Arkk's Weight Lifting / Fitness Thread

Palum_sl said:

Oh I do dips (and other stuff for sure), I usually do only 7-8 per set but I think I use a fuller range of motion than most people I've seen use. Pull ups are more difficult though, I can manage 5-6 wide grip per set when I'm not tired (IE not when I actually go to the gym hehe). I'm curious if doing any pull ups is really adding anything though, as I feel I can't get enough reps in most mornings to accomplish anything if that makes any sense?

Deadlifts kind of scare me (for the weight ranges I'd be using) so I haven't added those yet and I'm not sure what power cleans are off the top of my head but I will investigate them! Thanks.

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You can always use an assisted pullup machine

Why do deadlifts scare you? I think the myth of danger surrounding them is grossly exaggerated. Just don't be an idiot and turn your back into a C and I don't see how they're any more dangerous than other exercises (i.e. not). You could add them in at the end of your workout, start really light, and practice form for a month or 2 as you slowly go up. You want proper form as a habit so when you get to near-failure and can't consciously think about form, you still have it. I fucking love deadlifts. The intensity on that last rep, when you're 1/3 of the way up and can't pull any more, using every muscle in your body to get past it. Then taking 5 minutes to put away the weights because you used every ounce of energy left in your body. It's fucking great.

Dabamf_sl said:

What does this mean?

I don't know the reason, but everyone says do barbell rather than dumbbell. You can push more. Maybe that's the reason?

What kind of squat are you doing? I've tried every leg exercise known to man, and someone recommended doing low-bar back squat (rest bar on rear delts) here a month or 2 back, and that is the greatest exercise I've ever done. It fully stretches out your hamstring, glutes, and adductors on the squat down, which gets them in on the lift much more and ends up being a full-leg exercise. High bar (bar on traps) doesn't give that full stretch. My legs are 33-50% bigger in 2 months, no exaggeration (granted, I have/had bird legs).

Definitely add in deadlifts. Cleans are somethin I've done periodically but should be doing more of.

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That's what I've been doing for squats.

As far as pullups, I can definitely do a fair number. I think I'm just a bit weak in the upper back still is all. I need to be 'fresh' to do them well. How much I can lift isn't really so much a concern, either, but I'm not sure frequently I should be adding weight to each type of exercise. I've improved a great deal overall since I've started lifting, but I'm still not entirely sure about what I'm capable of doing versus what I should be doing for lifts. Sometimes I get to a lift where I can do 10-15 fairly comfortably so I add a little weight to get back down to 7-8 reps. But then I sometimes have to go back down a notch half a week later to keep my form again.

I'll definitely add deadlifts, though, I had been meaning too anyway.

What is your goal, to get stronger? If so, then you don't want to do 10-15 reps of anything. You want more weight and less reps. Invest some time into Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength for at least 6 months. 3x5 or 5x5. Add 2.5-5lbs. every new lift session until you can't anymore.

Also, gonna throw in my recommendation for low bar over high bar squats like Dab said.

Reading "practical programming for strength training" by rippetoe and Kilgore and I learned more in 10 pages than I have in the entire rest of my life about lifting. It lays out the difference between different stages of your "career" and why novices and experts should have entirely different structures for their routines, how the body responds to the stress of weights, how it adapts, the cause and consequences of overtraining, how to plan your routine based on your level, and more I'm forgetting.

Its a fantastic book and useful for anyone, especially if you're doing fancy shit in the gym, splits (back day, chest day, etc), supersets or any of that nonsense, trying to get stronger with 8+ rep sets, doing isolation exercises, or not basing the majority of your exercises around squat, press, bench, clean and deadlift. Kindle version is $10 and was worth it by the first chapter. I've almost finished it in 2 days

Celebrindal_sl said:

What is your goal, to get stronger? If so, then you don't want to do 10-15 reps of anything. You want more weight and less reps. Invest some time into Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength for at least 6 months. 3x5 or 5x5. Add 2.5-5lbs. every new lift session until you can't anymore.

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Seconded. Everyone should do a good 6 months + of Starting Strength regardless of goals. Best results I've gotten by far.

Seananigans_sl said:

Have you ever posted pics in any of these threads, Dabamf?

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No, why?

Find myself not breathing during deadlifts/squats lately which gets me dizzy as fuck. Started after I took a month off (vacation in Florida). Think I'm starting too heavy and need to work back in, but the genius I am I went for more weight with extra time off lol.

I guess I'm focusing so much on the form/weight I'm forgetting the most basic fucking thing - BREATHE!

Dabamf_sl said:

What kind of squat are you doing? I've tried every leg exercise known to man, and someone recommended doing low-bar back squat (rest bar on rear delts) here a month or 2 back, and that is the greatest exercise I've ever done. It fully stretches out your hamstring, glutes, and adductors on the squat down, which gets them in on the lift much more and ends up being a full-leg exercise. High bar (bar on traps) doesn't give that full stretch. My legs are 33-50% bigger in 2 months, no exaggeration (granted, I have/had bird legs).

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This sounds intriguing. I didn't know this was even an exercise. I'm sick of my bird legs so I am trying to bulk them up before this coming summer. My upper body has always been ahead of my legs in size, but I think that is mostly because I have really broad shoulders and naturally strong upper body (I've never been one of those "Every day is upper body day!" people, I do full body every workout), and I do a lot of long-distance exercising of my legs (basketball, hiking, etc). So I would like to maintain my upper body size and bulk up my legs as much as possible. How many reps/sets of squats and deads would be ideal for purely building size? I have been lifting off and on for years but I've never really put a focus on bulking up my legs. Also, since I am not looking to evenly build my whole body, is there anything wrong with doing low reps lower body and 15-20 for upper body exercises? It just seems kind of strange to do that...

No quotes going on here bc on phone.

Itlan: For deadlift I heard it suggested (stronglifts I think) to take a breath and push down in your abs almost like your taking a shit and use that tension to stabilize your core. Only breathe after. That works really well for me. Likewise I only breathe at the top on squats.

Sean: my only post even remotely close to that tone was the last one. And those aren't my words of expertise; they are from an extremely well respected strength coach. I've spent about 6 of the last 10 years lifting in some fashion , with the vast majority of it completely wasted doing bullshit and fancy exercises. Starting strength has made an unbelievable difference, so I'm now fully convinced that anything other than a routine based on it or setting extremely similar is sub-optimal at best, a waste of time at worst. Im posting to try and help people avoid wasting the time I did. If you need a face and body to convince you, don't listen to me, because I don't care. My lifts are posted here. They are not impressive. Had I followed this sort of routine from the start, they probably would be.

Mountain man: I don't know the scientific evidence behind it, but it's generall accepted that higher reps (10-15) build more mass and lower reps (5 or less) build more strength. If you want to even out in appearance, what you suggest will do the opposite. Get starting strength, follow that. Its guaranteed to lead to improvements. YouTube "low bar back squat" for tutorial on proper form. Lots of vids

I've never understood how you build strength without building mass. Wouldn't the two go hand-in-hand?

I've done 5x5 before, it definitely works. I just don't do cleans, idk why, never felt comfortable with them. I never did a strict 5x5 routine, though. I kind of just winged it, I'm interested in this book now.

I've kind of plateaued at 95 lbs on dumbbells. I just can't seem to bring myself to grab the 100s lol.

Itlan_sl said:

Find myself not breathing during deadlifts/squats lately which gets me dizzy as fuck. Started after I took a month off (vacation in Florida). Think I'm starting too heavy and need to work back in, but the genius I am I went for more weight with extra time off lol.

I guess I'm focusing so much on the form/weight I'm forgetting the most basic fucking thing - BREATHE!

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That sounds obvious, but several years ago I was doing face pulls, I think, and wasn't breathing enough. I remember I finished my set and all the sudden I couldn't see. I remember my vision slowly coming back and I kept blinking my eyes trying to see and it just being completely blurred. I had to stumble over to a wall and catch my breath for several minutes. Scared the shit out of me.

Itlan_sl said:

I've never understood how you build strength without building mass. Wouldn't the two go hand-in-hand?

I've done 5x5 before, it definitely works. I just don't do cleans, idk why, never felt comfortable with them. I never did a strict 5x5 routine, though. I kind of just winged it, I'm interested in this book now.

I've kind of plateaued at 95 lbs on dumbbells. I just can't seem to bring myself to grab the 100s lol.

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Different muscle fibers respond to high rep vs low rep. High rep recruits more fibers that have increased volume but are not as efficient at contracting. Low rep is the opposite. Both are increased by both rep schemes but it's not equal. So says the book I linked

Itlan_sl said:

I've never understood how you build strength without building mass. Wouldn't the two go hand-in-hand?

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The size of a muscle and how it correlates to strength is not really as good of an indicator as how muscle growth correlates to strength. Generally, you get bigger, you are getting stronger, but person A vs person B where A has 18 inch arms and B has 16 inch arms, means nothing as a strength indicator.

arkktheseaotter_sl said:

The size of a muscle and how it correlates to strength is not really as good of an indicator as how muscle growth correlates to strength. Generally, you get bigger, you are getting stronger, but person A vs person B where A has 18 inch arms and B has 16 inch arms, means nothing as a strength indicator.

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I see. I'm going to start those strong lifts me thinks.

Took a couple weeks off at the gym. Got sick as a dog with the flu.

Went back to the gym yesterday since getting sick...and christ it was bad. I FEEL fine. But clearly my body does not agree. 315 felt like 410 on my bench! I had to skip inclines, because I could not pull the weight off the bar over my head without a struggle. Said fuckit, did Nautilus and went home.

Today is back...This will be interdasting. I can't believe just 2weeks out the gym can reduce you to such a shell.

I don't think you start to atrophy until about the 2 week point, and it's a very slow process. I'd guess that it's likely you're still recovering from the flu.

I'm curious if you use a spotter with that kind of weight? Seems ridiculous.

Elurin_sl said:

I don't think you start to atrophy until about the 2 week point, and it's a very slow process. I'd guess that it's likely you're still recovering from the flu.

I'm curious if you use a spotter with that kind of weight? Seems ridiculous.

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LOL, fuck yeah. I use a spotter on everything that I can't rep 10x.