Anyone here bench, lift weights, etc?

[gunshow86de]

Whether you're training for hypertrophy or strength, cutting has more to do with your diet than anything. Decreasing your rest time between sets and adding cardio are useful too, but those won't help if you're still eating a surplus of calories (ie bulking).

I wouldn't worry about being "massive." Too many people think they'll blow up like an IFBB pro after a few months in the gym. The reality is that pro (and a lot of amateur) bodybuilders' physiques are the results of; their genetics, years and years of training, years and years of eating for mass, and drugs (testosterone, growth hormone, and even using insulin).

If you're truly natural, I wouldn't worry about looking like a bulky bodybuilder any time soon (if ever).

 

[SoItGoesRVA]

Anyone have some tips for rehabbing an IT band? My right one has been a bit tight towards the hip for going on a month now. I keep rolling it out and stretching it, but I'm still getting a bit of discomfort. Any ideas?

 

[Winspear]

Whether you're training for hypertrophy or strength, cutting has more to do with your diet than anything. Decreasing your rest time between sets and adding cardio are useful too, but those won't help if you're still eating a surplus of calories (ie bulking).

I wouldn't worry about being "massive." Too many people think they'll blow up like an IFBB pro after a few months in the gym. The reality is that pro (and a lot of amateur) bodybuilders' physiques are the results of; their genetics, years and years of training, years and years of eating for mass, and drugs (testosterone, growth hormone, and even using insulin).

If you're truly natural, I wouldn't worry about looking like a bulky bodybuilder any time soon (if ever).

Yeah, absolutely this. Just count your calories and get a little bit under maintenance. Enough to lose a couple lb a week at most. Get enough protein and keep lifting and you wont lose muscle.

 

[MikeH]

I haven't been to the gym in 3 days. I'm going crazy. About to go squat my legs off today.

 

[MikeH]

On that note, 285 lb squat PR. Yee.

 

[SomeGuy97]

Anyone have some tips for rehabbing an IT band? My right one has been a bit tight towards the hip for going on a month now. I keep rolling it out and stretching it, but I'm still getting a bit of discomfort. Any ideas?

You can read this: T NATION | Winning the IT Band War


I just foam roll it out. There's a specific IT band stretch that works really well too, I can't remember if it's in that article though. Didn't see a pic of it, only skimmed it. Basically just lying down on your back and crossing one knee over the other and bringing it slowly into your chest.


As far as squats go- feet turned out will activate your glutes better and in most cases allow you to squat more. Feet closer together and straight ahead to better hit the outer quad sweep.

 

[SomeGuy97]

I think being midway through my training certification with 100% success on all course materials thus far is enough to put someone on a basic training program. As far as diet, I don't talk about it because I feel like nobody gives a shit if I were to say "oh, I ate 4 eggs, two pieces of wheat toast, a banana, and green tea for breakfast, etc." Plus, I'm not exactly on a clean bulk right now, so I would not suggest anyone eat the shit I've been eating if they want to promote a healthy lifestyle. A 2200 calorie meal of burgers, pizza, fries, and a milkshake is not exactly something to brag about. I understand that experience is the ultimate trainer, but studying for hours upon hours about musculoskeletal development, the central nervous system, strength training, (you get the idea), I have enough of a grasp to get somebody on the right track. Maybe charging is not the best idea for me yet, so I'll go ahead and say that anyone who wants guidance, I can help you out for free. But just because I don't have years and years of gym time does not mean that I don't understand how to develop a plan for someone in the beginning/novice stages of training.

As far as my routine for 5/2, I'm currently reading Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength and that's exactly what it calls for, considering it's a powerlifting routine. There are two base routines that are alternated between on a 3-day or 4-day split. Exercise A: squat, OHP, bent barbell row, any assistance work you want to add. Exercise B: squat, bench, deadlift, assistance work. If there's anyone I trust, it's one of the most prominent figures in the powerlifting community who has been doing this since before I was born.

You inadvertently proved my point- you don't understand diet or its importance. (Ref my "diet is 80% of everything" comment) If lifting is only 20%, assuming you know everything there is to know, then that still leaves a substantial amount of ground to cover. Dialing in a diet is comparable to dialing in an amp- but I would say far more time consuming and more difficult to figure out. Everyone burns calories at a different rate and has a different resting metabolic rate- which isn't necessarily the same every day, people respond differently to different types of proteins, carbs, and fats, and it takes a lot of time to figure out what your body needs to meet your goals. The list goes on and on. Not to mention what a pain in the ass food prep is. If you don't prep your meals- you are 100% setting yourself up for failure. Meal prep is everything and I cannot stress that enough. When people drop the ball on that, that's when they make poor dietary decisions...always. Only once you figure out your own shit should you even attempt to try and do it for someone else and have them PAY for it.


Also, honestly, most 'clientele' in the market for this sort of thing are not trying to look like a fat-pud power lifter. They start out for aesthetic reasons. It's absolutely true. They just want to look better. I went through my PL phase and my BB phase. After a few years of testing the waters I realized power lifting was not in the cards. Never going to bench 600 lbs, never going to squat 700 lbs. Doesn't bother me. The one thing I knew for sure was that I never wanted to look like one since most (not all) most of them look kind of out of shape. Just bulky and boxy.


The best piece of advice, or story I can share with everyone, is that when I first started getting lean, contest lean, for the first time in my life, I got more attention from girls (and guys- no homo) than ever before in my life. Far and away. Never before when I went out with friends did I have girls coming up to me at bars asking for MY number. I work in a big club with 50+ strippers every night on the weekend and when they knew I didn't have a girlfriend, it was out of control- LOL. I'm with the one I love now and thankfully the other girls will leave me alone now for the most part. I have felt like a piece of meat at times. I don't mean it in a braggy way, I mean it like, I really don't like girls coming up to me and just putting their hands all over me. I'm just not that guy (unless maybe I'm single, lol). Anyway, tangent.

When you're lean and in shape girls pick up on it. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that you walk around with more confidence and better posture. I mean I was wearing longsleeve shirts, not trying to show off or garner attention or anything. It might sound shallow, but it opens up a whole new world to you and that should be about all the motivation you need. It is SO easy to do...as long as you have the will power and *self-control* to not shove donuts and pizza down your gullet every day. Nothing worth having ever comes easy, but this is close. I'm 4 weeks out from my next show and this was a few days ago. I don't have to starve myself. I eat foods I enjoy and for the most part I'm not totally miserable. I'm only now starting to do cardio and thermos too. The next few weeks will be rough because I have A LOT of ground to cover. It's up to you:

 

[The Analyst]

You have no reason to be doing 5x5 or any other structured regiment. It's completely unnecessary and better utilized later when gains have STOPPED.

I disagree. A novice looking to gain strength fast should use a 5x5 program, especially if you want to get into power lifting. Something like Stronglifts or Jason Blaha's novice program would be perfect for Mike right now.

 

[Winspear]

Hey dudes, super glad this thread exists on here. Been lifting for the last two years; prior I was always the skinniest of all my friends (6'4" and 160lbs, can you say string bean?). Breakups are usually a good source of motivation to get ripped up and the like... I've put on a solid 40 pounds since then. I just now started doing meal prep! Trying to lower my body fat - when you're on the cusp of just being below 10% you don't drop any farther unless you're really eating well. What are some of your guys favorite meals to prepare for the week?

I'm just getting into some more interesting food at the moment. Mainly healthy 'junk' food Still sticking to basic chicken and rice dinners etc with no cal seasonings, chilli powder etc, but I've bought a bunch of ingredients this week to try out various yummy snacks like protein icecream, brownies, oat cookies etc. I'll post any success!

Hit 3x3s @ 91% for the first time today with a 135kg squat and 87.5kg bench - got all the reps Very taxing but much nicer than the 4x5s at 85-88% that I was doing previously, it's over SO much quicker haha.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

But nothing beats barefoot for deadlifting...

Except wrestling shoes.

All the benefits of barefoot,
+amazing ankle support (if you choose to tie them all the way up tightly)
+ you don't get your feet/socks dirty .

 

[Winspear]

^ Yup used the ones I linked to a few times now. Super tight, can barely get them off without pulling at the laces tons haha. Awesome shoes.

 

[MikeH]

You inadvertently proved my point- you don't understand diet or its importance. (Ref my "diet is 80% of everything" comment) If lifting is only 20%, assuming you know everything there is to know, then that still leaves a substantial amount of ground to cover. Dialing in a diet is comparable to dialing in an amp- but I would say far more time consuming and more difficult to figure out. Everyone burns calories at a different rate and has a different resting metabolic rate- which isn't necessarily the same every day, people respond differently to different types of proteins, carbs, and fats, and it takes a lot of time to figure out what your body needs to meet your goals. The list goes on and on. Not to mention what a pain in the ass food prep is. If you don't prep your meals- you are 100% setting yourself up for failure. Meal prep is everything and I cannot stress that enough. When people drop the ball on that, that's when they make poor dietary decisions...always. Only once you figure out your own shit should you even attempt to try and do it for someone else and have them PAY for it.


Also, honestly, most 'clientele' in the market for this sort of thing are not trying to look like a fat-pud power lifter. They start out for aesthetic reasons. It's absolutely true. They just want to look better. I went through my PL phase and my BB phase. After a few years of testing the waters I realized power lifting was not in the cards. Never going to bench 600 lbs, never going to squat 700 lbs. Doesn't bother me. The one thing I knew for sure was that I never wanted to look like one since most (not all) most of them look kind of out of shape. Just bulky and boxy.

That's totally fine, but don't discredit me because we have different goals. You're a bodybuilder, I'm a powerlifter. Ask any powerlifter for dietary recommendations and the answer will be "Eat everything in sight". I have knowledge of clean eating and would never recommend a client do what I'm doing for nutrition, unless they were going for the same thing I am. I really respect your knowledge, but that does not mean I don't know what I'm saying. I'm 350 pages into my training book, and I'm on Elite FTS and the Animal Pak forums more than I'm on here anymore. I've done research and continue to do it extensively every day. I've still got a ways to go, but I'm not an idiot.

 

[icos211]

I worked at my TKD studio for the first time again this summer. It was also leg day, so I didn't want to do it right before I would have to spend all day kicking, so I did it after I spent all day kicking. Boy was that a terrible decision.

My squat dropped from 3x7 at 275 to 3x7 at 215. SO sad, plus I saw some old friends in there, and I was putting up those wimpy ass numbers. I was so tired I had to bail after like 45 minutes. Plus, I think I exacerbated a hamstring pull that I've been fighting, and I took so many shots to my left shin/calf that I can barely put weight on it. Now aesthetically, my legs are literally as thick as my body, and my calves are on the upper end of grapefruits(both from years and years of TKD, lifting my own fat ass), so I could probably skip legs for the next year and still be better off than the bros with toothpicks coming out of their shoes that I'm constantly surrounded by, and still have some humongoid hams. But with such a bitch ass, cop out workout as I did tonight, I just FEEL sad, small, and dirty. Like I basically just skipped leg day...

 

[Ibanezsam4]

Decided to try out the Madcow 5x5 starting out this week.. this is going to be my first regimented workout plan since i started lifting 4 years ago. Should be cool, i'll post my results in a few weeks to see if i've gotten past my PRs

 

[MikeH]

5/13/14:
Finally got some video! There's descriptions of how I thought I did on each lift. Feel free to critique further!

Squat - Instagram
Deadlift - Instagram
Bench Press - Instagram

As far as the workout tonight:
Squat: 1x10 @ 135, 1x5 @ 200, 3x5 @ 250
Deadlift: 1x2 @ 245.25, 1x5 @ 265, 1x1 @ 333 (miss. I got too confident haha)
Bench: 1x5 @ 135, 2x5 @ 155, 1x3 @ 165, 1x2 @ 175 (previous PR), 1x1 @ 185 (PR!)
Chain Dips: 1x12, 1x8, 1x3 @ 2-Chainz (70 lbs.)
Incline (45º) Dumbbell Chest Press: 3x8 @ 45 (each arm)
Tricep Rope Pull-down: 3x10 @ 80
Close-grip Low Row: 3x10 @ 120

Was fairly exhausted starting off, so I'm really surprised I got in as much as I did. I did legs a couple of days ago, so I didn't want to do anymore accessory work for them. Felt pretty well done for after I finished.

 

[gunshow86de]

^

Okay, I'm gonna be brutally honest with you (since you have mentioned you want to start competing).

Squats - You did not hit depth on any of the reps in the video. On a positive note, your upper body posture looked good.

Deadlift - Your hips are shooting up too quickly (especially that first rep). Remember the first movement is to push up (or stand up) with your legs, then you push the hips through as the bar is around knee level (depending on limb length, you should get a natural "feel" for when it's time to push the hips through)

Bench - I would need to see a full body video to properly evaluate, but from what I can see you did not look tight enough in the upper back and the bar did not touch your chest. If you want to compete I would recommend pause reps on bench. The judges will make you wait for the press command, and if you aren't used to having that bar at a dead-stop on your chest it will be so much more difficult.


Anyway, here is my video. This is the 1+ set on squats, I got 375 lbs for 6 (ish) reps. Reps 1 and 5 were questionable depth. Not the best angle for judging depth, I'll hit a straight on side profile next time.



Jamming that new Misery Index!

 

[TRENCHLORD]

On the DL; Highly suggest ditching the belt for now because I've always thought it negatively influenced the learning of proper form for most starters.
That upper-back needs more of an upward pitch at the bottom.
Ditch belt, suck in the abs, and pre-flex the chest.
Tighten everything up hard before starting the pull, to the point that the bar is already flexing before you even lift it.

Bench; See how your chest rises as you drive the weight up.
Before even un-racking the bar you need to be set, and remain in a fixed position throughout the entire motion.
Once again I'll suggest to suck in the gut a bit and go ahead and get the chest in a fully expanded position before starting, and stay locked like that.
Keeping the gut sucked-in really helps prevent the dreaded back hyper-arch.

I'll watch the squat later tonight.

 

[MikeH]

Thanks, guys. I'm wanting honesty, so I don't feel ashamed. I really appreciate the tips.

 

[gunshow86de]

^

On the bench, I agree with Trench. It looks like you may have rushed your setup. Do not even think about unracking until you are "locked-in."

Yes another Animal video. But this is a good setup (you do not have to mimic him exactly, everyone will be different but the principles are the same).

 

[JeffFromMtl]

So dudes, I need some advice. I was doing the stronglifts 5x5 thing for a while, and although I wasn't having much of a problem upping my weight every workout, I wasn't putting on any weight or mass, myself. I probably wasn't eating or sleeping enough, because I was going through the end of my semester and was beyond broke. Eventually, I ended up getting sick for 3 weeks, and haven't been to the gym in almost a month now.

Given that, I was wondering if you guys know of any other workout plans that'd be better for making gains/putting on weight, since now would be a good time for me to start over, as I lost about 7 or 8 lbs while I was sick. I could stick with 5x5 and now that I'm done school, I'll be working full-time so I have the money for a better diet and a more regular schedule to work workouts and sleep into, but was curious if there are any plans that are better for starting out with. Just looking for some input. Thanks!