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MWS Natural · Jun 5, 2011

Missed my workout this week but for some reason I still have some tightness in the muscle between my chest and shoulder. It seems like since I've started going heavy (300+lbs)on the bench I've been sore in that area even more so than my chest or triceps.

Doing a google search I came up with this image:

So it would be tightness/soreness in my Pectoral Minor muscle. Not sure if it is from poor benching technique that is putting too much strain on that area or I that need to add some supplemental exercise to strengthen it.

Edit:

It actually might be my Pectoral Minor..

twofold · Jun 5, 2011

Any opinions on Crossfit?

I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the north of Thailand, but I've been unable to find a gym with a squat rack. There is a Crossfit gym here, though, which I think'd be better than messing around with machines. Curious to know what people who have done it think of it.

parrotbeak · Jun 5, 2011

I always forget to google this, but looking up pectoralis minor, I found this:

If there is any shortening or tightness in pectoralis minor, it can entrap the brachial nerve when you put your arm over your head. This can cause numbness in parts of your forearm, hand and fingers. Where the numbness occurs depends on what part of the nerve is entrapped. Pectoralis minor is fairly easy to treat in clinical massage therapy.

Always wondered about that, cuz one of my naturally preferred sleep positions (will go into it automatically as I drift to sleep) is on my back with my hands over my head, and on occasion I've woken up with a numb hand.

X-Frame · Jun 5, 2011

MWS Natural said:
Missed my workout this week but for some reason I still have some tightness in the muscle between my chest and shoulder. It seems like since I've started going heavy (300+lbs)on the bench I've been sore in that area even more so than my chest or triceps.

So it would be tightness/soreness in my Pectoral Minor muscle. Not sure if it is from poor benching technique that is putting too much strain on that area or I that need to add some supplemental exercise to strengthen it.

Are you doing a form of rows at nearly the same weight as your bench (i.e. barbell rows, seated rows, dumbbell rows, etc.)

Draft · Jun 5, 2011

twofold said:
Any opinions on Crossfit?

I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the north of Thailand, but I've been unable to find a gym with a squat rack. There is a Crossfit gym here, though, which I think'd be better than messing around with machines. Curious to know what people who have done it think of it.

Xfit gym should have a rack.

Creamwolf · Jun 5, 2011

MWS Natural said:
Missed my workout this week but for some reason I still have some tightness in the muscle between my chest and shoulder. It seems like since I've started going heavy (300+lbs)on the bench I've been sore in that area even more so than my chest or triceps.

Doing a google search I came up with this image:

So it would be tightness/soreness in my Pectoral Minor muscle. Not sure if it is from poor benching technique that is putting too much strain on that area or I that need to add some supplemental exercise to strengthen it.

Edit:

It actually might be my Pectoral Minor..

It's most likely your pec and it could also be your bicep tendon, it connects up around that area and that's where you feel the pain. My guess it's due to you going up in weight and strain on that muscle. Ice it after workouts and give it rest on non chest days, so if you do pushups daily just ease off them for awhile until the soreness/tightness dissipates, and stretch the hell out of it. Make sure you're taking the proper warm-up sets as well.

whatsinaname · Jun 5, 2011

Age: 27
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 185 lbs
Goal: Weight loss + Increase endurance
Current Training Schedule: 4-5 times a week. 8±1 miles of biking OR 15-20 minutes of jumping rope. I do a few push ups and crunches after my cardio, but nothing of note. (I try to get in as many as I can. Am usually very knackered after the cardio)
Current Training Equipment Available: None
Comments: I've dropped from ~250lbs to ~185 over the last year and I think it might be time to add some weights into my workout. My main aim is to drop my bf % and also build some endurance.
I was looking into a workout routine like Rushfit/P90X. What would the starting weights I require be? I don't want to get a 25lbs limit weights set and then find out I'll need larger weights. (Those adjustable sets are expensive!). A more complete set of weights is out of the question right now, I don't have the space. Any help is greatly appreciated.

NovemberMike · Jun 5, 2011

mr2xxx said:
Does your diet matter as long as you spend more calories than you take in? For example a high fat low carb diet like keto vs. something that is more balanced but in both you take in the same calories and protein.

Reason I'm asking is I'm currently doing a keto diet, lost 8 lbs in 2 weeks but the lack of energy sucks and I want to more of a balanced diet.

Don't "diet", just eat healthy foods and work out. Your diet should be a consistent set of foods that you can eat for the rest of your life without going crazy and that fulfills all of your nutritional requirements.

reilo · Jun 5, 2011

I picked up some 40lb adjustable dumbbells so I can do light arm workouts on my offsets (single arm rotations, etc), some new training shoes so I'm not working out in basketball shoes anymore, and a scale with bodyfat measurement.

How accurate are those scales for BF%? is it a good estimator?

rando14 · Jun 5, 2011

Scale as in you step on it and it spits out a number?

I wouldn't trust that in a million years. Best estimator, get some skinfold calipers.

Ready Up Already · Jun 5, 2011

Rando's right and MJFrancis basically says the same thing (his post is in regards to the kind of device in which you hold in your hand and it spits out a number, not a scale you step on, but I'm pretty sure they work using the same overall concept).

I personally find the skinfold calipers a bit awkward to do accurately and instead do the test using a cloth tape measure and a few calculations. Possibly slightly less accurate than the caliper test, but much more accurate than the scale test.

I did the test using the tape measure method just now and got 12%. Will report back in a few weeks now that I'm switching the base for my lunches and dinners from brown rice to spinach. Aiming for sub-10% for the summer.

Brolic Gaoler · Jun 5, 2011

Two new PBs today.

285 barbell shrug

185 standing shoulder press (barbell).

Now for a nap.

Edit. Sorry for bumping the old thread.

zero margin · Jun 5, 2011

Anyone have one of those bowflex selecttech 1090's? Thinking about getting one as my space is limited and gym membership is out of the question (i'm an otr truck driver).

EDIT - going to try a kettlebell first before dropping three bills on that.

Dr_Boris_Goltz · Jun 6, 2011

I just had my first training session and I fucking fainted.

I don't know if I should be incredibly embarrassed or not. I will say the experience was extremely odd...

Apologies for posting in the old thread!

Brolic Gaoler · Jun 6, 2011

Graffgor said:
I just had my first training session and I fucking fainted.

I don't know if I should be incredibly embarrassed or not. I will say the experience was extremely odd...

Apologies for posting in the old thread!

You should probably see a doctor and find out why.

Dr_Boris_Goltz · Jun 6, 2011

I've been on antibiotics for a few days for an ear infection, and I noticed before I blacked out that my ear pain had intensified. I imagine it was that combined with my lack of lifting experience, but I think I will call the doctor on Monday just to confirm.

Brolic Gaoler · Jun 6, 2011

Graffgor said:
I've been on antibiotics for a few days for an ear infection, and I noticed before I blacked out that my ear pain had intensified. I imagine it was that combined with my lack of lifting experience, but I think I will call the doctor on Monday just to confirm.

Sounds like you're increasing blood pressure to your head, but I'm no doctor.

MWS Natural · Jun 6, 2011

X-Frame said:
Are you doing a form of rows at nearly the same weight as your bench (i.e. barbell rows, seated rows, dumbbell rows, etc.)

I do seated rows on a machine. But I picked the wrong muscle group it's not in my back it's in the front where my chest meats my shoulders, sorry.

Creamwolf said:
It's most likely your pec and it could also be your bicep tendon, it connects up around that area and that's where you feel the pain. My guess it's due to you going up in weight and strain on that muscle. Ice it after workouts and give it rest on non chest days, so if you do pushups daily just ease off them for awhile until the soreness/tightness dissipates, and stretch the hell out of it. Make sure you're taking the proper warm-up sets as well.

Yeah I never warm up I should give that a try. I only do compound exercises so nothing that isolates the biceps specifically. The tightness is in the muscle that goes over the bicep more towards the shoulder. The more I look at pics the more I think it's my Pectoral Major. It's just odd that I only feel soreness/tightness on the far outside towards the shoulder and nowhere else in the chest area. Thanks.

reilo · Jun 6, 2011

Started doing shoulder dislocations and single-arm rotations as an addition to doing push-ups on my off-days. Hopefully that will make a difference, so I'll find out sooner than later I reckon.

twofold · Jun 6, 2011

Went to my first Crossfit session this morning - don't think I've ever been pushed so hard before. I was on the verge of vomiting while I walked home.

The workout involved doing 3 rounds of -

30 squat cleans
30 pullups
800m run

It's funny that the 800m run was the easiest part of the whole thing. I felt like dying at the end.

Still, the guys there are really cool and I dug the whole setup. Gonna give it a month and see how it goes.

Masta_Killah · Jun 6, 2011

reilo said:
Started doing shoulder dislocations and single-arm rotations as an addition to doing push-ups on my off-days. Hopefully that will make a difference, so I'll find out sooner than later I reckon.

That doesn't sound healthy. What exactly are you trying to strengthen?

reilo · Jun 6, 2011

Masta_Killah said:
That doesn't sound healthy. What exactly are you trying to strengthen?

Don't let the name fool you:

http://stronglifts.com/shoulders-dislocations/

It's really a stretching/flexibility exercise. My shoulders are constantly tight and my mornings are filled with a ton of right shoulder/neck pain. I'm also hoping this improves my bench press.

CrushDance · Jun 6, 2011

Fuck. I went 1.5 weeks hard at the gym and did a lot of machines and cardio everyday for about 2 hours. 1.5 weights and 30mins straight cardio. But I fell off a bit and didn't go for 3 days in a row. I went back today and couldn't do anything. I was rested and good but there was no power whatsoever.

What's happening? Did I overdo it for a beginner? My average weight for everything I did was 90. Leg exercises around 250. Fuck I've never felt so embarrassed. I tried doing a bench-press with 25lb weights and did about 12 of them before failing miserably and some lady running over to help.

Fuck. Even running, I run for 2 minutes and feel worse than when I was horribly overweight. I get sleep, eat lots of meat and take my vitamins just to be sure I'm getting everything. I saw on the first page that ideally you're supposed to do 5-8 reps of really heavy weights for best results on that chart. But I tried to do my arms today and could barely manage 70lbs.

Someone guide me please :S

Masta_Killah · Jun 6, 2011

CrushDance said:
Fuck. I went 1.5 weeks hard at the gym and did a lot of machines and cardio everyday for about 2 hours. 1.5 weights and 30mins straight cardio. But I fell off a bit and didn't go for 3 days in a row. I went back today and couldn't do anything. I was rested and good but there was no power whatsoever.

What's happening? Did I overdo it for a beginner? My average weight for everything I did was 90. Leg exercises around 250. Fuck I've never felt so embarrassed. I tried doing a bench-press with 25lb weights and did about 12 of them before failing miserably and some lady running over to help.

Fuck. Even running, I run for 2 minutes and feel worse than when I was horribly overweight. I get sleep, eat lots of meat and take my vitamins just to be sure I'm getting everything. I saw on the first page that ideally you're supposed to do 5-8 reps of really heavy weights for best results on that chart. But I tried to do my arms today and could barely manage 70lbs.

Someone guide me please :S

Machines won't make you stronger. Have your workouts revolve around anything that requires a barbell. Make sure you warm up properly and do a few warm up sets of increasing weight before you do your workset.

Don't let the name fool you:

http://stronglifts.com/shoulders-dislocations/

It's really a stretching/flexibility exercise. My shoulders are constantly tight and my mornings are filled with a ton of right shoulder/neck pain. I'm also hoping this improves my bench press.

Ah ok.

parrotbeak · Jun 6, 2011

How much of a beginner are you? Were you pretty inactive before the 1 1/2 weeks? If so, 2 hours at the gym is probably too much. You'll improve quickly as a beginner but you still need to start slow or you'll likely injure or overstress yourself.

Anyway, the only way to figure it out is to keep trying, write everything down, write down how you feel and get to know your body. No one else can tell you how your body reacts to different levels of exercise. Even after many years of working out--provided you are trying to progress and not doing the exact same things--you'll still be learning.

Also read the OP if you haven't already.

CrushDance · Jun 6, 2011

Masta_Killah said:
Machines won't make you stronger. Have your workouts revolve around anything that requires a barbell. Make sure you warm up properly and do a few warm up sets of increasing weight before you do your workset.

Ah ok.

Why won't machines make me stronger? Silly question maybe, but I'm doing the same exercises except they're not free form. ??

parrotbeak said:
How much of a beginner are you? Were you pretty inactive before the 1 1/2 weeks? If so, 2 hours at the gym is probably too much. You'll improve quickly as a beginner but you still need to start slow or you'll likely injure or overstress yourself.

Anyway, the only way to figure it out is to keep trying, write everything down, write down how you feel and get to know your body. No one else can tell you how your body reacts to different levels of exercise. Even after many years of working out--provided you are trying to progress and not doing the exact same things--you'll still be learning.

Also read the OP if you haven't already.

Last time I lifted weights was back in highschool, 5 years ago. But I ran a lot since last year and dropped about 80 pounds. So I'm really baffled that my endurance has gone to hell in all of two weeks. I went for 45 minutes on the treadmill a week ago, barely managed 5 today.

Masta_Killah · Jun 6, 2011

CrushDance said:
Why won't machines make me stronger? Silly question maybe, but I'm doing the same exercises except they're not free form. ??

Last time I lifted weights was back in highschool, 5 years ago. But I ran a lot since last year and dropped about 80 pounds. So I'm really baffled that my endurance has gone to hell in all of two weeks. I went for 45 minutes on the treadmill a week ago, barely managed 5 today.

Compared to compounds, machines isolate individual muscle groups and targets those only. Machines don't stimulate the supporting muscles that compounds also works out. This causes an imbalance in strength. Your chest maybe strong doing an iso chest press, but since that machine only works out the pecs, your tris and other supporting muscles will be lagging behind.

This is why when you go from isolation machines to compounds you are significantly weaker, overall. Gym times also become longer over the course of the week since you have to train individual parts more often to get the same effect as with compound exercises.

If you want to include isolation work, by all means go ahead. I suggest though that you do them AFTER you do compound exercises. Allow compounds to give you general overall strength gains and use isolation exercises to help stimulate bodyparts that are lagging behind.

CrushDance · Jun 6, 2011

Ah okay, gotcha. I just feel rather shy doing small weights compared to others >.<

X-Frame · Jun 6, 2011

MWS Natural said:
I do seated rows on a machine. But I picked the wrong muscle group it's not in my back it's in the front where my chest meats my shoulders, sorry.

The reason why I asked is because if you have an imbalance between your pushing muscles and your pulling muscles then it's very easy for your shoulder to be unhappy. Most people are walking around with stronger and more developed pushing muscles because everyone flocks to benching that they are doing half or 3 times as less pulling movements.

If you're benching a lot of weight and doing a lot of sets, make sure you are doing an equal amount of rows. Also, you might need to start doing some reading on the external rotator muscles of the shoulder as they also tend to be underdeveloped in most people when compared to the internal rotators (i.e. pecs) so there could be an imbalance there too.

Read these:

Push-Ups, Face Pulls, and Shrugs

Achieving Structural Balance

Wanna Grow? Gotta Row

GiJoccin · Jun 6, 2011

MWS Natural said:
Yeah I never warm up I should give that a try. I only do compound exercises so nothing that isolates the biceps specifically. The tightness is in the muscle that goes over the bicep more towards the shoulder. The more I look at pics the more I think it's my Pectoral Major. It's just odd that I only feel soreness/tightness on the far outside towards the shoulder and nowhere else in the chest area. Thanks.

the thing with that area is, a TON of muscles connect all at your shoulder, so it could really be any number of muscles. as im sure you know, best bet is to listen to your body and stretch it, and stop whatever you're doing if you get more pain.

MjFrancis · Jun 6, 2011

reilo said:
Don't let the name fool you:

http://stronglifts.com/shoulders-dislocations/

It's really a stretching/flexibility exercise. My shoulders are constantly tight and my mornings are filled with a ton of right shoulder/neck pain. I'm also hoping this improves my bench press.

I let it fool me because with a name like that, it sounded painful. Fortunately after doing a quick set, I'm satisfied. I'll see how long-term use pans out, though I don't think I'll call them shoulder dislocations. It'll be random broomstick exercise #27 for me.

Flexibility is awesome, and I've been slowly incorporating more drills and stretches into my daily or weekly routines for some time. When I was younger and took Bullshido classes I could do the splits. I'm disappointed to have let such flexibility lapse in the first place.

reilo · Jun 6, 2011

MjFrancis said:
I let it fool me because with a name like that, it sounded painful. Fortunately after doing a quick set, I'm satisfied. I'll see how long-term use pans out, though I don't think I'll call them shoulder dislocations. It'll be random broomstick exercise #27 for me.

Flexibility is awesome, and I've been slowly incorporating more drills and stretches into my daily or weekly routines for some time. When I was younger and took Bullshido classes I could do the splits. I'm disappointed to have let such flexibility lapse in the first place.

Agreed about flexibility. Just the act of being to touch both my toes while sitting down with my legs completely stretched out in front of me felt, like you said, awesome.

rando14 · Jun 6, 2011

CrushDance said:
Ah okay, gotcha. I just feel rather shy doing small weights compared to others >.<

Never, ever worry about this.

Good form with slightly less weights >>>>>>> Poor form with way too much weight.

Guess which one I see at the gym more often?

FallingEdge · Jun 6, 2011

Squats yesterday with 7 reps @ 270. Sure, it isn't the greatest but a new PR for me. I know I can get 1 rep @ 300 by the end of the summer.

Squat - 1 rep @ 300 (1.5 x bw)
Bench - 1 rep @ 225 (Already did bw, this is my next goal)
Deadlift - 1 rep @ 400 (2 x bw)
OHP - ?????

I know that these are the general values you should be aiming for but does anyone know what it is for OHP? I really have no idea.

Also, banged out 10 sets of pullups today before heading to work. I was able to get 7 easily but the last 3 are a struggle. It is amazing to see how easy it really was when last week I was fighting hard to get 5.

Feels good man.

MjFrancis · Jun 6, 2011

Feel free to use the crossfit Basic Strength Standards [PDF] as a guide for your press progression goals. For the press I chose to use my own bodyweight as a benchmark. As I get bulkier this goal will get slightly loftier, but that's fine. I've also heard of the 500/400/300 pound 1RM as a standard for some people's deadlift/squat/bench press instead of the crossfit chart I use. That's not to mention any elite standard I've heard thrown around, aka the cats at Westside.

Make a goal that you will be satisfied with. Break it if you can.

parrotbeak · Jun 6, 2011

As a Macho Man fan, I think you should shoot for 280, which is the Ultimate Warrior's weight, so if you ever meet him you can press and drop him.

MjFrancis · Jun 6, 2011

Being able move the Macho Man overhead will be an easier task than parrotbeak is leading you to believe. You could actually do a full snatch or, barring that, even a push-press to get him overhead. Don't get me wrong, it's going to take a lot of hard work, but you can do it. We believe in you.

joeblackisback · Jun 6, 2011

After about two weeks of letting my shoulder heal, I played basketball yesterday. I think it's (mostly) healed, it seems like only my rotator cuff is sore at this point. So I have decided to start hitting the gym again. Obviously I'm going to try and ease back into it, the last thing I want to do is hurt my shoulder again.

Before I hurt myself, I was doing push/pull splits. I generally have about 4 days a week where I can find the time to lift, and I hadn't lifted in a while so I didn't feel like I would have the stamina to do specific splits like a chest day. I decided against SS because I play soccer 2/wk and basketball 1/wk in addition to the occasional run. There's no way I'm going to eat enough to compensate for all that plus the surplus that a successful run on SS would require. ( I did do SS once before and made great gains, but it's not really where I am w/my workouts at the moment)

So here's my question. What are people's thoughts on push/pull vs. something like a 3 day split. Or is there something else out there that I may be missing? As I said, I'm not looking to straight put on pounds like a SS or madcow would probably do.

Here are my stats:

Age: 32 in a week
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185
Goal: Generally get stronger, but I'm pretty happy with my weight. Maybe 195 and lean would be ideal. (I'm probably 10%ish bf now. Have not tested it, but have good overall definition & some abs showing)
Current Training Schedule: 4/wk in the gym (before shoulder dislocation), soccer wed/sat, bball on sun, 1-3 3+mile runs a week
Current Training Equipment Available: full gym
Comments:

reilo · Jun 6, 2011

I'm really glad with how I am progressing in my squat, chin-ups, push-ups, etc, but I'm still annoyed at my really terrible bench press numbers.

As mentioned before, I just started supplementing certain smaller workouts on my off-days to hopefully improve those bench press numbers and I'll give it a good month to let the results build in. If that doesn't happen, I'll have to figure out a different method of getting stronger in that area before I go back to the bench press.

X-Frame · Jun 6, 2011

reilo said:
I'm really glad with how I am progressing in my squat, chin-ups, push-ups, etc, but I'm still annoyed at my really terrible bench press numbers.

As mentioned before, I just started supplementing certain smaller workouts on my off-days to hopefully improve those bench press numbers and I'll give it a good month to let the results build in. If that doesn't happen, I'll have to figure out a different method of getting stronger in that area before I go back to the bench press.

Ever consider dropping barbell bench and trying dumbbell bench to work more on stabilizer muscles as well?

Also make sure you are rowing and making your upper back strong as well. Your pushing strength should be almost equal to your pulling strength. The body is smart, it won't allow the body to get too imbalanced or else injuries happen.

reilo · Jun 6, 2011

X-Frame said:
Ever consider dropping barbell bench and trying dumbbell bench to work more on stabilizer muscles as well?

Also make sure you are rowing and making your upper back strong as well. Your pushing strength should be almost equal to your pulling strength. The body is smart, it won't allow the body to get too imbalanced or else injuries happen.

I haven't been doing rows, so I will definitely consider that.

I'm thinking of moving my workouts to post-work instead of during lunch to allow myself more time at the gym and not limit the amount of workouts I can do. I have a lot more time on my hands these days after work.

X-Frame · Jun 6, 2011

reilo said:
I haven't been doing rows, so I will definitely consider that.

I'm thinking of moving my workouts to post-work instead of during lunch to allow myself more time at the gym and not limit the amount of workouts I can do. I have a lot more time on my hands these days after work.

I could definitely see that being an issue as to why your bench isn't progressing. Definitely start doing rows on the seated cable row machine, or even bent-over barbell rows.

What's your entire split/routine look like?

aeiko · Jun 6, 2011

how do u guys deal with night hunger? i am fine throughout the day but i feel like im starving after 9? any solutions?? diet and workout routine are fine....this is the only thing stopping from losing 20 lbs... -___-

reilo · Jun 6, 2011

X-Frame said:
I could definitely see that being an issue as to why your bench isn't progressing. Definitely start doing rows on the seated cable row machine, or even bent-over barbell rows.

What's your entire split/routine look like?

I made an edit in my earlier post but you answered the question already.

My routine is...

Warm-Ups
3 sets of chin-ups until failure
3x12 sets of weighted sit-ups
3x12 sets of weighted back extensions

Routine
3x5 set of squats with a +5lb progression per session
3x5 set of bench press (would love to do +5lb progression per session, but that isn't happening)

I do that main workout Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

Then...

Off-days (I just added this last week in hopes to strengthen my triceps, back, shoulders, etc to help with my bench press)
5 sets of push-ups until failure
8RM single-arm rotation
3x10 sets of Shoulder Dislocations (http://stronglifts.com/shoulders-dislocations/)

My squats have been going awesome and so have the other workouts. I have been able to keep up my squat progression every single session and I am almost up to squatting my body weight. I consider that a huge personal achievement since I started out at 85lbs squats a month ago.

X-Frame · Jun 7, 2011

reilo said:
I made an edit in my earlier post but you answered the question already.

My routine is...

Warm-Ups
3 sets of chin-ups until failure
3x12 sets of weighted sit-ups
3x12 sets of weighted back extensions

Routine
3x5 set of squats with a +5lb progression per session
3x5 set of bench press (would love to do +5lb progression per session, but that isn't happening)

I do that main workout Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

Then...

Off-days (I just added this last week in hopes to strengthen my triceps, back, shoulders, etc to help with my bench press)
5 sets of push-ups until failure
8RM single-arm rotation
3x10 sets of Shoulder Dislocations (http://stronglifts.com/shoulders-dislocations/)

My squats have been going awesome and so have the other workouts. I have been able to keep up my squat progression every single session and I am almost up to squatting my body weight. I consider that a huge personal achievement since I started out at 85lbs squats a month ago.

Yeah you definitely need a rowing variant in there somewhere. Do 3x5 of barbell bent-over rows after your bench press maybe?

If you do that, you might as well just start doing a modified Starting Strength (Rippetoe) routine. Ever consider that?

reilo · Jun 7, 2011

X-Frame said:
Yeah you definitely need a rowing variant in there somewhere. Do 3x5 of barbell bent-over rows after your bench press maybe?

If you do that, you might as well just start doing a modified Starting Strength (Rippetoe) routine. Ever consider that?

I certainly have taken Starting Strength as my basis for my routine (along with a bunch of other suggestions in these threads throughout the years).

I think I'll move my workouts to after work and add in barbell bent-over rows.

ipukespiders · Jun 7, 2011

aeiko said:
how do u guys deal with night hunger? i am fine throughout the day but i feel like im starving after 9? any solutions?? diet and workout routine are fine....this is the only thing stopping from losing 20 lbs... -___-

I eat at
830 am
1200 pm
500 pm
900 pm
Bed at about 1100 pm

That way I don't go to bed hungry.

parrotbeak · Jun 7, 2011

X-Frame said:
The reason why I asked is because if you have an imbalance between your pushing muscles and your pulling muscles then it's very easy for your shoulder to be unhappy. Most people are walking around with stronger and more developed pushing muscles because everyone flocks to benching that they are doing half or 3 times as less pulling movements.

I need to supplement my back exercises heavier, or at least pay more attention. I do neglect my bench also, as far as if I'm running out of time, that's the first thing I cut (for sure this month I probably won't have time to bench). But I also have trouble doing barbell rows, because after I do my squats, my lower back is tired. I do rows anyway, but have been purposefully staying light, especially since I'm not completely comfortable with my form yet. I do pull ups and cable rows to supplement, but haven't written them down or monitored progress, and need to start.

In fact, it never even gets any mirror time at the gym, unless you're picking at your backne. (We've seen you do it).

Ewww, another reason I can never do that no-soap-shower thing. Now I'm thinking about all the backne pus that's probably oozed out onto the bar I squat with (other peoples, I'm clean).

CrushDance said:
Last time I lifted weights was back in highschool, 5 years ago. But I ran a lot since last year and dropped about 80 pounds. So I'm really baffled that my endurance has gone to hell in all of two weeks. I went for 45 minutes on the treadmill a week ago, barely managed 5 today.

The difference between cardio and weights as far as how your body responds is pretty significant. When I started lifting free weights again late last year, I needed to use a timer to keep me focused on not going too fast and getting too light headed. Also doing cardio after weights is significantly different from just doing cardio. Your body will adapt over time. So don't feel like you can't do cardio cuz you lifted cuz you're just going to gas out fast. Just keep at it, take it slow and you will progress.

MjFrancis said:
Being able move the Macho Man overhead will be an easier task than parrotbeak is leading you to believe. You could actually do a full snatch or, barring that, even a push-press to get him overhead. Don't get me wrong, it's going to take a lot of hard work, but you can do it. We believe in you.

Well, pressing Macho Man would probably be really easy right now, if very gross.

I assume that was a typo. Anyway, now that I think about it, I guess UW mostly used his legs and hips to get his opponent up over his head and then was only pressing him from the top of his head to full elbow extension, so much shorter ROM than an OHP. Plus he was probably giving a hip push there too.

X-Frame · Jun 7, 2011

parrotbeak said:
I need to supplement my back exercises heavier, or at least pay more attention. I do neglect my bench also, as far as if I'm running out of time, that's the first thing I cut (for sure this month I probably won't have time to bench). But I also have trouble doing barbell rows, because after I do my squats, my lower back is tired. I do rows anyway, but have been purposefully staying light, especially since I'm not completely comfortable with my form yet. I do pull ups and cable rows to supplement, but haven't written them down or monitored progress, and need to start.

Does your gym have a chest-supported row machine? Mine has a couple so it's saves your lower back but allows you to focus on the rows. Or a seated cable row isn't chest-supported but you're not bent-over so it should be easier on the back as well.

parrotbeak · Jun 7, 2011

X-Frame said:
Does your gym have a chest-supported row machine? Mine has a couple so it's saves your lower back but allows you to focus on the rows. Or a seated cable row isn't chest-supported but you're not bent-over so it should be easier on the back as well.

Ya, it does, I forgot about that thing. Seated cable rows are fine but I still need to watch for lower back articulation, which is actually good for me to do.

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