for years.

Also Jason is a genius when it come to giving top notch advise and cutting right through the broscience.

Looks more interesting than what I have been doing for the past 4 weeks, I'll try that. Currently doing 3 times a week
A: squats, benchpress, bent-over row, military press, abs
B: deadlift, incline leg press, dips, abs
3x8 each besides abs
 

Dany

Banned
I know I'm late on this whole back thing, but someone today complimented me on my back, so I took a photo to see wtf he was talking about, this seems good?

tjBmdl.jpg


Also...its hard to take a photo of your back D:
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
I'm 142 lbs. 5 ft 10
Your Calculated BMI is: 20.4
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9

I don't want to get big, just more fit.

What does more fit mean? Also, it's hard to get big, takes time. If you want to put on more muscle, you just have keep lifting, lift heavy and eat more.
 
Solid definition. Long term goals?

Saw your post. As Tashi said, what does more fit mean?

-----------

New month, new day of 5/3/1. Since the 3 month BBB challenge ended, I decided to keep the compound lifts but just kind of do my own thing for the assistance exercises.

5/5/5+ OHP
3x12 Seated db press
3x12 Front raises
3x12 side raises
3x10 hammer curls
3x10 face pulls

I don't know... I feel like these exercises aren't helping me get strong or bigger. I think I am just used to the compound lifts and as hard as they were, going at 70% really got me moving. I will monitor my progress and see what happens from there.
 

balddemon

Banned
175x3x8 for bench.
40x3x12 for DB incline.
15x3x12 for incline cable flyes (pockets to face)
Dips to failure with 25lbsx9.

Not that much volume but damn my chest got a good pump and was pretty fatigued. I also feel like I got a good workout in.

Now off to the 24 hour on the other side of town to play some basketball...
 

Dany

Banned
I guess what I want is more definition on my abdomen, pecs, biceps, and triceps. My legs and thighs are good. Dunno why this is hard for me to write out, but I lost a lot of weight. And to gain muscle I have to gain weight. And thats...daunting to say the least.
 

otapnam

Member
I'm 142 lbs. 5 ft 10
Your Calculated BMI is: 20.4
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9

I don't want to get big, just more fit.

i guess im wondering how the compliment went, youre pretty lean so i'm not surprised your back looks like that - i guess i was expecting a little more muscle.

142 for 5'10 is low , but you seem young in your profile pic. BMI doesnt mean anything
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
I guess what I want is more definition on my abdomen, pecs, biceps, and triceps. My legs and thighs are good. Dunno why this is hard for me to write out, but I lost a lot of weight. And to gain muscle I have to gain weight. And thats...daunting to say the least.

Well, for someone fat like me, who wants more definition, I'm going to cut/lose fat. (Which I'm in the process of right now) However, someone like you doesn't have much fat, but you also don't have much muscle. Sounds to me that you want to put on some muscle. I would recommend regular lifting along with a slight caloric surplus. You'll put on muscle that way. Also, don't worry about getting too big and stop worrying too much about what the scale says. I guarantee if you start lifting and eating good, you're gonna look great and you're gonna feel great both physically and mentally. Don't be afraid to eat.
 

rando14

Member
I guess what I want is more definition on my abdomen, pecs, biceps, and triceps. My legs and thighs are good. Dunno why this is hard for me to write out, but I lost a lot of weight. And to gain muscle I have to gain weight. And thats...daunting to say the least.

once you know how to lose weight, it's cake. Seeing your abs go away during the winter kinda stinks though :eek:(
 

otapnam

Member
once you know how to lose weight, it's cake. Seeing your abs go away during the winter kinda stinks though :eek:(

tell me about it, i was in great shape up till my wedding in OCT then pretty much enjoyed the rest of 2012. Been back lifting the last month but I'm going to need to do watch what i eat and do some cardio to normalize :(
 

Noema

Member
But if doing it the rippetoe way trains both functions of the tricep, wouldn't it be also more efficient at making your triceps bigger compared to skullcrushers?

No. This is because the LTE is a compund movement which utilizes a lot of muscles, including the deltoids and the pectorals, whereas skullcrushers are isolation exercises.

Because the work is distributed among so many muscles in the LTE (and because it's usually done heavier), it's harder to get the pump and contraction on the triceps you'd want to get the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy you need for teh Swoleness. That's why you'll rarely see people do LTEs at a comercial gym: people want a pump; they don't want to get stronger.

Skullcrushers make it easier to focus on the proximal heads of the triceps, ideal for maximum contraction even with lower weights.

It's like the difference between chinups and biceps curls. Chinups are an awesome upper body exercise, and a great strength builder, but they are not as effective in pure biceps contraction and pump like curls are, because the work is distributed among so many muscles and also your lats will probably fail before your biceps do. There are guys at my gym who couln't do more than 2 or 3 chinups, but have huge, very defined bulging biceps. I, on the other hand, can do sets of 15 chinups at 220lb body weight but my arms look like noodles.
 

Addi

Member
Somebody is about to build an outdoors street workout area with lots of bars and stuff near where I live. That should be fun! Except that this is Norway, and it's going to be near a lake with cold winds most of the year, so just grabbing those metal bars will freeze you stuck to them. Still, can't wait to try it out :) I'll become the next Hannibal, just you wait and see.

Edit: They're building one of these parks, called "Tufteparken". They build them all over the country. Pretty nice initiative!

Awesome, I'm in Norway too and definitely want to try something like that! Coming from parkour I have trained similar stuff before and I love it. But as you say, the weather is lame. I wish I still had the same motivation as some years ago (before I started going to a gym) when I went outside in -10c to do weighted pull-ups with a backpack filled with anything I could find. Stupid, but motivated, I more of the opposite now :p
 

abuC

Member
175x3x8 for bench.
40x3x12 for DB incline.
15x3x12 for incline cable flyes (pockets to face)
Dips to failure with 25lbsx9.

Not that much volume but damn my chest got a good pump and was pretty fatigued. I also feel like I got a good workout in.

Now off to the 24 hour on the other side of town to play some basketball...

I salute you, but your shot is going to be off like crazy ha.
 
Just getting back from my week long in New York for New Years. Boy did I eat like shit and it shows. But hey, I worked hard this winter, and I'm going back at it next week when I'm back home. I'm ending my trip with some all you can eat pancakes at IHOP like a pro.

Protip: Being buff and gay means not only do people buy you drinks, but more often than not bartenders feed you free booze like water. Happened to me twice in NYC. Bet big boys.
 
Was wondering if anyone could give me some advice, I've been on starting strength since June and in September I had an injury in my lower back kind of like a muscle pull I guess. I'm told its a strain or sprain, I did a reset and was back to lifting normally and then in November the same thing happened again except on the opposite side of my lower back and it's been there since its really an annoyance since I can't squat that well now because of it. Was wondering if anyone could help me indentify what kind of injury it is and what to do?
 

IceCold

Member
No. This is because the LTE is a compund movement which utilizes a lot of muscles, including the deltoids and the pectorals, whereas skullcrushers are isolation exercises.

Because the work is distributed among so many muscles in the LTE (and because it's usually done heavier), it's harder to get the pump and contraction on the triceps you'd want to get the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy you need for teh Swoleness. That's why you'll rarely see people do LTEs at a comercial gym: people want a pump; they don't want to get stronger.

Skullcrushers make it easier to focus on the proximal heads of the triceps, ideal for maximum contraction even with lower weights.

It's like the difference between chinups and biceps curls. Chinups are an awesome upper body exercise, and a great strength builder, but they are not as effective in pure biceps contraction and pump like curls are, because the work is distributed among so many muscles and also your lats will probably fail before your biceps do. There are guys at my gym who couln't do more than 2 or 3 chinups, but have huge, very defined bulging biceps. I, on the other hand, can do sets of 15 chinups at 220lb body weight but my arms look like noodles.

Thanks for the response man. Not sure which one to do though. A lot of the stuff I do are compound exercises since I feel they're better at proportionally increasing my body mass since I'm hitting multiple muscles. This is my workout as reference. Upper body wise I have pretty skinny arms and a weak chest (I think I'm genetically per-disposed to grow mass more easily in my legs and back) so although I'd want my strength to increase so that I can increase my bench strength and thus my chest size, I'd also want my tricep to be trained efficiently to increase my arm size. But since I feel the LTE is hitting my triceps well I think I'll stick with it for now.
 

abuC

Member
Just getting back from my week long in New York for New Years. Boy did I eat like shit and it shows. But hey, I worked hard this winter, and I'm going back at it next week when I'm back home. I'm ending my trip with some all you can eat pancakes at IHOP like a pro.

Protip: Being buff and gay means not only do people buy you drinks, but more often than not bartenders feed you free booze like water. Happened to me twice in NYC. Bet big boys.


I always thought you were from NY to begin with.
 

blackflag

Member
Thanks for the response man. Not sure which one to do though. A lot of the stuff I do are compound exercises since I feel they're better at proportionally increasing my body mass since I'm hitting multiple muscles. This is my workout as reference. Upper body wise I have pretty skinny arms and a weak chest (I think I'm genetically per-disposed to grow mass more easily in my legs and back) so although I'd want my strength to increase so that I can increase my bench strength and thus my chest size, I'd also want my tricep to be trained efficiently to increase my arm size. But since I feel the LTE is hitting my triceps well I think I'll stick with it for now.

Stick with LTE. My triceps have responded very well to them. I have pretty nice triceps because of those. I do LTE, Pushdowns, and dips but I don't do dips everytime because I do Chest/tri day at home usually and I don't have anything right now to do dips on.
 

cryptic

Member
Yeah so i followed everyone's advice and my squat felt awesome today, just starting light at 185 to build form but pushing my knees out really helps I was always pushing my knees forward as I never considered them during the lift, but, well shit. I also now use the bounce on the upward push and that helps, too.

The only other issue I have besides is watching the california strength instruction video, where the guy under the watch of the instructor has a buttwink (or he's using the hip flexor?) and he holds the bar with his wrist taking some of the force. Is rippetoes' advice not apt for the high squat? Thanks.
 

grumble

Member
I'm 142 lbs. 5 ft 10
Your Calculated BMI is: 20.4
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9

I don't want to get big, just more fit.

Not going to tell you how big to get, but the 18.5-25 does include the range for both men and women. Generally, men have thicker bone structures, larger organs, more muscle and connective tissue, etc so would tend to be a little higher on the BMI than a woman would be. Generally if you're looking to get fit and aren't training for a specific bodyweight sensitive sport (marathons, etc), getting muscle up to the high end of normal BMI probably makes sense for a guy.
 
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