thebiglebowski Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Book was by Mark Rippetoe. It's the most popular book for gym rats: http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-3rd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0982522738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359592856&sr=8-1&keywords=rippetoe Starting strength is mostly about having good form for all the exercises. What to do, what not to do. He has another book which I plan to read sometime on training programs: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Strength-Training-2nd/dp/0982522703/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1359592856&sr=8-2&keywords=rippetoe I'm not too familiar with 5/3/1 but I googled it and it looks good. It's got the core compound lifts and a good program (which exercises to do on each day and the proper warmup structure). There are a bunch of strength programs that look similar. Which ones are the best, not sure. But they all have the same key components. I spent way too much time in my life doing curls and not enough doing squats and deadlifts. I'm not an olympic bencher or anything but I weigh 195 and bench 250. My deadlift maxed out at 325 (not too bad, but I hope to get over 400 in the next year or so). Have a lot of squat work to do. Max out around 200 there (good form, femur below parallel squats). Definitely need to get that up around 300. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dethrock Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Okay I actually got Starting Strength for Christmas but I haven't started it yet. I was recently in Mexico for a wedding and got sick there for a few days and ended up losing like 12 pounds. I'm just getting back into going to the gym and I'm feeling super weak right now. Hoping to put the weight back on in the next few weeks. My workouts right now consist of doing one muscle group a day. I do abs with shoulders and with tri's. When I weighed my most (190) my lifts looked like this: Bench - 325 Squat - 315 Dead - 295 I ignored legs for a long time which is why everything is weak in comparison to my bench haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 i don't lift. but one of my friends is on his way to becoming a personal trainer, and kicked it off by challenging every one he knows to be active all 28 days of the month. lately, i've had a few chances to get moving, so i'm ready to take on his challenge with a full head of steam. without a gym membership, what would you guys recommend? thursdays i play basketball at a college nearby, and while i'm in there i definitely have access to the gym.. but that's only once a week. other than that, all i really have is my bedroom for 'shups and a couple dumbells. i'm hoping for ~decent~ weather on a few days so i can hike or bike. basically, i don't want to bitch out. but i can totally see myself getting bored and laming out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 What are your goals (put on size? lose some flab? increased endurance for long bike rides and stuff?). We can recommend some stuff but need to know what you are going after first. Are you 100% limited to those tools (either by space or by money) or are you willing to put a little money into it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 i'm thinking about getting a 1 month gym membership. just gotta look into prices. money's actually okay right now, so i wouldn't mind dropping a few bucks. i've never really had the ability to put on mass.. mostly, i just want to get my endurance/stamina way up, and lose whatever little fat i have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 You posted pictures in the haircut thread so I kinda know what you look like. Anytime someone says "I am just genetically unable to put on mass" the cause is diet. You probably have a fast metabolism. However, I guarantee you if you take something like this a couple times a day as a supplement to diet, you will be able to put on some weight: http://www.amazon.com/CytoSport-Monster-Mass-Chocolate-Pound/dp/B002DUD76E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1359750615&sr=8-5&keywords=mass+gainer So if you decide to go for more of a strength-building routine, we can give some advice. For now, I'm going to just go with what you said (mostly fat loss with some strength training and hopefully on a low cost program). I would recommend something like this -- Buy the Iron Gym. It is really useful and costs 20 bucks. 3 upper body exercises are really all you need -- pushup (or bench press), chin-up (or curl), and overhead press (two dumbbells on each shoulder, and push them straight up towards the ceiling). Do each exercise twice a week with time in between to rest. For lower body, squats are the most important exercise. However, if you are more cardio focused (ie, hitting the treadmill a ton), this will work your legs out plenty. Don't want to overtrain them either. Abs you can do whenever you want. 10 minutes of crunches a couple times a week is plenty. Cardio will do 10x more to lose belly fat than crunches. So something like: Monday - Run, Pushups, crunches Tuesday - Run, Chinups, Overhead Press Wednesday - Rest Thursday - Run, Pushups, crunches Friday - Run, Chinups, Overhead Press Saturday and Sunday - Rest Don't kill yourself with the running. Up to you to decide what is too much but 30 minutes should be fine. Feel free to substitute biking, swimming, elliptical, a game of hoops, whatever for the running. Shoot for 5 sets with the other exercises and try and increase the amount of reps you can do each time. There are probably more thoroughly thought out programs you can find with google. I'm not a personal trainer or anything. This should be sufficient for your goals, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 If you do decide to buy some equipment (I greatly prefer to work out at home in front of my TV than go to the gym. Just me), then use craigslist as much as you can. People are always buying workout equipment, giving up, and selling it. I got the power rack below, a bench, and about 600 pounds of weight (plates and dumbbells) on craigslist for $300. It was at least $1500 retail. http://www.amazon.com/Body-Solid-11-Gauge-Power-GPR378/dp/B000JUWIT2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1359752124&sr=8-7&keywords=powertec+power+rack Don't ever pay more than 50 cents a pound for weights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseydave77 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Managed to run a full 5k after my cycle interval training for the first time today. Followed that with a nice 50 minutes of weight training. I'm well on pace for the Sprint Tri I've set as my goal this coming May. I'm still no great physical specimen but it's always awesome to reach goals. I've had surgery on my right knee 3x and two years ago I was a mess with degeneration in my back and an off balance gait to my walk. Lost a good chunk of weight and everything is healing to where I haven't had a flair up in my back in over 6 months and my knee doesn't have that constant dull soreness. Focusing on the core has been huge and I'm simply proud of myself so why not share it on the internet. Ha ha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterrod Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Managed to run a full 5k after my cycle interval training for the first time today. Followed that with a nice 50 minutes of weight training. I'm well on pace for the Sprint Tri I've set as my goal this coming May. I'm still no great physical specimen but it's always awesome to reach goals. I've had surgery on my right knee 3x and two years ago I was a mess with degeneration in my back and an off balance gait to my walk. Lost a good chunk of weight and everything is healing to where I haven't had a flair up in my back in over 6 months and my knee doesn't have that constant dull soreness. Focusing on the core has been huge and I'm simply proud of myself so why not share it on the internet. Ha ha. Congratulation, man. You SHOULD be proud, it sounds like you've earned it. jerseydave77 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 In case anyone cares to see a man squat 905: And here is the article where he says he would have tried for 1000 if the gym had had more 100 pound plates: http://70sbig.com/blog/2013/02/meet-the-man-who-squats-905-raw/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_jones Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 impressive. my dude from college squatted 859,and benched & dead-lifted over 700 at collegiate nationals in '11. http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/node/18611 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Nuts. I deadlifted 350 the other day and I was proud of myself. Then I think that guys have done almost 3 times that and think WTF. Even if someone put 500 in my hands and all I had to do was hang I probably couldn't. Guys like that could just break every bone in your hand with a firm shake their grips are so strong. Obviously not saying a 600 pound bench isn't impressive but their chests stick out so far the bar moves half the distance of what a normal guy does when he benches. I just don't see it being as impressive as the other olympic lifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseydave77 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 You fellas are on a totally different level than me with the weights. Admittedly it isn't my focus and I'm fairly content to be benching a set at 170. Do you consider your benchmark only after you can do a full set? Or is one lift enough? I only increase by the set so I'm genuinely curious how you measure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 You can report either way. My one rep max bench is up to 275. People will do all kinds of things to inflate numbers. Not going down all the way on a squat is probably a big one. If you only use your quads (ie, go down about about halfway to parallel) you can really inflate the numbers. With the bench, to fairly represent a 1 rep max the only thing you need to do is be sure you touch your chest, pause a half second, and come up. Doing it in a smith machine can help cheat a little too (a machine where there are bars that prevent the bar from moving in any direction but up and down). What is your body weight? I'm kinda ballparking this but 1x your body weight is usually considered "decent", 1.5x your body weight is "good", and anything beyond that is getting really strong. And like I mentioned in the last post, the guys that set olympic records kinda only care about how much they can move the bar and don't care about body fat. Any one of us could move our max numbers up if gave up trying to keep the body fat down and only went for strength (probably not to 600 pounds, but up). I'm assuming that no one here is trying to look like that. My ultimate goal is the "1000 pound club". 400 deadlift, 300 squat, 300 bench, hopefully keeping my body weight under 200 pounds. Squat is the one I have the most work to do with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_jones Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 My ultimate goal is the "1000 pound club". 400 deadlift, 300 squat, 300 bench, hopefully keeping my body weight under 200 pounds. Squat is the one I have the most work to do with. yea i would be satisfied with this as well, especially since i partake in 0 competitive sports anymore. long road back for me unfortunately. haven't benched 300+ in a few years (1 or 2 reps max, could never do a set), and I was never very good with squats. i HATE guys who don't go all the way down (or at least within an inch of their chest) and try to act like they actually bench pressed X amount of weight. no you didn't. you moved it 2 inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_jones Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 You fellas are on a totally different level than me with the weights. Admittedly it isn't my focus and I'm fairly content to be benching a set at 170. Do you consider your benchmark only after you can do a full set? Or is one lift enough? I only increase by the set so I'm genuinely curious how you measure. i'm sure you would crush me endurance wise. i agree with what biglebowski said about your body weight to bench press ratio, seems pretty on par with what i've always thought. dude knows his shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 i'm sure you would crush me endurance wise. i agree with what biglebowski said about your body weight to bench press ratio, seems pretty on par with what i've always thought. dude knows his shit. Thanks! I was talking to my buddies the other day and wondering -- I'm 6 foot, 200 pounds, 26, and white. If I do everything right (diet + exercise perfectly), is there any chance I ever dunk a basketball in my life? I'm guessing no but I want to try. My friends weren't very optimistic about my chances... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_jones Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 I'm 5 ft 10, 185lbs. I came to terms a LONG time ago that I will never dunk a ball. I would say you potentially could. It would take a lot of attention to developing your vertical jump through strengthening your lower legs. Do you have exceptionally long arms or anything? Trying to do the math in my head and I'm thinking you would probably need a solid 20-24" vertical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_jones Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 If it makes you feel better about your chances, my roomate is 6'1, ~200 and can dunk consistently. However.... he is black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 If I stand flat footed with my arms straight up I am 92 inches. I guess I could test the vertical jump by just jumping as high as a can with a post-it in my hand or something and then just measure where it stays. I have a house with a balcony where I could make this work. I'll try it later in the week. Squatted this morning so my legs are tired. Curious now, though, to see if I am even in the ballpark. I know the hoop is 10 feet but I'm not sure how much higher you would have to get to dunk. If this ever happens I'm probably going to blast the front of the rim 20 times before I actually get over it once. I could obviously just go to a court too but I don't think I need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseydave77 Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 i'm 6'1" and 195. I am positive I can bench my weight or above - am I doing 3 sets at 8 reps? No. I haven't been at it too long and really only started getting into the weight training more seriously in the past three months. Weight has never been my main interest as opposed to toning but I'll admit the strength building I've experience has been a a welcome positive side effect. The upper body work has helped my swim distance/time/endurance immensely. Rocked 4/10 of a mile in record time this weekend and only quit because I'm only training to a quarter mile swim at the moment. Being able to use more of my arms for the swim is also preserving my legs for the bike/run components of my training. Huge advantage to develop. Good Stuff gents. My body fat is way down since I started the diet/exercise seriously this past summer. Very pleased to find myself about two months ahead of schedule for my first Tri - so I'm revising my goal to run the entire Shore Series which is five races in five months. Gotta lift the goals or I will tail off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseydave77 Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Also, I can't dunk a ball. I still play b-ball once a week and I blame my knee surgeries for my pathetic vertical. I will say that the increase in cardio endurance has really helped me whoop on some of the older guys I run with. My stamina is giving quite a kick and at a certain age being able to run competitively is a tremendous advantage on the court. I am too scared to squat. I think the running and cycling are enough. My Right knee is 3x repaired, as I've mentioned, so squats are not something I feel a need for. I work my back via the weights in less knee-needed ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Nice. So your triathalon is how long? I've heard of an "iron man" triathalon. That the same thing you are doing? Something like bike 100 miles, run 23, swim 3? Lots of respect for the people that can do that. I've posted this before, but can't hurt to do it again -- Highly recommend this book if you are new to weight training. It's the most popular book on the subject. http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-ebook/dp/B006XJR5ZA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1362532692&sr=8-2&keywords=starting+strength It's a fairly quick read and if you want to, you can pay for shipping both ways and just borrow my copy (or go ebook if you prefer). A proper squat has nothing to do with the knee. The author even discusses squatting after a knee injury. If you have the right form, you have nothing to worry about. That said, I can understand not wanting to mess with it. It's easier said coming from a guy with no knee injuries than one with 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessRD Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 An ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run, it's all endurance. You dudes are crazy with your lifting, should keep it up! Before I stopped crossfit I my 1 rm for back squat was 150 which is almost 1.5 times my body weight. And my deadlift was 175. Couldn't keep that up, it's so hard to stay motivated to lift, I'd rather run for 3 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBech Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 My boss got all pissed because I hadn't lifted heavy in months and I front squatted 385. He hit a crazy number but seeing as I hadn't trained for max like he had the past 6 weeks he knew I could be stronger than him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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