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Fitness |OT7| #Swelfies, Trap Lords, and Quadzilla

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Heysoos

Member
If there's one thing I hate about my gym sometimes is that there's never any 5s or 2.5s available if you come during the ladies zumba or whatever the hell hour. They take them all freaking into their big zumba room and constantly leave them in there.
 
If you want to do some extra arm or ab work, even as a beginner, I say go for it. Do some curls/hammer curls/tricep pushdowns. Planks or machine crunches for abs (I like doing them, anyway)
 

HappyHunting

Neo Member
Thanks for the suggestions. I was also under the same impression but Im going by the workout in the OT and they are there. So ill take note and if I feel good any given day ill include them at the end. Thanks !

Falling: Definately, thanks.
 

SeanR1221

Member
Thanks for the suggestions. I was also under the same impression but Im going by the workout in the OT and they are there. So ill take note and if I feel good any given day ill include them at the end. Thanks !

Yeah man don't overthink those small things.

When I started, I had the same outlook, but your arms and abs are gonna get hit more from doing heavier and heavier compounds. Stuff like snatch grip deads hits my back way more than like...a dumbbell row will.
 

Fox318

Member
there is no hard and fast rule here. Wear a belt when you feel like you need to wear a belt. Theres many different schools of thought on a belt, but I think you should keep in mind one major thing.

It is not to prevent injury. its purpose is to allow you to have better abdominal pressure. Thus it needs to be a belt thats the same dimensions all the way around.



Agreed.

I'm trying to breath and push out my gut on squats but I feel like I'm doing it wrong.


figured a belt could help but I don''t want to rely on it.
 

SeanR1221

Member
I'm trying to breath and push out my gut on squats but I feel like I'm doing it wrong.

I forget the video (maybe Candito HQ?) but he went over a good way to test this.

Lay on your back and put a book on your belly. Now take in a big breath and hold it like you would for squats. If the book moves up, you're doing it right and holding it in your belly. If not, you're holding it in your chest, and thats wrong.

Do your edit, a belt won't help with that. The movement really needs to be solid first before relying on a belt.
 

BumRush

Member
If you just started I wouldn't sweat accessory stuff right now.
If you insist, save it until the very end and throw some barbell curls/planks in.

Definitely barbell curls. To be honest, abs might be a waste...he'll get a great workout from keeping his core solid during his compounds if he's a beginner.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Switched over to a keto diet. For fun, prepping for summer when I'll pick up a trainer to look into contest training. Waiting till I move to Chicago to pick a trainer/coach, I already know of a few good ones.

I've been in such a lull hovering at 205-210 for about 3 months now. I wanna get lean and back at my peak (aesthetically) before I jump in with a trainer.

Welcome to the Keto Club. We never shit, at least after the first week.
 

ILoveBish

Member
It is not to prevent injury. its purpose is to allow you to have better abdominal pressure. Thus it needs to be a belt thats the same dimensions all the way around.

I use one of those low end belts that are larger in the back, only because it was free and given to me. It still makes a huge difference for me on the compounds. I have a belt that is the same size all around but I'm still using the crappy belt till it no longer fits me. It has 10 belt holes and I'm on the 8th.
 

Chocobro

Member
I forget the video (maybe Candito HQ?) but he went over a good way to test this.

Lay on your back and put a book on your belly. Now take in a big breath and hold it like you would for squats. If the book moves up, you're doing it right and holding it in your belly. If not, you're holding it in your chest, and thats wrong.

Do your edit, a belt won't help with that. The movement really needs to be solid first before relying on a belt.
That was OmarIsuf's video. I believe it's in my Evernote link.

EDIT: Yeah, it is in my Evernote link. Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yF-AKMSr-A
 

BumRush

Member
Thanks guys. Coming back after hitting 410+ on bench late last year and inflicting a pretty nasty shoulder injury on myself I've still been recovering from. These were pain free, but it requires an extensive warmup as you can see from the log. I'll be back over 400by the time of my push/pull meet in May.

I've been meaning to ask you...do you think the 45X40 is even necessary for you?
 

theytookourjobz

Junior Member
pb17i5w.jpg


I've been eating a lot the past couple months.
 

bchamba

Member
I was watching the usapl meet stream from the Arnold a little earlier. Layne Norton nailed a 661 lb squat for his 3rd attempt.
 
Yeah man don't overthink those small things.

When I started, I had the same outlook, but your arms and abs are gonna get hit more from doing heavier and heavier compounds. Stuff like snatch grip deads hits my back way more than like...a dumbbell row will.

To give a different viewpoint, I needed direct arm work to have them grow. Compounds helped but not nearly as much as isolation exercise. Again, this is me. Others have it grow just fine with compounds.

I pretty much have to fight twice as hard for all my gains in my arms, chest, and traps.
 

ILoveBish

Member
I also had to add in arm work along with the compounds. My triceps in particular were incredibly weak. Took a while but they're getting there.
 
To give a different viewpoint, I needed direct arm work to have them grow. Compounds helped but not nearly as much as isolation exercise. Again, this is me. Others have it grow just fine with compounds.

I pretty much have to fight twice as hard for all my gains in my arms, chest, and traps.

See also: http://www.elitefts.com/education/training/biceps-blowout-a-case-for-biceps-curls/ Isolation work has its place.

After a couple months of cruise control due to work/family/vacation/minor injuries I'm back on track in the gym. During that time though I've realized I really need to take posture and rotator cuff health seriously, I think I'm gonna incorporate some of the stuff in Eric Cressey's Neanderthal No More program. Computer guy posture is the source of a lot of my woes.
 

sphinx

the piano man
Talking while at the gym? Bro. No. Get in there, do your thing and get moving.

I didn't want to say anything, but you sure like to judge people. People have different reasons to go to the gym, if they just want to talk to other people while at the gym, then let them. That is not a wrong way to do fitness, people have their agenda and goals and that's it. Obviously it's better to do your thing at the gym but a lot of dudes only lift to be or stay relatively healthy, and honestly you don't need to be silent or not talk to people for that.To each their own.
 

BumRush

Member
I definitely agree with everyone that arm accessories are crucial, but I don't necessarily know if beginners need to do ab exercises.
 

Bowser

Member
I didn't want to say anything, but you sure like to judge people. People have different reasons to go to the gym, if they just want to talk to other people while at the gym, then let them. That is not a wrong way to do fitness, people have their agenda and goals and that's it. Obviously it's better to do your thing at the gym but a lot of dudes only lift to be or stay relatively healthy, and honestly you don't need to be silent or not talk to people for that.To each their own.

Two weeks is a while to hold a grudge, no? :p

t8DnLC5.gif
 
I don't do any arm only accessory movements, but I feel dips, DB rows, some tricep extensions, and pull ups help build up my bicep muscles. If anyone disagrees or has suggestions let me know. I just don't see a point of actively working out the muscle on its own.
 

Cooter

Lacks the power of instantaneous movement
I don't do any arm only accessory movements, but I feel dips, DB rows, some tricep extensions, and pull ups help build up my bicep muscles. If anyone disagrees or has suggestions let me know. I just don't see a point of actively working out the muscle on its own.
Rows and pull ups will hit your bis but unless you love your bis and don't want them any bigger curls will probably help you.
 

sphinx

the piano man
Rows and pull ups will hit your bis but unless you love your bis and don't want them any bigger curls will probably help you.

speaking about pull-ups, I didn't realize I broke a PR last week, I weighted 72.6 kg, which is the most I have ever and after weighting myself, I did a set of 14 unassisted pull-ups.

that felt nice.
 
speaking about pull-ups, I didn't realize I broke a PR last week, I weighted 72.6 kg, which is the most I have ever and after weighting myself, I did a set of 14 unassisted pull-ups.

that felt nice.

Congrats thats a shit ton. I've been sticking to sets of five but after the third or fourth set I'm fried. Maybe I should try a max set sometime. Probably would get 7 or 8 lol.
 

sphinx

the piano man
Congrats thats a shit ton. I've been sticking to sets of five but after the third or fourth set I'm fried. Maybe I should try a max set sometime. Probably would get 7 or 8 lol.

thanks! that's my second set, after warming up. After that is always less reps but I manage to stay above 8 across 5 sets always.

my forearms are on fire after that long set. That and deadlift have got to be the best exercises for forearms,

and don't sell yourself short, 7 or 8 is also alot.

I have friends who struggle to do two or three... not sure why, they are fit and look pretty damn well aesthetically
 

ILoveBish

Member
I didn't want to say anything, but you sure like to judge people. People have different reasons to go to the gym, if they just want to talk to other people while at the gym, then let them. That is not a wrong way to do fitness, people have their agenda and goals and that's it. Obviously it's better to do your thing at the gym but a lot of dudes only lift to be or stay relatively healthy, and honestly you don't need to be silent or not talk to people for that.To each their own.

Talk about bitter. Congrats on the pull up PR anyway!

Two weeks is a while to hold a grudge, no? :p

t8DnLC5.gif

Seriously lol.
 

sphinx

the piano man
I've been meaning to share with fitgaf something that has been bugging me for a while.

I think I have a (mild?) case of vigorexia.... maybe??

your first reaction may be "everybody here wants the gains, nothing new or special"

but I think I may be different.

Ever since 2012, (thats over 2 years ago!), I've never been happy about the scale showing less weight. Never once. For my brain, more weight means "right", less weight means "wrong". Whenever the scale would show a relatively low number, I'd feel down the whole gym session, bummed.

my problem is that my biggest fear is that everything that is in store for me in the future regarding aestehtics is to be lean, with a sixpack but compact and small, I respect people who pursue that goal but quite frankly, I hate it on me. I like size.

I am 5'5 and weight 160, I really don't think I can be considered big, you guys have seen my pics. I mean I may look somewhat big or bulky for people who do not train but go to the free weight area in my gym and I look like a wimp compared plenty of guys there.

now about pics, I look ok in some and not ok in many others... sometimes I think I am deluding myself and I am not realizing the time to shed fat was a long time ago. Cutting, like bulking, requires a concerted effort over a long period of time and if I am not convinced it's just not going to happen... so I am kind of stuck there. I can't force the growth that comes over many years but I don't want to lower the BF cause "fuck that" so my physique potential is massively gimped right now. in the short term, I'll never look aestehtically pleasing on all accounts , not just the right day or from the right angle.

Not having a trainer really doesn't help matters. As a newb everything "works" but as I progress, going blind into this is probably bringing me nowhere.... there's so much a guy can do by himself and the internet, if I had a trainer I'd just follow instructions and everything would be so much easier.

bah, I can go on ranting but I'll leave it there.. At least I got it off my chest
 

ILoveBish

Member
If you aren't gaining weight, it is your diet. It is not rocket science. Start counting everything and come up with a plan to gain weight.
 

SeanR1221

Member
Everytime a beginner brings this up we all fall in the same loop.

Remember, if he's just starting out, he really shouldn't sweat the small stuff.

I didn't mean no one should do arm isolation exercises, but a beginner is going to have his arms hit plenty in the first stages of getting strong.
 

ILoveBish

Member
Everytime a beginner brings this up we all fall in the same loop.

Remember, if he's just starting out, he really shouldn't sweat the small stuff.

I didn't mean no one should do arm isolation exercises, but a beginner is going to have his arms hit plenty in the first stages of getting strong.

I'll just say that doing ss as a newbie, my arm strength kept me back on a lot of lifts. It depends on the person.
 

Visceir

Member
I wouldn't consider it "small stuff" though and throwing in some arm/ab exercises at the end of the workout is easy enough.

It's just weird to see people here discouraging new people from doing them when everyone here does them.
 
I like curls because they make me feel good. The pump you get on an arm day, yes an arm day, feels great and looks great. When I'm having shitty ruts and don't feel like hitting the gym I am that guy that will just hit arms because it's easy, feels good, and gets me going.

It's when you begin to neglect more important routines or exercises to focus on overtraining small muscle groups that it's a problem.

More on topic. I don't see the problem with adding a little isolation work, if anything to get more accustomed to the exercises and its variants for later down the road, but if you're beginning you don't really need it much either. It really depends on your long term goals.
 
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