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[Chichikov]

Anybody on here into mountain biking... Im starting save money for a bike. I used to Bike alot when i was younger but its been a while so I need to know the ins and outs... I know I can look online but there is a crap load out there and I need some more streamlined stuff.

A very good friend of mine is a semi professional mountain biker who also do quite a bit of freelance writing on the subject, so if you have any specific questions I can probably have them answered by proxy.

Myself, I like my wipeouts to be on either snow or water...

 

[deadbeef]

Got the X-Vest today via UPS. Pain in the ass to have 84 individually wrapped 1 lb. weights, but once you put them in the vest they stay in there really well. I loaded it up with 40 and... it's raining for the first time in days. :/

Glanton - what part of your vest fell apart? This thing seems to be put together really well (though i know this is a different brand). Just wondering.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Got the X-Vest today via UPS. Pain in the ass to have 84 individually wrapped 1 lb. weights, but once you put them in the vest they stay in there really well. I loaded it up with 40 and... it's raining for the first time in days. :/

Glanton - what part of your vest fell apart? This thing seems to be put together really well (though i know this is a different brand). Just wondering.

It was one of the velco straps at the bottom, the ones you use to strap yourself in.

Spoiler

That's a horrible description for a simple thing.

It just ripped apart out of the blue, but afterward, when I looked it over it seemed lots of seams had some fray.

 

[pollo]

ok I want to start on the Rippletoe(sp?) program posted by the Op...

but. I run about 3-4 miles 5 days a week...and I dont want to stop.

Would I be able to do both without punishing my knees? I'm worried about squats+treadmill will totally just blow my patellas.

 

[beelzebozo]

Oh man, you're right on the money. I'm over my cold, but every workout feels like a struggle now. I hate diseases

just go in with the 'tude that you're gonna do as much as you can, and you'll usually finish. takes about two or three workouts to not feel totally fatigued if you spent a few days in bed.

 

[Ace 8095]

ok I want to start on the Rippletoe(sp?) program posted by the Op...

but. I run about 3-4 miles 5 days a week...and I dont want to stop.

Would I be able to do both without punishing my knees? I'm worried about squats+treadmill will totally just blow my patellas.

Run on your off days only. You'll know if your body is able to take it.

 

[deadbeef]

Oh man, Glanton you weren't kidding. When you said how much the vest stressed your traps, I was thinking "how can walking work your traps, surely not that much". After about 10 minutes, I realized, "Oh...."

 

[Uncooked]

I just got home from the gym. My Gold's Gym. While I was there, I heard both the theme song from Friends and New Kids on the Block over their music system.

I swear to fucking Christ ...

I am currently a member of a Fitworks for about one more week until my year long membership is finally up and wow, we get the same kind of music. The people at the desk choose the radio station (Not satellite either, so commercials are plenty), and they put on complete crap that includes all of today's latest hits. Something else I noticed, nobody who works at my gym actually lifts except one guy, and he is the most loud and annoying person in the gym by far.

The correct form for barbell rows: http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/weight-training-weight-lifting/bb-rows-madcow-366601.html

I see what this madcow guy is saying however I wouldn't advocate someone to approach barbell rows the same way one approaches rowing a shell. In crew the idea is to lean forward and then drive through with the legs and then lay back at the end. Thinking about doing barbell rows in this manner seems to indicate that you involve a lot of leg movement to get the barbell up high than angle your back up towards the top, and that seems to eliminate a lot of the back work you are looking for. He also said to watch out to not slam your ribcage too hard, which is odd because I always thought it was best to bring the bar to your middle/lower abs, maybe I read it wrong though.

 

[Spiritreaver]

Anybody on here into mountain biking... Im starting save money for a bike. I used to Bike alot when i was younger but its been a while so I need to know the ins and outs... I know I can look online but there is a crap load out there and I need some more streamlined stuff.

Be sure to post what you end up getting. I've been looking into bikes for a while now. I'm just kinda completely clueless as to where to start. I even went to a bike shop, but the owner was a total douche, completely talking over me head. So I'm just as clueless as ever.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Oh man, Glanton you weren't kidding. When you said how much the vest stressed your traps, I was thinking "how can walking work your traps, surely not that much". After about 10 minutes, I realized, "Oh...."

How far did you walk?

 

[RumblingRosco]

So, I started deadlifting rather recently, and I think I have it down properly (watched a lot of videos and read up a lot on the form).

My feet go slightly past the bar, my knees are slightly bent, my arms are fully extended with a mixed grip, head facing forward, and my back and abs straight and tightened. When I perform the lift, my hips go forward, and the lift ends with me standing upright; when lowering it, I have it very close to if not out right touching my thighs as it descends.

That is all essentially correct, right? If so, I should be feeling this lift mostly in my back (I'm noticing it a lot in my lower rather than upper, is that correct?) and a bit in my legs, which is how it is now. Just double checking with those that have more deadlifting experience.

 

[Draft]

I'm still not happy with my deadlift form, but I feel like when I nail a pull all of the stress is in my ass and my lower back and the backs of my legs.

And when I go for a short run after deadlifts it feels like a tiny man is jump kicking my stomach.

 

[BamYouHaveAids]

ok I want to start on the Rippletoe(sp?) program posted by the Op...

but. I run about 3-4 miles 5 days a week...and I dont want to stop.

Would I be able to do both without punishing my knees? I'm worried about squats+treadmill will totally just blow my patellas.

I lift 5 days a week and run about 3.25 miles directly after and have yet to have knee problems. Squats if anything will build the muscles supporting your knees so that less stress will be put on them in day to day activites.

 

[pollo]

I lift 5 days a week and run about 3.25 miles directly after and have yet to have knee problems. Squats if anything will build the muscles supporting your knees so that less stress will be put on them in day to day activites.

There's the answer i was looking for. Thanks brah

 

[Captain Glanton]

So, I started deadlifting rather recently, and I think I have it down properly (watched a lot of videos and read up a lot on the form).

My feet go slightly past the bar, my knees are slightly bent, my arms are fully extended with a mixed grip, head facing forward, and my back and abs straight and tightened. When I perform the lift, my hips go forward, and the lift ends with me standing upright; when lowering it, I have it very close to if not out right touching my thighs as it descends.

That is all essentially correct, right? If so, I should be feeling this lift mostly in my back (I'm noticing it a lot in my lower rather than upper, is that correct?) and a bit in my legs, which is how it is now. Just double checking with those that have more deadlifting experience.

It sounds right. Deadlifting form depends on your body structure, too. Basically: the shorter your legs, the more you'll be using them.

 

[RumblingRosco]

I'm still not happy with my deadlift form, but I feel like when I nail a pull all of the stress is in my ass and my lower back and the backs of my legs.

And when I go for a short run after deadlifts it feels like a tiny man is jump kicking my stomach.

The lifting feeling in my lower back is what worried me, I'd always been taught that lifting with your back can cause injuries as you age, but I suppose the difference here is that the back is kept tight and not bending forward?

Thanks for the reply (Glanton as well)!

 

[methos75]

I mean, I understand your point, in that overall fitness is different from strength. But what he was asking for was what is considered strong. 155x5 isn't strong; I don't consider myself to be particularly "strong" either, even if I could manhandle 90% of my friends.

It's great to finally hit 225 in the bench because you finally feel "strong". Don't let someone else's opinion of what's strong, get you down. But at the same time...don't kid yourself. Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut; be humble until you actually have something to brag about.

This actually sounds like a Crossfit argument...if anyone is unfamiliar with Crossfit (www.crossfit.com), they argue that Fitness itself is a sport, and "train" that. They have some quote similar to: "Your 700 lb. deadlift will go down to 500 lbs., but you'll have a faster 400m time. Your bench may go down from 400 to 300, but you'll be able to outpace others in a timed run." Blah blah blah.

I believe in getting a strong base of strength before going for "all around" fitness. There are high schoolers who can lift more than I can. Granted, they've been training longer and have great coaches, but still--that's part of my inspiration. I have a lot of work to do and it's not other people who necessarily define that, but looking at the big picture and saying, "I'm not that strong. Yet."

Man I worked forever to hit 225 and then when I hit it, I thought I was the strongest Ox in the Gym. Now I do warm-ups with 225 for two sets of 13, and everyone is like damn thats impressive, but I think I am weak as shit now because I can barely handle 300 for 5 reps. LOL, there is a definte mental issue at play once you start throwing around heavier weights and putting on size. I look in the mirror and I see a small man, my roommates girlfriend's female friends come over and they think he is living with a human tank. Oh well, that mental block is what propels me to push harder in the Gym, so be it.

 

[Chichikov]

So, I started deadlifting rather recently, and I think I have it down properly (watched a lot of videos and read up a lot on the form).

My feet go slightly past the bar, my knees are slightly bent, my arms are fully extended with a mixed grip, head facing forward, and my back and abs straight and tightened. When I perform the lift, my hips go forward, and the lift ends with me standing upright; when lowering it, I have it very close to if not out right touching my thighs as it descends.

That is all essentially correct, right? If so, I should be feeling this lift mostly in my back (I'm noticing it a lot in my lower rather than upper, is that correct?) and a bit in my legs, which is how it is now. Just double checking with those that have more deadlifting experience.

Not sure what do you mean by your feet position, but the bar is supposed to be over them.
As for the knees, they are supposed to be a bit more than slightly bent, on most people they should start at close to 90 degrees (mind you that 90 degrees does not mean hips parallel to the floor, it's the angle between your shins and hips, many people seem to underestimate the knee angle because of that).
Other than that sounds about right.

The lifting feeling in my lower back is what worried me, I'd always been taught that lifting with your back can cause injuries as you age, but I suppose the difference here is that the back is kept tight and not bending forward?

Soreness is to be expected, as long as you keep your back in tension you should be fine. in fact, working your back in such manner help in preventing back injuries.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Not sure what do you mean by your feet position, but the bar is supposed to be over them.

If you have short thighs like me, then you can easily get part of your feet in front of the bar when you are in the 'ready' position.

 

[Chichikov]

If you have short thighs like me, then you can easily get part of your feet in front of the bar when you are in the 'ready' position.

What do you mean by feet in front of the bar?

 

[Captain Glanton]

What do you mean by feet in front of the bar?

That if I'm ready to deadlift, and I look down, the bar is closer to my ankles than my toes.

 

[Chichikov]

That if I'm ready to deadlift, and I look down, the bar is closer to my ankles than my toes.

Oh, gotcha now, that's obviously perfectly fine.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Oh, gotcha now, that's obviously perfectly fine.

I was trying to say that if you have short thighs, you should have the bar closer to the ankles and more knee bend. If you have long thighs, the bar might be over your toes and you would have less knee bend.

 

[Qwerty710710]

I'm ripped like Brad Pitt in fight club.

I wanna look like him actually but I have alot of work to do. Maybe in another 3 years.

 

[Chichikov]

I was trying to say that if you have short thighs, you should have the bar closer to the ankles and more knee bend. If you have long thighs, the bar might be over your toes and you would have less knee bend.

I don't think that the bar should ever go too much forward, it moves the weight away from your center of gravity and on heavy weight can and will pull you forward.
Obviously different body types results in different starting position, but with in most cases that can be addressed by variation to the knee and hip angle.

 

[Anton Sugar]

ok I want to start on the Rippletoe(sp?) program posted by the Op...

but. I run about 3-4 miles 5 days a week...and I dont want to stop.

Would I be able to do both without punishing my knees? I'm worried about squats+treadmill will totally just blow my patellas.

Well, the thing is...the Starting Strength program is designed for someone looking to get bigger and stronger. Long slow distance running tends to be at odds with this. If you check out his Q&A forum on StrengthMill, you can get some detailed and...colorful...responses from him. Straight from the horses mouth.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I see what this madcow guy is saying however I wouldn't advocate someone to approach barbell rows the same way one approaches rowing a shell. In crew the idea is to lean forward and then drive through with the legs and then lay back at the end. Thinking about doing barbell rows in this manner seems to indicate that you involve a lot of leg movement to get the barbell up high than angle your back up towards the top, and that seems to eliminate a lot of the back work you are looking for. He also said to watch out to not slam your ribcage too hard, which is odd because I always thought it was best to bring the bar to your middle/lower abs, maybe I read it wrong though.

I think he was more of less emphasizing the bar being perpendicular to the body as the important factor in getting the most activation of the lats in the movement. The less of an angle (less than 90 degrees) that you get, the more of a rhomboid/trapezius movement it becomes.

As everybody's anthropometry is going to be different, I think he just wanted to ensure you don't slam the bar into your body. With correct form, the bar should start over the middle of your foot--where it hits your body is dependent on your physical structure and back angle. Rippetoe recommends a slight amount of hip extension at the top, to aid the movement.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I wanna look like him actually but I have alot of work to do. Maybe in another 3 years.

It really wouldn't take much. Literally, curls, bench, crunches, low bodyfat. He's not particularly big at all.

 

[demon]

It really wouldn't take much. Literally, curls, bench, crunches, low bodyfat. He's not particularly big at all.

Saying it "really wouldn't take much" really downplays the massive effort it takes to get your bodyfat that low while maintaining that kind of muscle. Sure he's not big, but you don't get those arms by doing pushups, 15lb dumbbell curls and running on a treadmill.

 

[Captain Glanton]

A friend of mine--who's very thin himself--ran into Brad at a bar in New York some years ago, and he said Pitt was tiny.

 

[Futureman]

So have you guys heard of the ice cream diet? My one friend was talking about how he read that the actors in 300 went on some ice cream diet.

Please tell me this is stupid...

 

[Captain Glanton]

So have you guys heard of the ice cream diet? My one friend was talking about how he read that the actors in 300 went on some ice cream diet.

Please tell me this is stupid...

It's stupid.

Spoiler

And I can say this without knowing what it is.

 

[methos75]

Saying it "really wouldn't take much" really downplays the massive effort it takes to get your bodyfat that low while maintaining that kind of muscle. Sure he's not big, but you don't get those arms by doing pushups, 15lb dumbbell curls and running on a treadmill.

What?/ He is just tone, his arms are small as shit.

 

[Anton Sugar]

My thoughts on deadlifting:

So, I started deadlifting rather recently, and I think I have it down properly (watched a lot of videos and read up a lot on the form).

My feet go slightly past the bar, my knees are slightly bent, my arms are fully extended with a mixed grip, head facing forward, and my back and abs straight and tightened. When I perform the lift, my hips go forward, and the lift ends with me standing upright; when lowering it, I have it very close to if not out right touching my thighs as it descends.

That is all essentially correct, right? If so, I should be feeling this lift mostly in my back (I'm noticing it a lot in my lower rather than upper, is that correct?) and a bit in my legs, which is how it is now. Just double checking with those that have more deadlifting experience.

The bar should ALWAYS be in contact with your body. If it's not, it's farther away from your center, and thus you are making the movement harder than it needs to be. You are mechanically at a disadvantage the further away the bar is from your body.

I was trying to say that if you have short thighs, you should have the bar closer to the ankles and more knee bend. If you have long thighs, the bar might be over your toes and you would have less knee bend.

This is me. I have short legs, so I am able to stay more upright and use more of my legs.

I don't think that the bar should ever go too much forward, it moves the weight away from your center of gravity and on heavy weight can and will pull you forward.
Obviously different body types results in different starting position, but with in most cases that can be addressed by variation to the knee and hip angle.

Right. Everyone is different, but the OPTIMAL pulling position is with the bar over midfoot, and your scapula over the bar. It's just how the body works, regardless of anthropometry.

 

[Barrage]

Here's info on the Ice Cream Diet..
.http://www.skinnyondiets.com/TheIceCreamDiet.html?b=7924

Here are the negatives:

• The author also has a book called The Peanut Butter Diet
• May not address hereditary or hormonal weight gains
• May not offer anything new
• May not effectively aid in losing weight
• All of the information it contains may be available freely online

So yeah, wouldn't exactly run to Dairy Queen in an effort to get cut.

Spoiler

or buy this book

 

[BlueTsunami]

So have you guys heard of the ice cream diet? My one friend was talking about how he read that the actors in 300 went on some ice cream diet.

Please tell me this is stupid...

Dairy and Sugar. Just freeze some milk or something!

 

[Anton Sugar]

So have you guys heard of the ice cream diet? My one friend was talking about how he read that the actors in 300 went on some ice cream diet.

Please tell me this is stupid...

The only REAL information I've seen out there regarding the 300 training is here: http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php

And they don't seem like the kinda guys to endorse an ice cream diet.

 

[Uncooked]

My thoughts on deadlifting:



The bar should ALWAYS be in contact with your body.

I don't know, I doubt my knees would appreciate that. The bar starts off against my ankles and ends on my thighs, but no way in hell am I keeping the bar touching my body the whole time. Also, this was mentioned a few posts ago, but I have begun to question keeping one's head up during the deadlift. I would think one would want to keep their neck and spinal cord in line, otherwise it causes some unnecessary strain.

 

[Captain Glanton]

The only REAL information I've seen out there regarding the 300 training is here: http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php

And they don't seem like the kinda guys to endorse an ice cream diet.

It had been a long time since I visited Gym Jones. So awesome.

 

[MrToughPants]

Did some measurements because I thought my calves looked very tiny but they're at the -1 inch norm that I read in a good TN article earlier.

arms 16.5
chest 45.5
legs 26
calves 15.5
waist 30.5
forearms 13

Forearms probably need to the most size improvement but I don't really have any grip problems yet, I can double over hand 400+ for 6-6.

Did some light full squats to keep my legs active, 225 for 20, and was doing BB calf raises after each set but the pain is still there in the ankles.

Feels good to squat with a bar though since I was doing body weight squats in the week. I might keep doing bodyweight squats as cardio at a high pace they feel good after a hundred or so.

So have you guys heard of the ice cream diet? My one friend was talking about how he read that the actors in 300 went on some ice cream diet.

Please tell me this is stupid...

I remember seeing Vin Diesel on Leno saying he got big from working/eating at an ice cream parlor... :lol

 

[Anton Sugar]

I don't know, I doubt my knees would appreciate that. The bar starts off against my ankles and ends on my thighs, but no way in hell am I keeping the bar touching my body the whole time. Also, this was mentioned a few posts ago, but I have begun to question keeping one's head up during the deadlift. I would think one would want to keep their neck and spinal cord in line, otherwise it causes some unnecessary strain.

Sorry, but if you want to get serious about deadlifting, keeping the bar in contact with your body is the only safe way to perform them when the weight gets heavier. There's a reason that good deadlifters will chalk up their shins, shave their shins, or wear high socks--you MUSTS keep the bar in contact the whole way. This poses NO danger to your knees--I'm not sure why you think it would. If your knees are in the way by the time the bar reaches them (your shins should be practically vertical/perpendicular to the ground by this point), it is a form problem.

You are correct about your head position, though. It is perfectly normal/ok to keep a "neutral" spine position, which involves looking at the floor for much of the lift. I've stopped looking "up" the whole time.

 

[Struct09]

Here's info on the Ice Cream Diet..
.http://www.skinnyondiets.com/TheIceCreamDiet.html?b=7924

Here are the negatives:

• The author also has a book called The Peanut Butter Diet
• May not address hereditary or hormonal weight gains
• May not offer anything new
• May not effectively aid in losing weight
• All of the information it contains may be available freely online

So yeah, wouldn't exactly run to Dairy Queen in an effort to get cut.

Spoiler

or buy this book

So it's basically a calorie restricted diet where you make sure to get dairy every day. Not exactly anything special

 

[Jirotrom]

Saying it "really wouldn't take much" really downplays the massive effort it takes to get your bodyfat that low while maintaining that kind of muscle. Sure he's not big, but you don't get those arms by doing pushups, 15lb dumbbell curls and running on a treadmill.

you can get that body by doing pushups sit ups and lots of high cardio... you dont need weights to achieve what he has there.

 

[Captain Glanton]

Did some measurements because I thought my calves looked very tiny but they're at the -1 inch norm that I read in a good TN article earlier.

arms 16.5
chest 45.5
legs 26
calves 15.5
waist 30.5
forearms 13

Why not?

Calves 16.5
Thigh 25
Waist 34
Arm 18
Chest 49
Neck 18

My poor thighs have shrunk so much. Stupid knee.

 

[MrToughPants]

Why not?

Calves 16.5
Thigh 25
Waist 34
Arm 18
Chest 49
Neck 18

My poor thighs have shrunk so much. Stupid knee.

What's your bodyweight?

Injuries are a pain in the ass the past two weeks or so I have felt like a big pussy since I can't squat normal weight. These two compounds have somewhat improved my legs.

BB Lunges
Straight leg deadlifts (2 inch plank)

Here's the article I was readin this morning.

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459479

 

[Captain Glanton]

What's your bodyweight?

Injuries are a pain in the ass the past two weeks or so I have felt like a big pussy since I can't squat normal weight. These two compounds have somewhat improved my legs.

BB Lunges
Straight leg deadlifts (2 inch plank)

Here's the article I was readin this morning.

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459479

I'm 5'9, 220.

For a while, when my knee was bothering me it was the same symptoms as torn cartiledge. It's gotten a lot better, but I'm still babying it and I haven't squatted above 405 X5 in a long time.

 

[deadbeef]

How far did you walk?

I dunno, but I walked for about 45 minutes.

 

[beelzebozo]

i just ate some huge concoction from cold stone creamery. peanut butter, peanut butter cups, and sweet cream ice cream may have been involved.

i'll be happy to get a nice run and lift in tomorrow. whew

 

[MrToughPants]

i just ate some huge concoction from cold stone creamery. peanut butter, peanut butter cups, and sweet cream ice cream may have been involved.

i'll be happy to get a nice run and lift in tomorrow. whew

I just ate three A&W chubby chicken burgers with a huge rootbeer...it felt sooo good :lol

 

[Christopher]

and I had a big ass cheeseburger and fries with my girlfriend at Ruby Tuesday's :lol

We're all being bad tonight