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[Psychotext]

To me it is really annoying to quite often refuse to chill with them just because of working out and I even feel quilty when I constantly say that I am not eating those even if you bought them specificly for me. I am honestly a bit confused why they have turned from being really supportive and nice to total douches. Any similar experiences?

Some people hate others improving themselves, it makes them uncomfortable. That said, many of us do get a bit preachy about fitness / health without really realising it. I've done it a few times without knowing I was doing it.

Can also come down to "do you think you're better than me?". My brother takes great pleasure in trying to belittle my fitness / health efforts (and believe me, I'm not a clean eater or any sort of obsessive), but that's mostly because he's threatened by it and knows deep down that he should be doing something.

 

[Spiritreaver]

I can't for the life of me, find a time to workout that I can I enjoy anymore now that I don't have the luxury of lifting at 1-4am anymore. Sucks, but I guess I'll just get used to it.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I can't for the life of me, find a time to workout that I can I enjoy anymore now that I don't have the luxury of lifting at 1-4am anymore. Sucks, but I guess I'll just get used to it.

What you do from 1-4?

 

[RumblingRosco]

Your point is valid and I feel dumber because I bought the book a while ago and never really touched it.
I felt the program was simple enough to just go by articles and forum posts. UNTIL NOW!

Brolic and others are correct, reading the book is necessary. I read the book and still made mistakes when I started, and hell, I bet I still make some mistakes (which is why I re-read and skim through the book from time-to-time as a refresher). The PDF version is available from Amazon for cheap. I know you already bought the book, but the digital version is nice because I can access it on my phone while in the gym if something ever comes up that makes me question if I'm making a mistake with a calculation or what not.

 

[Bowser]

Here’s my stats:

• Age: 26
• Height: 5’6”
• Weight: ~145 lbs (fluctuates between 142-148); also according to the calculator in the OP, I’m somewhere between 11-12% body fat? I doubt it’s that low.
• Goal: Cutting body fat; I wanna get cuts and more visible abs! I’m narcissistic
• Current Training Schedule: see above, but basically a circuit style 5-day split (Chest/Back/Legs/Arms/Shoulders)
• Current Training Equipment Available: pretty much everything at my gym

Sorry for the long-winded post! I know I’m a total noob, but just reading through the OP and the posts here have been really helpful and I look forward to hearing what people have to say!

Just felt like updating/tracking this. I have started a keto diet (today is day 6!). Honestly hasn't been that bad. Never really experienced any headaches, flu-like symptoms, or cramps (I've been downing bouillon and potassium like a mad man though, so that may explain why). Missed carbs the first couple of days but pretty adjusted at this point.

Over the weekend I decided I wanted to completely change up my routine and try Jason Blaha's Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 Novice routine. I'm doing the cutting version (3x5 for main lifts, 2x8 for accessory lifts, adding 5 lbs to each lift every other workout instead of every workout). Here's my starting stats for Workout A (which I'm tracking in the Reddit Ketogains spreadsheet):

Squat: 135 lbs
Bench Press: 140 lbs
Bent Over Row: 115 lbs (this felt easy though)
Barbell Shrugs: 165 lbs
Skullcrushers: 45 lbs
Chin-ups: 10 strict
Hyperextensions: 10 (w/25 lb plate)
Cable crunches: 15 x 110 lbs

I've only been lifting since Feb so I'm pretty pleased with those starting stats lol. I didn't bring my phone to the gym (I never do, unnecessary distraction), but think I will next time and try to get someone to film my squat form - ashamed to say that I've been squatting on a Smith machine - yes, go ahead and laugh at me I think my squat form was pretty decent, but again, need to get it on tape to be sure.

Eating at a 15% deficit on the keto diet (~1,930 kcals on lifting days, ~1,730 on rest days). Excited to see where I am in 2 months!

 

[Spiritreaver]

What you do from 1-4?

Sleep. Or well I should be. I have too much to do during the day to be up that late at the gym, it just leaves me not getting any sleep.

It's just so crowded during normal hours that it's borderline infuriating sometimes. I'm gonna try going back to lifting at 9pm-11pm like my college days.

Honestly, 5am workouts would be great, but I just haven't been doing a great job waking up that early.

 

[Zero2kz]

I have been meaning to ask from you darlings that have you encountered same kind of problems as I have. My friends are well aware that I am working out and trying to eat clean and healthy. Some of them nowadays refer to my eating habits as "annoyingly healthy" and don't seem to understand that I do it to feel better. I have also two friends that I feel that they try to pressure me to drop it: They buy chocolate bars just for me when they aren't even eating any, they ask me to hang around always on the days when they know I have scheduled to go to gym and on both cases they always try to say that come on, you can skip it once / you can eat it this time - yet they offer sweets and treats all the time and ask me to skip my work outs constantly and seem to be annoyed when I don't.

To me it is really annoying to quite often refuse to chill with them just because of working out and I even feel quilty when I constantly say that I am not eating those even if you bought them specificly for me. I am honestly a bit confused why they have turned from being really supportive and nice to total douches. Any similar experiences?


Ugh. I hate heat. I don't want to sweat without any proper reason. Also I just burn in the sun so summer isn't really my favourite.

I am assuming that when you hung out with these people prior to your weight loss, you often ate poorly? I used to eat/drink awful stuff when I hung out with my friends for most of my life. Whenever I go back to my hometown and visit friends and family, they try to rope me back into those awful eating habits.

I always here the "___ won't hurt you!", "Just eat one ____!"

My new healthy lifestyle is uncomfortable for people I grew up with. They are not used to it. And like Psychotext suggested, there might be some hate/jealousy about improving yourself.

Some people might be genuinely oblivious to your change in your eating habits, but if you made multiple attempts to inform them, then there is obviously something more to it.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Sleep. Or well I should be. I have too much to do during the day to be up that late at the gym, it just leaves me not getting any sleep.

It's just so crowded during normal hours that it's borderline infuriating sometimes. I'm gonna try going back to lifting at 9pm-11pm like my college days.

Honestly, 5am workouts would be great, but I just haven't been doing a great job waking up that early.

Maybe it's time to find a new, smaller, more focused gym? This did wonders for me and I can even go in during "prime time" and do what I need. Bonus points if it's 24 hours.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I swear, I absolutely suck at the bench press.

I see so many people in this thread and elsewhere talk about starting out with 140 lbs. or more as if that's nothing (and it may be). It took me probably half a year to work up to even being able to do one rep at that weight, and I'm just now getting there as part of my Stronglifts 5x5 routine.

Maybe the rest of the world just really has crazy strong arms! Either that or my anatomy is weird/my form sucks. Either way, I definitely feel like I should be a bit higher when it comes to this lift. It just seems to progress so slowly (like overhead press, too).

 

[Leeness]

I have been meaning to ask from you darlings that have you encountered same kind of problems as I have. My friends are well aware that I am working out and trying to eat clean and healthy. Some of them nowadays refer to my eating habits as "annoyingly healthy" and don't seem to understand that I do it to feel better. I have also two friends that I feel that they try to pressure me to drop it: They buy chocolate bars just for me when they aren't even eating any, they ask me to hang around always on the days when they know I have scheduled to go to gym and on both cases they always try to say that come on, you can skip it once / you can eat it this time - yet they offer sweets and treats all the time and ask me to skip my work outs constantly and seem to be annoyed when I don't.

To me it is really annoying to quite often refuse to chill with them just because of working out and I even feel quilty when I constantly say that I am not eating those even if you bought them specificly for me. I am honestly a bit confused why they have turned from being really supportive and nice to total douches. Any similar experiences?

Haha at work, since it's summer, the boss will buy sundaes every once in a while for everyone and they're all "Lee I know you're being good buuuuut...?"

I said "Get thee away, foul ice cream wench", and they know I have will. Though they still offer sometime. Hahaha. I don't miiiind it too much because everyone in the office is enjoying so I don't get annoyed. But yeah, if my friends did it and all the time, then I'd get mad.

Ugh. I hate heat. I don't want to sweat without any proper reason. Also I just burn in the sun so summer isn't really my favourite.

Heat only for belly when it hurts. Otherwise I hate it. And yeah, I burn like mad too. It sucks.

 

[Bowser]

I swear, I absolutely suck at the bench press.

I see so many people in this thread and elsewhere talk about starting out with 140 lbs. or more as if that's nothing (and it may be). It took me probably half a year to work up to even being able to do one rep at that weight, and I'm just now getting there as part of my Stronglifts 5x5 routine.

Maybe the rest of the world just really has crazy strong arms! Either that or my anatomy is weird/my form sucks. Either way, I definitely feel like I should be a bit higher when it comes to this lift. It just seems to progress so slowly (like overhead press, too).

Trust me, I'm right there with you. While I've only been weightlifting since Feb, I did a lot of bodyweight style exercises/routines since basically Jan of last year, so I built pretty good upper body strength through that. Then I did that insane (and kinda dumb now that I look back on it) routine from bodybuilding.com which didn't have strict bench presses, but had a crazy chest day which really helped build chest strength. So technically I'm "starting" at 3x5 140 lbs, but in reality there was no way I could have actually started at that weight. It's basically 18 months in the making lol.

 

[Zero2kz]

Haha at work, since it's summer, the boss will buy sundaes every once in a while for everyone and they're all "Lee I know you're being good buuuuut...?"

I said "Get thee away, foul ice cream wench", and they know I have will. Though they still offer sometime. Hahaha. I don't miiiind it too much because everyone in the office is enjoying so I don't get annoyed. But yeah, if my friends did it and all the time, then I'd get mad.

I hate the office when it comes to sweets and candy. It is everywhere. People bring in food to share but it is always junk.

Someone put out a bowl of mixed fruit and a vegetable tray once. I thought it was a god damn trap because it was such a foreign concept for my office.

 

[Syphon Filter]

I swear, I absolutely suck at the bench press.

I see so many people in this thread and elsewhere talk about starting out with 140 lbs. or more as if that's nothing (and it may be). It took me probably half a year to work up to even being able to do one rep at that weight, and I'm just now getting there as part of my Stronglifts 5x5 routine.

Maybe the rest of the world just really has crazy strong arms! Either that or my anatomy is weird/my form sucks. Either way, I definitely feel like I should be a bit higher when it comes to this lift. It just seems to progress so slowly (like overhead press, too).

Worry more about your form.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Trust me, I'm right there with you. While I've only been weightlifting since Feb, I did a lot of bodyweight style exercises/routines since basically Jan of last year, so I built pretty good upper body strength through that. Then I did that insane (and kinda dumb now that I look back on it) routine from bodybuilding.com which didn't have strict bench presses, but had a crazy chest day which really helped build chest strength. So technically I'm "starting" at 3x5 140 lbs, but in reality there was no way I could have actually started at that weight. It's basically 18 months in the making lol.

I didn't mean to direct that rant at you! What kind of chest workouts were you doing, by the way?

Worry more about your form.

Oh, for sure. I refuse to up the weight unless I feel good about my form (elbows locked at the top of the rep, straight bar path down, touch the chest, and back up). No sloppy reps for me. I just can't progress quickly at all.

The rest of my body position may leave something to be desired, though. I can't seem to get that nice arch in my back that so many people have when doing the bench press.

 

[iddqd]

If you're even remotely interested in a program I'd get the book. You don't have to do the program, but learning different takes on how to train will make you better as a whole. I've bought 5/3/1 and 5/3/1 for powerlifting and I've bought Steve Pulcinella's iron sport strength method and I'm getting ready to buy 10/20/life by Brian Carroll.

On top of that I'm constantly watching lifting videos and reading articles on Efts and sometimes (rarely) Tnation. Always keep learning.

Yo......read the book. Its a short read but it took me a couple of times to understand 5/3/1

Well for what it's worth, I already found out that I had been doing it wrong / I had relied too much on the blackironbeast website. Instead of increasing my rep max every cycle, I just used the website (their cycle option) and was working basically only in a up to 60% range since around january. I never actually increased the max rep no by 10 pounds.

Thanks to going back and reading I found out that I was not lifting heavy enough. Super pumped for tomorrow and thanks again for the reminder.

And Brolic, more to your point, this stuff might be one of the topics in my life where I have an easier time NOT reading too much / not obsession over everything.
My work is following me all through the day and night and the gym gives me a bit of mental break. Lifting and Jiu Jitsu are the only hours where I don't think of deadlines or my family.
I'm also not experienced enough to really judge at this point if "whatever method" is better or worse then the thing I'm doing. 5/3/1 seemed to be the natural progression from SS and I enjoy just doing the main lifts with maybe 1 or 2 assistant things in there.

Again, totally get your point and I'm the same when it comes to other areas.. but for me Lifting and food have become so convoluted and dogmatic on the internet that I have an easier time sticking to basics and moving on when I'm more experienced.
(sorry for the rant, felt the need to share)

 

[Leeness]

I hate the office when it comes to sweets and candy. It is everywhere. People bring in food to share but it is always junk.

Someone put out a bowl of mixed fruit and a vegetable try once. I thought it was a god damn trap because it was such a foreign concept for my office.

Hahaha yeah. Candy, cookies, booze. Office!

I am getting good at turning up my nose at it though.

 

[Bowser]

I didn't mean to direct that rant at you! What kind of chest workouts were you doing, by the way?

I was following this workout: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/greg-plitts-mft28-day-1-chest-dominance.html

Look past the super bro and it's actually a pretty insane/killer workout. Lot of volume tho. That program is structured as a 4 week cut type program (5 body part split), but I didn't follow it exactly (didn't do 2 workouts a day, didn't do an all liquid diet, etc).

While it probably isn't the best workout, it gave me some direction and structure before I found FitGAF (and its resources) and definitely helped me get in much better shape.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Maybe it's time to find a new, smaller, more focused gym? This did wonders for me and I can even go in during "prime time" and do what I need. Bonus points if it's 24 hours.

Totally with you here, but given that I'm moving within a year I'm just gonna have to tough it out and just deal with the busy-ness.

It's really only an issue on leg days. We only have tow squat racks and it seems every leg day they're being used

It's just a gripe really. I can survive and lift until a better option comes along. I really can't wait till I get to Chicago though.

 

[God Dayumm]

I swear, I absolutely suck at the bench press.

I see so many people in this thread and elsewhere talk about starting out with 140 lbs. or more as if that's nothing (and it may be). It took me probably half a year to work up to even being able to do one rep at that weight, and I'm just now getting there as part of my Stronglifts 5x5 routine.

Maybe the rest of the world just really has crazy strong arms! Either that or my anatomy is weird/my form sucks. Either way, I definitely feel like I should be a bit higher when it comes to this lift. It just seems to progress so slowly (like overhead press, too).

Man, I feel the same about squats but don't give up, record your form and see where you're fucking up. And if you aren't, maybe some accessory work may help? For me that was triceps when I realized I needed to narrow my grip because I was putting my fingers around the markings on the bar and that is too wide according to Rippetoe.

 

[CherryWoodFuton]

Man, I feel the same about squats but don't give up, record your form and see where you're fucking up. And if you aren't, maybe some accessory work may help? For me that was triceps when I realized I needed to narrow my grip because I was putting my fingers around the markings on the bar and that is too wide according to Rippetoe.

Brahhhhhh

I know how that feel....fucking squats

My problem is getting out of the hole without making my squat into a slight good morning. I need to work on my quads with front squats (which I've been doing as a 5/3/1 accessory)

 

[RumblingRosco]

Interesting! I never thought that raising the heel would be beneficial, but it makes sense. It's always easier to squat down and keep your feet flat on the ground on an incline, like a hill, for example. Understood about not wanting to give advise.

Since I took the video, I think I'll throw it at as a more general form check request:

http://youtu.be/g9uK9sIDQ9E?t=11s

Any feedback from anyone would be appreciated, as always. This was my fifth set of five rep low bar squats at 185 lbs. taken a little over a week ago.

1) Small suggestion, but I think you can limit your steps back when unracking the bar to just one step with each foot. You took maybe 2 with each including stepping forward again (seems like you overshot where you wanted to end up). The only real problem with doing this is that you'll waste more energy than needed to get into position.

2) Are you gripping the bar at all? It looks like you've got it between the bottom of your palm and the tips of your fingers. I feel like with any barbell lift you want to grip the bar hard, even for the squat. Maybe someone else here would disagree, but I'm almost sure you want a firm grip.

3) I think you're raising your heels near the very bottom of your squat. You want to have your heels on the ground at all times as you should really imagine driving your heels into the ground to drive the squat. This is probably the thing I'm most concerned with, personally.

4) I think you're beginning the motion by bending at the knees when you should begin by bending at the hips (though knees follow very quickly afterwards). This is something recommended to me (as I do the same thing) only very recently, so I'm not totally certain where you stand on it, but it is something you'll want to review in your video and decide for yourself.

5) These are not bad squats by any means. I hope others will chime in with their advice because I'm certainly still working to improve my squat form, but I think you're doing well overall. Keep it up.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

Totally with you here, but given that I'm moving within a year I'm just gonna have to tough it out and just deal with the busy-ness.

It's really only an issue on leg days. We only have tow squat racks and it seems every leg day they're being used

It's just a gripe really. I can survive and lift until a better option comes along. I really can't wait till I get to Chicago though.

Uhg, Chicago. My condolences. Did you manage to swing a LEO job, or something else?

If it's only a minor niggle, at least there's that upside. I know when I end up on shift work adjusting to when to lift drains me and it's a pain in the ass, so I feel you there.

 

[RumblingRosco]

$10 for unlimited (of any one) appetizer at T.G.I. Fridays

For those of you on a bulk... you know what must be done.

 

[J. Bravo]

there isn't a tgi fridays within 50 miles of me apparently. wtf.

 

[despire]

This isn't directed to anyone particularly, it's just a general observation..

One thing I've never understood is that if you're committing yourself to a program, why don't you read up on the program so that you are actually doing the program. Quite often people post here or elsewhere how they're doing this or that program and from their posts you can clearly see how they've totally misunderstood the routine.

People have spend months doing a routine based on just some online article/calculator/forum post and because of that have been doing it completely wrong the entire time. I mean, there's good sources like books written by the original author(s) of the program which explain the whole program to the last detail. But people can't be bothered to pony out 20 bucks for an ebook and instead go by some random article or calculator which doesn't tell the whole story. It doesn't always tell you what to do or why to do it. It might give you a list of numbers on a spreadsheet but you don't know if what you're doing is even right.

So people, if you're starting a routine, any routine: Educate yourself first. Buy the book if there is one. Learn everything you can about the program so you can actually do it right and not spend months doing some butchered up version. You owe it to yourselves.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Uhg, Chicago. My condolences. Did you manage to swing a LEO job, or something else?

If it's only a minor niggle, at least there's that upside. I know when I end up on shift work adjusting to when to lift drains me and it's a pain in the ass, so I feel you there.

Nah, I had a change of heart and decided to go into rape victim advocacy. Hopefully I'll move into the Chicago RVA as it's a rather large program. I'm doing some work here locally at the YWCA in a couple months to prepare.

I feel ya though, that's the worst part. My body just can't adjust to all the changes in schedules and some of my workouts are pitiful.

On the upside I went in tonight at about 10pm and I got approached for advice/compliments nonstop. It was a nice ego boost and something you don't get lifting in an empty gym.

 

[Matugi]

This isn't directed to anyone particularly, it's just a general observation..

One thing I've never understood is that if you're committing yourself to a program, why don't you read up on the program so that you are actually doing the program. Quite often people post here or elsewhere how they're doing this or that program and from their posts you can clearly see how they've totally misunderstood the routine.

People have spend months doing a routine based on just some online article/calculator/forum post and because of that have been doing it completely wrong the entire time. I mean, there's good sources like books written by the original author(s) of the program which explain the whole program to the last detail. But people can't be bothered to pony out 20 bucks for an ebook and instead go by some random article or calculator which doesn't tell the whole story. It doesn't always tell you what to do or why to do it. It might give you a list of numbers on a spreadsheet but you don't know if what you're doing is even right.

So people, if you're starting a routine, any routine: Educate yourself first. Buy the book if there is one. Learn everything you can about the program so you can actually do it right and not spend months doing some butchered up version. You owe it to yourselves.

I think a lot of it is inexperienced lifters jumping into more advanced programs, such as 5/3/1 or WSSB. If you've been lifting for 5+ years, you better damn well know the basics, know the ins and outs of lifting, the difference between hypertrophy and strength training, etc., and those programs should come to you a little easier (i.e. in the example, 5/3/1 being a primarily strength-based program with WSSB being a modified version of 5/3/1 used for hypertrophy). Beginners, though, won't really know the difference, so will take a program like 5/3/1 and on the 1+ week will shoot for 8-9 reps at a moderate weight instead of 1-2 reps and extremely difficult weight, and wonder why they're not progressing strength-wise.

 

[CrankyJay]

I seem to be experiencing some sort of ligament catching in my left elbow when pressing upwards on my barbell bench press. It doesn't hurt or anything but it's a bit unnerving when you have a couple hundred pounds over your chest.

Am I flaring my elbows out too far or something?

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Totally with you here, but given that I'm moving within a year I'm just gonna have to tough it out and just deal with the busy-ness.

It's really only an issue on leg days. We only have tow squat racks and it seems every leg day they're being used

It's just a gripe really. I can survive and lift until a better option comes along. I really can't wait till I get to Chicago though.

Oh no! Oklahoma Fit-GAF is going to be just me now.

 

[Matugi]

Down a bit to 295 on squats but I worked all weekend and didn't get a chance to eat much. Also, the spot I've injured before on my glute was a little tender today and I did something wonky to my hip flexor on my left side while stretching, so I didn't want to aggravate anything. Still managed to explode through the last rep with relative ease. Just irritated at how much strength I've lost on my squat during my cut but it comes with the territory.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Oh no! Oklahoma Fit-GAF is going to be just me now.

Aaaand Illinois FitGAF now makes up me, Brolic, and Darth... I've got a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Fit-GAF meetups should be called Refeeds.

 

[grumble]

I think a lot of it is inexperienced lifters jumping into more advanced programs, such as 5/3/1 or WSSB. If you've been lifting for 5+ years, you better damn well know the basics, know the ins and outs of lifting, the difference between hypertrophy and strength training, etc., and those programs should come to you a little easier (i.e. in the example, 5/3/1 being a primarily strength-based program with WSSB being a modified version of 5/3/1 used for hypertrophy). Beginners, though, won't really know the difference, so will take a program like 5/3/1 and on the 1+ week will shoot for 8-9 reps at a moderate weight instead of 1-2 reps and extremely difficult weight, and wonder why they're not progressing strength-wise.

I find that a lot of people who have been training for years still don't know what they're talking about, exercise science wise.

 

[CherryWoodFuton]

I think a lot of it is inexperienced lifters jumping into more advanced programs, such as 5/3/1 or WSSB. If you've been lifting for 5+ years, you better damn well know the basics, know the ins and outs of lifting, the difference between hypertrophy and strength training, etc., and those programs should come to you a little easier (i.e. in the example, 5/3/1 being a primarily strength-based program with WSSB being a modified version of 5/3/1 used for hypertrophy). Beginners, though, won't really know the difference, so will take a program like 5/3/1 and on the 1+ week will shoot for 8-9 reps at a moderate weight instead of 1-2 reps and extremely difficult weight, and wonder why they're not progressing strength-wise.

I think a lot of people overcomplicate these programs. My philosophy on these things is "Keep It Simple Stupid".

 

[grumble]

I just ordered adipowers, a big splurge for me. I've used trainers to lift in and everything I've learned shows that proper shoes make a huge difference. I went for the best ones (for narrower feet, get romaleos if you've got wide feet), and I can't wait for them to get here.

 

[Brolic Gaoler]

I think a lot of it is inexperienced lifters jumping into more advanced programs, such as 5/3/1 or WSSB. If you've been lifting for 5+ years, you better damn well know the basics, know the ins and outs of lifting, the difference between hypertrophy and strength training, etc., and those programs should come to you a little easier (i.e. in the example, 5/3/1 being a primarily strength-based program with WSSB being a modified version of 5/3/1 used for hypertrophy). Beginners, though, won't really know the difference, so will take a program like 5/3/1 and on the 1+ week will shoot for 8-9 reps at a moderate weight instead of 1-2 reps and extremely difficult weight, and wonder why they're not progressing strength-wise.

The thing is, 5/3/1 is not advanced, at all. And it does t really have anything to do with that anyway. What it has to do with is people being lazy and/or cheap. They don't buy the book and they don't do the proper reading to understand what they are doing. They look for the easy way, and it ends up biting them in the ass.

I think a lot of people overcomplicate these programs. My philosophy on these things is "Keep It Simple Stupid".

There's also a lot of people that follow them too rigidly.

 

[ILoveBish]

I can't for the life of me, find a time to workout that I can I enjoy anymore now that I don't have the luxury of lifting at 1-4am anymore. Sucks, but I guess I'll just get used to it.

Real talk, if I can't make it at 12-3am, I don't go. Until I have a home gym, this is how it's going to be.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

1) Small suggestion, but I think you can limit your steps back when unracking the bar to just one step with each foot. You took maybe 2 with each including stepping forward again (seems like you overshot where you wanted to end up). The only real problem with doing this is that you'll waste more energy than needed to get into position.

Yeah, I definitely have an issue with getting into position. I'll try to work on this. Makes me wish I had a home gym so I could always squat in the same rack.

2) Are you gripping the bar at all? It looks like you've got it between the bottom of your palm and the tips of your fingers. I feel like with any barbell lift you want to grip the bar hard, even for the squat. Maybe someone else here would disagree, but I'm almost sure you want a firm grip.

I'm not gripping it at all, no. I got started lifting last year with Starting Strength and tried to mimic the form Rippetoe teaches as such. Here's the video that I really used for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2tyOLvArw0

Next time I'm in the gym, I'll try gripping the bar and see how it feels.

3) I think you're raising your heels near the very bottom of your squat. You want to have your heels on the ground at all times as you should really imagine driving your heels into the ground to drive the squat. This is probably the thing I'm most concerned with, personally.

Yeah, I'll try to focus on this aspect more. In the moment, it feels like I'm driving through my heels, but the video indicates otherwise. I'll have to find some cue to help me out here.

4) I think you're beginning the motion by bending at the knees when you should begin by bending at the hips (though knees follow very quickly afterwards). This is something recommended to me (as I do the same thing) only very recently, so I'm not totally certain where you stand on it, but it is something you'll want to review in your video and decide for yourself.

I do try to start by 'sitting back,' but I may not be doing it quite right. I'll try to focus more on breaking at the hips more.

5) These are not bad squats by any means. I hope others will chime in with their advice because I'm certainly still working to improve my squat form, but I think you're doing well overall. Keep it up.

Thanks for taking the time to give feedback! Much appreciated.

 

[God Dayumm]

$10 for unlimited (of any one) appetizer at T.G.I. Fridays

For those of you on a bulk... you know what must be done.

Endless wings! Those on a cut can use this too. Eat 7000 calories of wings and fast the rest of the week.

 

[CrankyJay]

I seem to be experiencing some sort of ligament catching in my left elbow when pressing upwards on my barbell bench press. It doesn't hurt or anything but it's a bit unnerving when you have a couple hundred pounds over your chest.

Am I flaring my elbows out too far or something?

repost from bottom of last page

 

[BlueBadger]

Hey everyone! First time posting in here. I actually wanted to ask both about push-ups and bench press if that's okay. !

I find that when I do either, I don't feel a workout in my pecs as much as I do when I do dumbell chest press instead. Instead, I just feel it in my triceps, and I find that my elbows (mostly my right one) experience this shooting-pinching sorta pain and discomfort.. I've been trying to figure out for months what exactly I've been doing wrong but I'm coming up empty-handed! Haha! I'm not using a narrow grip, so I know it's not that...

Has anyone else experienced this before or know what's going on? ;_; haha! Any advice is much appreciated! <3

 

[RoeBear]

Hey everyone! First time posting in here. I actually wanted to ask both about push-ups and bench press if that's okay. !

I find that when I do either, I don't feel a workout in my pecs as much as I do when I do dumbell chest press instead. Instead, I just feel it in my triceps, and I find that my elbows (mostly my right one) experience this shooting-pinching sorta pain and discomfort.. I've been trying to figure out for months what exactly I've been doing wrong but I'm coming up empty-handed! Haha! I'm not using a narrow grip, so I know it's not that...

Has anyone else experienced this before or know what's going on? ;_; haha! Any advice is much appreciated! <3

It sounds to me like you're just moving the weight. In order to feel it more in your chest you're going to have to flex it and feel it working as you're doing the weight. I know from experience that if you don't focus you won't hit what you want to. My triceps would take over with everything if they could, but visualizing the contraction is key.

 

[BlueBadger]

It sounds to me like you're just moving the weight. In order to feel it more in your chest you're going to have to flex it and feel it working as you're doing the weight. I know from experience that if you don't focus you won't hit what you want to. My triceps would take over with everything if they could, but visualizing the contraction is key.

This does seem pretty accurate, actually..

I suppose I'll have to give that a shot. I've been running and playing sports since I was really young, but I'm pretty new to weight lifting because I was always sort of intimidated of the weight room. o__o

My goals for the time being have really just been to lose body fat and gain some lean muscle in places.. My proportions bother me a bit because my chest/torso is pretty small, but my legs are huge :|

 

[Pete Rock]

My bench is better than ever, which is not really saying much. Scrap everything you know about setup and re-learn from zero. Thankfully I did "nothing" to setup so I had very little to un-learn. I believe bench is "deceptively simple" and it looks like most guys just flop down there and start repping out, so don't let that fool you.

Focusing on keeping the shoulders blades squeezed together with a very tight arch in the back to properly translate leg drive makes it feel like an entirely different exercise, one in which I have much more control and feel the burn in my pecs when I am done versus as you said, in the triceps and shoulders and elbows, etc.

The "so you think you can bench" dave tate series is in multiple parts but it is worth watching them all, a little over half an hour total I think. I learned a lot from those videos.

 

[BlueBadger]

My bench is better than ever, which is not really saying much. Scrap everything you know about setup and re-learn from zero. Thankfully I did "nothing" to setup so I had very little to un-learn. I believe bench is "deceptively simple" and it looks like most guys just flop down there and start repping out, so don't let that fool you.

Focusing on keeping the shoulders blades squeezed together with a very tight arch in the back to properly translate leg drive makes it feel like an entirely different exercise, one in which I have much more control and feel the burn in my pecs when I am done versus as you said, in the triceps and shoulders and elbows, etc.

The "so you think you can bench" dave tate series is in multiple parts but it is worth watching them all, a little over half an hour total I think. I learned a lot from those videos.

Half hour or not, I really would like to solve the problem as soon as possible. I'm definitely gonna give this a watch . Thanks for the awesome advice.

 

[Psychotext]

Good god doing fasted intervals is hard. Couldn't even come close to my normal power output.

 

[Matugi]

My bench is better than ever, which is not really saying much. Scrap everything you know about setup and re-learn from zero. Thankfully I did "nothing" to setup so I had very little to un-learn. I believe bench is "deceptively simple" and it looks like most guys just flop down there and start repping out, so don't let that fool you.

Focusing on keeping the shoulders blades squeezed together with a very tight arch in the back to properly translate leg drive makes it feel like an entirely different exercise, one in which I have much more control and feel the burn in my pecs when I am done versus as you said, in the triceps and shoulders and elbows, etc.

The "so you think you can bench" dave tate series is in multiple parts but it is worth watching them all, a little over half an hour total I think. I learned a lot from those videos.

Cannot emphasize this enough. I used to be one of the bench floppers, too, and stalled out at 290lbs for my max. Retaught myself form, including the arch in the back and leg drive (I have a little more arch down towards my glutes than others but as far as I'm aware I'm still legal by powerlifting standards) and it got me up over the 300 mark.

Another thing is that instead of letting the weight just fall to your chest, actively pull it down. It's a similar concept to taking the slack out of the bar for deadlifting in that it pre-tenses the muscles you'll need for the lift and is pretty key for getting through the "dead zone" a few inches off your chest.

 

[DoktorEvil]

My bench is better than ever, which is not really saying much. Scrap everything you know about setup and re-learn from zero. Thankfully I did "nothing" to setup so I had very little to un-learn. I believe bench is "deceptively simple" and it looks like most guys just flop down there and start repping out, so don't let that fool you.

Focusing on keeping the shoulders blades squeezed together with a very tight arch in the back to properly translate leg drive makes it feel like an entirely different exercise, one in which I have much more control and feel the burn in my pecs when I am done versus as you said, in the triceps and shoulders and elbows, etc.

The "so you think you can bench" dave tate series is in multiple parts but it is worth watching them all, a little over half an hour total I think. I learned a lot from those videos.

Dave Tate's videos are hilarious!

 

[BlueBadger]

Cannot emphasize this enough. I used to be one of the bench floppers, too, and stalled out at 290lbs for my max. Retaught myself form, including the arch in the back and leg drive (I have a little more arch down towards my glutes than others but as far as I'm aware I'm still legal by powerlifting standards) and it got me up over the 300 mark.

Another thing is that instead of letting the weight just fall to your chest, actively pull it down. It's a similar concept to taking the slack out of the bar for deadlifting in that it pre-tenses the muscles you'll need for the lift and is pretty key for getting through the "dead zone" a few inches off your chest.

This might be a dumb question (I'm sorry!) but what exactly do you guys mean by "leg drive"? :3

 

[Matugi]

This might be a dumb question (I'm sorry!) but what exactly do you guys mean by "leg drive"? :3

When you set up for bench, you both pinch your shoulder blades together and tuck your legs pretty far back. When no weight is on the bar, this gives the effect of pushing you horizontally up the bench. However, the weight on the bar acts as a counterbalance, and the result is it pushes your back up, creating the arch that you see 99.9% of power lifters have. When you have your legs just 90 degrees, you aren't getting any extra power for your lift from your lower body. However, when you tuck them back and push off with your heels, you're getting the added bonus of using your legs and some glutes to add explosiveness to the lift.

This picture gives a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about, although personally I keep my foot flat as opposed to up on my toes and push through my heels.