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Fitness |OT5| Intermittent Farting, Wrist Curls and Hammer Strength Machine Spotters

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M

MarkMclovin

Member
Thanks for the advice on the protien guys, it's very helpful. I'll review my intake and see if I can bump it up at breakfast and just before bed.

Chittagong said:
I had the exact same problem, once you get hang of it it gets easier. It's really useful to home into that 200g of protein, it tends to fix the rest of your diet too.

Protein powder, quest bars, sushi, chicken, eggs, salmon, meat, lean subs, greek yogurt...

Here's a fairly lax typical day I have been doing over the last few months, focus only on protein and around 2000kcal
Click to expand...

OyqGTRU.png


Thanks for this. I've actually started eating sushi thanks to my new gf, so I'll consider having that more often particularly for lunch. Is there a cheaper alternative to Fage? I find that quite expensive. The closest I get is cottage cheese (around 10g per 100g), but it looks like it has half the protein amount.

Also, what site is that? I currently use Calorie Count, but that one looks cleaner.
 
F

FallingEdge

Member
I need to start cutting more calories. Starting with my precious milk =/

First day of HIIT today. I am scared. On the high intensity part, how hard am I suppose to go? 80%? 90%? And low intensity? 50%?
 
S

SeanR1221

Member
Today was no joke. Power cleans for the first time. 5/3/1 deads at 285 (for 8) and then 5x10 deads at 170.

Really trying to use the BBB sets to focus on form. I taped my 285 set and the first rep my back was rounded :/. It's always that first rep. I keep going to low and losing the tightness in my hamstrings.
 
D

despire

Member
Ok so I'm pretty disgusted with myself. I've always had trouble maintaining control of my lower back. I've watched Rippetoes video on the subject and used his cues but it doesn't seem to work. I can control/arch my lower back when I'm standing up but it gets damn near impossible when I'm down and starting my deadlift. I just can't get any control of the muscles while I'm down there and I don't know how to fix it.

Today I warmed up with hyperextensions so I had plenty of lactate in the muscles as per Rips advice but it didn't work. I still couldn't maintain control in my work set. I'm starting to wonder if my belt has something to do with this since it feels like it's much harder to arch/control my back with the belt on. Without it it's easier but I can't figure out why. Guess I should try deadlifting completely without a belt next time and see what happens..

Any thoughts?
 
M

Mark1

Member
Hey guys,

I'm in a bit of pickle trying to build muscle. I am determined to get my ideal body, but as I said in my last few posts for this thread, the process has not being going smoothly (family and a couple of others have commented that I look good, but I feel I could have gained more as well since I have seen some people gaining faster and for a while my body weight wasn't moving much) . I have doing a bit of reading over the past month or so going over all the different causes of this frustrating plateau. Namely around these issues:

  1. Trying to get 7-9 hours of sleep
  2. Trying to stay in the gym for only 1 -1.30 hours
  3. Not eating enough or eating too much (Because of my OCD, I don't want to get caught up in calorie counting to avoid getting anxious which brings my next point...)
  4. Stress
  5. Feel I've not done well enough or have made mistakes with form. (There are some trainers who are saying my form is excellent while others have told me about some mistakes I've made)

So to make my point, I am feeling down about this since I do not think I am getting anywhere with the bodybuilding because of factors mentioned above affecting me at different times. I feel my confidence and self-esteem is pretty low as well.

EDIT: I should also bring up sickness feeling I have felt the past few workouts.

It would be great if one of you could help out with this. I think I need some and would be really grateful. :)
 
D

despire

Member
LowKeyedUp said:
Hamstring tightness?
Click to expand...

Well there is the tug of war between my hamstrings and lower back but I'm not sure if that's the issue or what. Could be. My hamstrings are pretty tight and I'm trying to stretch them regularly though I've been slacking a bit lately.

I'm just pretty pissed that I have this kind of stupid problem impeding my progress in the one lift that I'm supposed to be good at (due to long arms). Also I want to get back to my old PR's and this kind of problems with what should be a light weight is really discouraging.
 
S

StickSoldier

Member
I bought some body fat calipers yesterday but I don't necessarily have someone to help me check the spots I need. Is there any other sort of formula/spots you can do solo to get a somewhat accurate bodyfat %?
 
F

FallingEdge

Member
G

grumble

Member
Mark1 said:
Hey guys,

I'm in a bit of pickle trying to build muscle. I am determined to get my ideal body, but as I said in my last few posts for this thread, the process has not being going smoothly (family and a couple of others have commented that I look good, but I feel I could have gained more as well since I have seen some people gaining faster and for a while my body weight wasn't moving much) . I have doing a bit of reading over the past month or so going over all the different causes of this frustrating plateau. Namely around these issues:

  1. Trying to get 7-9 hours of sleep
  2. Trying to stay in the gym for only 1 -1.30 hours
  3. Not eating enough or eating too much (Because of my OCD, I don't want to get caught up in calorie counting to avoid getting anxious which brings my next point...)
  4. Stress
  5. Feel I've not done well enough or have made mistakes with form. (There are some trainers who are saying my form is excellent while others have told me about some mistakes I've made)

So to make my point, I am feeling down about this since I do not think I am getting anywhere with the bodybuilding because of factors mentioned above affecting me at different times. I feel my confidence and self-esteem is pretty low as well.

EDIT: I should also bring up sickness feeling I have felt the past few workouts.

It would be great if one of you could help out with this. I think I need some and would be really grateful. :)
Click to expand...

Well if you have friends and family saying you're looking good, then that's great news! It sounds like you're meeting your goals, so you should be proud of that and look on the upside instead of thinking about whether you're min/maxing your routine.

That being said, we can probably help you out. We'll need a little more info: age, weight, height, what your program looks like, what equipment you have access to, what kinds of foods you're eating, your progress and status on the main lifts, etc.
 
Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
So any time I pass some kind of a magic barrier of 260lbs for my 1x5 deadlift I end up pushing so hard I nearly see black and stars. Normal?
 
S

sphinx

the piano man
Mr.City said:
You always go parallel. You've probably been recommended the book "Starting Strength", and you might even own it, however I strongly suggest that you read the squat chapter.

Second, basing what you're doing (or not doing) on who else is in the gym is a bad idea. You have no idea how educated/ uneducated, advanced/not advanced the other person.
Click to expand...

after having read SS from a friend's Kindle in a hurry some months back, I decided to do the right thing and buy it myself, the 3rd edition of the paperback edition and I am going through it now.

I am happy to learn that I knew a lot of things prior to reading it and that's thanks to this thread, it feels like I am reading this thread when I am reading the book :p.

the bolded, you mean exactly parallel or below that? cause advising against going below parallel contradicts this, low bar squat aside:


Noema said:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/when_it_comes_to_squats_easier_doesnt_work

Depends on the type of squat. On a low bar squat usually you just want to go a bit below parallel, because you can't go deeper without shoving your hips forward, and that will result in loss of hamstring tension. Since the involvement of the quads is lower in the low bar squat, you don't want to lose that hamstring tension. You still need to hit parallel, preferably a bit lower.

For front squats and high bar, I'd say the lower the better.

In the end, regardless of the type of squat, you should always go to at least parallel, and by parallel I mean the femur parallel to the floor. Any squat in which the femur is not parallel to the floor or deeper is a partial squat, and partials suck. They are at best mostly useless displays of ego, and at worst they'll wreck your knees, since the shear from the quad on the way down will have no antagonist force from the hamstring and the Glute on an incomplete ROM, thus potentially damaging the tendon that runs over to the knee. The other problem is that, because you can always half squat much more than you can squat, it's easier for these guys to injure their backs since they are carrying more weight than they could really handle. Like Rippetoe says, if it's too heavy to squat below parallel, then it's too heavy to carry in the back, period.

People love to fool themselves at gyms and bite more than they can chew. That doesn't mean they know what they're doing. Half ROM bench, half-ROM squats, half ROM chin ups and pull-ups; all these are very popular and guys who look like they know what they are doing do them all the time. They are still idiots.
Click to expand...

thanks for this explanation. I think I need to post a video to get some critique and get advice wherever I need it.

regarding watching other guys, comparing myself to other people comes from the fact that I can't be completely sure my form is perfect, even looking at the mirrors, so whenever I see someone looking "good" I start thnking "damn, that's probably right, maybe I should change my arm/back/whatever position," and so on....

I know, I know, I should base my exercises on reputable souces like SS and come here and ask whenever I feel unsure. will try to change my mindset :p
 
W

Warrior_Keoni

Member
Chomped into Quest Bar Chocolate Brownies and running low...anyone have an opinion on the Chocolate Peanut flavor or any other flavors to recommend?
 
F

Future PhaZe

Member
MarkMclovin said:
Man, I'm finding it very difficult to get 200g of protein each day, let alone doing it without my daily fat amount going through the roof. And that's with 3 shakes a day too.

How do people get around this? Fish, chicken and eggs, every single day?
Click to expand...

I've got whey that's 60grams per scoop (hell of scoop though).

Pretty much amounts to three cups a day along with eating meat I'm usually getting an excess of protein.

I strained my bicep doing squat cleans on my second crossfit session. I liked the first crossfit lesson--I literally was the only one in the gym besides the trainers and got a lot of attention, the workout was fine, etc.

Second one was bad enough to have me consider not going ever again. Tons of people, teaching advanced moves like squat cleans to beginners and trying to get them to do as many as they can along with crunches in a circuit...

And this was two days in a row of pretty heavy squatting. I'm a firm believer in only squatting twice a week at most (though I always lift heavy). I'm sure crossfitters are squatting maybe 4, 5 times a week.

I'll give it another shot for lulz. I think it works well if you're only concern is well...cross fitness with no real preference of where, what, or how.
 
B

blackflag

Member
despire said:
Ok so I'm pretty disgusted with myself. I've always had trouble maintaining control of my lower back. I've watched Rippetoes video on the subject and used his cues but it doesn't seem to work. I can control/arch my lower back when I'm standing up but it gets damn near impossible when I'm down and starting my deadlift. I just can't get any control of the muscles while I'm down there and I don't know how to fix it.

Today I warmed up with hyperextensions so I had plenty of lactate in the muscles as per Rips advice but it didn't work. I still couldn't maintain control in my work set. I'm starting to wonder if my belt has something to do with this since it feels like it's much harder to arch/control my back with the belt on. Without it it's easier but I can't figure out why. Guess I should try deadlifting completely without a belt next time and see what happens..

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I have this exact same problem, even at low,, super easy weight so it's not a "you're lifting too heavy" thing. I feel like I can't properly arch and engage my lower back very well.

You have links to that Rippetoe video?

I think this is why my damn DL is only 450, Squat like 330......but my bench is 340. My back just doesn't work well. I think I need to find some better stretching or mobility for it too cuz it is always super tight.
 
K

Kyaw

Member
High bar and ATG is what I do. Seems to work well mostly because I can't stop properly when going to parallel.

Also, cut my left middle finger while trying to catch a falling glass but ended up slamming it against the wall. Deadlifting today was not fun. Only managed 3 reps at working set. And not a single pull up was done.

Oh well, shit happens.
 
M

MjFrancis

Member
Khalifa Jayy said:
Any of you guys taking a Test booster? Got any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Run the ingredients list of whatever you are looking at by this webpage:

http://examine.com/supplements/Testosterone+Booster/

More often than not, if you can find it on the supermarket shelves it's either unproven or debunked as a test booster. I've found a whole range of products where the primary ingredient is tribulus, and it's effects on test are somewhere between jack and shit.
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
Guys, I am not allowed to squat today. I keep going in spite of knee pain, and as a result it isn't going away.

I've identified the problem in my form, but it isn't enough to completely mitigate the problem. I need rest!
 
S

SeanR1221

Member
blackflag said:
I have this exact same problem, even at low,, super easy weight so it's not a "you're lifting too heavy" thing. I feel like I can't properly arch and engage my lower back very well.

You have links to that Rippetoe video?

I think this is why my damn DL is only 450, Squat like 330......but my bench is 340. My back just doesn't work well. I think I need to find some better stretching or mobility for it too cuz it is always super tight.
Click to expand...

I'd like the video as well. I was really pissed off when I saw my rounded back on my first working set rep today.
 
F

FallingEdge

Member
So I did the HIIT routine that was suggested a few pages back

50 sec jog / 10 sec sprint
48 sec jog / 12 sec sprint
46 sec jog / 14 sec sprint
44 sec jog / 16 sec sprint
42 sec jog / 18 sec sprint
40 / 20
40 / 20
42 / 18
44 / 16
46 / 14
48 / 12
50 / 10

Did it on an exercise bike. It surprisingly wasn't that bad. Maybe because I did it on no resistance? I don't know. I'm open to suggestions.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
On a bike with no resistance? I can't imagine being able to pedal fast enough to make that effective. How was your heart rate?
 
F

FallingEdge

Member
Zoe said:
On a bike with no resistance? I can't imagine being able to pedal fast enough to make that effective. How was your heart rate?
Click to expand...

That's what I figured. It is the first time I have done this. It prolly was on the default which felt like none at all.

The heart rate machine on the bike stated 160-180
 
F

FallingEdge

Member
Dark FaZe said:
this

HIIT almost always has to be done outdoors unless you've got a safe, long biking circuit.
Click to expand...

If anything, I can just do it on a track as the 24 Hour has one but I prefer an exercise bike or elliptical. Is running really the best? If it is, I'll just suck it up and go for it.
 
I

ipitydatfu

Member
blackflag said:
I have this exact same problem, even at low,, super easy weight so it's not a "you're lifting too heavy" thing. I feel like I can't properly arch and engage my lower back very well.

You have links to that Rippetoe video?

I think this is why my damn DL is only 450, Squat like 330......but my bench is 340. My back just doesn't work well. I think I need to find some better stretching or mobility for it too cuz it is always super tight.
Click to expand...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpzqhr_starting-strength-deadlift-tutorial_sport#.Ua-Uttg_CLg
also this
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syt7A23YnpA
 
A

abuC

Member
FallingEdge said:
If anything, I can just do it on a track as the 24 Hour has one but I prefer an exercise bike or elliptical. Is running really the best? If it is, I'll just suck it up and go for it.
Click to expand...

Sprinting is the way to go if you have to run, but make sure you stretch everything.
 
D

despire

Member
blackflag said:
I have this exact same problem, even at low,, super easy weight so it's not a "you're lifting too heavy" thing. I feel like I can't properly arch and engage my lower back very well.

You have links to that Rippetoe video?

I think this is why my damn DL is only 450, Squat like 330......but my bench is 340. My back just doesn't work well. I think I need to find some better stretching or mobility for it too cuz it is always super tight.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a bitch.

Here you go:

http://startingstrength.com/index.php/site/video/platform_lower_back_position_control
 
B

blackflag

Member
FallingEdge said:
damn it.

okay. bah, now i feel like today is a waste =/
Click to expand...

You can do it on a bike just fine. You just can't do it on a treadmill because it's dangerous...I know from experience.

Put the resistence to whatever feels right, then when the time comes you up it to whatever is really difficult then you do that then drop it back, etc.
 
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