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Fitness |OT9|...You looked better before

I feel like I'm not feeling barbell rows in my back as much as I should, are there any cues that I should be following?
Pull with your *elbows and pull low to the crease of your hip/abs. Try not wrapping your thumb on the bar and squeezing - this will alleviate bicep engagement. Use straps if you need to isolate further.

*Pulling with your elbows means you try to make the mind/muscle connection to lead with your elbows and not your arms. Your back will take over naturally. Also, don't think of it as a "pull" - rotate your upper arm backwards and up, this will also help muscle memory to ditch using your arms to move the weight.

Same goes for pullups or any row movement.
 

BumRush

Member
Strange question:

Anyone here ever feel like they pulled a muscle...in their knuckle?

My grip feels fine, nothing wrong with my hand, wrist, etc. but I feel an intense twinge in my middle-finger-knuckle whenever I lift a dumbbell over 60 lbs or so.
 

ACE 1991

Member
Maybe try Pendlay rows.

Maybe doing some variations like lying BB rows, cable rows, one arm DB rows? Always tighten them as much as possible at the end of the pull, lower it as far as your ROM allows.

Pull with your *elbows and pull low to the crease of your hip/abs. Try not wrapping your thumb on the bar and squeezing - this will alleviate bicep engagement. Use straps if you need to isolate further.

*Pulling with your elbows means you try to make the mind/muscle connection to lead with your elbows and not your arms. Your back will take over naturally. Also, don't think of it as a "pull" - rotate your upper arm backwards and up, this will also help muscle memory to ditch using your arms to move the weight.

Same goes for pullups or any row movement.

Great advice guys, I appreciate it!
 

sphinx

the piano man
So far so good, yesterday back day went well and today I had a rather good leg day today, quads were responding.

Great advice guys, I appreciate it!

I second Pendaly rows with bar, it hits your back soooo good, it's my Nr.1 back exercise, far superior to the machines will similar motion.

my fav 4 back exercises: Pendlay rows, Pull.ups, hyperextensions and shrugs, go hard on those and your back will notice :)
 

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
With pull ups and all pulling exercises I try to pull through my pinkies. Just a little cue that focuses on your back and not arms.
 

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
Came down with a bug yesterday. Ran about 100 temp. Woke up feeling like crap. Took some Advil a few hours ago. Not feeling half bad. On my way to the gym.
 

ILoveBish

Member
Really impressive bowser.

Start of 1s week, goal was 160x1, got 160x2. Felt damn good. My upper body lifts are still decent. Did some pause squats after and it's feeling better. Let's hope improvement shows up there. Deadlift tomorrow.

Just love going into my garage at 10pm, blasting vocal trance and lifting in my undies. It is the absolute best.
 

velociraptor

Junior Member
Really impressive bowser.

Start of 1s week, goal was 160x1, got 160x2. Felt damn good. My upper body lifts are still decent. Did some pause squats after and it's feeling better. Let's hope improvement shows up there. Deadlift tomorrow.

Just love going into my garage at 10pm, blasting vocal trance and lifting in my undies. It is the absolute best.
Any recommendations? Always on the hunt for new/good trance music for the gym.
 

Great King Bowser

Property of Kaz Harai
Cheers, guys! That's the culmination of a long arse time in fairness. But now to see if I can keep the number moving up (without getting heavier myself).
 
hiding fat in tank
V4o6gRm.jpg

under arrest

enjoy the holiday, friends
 
Tried box squats for the first time today. Oddly I found them quite a bit easier than normal squats... which confused the shit out of me as I was expecting them to hit my weaknesses. This was just under parallel, so I could see how I go a little lower.
 

sphinx

the piano man
Two FitGaf OGs showing off. Looking great guys!

thanks cooter :)

nice to have you back, and to see the community is still going strong,

by the way, I arrived here in season 4 lol,

pretty sure I started posting in OT4, I wonder who has been around since OT1

Tried box squats for the first time today. Oddly I found them quite a bit easier than normal squats... which confused the shit out of me as I was expecting them to hit my weaknesses. This was just under parallel, so I could see how I go a little lower.

did you actually sit on the box, rest and then stand up or was it touch & go? I take it you have a sumo stance during the exercise, right?

just yesterday I was taking turns doing squats with a guy that had that sumo stance, I gotta say ROM looking pretty awful on him, but maybe it's just not possible to go under parallel/ATG with that stance?

also, how would you compare a normal squat with a box squat? where in your legs do you feel the effort?
 

KillerBEA

Member
pretty sure I started posting in OT4, I wonder who has been around since OT1


just yesterday I was taking turns doing squats with a guy that had that sumo stance, I gotta say ROM looking pretty awful on him, but maybe it's just not possible to go under parallel/ATG with that stance?

MrToughPants is on the first page of OT 1.

Super wide squats I have a really hard time going below parrallel. I prefer a narrow/medium stance as I get atg without lumbar flexion at the bottom.
 
I posted this on the deals thread but it'll probably be apreciated more here:

Got an 11 lbs bag of Impact Whey Protein using this code at checkout (on top of their black friday discount): IWP57 Typically sells at 89.99, got for 53.99 instead.

It's one of the best rated protein powders at labdoor.com

Here's a referral link which gets you even more off if it's your first purchase.

edit- I think this is my first post here so I guess I should add more about myself. I recently found a bodyweight fitness park 1.5 miles from my apartment. The gyms in LA are overpriced and overstuffed, so I'm curious to see how far I can go without them.
 
When you're watching from the corner of your eye of the other dude squatting when he tells his gym partner/spotter that he wants to go deeper then you know he can't do it going by what he squatted earlier so he got stuck in the hole. Because I was doing atg 👌
 

ILoveBish

Member
Fasted for over 32 hours, hit deadlift, needed 365x1 to complete set, got 3 smooth pulls. Might have gotten more, but felt like that was good. Paused squats after with vanity lifts (tricep/bicep) after. Good stuff. Might eat now or just continue my fast till turkey dinner tomorrow. Bench press tomorrow before i head out, excited. Feel so damn strong.

Here is a older pic of the garage gym in its pretty much completed form, its cleaned up even more now and the pic is missing the farmer walk handles (which i've yet to find time to use!). You'll have to quote this post to see the URL.

 
did you actually sit on the box, rest and then stand up or was it touch & go? I take it you have a sumo stance during the exercise, right?

...

also, how would you compare a normal squat with a box squat? where in your legs do you feel the effort?

You don't actually "rest", but you are supposed to properly place yourself on the box, then go back up. It's not touch and go either, it's something in between. You definitely never lose tightness... and yeah, a significantly wider stance than normal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y-U8icpY_E
http://liftbigeatbig.com/box-squat-youre-doing-it-wrong/

Supposedly you're supposed to feel it in your posterior chain... but it was all thigh for me. Very, very odd.

Edit - Gym looking good ILB. I wish I could get mine that tidy / organised. :D
 

KillerBEA

Member
Happy thanksgiving guys, may all the extra food you eat become gains.

Fasted for over 32 hours, hit deadlift, needed 365x1 to complete set, got 3 smooth pulls. Might have gotten more, but felt like that was good. Paused squats after with vanity lifts (tricep/bicep) after. Good stuff. Might eat now or just continue my fast till turkey dinner tomorrow. Bench press tomorrow before i head out, excited. Feel so damn strong.

Here is a older pic of the garage gym in its pretty much completed form, its cleaned up even more now and the pic is missing the farmer walk handles (which i've yet to find time to use!). You'll have to quote this post to see the URL.


Awesome gym Bish!
 

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
It's the United States official Bulking Day everyone. Time to get Hooooge! Enjoy the time with family guys. Happy Thanksgiving.
 

sphinx

the piano man
it's working, I changed my approach to the whole training thing and I haven't missed a day this week.

My main problem lately has been a perceived lack of time to go to the gym. if it get's "too late" I'll just miss gym sessions. but this is what I said to myself this week...

"you go no matter what, if you only have 40 minutes, you do 1 main and 1 or 2 accesories, if you are tired you lower the weight, if you feel like you didn't eat enough, then eat something, ANYTHING a burger or anything, anything goes except the bullshit sorry-can't-go-today attitude".

moreover, I have made it a priority to push myself between sets, I stop thinking about life and wasting time, it's 45 seconds and go again at it, as hard as I can.

I often have 1 main compound and 3 accesory lifts in 50 minutes, which results in more focused, more efficient workouts.

all this sounds like "duh, you don't say" stuff but It really has helped me a lot this week, I hope it stays like this.

Jin from Tekken? ��

Sphinx looking good too.

I am playing Project X Zone 2 on 3DS and yep the resemblances is uncanny, FE should definitely try that next Halloween

Sphinx you've made a TON of progress bud! Good shit.

thank you guys, it's strange because my phone sometimes won't detect light and will just take dark pics like that one, it's a problem on my phone, I was pissed that the shooting was screwed but then I watched that one pic and thought, "well this doesn't look that bad"

problem is I later took pics with regular light and all looked very meh :( it's so confusing, I guess this is the reason why pro bodybuilders have to get a tan to compete, shadows being around makes a ton of difference when you're not 8%-10% BF.
 

ILoveBish

Member
Thanks everyone.

Today was bench, needed 210x1, got 210x2, probably had more in the tank but I had some vanity accessories to do. Only slept 4 hours but feel so damn strong. Ready for Thanksgiving.

I hope fitgaf has a great Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for.
 
Food is good times. Instead of getting up repeatedly I just made 3 plates. One full of turkey, one full of homemade stuffing and the final with half sweet potatoes and 3 homemade rolls the size of my damn fist. Now we are making homemade doughnuts with coffee brewing. In-laws be DA BESSSSSSSS foodstuffs.
 

cyborg009

Banned
Hey guys so I've been wondering should I even run after a workout ? I usually like running 1.5 miles on the treadmill but after searching around on the net it seems like it would kill my gains.
 
Doing a mile and a half isn't going to kill your gains. Just make sure you're doing it after weights rather than before, and make sure you're eating properly.
 

GrapeApes

Member
Was hoping to use Black Friday to get SBD sleeves on sale. No such luck. Rehband knee sleeves seem to be on sale for $60 at Jackal's Gym if anyone interested.
 
Very nearly pulled the trigger on a set of rogue farmers walk handled, but I've decided I want the ones where the weight sits on top (as I don't currently have bumper plates).
 

entremet

Member
Just their power racks?

More things.

However, the Power Racks only get discounted today. The only day of the year and they're pricey, so getting them below retail is nice.

I'm an apartment guy, so I can't do it. But I love to get one if I ever get a house or ground level apartment.
 
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