• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Fitness |OT9|...You looked better before

lenovox1

Member
Going to start 5x5 strong lifts today to get a bit stronger/burn some excess fat (2 stones worth I reckon). Alongside a couple of hours martial arts a week.

What I'm worried about though is squats. I can currently kick head hight, will heavy squats hinder my flexibility?

Not if you stretch.

Have you seen how big Szu is in this very thread? He can still do the standing splits. (See: His avatar picture.)
 
Don't forget to work your back and legs!
For my legs I only do leg extensions because the person who taught me my routine doesn't do leg workouts. No exercise on the back, at all.

I think I can name my routine now, this is 3 sets of 10:

Dumbbell curls
Half lateral raises with dumbbells
Bench press with dumbbells
Push-downs
Low pulley curls
Lateral pull-downs(my favorite)
Seated rows
Leg extensions

I feel like maybe I should do more
 

brawly

Member
For my legs I only do leg extensions because the person who taught me my routine doesn't do leg workouts. No exercise on the back, at all.

I think I can name my routine now, this is 3 sets of 10:

Dumbbell curls
Half lateral raises with dumbbells
Bench press with dumbbells
Push-downs
Low pulley curls
Lateral pull-downs(my favorite)
Seated rows
Leg extensions

I feel like maybe I should do more

So do you do these three times a week?

Add leg curls, squats and a calf exercise to the legs. Do you have other options for the chest? Put some barbell benchpress and maybe cable flies (at the end) in there. For bicep I'd recommend trying onehanded cable curls (standing with your back to the cable) and bar cable curls. For tricep try out other handles. Or no handle at all, onehanded pulldown. I like the V-Shape handle myself.
 

Mariolee

Member
What are some good stretches for you upper and lower back after a workout that I can do without any extra equipment? They've been feeling very sore lately.
 
So do you do these three times a week?

Add leg curls, squats and a calf exercise to the legs. Do you have other options for the chest? Put some barbell benchpress and maybe cable flies (at the end) in there. For bicep I'd recommend trying onehanded cable curls (standing with your back to the cable) and bar cable curls. For tricep try out other handles. Or no handle at all, onehanded pulldown. I like the V-Shape handle myself.
I just started last week, I originally planned this as a twice a week thing but I'm thinking of adding a third day. Only my Saturday is free, the other three days are for running, the other three would be for gym. Two of those gym days will have runs and a swim at the end too.

I don't think they have a cable fly, the gym I'm at is pretty small and rustic, that's what one gets for $1 per entrance I guess. Would a full body workout be of more benefit to me? I will add whatever I can from the routines you've listed if I can find how to do them, thanks!
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
For my legs I only do leg extensions because the person who taught me my routine doesn't do leg workouts. No exercise on the back, at all.

I think I can name my routine now, this is 3 sets of 10:

Dumbbell curls
Half lateral raises with dumbbells
Bench press with dumbbells
Push-downs
Low pulley curls
Lateral pull-downs(my favorite)
Seated rows
Leg extensions

I feel like maybe I should do more

Look into Romanian Deadlifts (the dumbbell variant). It'll work your glutes, hamstring, back and grip all at once. Just make sure you do them correctly, feeling the stretch on your hamstring and keeping your back neutral by hinging at the hips (push your butt back as you tilt your upper body down making sure to not go beyond your flexibility to where your spine curves downward).

. Would a full body workout be of more benefit to me? I will add whatever I can from the routines you've listed if I can find how to do them, thanks!

Not necessarily full body but trying to integrate more compound movements would be beneficial. Mainly for making efficient use of your time in the gym.
 
Is it bad if squats are my only quad workout i do? For quads i usually just do as many squats as i can in a 35-40 minute window. The reason i ask is because my max squat isnt much stronger (if at all) than my max bench press.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Is it bad if squats are my only quad workout i do? For quads i usually just do as many squats as i can in a 35-40 minute window. The reason i ask is because my max squat isnt much stronger (if at all) than my max bench press.

Could be a technique issue. Compared to the bench the squat is very technical when you're trying to get the weight moving efficiently. Just take time to practice the movement with a weight that's manageable for ten reps and build a good motor pattern for the movement.

Also I agree with Psychotext, get on a program. It'll allow you to find your e baseline strength and build from that.

As far as quads, front squats with kettlebells is a variation you could do to hit them. You could do it with a barbell but its a tough position to get into and move. Your typical barbell back squats are a lower back, glute and hamstring dominant movement.
 

KillerBEA

Member
Could be a technique issue. Compared to the bench the squat is very technical when you're trying to get the weight moving efficiently. Just take time to practice the movement with a weight that's manageable for ten reps and build a good motor pattern for the movement.

Also I agree with Psychotext, get on a program. It'll allow you to find your e baseline strength and build from that.

As far as quads, front squats with kettlebells is a variation you could do to hit them. You could do it with a barbell but its a tough position to get into and move. Your typical barbell back squats are a lower back, glute and hamstring dominant movement.

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/hamstrings-the-most-overrated-muscle-group-for-the-squat/
 

MrToughPants

Brian Burke punched my mom
Late night meal

ICkjb7C.jpg
 
How does one approach a guy who stays with a boner. He literally walks around when he randomly goes to work out with random people. It's unsettling and I'm sure others feel the same
 
So today I couldn't find the 5kg dumbbells so I settled for the 10kg ones. I managed curls and the bench press but good grief the lateral raise is so hard.

You shouldn't be using the same weight for these exercises.

If you can curl 10kg, then 10kg is much too light for you on the bench press.

If you are a beginner, 10kg lateral raises are far too heavy for you.
 

GrapeApes

Member
How does one approach a guy who stays with a boner. He literally walks around when he randomly goes to work out with random people. It's unsettling and I'm sure others feel the same
"Bro, why you always walking around with a boner?"
Do you guys think it's worth it to get a personal trainer for someone who's a complete beginner?
It might help to have some type of directon early on. When I first went to a gym I did like 1 hour of straight curls cause I didn't know any better. Then I just started doing what my friends did. So 3x10 bro slipts. You don't need a trainer just a warm body to get someone in a routine. If you can be that warm body you might save the person some money.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick

Makes sense. I do better when I'm more upright with my bar position.

Do you guys think it's worth it to get a personal trainer for someone who's a complete beginner?

Could be. Its better to learn the movements for various workout correctly first, than having to break bad habits down the line. The caveat being, its entirely dependant on whether the persona trainer is good or not.
 

doby

Member
I'm 5'11", 11st 10lb (164lb) and have stalled gaining.

I consume a steady 3000-3200 calories a day having just calculated it out on my fitness pal which is way more than I thought I was.

I workout 6 times a week, cardio every other day.

I guess the answer is just to eat more, right?
 
Look into Romanian Deadlifts (the dumbbell variant). It'll work your glutes, hamstring, back and grip all at once. Just make sure you do them correctly, feeling the stretch on your hamstring and keeping your back neutral by hinging at the hips (push your butt back as you tilt your upper body down making sure to not go beyond your flexibility to where your spine curves downward).



Not necessarily full body but trying to integrate more compound movements would be beneficial. Mainly for making efficient use of your time in the gym.
Thanks! I'll look into the exercise you've mentioned. I really need to make the most of my time since I'll only have an hour tops on the gym before I head to the pool.


You shouldn't be using the same weight for these exercises.

If you can curl 10kg, then 10kg is much too light for you on the bench press.

If you are a beginner, 10kg lateral raises are far too heavy for you.
Actually it seems I've been doing the curls wrong, I think I don't bring my arms all the way down, just halfway. I'm not sure if I can bench press more than 10kg but I'm actually feeling that some of the stuff I'm doing are becoming somewhat easier. Also, yeah, I dialed down on the lateral raise today and switched to 5kg.

Do the order of the exercises matter? The bench wasn't available to me today at an earlier point due to a group of guys lounging on that area, so when I got fed up waiting I went to an equipment with a bench and just did the presses there. Usually, the bench presses are the third thing I do but today it's the last.
 
Actually it seems I've been doing the curls wrong, I think I don't bring my arms all the way down, just halfway. I'm not sure if I can bench press more than 10kg but I'm actually feeling that some of the stuff I'm doing are becoming somewhat easier. Also, yeah, I dialed down on the lateral raise today and switched to 5kg.

Do the order of the exercises matter? The bench wasn't available to me today at an earlier point due to a group of guys lounging on that area, so when I got fed up waiting I went to an equipment with a bench and just did the presses there. Usually, the bench presses are the third thing I do but today it's the last.

Yes, if you cannot do a bicep curl without extending your arm fully downwards then the weight is too heavy for you.

Generally, as a beginner, it is best to do the exercises you will use the most amount of weight on first (typically called compound exercises eg. bench press), and then do the smaller exercises later. But I would not get too hung up about it if you ocassionally cannot do that due to equipment being used.
 
Hey FitGaf! Anyone on Keto Diet? Seems too good to be true, as its literally my favorite foods to eat, mostly my favorite way to prepare them, just cut out carbs and get plenty of leafy greens? Ummm...yes please! first week, and not sure it's working yet, but I do feel lighter, gonna stick it out.

I'm on like day 3 of it, and still figuring out what isn't good to get into the state etc...like some Keto dieters say just don't go over 20g of carbs and you're fine. Some say do even less than that. Some say a small amount of tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, etc...are ok, some say stick strictly to your leafy greens like broccoli spinach, kale, brussel sprouts etc..and get good fats.

I'm not partially keen on eating a lot of cheese, I've read enough documentaries to know our meat isn't in the best of ways and try to get grass fed and organic when I can, theres a limit to this as you really don't know exactly where your meat comes from and have to trust people and companies to an extent.

But overall yeah, I really like what I'm reading about it. I'm about 167 pounds around 5'7, so I have some weight to drop. Goals are to just look clean and ripped, get strong, like genuinely strong. I want to be able to do a handstand pushup, run 5-6 miles without dying, (currently max is 4 and I have to push through exhaustion) get waaaay more flexible and learn the russian twist.

Glad I found this thread, any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Also, for Keto heads, are Shirataki noodles ok on it?
 
Yes, if you cannot do a bicep curl without extending your arm fully downwards then the weight is too heavy for you.

Generally, as a beginner, it is best to do the exercises you will use the most amount of weight on first (typically called compound exercises eg. bench press), and then do the smaller exercises later. But I would not get too hung up about it if you ocassionally cannot do that due to equipment being used.
Okay, I'll keep that in mind, thanks! Also I will put the Romanian deadlift exercise into circulation, plus brawly's exercises.

I'll try to make the gym a habit of three days a week. Would a Saturday as a rest day be enough if I do physical activities in six days? Basically run 5k on three days then run 2k, gym, and pool on the other three. The Saturday would technically not be rest on some other instances though, because I'll probably be hiking somewhere. So 7 full days of activity.
 

Sheentak

Member
Hi Fitgaf

Im looking to start going to the gym soon however something is concerning me, every gym i look into does not have Bench press or a Squat rack and the only free weights they have are light dumbells that stop at 30kg.
The issue is every work out plan talks about free weights and not to use machines so i have no idea whats going on with lack of equipment over here

I am based in London uk and here is the equipment of my local gym
https://www.thegymgroup.com/equipment/
 

KillerBEA

Member
Hi Fitgaf

Im looking to start going to the gym soon however something is concerning me, every gym i look into does not have Bench press or a Squat rack and the only free weights they have are light dumbells that stop at 30kg.
The issue is every work out plan talks about free weights and not to use machines so i have no idea whats going on with lack of equipment over here

I am based in London uk and here is the equipment of my local gym
https://www.thegymgroup.com/equipment/
It being a major city I am sure there are plenty of good options.

Gym Box
http://gymbox.com/gyms/farringdon

Genesis
http://www.genesisgym.co.uk/

British Barbell
http://www.british-barbell.co.uk/
 

doby

Member
Hi Fitgaf

Im looking to start going to the gym soon however something is concerning me, every gym i look into does not have Bench press or a Squat rack and the only free weights they have are light dumbells that stop at 30kg.
The issue is every work out plan talks about free weights and not to use machines so i have no idea whats going on with lack of equipment over here

I am based in London uk and here is the equipment of my local gym
https://www.thegymgroup.com/equipment/

Personally I've never stepped inside a gym and instead invested in a few key pieces of apparatus to help me get the job done at home. It's not for everyone, but it works for me. Plus I'm not looking to get jacked, just a well rounded athletic physique.
 
"Bro, why you always walking around with a boner?"
It might help to have some type of directon early on. When I first went to a gym I did like 1 hour of straight curls cause I didn't know any better. Then I just started doing what my friends did. So 3x10 bro slipts. You don't need a trainer just a warm body to get someone in a routine. If you can be that warm body you might save the person some money.

i should mention he's gay. only working in with guys. he almost got to me when i was deadlifting. i walked away and he like put his water bottle... a foot from the bar and started to do lunges.
 

Greedings

Member
Been looking at different weightlifting equipment providers to buy a barbell for home.

Anyone know which has the most rugged bars and bumpers? Rogue seems to be the most "buyer friendly" with a decent delivery process, but I've never used any of their equipment before.
 

Raide

Member
About a month back I got myself a bench, bar and 50kg of weights.

I did not have much fat on me when a I was younger Burbage a is certainly catch up. needed to sort my belly out. Already noticed some improvement on the shoulders and arms, mainly doing bench press, overhead press and squats. Some barbell curls etc.

Need to sort my diet out. Trying to drop carbs and up the protein but some days I just feel tired and can hardly bench. Trying to take rest days, especially after squats. Damn my back. Haha.

Any advice for getting a bit more energy for more strenuous lifts etc? Started on 20kg but currently have it at 30. I guess it has to be harder work to get benefits 😃

So much info in the OT to take in hah.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Any advice for getting a bit more energy for more strenuous lifts etc? Started on 20kg but currently have it at 30. I guess it has to be harder work to get benefits 😃

So much info in the OT to take in hah.

Make sure your revised diet isn't too much of dip in calories. Have a baseline for protein (.8x grams pf protein to bodyweight in lbs) the rest of you caloric needs will be made up from the carbs you take in, the rest should be in fat. So if youre trying to eliminate carbs, youd have to make up the caloric loss in fat intake.
 

Jokab

Member
Thought I got my form in deadlifts and barbell rows figured out, but apparently not. After yesterday's workout which included barbell rows, I'm feeling really weird in my lower back, sometimes radiating down to my glutes and a bit of the right leg. I feel strong during the lifts but the side effects aren't good right now. I don't think I'm rounding excessively in any direction though, so not sure what the problem is. I think I need someone to film me
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Thought I got my form in deadlifts and barbell rows figured out, but apparently not. After yesterday's workout which included barbell rows, I'm feeling really weird in my lower back, sometimes radiating down to my glutes and a bit of the right leg. I feel strong during the lifts but the side effects aren't good right now. I don't think I'm rounding excessively in any direction though, so not sure what the problem is. I think I need someone to film me

With barbell rows you definitely need to treat it like a deadlift at first. Make sure you feel 90% of the tension on your glutes and hamstrings when stabilizing the weight to perform the row. If its a form issue definitely record yourself and see what's up.
 

Matush

Member
Repost from Weight loss pic thread:

So I've been lurking around this and Fitness thread for almost a year, I guess it's time to show my results after 1 year of your tips and inspiration:

180cm (5.9ft), went from 131kg (288lbs) to 84kg (185lbs)


Still have some work to do, but currently I am happier than ever with myself.
 
About a month back I got myself a bench, bar and 50kg of weights.

I did not have much fat on me when a I was younger Burbage a is certainly catch up. needed to sort my belly out. Already noticed some improvement on the shoulders and arms, mainly doing bench press, overhead press and squats. Some barbell curls etc.

Need to sort my diet out. Trying to drop carbs and up the protein but some days I just feel tired and can hardly bench. Trying to take rest days, especially after squats. Damn my back. Haha.

Any advice for getting a bit more energy for more strenuous lifts etc? Started on 20kg but currently have it at 30. I guess it has to be harder work to get benefits 😃

So much info in the OT to take in hah.

Make sure to add at least one pull exercise, the last thing you want is rounded, hunched over shoulders because you aren't working your back. Bent over barbell rows are great. Get a pull-up bar and you're golden.

Don't abandon carbs, just move the majority of them to the first part of the day, preferably before you lift.
 
Repost from Weight loss pic thread:

So I've been lurking around this and Fitness thread for almost a year, I guess it's time to show my results after 1 year of your tips and inspiration:

180cm (5.9ft), went from 131kg (288lbs) to 84kg (185lbs)



Still have some work to do, but currently I am happier than ever with myself.

Absolutely amazing. Well done.
 

Raide

Member
Make sure to add at least one pull exercise, the last thing you want is rounded, hunched over shoulders because you aren't working your back. Bent over barbell rows are great. Get a pull-up bar and you're golden.

Don't abandon carbs, just move the majority of them to the first part of the day, preferably before you lift.

Thanks for the tips. I am trying to carb a bit in the morning and then try not to have any for the rest of the day.

Any tips on having more energy for lifts etc? Sometimes don't feel I have enough to work my little sets. 😃
 
How long does it take for your food to turn into energy? Is it something that only takes a few hours, or is the food from your previous day also contributing?
 
Fucking shoulder injuries man. =/

I think literally the only exercise I'm able to do right now which isn't causing shoulder pain is deadlift, and even that I'm having to do particularly light.

Squat: Pressure on shoulder blade.
Curls: Pressure on shoulder blade.
Bench: Ha, forget it.
OHP: Are you fucking nuts?
Tricep Pushdown: Front delt involvement.
Rows: All over shoulder involvement.
Face pulls: Noooope.

I feel like I need to go to a public gym and go ultra isolation. Though with that said, I wasn't even able to do a preacher curl without some niggling.

Bollocks to all of it.
 
Question

how much does a guy's measurements usually change after a guy begins strength training and stays in the novice phase of programming for a while? (never reaching intermediate.

I'm scared I'll have to buy new clothing :(
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Question

how much does a guy's measurements usually change after a guy begins strength training and stays in the novice phase of programming for a while? (never reaching intermediate.

I'm scared I'll have to buy new clothing :(
You should be scared that you won't need to buy new clothing.
Anyway, it depends on if you need to lose any weight at the outset, how much you are going to eat, and how fitted your clothes are. Likely some of your wardrobe will not fit properly after 4 or 5 months.
 
Top Bottom