B.S Exercise Physiology. ask me your training questions

[DassItMan]

Cutting sucks balls bro. Big donkey balls. I think we can all argue you are on top of a plateau. The ACSM/NCSM protocol for plateau breaking is increase rest time between sets, but, honestly, that has never worked for me at all.

how on point is your lean bulk? Are you kcal counting or estimating as best as you can? I dont think it matters much, just wondering

anyway...so your form seems to be on point, but the legs just arent responding. What is your leg workout?
How strong would you say your legs in general? do you have a respectable leg press (i think the leg press is slowly disappearing from gyms)? I'm just asking because (i'm sure you know this) you cant have a good squat with a weak leg press or weak ham development, ya know? Weak ISO = weak compounds.

the thing to remember about squats is that it is a HUGELY compound movement. The weight on your shoulders raises your center of gravity, Your core muscles (abs, erector spinae, inter/external obliques, transverse abdominal, multifidus and depending on who you ask the psoas major) keep you stable along with your glutes, then your hamstrings and quads contract in almost unison so the upper body can come down close to straight up. 100k years ago, human legs were probably solid as fuuuuuuuuck because there were no toilets and we had to squat to chit, so this isnt an unnatural movement. Usually where yous hould pause between eccentric and concentric phases is where the money is made but most dont exactly work on that, it just comes with the territory.

There are a bunch of factors that could reveal the culprit. PM me some and i'll take a look. Me thinks you should work on your hip drive. Lexira can give you an A+ run down on that. The guy can dick thrust a semi. But along with hip thrusts and also hamstring (i keep typing 'hamSTRONG' contraction because instead of hamSTRING. Maybe is hould coin that...) because they do more than just bend the knee. The also thrust your pelvis forward. Glutes area factor too.

What i'm getting at, and i'm sure you already knwo that its a multitude of muscles working in sync to achieve your goal, even down in the calves. Think in terms of a kinetic chain:
-Energy generates from the ground into your feet
-Which travels up to your calves
-Then hams/quads, then glutes
-and abs

when one group is lacking, the others pick up the slack and can cause injury. Knee issues tend to arise from poor stance. I personally like to rest y hands Over the bar rather than grab because it hurts my wrists. Also, make sure your elbows are pointing to the ground and tucking into your lats. This helps save face with your RC muscles. IMO, ATG squats are harmful, but to each his own. try puasing and the bottom and holding for 5-10 seconds and then EXPLODING up, you'll need to lower the weight though. You can also use plyometrics to help get a boost. Put as much effort in other lifts as ou do quat. And it never hurts to mix things up. Shock that sh*t up and FORCE your legs to respond

Edit:

appreciate the detailed reply. Had a midterm so could not reply earlier. For the most part I'm very strict and eat the same thing everyday. However, I ran out of chicken, and couldn't go to my home city because of exams to get some frozen chicken so these days I'm guesstimating. Still I've only added like 5lbs in 1.5 months and all my lifts have gone up pretty decently (except for squats lol).

My leg workout is based on PHAT. So it has one lower body power day, and one lower body hypertrophy day. I add a third leg day where all I do is just 3 sets of squats. This is the order I follow it in. I changed the order a bit.







I'm thinking of just dropping the speed work squats on hypertrophy day for 20 rep squats because I saw really fast progress with those in the past. My leg press is decent I'd say compared to my squat. I can leg press the whole machine (only goes to 390) for 12-15 reps. Thoughts on the leg routine? Also, I know you might call me out on it but I don't do the leg extensions (bad for knees?) or hack squats (hurts the back of my head), and just do split squats off a bench instead.

I also use "suicide grip" on squats because I developed some elbow pain and now it's fine and do tuck the elbows too because already had shoulder issues too lol. Some people just learn the hard way I guess.

What I'm understanding from your post is that it could just be a weak link holding me back. The thing is I was kind of brainwashed by the whole powerlifting / strong lifts / SS mentality and all I did for legs was squat, all I did for chest was bench, and all I did for shoulders was barbell over head press. Now I'm realising I get way more of a shoulder workout with dumbbell overhead press, incline bench and dumbbell bench seems to hit my chest harder, barbell rows hit my back harder than deadlifts, glute ham raises and leg presses seem to hit my legs way harder than squats, ab exercises work my abs way more than any squat, etc. I still love compounds and they are my primary focus but it seems I was among those that overrates them for a lack of a better word. So I think now I could just have a weak link holding me back. I have only been "awake" for 1.5 months though so never did stuff like glute ham raises, or leg presses, or hanging leg raises before. I am seeing a difference, legs just looking juicier. Anyway, I'll just keep going along with working everything through isolation and through compounds based on what you're saying.

[tank2003]

appreciate the detailed reply. Had a midterm so could not reply earlier. For the most part I'm very strict and eat the same thing everyday. However, I ran out of chicken, and couldn't go to my home city because of exams to get some frozen chicken so these days I'm guesstimating. Still I've only added like 5lbs in 1.5 months and all my lifts have gone up pretty decently (except for squats lol).

My leg workout is based on PHAT. So it has one lower body power day, and one lower body hypertrophy day. I add a third leg day where all I do is just 3 sets of squats. This is the order I follow it in. I changed the order a bit.







I'm thinking of just dropping the speed work squats on hypertrophy day for 20 rep squats because I saw really fast progress with those in the past. My leg press is decent I'd say compared to my squat. I can leg press the whole machine (only goes to 390) for 12-15 reps. Thoughts on the leg routine? Also, I know you might call me out on it but I don't do the leg extensions (bad for knees?) or hack squats (hurts the back of my head), and just do split squats off a bench instead.

I also use "suicide grip" on squats because I developed some elbow pain and now it's fine and do tuck the elbows too because already had shoulder issues too lol. Some people just learn the hard way I guess.

What I'm understanding from your post is that it could just be a weak link holding me back. The thing is I was kind of brainwashed by the whole powerlifting / strong lifts / SS mentality and all I did for legs was squat, all I did for chest was bench, and all I did for shoulders was barbell over head press. Now I'm realising I get way more of a shoulder workout with dumbbell overhead press, incline bench and dumbbell bench seems to hit my chest harder, barbell rows hit my back harder than deadlifts, glute ham raises and leg presses seem to hit my legs way harder than squats, ab exercises work my abs way more than any squat, etc. I still love compounds and they are my primary focus but it seems I was among those that overrates them for a lack of a better word. So I think now I could just have a weak link holding me back. I have only been "awake" for 1.5 months though so never did stuff like glute ham raises, or leg presses, or hanging leg raises before. I am seeing a difference, legs just looking juicier. Anyway, I'll just keep going along with working everything through isolation and through compounds based on what you're saying.

everything looks pretty good to me. Yeah the leg extension is bad for your ACL specifically. To get the best contractions, you need to use a full ROM. However, when our pause between eccentric and concentric has your feet UNDER your butt, you are stressing the ACL (and the force on the knee is around 8 times your normal force exertion). It controls anterior tibial translation, meaning, it is the onlyt hing keeping your tibia from losing articulation with the femur because the tibia naturally moves forward when you walk (FYI: Women are more proned to ACL tears because their knees are slightly different, structurally. The rotation point is a few milometers forward and changes the center of gravity). Sissy squats are probably the worst for quads. It shuts down the glutes and hams so all the action is solely on the quads.

A good alternative is called.....well i dont know what its called, and its kind of ghey. but what you do is get on the low pulleys, and grab the cables. Next you are gonna SLOWLY walk backwards making sure you lock your knees and point your toes about 45 degrees up, then slowly walk youself back to the cables to get the negatives in too. Its sooo weird but it really works.



And touching on the weak link idea, it is definitely a possibility since the posterior chain is so heavily involved in leg workouts. but look at it like this. The ONLY way that we can walk is from friction and ground reaction force. GFR is when you apply some force to the ground, the ground reacts with an equal and opposite force, and that is how we walk/jog/run. So, lets assume your glutes are lacking. When you get the GRF traveling UP your legs, the energy will dissipate in your glutes and your low back gets very little positive force and simultaneously takes the axial load which would stress the L5/S1 joint

Ive always maintained that keeping things shaken up is an excellent way to get some strength and mass on. Increasing the load, mode, reps, time under tension ect to keep changing the demands so the body MUST react with increases in mitochondrial energy production, some CV increases, increased lactic acid buffering and so on.

[Gios]

I have question about frequency. Which of these scenarios is better for maximum growth?
Train chest and back on fri, rest sat and then shld tris on Sunday. Or chest shld tri on Friday then bout 4-5 days later repeat.
In first option shld and tris hit a bit with chest and then again 48hrs later. So is it good that they being stimulated twice, or is it too soon after chest and hence not given enough time to recover so will not be stimulated for growth?

[tank2003]

I have question about frequency. Which of these scenarios is better for maximum growth?
Train chest and back on fri, rest sat and then shld tris on Sunday. Or chest shld tri on Friday then bout 4-5 days later repeat.
In first option shld and tris hit a bit with chest and then again 48hrs later. So is it good that they being stimulated twice, or is it too soon after chest and hence not given enough time to recover so will not be stimulated for growth?

Most hypertrophy scenarios are subjective. I did Chest/Tris, Back/Bi's, shoudlers/Legs and i made pretty good progress and got my bench to 465. did this for probably a little over 10 years. When i got back home from the army, I took a few weeks off and started working again, which led me to my current back problems. After my surgery, i was worse off than before but still able to hit the gym, but had to rethink my workout greatly. What i started doing was Chest/Back, Shoulders/Legs and arms on their own day. I couldnt and cant really do alot of leg work because my back gets irritated so easily but i do what i can (just got back from over a year out and my left leg (the one with nerve damage) is almost 2" smaller in my quad than my right...bummer). Anyway, In 2013, i resumed and made decent progress. what i did was i worked especially hard on my traps, and i did this by doing HIIT. I started with 135 x 30 and added 45s and did 30 reps until i tired out, which had 6 or 7 plates on the bar (i.e. an olympic BP bar can start to bend at 450 lbs when you do high reps on traps because it requires a short distance for the weight to move and when you can bang out 30 reps, the weights are going to flex the bar over and over and usually thats what causes the bending. If you were to do 450 on BP, then it wouldnt bend unless you could bang out quick reps causing the weights to move fast). ANWYAY...My traps EXPLODED. That became the first thing people acknowledged. One day i saw this:



and something clicked. I had bulked my bis up to almost 19" with almost 16" forearms, chest was still at 52" but it was much more solid and shapely, I had legit lat wings (but still a flabby waste though ). My point here is that when i payed special attention to my traps, everything got better. Just somethig to think about since the lats are a huge fan muscle (which is different from say your Sartorius (back of the thigh with teh hams) and it being a strap muscle (aka parallel muscles) , the pect major being a convergent muscle (the origin area is much lager than the insertion area). I really think that once i got my lats up to par, other muscles benefitted as well. So since the lats take up the most of the back, it helped me in chest development as well. The gluts are the strongest muscle in the human body, so if you have strong glutes, then you'll have great hip drive and probably a solid squat.

now back to your question: I truly believe that THE BEST way for hypertrophy is, over all speaking, a shock style. meaning, mix things up rather than sticking to the regular 3 x 10 then add some weight the next week and 3 x 10 again. Like i mentioned above, HIIT was what sparked my lats and i really believe that was like opening and unlocked door. I recall back int he early 2000s watching World's strongest man/woman, Jill Mills won 4 or 5 times and i recall her saying that she never repeats the same structured day in a 3 months period. she didnt go inventing new styles, she would do a 3 x 3 then 5 x 5 sort of style for some strength for a few weeks, then switch to a 4 x 10 for a period of time, then spent most of her training time at 20+ reps for up to 5 sets. Sometimes she would do pyramids, reverse pyramids, eccentric loading/negatives and so on. What she did was the EXACT opposite of the reversability principle which states that if you do not continuously increase the load on the body (time under tension, mode, frequency ect) then you will plateau, and then if you dont bust that plateau, then you will regress. so by continuously shaking things up a LOT, then the body is most likely to respond by hypertrophy (small chance but perhaps some hyperlasia which is an increase in number of fibers rather than hypertrophy which is and increase in fascia size), denisty increases, and strength gains. I really dont think that sticking to the same chest/back, bi's/tri's style wont really give you what you want. If you do a somewhat steady regiment, then eventually you will plateau. I would imagine that if you radically shock things up, then plateauing is less likely.

[Gios]

Interesting answer. I am always trying to change things up and and at the same time do what I like and feel is getting results. I do mix up body part combinations also because I get bored with the same kind of split. I don't have set workout days and body parts like Monday = chest tris etc. but I try and hit every body part twice a week with ideally 3-4 days rest in between. Sometimes it's just 2 days if there's overlap, for example if I train chest on Monday, maybe I'll do shlders weds, but I do feel shlders get trained a bit on chest day, especially front delts. I also don't do hi volume, but it is intense, so I feel increasing frequency is ok.

My concern is how to know there's been enough rest before doing same body part again? Especially when hitting a body part indirectly. Another example is back and bis. After a day doing back I dont want to do bis and vice versa. Also if I do shlders, I dont want to do chest/tris next day. I am always wanting to find the right combination of rest, body part combinations and frequency.

[Kanvus]

Hey man, I think I've developed another injury from doing BOR with very bad finishing form(basically my back rounded up on the last reps).

I feel the pain just above the buttocks but slightly below the erectors,exactly on the boney part thingy. I only feel this pain tho when I try to bend down, or bow forward.

I've been stretching my buttocks, hamstrings, and legs now but I just can't seem to alleviate the pain, any tips?

[SxeSam]

Hey man, I think I've developed another injury from doing BOR with very bad finishing form(basically my back rounded up on the last reps).

I feel the pain just above the buttocks but slightly below the erectors,exactly on the boney part thingy. I only feel this pain tho when I try to bend down, or bow forward.

I've been stretching my buttocks, hamstrings, and legs now but I just can't seem to alleviate the pain, any tips?

I think I have something similar to this and it's sucks. I have tension in my right glute and I feel it radiate from my lower back. I've tried foam rolling and stretching out but I can't seem to get rid of it completely. I went at all the built up knots pretty hard and it really relieved it for a few days but it's starting to come back.
Anything I could do? I really feel as if it's limiting my glute activation.

[tank2003]

Interesting answer. I am always trying to change things up and and at the same time do what I like and feel is getting results. I do mix up body part combinations also because I get bored with the same kind of split. I don't have set workout days and body parts like Monday = chest tris etc. but I try and hit every body part twice a week with ideally 3-4 days rest in between. Sometimes it's just 2 days if there's overlap, for example if I train chest on Monday, maybe I'll do shlders weds, but I do feel shlders get trained a bit on chest day, especially front delts. I also don't do hi volume, but it is intense, so I feel increasing frequency is ok.

My concern is how to know there's been enough rest before doing same body part again? Especially when hitting a body part indirectly. Another example is back and bis. After a day doing back I dont want to do bis and vice versa. Also if I do shlders, I dont want to do chest/tris next day. I am always wanting to find the right combination of rest, body part combinations and frequency.

Well, theoretically, if you eat enough and get some quality rest, then there should be no issue with over training, but i wouldnt try that. i would just judge it on how sore you are. You'll def have some soreness in your anterior delts after you do chest, but it shouldnt be that bad. Ive hit full body twice in one weeks for around 2 months before, but i literally had nothing else going on and going to the gym was the only thing i had to look forward to. And it sucked at first because i was still adjusting to the over all routine, but eventually, the soreness calmed down and it wasnt that bad. I wouldnt think that hitting chest one day and then shoulders next would be a huge deal.

Hey man, I think I've developed another injury from doing BOR with very bad finishing form(basically my back rounded up on the last reps).

I feel the pain just above the buttocks but slightly below the erectors,exactly on the boney part thingy. I only feel this pain tho when I try to bend down, or bow forward.

I've been stretching my buttocks, hamstrings, and legs now but I just can't seem to alleviate the pain, any tips?

I think I have something similar to this and it's sucks. I have tension in my right glute and I feel it radiate from my lower back. I've tried foam rolling and stretching out but I can't seem to get rid of it completely. I went at all the built up knots pretty hard and it really relieved it for a few days but it's starting to come back.
Anything I could do? I really feel as if it's limiting my glute activation.

Hmm, for Sxesam, it sounds like you pinched a nerve, since you felt the axial/radiating pain down your leg. Doing bor and dealdilifts makes it easier to injure your L5/S1 joint and it usually occurs when you flex at the waist (rounded back contributes to it as well), lean forward with weight, and when you try to straighten up then the disc in your back can get pinched and bugle a bit then just BARELY touch the nerve in your back but the nerve pain that accompanies it can be brutal.

[Kanvus]

Well, theoretically, if you eat enough and get some quality rest, then there should be no issue with over training, but i wouldnt try that. i would just judge it on how sore you are. You'll def have some soreness in your anterior delts after you do chest, but it shouldnt be that bad. Ive hit full body twice in one weeks for around 2 months before, but i literally had nothing else going on and going to the gym was the only thing i had to look forward to. And it sucked at first because i was still adjusting to the over all routine, but eventually, the soreness calmed down and it wasnt that bad. I wouldnt think that hitting chest one day and then shoulders next would be a huge deal.




Hmm, for Sxesam, it sounds like you pinched a nerve, since you felt the axial/radiating pain down your leg. Doing bor and dealdilifts makes it easier to injure your L5/S1 joint and it usually occurs when you flex at the waist (rounded back contributes to it as well), lean forward with weight, and when you try to straighten up then the disc in your back can get pinched and bugle a bit then just BARELY touch the nerve in your back but the nerve pain that accompanies it can be brutal.

Interestingly enough, when I tried the LOW back pain relief video, (the glute thrust?) I felt a popping sound on my backside hips, just above the glutes, I tried this with no rubber bands just doing the exercises, any insight?

[Havok69]

I started with 135 x 30 and added 45s and did 30 reps until i tired out, which had 6 or 7 plates on the bar (i.e. an olympic BP bar can start to bend at 450 lbs when you do high reps on traps because it requires a short distance for the weight to move and when you can bang out 30 reps, the weights are going to flex the bar over and over and usually thats what causes the bending. If you were to do 450 on BP, then it wouldnt bend unless you could bang out quick reps causing the weights to move fast). ANWYAY...My traps EXPLODED.

Why not this approach with any body part/muscle group? Obviously modified to adjust for the starting weight and percentage jump ups...

[tank2003]

Interestingly enough, when I tried the LOW back pain relief video, (the glute thrust?) I felt a popping sound on my backside hips, just above the glutes, I tried this with no rubber bands just doing the exercises, any insight?

did the popping hurt? Popping isnt really a bad thing unless there is pain accompanying. Sometimes its just as simple as ligaments tightening because they may not be use to being used

Why not this approach with any body part/muscle group? Obviously modified to adjust for the starting weight and percentage jump ups...

Oh you def can, but it is an intense way to attack the muscle groups. If you think you have the chutzpah then you'll see some major gains. Just dont get frustrated when you arent putting up huge 1RM. Wait until you pick a stopping point and recovery time then give it a try

[Kanvus]

did the popping hurt? Popping isnt really a bad thing unless there is pain accompanying. Sometimes its just as simple as ligaments tightening because they may not be use to being used

Oh you def can, but it is an intense way to attack the muscle groups. If you think you have the chutzpah then you'll see some major gains. Just dont get frustrated when you arent putting up huge 1RM. Wait until you pick a stopping point and recovery time then give it a try

Popping didn't hurt at all, But by now I think I'm getting better on my own, since I've been doing the lower back workouts the pain is slowly subsiding, I think I'll just write this off as a weak lower back, strengthening it did some help, thanks man.

[ClevageGobbler]

@tank2003

how many sets of stomach vacuum do you think are necessary to really get the transversus abdominis strong? i'll do five sets of maybe 15 second holds at the end of a workout but i never really feel like i've worked them

[Kanvus]

Hey tank it's me again, so I'm not new to strength training, But I am new to plyometrics, I just did a fairly simple routine of Squat jumps and tuck jumps, supplemented with some compound lifts.
I finished with the squat jumps but after that I notice a dull-medium pain on the tendon during plantar flexion, I.E Jumping, now I did stretched and warmed up before I did it but it still happened, I don't know whether it is my form or something else but I don't want it to happen again
PS: I really want to train with plyos as I need to improve my vertical for basketball.

[tank2003]

Popping didn't hurt at all, But by now I think I'm getting better on my own, since I've been doing the lower back workouts the pain is slowly subsiding, I think I'll just write this off as a weak lower back, strengthening it did some help, thanks man.

Ok, if you found something that helps, then stick with it. No use in wasting a good thing. Might want to think about whether your form had anything to do with it

@tank2003

how many sets of stomach vacuum do you think are necessary to really get the transversus abdominis strong? i'll do five sets of maybe 15 second holds at the end of a workout but i never really feel like i've worked them

This is pretty subjective. You cant really ISO it so you just need to target it with the abdominals in general. I like to do my sit ups (when my low back isnt killing me too bad) with my back completely straight. Of course, i cant do them at a strict incline, but when the hips are square and you dont bend your torso, then you REALLY place thhe tension on the abs. As you get stronger, and add weight, put the weight behind your head. this will pull your center of gravity up higher forcing you to recruit more muscle. Dont put the weight on your chest

Hey tank it's me again, so I'm not new to strength training, But I am new to plyometrics, I just did a fairly simple routine of Squat jumps and tuck jumps, supplemented with some compound lifts.
I finished with the squat jumps but after that I notice a dull-medium pain on the tendon during plantar flexion, I.E Jumping, now I did stretched and warmed up before I did it but it still happened, I don't know whether it is my form or something else but I don't want it to happen again
PS: I really want to train with plyos as I need to improve my vertical for basketball.

Sounds like your feet just arent use to the plyo change up. they should adjust as you get into it more. Stretch those tendons out by rolling your feet on a ball or something round. I personally, stretch from the ground up going from kinetic chain to chain. This way i stretch all my muscles and wont forget any group

[SxeSam]

Thanks for getting back to me Tank. Would you recommend I tone it back on deadlifts and lower back exercises? I'm currently running the cube method and i'm doing heavy compounds a couple of times a week.
I wouldn't call it pain anymore, it's more of a discomfort at this point. I've been working on my hamstring mobility, core, and I've integrated the exercises in the videos you listed above. I've had my back "pop" after stretching and it provides a great sense of relief. At this point it feels as if my back gets fatigued a lot quicker than it used to and I want to get your opinion on what you would do in my situation. Thanks in advance

[PokerProdigy]

Hi,

My girl and I just broke up and I am really desired to hit the gym hard. Unfortunately, it has been about 2 years since I last lifted. I do play soccer at a high level so I am still in shape, but obviously I'm not built and relatively weak. I used to lift before then for years so I do have experience. I just want to ask if you could please recommend me a routine to start out with after such a long break, my goal is athletic ripped not so much strongman. Please let me know if there is a program I can get off some website or if you could tell me certain exercises to do and when I would be beyond grateful.

Thank you for the free advice!

[tank2003]

Thanks for getting back to me Tank. Would you recommend I tone it back on deadlifts and lower back exercises? I'm currently running the cube method and i'm doing heavy compounds a couple of times a week.
I wouldn't call it pain anymore, it's more of a discomfort at this point. I've been working on my hamstring mobility, core, and I've integrated the exercises in the videos you listed above. I've had my back "pop" after stretching and it provides a great sense of relief. At this point it feels as if my back gets fatigued a lot quicker than it used to and I want to get your opinion on what you would do in my situation. Thanks in advance

Quicker fatigue...hmmm...that is a tough one. wild guess buuuuutttt, perhaps your back is getting fatigued so quickly because you are targeting it more and its trying to grow?

Hi,

My girl and I just broke up and I am really desired to hit the gym hard. Unfortunately, it has been about 2 years since I last lifted. I do play soccer at a high level so I am still in shape, but obviously I'm not built and relatively weak. I used to lift before then for years so I do have experience. I just want to ask if you could please recommend me a routine to start out with after such a long break, my goal is athletic ripped not so much strongman. Please let me know if there is a program I can get off some website or if you could tell me certain exercises to do and when I would be beyond grateful.

Thank you for the free advice!

There are a ton of programs and regiments you could that would put some LBM on. Since you are playing soccer still, i would reccomend doing at least 10 reps per set. In college, i tried a 3 x 3 and 5 x 5 for a while to get some growth out of my legs and they grew, added some zip to my shots but i tired out much faster.

The important thing to remember here is to not neglect muscle groups. Ex: dont JUST hit chest and arms neglecting back and low back. Don't hit quads hard and neglect hams. Muscle imbalances that arise from this can be career enders. Tell me what you use to do 2 years ago? And where do you play ball?

[PokerProdigy]

There are a ton of programs and regiments you could that would put some LBM on. Since you are playing soccer still, i would reccomend doing at least 10 reps per set. In college, i tried a 3 x 3 and 5 x 5 for a while to get some growth out of my legs and they grew, added some zip to my shots but i tired out much faster.

The important thing to remember here is to not neglect muscle groups. Ex: dont JUST hit chest and arms neglecting back and low back. Don't hit quads hard and neglect hams. Muscle imbalances that arise from this can be career enders. Tell me what you use to do 2 years ago? And where do you play ball?

Thanks! I've done a ton of different workouts in the past. The most recent I guess since it's been a couple of years is lift 2x week and sprints 2x week. So bench and squats mainly with some other smaller exercises thrown in every now and then. Sprinting days would include stairs, jumping etc. I play soccer in Europe in a competitive division. So should I have upper body days and lower body days?

[tank2003]

Thanks! I've done a ton of different workouts in the past. The most recent I guess since it's been a couple of years is lift 2x week and sprints 2x week. So bench and squats mainly with some other smaller exercises thrown in every now and then. Sprinting days would include stairs, jumping etc. I play soccer in Europe in a competitive division. So should I have upper body days and lower body days?

Ok, well it doesnt really sound like you need to do much focusing on legs in the gym since you hammer them with sprints and jumps and what not. One thing we did in the army that REALLY helped me out a lot, especially my 2 mile run time which was 12:15 at my best, was called 60-120s. Sprint for 60 sec and then walk for 120 sec. Now be awared, this is a BROOOOOOOTAL tactic if you ACTUALLY go 100%. I mean you will want to LITERALLY LDAR. Normally, i would suggest that you start doing 30-60s and THEN work up to 60-120s, but i'll leave that up to you.

As far as upper body, i would try to incorporate body weight exercises like wide grip pull ups and tricep dips. One thing i did to try and get some back mass was this:

except i kneeled down and did the reps. You are basically recreating a wide grip pull up, except with cables. You are just going to lock your elbows at around 90 degrees or whatever is comfortable, keep them in that same position and then pull down, bringing your elbows into your side. My lats EXPLODED from these. I thought i invented this but ive seen a gif or jpeg of someone else doing them.

And this is just a suggestion, more or less, but hit those traps as well. Traps are an EXCELLENT measure of overall strength. I never got anything out of my traps until i started doing 30 reps. I started at 135 lbs and added a plate until i couldnt do anymore. Before long, i was up around 700 lbs. If you are going to do traps, then when you shrug, bring your shoulders back so that your scapulas come together. This will allow you to fully activate the upper fibers of the traps. No grab the weight, and go straight up and down. No circles or any of that bull chit. I'll do conventional shrugs with a bench press bar and also seated with db's. And once i start getting tired, i'll pause at the end of my reps and hold them up for about 10 sec or so.

[iloveus]

Right arm looks bigger than my left arm but feels smaller than my left. Wut do?

[SkinnyBeast24]

Give me a good warm-up scheme for attempting a 405 squat. The day is soon, but curious how you'd attack it.

[aakkt]

Right arm looks bigger than my left arm but feels smaller than my left. Wut do?

get a smaller left hand and make the right side of your mirror concave

[tank2003]

Right arm looks bigger than my left arm but feels smaller than my left. Wut do?

ISO the left

Give me a good warm-up scheme for attempting a 405 squat. The day is soon, but curious how you'd attack it.

-I'd do 5-10 min on the treadmill or cross trainer (or bike) to get the blood going and promote mobility (mobility isnt flexibility. Mobility is the temperature the tissue is at. Will a rubber band stretch farther when its cold?)
-good deep stretch
-a few sets on squats at low weight
-When you get to the PR, take some DEEEEEEEEEEEEEP breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth. Do this until you have goosebumps then GET YOU SOME!!!!! (the deep breathing encourages hyperventilation, which dialates the blood vessels, increases O2 to the tissue and removes waste, encourages adrenal action which gets you closer to the fight or flight response

[FailedPotential]

When I bench with a skinnier barbell, as opposed to a thicker barbell, I seem to be able to get more reps, feel a lil stronger, weight feels lighter, etc...

Both barbells weigh the same.




What's the science behind that?

[iloveus]

I do this Monday through Friday(Tuesdays and Thursdays it's all 4x10 done at a lighter weight:

Bench Press-3x5

Pull Ups-4x10

Dips-4x10

Overhead Shoulder Press-3x5

Barbell Upright Row-3x5

Squat-3x5

Barbell Row-3x5

Deadlift-3x5

Clean and Press-3x5

Snatch-3x5

Pros and Cons? I usually keep 1 minute rest times. 30 second rest times on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Bench: 225
Squat: 205
Deadlift: 405(SRS)

Once again Pros and Cons Any suggestions?

[tank2003]

When I bench with a skinnier barbell, as opposed to a thicker barbell, I seem to be able to get more reps, feel a lil stronger, weight feels lighter, etc...

Both barbells weigh the same.




What's the science behind that?

*If anyone knows this for sure then aware us all*
I believe it has to do with forearm activation. Small bar closes the grip more and a thick bar opens the grip some. When you grab a thick bar, you put your wrist flexers in an eccentric position rather than concentric. Basicaly, you are doing negatives for your forearms (thats a pretty loose way to put it)

I do this Monday through Friday(Tuesdays and Thursdays it's all 4x10 done at a lighter weight:

Bench Press-3x5

Pull Ups-4x10

Dips-4x10

Overhead Shoulder Press-3x5

Barbell Upright Row-3x5

Squat-3x5

Barbell Row-3x5

Deadlift-3x5

Clean and Press-3x5

Snatch-3x5

Pros and Cons? I usually keep 1 minute rest times. 30 second rest times on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Bench: 225
Squat: 205
Deadlift: 405(SRS)

Once again Pros and Cons Any suggestions?

You do this every day? That isnt a good thing. You'll over train or plateau. Try doing a push/pull (all muscle groups that push (shoulder, triceps, chest, quads, squat etc; push on one day and pull on another; this is a 2 day split so you will need to have a rest day between and gradually ramp up the intensity), or Break it down into a 3 day split such as:
-Chest/Tris OR Chest and Back
-Shoulder/legs
-Arms
*If you do chest and tri's, then you'd do back and bi's, both on seperate days. I do abs on my arm day because i have a lot of low back problems and its just easier to do on a day where i'm much less likely to trigger back pain

Another tip, i'm just assuming that you do all these exercises on the same day, but put all your compound lifts first (i.e. bench press, squats, OHP etc; Compound lift= lifts that cause movement in more than one joint; BP = Elbows and shoulder, Dips = elbows (there shouldnt be any movement at the shoulder). this way, you dont tire out your synergist muscles (they assist on compound lifts: Bench press synergists = triceps, anconeus)

[iloveus]

*If anyone knows this for sure then aware us all*
I believe it has to do with forearm activation. Small bar closes the grip more and a thick bar opens the grip some. When you grab a thick bar, you put your wrist flexers in an eccentric position rather than concentric. Basicaly, you are doing negatives for your forearms (thats a pretty loose way to put it)

You do this every day? That isnt a good thing. You'll over train or plateau. Try doing a push/pull (all muscle groups that push (shoulder, triceps, chest, quads, squat etc; push on one day and pull on another; this is a 2 day split so you will need to have a rest day between and gradually ramp up the intensity), or Break it down into a 3 day split such as:
-Chest/Tris OR Chest and Back
-Shoulder/legs
-Arms
*If you do chest and tri's, then you'd do back and bi's, both on seperate days. I do abs on my arm day because i have a lot of low back problems and its just easier to do on a day where i'm much less likely to trigger back pain

Another tip, i'm just assuming that you do all these exercises on the same day, but put all your compound lifts first (i.e. bench press, squats, OHP etc; Compound lift= lifts that cause movement in more than one joint; BP = Elbows and shoulder, Dips = elbows (there shouldnt be any movement at the shoulder). this way, you dont tire out your synergist muscles (they assist on compound lifts: Bench press synergists = triceps, anconeus)

Yes I do this everday lol. Never had symptoms of overtraining lol. Just joint pain every now and then but that's due to BJJ. Aren't all the exercises that I do compound movements?

[tank2003]

Yes I do this everday lol. Never had symptoms of overtraining lol. Just joint pain every now and then but that's due to BJJ. Aren't all the exercises that I do compound movements?

hmm..well, if you are making progress and it doesnt hurt, then carry on i guess. lol

And ****...yours are compound lifts. I had several windows open and must have taken someone esles as yours.

[RobParks2M]

Alright Tank last question from me.

I broke my thumb having it either jammed or pushed back and have a bone chip break at the distal phalanx on the medial side by the joint. During the same accident I managed to also have a small chip in the proximal phalanx again on the medial side which is a testament to the amount of force behind the impact. The doctors took Xrays- I could send to you via PM, and of course made sure that I didn't mess up the MCP joint or anything like that and it looked good and same with the ulnar collateral ligament so it isn't an issue of skier's thumb either.

Long story short this happened 1.5 months ago and I am still working on restoring a full ROM in my thumb as well as building up the strength again after having it in a brace for a month. They ordered some PT, but I am not in one place long enough to get to an office and do it. Do you have any idea what kind of stuff they would recommend for the thumb other than stretching it and trying to slowly break down the scar tissue so I can get that distal joint back to full ROM?

Currently if I support the MCP joint I can crank down fairly hard on the other joint to get it to bend, but I cannot get it very far with just the muscles of my thumb. Also, if I don't support the MCP joint it gets pushed back and causes a sharp pain. I attribute that to still healing bone maybe? Trying to find more to do to rehab it.