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[BruceLeeRoy]

Wave Loading
A friend of mine did it from time to time. I think the theory is that you can handle heavier weight and acclimate your body to that heavy weight by throwing in that single between your sets in the normal rep range. I can see why people would use it, and I think there's value in trying it if you feel like your overall strength levels have stagnated. It's not something I use, though.


Frankly, if this thread just gets more people to exercise regularly and eat healthy food [lean meat, fruits, and vegetables instead of pre-cooked or fast food], then it's served its purpose. And 75% of the battle is to get people pushing themselves as hard as they can in regular workouts at the gym/track/etc and eating as much healthy food as possible. The rest is details.

yeah definitely.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I don't have a link because I read it in New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove. The routines in this book have worked well for me the past 4-5 months or so and this was the next one I was going to go to, which is a "strength building" workout as opposed to others in the book that are for hypertrophy or fat burning.

The way they describe wave loading was to do a normal set of 6 reps, then go straight to a 1 rep max set, back to the 6 reps, then to another 1 rep. It doesn't go sequentially down it just goes from 6 to 1 and back again. I'm definitely not as informed as you are in this subject but I'd say I'm an intermediate experienced lifter and have never encountered this. Just wondered any of your thoughts.

Thanks.

Oooooh, okay, gotcha. It's a good one. Alwyn Cosgrove is VERY knowledgable and a great resource on legitimate and intelligent training.

 

[Captain Glanton]

SI article on steroids in America

It's not bad, although I must have skimmed over the discussion of steroid use by well-off business and management majors in college, getting ready for spring break.

 

[Brendonia]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the insight. Also, I think that is a good book with some excellent exercises and good information. The workouts Alwyn puts together have a lot of supersets involved which I like, and it's definitely nice to have a defined plan to use and track yourself at the gym. I think it says this in the original post but it bears repeating to beginners: track your progress! Don't feel like an idiot for pulling out a notebook or sheet of paper and writing down what you do, it was one of the simplest changes I've made to my workouts and has proved invaluable. Also, I will reiterate how important the squat is. I've never experienced faster strength gains all over than I did when I started doing them about 5-6 months ago.

I hope this new wave loading thing works out. Should be interesting to try if nothing else.

 

[JasoNsider]

I wish that I could have the time to read this every day, but it's about the only thread I'm subscribed to here so I'm really making the effort now.

I just wanted to contribute one thing to those many of us who are trapped at a desk for the duration of the day. One thing that has really helped me get out of the winter-out-of-shape mode is to wear slightly tighter fitting, spring time clothing.

It's not the clothes that help but the fact that it almost forces you to sit up straight at work. Loose fitting clothes just let you get too relaxed and your belly gets nothing out of that. By sitting up straight, maybe tightening your stomach muscles so you fit properly, you will start to feel more energy. Your body will start to give you nice feelings that exercise gives you, and these little nice feelings are what pave the road to longer-lasting habits and better fitness! At least that's my take

 

[mr stroke]

. 2X your bodyweight is a good benchmark for being strong..

jesus-- 2X your body wieght is fucking insane!! I am 185 and have been lifting for 3-4 years now and I can't imagine benchnig 370(with out taking any supliments)...I guess I am a week suck
I rarely ever see anyone even bench anything over 275-315 at my gym, I guess I need to join Golds instead of Family Fitness:lol



curius Captain Glanton what is your body weight and max bench?

 

[Captain Glanton]

jesus-- 2X your body wieght is fucking insane!! I am 185 and have been lifting for 3-4 years now and I can't imagine benchnig 370(with out taking any supliments)...I guess I am a week suck
I rarely ever see anyone even bench anything over 275-315 at my gym, I guess I need to join Golds instead of Family Fitness:lol



curius Captain Glanton what is your body weight and max bench?

I guess that I should have clarified "strong." I meant a lift/feat/etc that would make people who exercise seriously and know their stuff stop and watch and comment. There are plenty of gyms where a bench of 275 might turn heads. On the other hand, there's Dave Tate's [a well-regarded powerlifter] definition: "There's three kinds of lifts, shit, sucks, and good. 'Good' will let you compete at a regional or national level. 'Sucks' will compete at a local or state level. 'Shit' is everything else." In deciding what we want to call "strong," it really is all relative.

Mine? I'm always fighting shoulder problems so I don't flat bench often, but lately I've been doing 315 X 5, superset with 150lb dumbbell rows. I've overhead barbell pressed 265 X 5 lately, too. I weighed 207 last I checked. So, although I'd call myself strong with overhead pressing, I don't consider my flat bench anything special.

 

[perryfarrell]

jesus-- 2X your body wieght is fucking insane!! I am 185 and have been lifting for 3-4 years now and I can't imagine benchnig 370

It also depends upon your body shape (anthropometrics). Short & stocky vs. tall & athletic--it makes a huge difference in terms how much leverage your muscles can create. For instance, Shaq is plenty strong but he could never bench twice his body weight.

 

[Captain Glanton]

This is what my gym was playing over the radio today.

 

[BlueTsunami]

This is what my gym was playing over the radio today.

:lol

And I love when some random Rocky song comes on, unexpected and awesome

 

[Christopher]

ugh I fucking overdid my calves AGAIN - god damn it.

 

[Chichikov]

This is what my gym was playing over the radio today.

LOL.
My gym is now (at least when I'm there) on a strict Rock Band/Guitar Hero playlist.
And yeah, I've caught myself air guitaring to Freebird.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Its funny, what I didn't consider to be my weakest body part IS my weakest (Biceps) and after 3 weeks of working my abs (which I formerly considered to be my weakest) every other day its the body part that seems to be making the most gain (strength wise).

 

[Nemo]

http://xs225.xs.to/xs225/08115/foto__s-0001236.jpg

Okay, so this striae shit is actually starting to worry me alot. After training today I found this, that can't be right, right? It's even worse at my right chest, there's 3 BIG stripes of them. Is this normal, or what? I didn't even train that hard. Do I need to see a doctor? I really want to train, but not when this is going to happen. It doesn't seem to happen with the other guys over at the gym.

 

[Captain Glanton]

http://xs225.xs.to/xs225/08115/foto__s-0001236.jpg

Okay, so this striae shit is actually starting to worry me alot. After training today I found this, that can't be right, right? It's even worse at my right chest, there's 3 BIG stripes of them. Is this normal, or what? I didn't even train that hard. Do I need to see a doctor? I really want to train, but not when this is going to happen. It doesn't seem to happen with the other guys over at the gym.

Are you doing anything at the gym that involves touching those bodyparts against rubber pads or mats? If you wrestled or did any martial arts, do they look like mat burns? When I use the hack squat, I get vicious friction/rubber burns on my shoulders. They fade in a few days.

 

[Sandman7]

1. If you're still losing weight, keep doing what you're doing. If you've hit a stand still, look into techniques such as carb cycling. At 5'11" and 165, you probably don't want/need to lose much more.

2. When you first start losing weight, you typically lose a good amount in water and glycogen.

Thanks. It is just the little bit of fat around my stomach that I want to get rid of otherwise all my ab crunches would have gone to waste!

 

[BlueTsunami]

God, Protein farts are fucking foul

 

[Nemo]

Are you doing anything at the gym that involves touching those bodyparts against rubber pads or mats? If you wrestled or did any martial arts, do they look like mat burns? When I use the hack squat, I get vicious friction/rubber burns on my shoulders. They fade in a few days.

Unfortunately not. Is there anything to prevent this from happening while training? I heard something about smearing oil on you skin to make it elastic and something about vitamine E.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Unfortunately not. Is there anything to prevent this from happening while training? I heard something about smearing oil on you skin to make it elastic and something about vitamine E.

I've never seen anything like it, then, and unless it's a reaction to sweat or dirty clothes or something, I don't know what to tell you. WebMD?

 

[Nemo]

I've never seen anything like it, then, and unless it's a reaction to sweat or dirty clothes or something, I don't know what to tell you. WebMD?

Alright, thanks for the help. I have a doctors appointment on monday anyway, so I will ask about it.

 

[MrToughPants]

God, Protein farts are fucking foul

Protein farts the anti-social weightlifter's defense mechanism against assholes he doesn't want to talk to.

I haven't done any proper deadlifts in a while since I have this stabbing pain that has come back in my trap. I also get it when I do overhead BB presses. Was hoping this thing had gone away but it's back. So I squat almost everyday since i'm not doing deads. I miss that rush deadlifts gave to your CNS. :lol

 

[perryfarrell]

http://xs225.xs.to/xs225/08115/foto__s-0001236.jpg

I don't see anything weird. If it doesn't feel weird, just keep on keeping what you're doing.

 

[perryfarrell]

ugh I fucking overdid my calves AGAIN - god damn it.

Talking about calves, I wonder how the pro-free weight people in this thread exercise their calves. As far as I can see, squatting and deadlifting doesn't really do much to the calves (at most as a stabilizer). Maybe calf raises with a barbell on the shoulder?

 

[Captain Glanton]

Talking about calves, I wonder how the pro-free weight people in this thread exercise their calves. As far as I can see, squatting and deadlifting doesn't really do much to the calves (at most as a stabilizer). Maybe calf raises with a barbell on the shoulder?

I find that running sprints gives me all the calf work I need (mine are naturally large). Jump squats might give you something, too. Although I always prefer free weights on principle, there's nothing wrong with using stacks for calf raises.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Perryfarrell,
For any sort of isolation, machines are okay. I am not completely against machines--they can serve a purpose in troublespots, and are important for bodybuilders and rehab applications. But they cannot replace free weights.

As far as exercises, I use a calf machine. It's easier to load 400+ on a machine and do raises than it is with a barbell, and the effect isn't that much different, since the range of motion doesn't require much stabilization on all the axes.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Perryfarrell,
For any sort of isolation, machines are okay. I am not completely against machines--they can serve a purpose in troublespots, and are important for bodybuilders and rehab applications. But they cannot replace free weights.

As far as exercises, I use a calf machine. It's easier to load 400+ on a machine and do raises than it is with a barbell, and the effect isn't that much different, since the range of motion doesn't require much stabilization on all the axes.

:lol I think half of GAF has changed their avatars in the last week.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Anyone try out Sterol Complex before? Or is it essentially a Placebo? (IE don't buy). I want to try out taking suppliments (aside from my Protein drinks). If not Sterol Complex, any other product?

 

[Captain Glanton]

Anyone try out Sterol Complex before? Or is it essentially a Placebo? (IE don't buy). I want to try out taking suppliments (aside from my Protein drinks). If not Sterol Complex, any other product?

Universal is a big company, but I don't know anyone who uses their supplements. Actually, more people I know buy their clothes than their supplements, including me.

If you are looking for a testosterone enhancer, look for a tribulus supp. Lots of people use them, including me, on the basis of studies showing that it's a natural test booster--although my Google search this morning found recent studies showing it isn't. If all you're using now is protein mix, then I'd say that creatine and fish oil should be your next buys.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Hmm, I'm trying to get into eating fish but I've rarely eaten any in a long long time. I may look into Omega-3 suppliments and try to get into eating fish. Also, I'm looking into getting Creatine as I make this post and I may leech some Sterol Complex from my father (hes going to be taking some again, he used to take them back in the day and swears by it).

 

[Captain Glanton]

Hmm, I'm trying to get into eating fish but I've rarely eaten any in a long long time. I may look into Omega-3 suppliments and try to get into eating fish. Also, I'm looking into getting Creatine as I make this post and I may leech some Sterol Complex from my father (hes going to be taking some again, he used to take them back in the day and swears by it).

I forgot--Amsterdam Animal on t-nation's forums uses Universal stuff, and that man is a beast. If you have access to it, go ahead and use. Creatine is by far the best 'bang for your buck' supplement out there, and eating fish and taking fish oil in supplement form are both very good ideas.

 

[BlueTsunami]

I just want to say that you've been a tremendous help Captain Glanton, thank you!

And about people who are trying to do Pullups/Chinups (and are going to a gym) there may be a machine that has a counter weight that helps you with doing these workouts (this is if you can't handle your own body weight). I used it last week and I loved it. There also lower handles for dips.

 

[beelzebozo]

i bruised a rib today. running tomorrow should be an interesting trial :/

 

[Captain Glanton]

I just want to say that you've been a tremendous help Captain Glanton, thank you!

And about people who are trying to do Pullups/Chinups (and are going to a gym) there may be a machine that has a counter weight that helps you with doing these workouts (this is if you can't handle your own body weight). I used it last week and I loved it. There also lower handles for dips.

You are welcome.

My gym has one of those assisted machines too. One great way to develop your pullup strength [if you can't do one yet] is to hang at the bottom and pull upward as hard as you can for 10 seconds. Even though your body isn't moving up, keeping pulling and keep those muscles tense. Do that a few times a week for a few weeks, and you will get stronger quickly.

 

[Oichi]

I posted this a few pages back, but does anyone have any recommendations on exercises after coming off a sprained ankle? I was thinking of just doing light 10 - 15 minute cycling exercises, but other than that I have no idea what to do.

 

[Captain Glanton]

I posted this a few pages back, but does anyone have any recommendations on exercises after coming off a sprained ankle? I was thinking of just doing light 10 - 15 minute cycling exercises, but other than that I have no idea what to do.

My method for handling minor injuries is to wrap the joint tightly and lift, ignoring the pain and swelling [I still have this stupid bump on my wrist from where I landed on it two weeks ago]. Not sure I'm someone you want recommendations from on this one; maybe others around here are smarter?

 

[Google]

Right, I need Whey/protein shake advice...

The box says 2 - 3 servings a day, but fuck the recommended dosage, right?

Yesterday I had two shakes, one on the way to the gym in the car, and one right after my workout...

Should I be having one during my workout instead of water? It was a very hard cardio workout, so I'm not sure if I should be...

Any advice?

 

[Mikazuki]

God, Protein farts are fucking foul

I wish that's all I had to worry about. When I'm trying to put on muscle, I'm eating about 4000+ calories a day. That's when anal leakage acts up. :lol

 

[Ace 8095]

Right, I need Whey/protein shake advice...

The box says 2 - 3 servings a day, but fuck the recommended dosage, right?

Yesterday I had two shakes, one on the way to the gym in the car, and one right after my workout...

Should I be having one during my workout instead of water? It was a very hard cardio workout, so I'm not sure if I should be...

Any advice?

Just drink water during workout. I've read that drinking protein right after waking is also effective, but I don’t know how much.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Just drink water during workout. I've read that drinking protein right after waking is also effective, but I don’t know how much.

From all I've read, its very important to to have a shake right when you wake up due to your body breaking down the protein of your muscles due to not eating for 8 hours (sleeping is essentially "fasting", you need to replenish the protein and eat some food).

I've personally been drinking Protein Shakes 2-3 times a day. 2 times on an off day (Breakfast and Dinner) and 3 times on a workout day (including one after the workout). I may start drinking one before a workout too to have the Protein readily available (or during).

 

[perryfarrell]

From all I've read, its very important to to have a shake right when you wake up due to your body breaking down the protein of your muscles due to not eating for 8 hours.

Actually, it's carbs you need after waking up. Eating carbs leads to a spike in insuline. A spike of insulin stops the catabolic process (which is the body breaking down muscles to create energy). For the same reason, you need carbs after your workout.

Protein is needed for re-fuelling the muscles. I don't know the exact chemistry behind this, but I bet somebody here can fill you in.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Your muscles do start to break down overnight. They need new protein every 2-3 hours for maintennance; that's why we talk about eating many small meals over the course of the day rather than 3 big ones. So if you sleep 8 hours, you won't get that and your muscle tissue start to cannibalize itself for fuel.

Short answer: Eat protein and good carbs [oatmeal, fruit] at breakfast, and find a good postworkout shake for after your workouts.

 

[Ace 8095]

Your muscles do start to break down overnight. They need new protein every 2-3 hours for maintennance; that's why we talk about eating many small meals over the course of the day rather than 3 big ones. So if you sleep 8 hours, you won't get that and your muscle tissue start to cannibalize itself for fuel.

Short answer: Eat protein and good carbs [oatmeal, fruit] at breakfast, and find a good postworkout shake for after your workouts.

For breakfast now I eat 2 large boiled eggs, 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 1 cup of milk, and a protein shake. Should I just get rid of the shake and drink a cup of milk?

 

[Christopher]

it's starting to get hot out - this is like the best time to be in shape, when you know your hard worked payed off.

 

[Mikazuki]

I'm down 20 pounds from a month ago. I just weighed in at 204.2. Less than this morning! I started the Velocity Diet on Feb 23. I can FINALLY see my two upper abs in the morning.

Here's the past month...

March 17 - 205.0 Day 24
March 16 - 207.4 Day 23
March 15 - 208.8 Day 22

March 14 - 205.8 Day 21
March 13 - 208.0 Day 20
March 12 - 207.0 Day 19
March 11 - 208.2 Day 18
March 10 - 209.4 Day 17
March 9 - 212.6 Day 16
March 8 - 212.4 Day 15

March 7 - 209.8 Day 14
March 6 - 211.0 Day 13
March 5 - 210.8 Day 12
March 4 - 211.6 Day 11
March 3 - 212.4 Day 10
March 2 - 215.0 Day 9
March 1 - 213.2 Day 8

Feb 29 - 211.6 Day 7
Feb 28 - 210.8 Day 6
Feb 27 - 211.2 Day 5
Feb 26 - 211.4 Day 4
Feb 25 - 214.4 Day 3
Feb 24 - 216.2 Day 2
Feb 23 - 218.0 Day 1

Feb 22 - 218.2 2500
Feb 21 - 218.2 3000
Feb 20 - 218.8 2500
Feb 19 - 220.6 3000
Feb 18 - 221.4 2500
Feb 17 - 224.4 3000

I've always stayed within the calorie guidelines, but if I wanted real food that bad, I would have it instead of the shakes. The tradeoff was that it would stimulate my appetite and leave me hungrier than having just the shakes/fats.

In the gym I'm usually lifting intensely for two 20 minute sessions. My strength is going up, but the last few times I've given up 10 minutes into the second session, and I still feel wrecked 4 hours later. My overhead squats have weakened, but all my other lifts have improved over the course of the diet.

 

[Mr.City]

Here's an oddity. I've been noticing that I do any type of horizontal pushing (bench presses, push ups, etc), I've been feeling it in my upper back. Shouldn't I be feeling it more in my chest and triceps?

Oh yeah, congrats Mikazuki. You're really sticking to your guns.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Here's an oddity. I've been noticing that I do any type of horizontal pushing (bench presses, push ups, etc), I've been feeling it in my upper back. Shouldn't I be feeling it more in my chest and triceps?

Oh yeah, congrats Mikazuki. You're really sticking to your guns.

Are your elbows parallel with the bar (and stay so throughout the motions?)? From watching other people bench, they tend to compensate by bringing their elbows into their bodies a bit. Not sure how that would effect the back though...

 

[Captain Glanton]

Here's an oddity. I've been noticing that I do any type of horizontal pushing (bench presses, push ups, etc), I've been feeling it in my upper back. Shouldn't I be feeling it more in my chest and triceps?

Oh yeah, congrats Mikazuki. You're really sticking to your guns.

It really depends on how you press. Powerlifters do use their backs and arms more while pressing horizontally, while bodybuilders use their chests most. The difference is in arm and bar position.

Powerlifters: bar lower on chest, elbows tucked in toward body.

Bodybuilders: bar higher on chest, elbows directly under the bar at right angles to body.

I'd stick with the powerlifter technique; less risk of tearing things.

Also, congrats Mikazuki. I know that I couldn't stick to the Velocity Diet.

 

[Anton Sugar]

The muscles in your back are used when benching. One method of getting a stronger bench is doing back work (rowing movements in particular). It's not like your biceps and back are completely absent from work when benching.

 

[sleeping_dragon]

Little question about stretch marks. I'm afraid of lifting to much since I developed those marks around my chest. What is the best way to avoid them? How do bodybuilders do it?

well the reason for the stretch marks is that you grow ur muscle too fast which stretch your skin and thus the marks. once u have a stretch marks, then it is always gonna be there just like a scar but it will eventually fade away but the faded mark will always there. The only way to reduce the visibility of these stretch marks is Vitamin E which makes your skin more elastic. Havin said that though, the best way to prevent stretch marks is not to loose or gain muscle too fast.

 

[Mikazuki]

Thanks for the compliments. 202 this morning!

The greatest thing about the diet is it makes a pound of broccoli and tuna seem like a meal from the heavens. You want food so much, but you truly want to eat the most nutritious food. I first did the V-Diet in March 2007, transitioned off, focused on gaining muscle and little fat, then once again in October 2007. My diet was pretty clean in First Half 07 and extremely clean in Second Half 07

I did fatten myself up from doing the Super Accumulation Program in December. I gained some size and impressive upper body strength especially. It was SO NOT WORTH IT for all the time it took and how much I punished myself. I ate too many calories and (clean) carbs and put on too much fat as well. I'm strong (Can do lots of 315 DL singles), but I'm not extremely strong. I'll try it again when I'm far more advanced and don't have to worry about working or studying. :lol

I have 3 days left of the V-Diet, but I think I may just do it for 5 weeks instead of 4 and go that much further. Then I'll transition off and do my thing, without trying a crazy training/bulk diet...