Kind of an odd question to ask here, but does anyone like lifting weights? I'm just a casual guy, I only curl about 30-35lbs but I repeatedly squat around 240lbs at work. Can't bench much, maybe 100 lbs, but I don't have a bench, bar, or many weights. I've deadlifted 250lbs of person a few times, but I couldn't do it repeatedly. Thinking about getting more into it because of my job (I'm a nurse Aide who constantly lifts people w/o use of their legs in and out their wheelchairs, into bed, etc) and it just feels really good.
Just kind of curious if anyone else likes working out or anything. Any level, not just super jacked people - like I said, I'm just a casual lifter.
Just kind of curious if anyone else likes working out or anything. Any level, not just super jacked people - like I said, I'm just a casual lifter.
Bro, I got two tickets to Gainsville, just past Growhio. Ownership of guns is mandatory.
I don't do a lot with weights, but I am a dancer -- when I'm in good repair I routinely practice/condition 1.5 to 2 hours a day. Sometimes I incorporate weights into shimmy drills. I am pretty sure there is video of it out there.
This year, several rotated ribs and an out of place collar bone made doing stuff with my upper body very challenging, and for safety I had to cut back on dance practice to nearly zero for several months. So I picked up running over the summer. I had never considered running previously, but within a month I completed my first 20k race. Playing Zombies, Run! makes running and constantly pushing to build speed and endurance much more engaging.
Very recently, my ribs healed enough to start dancing again. I'm building my way back up to those marathon workouts, though - my ribs start complaining after about half an hour still, alas.
I am also stone-cold addicted to my fitbit. My BF got me one in early summer and it has basically turned me into my own tamagotchi. ALL THE DATA. BIOMETRICS FTW!
This year, several rotated ribs and an out of place collar bone made doing stuff with my upper body very challenging, and for safety I had to cut back on dance practice to nearly zero for several months. So I picked up running over the summer. I had never considered running previously, but within a month I completed my first 20k race. Playing Zombies, Run! makes running and constantly pushing to build speed and endurance much more engaging.
Very recently, my ribs healed enough to start dancing again. I'm building my way back up to those marathon workouts, though - my ribs start complaining after about half an hour still, alas.
I am also stone-cold addicted to my fitbit. My BF got me one in early summer and it has basically turned me into my own tamagotchi. ALL THE DATA. BIOMETRICS FTW!
I'm getting back into weightlifting after a few years! I was making good progress, but I did something to my back after a really good deadlift day last month so that has set me back a lot. 
It's ouchie! I'm not suuuper serious about lifting and I haven't maxed in a while. I just wanna get bigger. I love to work biceps and triceps especially, but shoulders are fun too. I haaaate lower body--I've always been scared of squatting! I used to love deadlifting but I could never do very high weight, and now with my back, I have to go super easy on it (and on squat too).
It's ouchie! I'm not suuuper serious about lifting and I haven't maxed in a while. I just wanna get bigger. I love to work biceps and triceps especially, but shoulders are fun too. I haaaate lower body--I've always been scared of squatting! I used to love deadlifting but I could never do very high weight, and now with my back, I have to go super easy on it (and on squat too).
Heimdall wrote:
I was making good progress, but I did something to my back after a really good deadlift day last month so that has set me back a lot.
I studied as a personal trainer for the better part of a year, and I would strongly recommend that you hold off on the deadlifts. Popular gym culture seems to have a fascination with deads, but they're one of the most complicated lifts to execute safely, and many people just aren't genetically built to even perform them!
If you want to work your hamstrings and posterior chain, you'd get very good (and much safer) results with loaded lunges. I personally prefer reverse lunges, as they put a lot less impact on the joints than traditional forward ones.
Bloopit wrote:
Heimdall wrote:
I was making good progress, but I did something to my back after a really good deadlift day last month so that has set me back a lot.
I studied as a personal trainer for the better part of a year, and I would strongly recommend that you hold off on the deadlifts. Popular gym culture seems to have a fascination with deads, but they're one of the most complicated lifts to execute safely, and many people just aren't genetically built to even perform them!
If you want to work your hamstrings and posterior chain, you'd get very good (and much safer) results with loaded lunges. I personally prefer reverse lunges, as they put a lot less impact on the joints than traditional forward ones.
It was very strange! My form is good on deadlift and I didn't experience any abnormal pains or spasms after/during the motion. I wasn't overburdening myself and my spine stayed straight, and it felt wonderful afterward. There was the usual achy muscle feeling after the lifting was all said and done, but then it just never stopped hurting! Not sure if I did something unrelated to my back in the wake of the lift (I stoop and bend in my work a lot so it's not impossible) or if something weird happened in the lift itself. Either way, I'm focusing on upper body for now, and once I sort through health care shenanigans I'll see what a doc has to say about it.
It's worth noting that, even when performed correctly, the amount of force driven through the lower back (particularly the sacrum) during deadlift is tremendous. You're basically creating a fulcum out of your axial skeleton.
Keeping the back straight can be misleading too. I've watched some guys who technically has a "straight" back, but they were arching more of the thoracic vertibrae than the lumbar, so it wasn't actually a neutral spine at all! Also, people can struggle keeping their lats fully engaged, which means they're not getting the necessary tightness in the mid-back to prevent slipping.
The deadlift is an excellent exercise, but again, it just baffles me why such a demanding and elaborate movement has become the go-to for most lifters. Many athletes can't perform it correctly, and even a few degrees error means you're subjecting your spine to massive shearing.
I'm not saying not to do it, just that there are much more accessible alternatives which will still work the posterior chain.
[EDIT] I seem to be rambling a bit, so I'll try to stick to the original topic. Sorry!
Keeping the back straight can be misleading too. I've watched some guys who technically has a "straight" back, but they were arching more of the thoracic vertibrae than the lumbar, so it wasn't actually a neutral spine at all! Also, people can struggle keeping their lats fully engaged, which means they're not getting the necessary tightness in the mid-back to prevent slipping.
The deadlift is an excellent exercise, but again, it just baffles me why such a demanding and elaborate movement has become the go-to for most lifters. Many athletes can't perform it correctly, and even a few degrees error means you're subjecting your spine to massive shearing.
I'm not saying not to do it, just that there are much more accessible alternatives which will still work the posterior chain.
[EDIT] I seem to be rambling a bit, so I'll try to stick to the original topic. Sorry!
Ramble away, that's the entire point of having a forum.
I, too, know the difficulty of having a bad back. I also screwed up my right wrist with bad form doing forearm exercises maybe five years ago - I was young and cocky, and thought I didn't need to warm up for wrist curls that day. NOPE, WAS WRONG.
Heimdall, I knew back a few years ago when I was still new to the forum that you lifted as a hobby. That sort of helped give me the final push I needed to actually start working out. I tend to go through periods of RELIGIOUSLY sticking to a 1 on 2 off day schedule and then slacking off for a long time. I need to quit being lazy and just buckle down. I want to see if I can't squat 350lbs and curl 40lbs by the end of next spring/summer. Kind of scary when you're lifting a person and suddenly your body wants to give out.
Do anyone have any routines they've tried that have seemed to agree with their body more than others? For bicep curls I find that 3-4 sets of 8-11 reps is my sweet spot, my body really enjoys that. For squats, I like squatting more weight with less reps, it feels better to me (say 240-280lbs, 4-6 sets, 5 reps, rest a minute or two in between. I'm no genius at this, that just makes me feel good). I hate deadlifts. I can do them, but my form is bad, and no one I ask will ever show me how to do it properly.
This topic generated more response than I hoped for, thanks guys
, let's keep this steam train rolling.
I, too, know the difficulty of having a bad back. I also screwed up my right wrist with bad form doing forearm exercises maybe five years ago - I was young and cocky, and thought I didn't need to warm up for wrist curls that day. NOPE, WAS WRONG.
Heimdall, I knew back a few years ago when I was still new to the forum that you lifted as a hobby. That sort of helped give me the final push I needed to actually start working out. I tend to go through periods of RELIGIOUSLY sticking to a 1 on 2 off day schedule and then slacking off for a long time. I need to quit being lazy and just buckle down. I want to see if I can't squat 350lbs and curl 40lbs by the end of next spring/summer. Kind of scary when you're lifting a person and suddenly your body wants to give out.
Do anyone have any routines they've tried that have seemed to agree with their body more than others? For bicep curls I find that 3-4 sets of 8-11 reps is my sweet spot, my body really enjoys that. For squats, I like squatting more weight with less reps, it feels better to me (say 240-280lbs, 4-6 sets, 5 reps, rest a minute or two in between. I'm no genius at this, that just makes me feel good). I hate deadlifts. I can do them, but my form is bad, and no one I ask will ever show me how to do it properly.
This topic generated more response than I hoped for, thanks guys
, let's keep this steam train rolling.
I'm not much of a fan of working out, but I try to do it anyway to stay in shape. I can lift close to nothing with my arms - no kidding here, there's one of the machines in the gym I can't even use, I'm that weak! <- working on that. Ish.
But I do dance a couple of hours a week, and I bike everywhere. Today I think I'm biking around 20-30 km, which is just meant for transportation.
Oh yeah, and I never use weights that are not attached to anything. I have a fear that I might somehow throw them at my face...
But I do dance a couple of hours a week, and I bike everywhere. Today I think I'm biking around 20-30 km, which is just meant for transportation.
Oh yeah, and I never use weights that are not attached to anything. I have a fear that I might somehow throw them at my face...
I love to work out. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something! I've been going to the gym for a while until I ran out of money for it due to the price of my college books being ridiculous. My only problem is that I can't keep a schedule. Some days I just completely forget to do anything at all, which is rather embarrassing. I should start paying more attention to it and get in better shape.
But hell, since there's a thread of fitness nuts going on, I might as well ask. The only region that could really use some work in my gut. What would be your recommended tips for losing some fat/gaining muscles in that area?
But hell, since there's a thread of fitness nuts going on, I might as well ask. The only region that could really use some work in my gut. What would be your recommended tips for losing some fat/gaining muscles in that area?
Bonebag wrote:
For bicep curls I find that 3-4 sets of 8-11 reps is my sweet spot, my body really enjoys that.
For bicep curls, this is probably what you want. Muscles are surprisingly clever at adapting to the specific stimulus you throw at them. One of the things you need to be careful of is the intensity:volume ratio, depending on your outcomes. A basic breakdown of the most common training variables is something like this:
-
Max Strength Training: 1-3 reps of 90% or more of your 1 rep max / 3 Sets or less. (High intensity / Low volume)
Hypertrophy (growth/bodybuilding) training: 8-12 reps of roughly 75% of your 1RM / 3 sets or more (Low intensity / high volume)
Muscular endurance training: 13 reps or more at less than 70% of your 1RM / lots of sets! (Good for runners or endurance athletes.)
These 'zones' don't exist in isolation (if you train max strength, you will still get a bit bigger), but it shifts the focus to particular outcomes. Kind of like EV training for humans!
Biceps are primarily a "vanity" muscle. They're not really designed to move massive loads, so there's no point doing Max Strength on them.
Squats, on the other hand, are a compound exercise that utilize some of your powerhouse muscles (especially glutes. Never underestimate the power of your own butt!), and you'll definitely see an improvement in your overall strength if you're training in lower rep ranges with higher intensities.
Rynh wrote:
The only region that could really use some work in my gut. What would be your recommended tips for losing some fat/gaining muscles in that area?
I hate to say it, but I'm afraid there's no way (aside from liposuction) to reduce body fat from a specific area. You just need to get your whole bodyfat percentage down. If you're hoping for visible abs, you need about 10% BF or less.
Nutrition is the big factor here. You can do all the running in the world, but if your caloric intake is equal or greater than your expenditure, you will not lose weight.
As for the development of muscle, I really recommend planks. Exercises like crunches don't do a lot of work for the deeper core muscles.
You've got two major abdominal areas: your rectus abdominus (your six pack) and your transverse abdominus (a 'sheet' that kind of wraps around your waist. This guy is usually the one doing all the hard work, getting no credit!) planks will work both, improving your stability and support base.
If you want to train the rectus, I'd suggest something like a Captain's Chair movement. A lot less pressure on the spine than situps, and if you bring your knees fully to your chest, you'll activate the entire region!
Thanks for the hints, man! I'm nowhere near obese, but I do feel like I should start getting more active just for later on in my life when it'll be harder to lose weight. This will help me for sure until I can get a renewed gym membership!
At this time I mainly do walking and stationary biking! Strength training isn't for me, but I don't shy away from exercise. I just have to make sure to listen to my body when it sets its limits, cause I tend to push myself too far very easily and then end up hurt again.
Oh boy do I?! Yeah I've been very sick recently so strength and conditioning I have been lacking for a while. I've been working out for about 7 years now, and I still cant increasd my bench press! (stuck with 60kg) so instead I've focused on endurance and stamina rather than strength. I do Kyokushin lessons and that martial art requires a lot of endurance and stamina, so I'm more leaning towards improving that area a bit more.
I don't work out nearly at all, and I really should take some time off of class work to hit the gym. And definitely clean up my diet 
Strangely enough I am a big airsofter and I try to spend however many weekends I can out on the field. Lugging around maybe 30 or 40 lbs while running about in combat is really draining, and although it gets tiring I can always seem to keep going.
I do hope to move to much larger milsim events and I know that will require a great deal more endurance and greater overall fitness. If only I wasn't so good at procrastination and lethargy, I could actually improve myself 😣 To bad I. Any just airsoft everyday. Stuffs a hell of a workout.
Strangely enough I am a big airsofter and I try to spend however many weekends I can out on the field. Lugging around maybe 30 or 40 lbs while running about in combat is really draining, and although it gets tiring I can always seem to keep going.
I do hope to move to much larger milsim events and I know that will require a great deal more endurance and greater overall fitness. If only I wasn't so good at procrastination and lethargy, I could actually improve myself 😣 To bad I. Any just airsoft everyday. Stuffs a hell of a workout.
On another note:
To those of you concerned about the expenses of a gym membership, don't worry about it. You can get plenty fit and strong without setting foot in a gym!
What gyms primarily offer is motivation and aesthetic. Not everybody feels comfortable running on a sports oval or doing pull-ups on a tree branch, but the results are totally comparable. Generally, someone who tells you that you need fancy equipment is probably trying to sell you something.
If you look around youtube, you'll see that bodyweight training (aka calisthenics) is EXPLODING in popularity. These men and women are getting excellent strength and stability gains just by moving around on neighborhood playgrounds.
@JohnAtArms, could you tell me a bit more about your bench press / chest workout plan? Plateauing is very normal, but can often be worked around if you change the stimulus. I bet we could get your numbers up in a few weeks.
What gyms primarily offer is motivation and aesthetic. Not everybody feels comfortable running on a sports oval or doing pull-ups on a tree branch, but the results are totally comparable. Generally, someone who tells you that you need fancy equipment is probably trying to sell you something.
If you look around youtube, you'll see that bodyweight training (aka calisthenics) is EXPLODING in popularity. These men and women are getting excellent strength and stability gains just by moving around on neighborhood playgrounds.
@JohnAtArms, could you tell me a bit more about your bench press / chest workout plan? Plateauing is very normal, but can often be worked around if you change the stimulus. I bet we could get your numbers up in a few weeks.
Bloopit wrote:
@JohnAtArms, could you tell me a bit more about your bench press / chest workout plan? Plateauing is very normal, but can often be worked around if you change the stimulus. I bet we could get your numbers up in a few weeks.
Well, I usually do a minimum of 50 push-ups per day (can vary from knuckles to clapping) and rest on Fridays. As for the bench-press itself, (and since I'm still recovering from sickness) I bench 30kg for 10 sets as many reps as I can for 30 second whilst in between sets I rest for 30 seconds. I only hit the bench-press on Saturdays, as I fear over-training. But anyway, despite seven years of experience, I still consider myself a beginner at this, and I'm fully open for more training tips. Was that enough information? Sorry if I didn't provide what you were looking for... but yeah, that's what I do for chest
Aha. I think I see what the issue might be. Your current training has a lot of volume in it. 10 sets is pretty huge. Bodybuilders will sometimes do 10 sets of 10 for a month-long program (referred to as German Volume Training), but they dial it down afterwards as it's very hard for the body to sustain.
When you say as many reps as you can, are you going to complete failure? Even once a week, that can take a lot out of your system, and is sometimes actually counter-effective to improving your strength. Very frustrating!
Depending on how hard those 50 push-ups a day are, you may actually be halting your progress by not allowing sufficient rest time. The orthodox Strength & Conditioning approach for most athletes is to hit a muscle group about twice, maybe three times per week.
I doubt you've caused any serious over-training, as you'd be exhausted, sore and depressed. You might, however, be doing a bit of "over-reaching", which is a minor form and basically means no gains.
What I would suggest is trying something like a 5(sets)x5(reps) program for a while with your bench, twice a week. Start light (maybe about 50% of your 1RM) and try increasing the weight by about 5% each successful session. You could supplement this with some variations on your push-ups (particularly diamond push-ups, to really get your triceps working)
I know the "do this exercise every day" is a very common mentality in martial arts, but try experimenting with a bit more rest between higher intensity sessions and you might be pleased with the result.
Source: 65kg guy who has benched 100kg. (Don't know if I could do that these days though. Gotten lazy
)
When you say as many reps as you can, are you going to complete failure? Even once a week, that can take a lot out of your system, and is sometimes actually counter-effective to improving your strength. Very frustrating!
Depending on how hard those 50 push-ups a day are, you may actually be halting your progress by not allowing sufficient rest time. The orthodox Strength & Conditioning approach for most athletes is to hit a muscle group about twice, maybe three times per week.
I doubt you've caused any serious over-training, as you'd be exhausted, sore and depressed. You might, however, be doing a bit of "over-reaching", which is a minor form and basically means no gains.
What I would suggest is trying something like a 5(sets)x5(reps) program for a while with your bench, twice a week. Start light (maybe about 50% of your 1RM) and try increasing the weight by about 5% each successful session. You could supplement this with some variations on your push-ups (particularly diamond push-ups, to really get your triceps working)
I know the "do this exercise every day" is a very common mentality in martial arts, but try experimenting with a bit more rest between higher intensity sessions and you might be pleased with the result.
Source: 65kg guy who has benched 100kg. (Don't know if I could do that these days though. Gotten lazy
)
Bloopit wrote:
Aha. I think I see what the issue might be. Your current training has a lot of volume in it. 10 sets is pretty huge. Bodybuilders will sometimes do 10 sets of 10 for a month-long program (referred to as German Volume Training), but they dial it down afterwards as it's very hard for the body to sustain.
When you say as many reps as you can, are you going to complete failure? Even once a week, that can take a lot out of your system, and is sometimes actually counter-effective to improving your strength. Very frustrating!
Depending on how hard those 50 push-ups a day are, you may actually be halting your progress by not allowing sufficient rest time. The orthodox Strength & Conditioning approach for most athletes is to hit a muscle group about twice, maybe three times per week.
I doubt you've caused any serious over-training, as you'd be exhausted, sore and depressed. You might, however, be doing a bit of "over-reaching", which is a minor form and basically means no gains.
What I would suggest is trying something like a 5(sets)x5(reps) program for a while with your bench, twice a week. Start light (maybe about 50% of your 1RM) and try increasing the weight by about 5% each successful session. You could supplement this with some variations on your push-ups (particularly diamond push-ups, to really get your triceps working)
I know the "do this exercise every day" is a very common mentality in martial arts, but try experimenting with a bit more rest between higher intensity sessions and you might be pleased with the result.
Source: 65kg guy who has benched 100kg. (Don't know if I could do that these days though. Gotten lazy )
When you say as many reps as you can, are you going to complete failure? Even once a week, that can take a lot out of your system, and is sometimes actually counter-effective to improving your strength. Very frustrating!
Depending on how hard those 50 push-ups a day are, you may actually be halting your progress by not allowing sufficient rest time. The orthodox Strength & Conditioning approach for most athletes is to hit a muscle group about twice, maybe three times per week.
I doubt you've caused any serious over-training, as you'd be exhausted, sore and depressed. You might, however, be doing a bit of "over-reaching", which is a minor form and basically means no gains.
What I would suggest is trying something like a 5(sets)x5(reps) program for a while with your bench, twice a week. Start light (maybe about 50% of your 1RM) and try increasing the weight by about 5% each successful session. You could supplement this with some variations on your push-ups (particularly diamond push-ups, to really get your triceps working)
I know the "do this exercise every day" is a very common mentality in martial arts, but try experimenting with a bit more rest between higher intensity sessions and you might be pleased with the result.
Source: 65kg guy who has benched 100kg. (Don't know if I could do that these days though. Gotten lazy
)Hmmm... I'm not sure... I mean, I got that chest workout from Mike Chang and basically, it's not very hard once I get used to it. Oh and I made a mistake; I meant to say that I EXERCISE everyday but do push-ups on Mondays and Thursdays and the weekends. Friday's my off day, whilst I go to Kyokushin on Tuesdays and Fencing on Wednesday. Usually I do a lot of cardio at Kyokushin and Fencing so strength and conditioning I do to a minimum. I'm sorry for not being clearer earlier, but yeah...