Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 84 total)
  • Winter Gym Weight Training
  • footflaps
    Full Member

    Downloaded the 5×5 app to give it a bash – after entering my details and the weights & reps i’m currently doing it’s telling me to effectively halve the weights on the bench press / deadlift etc

    Ignore their weight suggestion. Ideally you should be choosing a weight where you can complete the full set (5×5) with good form on all reps. So if your knees are bucking under the squat or your back rounding, you need to drop a few Kg etc. Form over weight every time.

    dalesjoe
    Free Member

    Is it common to go “backwards”? Found I was weaker tonight with some lifts, specifically dumbell shoulder press compared to my last upper body session on Saturday. Triceps seem stronger though compared to last time. Had a seriously tough leg session on Monday which I can still feel a little today. I assume if I’m not using the same muscles then that’s ok to exercise again today?

    teasel
    Free Member

    Form over weight every time.

    Just in case anyone missed it. 😉 The stretching/full movement warm up is also great advice, especially the shoulders – a complex area and quite easy to damage with bad form.

    The advanced ones will have you squatting heavy twice a day, 6 days a week!

    Serious question – how/when would one go about recovering from that sort of beating…?

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    mcj78
    Free Member

    footflaps
    Ignore their weight suggestion. Ideally you should be choosing a weight where you can complete the full set (5×5) with good form on all reps. So if your knees are bucking under the squat or your back rounding, you need to drop a few Kg etc. Form over weight every time.

    Yeah, i’ll have a play around & see what suits me weight wise – looked at the list of strength standards on this site before & i’ll maybe try and fit the 5×5 routine around the “untrained” weight range with good form and go from there. Linkity link

    J

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Is it common to go “backwards”?

    Yep, your top end strength is never consistent, which is why anyone competing will structure their year around major events; aiming to peak for each big event (same as any sport).

    If you’re going backwards, don’t sweat it, just back off 5-10% and keep on training with good form.

    In a typical program, you might do a 1 RM max test very few months, but you’d taper for this over about a week, so you’re fully rested before attempting it.

    I have yet to repeat my best Clean and Jerk this year after achieving it in competition in May. Highly annoying, but just one of those things. I’ve just been concentrating on improving technique in the mean time and at some point it will come back and I’ll better it.

    The really weird thing is having not bench pressed for years, I had a go the other day and beat my lifetime PB by a few Kg. No idea where that came from!

    zilog6128
    Full Member

    Downloaded the 5×5 app to give it a bash – after entering my details and the weights & reps i’m currently doing it’s telling

    IMO starting off light is a good thing as it lets you concentrate on form. I spent the first 6 months probably videoing myself checking my form was still good as I increased the weight. If you have bad form at the beginning you will seriously regret it later when you injure yourself.

    Also, this is a long-term thing (right?) so what does it matter if you spend a few weeks or even months lifting weights you consider “too easy”? You’ve got a lifetime of gruelling effort to look forward to after that!

    footflaps
    Full Member

    IMO starting off light is a good thing as it lets you concentrate on form

    You’re much better off working on full range of motion with light weights eg full depth squat etc, bench press to the bar touching the ribs, hold for 1s and then press out, otherwise you’ll be one of these people who goes to a gym, loads the bar up with weights and then lowers it 1cm and puts it back in the rack thinking they’ve just done a monster squat or bench press. In a power lifting comp for bench press you have to hold the bar on the chest until they tell you to lift and you have to squat below parallel for it to count.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Have we had any books recommended yet? Anyone recommend something that talks about weight training purely for lean-ness?

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Have we had any books recommended yet?

    My top 3 in order would be:

    Never Let Go – Dan John
    Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes – Greg Everett
    Starting Strength – Mark Rippetoe

    NB if you buy Greg Everett’s book, you don’t really need Mark Rippetoes.

    Anyone recommend something that talks about weight training purely for lean-ness?

    Any competitive Olympic lifter will be diet obsessed as you compete in weight classes, so making the weight is a really big thing.

    mcj78
    Free Member

    Yeah, fair point – i’m fairly confident with my form though as I do pretty much all of the exercises in question with kettlebells (taught classes – instructors are always shouting about form so any wobbly knees etc. are heavily frowned upon) which are more unstable than a barbell, so as long as I stay within the range of weights i’m used to with those as a starting point I should be fine *goes to google epic gym fails*

    EDIT – shouldn’t have googled epic gym fails, gonna load up the bar with those big hollow plastic training plates instead now 😆

    stcolin
    Free Member

    Why is lifting weights so complicated? In fairness I’m so embarrassed at lifting weights because I’m really not strong. At all. My dumbells for bicep curls are 7kg, and I struggle with that.

    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    My dumbells for bicep curls are 7kg, and I struggle with that.

    You’re lifting 7kg more than anyone sitting on the couch. This is a good thing.

    Macavity
    Free Member

    Lance Armstrong
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ocs_w8bs-w

    Peter Park, Lance Armstrong’s strength coach

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Why is lifting weights so complicated?

    It’s no different to any sport, if you want to maximise gain for the effort put in, there are efficient ways to do so (and inefficient ways).

    bicep curls

    are a generally pointless exercise, one of the lowest bang for your buck exercises out there……

    EDIT: if you spent the same time doing deadlifts or chin ups you’d work your biceps and the rest of your body at the same time…

    mcj78
    Free Member

    st colin – Member
    Why is lifting weights so complicated? In fairness I’m so embarrassed at lifting weights because I’m really not strong. At all. My dumbells for bicep curls are 7kg, and I struggle with that.

    As above – the only bad workout is the one you didn’t do & and other such motivational quotes!

    *Except that time I googled “epic gym fail” – were a few pretty bad ones in there 😆 *

    bakey
    Full Member

    Is it common to go “backwards”?

    Oh yes, but keep at it and drop a few kgs. Like anything it’s all about consistency – I take this to mean if you’ve earmarked 4 days a week training, do 4 days a week, even if you’re not able to lift your programme numbers on a given day. We’re not all full-time athletes.

    Why is lifting weights so complicated?

    Olympic weightlifting is complicated – it’s a specific sport and more to do with (particularly) speed, mobility and coordination as much as being strong. General weight training isn’t so complicated so long as you learn the proper way to do each movement, do the full range and work on mobility/flexibility. If you get the basics right every time and every rep you’ll build a great foundation on which to build strength, which has all round benefits and not just on the bike.

    Anyone recommend something that talks about weight training purely for lean-ness?

    I’m 62kg at 165cm and around 11-14% fat (so pretty lean) – I train not for hypertrophy, but strength. Years ago I looked at, and followed, the iDave diet I found on here, lost around two stone and kept it off. It still broadly forms the basis of my diet today.

    Rusty-Shackleford
    Free Member

    I spent the first 6 months probably videoing myself

    How can you be unsure as to whether or not you were videoing yourself 😀

    footflaps
    Full Member

    General weight training isn’t so complicated so long as you learn the proper way to do each movement, do the full range and work on mobility/flexibility. If you get the basics right every time and every rep you’ll build a great foundation on which to build strength, which has all round benefits and not just on the bike.

    But if you competed as, say a Power Lifter or Body Builder, it would just as complex as competing in any other sport.

    E.g. here is an article on the diet prep just to make the weight for a PL comp from an athlete in the gym next to where I work: http://rpfitness.co.uk/update-from-our-sponsor-abi/

    Bit like saying, why is cycling so complicated? It’s not if you just want to go for a ride, but you’re not going to win the TdF with that attitude……

    My take is that I’m never going to trouble anyone on a podium, but I’d like to maximise the gains I get from the effort I’m putting in as I’ll never be this young again, so may as well be the best that I can.

    zilog6128
    Full Member

    How can you be unsure as to whether or not you were videoing yourself

    I was inside a box with a cat

    stcolin
    Free Member

    My take is that I’m never going to trouble anyone on a podium, but I’d like to maximise the gains I get from the effort I’m putting in as I’ll never be this young again, so may as well be the best that I can.

    I think this is my problem with biking. I have this expectation which is that I can make a podium someday, but if I put all the effort in and didn’t get it, it would feel like a complete failure. And I already have enough of that kinda attitude towards myself in my life.

    twinw4ll
    Free Member

    Always strive to be the best version of you and leave your ego at the door is my advice.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    I have this expectation which is that I can make a podium someday, but if I put all the effort in and didn’t get it, it would feel like a complete failure.

    You have to be realistic. The guys on podiums started Weight lifting at 6, have been training full time since 8, have been taking the best PE drugs available under state sponsored medical supervision since age 10. Not to forget this is a sport where young people have a huge natural advantage (more Testosterone and HGH in their systems even without PEDs).

    Whereas I’m ex XC MTBer starting from scratch mid 40s, training drug free. I’m not under any illusions where I’m going to end up.

    Macavity
    Free Member

    Core Strength Training With Tinkoff-Saxo

    Macavity
    Free Member

    mcj78
    Free Member

    Back to ask a quick question for those with more experience – i’ve started doing the 5×5 stronglifts & have bumped the weights up from what they recommend to start with although it’s still less than I was doing previously. The gym’s pretty quiet just now so i’ve been making the most of that & going up every day, alternating the A/B workouts but i’m wondering if I should be sticking to Mon/Wed/Fri & not training 2 days in a row – i’m not feeling overly fatigued as instead of adding weight every time, i’m sticking weights i’m comfortable with for now to get my technique perfect before moving up, I feel I could go at least 10% heavier fairly comfortably but don’t want to rush it, especially 2 weeks before Chrimbo… should I still be having a rest in between as a matter of course?

    Cheers,
    J

    centralscrutinizer
    Free Member

    I’d say stick to the schedule and keep gradually adding weight as per the program.

    Here’s a good read on the basics

    Read all 4 parts.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    but i’m wondering if I should be sticking to Mon/Wed/Fri & not training 2 days in a row

    Hugely complicated subject. The answer will depend on the individual’s biological age and training age, both will have a big impact. The more years training you have under you belt, the more capacity you have for multiple tough sessions. However, biological age works against you, the older you are the slower your recovery.

    Cumulative fatigue is a legitimate training technique and many programmes will build up the load over 2-3 weeks, at the end of which you will feel tired / battered, but then they have a deload week, which at the end of you will normally be stronger again. A coach will work with their athlete and through trial and error find out what ratios work best for that athlete and then tailor the program around that.

    You then have to fit in real life with the program and accept that some weeks family / work stress / colds etc will completely screw with the plan and you’ll have to adapt on the fly…

    mcj78
    Free Member

    Cheers guys – will play it by ear and see how it goes, been going pretty much every week day for the last few weeks doing various stuff & the last week or so trying out the 5×5 – still figuring out the weights for that really so not pushing myself too much (yet) hence the lack of fatigue. I’m actually quite enjoying the barbell based stuff instead of the random assortment of exercises I was doing previously so i’ll maybe keep going frequently now & get the technique sorted and settle on a good base weight to work from & after the Christmas break i’ll start doing it Mon/wed/Fri & increasing the weights as I go.

    Cheers!
    J

    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    I’m in tatters today. Last nights session was:

    5 sets of 8 squats @ 90kg

    Then a superset of 4x:

    20 single leg step ups with a 24kg kettlebell
    20 lunges with a 24kg kettlbell

    Then another superset of 3x:

    16 hamstring curls
    16 kettlebell swings @ 24kg
    16 banded hip raises

    And a delightful finisher of 3x:

    45 second sprint
    45 second plank with a 20kg plate on my back
    45 second squat thrust
    45 second med ball slams

    Unsurprising that I slept in this morning!

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Personally I tend to go by feel, if I feel tired I still train but reduce the load depending on how I get on after some warm up sets.

    Unsurprising that I slept in this morning!

    Interestingly, one of the signs of over training, e.g. at the end of a build block is poor sleep, which is often used as feedback to know it’s time to start the deload week.

    I was reading something by an OL coach (at Elite level) who said all his students reported disturbed sleep at the end of build weeks. He would quiz them on sleep quality every morning as part of his training.

    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    at the end of a build block is poor sleep

    I actually had one of the best nights sleep in recent times, I just didn’t get to bed until just after midnight but got 8 hours uninterrupted

    sadexpunk
    Full Member

    Cumulative fatigue is a legitimate training technique and many programmes will build up the load over 2-3 weeks, at the end of which you will feel tired / battered, but then they have a deload week, which at the end of you will normally be stronger again. A coach will work with their athlete and through trial and error find out what ratios work best for that athlete and then tailor the program around that.

    You then have to fit in real life with the program and accept that some weeks family / work stress / colds etc will completely screw with the plan and you’ll have to adapt on the fly…
    pretty much what i do…..
    my routine if followed strictly is push/pull/legs, 6 days per week for 3 weeks, then 1 week deload, total rest. so each body part worked twice a week.
    its pretty versatile tho in that as mentioned above, life/family/work gets in the way, weekends away, holidays etc so i just workout every day that i can and take the days off when life dictates. id say i do on average 5 days per week but i just follow on from where i left off last time, no set days to do anything.

    mcj78
    Free Member

    Just back from another mild pummeling – weights I had little difficulty with on Monday defo required a bit more effort today so it looks like i’m reaching the point where a rest in-between would be beneficial, or even take the Wednesday off & do Mon-A, Tue-B, Thur-A, Fri-B… who’d have thought going to the gym would be so mentally taxing… at least i’ve found a good point to start from 😆

    toby1
    Full Member

    My first day back since Wednesday last week, I crumbled into a cold come Thursday 🙁

    I still struggle with single leg squats (pistol squats) rest of the set seemed relatively easy though so the rest must have done me good.

    YoKaiser
    Free Member

    Pistol squats are my nemesis. I can barely bend my leg, couple of guys from work can crank them out and I can barely even start one.

    mcj78
    Free Member

    YoKaiser – Try doing deck squats, then one legged deck squats – the momentum helps you get back up & helps your muscles get used to the motion – one of the kettlebell instructors at my gym has us doing them & at first I was awful, now they’re pretty easy.
    J

    footflaps
    Full Member

    couple of guys from work can crank them out and I can barely even start one.

    Steve Cotter is the master!

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmzRysSj2T4[/video]

    Macavity
    Free Member

    Danny Hart

Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 84 total)

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