(04-03-2018 12:29 AM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote: What flavors do you guys like? I'm looking at cinnimon roll or caramel, or maybe just unflavored. Hard to get sick of it when it's unflavored.
I roll with Chocolate Mint, but I really like the smooth minty flavor. Reddit was a good resource, originally I was going to get a more exotic flavor like strawberry cheesecake but was warned against it.
The unflavored stuff tastes like watered down powdered milk. It's tolerable.
I've always hated training legs. I know I'm supposed to love squats but I never have, never will (although I still do them in order to keep my man card). I just hope that I do enough running, sprints and cycling to keep my legs looking half-decent.
However, despite having lifted for over two decades I've never once tried 'Sissy Squats' until very recently. They really need to change the name! Cos I'm sure it's what put me off all those years. Interestingly (or not?) the 'Sissy' name comes from the greek story of Sisyphus! (he who was sentenced to push a boulder up a hill forevermore). This makes the exercise sound much more hardcore!
Here's a link to a nice article on T-Nation about how to do them;
Anyway, they are initially tricky to do, but once you get used to them they burn like absolute fuck! After only a couple of weeks I now have clear quad separation where before there was little definition to speak of. And I haven't even started adding weight yet! (as I wanted to get the technique right)
It might just be 'new-exercise excitement' but if you haven't tried them before, I'd heartily recommend them. Reading up on it, it seems like a good way of getting your quads isolated, rather than using all glutes and hips as in the squat. One for bodybuilders rather than powerlifters then.
As an aside; I'm not even sure why I decided to try them, but it was maybe boredom from years of just doing presses, squats, cleans and rows. I know compounds etc are great, but it just goes to show the value of trying a new, weird, unusual, or just plain 'forgotten' exercise now and again, cos you never know!
Guys, are there any limitations to lifting if you have high myopia (-7)?
I can't run recently due to a strain injury, and I was thinking of switching to lifting.
(04-09-2018 11:17 PM)Filbert Wrote: Guys, are there any limitations to lifting if you have high myopia (-7)?
I can't run recently due to a strain injury, and I was thinking of switching to lifting.
I'm blind as a bat without glasses or contact lenses. But lifting is fine, so long as you take extra care with things like safety pins in machines etc. It might actually be beneficial as it may stop you from 'mirin' yourself in the mirror and taking ten minute breaks between sets!
Chocalte flavor protein is the only flavor as far as I'm concerned. You can mix it with fruit, peanut butter, or other stuff easily. I don't know what the fuck I'd mix with lemon cake. Cinnamon roll sounds limited too.
(04-09-2018 11:17 PM)Filbert Wrote: Guys, are there any limitations to lifting if you have high myopia (-7)?
I can't run recently due to a strain injury, and I was thinking of switching to lifting.
I have myopia as well, and I lift without glasses. No need to see well, unless the light is super bright. You'll be mirin yourself just fine too, with the big ass mirrors.
I found gym that is basically ideal in every way for me. Page ago, I asked questions regarding program and got recommendation for both SS and GSLP. Since greyskull requires micro progressions of 1,5 pounds (I think) that would not be possible to do, since this gym doesn't have these kind of plates. So I will be doing starting strength.
I read before SS book, even several times, but there are some things in it that I think experienced lifters here could clarify more to me:
1. Rippetoe advocates for 3000 to 6000 calories for a lifter, according to body composition. In any case, it is a big jump. Should I really up calories to 3000 (more sensible regarding my body composition) or put a 10% more cals on my TDEE?
2. Even though I am novice regarding strength goals, I have been working out on/off for couple of years and I think that I will not have newbie gains anymore. SS relies heavily on them to progress, of course coupled with good nutrition. Will this mean I will just stall earlier than supposed and not be able to have same progress Rippetoe describes in last chapter?
The 3000-6000 is totally dependant on you. If you were a 6'3 highschool athlete with two a day practices and weight training you would do a higher amount. If you're just an average small, sedentary guy, then you do a smaller amount. If 3000 is a big jump for you, then just try the 3000 and watch the scale. If you see yourself going up 2-3 lbs in a month, then you're on the right track.
As far as the newbie gains go, if you're still newbie strong you can get newbie gains. The gains from this program come from getting in and beating your old numbers on the big lifts every time, 3 days a week, and getting a lot stronger very quickly. It's just FAST TRACKING you to the intermediate area of the strength curve. It's not magic, it's just cramming a lot of progress into a short period of time.
I did SS at 16 years old and did it WRONG and still went from squatting 95 to 275 for 3x5 in a few months. Bench went to 205, deadlift to 300ish.
Where people go wrong with SS is they eat so much they get fat and they blame the program, or they don't sleep enough, eat enough and train hard enough so they don't get the results. If you're doing this program right, every single set is going to be hard and challenging, from the first rep to the last. Thats why people say it doesn't work, because they are not prepared to bust their forehead veins. They think it's gonna be easy because it's for beginners. WRONG.
Because hes the guy who wrote the book and he doesn't care if you get fat. He doesn't write much about diet. For what it's worth if you are a very skinny guy, just eating more increase muscle and strength to an extent.
You don't have to get fat. Just watch your diet, eat a buttload of meat, and keep the scale moving at 2-3 lbs a month. If the scale is moving like that though, you should be adding 10-15 lbs a week to your big lifts. Don't eat more if you're not gaining more strength.
Regarding the fat gain, as a novice your body should fill out with those surplus for the first couple months without any notable excess fat. Then once strength gains start to slow down and your newbie gains run out, the love handles begin.
That鈥檚 pretty manageable at that point as has been said though, you can adjust your calories if you don鈥檛 like how much you鈥檙e gaining.
Makes sense what you two said. Although I am what is considered skinny fat, i.e. lower muscle mass, but not exactly high in fat. So love handles are already here hahah. When I start I will open a gym log on this sub forum.
Ah, I was more the twig stereotype myself. I still don鈥檛 think you鈥檒l add much more for the first couple months unless you鈥檙e eating at a very large surplus.
And it鈥檚 great you鈥檙e going to start a log. Helps keep you accountable and is easy to go back and see where you used to be.
I ended up sticking with my old gym that is farther but cheaper. Old habits die hard so I actually switched locations to the FIRST gym I really started lifting it so it's kinda of a nostalgic thing to be back at the old smelly concrete bunker. I take my pre-workout on the subway and head down after work and it has not been bad so far.
Wack Back:
Next thing is that I need tips on a back program. My back lags and can't get much mass. I can get my back cut with work but it takes a lot of fucking effort to get any sort of mass going. Twice a week is needed as my back is a slow grower versus my legs that respond quickly to training.
Lastly. I am drinking bone broth almost daily. I bought some concentrated stuff from Amazon that is organic New Zeland Bone Broth. $50 a month currently but it seems to help as I used it as a way to get breakfast in quickly. I can't say it is turning me into a caveman but it helps curve hunger and I have yet to get sick yet since I have been on it (close calls with the onset of colds but nothing has stuck). The $50 is pricey but if you consider bone costs and labour/time to boil the shit yourself it maybe is just a marginal premium. These days due to hype, quality bones are no longer cheap as butchers know they can charge for it.
Anyone run wendler's 5/3/1 advanced template? I'm about to start a second cycle of it after testing my maxes and resetting to training maxes a little below my real maxes.
Reset training max
Squat 145Kg
Bench 87.5Kg
Press 57.5kg
Deadlift 195Kg
I didn't drop squat and press as much as the other two because the day I tested the max I was feeling pretty shitty, but I reset back enough it'll take a cycle or two to hit the tested max as the training max.
Now, I'm thinking of trying to run a cut for pretty much the first time ever and wondering if anyone has advice, bearing in mind the program and where my strength sits. And yeah, I know my presses are weaksauce.
I ended up sticking with my old gym that is farther but cheaper. Old habits die hard so I actually switched locations to the FIRST gym I really started lifting it so it's kinda of a nostalgic thing to be back at the old smelly concrete bunker. I take my pre-workout on the subway and head down after work and it has not been bad so far.
Wack Back:
Next thing is that I need tips on a back program. My back lags and can't get much mass. I can get my back cut with work but it takes a lot of fucking effort to get any sort of mass going. Twice a week is needed as my back is a slow grower versus my legs that respond quickly to training.
I'm recovering from a shoulder injury and I've decided that I've officially retired from bench pressing for the rest of my life. In fact I don't think it's a good idea for me to do any pressing movements for a very long time - I can barely do 2 pushups without pain. At the moment the only chest exercises I can comfortably do are machine flies and cable flies. I'm happy to just keep doing that for a the time being, even though it's boring as fuck for me, but does any one have any recommendations for other chest exercises I can do to keep me interested?
(04-21-2018 12:42 PM)Horus Wrote: I'm recovering from a shoulder injury and I've decided that I've officially retired from bench pressing for the rest of my life. In fact I don't think it's a good idea for me to do any pressing movements for a very long time - I can barely do 2 pushups without pain. At the moment the only chest exercises I can comfortably do are machine flies and cable flies. I'm happy to just keep doing that for a the time being, even though it's boring as fuck for me, but does any one have any recommendations for other chest exercises I can do to keep me interested?
You could try to hit rear delts by using a pec deck machine backwards. The weight doesn't matter on those. Injured shoulder joints usually involve muscle imbalances.
I don't know any chest exercises that wouldn't aggravate your injury without seeing it in person. Regular pec deck maybe.
(04-20-2018 08:20 AM)MOVSM Wrote:
(04-18-2018 08:53 AM)kosko Wrote: Update:
I ended up sticking with my old gym that is farther but cheaper. Old habits die hard so I actually switched locations to the FIRST gym I really started lifting it so it's kinda of a nostalgic thing to be back at the old smelly concrete bunker. I take my pre-workout on the subway and head down after work and it has not been bad so far.
Wack Back:
Next thing is that I need tips on a back program. My back lags and can't get much mass. I can get my back cut with work but it takes a lot of fucking effort to get any sort of mass going. Twice a week is needed as my back is a slow grower versus my legs that respond quickly to training.