B.S Exercise Physiology. ask me your training questions

[tank2003]

I have a question.

Do you have any exercise recommendations for posture & posterior chain correction? I lift M-F, and dedicate my Saturdays to "corrective" routines, but I'm having a difficult time coming up with a plan that is effective. Looking to fix a slight Lumbar Lordosis & slight forward Shoulder rotation (When I lay my arms to my side in a relaxed-neutral position, my arms are a few inches too far forward).

Thanks!

The BEST way to help correct caveman syndrome is to work on your upper back.
Rows
Rear Flies
Lat pull ups
Chin/Pull ups
Face pulls

Its mainly the rhomboids you want to hit as well as middle fibers of the traps.

When you are doing your back work, right before you start your reps, pull your shoulders back by adducting your scapulas. Its literally only a 1" motion, but if you maintain that position, its REALLY hard to cheat. During your reps, you can let your shoulders come forward a bit, but only to a neutral position (not pulled forward like you are saying yours are though). Personally, i'm a huge fan of High reps. For me, i feel the absolute best doing this, especially when i do traps. I never got much of any hypertrophy until i decided to do 30 slow and controlled reps and boy...they friggin exploded

As for lordosis, ive never dealt with that at all. I have some a lot of experience because i have a s****osis-like curve, but its actually a compensation curve. Anyway, check this video out. Jeff is an athletic trainer and a Physical Therapist

[KMadigan777]

3 questions.

1. Does training to failure or near failure do anything constructive?

2. Without periodization, are you just wasting your time?

3. Without a plan, if I just did functional stuff everyday could I get strong? Eg. do a bunch of pullups today, tomorrow swing sledgehammers etc.

[tank2003]

3 questions.

1. Does training to failure or near failure do anything constructive?

2. Without periodization, are you just wasting your time?

3. Without a plan, if I just did functional stuff everyday could I get strong? Eg. do a bunch of pullups today, tomorrow swing sledgehammers etc.

1. YES. Training until failure ensures the maximum dynamic actions, which is neuromuscular tearing. You'll be farrrrrr more sore than if you didnt, but you will make better gains. There are a few instances when sub-failure is advantageous though

2. Can you elaborate?

3. Yes, of course. But you really dont have a solid way of measuring gains, other than a max pull up set or # of hits per minute on the sledge. Its far better to keep to a program when you are still trying to reach a goal. Once you get there, and you just want to maintain, then you could take a step back.

[KMadigan777]

1. YES. Training until failure ensures the maximum dynamic actions, which is neuromuscular tearing. You'll be farrrrrr more sore than if you didnt, but you will make better gains. There are a few instances when sub-failure is advantageous though

2. Can you elaborate?

3. Yes, of course. But you really dont have a solid way of measuring gains, other than a max pull up set or # of hits per minute on the sledge. Its far better to keep to a program when you are still trying to reach a goal. Once you get there, and you just want to maintain, then you could take a step back.

1+2 By periodization, I essentially mean like the starting strength 'period'/cycling of say today I'm squating 135x3x5, 2 days from now 140x3x5, 2 days 145x3x5 (this is what I mean by periods). Mostly I mean the idea of that if I am not squatting/benching whatever every other day I am losing gains. Said another way, if I am not hitting the muscle with a specific exercise EVERY 2-3 days I might as well not be doing anything.

With that, SHOULD I be going to failure? I adopted the starting strenght thing of get my reps and be done. I got strong, but got kind of fat as well.

3. I don't 'need' to measure my gains, as fitness is my life. I simply wonder if I run today, legs tomorrow, rockclimb 2 days from now, etc if I am not truly 'getting anywhere'

Thanks and repped!

[BlackScorpio91]

Which type of periodization do you do? Linear, undulating or concurrent? And what type of program are you on? Full Body, upper lower, push pull legs, etc?

[tank2003]

1+2 By periodization, I essentially mean like the starting strength 'period'/cycling of say today I'm squating 135x3x5, 2 days from now 140x3x5, 2 days 145x3x5 (this is what I mean by periods). Mostly I mean the idea of that if I am not squatting/benching whatever every other day I am losing gains. Said another way, if I am not hitting the muscle with a specific exercise EVERY 2-3 days I might as well not be doing anything.

With that, SHOULD I be going to failure? I adopted the starting strenght thing of get my reps and be done. I got strong, but got kind of fat as well.

3. I don't 'need' to measure my gains, as fitness is my life. I simply wonder if I run today, legs tomorrow, rockclimb 2 days from now, etc if I am not truly 'getting anywhere'

Thanks and repped!

Ok I got you now.

Periodization is not necessarily an absolute need. It is good to know what you are going to be doing BEFORE you walk into the gym. Knowing what you will be doing for the next entire week is much better though. You'll make gains faster by setting up a basic plan, follow the plan for around 3 months to see how well you are responding. Don't like what you see, change it up some. Substitute cables and DBs for barebells, or take a HIIT approach. Customize it to YOU

Its best to lift to failure, but on the compounds, you WILL need a spotter, so that sucks. On ISOs and exercises where you wont cave your face in if you drop the weight you wont need one unless you want one to help you with forced reps.

3. I think free styling your plan isnt too bad of an idea. But it will be super EASY to slip into a state where you arent increasing the demands on the body. When that happens, the reversability principle occurs. If you dont continue to increase the demands, you will atrophy. So its important to keep challenging yourself. You dont need to keep track of measurements or anything, but I would just test yourself every now and again. Maybe once a month. Set some relatively easy goals like: Pull Up Max - Aim for at least 1 more rep than last time. Rock Climbing (not sure how you could test yourself so i'm just use time): Aim to cut your ascent time down by 20 sec or so. You could go to the dollar store and buy a spiral bound notebook and write down what you do at the gym every day, then go back and see what you'd need to do to beat your results in the past. Just a few thoughts. Its just kind of hard for me to imagine going to the gym and staying active without pushing yourself to get leaner, bigger, stronger, faster etc

Which type of periodization do you do? Linear, undulating or concurrent? And what type of program are you on? Full Body, upper lower, push pull legs, etc?

Chest & Back
Shoulders & Legs (legs when my back feels up to it. Sometimes it REALLY sets off the nerve pain)
Arms & core (core again, when my back feels up to it)

I try to approach it in a HIIT fashion. Do my set, then go straight to its antagonist movement. 2 min break, then redo. Its been a few years since ive felt well enough to do this, but again, it was HIIT style. I would Do all exercises for that day back to back. Take a 5-8 min break, then hit it again.

Every once in a while, i will boost the reps up for 15, 20 or even 30 (I do 30 only for traps. Only way i can get ANY size out of them). I may even throw in a 10 sec pause between concentric and eccentric phases or i might switch bareballs for DBs or cables. Just depends

[ODYSSEUSBRAH]

Not a training Q but what is the job outlook with your degree and do you think it's worth it
Interesting ****

[tank2003]

Not a training Q but what is the job outlook with your degree and do you think it's worth it
Interesting ****

Basically non-existent unless you want to teach or live in a metropolitan area with ample job opportunities. Most of my classmates went on to PT or PTA school after undergrad. The best success story i heard was of someone who got a job with nike some years back

[gainzcheckingin]

1. How efficient is the body at converting macronutrients (i.e. gluconeogenesis)? Is the specific breakdown of how much of each macro you get really important?

2. Progression on compound lifts like BP and Squats is easy, such as adding 5 lb each time. How do you introduce progression towards abdominal work? On a related note, if someone generally responds better to low rep high weights, should he be following this same principle for abs (or do abs have a different muscle type composition)?

3. Is over training an actual thing? Suppose you work out heavily, but get ample nutrients and rest. Should you go work out even if you are tired and sore, or just chalk it up to a rest day?

[tank2003]

1. How efficient is the body at converting macronutrients (i.e. gluconeogenesis)? Is the specific breakdown of how much of each macro you get really important?

2. Progression on compound lifts like BP and Squats is easy, such as adding 5 lb each time. How do you introduce progression towards abdominal work? On a related note, if someone generally responds better to low rep high weights, should he be following this same principle for abs (or do abs have a different muscle type composition)?

3. Is over training an actual thing? Suppose you work out heavily, but get ample nutrients and rest. Should you go work out even if you are tired and sore, or just chalk it up to a rest day?

LoL...you either JUST covered this in class or pulled it from a text book.

1. Gluconeogenesis isnt just converting macronutrients. Its producing glucose from a non-glucose containing source. And efficiency depends on the metabolic state of the individual. Why would knowing the specific breakdown be at all helpful?

2.When it comes to core work and progression, the key is to raise your center of gravity as far as possible. This means by putting the weight near or above your head. When you see some shmuck doing decline sit ups with a stack of 45s, you kick him if the forehead for trying to show off. Ask him to hold a single plate above his head and do 10 reps, then mercilessly berate him with obscenities for being a bicep bish

3. Yes over training exists. Theoretically, however, if you take in a sufficient amount of kcals AND get plenty of rest, then it should be avoidable, but exercise in general is an appetite suppressant (usually a weak one) and we dont always rest when we sleep. Spending all day with your face in a computer/cell phone screen screws up circadian rhythm and influences the endocrine system to secrete chitty hormones like cortisol and slowing leptin excretion

If youve completed a full body circuit, then you should at the very least take the resistance training down a notch or 2. If i go on an off day, then i'll swim laps or ride the bike and MAYBE do some core work, but the core work that I can usually muster varies

[BangDingOw]

not sure if youd know this but i have bicep pain on the peak of my right bicep after sitting for a long period at my desk and also hand numbness or pain and forearm pain - physical therapist said my chest is very tight and i need to loosen it up and fix my posture and then my pain will go away but im not sure about this. btw he doesnt even lift and told me in his whole life he lifted for 6 months and hes like 40 years old... should i see a neurologist?

[tank2003]

not sure if youd know this but i have bicep pain on the peak of my right bicep after sitting for a long period at my desk and also hand numbness or pain and forearm pain - physical therapist said my chest is very tight and i need to loosen it up and fix my posture and then my pain will go away but im not sure about this. btw he doesnt even lift and told me in his whole life he lifted for 6 months and hes like 40 years old... should i see a neurologist?

What type of pain? Burning, numbness, tingling, throbbing, sharp etc? When you sit at your desk, do you have an arm rest, or do you rest your elbows on the table? Hand numbness is a nerve issue and it is probably because you are impinging the ulnar/radial nerve. I noticed this a long time ago when i would and hour or 2 on my phone in the bed at night. Keeping my elbow bent at that angle partially stunted the innervation to my hands. If the ulnar nerve is the culprit, then just the pinky and medial side of ring finger would go numb. Radial nerve would cover everything else. I can ease this somewhat by putting a pillow underneath both my brachii (plural for brachium; which is the upper arm. Antebrachium is the forearm) or i just put a thick pillow over my cheast and rest my arms and hands on that.

I cant really comment on the bicep pain seeing as how I dont know what type of pain you are experiencing, but i can make a suggestion. In some people, they can have
supraspinatus impingement syndrome where the supraspintatus becomes inflamed as it naturally articulates with the subacromial space. This can result in pain, weakness and loss of movement at the shoulder. A lot of times, it hurts the most when trying to sleep and is a dead give away. There are a number of different causes like sleeping on your side and not hugging a pillow or your boyfriend (it pulls the delts forward so you dont lay don them), repetitive injuries, or even bone spurs. The best defense is to focus on strength training for the shoulders. And your friend is correct. A tight chest can cause a ch!t ton on issues elsewhere. Think of it like your knee (femoro-tibial joint). The knee has to track a certain way or else it will cause some biomechanical issues elsewhere. It can turn your feet outward (or sometimes inward) which redistributes the weight so one foot may be holding 75% of your body weight, or it can even cause hip issues.. Youtube "Athlean x" and "pain" to see what comes of it. I'm willing to bet that your numbness in your hands is just because of the way you hold your phone for long periods of time or type. I'm really not sure about the bicep though. Describe the type of pain, what aggravates its, what eases it, strength loss, loos of ROM etc...

[Kanvus]

Tank,

If I strengthen my core, workout my core more than my other body parts, will my other lifts go up(Squat,Deadlift)?

[gainzcheckingin]

LoL...you either JUST covered this in class or pulled it from a text book.

1. Gluconeogenesis isnt just converting macronutrients. Its producing glucose from a non-glucose containing source. And efficiency depends on the metabolic state of the individual. Why would knowing the specific breakdown be at all helpful?

2.When it comes to core work and progression, the key is to raise your center of gravity as far as possible. This means by putting the weight near or above your head. When you see some shmuck doing decline sit ups with a stack of 45s, you kick him if the forehead for trying to show off. Ask him to hold a single plate above his head and do 10 reps, then mercilessly berate him with obscenities for being a bicep bish

3. Yes over training exists. Theoretically, however, if you take in a sufficient amount of kcals AND get plenty of rest, then it should be avoidable, but exercise in general is an appetite suppressant (usually a weak one) and we dont always rest when we sleep. Spending all day with your face in a computer/cell phone screen screws up circadian rhythm and influences the endocrine system to secrete chitty hormones like cortisol and slowing leptin excretion

If youve completed a full body circuit, then you should at the very least take the resistance training down a notch or 2. If i go on an off day, then i'll swim laps or ride the bike and MAYBE do some core work, but the core work that I can usually muster varies

As I'm sure you know, the specific breakdown of one's nutritional profile is important since each each macronutrient exerts different effects on the body. The question I was asking is in regards to the efficiency that our body can convert between macronutrients - an example process being gluconeogenesis for lipids to glucose. In other words, suppose we were to compare two people with equal caloric intake, training, etc. However they have different macronutrient ratios (ie Person A eats 50/25/25 Carb/protein/fat, while Person B eats 60/25/15). Do you think the body is able to efficiently convert between this difference in Carbs & Fats by itself to reach the optimal amount for your body's needs?

Also, best routine in your opinion for building abdominal mass assuming body fat is low enough?

[tank2003]

Tank,

If I strengthen my core, workout my core more than my other body parts, will my other lifts go up(Squat,Deadlift)?

I'm beginning to think you are fukking with me with all 200 hundred of your questions...Your squat/dead l;ifts may bump up a bit, but not much. Cant see your BP going anywhere though

As I'm sure you know, the specific breakdown of one's nutritional profile is important since each each macronutrient exerts different effects on the body. The question I was asking is in regards to the efficiency that our body can convert between macronutrients - an example process being gluconeogenesis for lipids to glucose. In other words, suppose we were to compare two people with equal caloric intake, training, etc. However they have different macronutrient ratios (ie Person A eats 50/25/25 Carb/protein/fat, while Person B eats 60/25/15). Do you think the body is able to efficiently convert between this difference in Carbs & Fats by itself to reach the optimal amount for your body's needs?

Also, best routine in your opinion for building abdominal mass assuming body fat is low enough?

Yes.

You wont be picking up much abdominal mass at all. They arent dynamic enough to hypertophize (no clue how to conjugate that) to huge degrees. If you actually do strict exercises, your core should come along with the other groups, since you have to stabilize this and that during whatever exercise. IMO, the best core work is done with body weight exercises:
-Planks (front and side)
-V ups (raise your butt and scapulas off the ground to start the movement, and then reach up with your hands and feet to end, then repea)
-Decline sit ups with proper weight redistribution (raising your center of gravity)
Glute-Ham extensions (aka back extension)

Now let us consult with Jeff
[youtube]WxerVP5eps[youtube]

[BangDingOw]

What type of pain? Burning, numbness, tingling, throbbing, sharp etc? When you sit at your desk, do you have an arm rest, or do you rest your elbows on the table? Hand numbness is a nerve issue and it is probably because you are impinging the ulnar/radial nerve. I noticed this a long time ago when i would and hour or 2 on my phone in the bed at night. Keeping my elbow bent at that angle partially stunted the innervation to my hands. If the ulnar nerve is the culprit, then just the pinky and medial side of ring finger would go numb. Radial nerve would cover everything else. I can ease this somewhat by putting a pillow underneath both my brachii (plural for brachium; which is the upper arm. Antebrachium is the forearm) or i just put a thick pillow over my cheast and rest my arms and hands on that.

I cant really comment on the bicep pain seeing as how I dont know what type of pain you are experiencing, but i can make a suggestion. In some people, they can have
supraspinatus impingement syndrome where the supraspintatus becomes inflamed as it naturally articulates with the subacromial space. This can result in pain, weakness and loss of movement at the shoulder. A lot of times, it hurts the most when trying to sleep and is a dead give away. There are a number of different causes like sleeping on your side and not hugging a pillow or your boyfriend (it pulls the delts forward so you dont lay don them), repetitive injuries, or even bone spurs. The best defense is to focus on strength training for the shoulders. And your friend is correct. A tight chest can cause a ch!t ton on issues elsewhere. Think of it like your knee (femoro-tibial joint). The knee has to track a certain way or else it will cause some biomechanical issues elsewhere. It can turn your feet outward (or sometimes inward) which redistributes the weight so one foot may be holding 75% of your body weight, or it can even cause hip issues.. Youtube "Athlean x" and "pain" to see what comes of it. I'm willing to bet that your numbness in your hands is just because of the way you hold your phone for long periods of time or type. I'm really not sure about the bicep though. Describe the type of pain, what aggravates its, what eases it, strength loss, loos of ROM etc...

well the only thing i do all day is sit at my desk with my hands just resting on the keyboard which is close to my body.. the bicep pain was aching and almost kind of sharp and it came on after sitting for a few hours.. it just kind of ached in my bicep for an hour or two after i got up and it honestly was pretty painful.. i do in fact hug this big body pillow every night while i sleep because its really comfortable for me for some reason. in my hand its also aching pain and sometimes when i reach for something at a certain angle, say reaching for something down and to the left (with my right arm) causes some pain. my therapist said just to do daily chest stretches but i sit at the desk all day so shouldnt i do more? i also have two more pains to talk about but i guess ill post those after - thanks - one more thing - should i see a neurologist or no? my therapist says i dont need to

[FryDude]

I know people think the lower ab is BS but whenever I do work my abs I only feel it in my upper abs while my lower abs closest to my pelvis are more lax.

How do I strengthen this area?

[FlexLex]

Love popping in on this thread. Ill try and provide some additional perspective to some of the more pathological posts....

When you strain your neck do you normally get these mild headaches throughout the day?

Cause I sprained mine and my head feels buzzy.

Absolutely. Neck pain with associated headache is actually 1 of 4 different "clusters" of symptoms that can be categorized due to injury in the cervical spine and usually accounts for about 10% of all associated neck pain. Headaches are generally classified as 3 different types: Migraines, Tension, and Cervicogenic. Migraines have their own distinct presentation including photophobia, nausea, etc, you usually know if you get migraines.

Differentiating between tension and cervicogenic can be done by looking at symptoms.... If the headache is usually on one side of the head, is aggravation by different postures or movements of the neck, it is more likely to be cervicogenic (compared to tension which is usually bilateral, feeling of pressure or tightness.. etc)

Most injuries result in cervicogenic type headaches due to the mechanism. The upper part of the neck is innervated by spinal nerves (C1-C3) which share a common area of synapse in the brain with the 5th Cranial nerve (trigeminal) which provides sensation to the head. Thus, it is theorized that the brain is "confused" by painful stimulus coming from the neck and falsely detects pain coming from the head too. Similar to how people have sensations in their toes when they orgasm--the brain centers are directly adjacent.

Dear Tank,

I've sprained my rotator cuff I think it is, doing Front squats, I can feel in just behind my shoulder and near my scapula,my shoulder clicks very loudly when I raise my arm up, a very audible click, any tips beside icing? Icing doesn't seem to reach the deep dull soreness I have on my sholders.

Clicking can and usually is entirely benign. Normal joints click with movement all the time. With that said, an audible click with elevation and rotation of the shoulder, as well as the click being painful, can be a sign that you would want to have this further looked at in the near future if things do not improve. Shoulder labral tears, specifically, present with a painful and audible click with rotation of the shoulder, usually above 90 degrees.

Labral tears typically present as 3 different kinds with 3 different mechanisms: SLAP, Bankurt, and Posterior-Inferior. The latter two are more rare and usually typically present with specific traumatic injuries. SLAP tears often occur from overhead motions (Volleyball, overweight weight lifting, etc) and would be the most likely type.

Most likely, the injury is a nonspecific strain of one of the rotator cuff muscles.... with a front squat you are in external rotation and shoulder flexion, so infra and supra would be most at risk of a strain.

As tank said, perform gentle rotator cuff exercises, do so in a painless range of motion. The shoulder specifically, it is important to perform exercises out of pain, as the region can be aggravated pretty quickly. If it does not resolve within a week or so, go see a physician.

Basically non-existent unless you want to teach or live in a metropolitan area with ample job opportunities. Most of my classmates went on to PT or PTA school after undergrad. The best success story i heard was of someone who got a job with nike some years back

Have you looked into being a Clinical Exercise Physiologist? You seem extremely knowledgeable on a lot of things, these jobs do exist and pay pretty well. Im sure you aare aware, just kinda curious why you didnt go this route? What kind of work do you do?

1. How efficient is the body at converting macronutrients (i.e. gluconeogenesis)? Is the specific breakdown of how much of each macro you get really important?


3. Is over training an actual thing? Suppose you work out heavily, but get ample nutrients and rest. Should you go work out even if you are tired and sore, or just chalk it up to a rest day?

1. Previously the thought was that the body required energy in order to perform the metabolic processes to convert protein, eventually, to a triglyceride. The literature that I am familiar with suggests that this is such a small fraction of the overall energy that it is negligible. The old rule of thumb is true: what matters most if calories in and calories out. 3500 extra calories per week in protein compared to 3500 extra calories a week in carbs will have very similar affects in body fat gain. With increased protein amounts, though, you will see more lean body mass (to a point).

3. Over training is certainly a thing. It can range from severe DOMs to total Rhabdo where you piss out your muscles. Studies have proven that overtraining can still occur even with full muscle glycogen content, and that there certainly is a threshold in training where adaptive markers cease to improve. Your best bet is to perform light activity following heavy exercise if you have symptoms of overtraining.... (soreness)

not sure if youd know this but i have bicep pain on the peak of my right bicep after sitting for a long period at my desk and also hand numbness or pain and forearm pain - physical therapist said my chest is very tight and i need to loosen it up and fix my posture and then my pain will go away but im not sure about this. btw he doesnt even lift and told me in his whole life he lifted for 6 months and hes like 40 years old... should i see a neurologist?

The old PTs tend to be very posture focused and will (too) easily say for sure that your posture is causing x problem. In reality, and what is being more substantiated in research, is that this is really not true. Will improving your posture, fixing muscle imbalances, and improving chest flexibility help you? Absolutely. But aside from any blaring special tests during your examination (which are not even that specific or sensitive anyway), it is entirely wrong for him to say "Your symptoms are caused by your chest being tight." The older generation of therapists will cite "clinical experience, ive seen this xxx times, etc" but the research doesnt lie. IS it possible that a tight chest is causing these symptoms? Absolutely. Can you say for certain? Absolutely not.

There are a whole host of reasons to describe your symptoms. Im assuming this is all on the same side of the body. They may, or may not be related. If they are, it would seem more like a neural issue (which could be impacted by your posture). But they could just as easily be two separate issues on one side of the body. Can you have plantar fascitis and sciatica at the same time--of course. Same idea.

Pain in the upper biceps can often be due to a bicipital tendonitis or in conjunction with a shoulder impingement syndrome. Testing can be done to see--youtube Speeds Test and try it out with someone. If you get symptoms it makes this idea likely.

Your forearm and hand pain is too complex for me to comment on without further information, and ideally, seeing it in person.

My advice would be to research a therapist that is OCS certified, preferably in their lower 30s and not associated with a large chain corporation. This will give you the best care. try it for a few weeks and then do the stuff at home.

I know people think the lower ab is BS but whenever I do work my abs I only feel it in my upper abs while my lower abs closest to my pelvis are more lax.

How do I strengthen this area?

Try some hip flexor exercises. They often also activate the lower abdominals and provide strength to that area.

[tank2003]

I know people think the lower ab is BS but whenever I do work my abs I only feel it in my upper abs while my lower abs closest to my pelvis are more lax.

How do I strengthen this area?

No such thing as "upper" or "lower" abs. That is like saying that the gap in between your bicep and the forearm is caused by a "low insertion"

Abs are somewhat unique in that you can change the angle and (sort of) use one half of the group. But to fully train your abs, you need to incorporate the legs and raising them when exercising. A great exercise is the ab roller, but 99% of people do not know hot to FULLY utilize it. When they do their reps, they may be able to go all the way down, but on the way up, they pull their thighs forward to do the eccentric phase.

What you should do is *and try to stay with me here* perform the E phase as if someone is pulling you up by the back of your pants. Squeeze the chit out of your glutes but try and keep your legs still while you *sort of* lower you head and shoulders to fully bend at the hip. This will REALLY innervate the abs.

well the only thing i do all day is sit at my desk with my hands just resting on the keyboard which is close to my body.. the bicep pain was aching and almost kind of sharp and it came on after sitting for a few hours.. it just kind of ached in my bicep for an hour or two after i got up and it honestly was pretty painful.. i do in fact hug this big body pillow every night while i sleep because its really comfortable for me for some reason. in my hand its also aching pain and sometimes when i reach for something at a certain angle, say reaching for something down and to the left (with my right arm) causes some pain. my therapist said just to do daily chest stretches but i sit at the desk all day so shouldnt i do more? i also have two more pains to talk about but i guess ill post those after - thanks - one more thing - should i see a neurologist or no? my therapist says i dont need to

I'd say hold off on the neuro for now. If you cant get things to even out, THEN i'd say its cool to pursue a Dx from a doc. In a perfect world, i'd say try and see a kinesiologist, a legit PT, or maybe a physio.

For now, i would concentrate on stretching and better posture. You can use an exercise band to pul the shoulders back so you wont hunch over like a caveman. People dont realize just how much stretching can help you out. Most just stretch for 2 min and call it a day on that, but in reality, you really need to spend around an hour everyday stretching and setting goals, like trying to touch your toes with knees locked, and then trying to go palms to the floor

[TheGeneral54]

Tank,

Quick synopsis of my training style. I had been doing three days of HIIT (insanity dvds) and three days of mostly compound lifting (home gym with bench, barbell and pull up bar is what i have to work with). My lift days looked like this:
Day 1: Bench, Dead (1RM), Barbell Curl, Shrugs, Pull ups. Day 2: Bench (1RM), Shoulder press, pulls, chin ups. Day 3: Dead, Shoulder press 1RM, Rows, Shrugs, pull ups.

I'm 5'9 and 190 after losing 15 lbs since January doing this. My maxes got up to 220 bench, 320 deads, 150 shoulder press, 165 row etc. I was doing this to train for rugby and ended up hurting my MCL. I should be back in about 3 more weeks to doing HIIT and deadlifts again. I have been doing a modified version of my earlier lifting days with a more focused approach on lower weight and negatives (eccentric phase).

I plan to lose about 10 more lbs and then stabilize in the 180-185 range with three days of HIIT and three days of lifting. Any suggestions to switch up my current lifting routine while knowing I have access to just a bench, barbell and pull up bar? I thought I was making good progress until my injury and have really cleaned up my diet. Your thread has been awesome information and actually made me want to read up more in kinesiology and maybe even getting some Certifications just to up my knowledge if you have any suggestions. Thanks!

[tank2003]

Tank,

Quick synopsis of my training style. I had been doing three days of HIIT (insanity dvds) and three days of mostly compound lifting (home gym with bench, barbell and pull up bar is what i have to work with). My lift days looked like this:
Day 1: Bench, Dead (1RM), Barbell Curl, Shrugs, Pull ups. Day 2: Bench (1RM), Shoulder press, pulls, chin ups. Day 3: Dead, Shoulder press 1RM, Rows, Shrugs, pull ups.

I'm 5'9 and 190 after losing 15 lbs since January doing this. My maxes got up to 220 bench, 320 deads, 150 shoulder press, 165 row etc. I was doing this to train for rugby and ended up hurting my MCL. I should be back in about 3 more weeks to doing HIIT and deadlifts again. I have been doing a modified version of my earlier lifting days with a more focused approach on lower weight and negatives (eccentric phase).

I plan to lose about 10 more lbs and then stabilize in the 180-185 range with three days of HIIT and three days of lifting. Any suggestions to switch up my current lifting routine while knowing I have access to just a bench, barbell and pull up bar? I thought I was making good progress until my injury and have really cleaned up my diet. Your thread has been awesome information and actually made me want to read up more in kinesiology and maybe even getting some Certifications just to up my knowledge if you have any suggestions. Thanks!

Hmm...Well, you are pretty limited since you have a limited equipment. You are gonna have to get creative. Maybe get some exercise bands and mess around with tying them to increase this or that, maybe even change the direction of pull/push

The BEST way to drop body fat, is to keep your heart rate elevated for as long as possible. DEFINITELY need that during your training, but also during every other part of your day. Which is hard, especially at first.

but if i were you, i'd scratch the 1RM and maybe move them to once a month or even 2 or 3. The BEST thing you can do here, is to never repeat the same workout structure. Instead of doing the same set up week after week, throw in:
-SUPER high sets
-Strict Pause reps
-Extra sets with manageable weight
-100s (i use to do this when i first started doing pushups around 13 years old. My goal was to do 100 in one set, so I would do as many as I could, take a break, do as many as I could and repeat until i did 100)
-HIIT (go straight into the next exercise ASAP (im assuming you'll have to allow some time to change the setup or weight though. This will SKYROCKET your heart rate)
-Slow Reps
-ETC

Jus whatever comes to your imagination. The more you shock yourself (do a different set up that you havent done before and the body doesnt really know how many motor neurons to recruits to complete the exercise)

Oh yeah...If you have a partner, then get them to control the weight and set up. You'll be wearing headphones and blindfolded so you should have no clue what weight or exercise is up. This is an excellent way to trick the CHIT out of your Nervous System into going beast mode. There have been studies where this was done in a controlled lab compared to a normal workout. When the guy was blindfolded, he could Bench press nearly 50 lbs more on bench, squat almost 75 lbs more and could dead lift over 100

[401Delta]

Thanks for taking the time to write these posts. Even a jeenyus like me can learn something new from them .

[sumusikoo]

Okay Tank2003 you probably are the only one that can help me out. I've posted this in other sub sections and no one has been able to fix my issue.








As you can see there's 2 issues with my deadlifting form.

1- My lower back rounds a little bit.

2- My hips shoot up


To fix my hips from shooting up people recommend me to start with my hips at an even higher position however as you can also see in the video, my body already is pretty much parallel to the floor so I can't really get them to be much higher than they already are and getting them higher will probably worsen the lower back rounding problem.


What can I do to fix my form and avoid both my hips from shooting up & my lower back from rounding

[madelynskuljxox]

What are some good leg exercises that don't irritate the hips? I have a femoral nerve impingement that has caused a bit of atrophy in my right quad and glute. Still waiting for an mri but I feel it may be getting pinched from both the discs in my back as well as my hip structure. Should I stop training legs for awhile? How can I bring up my right quad (outer sweep)?

[tank2003]

Okay Tank2003 you probably are the only one that can help me out. I've posted this in other sub sections and no one has been able to fix my issue.








As you can see there's 2 issues with my deadlifting form.

1- My lower back rounds a little bit.

2- My hips shoot up


To fix my hips from shooting up people recommend me to start with my hips at an even higher position however as you can also see in the video, my body already is pretty much parallel to the floor so I can't really get them to be much higher than they already are and getting them higher will probably worsen the lower back rounding problem.


What can I do to fix my form and avoid both my hips from shooting up & my lower back from rounding

Keep your hips down. This will help straightened your back up. Pick a spot where the ceiling meets the wall and keep your eyes glued there. Another tip is to trade your 45s for 25s (if you can). You'll load whatever your weight is supposed to be, but without 45s. Your ROM will greatly increase this way. After you get use to this, then load the weights normally with 45s and it will really feel like you are only doing half reps
[yotuube]nEQQle9-0NA[/YouTube]

What are some good leg exercises that don't irritate the hips? I have a femoral nerve impingement that has caused a bit of atrophy in my right quad and glute. Still waiting for an mri but I feel it may be getting pinched from both the discs in my back as well as my hip structure. Should I stop training legs for awhile? How can I bring up my right quad (outer sweep)?

The part of your quad that is effected is the (muscle) Vastus Lateralus Oblique. Its innervated by all the lumbar discs (l1-L5) so the issue has a variety of places it can come from. My recommendation is this:

[sumusikoo]

Keep your hips down. This will help straightened your back up. Pick a spot where the ceiling meets the wall and keep your eyes glued there. Another tip is to trade your 45s for 25s (if you can). You'll load whatever your weight is supposed to be, but without 45s. Your ROM will greatly increase this way. After you get use to this, then load the weights normally with 45s and it will really feel like you are only doing half reps

Tried to follow ur advice to keep my hips lower, tell me if its better this time.

[tank2003]

Tried to follow ur advice to keep my hips lower, tell me if its better this time.

You are getting there friend. Your back looks damn near perfect. But you still need to get your ass down!! Get in a catchers position (a full crouch if you arent into baseball). Take your breaths down there, get your grip, pick a spot to focus on then do work. I think your issue is that you are basically bending over rather than squatting down. You need to look like this guy:

[sumusikoo]

You are getting there friend. Your back looks damn near perfect. But you still need to get your ass down!! Get in a catchers position (a full crouch if you arent into baseball). Take your breaths down there, get your grip, pick a spot to focus on then do work. I think your issue is that you are basically bending over rather than squatting down. You need to look like this guy:
[img]http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/images/startPosition/startPosition.jpg[/ig]

Thanks! Doing my best to get my form to be perfect since I don't wanna increase the weight and possibly get injured since I love doing DLs.

The videos above felt a bit weird though, makes me A LOT more tired & don't feel as comfortable but then again, any type of squatting for me feels weird as ****.

Although I did feel my quads being used a lot more than before but the lift itself was also harder than before

[tank2003]

Thanks! Doing my best to get my form to be perfect since I don't wanna increase the weight and possibly get injured since I love doing DLs.

The videos above felt a bit weird though, makes me A LOT more tired & don't feel as comfortable but then again, any type of squatting for me feels weird as ****.

Although I did feel my quads being used a lot more than before but the lift itself was also harder than before

switching chit up is always gonna feel weird as fuk. But its for a reason.
-Better ROM
-Lessens the liklihood of an injury and buddy, you were on track for an L5/S1 herniation. It happens when you lift with your back and not your legs. Your back only comes into play partly into the lift itself really.

[mrcarter1990]

Hey man,

I have got an ongoing back pain since last I would say about 3 months. The pain has been there for years but it hasn't been as severe as it has been over last 3 months. The pain is on right side of the lumbar region.
The pain goes away if I don't train for a week but it's back on once I start training. Pain is worse after leg day.
Because of the pain I have stopped dead lifts, Squats and other back exercises like last pulldowns etc.

I have been to the doctors who has asked me to do a Back X-Ray and Do blood test for my iron, folate etc which I still haven't done yet cause of exams.

Man you have any suggestions what could be the reason for this?
Been training last 7 years