Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

[go you pups]

Anyone bought from Nirvana Fitness before? Looking to buy a cable crossover from there but a little cautious as to the legitimacy of some of these sellers.

I found them hit or miss in 2020 when supply shortages and delays on shipping everywhere affected orders. No problems on click and collect stuff though.

They do some good deals on supplements on Thursdays/Fridays, picked up a few tubs of disorder/bulge from them 3 weeks ago.

Their commercial grade equipment is legit, checked it out when I was down there 3 weeks ago picking up those preworkouts. I don't think there's much difference with them and a few other suppliers.

 

[go you pups]

1 more thing, I'd look at a $2-3k functional trainer over a cable crossover for a home gym, mainly down to space constraints, but it will do the same thing

 

[Coolangatta]

I might go get my shoulder checked out soon. In the meanwhile, what are some good low stress shoulder exercises I can do that aren’t dips or barbell or dumbbell presses? Apparently a high incline press is less stressful on the shoulders.

I was thinking lateral and front raises with the bands since they’re better on the joints but light dumbbells wouldn’t hurt I guess. Shrugs? Would floor presses be too risky? Would be a good way to overload and not as stressful on the rotator cuffs but maybe I should stick to more isolation based movements in the bro rep range.

 

[Registered User]

I might go get my shoulder checked out soon. In the meanwhile, what are some good low stress shoulder exercises I can do that aren’t dips or barbell or dumbbell presses? Apparently a high incline press is less stressful on the shoulders.

I was thinking lateral and front raises with the bands since they’re better on the joints but light dumbbells wouldn’t hurt I guess. Shrugs? Would floor presses be too risky? Would be a good way to overload and not as stressful on the rotator cuffs but maybe I should stick to more isolation based movements in the bro rep range.

Dips always hurt my shoulders, even when I was young. Due to 2 frozen shoulder for ages, a few bicycle crashes in the last decade, and something going on with my neck, I haven't done any heavy pressing for a few years, yet haven't noticed any loss in size (not that I'm big).
I do strict laterals and lying one-arm dbs laterals, which kill the middle delts. You only need a few pounds. On good neck days, I sometimes do upright rows; are they still in the bad books?

 

[Coolangatta]

Dips always hurt my shoulders, even when I was young. Due to 2 frozen shoulder for ages, a few bicycle crashes in the last decade, and something going on with my neck, I haven't done any heavy pressing for a few years, yet haven't noticed any loss in size (not that I'm big).
I do strict laterals and lying one-arm dbs laterals, which kill the middle delts. You only need a few pounds. On good neck days, I sometimes do upright rows; are they still in the bad books?

I think Wendler said they have an unfairly bad rep but they are useful if done with strict form. I could do those with a band. I forgot face pulls and band pull aparts. And like I said maybe shrugs?

 

[Coolangatta]

Registered User are the lying DB laterals done like this?

Writing up a new shoulder-friendly program I can do that cuts out DB overhead, BB overhead and incline/flat benching for a while. It's:

A: Zercher squat 4 sets, banded chest press 4 sets, Romanian deadlift 4 sets, banded lat raise 2 sets, DB lat raise 2 sets, EZ curls 3 sets, leg extension 3 sets, standing calf raise 3 sets

B: trap bar deadlift 4 sets, t-bar row 3 sets, close grip push-ups 3 sets, banded face pull 4 sets, tricep pushdown 3 sets, tricep extension 3 sets, lying leg raise, banded leg curl 3 sets

C: barbell row 3 sets, banded lat pulldown 4 sets, hammer curl 3 sets, banded high to low chest fly 3 sets, reverse lunge 3 sets, banded crunch 3 sets, banded front raise 2 sets, lying one-arm DB laterals 2 sets, seated calf raise 3 sets

Will do pull aparts and other warm-ups and use the foam roll when I get it and hopefully slowly get back into the other exercises if I start to be consistently pain free. still will get it checked.

 

[Registered User]

Registered User are the lying DB laterals done like this?

Oops, no, sorry, I forgot to say lying (either the floor, flat or inclined bench) on the side and arm at a time. I suppose they're very similar to using a shoulder lateral raise machine, but I workout at home with just a bench. Guys I knew wouldn't do them at the gym because they felt it looked silly, and they couldn't "cope" with using such a small weight. I find that if I try to use too much weight, some sort of stabiliser muscles (??) under my arms kick in and it hurts a bit.

I usually do them on the floor, because my only bench has permanent supports for the bar. Another thing I like about them it's very easy to move around to hit the delts slightly differently. Doing them on a low incline also works them slightly differently

 

[Coolangatta]

Cheers mate. I'm probably on some kind of record for program changing by now and making this thread eye roll a bit, but I would've been consistent if it wasn't for my shoulder, I think, and I've gotta pick exercises I feel comfortable doing, hence reverse lunges are back in since my form is better doing those. I find balance and stability a bit trickier on forward lunges and Bulgarian split squats.

A
Zercher 3-4 sets
Chest Press (Band) 3-4 sets
BB Row 3-4 sets
Tricep Pushdown (Band) 3-4 sets
EZ Curls 3-4 sets
Face Pulls 4 sets
Leg Extension (Band) 3-4 sets
Standing Calf Raises 3 sets
B
Trap Bar 3-4 sets
T-Bar Row 3-4 sets
Standing Incline Press (Band) 3-4 sets
Lateral and Front Raises (Band) 2 sets each
Upright Row (Band) 3-4 sets
Tricep Overhead (Band) 3-4 sets
Lying Leg Raises 25-50 reps
Leg Curls (Band) 3-4 sets
C
Lying Lat Pulldown (Band) 3-4 sets
Reverse Lunge 3-4 sets
High to Low Chest Fly (Band) 3-4 sets
Hammer Curl 3-4 sets
Romanian Deadlift 3-4 sets
Lying Lateral Raises 3 sets
Seated Calf Raise 3 sets
Crunch (Band) 3 sets

Incline and flat DB bench and overhead presses will eventually return but slowly and with better form. I really need to start warming up better and foam rolling, too.

 

[RU_]

I think the low cals and weight cut is starting to add up, comp is next Sunday however I hit my final heavy deadlift yesterday and it was not a fun time, it was like an RPE 9 @ 240kg.

 

[Coolangatta]

How does supersetting work? I want to experiment with them to save time once I get back into my old routine which is the one EasternTiger gave me but with minor changes. I was thinking of supersetting incline DB bench with bent over rows, tricep pushdowns with face pulls, and curls with leg raises. t-bar row with db bench, tricep extension with band upright row, lat pull with high to low fly, and romanian deadlift with lat raises.

those should save me time and depending on how I go I should at least be able to up my zerchers, ohp, trap bar, bb row and db bench to 4 sets with everything else 3 sets. then I should be hitting at least 10 sets per muscle group per week which is better than a kick in the head.

but do I have this right? say incline to bb row, you do 1 set incline, rest 1 minute, then 1 set bb row, then rest 1 minute, then back to incline, OR do you do 1 set incline, straight to bb row, THEN rest 1 minute, then back to incline?

edit: anyone who's a supersetting wiz, i can show you my routine if there's a better way of pairing them. but that's the beauty of not doing just everything with barbells or dumbbells or bands, it's easier to set up a little circuit. i will avoid supersetting zerchers or deadlifts, yeah nah

 

[Mofra]

How does supersetting work? I want to experiment with them to save time once I get back into my old routine which is the one EasternTiger gave me but with minor changes. I was thinking of supersetting incline DB bench with bent over rows, tricep pushdowns with face pulls, and curls with leg raises. t-bar row with db bench, tricep extension with band upright row, lat pull with high to low fly, and romanian deadlift with lat raises.

those should save me time and depending on how I go I should at least be able to up my zerchers, ohp, trap bar, bb row and db bench to 4 sets with everything else 3 sets. then I should be hitting at least 10 sets per muscle group per week which is better than a kick in the head.

but do I have this right? say incline to bb row, you do 1 set incline, rest 1 minute, then 1 set bb row, then rest 1 minute, then back to incline, OR do you do 1 set incline, straight to bb row, THEN rest 1 minute, then back to incline?

I rest between exercises, and tend to pick exercises that are completely opposed (e.g. push then pull) although sometimes it's just "same bit of equipment"

Be warned you may need to reduce weight/reps if the rest periods are short. I tend to go for lighter weight/higher rep stuff when I superset - rarely at the start of my workout when I'm going a little heavier / more intense

 

[Coolangatta]

I rest between exercises, and tend to pick exercises that are completely opposed (e.g. push then pull) although sometimes it's just "same bit of equipment"

Be warned you may need to reduce weight/reps if the rest periods are short. I tend to go for lighter weight/higher rep stuff when I superset - rarely at the start of my workout when I'm going a little heavier / more intense

yeah I don't mind using lighter weight, for me it's about building work capacity and trying to get consistency with slow linear progression in the number of reps with good form I do before more weight is added. but I've gotta pull my finger out with warm ups instead of just jumping straight into warm up sets and to use the foam roll I've just gotten.

I'm surprised with some of the routines I've seen where they'll have 3 sets of 8-10 reps of db lat raises when going up in dumbbells is hard and you could easily find yourself going up with weight from 3x10 to struggling to get 3x8 with the next weight. i prefer 8-12 range for a lot of db work, anywhere from 6-12 with barbells cause you can add smaller increments or micro plates.

 

[Coolangatta]

upper left shoulder pain seems to happen at night more than anything, like right now. anyone recommend some good stretches and foam roll exercises to help with this? on the weekend i used an ice pack for 20 minutes and then a few hours later a heat bag for about the same.

 

[Mofra]

upper left shoulder pain seems to happen at night more than anything, like right now. anyone recommend some good stretches and foam roll exercises to help with this? on the weekend i used an ice pack for 20 minutes and then a few hours later a heat bag for about the same.

Where on the shoulder? I get referred pain through the front and sometimes through the top of the bicep tendon, caused largely by tight rotator cuffs (hard ball is good for those) and a tight serratus muscle (which foam rolling and associated swearing help with)

 

[Coolangatta]

Where on the shoulder? I get referred pain through the front and sometimes through the top of the bicep tendon, caused largely by tight rotator cuffs (hard ball is good for those) and a tight serratus muscle (which foam rolling and associated swearing help with)

Hard to pinpoint exactly but it feels sore all around the back of the shoulder blade and collarbone area. But before (I try not to do it anymore) I’d feel pressure sleeping on the left side on the ball of the shoulder, acromion or however you spell it.

 

[Coolangatta]

oly barbell and plates (except smaller plates arriving soon) arrived yesterday, gonna give that trap bar a whirl tomorrow morn after I clean out my room tonight. you guys are gonna laugh but I'm trying yet another template I'm very happy to stick to for as long as I progress in reps/weight if I can keep it within 60-75 minutes.

and I think there's a way. so it's based off gzclp and I customised it to get just about all the accessory exercises in I like doing. it's 3x a week, alternating between

A: Trap Bar 5x3+, db ohp 3x8-12, band pushdown/bb curl superset, band leg curl, band crunch, 3x15+
B: Zercher 5x3+, db bench 3x8-12, lat raise/face pull superset, band lat pull, standing calf 3x15+
C: OHP 5x3+, Romanian Dead 3x8-12, DB row/high to low band fly superset, reverse lunge, leg raises 3x15+
D: Floor 5x3+, Zercher 3x8-10, band extension/hammer curl superset, band upright row, seated calf 3x15+

instead of 6x2 or 10x1 which I don't have time for in current predicament, I won't increase weight until I hit 7 good reps. that way I'm hitting all the rep ranges, from 3-20ish. only ones I'm not doing are singles and doubles but I'm not gonna be a competitive lifter so who cares.

i can rest 2.5min for zercher and trap bar (if I make it more about work capacity than brute strength and going up in weight as fast as possible), 2min for ohp and floor, 1.5 for t2 lifts, 1min for t3 or 30-45 seconds for supersets.

i may change some of the superset pairings around (like I can see lat raise/face pull should probably swap with band push/bb curl) etc but you get the idea.

edit: changed.

edit2: to save time I can reduce rest times in t1 if I do 6x2 and 10x1, 3-5 mins are encouraged for low reps but i find i need more rest for the 5-8 rep range period tbh. i mean if the last set is a + set sure, more rest in the penultimate set, but otherwise it's usually fine for me. i can do a 3x12, 3x10, 3x8 t2 progression on db lifts, 3x10, 3x8, 3x6 on t2 barbell, 15-25 reps on t3. looking forward to this!

 

[showdownhero]

Becoming convinced that heavy deadlifts are some kind of potent virility serum (for me at least).

Every time I cut them from my routine within a few weeks I nearly always end up struggling for gym/diet motivation. Bring them back and I'm always back on the wagon. Really weird.

 

[BrockBlitz]

Becoming convinced that heavy deadlifts are some kind of potent virility serum (for me at least).

Every time I cut them from my routine within a few weeks I nearly always end up struggling for gym/diet motivation. Bring them back and I'm always back on the wagon. Really weird.

Are you really good at deadlifting ?

 

[showdownhero]

Are you really good at deadlifting ?

It's my strongest lift but nothing freakish, best ever deadlift was 225kg @ 77.7kg bodyweight



Deadlift yesterday was 180kg single then 140 3x3, I'm quite out of shape at the moment though

Would love to hit a triple bodyweight deadlift this year

 

[BrockBlitz]

It's my strongest lift but nothing freakish, best ever deadlift was 225kg @ 77.7kg bodyweight



Deadlift yesterday was 180kg single then 140 3x3, I'm quite out of shape at the moment though

Would love to hit a triple bodyweight deadlift this year

Generally speaking we like things we're good at, it makes us feel valuable compared to our peers.
We're silly little creatures.

If doing deads makes you feel like a beast do them and don't look back.
Torturing myself on the assault bike or rower makes me walk a couple feet taller.

 

[RU_]

For those that followed my weight cut in the other thread, here’s my lifts.


Cut 119.4kg - 104.4kg between comps (12 weeks). Water cut was from 111.4kg to 104.4kg in 24 hours for a 2 hour weigh in.

S - 190kg (5kg PB)
B - 120kg (5kg PB)
D - 252.5 (-2.5 PB) - attempted to pull 272.5kg after this to make nationals and missed it as seen. Next comp that’s on my radar.

It’s time for a 3-4 month rebuild stage and to cut the final 5kgs as I’m currently weighing 110kg and then we will start prep for a comp in November.

 

[Cyber_punk]

Don't really know where else to put this since BBers often aren't about health or fitness but apparently Australian bber Calum Von Moger jumped through glass off a 2 story floor while high on meth and fecked his spine. Currently in ICU. I wasn't really aware of who he was but he had a huge following and would have been making fair bank.

Make sure your mental health is as strong as your physical, folks.

 

[phantom13]

Don't really know where else to put this since BBers often aren't about health or fitness but apparently Australian bber Calum Von Moger jumped through glass off a 2 story floor while high on meth and fecked his spine. Currently in ICU. I wasn't really aware of who he was but he had a huge following and would have been making fair bank.

Make sure your mental health is as strong as your physical, folks.

Played Arnie in a bit of a b movie version of the story of Joe and Ben Weider big Callum did.

 

[Max Power 83]

I watched his Netflix doco. Seemed like a decent guy.

What a shame

 

[Coolangatta]

Used the verve v2 trap bar for the first time yesterday. go you pups it was great. It took me a while to load the plates on and off, but that's only because of my current setup, and I have the bar on a carpet and rubber mats, not a proper floorboard, so sometimes the plates come up against those.

But the feel of the bar is great. I used the low handle and set up similarly to how I normally do, but with knees out more, and to make the feeling more like a conventional deadlift, I'm careful not to lower the knees too soon when coming down, but I could feel the difference in smooth movement speed and leg drive immediately.

I still do leg curls and Romanian deadlifts, though to target the glutes and hams and get that hip hinge movement that you don't quite get the same from using a trap bar. But I'd recommend it. The bar did swing a bit, though, but that's my fault. I have to work on grip form and positioning because sometimes I came up and down perfectly, and other times it'd swing forward a bit.

This could be a problem as I get heavier, but loads close to my real 3-5rm will have an impact on my grip, and I may use straps later on, as some recommend. I've never used a trap bar before, so can't compare to others, but I can't imagine any out there being much better and offering something this one does not. Definitely much friendlier on the back for me.

edit: I'll never go back to conventional, the only downside is it takes up a fair bit of space + all my new plates (which are also great and make bugger all noise). I don't think I have enough room to put a rack in but we'll see, I can take some measurements. maybe I can + a barbell holder. If I can add a swiss bar and ssb bar with a rack and cables down the track I'm set.

I've started doing gzclp 3x a week with 4 accessories per session, trap bar instead of conventional and zercher instead of squat, floor press instead of bench press. if i had a swiss bar id probably overhead with those instead of a barbell because of the neutral grip.