Post: #3776

What's the general consensus on working out in the morning at home post bang with the girl still there?

Whenever girl asks if I work out I always said I never go to gym, I just do martial arts. Girls don't wanna know you worked for those muscles.

On the other hand most girls say that watching their ripped lover working out in front of them half naked is the best turn on.

Post: #3777

I have never heard of a girl being less impressed with a physique knowing that you earned it. Every girl I banged assumes I go to the gym and appreciates it. I don't have a home gym, but if I did I definitely wouldn't be doing any kind of appreciable workout with a girl hanging around watching me.

Post: #3778

Dammit, this is the second time I'm getting knee pain from squatting. Gonna rest a week, drop the weight way down and do box squats to try to nail down the form. I think there's an asymmetry in the chain somewhere from my ankle surgery about a year ago.

Post: #3779

I have those problems when I squat.remember to stretch the hell out of your lega before you squat.all that tightness in your legs will have you applying all that weight to the front of your foot instead of the whole foot which will cause pain in your knees.

Post: #3780

So i've managed to finally get into a gym habit (haven't been to gym since i was 18). I'm in my early 30's and been a couch potato for most of my life and a skinny "hardgainer".

Last month I started going to the gym one day and started doing squats and deadlifts with a bar to get familiar with form. Next day i did it again with very light weights. Then i went again next day, and then developed a habit of just going gym.
So far, so good.

So after one month i'm currently doing 5x5 mainly compound exercises:
I notice i get weak after no workouts on the weekend, and would have to lower my best lifts.

(Weights below are currently my best and may not necessarily do that weight for all 5 sets)
Day 1:
Skip rope warmup 5 min
Flat bench press: 40kg
Standing Military shoulder press: 20kg
Dips: 5x5
Ab roller:

Day 2:
Back squat: 35-40kg
Stiff deadlifts: 40-45kg
Turkish get up (squat style) 3.7kg 5 each arm
Hanging oblique knee raise

Day 3:
Pullups: 4
bent over barbell row: 35-40kg
ez bar curl: 11-15kg
hanging leg raise
abroller

and recycle.


Diet is healthy and as much as i'd like to add muscle mass and bulk, i'm saving money so unfortunately i'll be nourished with a fairly low caloric intake (estimating about 2200 calories daily). I just did this for getting into a positive habit and for the health benefits, especially now in 30's where it will be an important foundation for the aging phases.
So i'd like to hear comments on what to do next? I feel like i've already reached plateau and start out weaker after the weekend. I know i'm lifting peanuts compared to everyone else but i gotta start somewhere. So i'm not sure what else to do. I think i'll keep this routine going until i know for sure i can't increase anymore weight, and then look into another strategy. Also are there other compound exercises to substitute, so i'm not doing the same thing every time? I'm looking for maximum efficiency and functional strength and overall health.

Post: #3781

Good work on making a positive change and forming a new habit!
Skip the curls and isolation exercises, you simply need to do compound exercises which work multiple muscle groups at the same time. Instead try the "Starting Strength" barbell program and don't modify it.
It's promising that you're doing dips and pull-ups already but the squats are relatively low compare to bench and barbell row.

You didn't mention how much you weigh?

Also, eating well/lots doesn't need to be expensive. Get a slow cooker and use a longer cooking time to prepare cheaper cuts of meat for example.

Post: #3782

Did squats and deadlifts 2 days ago and pushed myself really hard, my form wasn't the best and my final deadlifts got sloppy. After I walked stiff which is normal but today I suddenly got pain at the top of my spine and it hurts when I turn my neck back one direction only, the pain is also offset to the left of the spine. I tried vaping some CBD oil to alleviate the pain and it only worked for 1 hour, I will fall asleep and pray that I haven't done anything serious to my spine, if the pain persists I might have to see a doctor.

Post: #3783

Just sounds like you slept crooked. Dont bither with a doctor, if anything, get a massage

Post: #3784

Thanks for the encouragement
I just checked my weight now and it's 82.5kg (6ft) (just had dinner over an hour ago though).
I'm 6ft and just measured 20% bodyfat! That sounds bloody high, even though i look skinny and would benefit from a bulkier physique (i'm an ectomorph).
Looks like my fast metabolism days are fading.

I've noticed an uncomfortable boney pain on my left shoulder. I think it's from the turkish get ups. I feel pain in somewhere in my top-front shoulder bone or joint if i lift my left arm up and behind my head. Similar to if you rest both your hands behind your head and elbows out, except just a little bit more further back. That pain was there since last week and didn't go away. Hasn't affected by military press so that's good and i've been careful with the TGU with put the shoulder in a shrugged position.

As for the squat, I have to be conservative here since i'm not doing this in a cage and doing it from behind a bench press rack. It's a ghetto home setup but it does the job for now.

Regarding no curls - i notice the only day when i do them my biceps feel more full and gained muscle. However on the other workout days it doesn't feel like my biceps got worked out that much and it feels flabby with no muscle development.

Post: #3785

(12-19-2017 04:17 AM)solotak Wrote:  Regarding no curls - i notice the only day when i do them my biceps feel more full and gained muscle. However on the other workout days it doesn't feel like my biceps got worked out that much and it feels flabby with no muscle development.

This is called the 'pump'. Lifters everywhere know this feeling; simply, you just have to lift more/more frequently/eat more to get them bigger. Just keep at it, they'll get bigger.

As for "what to do next", keep going! As you workout more you'll learn more about your body and what works for you. As time goes on add more exercises and research to maximize your effort.

Post: #3786

I finally hit a 500-pound squat (501 to be exact) on Monday at a bodyweight of 210 pounds. I started training seriously 5 years ago and have probably skipped less than 10 workouts total, so it's a milestone I've worked hard to achieve. I just wanted to brag a little bit

Post: #3787

(12-08-2017 10:58 PM)Fortis Wrote:  Planet China. I live in China where no one lifts heavy or does compound lifts with appreciable weight.

Uh...

Post: #3788

Back onto a high fat, high protein, high fibre diet again.

Crazy morning wood every morning and I'm full of energy to get shit done.

Love the extra energy, easy to slip into shitty diet habits while busy with work and travel.

Post: #3789

(12-10-2017 05:11 AM)Dalaran1991 Wrote:  What's the general consensus on working out in the morning at home post bang with the girl still there?

Whenever girl asks if I work out I always said I never go to gym, I just do martial arts. Girls don't wanna know you worked for those muscles.

On the other hand most girls say that watching their ripped lover working out in front of them half naked is the best turn on.

Depends on the question. I'm not going to lie and say no if they ask if I go to the gym, but if it's a question phrased along the lines of 'how come you're so muscly blah blah blah' I just say 'high testosterone levels is what the doctor told me'.

Post: #3790

(12-23-2017 01:46 AM)Prof. Ligate Wrote:  Back onto a high fat, high protein, high fibre diet again.

Crazy morning wood every morning and I'm full of energy to get shit done.

Love the extra energy, easy to slip into shitty diet habits while busy with work and travel.

What sort of stuff are you eating now?

Post: #3791

It snowed last night where I am, so everyone was in the gym in the late morning, including every fit yoga pants wearing woman in the city it seemed. A temple of the swole and booties everywhere, it was beautiful.

I also hit 3 plates on deadlift for the first time today, what a day.

Post: #3792

Update on chronic elbow and shoulder pain: I've been pressing and squatting lots of volume all week and zero pain so far. I attribute this to supplimenting with a glucosamine and chrondroitin complex as well finally breaking-in my elbow sleeves and wearing them when pressing.

Post: #3793

Re-injured one of my wrists/forearms, which now means no deadlifts, shrugs, pull ups, or other pulling exercises as these all aggravate it.

This is annoying as my wrists are weak proportionately to the rest of my upper body, so I have been trying to work them out more but they just seem to keep getting injured.

Not sure if I should just give up and get the straps with hooks, or keep trying to do everything without any assistance. I was deadlifting and shrugging 405 without gloves before this injury.

Post: #3794

What would you fellas recommend for shoulder pain, heat pad or ice pack?

Post: #3795

(12-31-2017 03:12 PM)Horus Wrote:  What would you fellas recommend for shoulder pain, heat pad or ice pack?

It worked for me.

Post: #3796

fellas does any of you own NIKE ROMALEOS 3?

Post: #3797

Started keto again, first few days have gone smoothly. I was on it about 3 weeks and lost around 7lbs, then kind of quit around the holidays. It's a pretty expensive diet, tons of meat.

To my salads I started to add homemade bacon bits from smoked bacon and I use shred some sharp cheddar. Most of the salad dressings have too many carbs so I just used some olive oil.

I haven't been to the gym for about two months due to being away, I hope my lifts haven't suffered too much.

Post: #3798

(01-03-2018 08:37 AM)behnam Wrote:  fellas does any of you own NIKE ROMALEOS 3?

I've got the Romaleo 2's

They are fantastic! I'd recommend them.

Post: #3799

I've been enjoying a period of success with my training recently, following quite a sustained period of stagnation, and I wanted to share a few very simple thoughts that will be obvious to the more accomplished lifters, but which may just make a difference to beginners and intermediates. These are minor tweaks that have made a substantial difference to my results. They seem very obvious, but some of these concepts can get very confused if you read much about strength training online:


- Personally, for the average trainee, I think somewhere between 80-100 quality reps per muscle group through compound exercises per week is a good number to aim for in your programming. If you're hitting that number, and you are not an advanced trainee, then you are probably growing.

- If you are hitting these sorts of numbers with your working sets for each muscle grouping, splitting the body into 3-4 muscle groups (legs, chest and shoulders, back, arms & forearms), then for most beginner and intermediate trainees this will probably provide enough volume to grow.

- Personally I look to hit 2-4 compound movements per muscle group, in which I will try to hit my minimum of 80 reps (split across 2 training sessions), then add 1-2 isolation movements to add a little volume to areas I am specifically looking to bring up.

- So, my chest and shoulder work may look like this: DB overhead press 3x8, DB incline press 3x8, BB incline press 3x8, dips 3x8. I will try to do all 96 reps with the best form possible. Because I want to bring up my chest and shoulders, I usually add lat raises (doing these lying on an incline bench is a GREAT way to use a light weight and isolate the muscle), rear delt raises, and flies - all done for 2-3 sets of 12-15 twice each week.

- I'll usually start a training block with 3x8, and try to build that up to 3x12 within 4-5 weeks of training - that means not adding any weight to the bar. This is an effective and safe way to progress, as you go from training with approximately 80% of your max, to approximately 70% of your max, within a month or so of training. This is a perfectly stimulating way to train for your muscles, and you can make substantial strength and muscle gains.

- You do not need to be killing yourself to make these reps to see progress. People talk about training one or two reps short of failure each set, but they usually mean form failure rather than mechanical failure. That means a 10/10 effort set is one where you could not do another rep with good form. You may still have 2 or 3 shitty reps in you with bad form if you are not a very advanced trainer. This is important to keep in mind when wondering whether you are training hard enough. You can provide adequate stimulation to grow by doing multiple 8 rep sets with a weight you could do perfectly for 9 reps, and which perhaps you could do badly for 10-12 reps.

- This isn't an excuse to slack off, as you still need to be trying to progress your total number of reps. However, you do not need to be risking injury or adopting bad lifting paths in the name of progress, you can get everything you need to grow from doing things properly, with good form, whilst being as comfortable as it's possible to be with heavy weights in your hands/across your back.

- Training less 'hard', using good form, leaves you with the energy to accumulate more volume within a similar time period. Gradually increasing your volume is the key to continued muscle growth. This means you can probably go a VERY long time without increasing the weight on the bar, assuming you can make the time to do more reps (ie add another training day in etc). If you can't train more often, and you are looking at working with the bottom range of effective volume (eg. 80-100 quality reps per muscle group per week) then of course you will need to increase weight more often to provide an adequate stimulus - that doesn't mean you can't still milk weeks of progress out of a fixed weight.

- If you can't train more often, but want to focus on specific body parts, think about how you can get contributing stimulus from working other muscle groups. For example, if you want to increase the stimulus for your back, and are limited to two upper body training days per week, you may wish to include something like Romanian Deadlifts on your lower body days. Done with a focus on well retracted shoulder blades this is a good back and hamstring/glute builder, and you can get a very effective workout in without needing to move the kind of weight you'd need to on a conventional deadlift to get the same stimulus. When you do go back to deadlifting heavy weights, your deadlift should have improved significantly too as a welcome side effect.

- Lots of programs are built around hitting each of the big lifts hard each week. If you have a busy or exacting schedule, this may not be realistic. Personally, I find squatting hard and conventional deadlifting hard each week is very hard on my body and my recovery. I have made more progress by picking one to work hard for a few cycles, and then doing a lighter/less exacting variation of the other, plus some assistance, to build the muscles involved without necessarily trying to maximise progress. So, for example, if I am squatting hard, I will do romanian deadlifts and some hamstring curls with a higher volume range (closer to 12 reps/set), plus plenty of grip and back work.

- Personally I think some isolated grip training is something every man should give serious consideration. Your ability to apply and convey your strength in practise is largely dictated by your hands and wrists. It is very easy to fit grip training in as a superset with lower body work - a few sets on a couple of exercises twice a week will make a dramatic difference, and you can do it whilst you recover between sets of leg press etc and cast an amused eye on the futile thrustings of whatever gym bunny has taken your fancy.



These all seem terribly obvious, but if I'm honest I have found the sheer wealth of information available online, usually aimed at advanced trainees and serious strength athletes, to be quite confusing at times. I have ended up trying all sorts of programming, exercises and training approaches that have given an impression of progress where something much simpler would have done me more good. If you have a lot of life stress, as I typically do, I think the above tips may prove particularly useful. Part of the reason for my own stagnation, ironically, was because I was pushing too hard on the intensity front (ie heavy weights for lower reps), but not getting enough volume in to make a lot of progress. Backing off in weight, upping the volume, and focusing on good form as my measure for when a set was over has allowed me to train predominantly in the 7-8 RPE range for the past months and make the most progress in strength and musculature that I have made in years.

Post: #3800

H1N1 that volume is pretty similar to Lyle McDonald's recommendation of 40-60 reps per large bodypart two times per week. It's been working well for me recently (smaller muscles that get hit secondarily can get away with 20-30 reps twice per week according to Lyle). Like you, I've also been doing sets across recently, instead of working up to top sets like I had for the last several years (ran WS4SB or 5/3/1 the last few years). I'm not sure if it's as effective for pure strength gains, but I've grown on it due to the greater volume, even if the weight isn't quite as heavy as weight used for the top sets would be, and my joints feel healthier and at less risk of injury.