Anyone here bench, lift weights, etc?

[Fiction]

Gained 12lbs since I started back again 2 months ago and almost doubled all the weights in doing. Still not doing dead lifts, but I do the other 3 "main" lifts.

 

[Ibanezsam4]

bit off more than i could chew with madcow... well not really.. its just that program is designed for when gains come to a halt, and my upper body needs tons of work so i went to stronglifts instead (also the phone app makes it too easy)

i start my squats a little lower, but i think its bee n a benefit especially since you throw 5lbs on everytime... im concentrating a lot on feeling all the muscle groups engage, when ti support the weight and when to explode with the weight... feels good. should be over 300lbs for 25 reps soon.. however my squats make my deadlifts look bad

 

[soliloquy]

back injury or no back injury, today i weigh the heaviest i've ever been and in the worse shape i've ever been. i'm headed to the gym starting monday. hoping a 4 day split of m/w/f/sat
and when i can, i'll throw in cardio on off days.

i suck.

what would you recommend? previously i used to do 5 sets of 5 reps and saw my strength go up significantly. then right before injury, i switched to 3 sets of 8-10 reps. for fat loss, what is better? heavy weights, low reps? or low weight, high reps?

and i'll be throwing HITT between sets for a minute, then pause for a minute to catch my breath and/or to change weights for the next set

 

[MikeH]

I'm on SL 5x5 as well. I enjoy it.

But bad news today. Was warming up for 235 on squats at 185 and my groin started burning with pain. Tried stretching it out, decided to skip squatting and focus on my bench and barbell row. Hit 5x5 on both of them. Tried going back to just the bar and it just wasn't working. Gonna have to sit out on squats for a week or two, which sucks hard because squatting has become my favorite exercise and I'm obsessed with growing my quads. Frustrated is an understatement.

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

I'm on SL 5x5 as well. I enjoy it.

But bad news today. Was warming up for 235 on squats at 185 and my groin started burning with pain. Tried stretching it out, decided to skip squatting and focus on my bench and barbell row. Hit 5x5 on both of them. Tried going back to just the bar and it just wasn't working. Gonna have to sit out on squats for a week or two, which sucks hard because squatting has become my favorite exercise and I'm obsessed with growing my quads. Frustrated is an understatement.

I know that feel, just gotta roll with it.

SL was my first ever lifting program, I never did anything particularly heavy with it (like 1xBW squat, 1.5BW deadlift) because I was only 15/16, but man I love squatting hahahaha

 

[UnderTheSign]

back injury or no back injury, today i weigh the heaviest i've ever been and in the worse shape i've ever been. i'm headed to the gym starting monday. hoping a 4 day split of m/w/f/sat
and when i can, i'll throw in cardio on off days.

i suck.

what would you recommend? previously i used to do 5 sets of 5 reps and saw my strength go up significantly. then right before injury, i switched to 3 sets of 8-10 reps. for fat loss, what is better? heavy weights, low reps? or low weight, high reps?

and i'll be throwing HITT between sets for a minute, then pause for a minute to catch my breath and/or to change weights for the next set

Reps don't matter (much) for fat loss. Diet and some cardio.

 

[MikeH]

Reps actually matter a lot for fat loss. Moderate weight with high reps will get you cut. Diet and cardio are majorly important as well, but coupled with weight training.

 

[UnderTheSign]

Reps actually matter a lot for fat loss. Moderate weight with high reps will get you cut. Diet and cardio are majorly important as well, but coupled with weight training.

I've never heard anyone say they matter much, let alone a lot. You can lift in the 3-5 range (like a lot of powerlifters do), throw in conditioning/cardio and with a good diet you'll lose fat no problem as well.

 

[MikeH]

If you ever listen to a powerlifter for fat loss advice, ur doin it rong.

While there certainly are some powerlifters out there who are cut as shit, they are guys who, like myself (not saying that I look cut as shit ), incorporate hypertrophic sets into their routines, which are much better for cutting fat levels. Not to say that the 3-5 range won't do that, because it will. You'll gain more strength and muscle mass, but you won't be looking like a bodybuilder does with defined lines. You're right in saying that diet and cardio are building blocks for that. But I personally saw way more definition coming when I was on a bodybuilding routine. Now that I'm powerlifting, I'm just getting stronger and bigger. Not necessarily leaner.

 

[UnderTheSign]

One could argue that higher reps/bodybuilding style training make you look more 'cut' because those routines stimulate muscle gain more vs training for raw strength. Bigger muscles + low body fat = definition.

I suggest listening to any professional athlethe for diet advice and that includes a bunch of powerlifters.

 

[MikeH]

The powerlifting bit was more of a joke than anything. Obviously guys at the professional level know what they're doing. But I feel like reps do matter, because even you said that higher reps stimulate muscle growth more than reps for strength. And bigger muscles = higher metabolism = higher rate of fat loss.

 

[Ibanezsam4]

The powerlifting bit was more of a joke than anything. Obviously guys at the professional level know what they're doing. But I feel like reps do matter, because even you said that higher reps stimulate muscle growth more than reps for strength. And bigger muscles = higher metabolism = higher rate of fat loss.

the reps kinda matter. not a lot though. the idea behind higher reps is that the act of lifting a weight for a longer period of time will imitate a cardio effect. but studies show this isn't really the case.

the truth is you can do any type of weight training in a caloric deficit and achieve the same results (just watch the hodge twins). you use the same amount of energy to pull a heavy weight for a few reps as you do for pulling a lighter weight for many reps. the difference is people training with high volume are purposefully trying to burn out, whereas the big lifter doesn't want that amount of muscle fatigue for recovery's sake.

in the case of the bodybuilding training, you lift heavy initially then burn out with light later... but bodybuilders never stick to a high rep training regimen until they're preparing for a show (the higher rep draws water to the muscle giving it a bigger look).

 

[Alcoholocaust]

I've come to realise that lighter weight high reps vs heavy low reps is insignificant compared to focussing on the mind-muscle connection.
Focussing on the stretch and flexing the muscle independent of everything else - that's the key, the weight comes 2nd!

 

[Ibanezsam4]

I've come to realise that lighter weight high reps vs heavy low reps is insignificant compared to focussing on the mind-muscle connection.
Focussing on the stretch and flexing the muscle independent of everything else - that's the key, the weight comes 2nd!

precisely! you can flex and really squeeze your muscles independent of weight and even that will do something eventually

 

[Scar Symmetry]

I'm on SL 5x5 as well. I enjoy it.

But bad news today. Was warming up for 235 on squats at 185 and my groin started burning with pain. Tried stretching it out, decided to skip squatting and focus on my bench and barbell row. Hit 5x5 on both of them. Tried going back to just the bar and it just wasn't working. Gonna have to sit out on squats for a week or two, which sucks hard because squatting has become my favorite exercise and I'm obsessed with growing my quads. Frustrated is an understatement.

I've found that when I do shit like this I actually end up appreciating the time off

I've just had to take 5 weeks off due to personal reasons but as of next week I am going to be back on my upper body (lower body is in pretty good shape) like ....kkkk

From earlier this year I know exactly how I'm going to get the gains: squats, skullcrushers, steak and eggs. Also a shitload of broccoli!

 

[gunshow86de]

Here's some clips from today's session. Squats are a double at 355 lbs for 2 sets, bench is 275 lbs x 5 with a full pause. Feel free to provide constructive criticism on form (just don't make fun of my chubbiness, that's a "work in progress" ).

FYI, the background music is the new Vader album. It's ....ing epic. Stream it here.

 

[Kidneythief]

So a question, I have started to go to the gym again, but something doesn't seem right. I don't know if I'm not doing the exercises correctly, but I just don't feel that "muscle soreness" I've been expecting(?)

Here is what my "plan" looks like, please bear in mind I'm a complete noob at it, trying to follow a plan I found online (I hope I get the translation right). They sort of recommend it for people just starting out, and stick to this for a couple of months. Figured I'd go with this then...

bench press 12-10-8
dumbbell presses 12-10-8
front lat pulldown 12-10-8
standing barbell curl 12-10-8
overhead dumbbell triceps extension (the f*?) 12-10-8
squats with barbell 12-10-8
standing calf raises; around 30x3
crunches; 20x3

Or if anyone could give me tips on exercises, what to look for, or any general tips would be welcome.

 

[MikeH]

Muscle soreness doesn't necessarily mean you're doing it correctly. Not to say that hard workouts won't make you sore, but the goal is not to be stiff and achey, but just focusing on correct form and rep amounts. Also, I don't know exactly what you're showing me. Is this all of the exercises you do in one day? If so, you should start by breaking up your week into major muscle groups. Doing full body workouts multiple times a week won't allow you adequate recovery time, and you won't grow nearly as fast as you should. The most common split looks like this:

M - Chest/Triceps
W - Legs/Abs
F - Back/Biceps

You don't HAVE to follow a routine like that (I'm currently training for powerlifting, so I do multiple groups at once), but it's a good way to start. Just make sure you're focusing 100% on form and don't worry about weight. Do enough to challenge yourself, but don't ego lift. I was doing that, then had to completely readjust my squat and drop weight because I wasn't hitting correct depth. The beginning of training will engrain your muscle memory with correct motions so that when you start to go up in weight, it will only be beneficial because you're doing it correctly. Bodybuilding.com has some great videos for exercise explanations, if you're stuck on something.

Also, the overhead triceps extension is where you hold a dumbbell with both hands behind your head, and then lift up.

 

[Kidneythief]

Ah yes forgot to add, that those are the exercises for one day.
Well I'm still at the start of things, so I guess readjusting the program will be beneficial.

What I really need to look out for however is eating. I'm a skinny tall guy, and although I have been eating a lot, I never really gained weight. Obviously I didn't do any workout so that is no suprise, but I can't even "get fat". It's funny though, I can't really imagine myself eating 4-5 times a day. That will be another challenge I guess.

EDIT;
I'm not making up excuses, and this will be a stupid question;
I have only 2 occasions per week that I can go to the gym. Would it be then "better" to merge those three days?
So for example;
1st day: chest, triceps, legs
2nd day: biceps, back, abs

 

[Ibanezsam4]

I rode the struggle bus hard yesterday on my SL squats.

i got up to 290 and idk.. maybe i botched my warmup, maybe i was tired.. but i said screw it to the last set... i could already feel my back beginning to strain.

im not put off by it though, technically im 10lbs away from when you're supposedly "done" with Strong Lifts.. so if chill at this weight for another week i'll be good

I'm not making up excuses, and this will be a stupid question;
I have only 2 occasions per week that I can go to the gym. Would it be then "better" to merge those three days?
So for example;
1st day: chest, triceps, legs
2nd day: biceps, back, abs

it certainly wouldn't kill you or hurt your gains.

just make sure you've had some food earlier in the day for energy support and you'll be good.