Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

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Andre said:
Normally I do Front Squats (due to a bulging disc, back squats over 60kg would have me at the physio). 1RPM is 120kg (even working out regularly for years, I've attained a state of lean, will never be that big and muscular, not that I really mind). Doing the Front Squat / Back squat ratio of it should be 85% that'd be around 140kg as back squat.
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Goblet squats?

Given most that dont have a decent home gym, this is a good alternative.

With your bulging disc do you deadlift, by that I mean RDL ?

Its a solid effort by you to do legs given your spinal issues, I could see some giving up on legs altogether.

TBH, being lean, cut and ripped is a much better aesthetic look (IMO also healthier choice) than being huge, big and muscular. For starters a lot of those guys are on the gear.
 
Mofra said:
Have you tried jump squats? Absolute killer that you can use as an accessory exercise.
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I'm doing these and the missus watched my final set and laughed at me because I only did 4. 🤬🤬


Anyone doing calves? I've managed to sculpt my chicken legs in to turkey legs over the years and would like not to go too far backwards.
 

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Deliverance said:
I'm doing these and the missus watched my final set and laughed at me because I only did 4. 🤬🤬


Anyone doing calves? I've managed to sculpt my chicken legs in to turkey legs over the years and would like not to go too far backwards.
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I have really tight calves but have been doing single leg (slightly bent) calf raises, and running at ~80% intensity for 400m tends to work them pretty well. I have high contacts so will never have massive calves, just trying to keep them "not laughable".
 
GROTTO said:
Goblet squats?

Given most that dont have a decent home gym, this is a good alternative.

With your bulging disc do you deadlift, by that I mean RDL ?

Its a solid effort by you to do legs given your spinal issues, I could see some giving up on legs altogether.

TBH, being lean, cut and ripped is a much better aesthetic look (IMO also healthier choice) than being huge, big and muscular. For starters a lot of those guys are on the gear.
Click to expand...
I RDL, with my 25DB's 3x10. When at the gym usually 25 1x10, 30 2x6. I don't go heavier then that both for being able to do and I start to feel it cross into 'danger zone' with my back, even bracing throughout. Deadlifts I've had issues with in the past, but was slowly reintroducing not long before gyms closed, as since the last time have significantly increased glute strength and core. Started at 50kg 5x5 was up to a bit over 70kg 5x5. Given the issues it's caused in the past I was (and when can again) taking the very VERY slow increase in weight path. I don't care if the middle aged mum's there are (for now) pulling more than me.
 
I still don't know what's up with my deadlift, but I have one theory that I'm putting to the test. Two weeks ago, I Zercher squatted 112.5kg for five reps. When it came to deadlift day, I only hit three reps on 130kg. I should be doing better than that. Either it's a form issue, or I'm not pushing myself, or it was that my routine needs to change. I might be underestimating the importance of a good nights sleep, too.

I was following a 531 beginners template which had me deadlifting two days after doing Zerchers, but many times I'd deadlift the day after doing a heavy Zercher set because sometimes life gets in the way of the routine times. I've changed my program now that so my working sets Zercher day falls on a Monday or Tuesday and my deadlift day falls on a Friday or Saturday. We'll see if the spacing out makes a difference, but I should be doing better on the deadlifts.
 
Coolangatta said:
I still don't know what's up with my deadlift, but I have one theory that I'm putting to the test. Two weeks ago, I Zercher squatted 112.5kg for five reps. When it came to deadlift day, I only hit three reps on 130kg. I should be doing better than that. Either it's a form issue, or I'm not pushing myself, or it was that my routine needs to change. I might be underestimating the importance of a good nights sleep, too.

I was following a 531 beginners template which had me deadlifting two days after doing Zerchers, but many times I'd deadlift the day after doing a heavy Zercher set because sometimes life gets in the way of the routine times. I've changed my program now that so my working sets Zercher day falls on a Monday or Tuesday and my deadlift day falls on a Friday or Saturday. We'll see if the spacing out makes a difference, but I should be doing better on the deadlifts.
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Genetics? If you have short femurs you will squat well but that makes deads more difficult. Long femurs = the opposite.

Where do you feel you are failing, can you isolate a particular muscle group that failos first? If so someone more knowledgeable than I could recommend some accessory work.
 
Mofra said:
Genetics? If you have short femurs you will squat well but that makes deads more difficult. Long femurs = the opposite.

Where do you feel you are failing, can you isolate a particular muscle group that failos first? If so someone more knowledgeable than I could recommend some accessory work.
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I think it could just be a form failure. I should feel tightness in my hamstrings and all over my body before lifting, right? Maybe I'm standing too far or close to the bar, maybe my hips should be lower or higher, who knows. I have a hard time not pushing my shoulder blades back when I stick my chest out - I'm just a mechanically awkward person haha. I've always lifted at home on my own, so it's possible I'm way off the mark. I'm not sure I'm actually getting any leg drive from the movement. They say push down and drag the bar but it never feels right to me, like I have this tick to pull the bar and get my back into it too much. Perhaps I need to learn to brace more. As for femurs, mine are neither particularly short or long. Time will tell. I lowered my deadlift 1+ working set next Friday by 2.5kg. If I keep hitting 5 reps on the 1+ deadlift days going forward then maybe it was just that I needed to space out my Zercher and deadlift days more.
 
Coolangatta said:
I think it could just be a form failure. I should feel tightness in my hamstrings and all over my body before lifting, right? Maybe I'm standing too far or close to the bar, maybe my hips should be lower or higher, who knows. I have a hard time not pushing my shoulder blades back when I stick my chest out - I'm just a mechanically awkward person haha. I've always lifted at home on my own, so it's possible I'm way off the mark. I'm not sure I'm actually getting any leg drive from the movement. They say push down and drag the bar but it never feels right to me, like I have this tick to pull the bar and get my back into it too much. Perhaps I need to learn to brace more. As for femurs, mine are neither particularly short or long. Time will tell. I lowered my deadlift 1+ working set next Friday by 2.5kg. If I keep hitting 5 reps on the 1+ deadlift days going forward then maybe it was just that I needed to space out my Zercher and deadlift days more.
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Could always record your set, then compare it to a "perfect" technique online.
 
Deliverance said:
Could always record your set, then compare it to a "perfect" technique online.
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Well, I think I underestimated how close to the bar I should be standing, which is one thing. When I bend down while keeping my hips up, I feel tightness in my hamstrings which is probably right. I try not to lower my hips much when straightening my back, but then I might not be lowering them enough because you're supposed to stick your arse out haha.

I don't think my shins are ever too far forward because I never have to get out of the way when dragging the bar up, but the bar doesn't always come up straight either. It looks like I'm taking too long to lower the weight and too long to move it. I don't think my positioning is bad; I just need to brace, perhaps stand closer to the bar than I initially thought, and try to push rather than pull. It's more of a form issue than a technique issue. I always feel like I'm cheating some of the reps even though if I were, I should be pulling much more.
 
My form does not look this bad, and it appears that while deadlifting incorrectly does increase your risk of injury, it doesn't seem to hinder your lifting progress. In other words, there might be people out there deadlifting 200+kg with worse form and technique than me, but they've been progressing, whether as I've found it hard to improve on my deadlifts and I don't think bad form/technique is the reason because incompetent lifters can and still do progress.

 
Andre said:
I RDL, with my 25DB's 3x10. When at the gym usually 25 1x10, 30 2x6. I don't go heavier then that both for being able to do and I start to feel it cross into 'danger zone' with my back, even bracing throughout. Deadlifts I've had issues with in the past, but was slowly reintroducing not long before gyms closed, as since the last time have significantly increased glute strength and core. Started at 50kg 5x5 was up to a bit over 70kg 5x5. Given the issues it's caused in the past I was (and when can again) taking the very VERY slow increase in weight path. I don't care if the middle aged mum's there are (for now) pulling more than me.
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Have you tried doing deadlifts with the trap bar? It’s so much easier on your lower back than a barbell.
 

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Teagueeee15 said:
Have you tried doing deadlifts with the trap bar? It's so much easier on your lower back than a barbell.
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I'm going to invest in one eventually. I know you can move your shins outward more and lower your hips more, making it easier to keep your lower back straight. You're almost squatting the deadlift, but obviously, you don't go too low. I've heard that no matter what you hear otherwise, you're still deadlifting with a trap and anyone saying it doesn't count is full of it.
 
Coolangatta said:
I've heard that no matter what you hear otherwise, you're still deadlifting with a trap and anyone saying it doesn't count is full of it.
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Yep, below is a great article on trapbar deadlifts and whether they're still a hip hinge or more a squatting movement as some claim.

www.strongerbyscience.com

Trap Bar Deadlifts are Underrated

Trap bar deadlifts allow for more flexibility in the movement, higher velocity and power output, and are safer and easier to learn for a lot of people.
www.strongerbyscience.com www.strongerbyscience.com



Squat-Hinge-1.jpg
 
There's some carryover effect to conventional as well. So, if I switched to trap, got to say, 250kg, then decide one day to pull conventional again, and work up to 200kg, I might be able to pull that, even if the last time I ever did the conventional deadlift I only pulled 130kg for a few reps because I switched to trap and never looked back. I will change at some point and probably never look back.

I don't plan on ever competing, and it will reduce my risk of injury due to the fact I will probably never lift with great form and technique, so it'll be worthwhile. I'm not sure anyone who could lift deadlift 300kg with a trap bar is regarded as weak, even if they don't do conventional. It's a bit like the safety bar squat. If you SSB squat 250kg surely that's still pretty good even if you ditch the conventional squat and haven't moved similar weight that way.

It's one thing I don't agree with Wendler on - I don't see why the main lifts have to be conventional. If someone wanted to Bench and Press with a swiss bar, that should be fine and still do wonders for their strength development if they follow one of his templates correctly.
 
estibador said:
I heard somewhere that WCE do all their deadlifting with trapbars to spare lower back risk.
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The Weapon doesn't like this.

Apparently North do far more plyo than weights, majority of their strength training is single leg functional. They have one of the better injury records in recent years (Brisbane are still considered the best).
 
The gym apocalypse continues........

Coronavirus Australia: Gyms to stay closed until September

www.news.com.au

Gyms to stay closed until September

Desperate to get back to the gym? You might have to stick to the home workouts a lot longer.
www.news.com.au www.news.com.au

Gyms and indoor sporting venues were forced to close on March 23 after the government brought in tough new restrictions.




Glory be its only been a month, its felt like an eternity.....

Might look at purchasing some more equipment, 4 months to go and looks like it would be a good investment.
 
GROTTO said:
The gym apocalypse continues........

Coronavirus Australia: Gyms to stay closed until September

www.news.com.au

Gyms to stay closed until September

Desperate to get back to the gym? You might have to stick to the home workouts a lot longer.
www.news.com.au www.news.com.au

Gyms and indoor sporting venues were forced to close on March 23 after the government brought in tough new restrictions.




Glory be its only been a month, its felt like an eternity.....

Might look at purchasing some more equipment, 4 months to go and looks like it would be a good investment.
Click to expand...
at least it's only a prediction rather than law... I hope that since we're on <20 cases per day across Australia at the moment that we can be back sooner rather than later.
 
estibador said:
I heard somewhere that WCE do all their deadlifting with trapbars to spare lower back risk.
Click to expand...
I'd be surprised if more than 3 afl clubs do traditional deadlifts. Outside of maybe teaching some of the younger players some fundamental movement patterns
 
GROTTO said:
The gym apocalypse continues........

Coronavirus Australia: Gyms to stay closed until September

www.news.com.au

Gyms to stay closed until September

Desperate to get back to the gym? You might have to stick to the home workouts a lot longer.
www.news.com.au www.news.com.au

Gyms and indoor sporting venues were forced to close on March 23 after the government brought in tough new restrictions.




Glory be its only been a month, its felt like an eternity.....

Might look at purchasing some more equipment, 4 months to go and looks like it would be a good investment.
Click to expand...

What state are you in?

IFBB pro Jake Nikolopolous is making and selling adjustable benches for $499

Search his instragram
 
Anyone ever used trolley lever arms on power racks?

Only just discovered them recently from my increased YouTube workout viewing

They seem like one of the greatest ever accessory inventions. Don't get why I've never heard of them before. They could put Hammerstrength out of business tbf considering how versatile they are imo.


If i ever get my dream power rack, they'd absolutely be a must have accessory, same with a lat tower/cable tower option.

Reasons why they look extremely enticing

  • Extreme flexibility, can do pretty much everything with these things sitting on a bench or standing, any type of press, pretty much any deadlift type of action, most low/medium rows etc. Could do some more explosive movements too or heaps of unilateral work
  • Safety, set up spotter arms with most exercises to control ROM but also safely get into a correct, safe starting position, something you don't always get from certain barbell work
  • I'm a big dude with history of lower back issues, controlled ROM is a massive thing for me. Would be of massive benefit with doing back work, low row variations and certain leg exercises, like deadlift variations, so not just safety, but convenience too
I think the only cons would be price (a good pair would be anywhere between $500-1000 new I think) and some seem like they are a bit heavy and awkward to readjust, particularly the manual ones that aren't fixed on to a rack and need to be strong armed around, so I think ones like Rogue sells that act in a similar way to adjusting height on a cable pulley would be ideal.

But end of the day, I think someone like me who likes safety and flexibility, could use something like this, but I guess it wouldn't be for everyone as simple free weights will always be the bench mark, but they do look absolutely amazing, would not need to jump on a hammerstrength machine ever again and I'd do a fair portion of back, leg and shoulder day on them that's for sure.
 
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