Strength Weight Training: Anything and Everything II

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Jun 27, 2013
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Last week I did (excluding warm-ups) 3 sets of the incline dumbbell bench @ 25kg per dumbbell. Set one: 12 reps, set two, 9 reps, set three, 7. I'm still not sure if I should use the same weight every week and try and get more reps, or change the reps/sets/weight each week. My goal is to lift more in the long run, but without going too heavy with the weight. It's easier to get the dumbbell into place if it's a weight I can do for 8 reps or more. Is incline generally a hard exercise to gain strength with?
I always preferred doing incline in the smith machine or power rack and drag an adjustable bench into those racks and find the most comfortable angles to work with, commercial incline bench press benches stink for me, they don't adjust aside from maybe the seats, just hard to work with, most are high inclines too, hard to get under the bar, felt I was falling forward alot.

You can build strength with persistence, I normally go at 80-85% of what I normally would lift on a flat bench for incline (bench 100-110, incline 80-90)
 
I do too, but after doing them for months at home, then first session back in the gym doing leg presses, I felt I got a far better workout in with the squats/better quad activation/burn, I prefer dumbbell and kettlebell squats though. Just using my squat rack for bench press, shoulder press, inverted rows etc atm and as an anchor to loop my bands around.

Do you do hip thrusts or swiss ball exercises? Could be much easier on the lower body for you.

Sorry forgot to reply.

Yeah I used to do swiss ball. But idk, not the past few years. No idea why. On the floor i do push ups (on knees), sit ups and twists with medicine ball + if i can be ****ed planks- flat and obliques.

Man forget lunges, etc. The worst is burpees. Far out they are horrid things.
 
Jun 27, 2013
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Sorry forgot to reply.

Yeah I used to do swiss ball. But idk, not the past few years. No idea why. On the floor i do push ups (on knees), sit ups and twists with medicine ball + if i can be f’ed planks- flat and obliques.

Man forget lunges, etc. The worst is burpees. Far out they are horrid things.
Lunges are good

I do Bulgarian splits instead though just for more quad isolation (put foot up on something and do 1 legged squats)
 

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Aeglos

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I'm still not sure if I should use the same weight every week and try and get more reps, or change the reps/sets/weight each week.

if you’ve stared to plateau a little bit I’d start cycling through different weights, rest periods/volume and even bench angles across each session
eg
1) 20kg - 3 sets - 3 minutes rest
2) 22.5kg - 3 sets - 3 minutes rest
3) 25kg - 3 sets - 3 minutes rest
4) 20kg - 4 sets - 2 minutes rest
5) 22.5kg - 4 sets - 2 minutes rest
6) 25kg - 4 sets - 2 minutes rest
7) repeat the cycle with a new bench angle, hand position or switching from DB to barbell
...
13) go back to (1) and try and beat your old rep PRs at the given weights and/or increase the weights to something like 22.5kg/25kg/27.5kg.
if you’re stuck with 5kg DB increments you might just have to do an abbreviated version.
 

saj_21

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My bodybuilding brethren.

Vascularity, is it just genetics and low BF% or is there more to it?

both.

it’s like guys you see with two veins in their biceps, You may get super lean and vascular but will never have two veins in your bicep. that’s genetics some may have it but will never know.

but all people can get lean and vascular , but each person will look different. Some more look more vascular at higher levels of BF, others may have to get leaner for less vascularity
 
Jun 27, 2013
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Had a good cardio sesh yesterday, felt I made up a little in terms of output

Will go the active recovery route tonight instead though, jump on the bike, have a stretch etc. Made a tuna mornay, haven't had one in ages, energy up for Tuesday and Thursday lifts.
Much better session last night, still not quite at 100% but felt around 90-95%, maybe it was CNS creeping in over the weekend that hampered me there.

Not a fan of inverted rows atm, struggling to find the right height for best lat activation, might put more work into dead hangs instead as a build up to chin ups, prefer doing them on the gym rigs as they're about 8 foot high, but still kinda works at home on my 215cm rack, albeit tucking my knees up.
 
Jun 27, 2013
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Week 2 of my fitness reset, 6 days a week, today diet up, combo of 3 different cardio workouts and simple home weights set up.

Yesterday and today the doms and stiffness has reeeeeally set in, didn’t plan on having tofay as my rest day but I need to.
Go for a half hour walk or a big stretch or something mate, some sort of active recovery always helps them big old DOMS, particularly legs and back

Hardest part with heavy DOMS is starting that active recovery, but once you warm up and get into it it gets much easier
 
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Go for a half hour walk or a big stretch or something mate, some sort of active recovery always helps them big old DOMS, particularly legs and back

Hardest part with heavy DOMS is starting that active recovery, but once you warm up and get into it it gets much easier

Yeh my days off are active recovery days, will go for a walk and do a good roll and stretch.
 
Jun 27, 2013
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Yeh my days off are active recovery days, will go for a walk and do a good roll and stretch.
Nice mate

I've always found my normal DOMS cycle for resistance training kicks in about 18-36 hours after my workout and lasts about 55-85 hours after that session, but I always do split programs, so would be different to someone who trains full body 3 times a week as their load is spread out.

Active recovery and training different muscle groups in the days afterwards will help too in deflecting the soreness away, but yeah, really heavy taxing sessions or working out after a long layoff will go over 3 days of DOMS.

Don't really get DOMS from cardio anymore, I used to when I played cricket and bowled for ages feeling it down my sides and a bit in the quads, but normally just feel fatigued the next morning, clears up with a few meals. I've learnt the hard way over the years to never do weights the morning after a big cardio session in the afternoon/night previous. Takes a few meals and 20-24 hours for me in that regard to refuel up.
 
Week 2 of my fitness reset, 6 days a week, today diet up, combo of 3 different cardio workouts and simple home weights set up.

Yesterday and today the doms and stiffness has reeeeeally set in, didn’t plan on having tofay as my rest day but I need to.

Sook
 

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Jun 27, 2013
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20201217_210611.jpg



Wowee, changed from flat to the slight decline as I just wasn't getting in full ROM reps on flat with the safeties on, have to get a different height bench to achieve that, but I get a full ROM in on the slight decline and still the safety benefits if I fail (safeties protects head and neck)

Definitely helps
 
Jun 27, 2013
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View attachment 1029731


Wowee, changed from flat to the slight decline as I just wasn't getting in full ROM reps on flat with the safeties on, have to get a different height bench to achieve that, but I get a full ROM in on the slight decline and still the safety benefits if I fail (safeties protects head and neck)

Definitely helps
Also found a safe incline angle to use too

Medium incline bench setting, push the bench back a little and the safeties up 3 notches from where I'd have them on flat, I don't do full ROM for incline presses, but I go closeish enough to my chest where other bench or safety settings just weren't working

Use low incline for dumbbells though
 
View attachment 1029731


Wowee, changed from flat to the slight decline as I just wasn't getting in full ROM reps on flat with the safeties on, have to get a different height bench to achieve that, but I get a full ROM in on the slight decline and still the safety benefits if I fail (safeties protects head and neck)

Definitely helps
Smart strategy to put plates on before the photo ;)
 
I'm a gentle giant friend, you're pretty safe I'd say
I know

Lol reminds me of when i started camp in Florida- i opened the door of my dorm room i swear the biggest unit was standing there- gave me a bit of a fright. Think... who are the massive guys in the NFL? He was one of them..

Anyway turned out he was a lovely guy and was like my best (male) mate at camp. We also had a ferocious table tennis comp going- every night as soon as the kids went to bed..
 

Coolangatta

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Still waiting for my trap bar, but it should arrive next week. I've been doing Zercher good mornings and stiff leg deadlifts in the place of trap bar deadlifts for now, but once I get it, those exercises will become assistance lifts. I already row twice a week in my current full-body template, so I've got a good balance overall.
 

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