• 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 |OT| Pumpin' Iron and Spittin' Blood.

b79nr8w.gif


Been focusing on diet. Mostly keto for a month or so but a couple bad carb days mixed in there. Almost back under 200 lbs and have been starting to work out a bit more frequently. Still running but not frequently enough.

I've been missing you guys but I needed to shut up and start walking. I will try to check in more frequently again but times are strange.

Hard to focus on much other than chaos these days. Still, gotta stay ready for whatever gets thrown at us next. I won't go down without a fight!
 

Tesseract

Banned
b79nr8w.gif


Been focusing on diet. Mostly keto for a month or so but a couple bad carb days mixed in there. Almost back under 200 lbs and have been starting to work out a bit more frequently. Still running but not frequently enough.

I've been missing you guys but I needed to shut up and start walking. I will try to check in more frequently again but times are strange.

Hard to focus on much other than chaos these days. Still, gotta stay ready for whatever gets thrown at us next. I won't go down without a fight!
welcome back, keep those torches lit

FakeChillyFanworms-size_restricted.gif
 
I just followed this along as a beginner and damn, I sure can feel it in a good way.
My muscles felt short so I am doing a lot more stretches. Especially my hip hurts a little when squatting. Any other stretching routines you guys can recommend? Full body even, my neck and shoulders could really use that.
Otherwise I will just watch some youtube videos. :D

Here are my other stretches.

Elbows, shoulder, lats and traps.


This post gives info for hip, ankle and wrist stretches as well as some scapula stabilization and shoulder ROM routines. It's also my pre workout prep.

I greatly attribute the health and mobility/flexibility and therefore the strength of my wrists to the above wrist stretches. Take care of your wrists guys. I get complemented on my wrist strength more than anything else and it also the stretch/routine that I've been doing far more faithfully than anything else as well. Haven't had anything near a sprained ankle since I started those ankle mobility stretches either, and I used to have really weak ankles.

The squat clinic routine video from that post has some great hip stretches and helped immensely with my lower back pain.

Hello everyone!! So, I just got a pull up bar and was thinking about a bodyweight workout with pull ups, push ups and squats.

Any suggestions of series and reps? Well rested I can manage 5 or 6 pull ups in a row, 20 push ups and a lot of squats I guess.

I made this post a while back for a good body weight routine for beginners that you can make harder and easier depending on how many sets you do and how long your breaks are. This will really give a GREAT dynamic workout and I think it's much more beneficial than your standard push ups and squats. You'll certainly be building far more muscles and using far more muscle groups in concert overall doing these leading to greater strength in far greater ranges of motion. Keeping this kind of mobility is, IMO the secret to living a long healthy life.


Also, if you are going to start doing pullups, please, please consider starting at the bottom of the progression. Cultivate a good foundation of stabilizers, tendons and vasculature from the very bottom of the movement so that you are using a whole host of muscles in concert and not overdeveloping and over using your larger muscle groups. This is way healthier on your joints as well. I also recommend assisted pull up bands to really get the form down and slowly back off of the band strength till you can do around 25 on your own, pain free. Especially if you aren't going to do any of this progression. At least get some bands.

Here is a good progression.

 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Blitzmangoman Blitzmangoman


Nsdaw6G.jpg



Nsdaw6G.jpg


r0uKJug.jpg


These pictures are from a book called Deskbound Standing Up To A Sitting World by Dr. Kelly Starrette if you ever wanted to check it out. I have a few of his books and they’re all very helpful and informative books.

Those pics are pretty straight forward. You want to work on the trigger points with, ideally, some kind of spiked massage ball or a lacross ball. You can gently massage your back with the lacross ball or spiked massage ball for a couple minutes each side several times a day for relief

Here are some more options for myofascial release that are likely to help relieve pain in time as you perform them. I try to do at least some light tissue work in the way of using a foam roller, lacross ball, barbell smashing, light massage at least once or twice a week on any problem areas. Usually once every three or four days feels about right when I do myofascial release and actually break up tissue some. If you just massage very lightly to get some lymph fluid going, get some blood flow to the area I’m sure you could massage a muscle group a few times a day no problem for a couple minutes each time; just have to be gentle with the areas in which you are massaging. These help a lot, I do them throughout the week whenever I feel the need (tightness, stiffness, lack of ROM)


HZSTZ2F.jpg



u4jX52K.jpg



DjOHcQ4.jpg



XJtznvg.jpg


vCBFVS9.jpg


ikcE8MS.jpg



B9H8r9S.jpg



oOc0HOW.jpg


AfhIj6T.jpg


J3c7xxv.jpg


9kQ8S6V.jpg



kiwPROE.jpg




DImhfLZ.jpg



c5ZtcSk.jpg


Stretches:



PTUTvo8.jpg



XTazIwg.jpg



G7f0Ves.jpg



Z3QAaan.jpg



jWzJlnB.jpg


A lot of the stretches on those pages come from a book I recently bought and am studying called Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Myers. Interesting book but difficult to follow, I think those stretches cover most of the lines if you pick one from each to perform so that should help your body overall if you start to perform those stretches routinely

I think’s important to stretch the chest every day or every other day some as well. I usually lay on a foam roller and let my arms drop to the sides for a minute or two


^^^That’s Kelly Starrett’s youtube channel. He has a lot of great videos on mobility, tissue restoration for the most part. He can show you a lot of things in the way of eliminating any restrictions your body may have; help you get back to optimal functionality through fascial work using a foam roller, lacross ball, voodoo flossing, a bunch of other ways I’m forgetting. But his videos will help a lot of people improve, and reduce/eliminate pain
 
Blitzmangoman Blitzmangoman


Nsdaw6G.jpg



Nsdaw6G.jpg


r0uKJug.jpg


These pictures are from a book called Deskbound Standing Up To A Sitting World by Dr. Kelly Starrette if you ever wanted to check it out. I have a few of his books and they’re all very helpful and informative books.

Those pics are pretty straight forward. You want to work on the trigger points with, ideally, some kind of spiked massage ball or a lacross ball. You can gently massage your back with the lacross ball or spiked massage ball for a couple minutes each side several times a day for relief

Here are some more options for myofascial release that are likely to help relieve pain in time as you perform them. I try to do at least some light tissue work in the way of using a foam roller, lacross ball, barbell smashing, light massage at least once or twice a week on any problem areas. Usually once every three or four days feels about right when I do myofascial release and actually break up tissue some. If you just massage very lightly to get some lymph fluid going, get some blood flow to the area I’m sure you could massage a muscle group a few times a day no problem for a couple minutes each time; just have to be gentle with the areas in which you are massaging. These help a lot, I do them throughout the week whenever I feel the need (tightness, stiffness, lack of ROM)


HZSTZ2F.jpg



u4jX52K.jpg



DjOHcQ4.jpg



XJtznvg.jpg


vCBFVS9.jpg


ikcE8MS.jpg



B9H8r9S.jpg



oOc0HOW.jpg


AfhIj6T.jpg


J3c7xxv.jpg


9kQ8S6V.jpg



kiwPROE.jpg




DImhfLZ.jpg



c5ZtcSk.jpg


Stretches:



PTUTvo8.jpg



XTazIwg.jpg



G7f0Ves.jpg



Z3QAaan.jpg



jWzJlnB.jpg


A lot of the stretches on those pages come from a book I recently bought and am studying called Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Myers. Interesting book but difficult to follow, I think those stretches cover most of the lines if you pick one from each to perform so that should help your body overall if you start to perform those stretches routinely

I think’s important to stretch the chest every day or every other day some as well. I usually lay on a foam roller and let my arms drop to the sides for a minute or two


^^^That’s Kelly Starrett’s youtube channel. He has a lot of great videos on mobility, tissue restoration for the most part. He can show you a lot of things in the way of eliminating any restrictions your body may have; help you get back to optimal functionality through fascial work using a foam roller, lacross ball, voodoo flossing, a bunch of other ways I’m forgetting. But his videos will help a lot of people improve, and reduce/eliminate pain
This is really good info as well. I've intuitively been doing the trigger point stuff with a tennis ball in a sock. Just FYI, putting whatever ball you use in an old, long sock is really useful for positioning the ball wherever you need to on your back. Works amazingly. Those Yoga stretches are good as well. Since I know most of the moves and what they affect, I'll just target whatever area is troublesome every once in a while if I'm feeling too stiff to do a loaded stretch. The foam roller upper back stretch is something I've recently added to my routine so it kinda skips my mind to add it when people ask. I think it's a great one though and I'd definitely recommend it if you're doing anything upper back related with heavy load. Really helps free up and lubricate those disks.

Overall, I personally think overstretching can definitely be a bad thing and you shouldn't stretch too much. I believe it's much easier to lengthen a tendon for instance than it is to shorten it. For those trying to gain flexibility, once you get to a place where you feel good and flexible, maybe think about dialing back the length of time or the amount that you do relaxed stretching. Especially if your routine has you actively stretching during your movement. Like pull ups and such.

The goal, is to get your tendons to obtain an optimal state of elasticity. (This is why good nutrition and collagen is so important) This will enable your tendons and stabilizers to return to their normal, desired length after heavy load. However, if you over stretch, and then burden them with heavy load, they can go beyond that point and become more plastic, (viscous). Plasticity is the tendency of a material (or tissue) to permanently deform when the load goes beyond the elastic range.

This is why I prefer loaded stretches for workout prep if I can help it. Not relaxed ones. Especially if you can use your stabilizers during the stretch. And also not for too long. I personally think 30-60 seconds per stretch, if the movement is for stretching, is good. 30 if you're going to work out right afterwards. 60 if you aren't and are just trying to gain more flexibility. I still think a dynamic light load for the stretched area is a good idea afterwards though, to get those stabilizers activated.

And those are my thoughts for tonight. lol. Sorry for the ramble. G'night brothers.

EDIT: This is an example of a loaded stretch...



Since the text is blacked out for dark users I'll copy paste it here... (This is Ido Portal btw.)

"The 'Diagonal Stretch' - the queen of full body stretches I have adapted and used for over 10 years now with my clients.

The Diagonal Stretch offers you many advantages:
1. It is LOADED. Good stretch = not a stretch only. It builds strength in the extreme range of motion, hence its safe and efficient. (Muscle plasticity is far from the limiting factor in mobility as many have led us to believe, it is more dictated by the CNS)
2. It is PROGRESSIVE. A couple of stages here:
A. Front knee bent as well (in the picture the front is straight) and touch the back of the knee.
B. Front knee bent and touch the mid calf.
C. Front knee bent and touch the heel.
D,E,F. The same progression with the front leg straight.
3. It is UNSTABLE and requires active balancing action to keep in the position - isn't that how real life movements with extreme ROM are? Can you spell 'joint integrity'?

To perform the Diagonal Stretch follow these 5 steps:
A. Stand with your heels together but toes out with 90 degree angle (45 off the center line on each side) between your feet.
B. Align your right foot toes behind your left heel and glide backwards on an imaginary line drawing out of your left heel. You will achieve a lunge position with the front foot in External Rotation (45 degree off center line) and back foot with raised heel and on the toes, not rotated any more - but straight forward on the center line. (examine the feet orientation in the photo)
C. Put your right hand on your heart and let the elbow relax on the body.
D. Take the left hand and reach behind you towards your desired target - back of the right knee, mid calf or heel. Arch back and rotate but don't bend down to reach for your target.
E. Hold for 30-60 sec. Yes, you heard me right. Yes, I know its a humbling experience.
If you get an early case of Parkinson's disease, don't despair. Keep working it and perform 3-5 sets alternating legs.
Now you learn how the kind of stretching that I use feel. Its far from how relaxed stretching feels, but the benefits are in direct correlation to the hard work.
Make the Diagonal Stretch an integral part of your stretching and enjoy increased mobility in your back bridges, hip flexors, walkovers, running gate biomechanics and more.
Enjoy!"
 
Last edited:

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
To add to VlaudTheImpaler VlaudTheImpaler 's and Cutty Flam Cutty Flam info because theirs has helped me improve my flexibility in the past few months of reading this thread:

You can turn many of your stretches into weighted / loaded stretches with a resistance band. That's how I stretch my shoulders out every day, with sets of extending my hands behind my shoulders and pulling against the tension of the band. You have to respect your limits and not yank on your body with the band, of course.

Adding some resistance / weight helps stretch the areas more fully. Tensing the muscles helps stretch it a little more, too. When I am stretching my shoulders with the resistance bands, the tension on my muscles also pulls against my spine and straightens it, so when the stretch is finished, my legs, hips and spine have also gotten a bit of a stretch/strain.

Remember that you are stretching your internal rubber-bands, which are shock absorbers, energy transferrers, and stabilizers all at once. Stretching is an equal part of strength because range of motion is an equal part of strength. I couldn't raise my arms above my head and behind my ear (full extended scapula) until I began stretching out, and now I can perform the proper technique for overhead walks and snatches (which should be "'racked" resting on the scapula instead of the shoulder/pec).

Consider this post a "customer testimonial" moreso than an addition or clarification of what was already said. You can check where my posts in this thread begin (a few months ago) and in that period of time I've gained more flexibility than I've ever had in my life. I'm doing standing pancake stretches and holding my own foot in the air while standing and doing resting squats without destroying my knees, it's insane.
 

haxan7

Volunteered as Tribute
haxan7 haxan7

how goes the war?
Been resting and icing knees / wrists today. Most of the joint and muscle pain is calmed down. I’m planning to go into the gym for a light workout tomorrow. I need to do something but gonna force myself to take one more rest day

I bought a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement for joint health yesterday. Also finally ordered a 35 lb kettlebell last night and bought a 24 square foot floor guard/mat that’s currently sitting where my coffee table used to be. Going to use that for any indoor workouts
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
This is really good info as well. I've intuitively been doing the trigger point stuff with a tennis ball in a sock. Just FYI, putting whatever ball you use in an old, long sock is really useful for positioning the ball wherever you need to on your back. Works amazingly. Those Yoga stretches are good as well. Since I know most of the moves and what they affect, I'll just target whatever area is troublesome every once in a while if I'm feeling too stiff to do a loaded stretch. The foam roller upper back stretch is something I've recently added to my routine so it kinda skips my mind to add it when people ask. I think it's a great one though and I'd definitely recommend it if you're doing anything upper back related with heavy load. Really helps free up and lubricate those disks.

Overall, I personally think overstretching can definitely be a bad thing and you shouldn't stretch too much. I believe it's much easier to lengthen a tendon for instance than it is to shorten it. For those trying to gain flexibility, once you get to a place where you feel good and flexible, maybe think about dialing back the length of time or the amount that you do relaxed stretching. Especially if your routine has you actively stretching during your movement. Like pull ups and such.

The goal, is to get your tendons to obtain an optimal state of elasticity. (This is why good nutrition and collagen is so important) This will enable your tendons and stabilizers to return to their normal, desired length after heavy load. However, if you over stretch, and then burden them with heavy load, they can go beyond that point and become more plastic, (viscous). Plasticity is the tendency of a material (or tissue) to permanently deform when the load goes beyond the elastic range.

This is why I prefer loaded stretches for workout prep if I can help it. Not relaxed ones. Especially if you can use your stabilizers during the stretch. And also not for too long. I personally think 30-60 seconds per stretch, if the movement is for stretching, is good. 30 if you're going to work out right afterwards. 60 if you aren't and are just trying to gain more flexibility. I still think a dynamic light load for the stretched area is a good idea afterwards though, to get those stabilizers activated.

And those are my thoughts for tonight. lol. Sorry for the ramble. G'night brothers.

EDIT: This is an example of a loaded stretch...



Since the text is blacked out for dark users I'll copy paste it here... (This is Ido Portal btw.)

"The 'Diagonal Stretch' - the queen of full body stretches I have adapted and used for over 10 years now with my clients.

The Diagonal Stretch offers you many advantages:
1. It is LOADED. Good stretch = not a stretch only. It builds strength in the extreme range of motion, hence its safe and efficient. (Muscle plasticity is far from the limiting factor in mobility as many have led us to believe, it is more dictated by the CNS)
2. It is PROGRESSIVE. A couple of stages here:
A. Front knee bent as well (in the picture the front is straight) and touch the back of the knee.
B. Front knee bent and touch the mid calf.
C. Front knee bent and touch the heel.
D,E,F. The same progression with the front leg straight.
3. It is UNSTABLE and requires active balancing action to keep in the position - isn't that how real life movements with extreme ROM are? Can you spell 'joint integrity'?

To perform the Diagonal Stretch follow these 5 steps:
A. Stand with your heels together but toes out with 90 degree angle (45 off the center line on each side) between your feet.
B. Align your right foot toes behind your left heel and glide backwards on an imaginary line drawing out of your left heel. You will achieve a lunge position with the front foot in External Rotation (45 degree off center line) and back foot with raised heel and on the toes, not rotated any more - but straight forward on the center line. (examine the feet orientation in the photo)
C. Put your right hand on your heart and let the elbow relax on the body.
D. Take the left hand and reach behind you towards your desired target - back of the right knee, mid calf or heel. Arch back and rotate but don't bend down to reach for your target.
E. Hold for 30-60 sec. Yes, you heard me right. Yes, I know its a humbling experience.
If you get an early case of Parkinson's disease, don't despair. Keep working it and perform 3-5 sets alternating legs.
Now you learn how the kind of stretching that I use feel. Its far from how relaxed stretching feels, but the benefits are in direct correlation to the hard work.
Make the Diagonal Stretch an integral part of your stretching and enjoy increased mobility in your back bridges, hip flexors, walkovers, running gate biomechanics and more.
Enjoy!"

To add to VlaudTheImpaler VlaudTheImpaler 's and Cutty Flam Cutty Flam info because theirs has helped me improve my flexibility in the past few months of reading this thread:

You can turn many of your stretches into weighted / loaded stretches with a resistance band. That's how I stretch my shoulders out every day, with sets of extending my hands behind my shoulders and pulling against the tension of the band. You have to respect your limits and not yank on your body with the band, of course.

Adding some resistance / weight helps stretch the areas more fully. Tensing the muscles helps stretch it a little more, too. When I am stretching my shoulders with the resistance bands, the tension on my muscles also pulls against my spine and straightens it, so when the stretch is finished, my legs, hips and spine have also gotten a bit of a stretch/strain.

Remember that you are stretching your internal rubber-bands, which are shock absorbers, energy transferrers, and stabilizers all at once. Stretching is an equal part of strength because range of motion is an equal part of strength. I couldn't raise my arms above my head and behind my ear (full extended scapula) until I began stretching out, and now I can perform the proper technique for overhead walks and snatches (which should be "'racked" resting on the scapula instead of the shoulder/pec).

Consider this post a "customer testimonial" moreso than an addition or clarification of what was already said. You can check where my posts in this thread begin (a few months ago) and in that period of time I've gained more flexibility than I've ever had in my life. I'm doing standing pancake stretches and holding my own foot in the air while standing and doing resting squats without destroying my knees, it's insane.
This is excellent. Thanks bros, I'm definitely going to try these stretches. I've only had resistance bands since March of this year, so it never even occurred to me use them for stretching for some reason. I had read loaded stretching a few times in this thread but for some reason I was mistakenly thinking active stretching and just continued on. Going to look into a lot of loaded stretches now

Here are some good active stretches. For a skinny/fit chick she's kinda looking alright too

 

haxan7

Volunteered as Tribute
Yesterday did

10 minute warmup with full stretch routine
4 sets of 10 bench presses with bar + 20 lbs (65 lbs total)
4 sets of 10 standing bicep curls with a bent bar thing (40 lbs)
4 sets of 10 incline dumbbell bench presses (25 lbs each hand)

Held back a LOT and only feeling moderate soreness today. I should be ready to rock again in 2 days.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
b7zEcUM.jpg


Felt pretty damn strong with the Farmer Carries. Felt good with the Pullups and OHP despite taking several days off for a little abdominal tweak. I tried planks and it aggravated it some but I think it should be good to go if I just don’t over-exhert

Been doing a lot of thinking on my program and how to perfect it to my specific goals and needs. I think when it comes to training, I’m going to soon start tracking total time under tension for each workout during all working sets, and when I hit 45 minutes I’m just going to stop and begin the cool down. Every week I’ll increase total time under tension by a minute until it reaches an hour thirty minutes and just aim to keep it there

Also have been looking into TENS units a bit. Seems like even the tens units that physical therapists are reviewing and saying is their favorite have the same chance of breaking as the cheaper ones at $27 so I think I’m probably end up buying the one with the most reviews and hope for the best. If it breaks (seems like some have had issues with returns on Amazon for some reason) will just return it for refund. If the guy wants to fuck people out of their refund and it happens to me too I’ll just fuck up his shop with a scathing review / warn potential buyers. But yea, tens unit might provide an edge, going to check it out and see
 

TTOOLL

Member
Cutty Flam Cutty Flam I did the routine you suggested on Saturday, only 2 rounds, 80 squats in total, my legs are still sore man hahahaha, feels good though. However, I'll have to do it once or twice a week at most because of my runs, I need to save my legs a bit, I can't run fast sore like this.

I know my body will adapt but...

Anyway, concerning the pull ups, I'm trying to do them everyday, since they won't mess with my runs. I just don't know if I should go and do like the max number of reps until I fail or do smaller sets with probably more reps in the end. Do you guys have any suggestions? Thanks!!


edit: VlaudTheImpaler VlaudTheImpaler I literally do not have the space required to do the movements you posted, they look fun and hard but I just couldn't find a place to do them. =(
 
Last edited:

Cutty Flam

Banned
Cutty Flam Cutty Flam I did the routine you suggested on Saturday, only 2 rounds, 80 squats in total, my legs are still sore man hahahaha, feels good though. However, I'll have to do it once or twice a week at most because of my runs, I need to save my legs a bit, I can't run fast sore like this.

I know my body will adapt but...

Anyway, concerning the pull ups, I'm trying to do them everyday, since they won't mess with my runs. I just don't know if I should go and do like the max number of reps until I fail or do smaller sets with probably more reps in the end. Do you guys have any suggestions? Thanks!!


edit: VlaudTheImpaler VlaudTheImpaler I literally do not have the space required to do the movements you posted, they look fun and hard but I just couldn't find a place to do them. =(
Excellent, TTOOLL TTOOLL

Yeah be very careful with your volume if you plan on using your legs for strenuous activity. I used to go fucking ham on leg day, and my friends would want to play basketball like the next day or two days later and I'd be like fuck it I'm not sore let's go. Couple times I got hit with minor injuries because you usually lose yourself in the game /go into a zone and want to do more & perform, compete. Probably the same with running. Running is addictive, but that's good. Vital to take a solid two days rest for proper recovery, at least, before you plan to do something extreme again. I'm not sure how your runs go, but I recall you running significant mileage, tracking some serious distance so better safe than sorry

I wouldn't perform the pullups every single day, but the frequency would be high given that we're performing 4 sets probably could do a set or two more if you'd like so 4-6 sets 4X per week. The idea is that you're performing the exercise often throughout the week, you keep the intensity low by doing only half the amount of reps you would perform in a set going to failure for all your sets, and this will allow you to master the movement; your body will master the movement and adapt to be able to perform it efficiently if you focus on perfecting your form through all the necessary cues every single rep. And you add a little bit each week in terms of frequency/intensity

The method is called "greasing the groove" the one I just described to you. Fitness personalities can explain it in much greater detail on youtube than I can. But it all boils down to progressive overload in the end, and that you pick a high frequency, low intensity set/rep scheme that you can progress with over time and still allow for adequate rest and recovery. Pullups take a lot of patience. Sometimes, when you really get up in number, it takes weeks to increase your numbers. Takes patience and persistence but eventually you'll grown bigger and stronger if you stick to the program and truly aim to get better and do not let up
 
Dumb question, what would be considered a good weight for OHP? As in, a healthy male should be able to do this kinda thing.

I am struggling with those because in my gym the least amount of weight you can put onto a barbell is 1.25kgs (so 2.5kgs) on both sides and I think that is too much for my shoulders. I have no problem getting stronger this way for squats, benchpress etc. But as I said, I struggle with the Overhead Press.
Tomorrow or on thursday (depends on how rested I am) I will be pushing 50kgs on that exercise (hopefully).
3 sets of 5 btw, starting strength kinda thing which I mentioned.

I mean I know that I could strengthen my shoulders with less weight but more reps or sets, or go over to dumbbells and try something that way and then come back to the OHP with the barbell, man I love this exercise and hate it at the same time, ok hate is the wrong word, I respect the hell out of it.

This post went everywhere lol, guess I had to vent a bit.
Oh also forgot to mention, I weigh in at 86kgs at the moment. To be honest I could lose a few kgs but I want to get stronger first and cut weight later.
Also no freedom units sorry. :p
 
Last edited:
Amazing practice today. Feeling so strong lately. I've finally graduated to heavier weights/resistance bands at 100 reps. I've also been bounce curling my kettle bell with a resistance band strapped through the handle and wrapped around my thumb doing pronation hammer curls for one of my 100 rep sets. This is great for top rolling through someone who is trying to power out of it. The bouncing weight safely simulates them tugging.

Been mixing it up according to how I feel. No set plan really except for trying to get in 3 workouts a day. First workout after practice will always be lightweight high reps all day, so I now go back to my lighter bands for that day. Gonna be adding some leverage lifts with a 2.5 pound smithing hammer. But my wrists are so strong my focus needs to stay on biceps. However, if I can fit both of those things in at the same time I will.

You'd think working out that much would make me tired... Well, it's done the COMPLETE opposite. I get so freaking antsy to workout even when I know I should take it easy. Adrenaline surges all the freaking time. Especially if watching anything with any sort of action, or anything that irritates me, like most politics today. Been having to find other areas of my body to focus on when this happens. Cardio, squats, squat walks, ostrich walks, horse walks, splits, kettle bell work that doesn't use so much of my biceps... Thinking about wrapping some resistance bands around my toes...

Anyway, I picked up a tens/ems unit. Pretty sure it's the one Tesseract Tesseract linked to a while back. Been using it whenever any acute pain rears up and for after practice to see how/if it helps with recovery. I quite like it. It def helped with a stiff neck I had for sure. Seems like it helped with some arm and shoulder pain as well. My issue is my muscles not wanting to relax, or rather, one or two troublesome strands that end up throwing everything else off due to my inflammatory condition. This seems to interrupt whatever signals are causing those muscles to tighten and they eventually relax. My wife also recently sprained her ankle and she used it for that. Don't have anything to compare it to but she did a bit of research beforehand and decided to try it. Seemed to help keep her ankle stabilized while she isn't using it so much. And for blood flow since it makes everything contract and such without her needing to put weight on it. EDIT: Meant to say thanks Tess!

So, I'm in healing mode. I've got 8 electrodes strapped to me right now. Feels really nice I've got to say. I've come to actually really enjoy this down time after practice and embrace the soreness while relaxing doing something I love.

Keep at it brothers. Remember to take the time to chill and heal.
 
Last edited:

SpiceRacz

Member
Dumb question, what would be considered a good weight for OHP? As in, a healthy male should be able to do this kinda thing.

I am struggling with those because in my gym the least amount of weight you can put onto a barbell is 1.25kgs (so 2.5kgs) on both sides and I think that is too much for my shoulders. I have no problem getting stronger this way for squats, benchpress etc. But as I said, I struggle with the Overhead Press.
Tomorrow or on thursday (depends on how rested I am) I will be pushing 50kgs on that exercise (hopefully).
3 sets of 5 btw, starting strength kinda thing which I mentioned.

I mean I know that I could strengthen my shoulders with less weight but more reps or sets, or go over to dumbbells and try something that way and then come back to the OHP with the barbell, man I love this exercise and hate it at the same time, ok hate is the wrong word, I respect the hell out of it.

This post went everywhere lol, guess I had to vent a bit.
Oh also forgot to mention, I weigh in at 86kgs at the moment. To be honest I could lose a few kgs but I want to get stronger first and cut weight later.
Also no freedom units sorry. :p

I'm no expert, but I would advise you to take it easy on your shoulders. They're more delicate than you probably think. I fucked both of mine up trying to hulk too much weight on OHP and it set me back for a long time.
 
For now they feel stronger than ever. I had shoulder pain on the left side before I started training for a few years on and off. Now? Nothing, Just feels good.
Ok, it's 5:23 now, time to get ready for the gym and do the 50kgs OHP.
After I hopefully finish this my next goal for the next times will be the same weight but more reps so I don't overdo it with the weight. I will climb slower. They are delicate, small muscles as you guys said.

Keep pumping.
 

God Enel

Member
Been mixing it up according to how I feel. No set plan really except for trying to get in 3 workouts a day. First workout after practice will always be lightweight high reps all day, so I now go back to my lighter bands for that day. Gonna be adding some leverage lifts with a 2.5 pound smithing hammer. But my wrists are so strong my focus needs to stay on biceps. However, if I can fit both of those things in at the same time I will.

any recommendations for wrist exercises to improve them? (With vids of possible?) feel like my left one is not as “stable” as the right one most probably because I’m right handed.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
any recommendations for wrist exercises to improve them? (With vids of possible?) feel like my left one is not as “stable” as the right one most probably because I’m right handed.
Wanking but really fast. Try a danger wank. Good luck.

had a look online it says push-ups strengthen your wrists

 
Last edited:
I don't know why but my whole body aches after what I did yesterday even my abs, usually it's not like this. Maybe because I did more deadlifts and or the 1h cardio right after the workout? Feels good though, lol.
Even thinking about dropping that 1x5 deadlift routine and doing 3x6 or 3x8?
Or should I stick with 1x5 for now aka stick with starting strength?
 

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
Blitzmangoman Blitzmangoman


Nsdaw6G.jpg



Nsdaw6G.jpg


r0uKJug.jpg


These pictures are from a book called Deskbound Standing Up To A Sitting World by Dr. Kelly Starrette if you ever wanted to check it out. I have a few of his books and they’re all very helpful and informative books.

Those pics are pretty straight forward. You want to work on the trigger points with, ideally, some kind of spiked massage ball or a lacross ball. You can gently massage your back with the lacross ball or spiked massage ball for a couple minutes each side several times a day for relief

Here are some more options for myofascial release that are likely to help relieve pain in time as you perform them. I try to do at least some light tissue work in the way of using a foam roller, lacross ball, barbell smashing, light massage at least once or twice a week on any problem areas. Usually once every three or four days feels about right when I do myofascial release and actually break up tissue some. If you just massage very lightly to get some lymph fluid going, get some blood flow to the area I’m sure you could massage a muscle group a few times a day no problem for a couple minutes each time; just have to be gentle with the areas in which you are massaging. These help a lot, I do them throughout the week whenever I feel the need (tightness, stiffness, lack of ROM)


HZSTZ2F.jpg



u4jX52K.jpg



DjOHcQ4.jpg



XJtznvg.jpg


vCBFVS9.jpg


ikcE8MS.jpg



B9H8r9S.jpg



oOc0HOW.jpg


AfhIj6T.jpg


J3c7xxv.jpg


9kQ8S6V.jpg



kiwPROE.jpg




DImhfLZ.jpg



c5ZtcSk.jpg


Stretches:



PTUTvo8.jpg



XTazIwg.jpg



G7f0Ves.jpg



Z3QAaan.jpg



jWzJlnB.jpg


A lot of the stretches on those pages come from a book I recently bought and am studying called Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Myers. Interesting book but difficult to follow, I think those stretches cover most of the lines if you pick one from each to perform so that should help your body overall if you start to perform those stretches routinely

I think’s important to stretch the chest every day or every other day some as well. I usually lay on a foam roller and let my arms drop to the sides for a minute or two


^^^That’s Kelly Starrett’s youtube channel. He has a lot of great videos on mobility, tissue restoration for the most part. He can show you a lot of things in the way of eliminating any restrictions your body may have; help you get back to optimal functionality through fascial work using a foam roller, lacross ball, voodoo flossing, a bunch of other ways I’m forgetting. But his videos will help a lot of people improve, and reduce/eliminate pain

these are great, thank you
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR


Ring chin-up get.

Took me a few weeks of slow negatives, patiently dropping my arms down 30 seconds per rep. Then a lot of holding the hang in the down position, which is where most of my weakness and inflexibility was located. I could easily kip up to a 45* elbow and pull myself the rest of the way, but the initial pull from the hang was impossible. Once my arms could perform the upwards pull and slow downwards release in the proper corkscrew motion ( Cutty Flam Cutty Flam referred to this a bit ago as "greasing the groove" i.e. training the correct physiological form and movement), the strength requirements to perform a chin-up had already been met. Felt good.

It was fun to puzzle out how to do these again, an exercise I've been too fat / out of shape to perform since high-school.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Hips have been giving me trouble so I think I’m going to unglue the tissues in my iliopsoas today after I train upper body. It’s probably going to be grueling, but idk, never performed myofascial release on that area before bc never had the need. But my hip flexor muscles are so tight right now, that it’s fucking up my routine so it has to be done

Spiked ball + kettlebell on top for additional pressure, then I’ll just move my legs some in all directions to break up tissue that’s impeding the ROM of the hip flexors

edit: i’ll set the timer for 1:30 each side and see how it goes & report back
 
Last edited:
any recommendations for wrist exercises to improve them? (With vids of possible?) feel like my left one is not as “stable” as the right one most probably because I’m right handed.
I'm working on a post for you breh. Also, didn't forget about the card tearing. I'd like to put some vids in it so hoping I can get it done tomorrow when my wife, (the camera lady) is around.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Hips have been giving me trouble so I think I’m going to unglue the tissues in my iliopsoas today after I train upper body. It’s probably going to be grueling, but idk, never performed myofascial release on that area before bc never had the need. But my hip flexor muscles are so tight right now, that it’s fucking up my routine so it has to be done

Spiked ball + kettlebell on top for additional pressure, then I’ll just move my legs some in all directions to break up tissue that’s impeding the ROM of the hip flexors

edit: i’ll set the timer for 1:30 each side and see how it goes & report back

XStWoyn.jpg


20 minute walk, when I started man oh man was I stiff in the hip flexors. Kinda painful the first min or two but it subsided after a while just took some time and the it was a relaxing one. Need to work on walking more relaxed and a bit faster. I take walking pretty seriously and try to master my stride, as stupid as it may sound, but I think it’s worth it. Walking is one of the GOAT exercises we can do IMO, as low impact as it is I still believe it’s an integral part of health and fitness. So might as well take it seriously is my thinking

Warmed up and did some pullups, then went to work on the hip flexors. I found that laying on the spiked ball on the ground worked better than the kettlebell being on top of the muscle. Good thing too, it’s much easier to simply lay hip flexor first onto a massage ball on the ground, and oscillate to get the myofascial release that was definitely needed, without it I’d be in deep trouble. Actually woke up, right from slumber, stretched my leg a little and slightly tweaked something. That’s how tight the muscle was. Had to do something ASAP and I’m glad that today I acted on it

To anybody reading this, I can’t recommend these tools enough:

-Lacross ball or two
-Foam Roller
-Spiky massage ball or massage peanut


If you have those, you are your own masseuse. No need to pay for massage or relaxation; you can treat virtually every part of your body as needed. All you have to do is learn little by little how to use them to hit all muscles and you’re good

Without those things, if they didn’t exist, my body would be totaled after all the beatings and training. I definitely owe some of the mass I was able to put on over the years, to the foam roller and lacross ball for keeping things supple and ready to go
 
Last edited:

jufonuk

not tag worthy
Week 2 almost complete. Just either a jog or HIIT to do now.

not really giving a figure yet but I’ve lost some weight. Nothing huge but it’s a step.
Feeling proud of myself.

still sticking with 3 * cardio a week + 2 * bands plus abs a week.

anything else on top is extra.
Did an hour of weeding in the garden yesterday. Plus trying to get my 10k steps in.
 
Top Bottom