Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

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saj_21 said:
What state are you in?

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

Search his instragram
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Needs to post more photos of it plus him working out in it, only one side angle I've seen, looks pretty basic, can't see how I'd adjust it etc

Nevertheless a good idea to cope with demand and make some cash from

Looks like they're in Heidelberg, going by that jonda company, so ideal for us Melburnians
 
Coolangatta said:
there might be people out there deadlifting 200+kg with worse form and technique than me, but they've been progressing
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Progressing an inevitable debilitating injury?

I'd be interested to know what % of posters here are training for strength or hypertrophy?
 
CatFan79 said:
Progressing an inevitable debilitating injury?

I'd be interested to know what % of posters here are training for strength or hypertrophy?
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I guess, but my point was more that lifting with bad form/technique doesn't stop you from progressive overload, so my deadlifting numbers not being much greater than my Zercher squat numbers is probably just a personal thing.

I'm training for strength. When I hit 5 reps on 1+ day, I add 5kg to lower body, 2.5kg to upper body. If I fail 5 on upper body, I keep the weight as is, and if I fail on lower body, I decrease by 2.5kg and then add 5kg if I do hit 5. One step back, two steps forward.

I don't think I had an extra rep in me with the Zercher squat yesterday, but I hit 5 reps. My TM is probably about 95%. I struggled on the FSL, I must have rested a bit more than 5 minutes on sets 4 and 5, but I still got the work done.
 

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Bonz said:
Bit of a weird one,

Does anyone know where I could get some dumbells currently?

Nothing huge, just sets that move up to about 6 kilos.
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Yeah, I made a thread on coronavirus sending demand through the roof a few weeks ago

I've been searching the market for stuff for 6 weeks, I started off with a tube the 2nd last weekend of March when Coronavirus looked like effecting gyms, but after using it like twice, it dawned on me that I needed at least some dumbbells and a bench too. So in the meantime while I wait, I grabbed a Big W yoga mat and some bands from Rebel (the bands are way better than the tube)

Not too long afterwards I thought I found a winner and ordered 2 pairs of hex dumbbells and paid through a local Victorian supplier nearly 4 weeks ago and am still waiting on them. I was told directly by them their shipment arrived the day I ordered (a week before Easter), yet my order is still on hold even though my payment was cleared.

Have had 2 emails not responded to so far, not happy with their customer service, even with increased demand, they were happy to respond immediately before I bought the things, but once they've taken your money? If I don't get them by June I'll consider chasing them up through Paypal.

Would be great if they said something simple like not yet dispatched due to delivery demand or whatever is holding them up, but nah, too hard for them to do so, status has been "on hold" since I bought them with no other information provided...

Anyways, onto your query

Basically nearly every supplier is sold out and are being held up restocking due to logistics.

However

There's an adjustable dumbbell brand called Powertrain who look like another Bowflex and are based in Glen/Mount Waverley or something that will be apparently dispatching across May and June, but they're very expensive and a bit flimsy. Great for convenience/quick change over for drop sets etc as they can come with a stand but I sure as hell wouldn't drop them. No information on warranties. $679 for a pair of 24kg adjustables with a stand or $1080 for a 40kg pair with the stand. I strongly considered the 40kg dumbbells as 40-45kg is about my max dumbbell press/one arm row currently but after looking around on the adjustable dumbbell market, Ironmaster seem to be the best option which I'm happy to wait out for as long as they don't go up in price again as a set went from $745 to 965 since COVID. But even then it's still better value than Powertrain imo due to the lifetime warranty, no flimsyness/ enhanced durability, plus you can buy extensions for the dumbbells (a regular 34kg/75lb pair can be extended out to a 54kg/120lb pair or a 75kg/165lb pair). The 120lb extension is right up my alley and the square style plates can be used for their type of ezy bars, barbells and kettlebells. The ezy bar definitely looks a goer considering I do a heap of bis/tris work with them. But if this Powertrain company stays to their word then you could get them in a month or two.

I'm likely just gunna wait til later in the year once adjustable extension benches are available too and spend like 2-2.5-3k and get an Ironmaster set from Sams Fitness in Sydney and hopefully pay less on shipping by doing a big bulk package. The Ironmasters Lifetime warranty is extremely appealing, the dumbbells are made of steel and iron with no flimsy plastics and they've got 10 year warranties on most other accessories.


In the meantime if one becomes available around the time I finally get these hex dumbbells, I might grab a 300-350kg capacity flat bench as most are only $200-300 and use for the short-medium term so I can at least start doing dumbbell presses again and other exercises more comfortably, then do the big upgrade later in the year, then I'll either sell the bench/dumbbells or give it to my youngest brother for an early 18th present (he's got various hand me down adjustable dumbbells and a smallish barbell already, but no bench). Really getting over push up variations currently.
 
Finally got decent chest and shoulder doms. Just expanding volume with push ups. Dumbell push ups are my main working exercise, then I'll fatigue myself with incline push ups then go to close grip floor presses with the pair of 8s I have supersetting with flys as I don't need as much ROM like I would with bench.

The door attachment I got with my tube is working very well with my bands instead as I can wrap or double wrap my hands with the bands to increase resistance/decrease ROM etc and am using it for high rows and various tricep/bicep exercises, works well with overhead tricep extensions as I'm tall and can get a decent stretch out. Only use the tube on back day for rows and lying lat pushdowns (perfect resistance for me for the lat pushdowns).

Really hanging to do some form of bench though...push ups are a drag, but I've got no other choice until I get a bench. Squat day can feel like a chore sometimes too, but mixing it up has helped (using dumbbells and doing unilateral stuff etc). Having an extendable bench with a leg curl/extension attachment etc would help too (would love a power rack, but don't have room for one, so that'd be next best scenario)
 
Bonz said:
Bit of a weird one,

Does anyone know where I could get some dumbells currently?

Nothing huge, just sets that move up to about 6 kilos.
Click to expand...

Best bet might be facebook market place
 
Looked around for a bench again

There's a retailer in Cheltenham i think who was selling warehouse assembled ones, but it's $450 for just a flat bench...bugger that when most are selling for around the $250 mark and I can just wait and get a decent adjustable one for $550-600

Instead, I bought a slightly expensive but heavy duty aerobic step up platform from a Sydney retailer though as an alternative. Will definitely help on rainy days and on leg day, should also be able to dumbbell press with it, being 300kg capacity. Always have used step up platforms in my training, so it won't be a waste.
 
Okay, so I think my problem might be that I'm doing stiff-legged deadlifts instead of conventional. My legs are virtually straight before I pull, and I try to drag the bar up a straight line. I've been afraid to bend my knees since I keep hearing you don't bend them more than you would on a squat because it's not a squat, but I'm 99% I've overdone it and haven't been able to get into that tight wedge position. I also forgot to stick my chest out. So, for sure I'm losing power on the deadlift because my deadlift shouldn't be only 10kg better than my Zercher squat. I don't have t-rex arms or short femurs. I will get the hang of this s**t eventually. I'm testing my 1RM next week on the deadlift. If I pull my max easily, I'll keep adding weight and we'll see if I can hit at least 160kg which I should be.
 
Coolangatta said:
Okay, so I think my problem might be that I'm doing stiff-legged deadlifts instead of conventional. My legs are virtually straight before I pull, and I try to drag the bar up a straight line. I've been afraid to bend my knees since I keep hearing you don't bend them more than you would on a squat because it's not a squat, but I'm 99% I've overdone it and haven't been able to get into that tight wedge position. I also forgot to stick my chest out. So, for sure I'm losing power on the deadlift because my deadlift shouldn't be only 10kg better than my Zercher squat. I don't have t-rex arms or short femurs.
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drop the weight, re-adjust and work your way back up over a few sessions. shouldnt be too hard to fix
 
Jaxes said:
drop the weight, re-adjust and work your way back up over a few sessions. shouldnt be too hard to fix
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Yeah, although I don't think I'll drop too much, because if I've been stiff legging, and all of a sudden I start pulling more conventional, then suddenly a weight I only did for 5 reps I might do for 15 or more. Still, I know it's better to err on the side of light until I get the hang of it.
 
Any tips on pulling the slack out of the bar? That's another thing I haven't been doing; I've just been trying to push from a dead position. My body should be tense all the way through. I need to work on tightening the core, lats, etc. I also need to work on sitting back without lowering the hips, another thing I haven't been doing right. I think my hips have been too close to the bar; I could never properly hinge as the bar comes up like you're supposed to. If I feel some tension in my hamstrings and perhaps in the heels, then that might be a good cue, right? Either way, I'm 99.9% sure I'm not lifting as much as I could be.

Also, this happened:

They're going to have a boxing match, too.
 

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Coolangatta said:
Any tips on pulling the slack out of the bar? That's another thing I haven't been doing; I've just been trying to push from a dead position. My body should be tense all the way through. I need to work on tightening the core, lats, etc. I also need to work on sitting back without lowering the hips, another thing I haven't been doing right. I think my hips have been too close to the bar; I could never properly hinge as the bar comes up like you're supposed to. If I feel some tension in my hamstrings and perhaps in the heels, then that might be a good cue, right? Either way, I'm 99.9% sure I'm not lifting as much as I could be.

Also, this happened:

They're going to have a boxing match, too.
Click to expand...


Its interesting on the Joe Rogan podcast he said that people should not be deadlifting. Was discussing the risk to benefit ration. Made some strong and valid points.

He mentioned that in the NFL, players do not do any deadlifts whatsoever because of the risk of injury. Presume AFL players are the same?
 
GROTTO said:
Its interesting on the Joe Rogan podcast he said that people should not be deadlifting. Was discussing the risk to benefit ration. Made some strong and valid points.

He mentioned that in the NFL, players do not do any deadlifts whatsoever because of the risk of injury. Presume AFL players are the same?
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Wasn't him, was another guy.

But I agree. Interesting.

I'd like to see what NFL players do if they don't deadlift. I think they do power cleans.

I think I'll eventually get a trap bar. Rippetoe appears to be in a minority when he says they aren't a deadlift, don't develop functional strength well and are more dangerous than conventional.
 
Coolangatta said:
Wasn't him, was another guy.

But I agree. Interesting.

I'd like to see what NFL players do if they don't deadlift. I think they do power cleans.

I think I'll eventually get a trap bar. Rippetoe appears to be in a minority when he says they aren't a deadlift, don't develop functional strength well and are more dangerous than conventional.
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Ive seen some people do it with perfect technique, look strong and powerful when doing it.

Ive seen some people that will be crippled old men in their 50s or earlier in the technique they are using.

It is one of the few exercises along with squats where its probably in the best interest of novices/casual not to do, because if your technique is shot or flawed, its going to lead to long term permanent damage.
 
GROTTO said:
Ive seen some people do it with perfect technique, look strong and powerful when doing it.

Ive seen some people that will be crippled old men in their 50s or earlier in the technique they are using.

It is one of the few exercises along with squats where its probably in the best interest of novices/casual not to do, because if your technique is shot or flawed, its going to lead to long term permanent damage.
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You're probably right.

I think with a trap bar for deadlifting and an SSB bar for squats I'd be fine. I'm currently doing Zercher's instead which feel safer.
 
Anyone got any tips for a decent powerlifting friendly rig?

This is my ideal setup
-squat rack/power cage with a pullup bar
-mats or flooring to deadlift

Don't want to spend too much money but don't want some flimsy made in china s**t either
 
Coolangatta said:
Wasn't him, was another guy.

But I agree. Interesting.

I'd like to see what NFL players do if they don't deadlift. I think they do power cleans.

I think I'll eventually get a trap bar. Rippetoe appears to be in a minority when he says they aren't a deadlift, don't develop functional strength well and are more dangerous than conventional.
Click to expand...
Mainly cleans, but they do Trap Bar deadlift.
 
showdownhero said:
Anyone got any tips for a decent powerlifting friendly rig?

This is my ideal setup
-squat rack/power cage with a pullup bar
-mats or flooring to deadlift

Don't want to spend too much money but don't want some flimsy made in china s**t either
Click to expand...
I'm very invested in the market right now, but as I've only got a bit over 7 foot x 3.5m to work in the spare room, I'm only going down the adjustable bench/dumbbell/kettlebell route to get by. But I'll get back to what I'm doing later.

Do you already have an Olympic sized barbell and plates? That'll help you with some costs

But unfortunately imo, you'll have to spend a little bit on a solid rack and rubber mats if you don't want flimsy Asian made stuff, then shipping costs too unfortunately. I paid $45 for 16kgs worth of accessories from Sydney and $64 for 110kg worth of dumbbells from the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne to me out in the outer west 55kms away for example.

Be prepared to spend at least $1500 in total as you'll need j hooks and spotter arms too (some racks include these, others won't, so look around for ones that do as these can be very expensive at $100-250 per pair depending on supplier/quality etc). You can probably find a half decent rack for around $600-800 if you look around, but most standard ones that'll do the job seem to be going at $995-1400. Premium racks are probably north of $2000, but they'd have more features like built in lat/cable towers, built in weight sleeves, 6 post capabilities and stuff like that.

I'd assume you'd have a garage with a high ceiling to train out from (you'd need about a 10 foot clearance imo to be safe with chin ups). Also are you renting or you own your own place? Some racks/rigs need to be bolted down, while others have flat sturdy rubber bottoms that can withstand say 500-600kgs, so again, this will need to come into your planning.

With flooring, if you pay through a gym supplier be prepared to pay up to $50 per square metre for mats, at flooring specialists I've seen plain black mats for around $30 psm and nicer flecked ones for around $35 psm. I will need rubber mats just to be safe with my set up as I'm renting once I get my bench and dumbbell order, so I'll buy 6 in total for my space (3m x 2m) and it'll cost around $180-210 if I can dodge shipping and can pick up from the warehouse. Bunnings also sell plain black mats for about $31-32 psm but they're sold out nearly everywhere around Melbourne. Most of these mats at various suppliers seem to be stock standard 1mx1m, 15mm thick and weigh around 14-15kg each.

20200504_100000.jpg

This is what I've got to work with currently

The aerobic step was expensive at $169, probably overpaid $40-50 for it and was one of the things I bought from a Sydney supplier, but I ordered on Wednesday and it came in on Friday, so hats off to them for the super quick delivery. 300kg capability and 2 year warranty at least as I'm a big guy, though it does groan in some spots.

Also have

From the Sydney supplier a 4kg medicine ball (probably $10 overpriced, but it seems to be decent enough) and push up handles which I'll be hammering all winter long on chest day as a main volume exercise.

From my local Rebel I first bought a tube that came with a door anchor, then I bought a 3 pack of bands. I use the bands more as they're more flexible

The rehab spiky ball and the other band I've had for a while and rarely use, I borrowed the pair of 8s from my brothers gym (he's a strength and conditioning coach)

Cost me nearly $400 so far for just that though $45 was shipping, so $350 for the gear.

Will come to around $1800-1900 total once I get my heavy duty adjustable bench, 25 and 30kg dumbells, pair of 20kg Olympic rubber plates with 5 grip handles (will use them as a kettlebell alternative) and rubber flooring which I'll pick up or get delivered across the course of this month.

I probably could've saved around $100 on the bench too if I went elsewhere, but I just wanted to secure something for the winter, so bit the bullet and took the soon to be available $750 bench. I would've had to have spent around $600-650-700 anyway before shipping if I waited for a different heavy duty, fully commercial bench capable of taking my size. So yeah, heavy duty, fully commercial, 380kg rating, 5 year warranty, no shipping too though as it's a northern suburbs supplier who allows pick up by appointment which I'll do later in the month.

Will then save for a few months, get rid of the dumbbells and try and get back most of cash I paid for them and then get in proper adjustable dumbbells and kettlebells that I've been eyeing off ever since COVID started. Total investment will be around $4000 after I get my preferred option, then it'll be no more until I get my own place (that's when I'll go big on the power rack, get a decent exercise bike for cardio, then it'd be farewell gym)

Anyways

Any left handed cricketers here in Melbourne looking for cricket gear? I'll be selling my Gray Nicolls gear too, lol.
 
Ehh bit the bullet and bought some equipment even though its a 2 month wait.

Squat stands
Adjustable bench
150kg weights
Fractional plates
Collars
Olympic bar
Fat EZ bar

Any other suggestions? Tempted to grab a trap bar.

Mean time i'm just going to work on mobility and continue with Kettlebells.
 
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