Does Anyone Here Lift Weights?

[thebiglebowski]

Bought a food dehydrator. Definitely recommended for anyone who might read this thread and be lifting.

Sliced up 6 chicken breasts, cooked, seasoned, dehydrated, and now I have chicken jerky to last me for a week.

Usually when I eat shitty food, it's cause I don't feel like cooking. This lets me make one batch that will last me a while. And jerky can be damn tasty. The stuff at the store is ridiculously expensive ($10+ a pound). This was $1.80 a pound for the chicken and about $1 in electricity to run the dehydrator for 10 hours. Definitely worth it.

[thejesseb]

Bought a food dehydrator. Definitely recommended for anyone who might read this thread and be lifting.

Sliced up 6 chicken breasts, cooked, seasoned, dehydrated, and now I have chicken jerky to last me for a week.

Usually when I eat shitty food, it's cause I don't feel like cooking. This lets me make one batch that will last me a while. And jerky can be damn tasty. The stuff at the store is ridiculously expensive ($10+ a pound). This was $1.80 a pound for the chicken and about $1 in electricity to run the dehydrator for 10 hours. Definitely worth it.

 

I eat an insane amount of chicken. I buy the like 5lb packs and cook it up then eat on it fore 2 or 3 days.

[thebiglebowski]

I just think 5 day old jerky tastes better than 2 day old refrigerated stuff. Plus, it is easily portable.

If you eat a ton of chicken, should give it a try. Only cost $30 for the machine.

[suchashorttime]

I just think 5 day old jerky tastes better than 2 day old refrigerated stuff. Plus, it is easily portable.

If you eat a ton of chicken, should give it a try. Only cost $30 for the machine.

you can do some radical shit with greens (kale and spinach, in particular) and a dehydrator.  SUP CHIPS.

[thebiglebowski]

you can do some radical shit with greens (kale and spinach, in particular) and a dehydrator.  SUP CHIPS.

 

Thanks. I'll give it a try! I have some bok choy in my fridge I'll use. Just another leafy green.

[vialister]

I've seen workouts that suggest deadlift sets as low as one (not a one rep max, but suggesting you should be doing near your max for 5 sets of 1 every week to improve). I'm not positive of the reasoning other than that it is usually a heavy lift. But just from what I've generally seen recommended, 8-12 seems like a lot and it's time to increase the weight.

 

Agree with this 100% if you're just starting with them. It's just so keep the strain off your back and gets it working to the best potential. like you said, form is the main thing for the exercise.

 

I'd say 4x5 working sets is enough, maybe chuck in a drop set or rest pause at the end for the extra push.

I'm doing 140kg (310lbs) at the moment for this. its not pleasant haha.

 

When do you guys do deadlifts? With legs or back? I've heard mixed things but found doing them on "leg day" to be better.

[thebiglebowski]

I focus on compound lifts so it isn't so much about a "leg day" and "back day".

 

I do:

 

Monday -- Squat, shrug, curls (just a few curls, light day)

 

Wednesday -- Bench, Overhead press

 

Friday -- Deadlift, Curls (heavier)

 

Every other day -- rest

 

I think everyone is a little different but my legs feel tired for days after squatting. I need to separate the deadlift from the squats to let my legs recover.

[vialister]

That's fair. I'm currently doing a mixture of muscle groups with both compound and isolation on a 4 week cycle (12-15 reps, 9-11, 6-8, 3-5, going heavier as the weeks go on)

 

I'd write what exercises too but it varies every 4 week cycle. But...

Monday - chest / triceps

Tueday - Back / Biceps

Weds - Rest

Thursday - shoulders

Friday - legs

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - Chest / Triceps

 

Then the cycle continues so the next Monday ill do back / biceps etc.

Working good for both size and definition. I still do a lot of cardio (around 30-40 mins HIIT each day).

Last 4 week cycle then I'm gunna mix it up again.

 

The reason behind the cardio is i'm still trying to shift the last bit of fat I've got on my sides, Do you have any advice on shifting that? Saying that, January 2012 I was 18st10 (262lbs) & 27% body fat. I'm now at 192lbs and 13%. I'm 5"11, want to get to 200lbs and 10%.

 

My diets got a hell of a lot better again since the new year also and i rarely drink.

Gotta get ready for what summer us in the UK will get!

[thebiglebowski]

You are reaching the point where you need periodization (ie, cycles of bulk and cut). At some point (around 10% and below) you can't have everything (getting stronger and losing fat at the same time).

Cut all the way down to the weight you want. It's really about careful dieting. On the calorie deficit (minus 500 calories a day is a good heuristic) you might have to back off on weights/reps. 75% focus on diet, 25% on exercise.

Then yo-yo between 10 and 15% on bulk/cut cycles or even something like 7 to 12% if you are able to get that low. 10% should have some good ab definition. 7% is ripped!!

[vialister]

cheers man! its a bit harder for me to do a strict cutting diet, at the moment I'm probably around -500 to -800 Kcals a day. With working 11 hour days and then training on a night in a shit country (I'm in azerbaijan of all places at the moment) finding good quality food, even the likes of brown rice and pasta is hard. It sucks. I'm making the best of what i've got i guess.

 

I have dropped a jean size since ive been here though and bulked up a little doing the program I was on about. think the next 8 weeks should be a good milestone to try get down another couple % and focussing on using lighter weights for higher reps.  Might try out the 5/5/15 program.

Wish i could get to 7% and have abs but its such a fucking task!!

[jerseydave77]

Officially signed up for my first Sprint Tri today. 

 

Been working my legs with weights and getting good results - I'm trying hard to get past the mental block about my knee pain and just do it right. Benching 175 with ease - would love to have a spotter so I could challenge myself but my slow incrementation had lead to sustained strength. Ran my best 5k time to date last night. I'm a few pounds shy of my ultimate weight loss goals but I'm pretty damn happy to be in the shape I'm in. I think before my race I'll post some before and after photos of my gut from a year ago to where I am today - I actually love looking at those photos to remember how far I've come. I work an insane schedule so much of my work has happened between the hours of 8pm and 10pm and then on weekends - motivation has grown in other parts of my life in doing this as well. 

[thebiglebowski]

Nice work.

 

Try and get this (not trying to tell you what to do...just trying to go one step further than just talking):
 
http://cnj.craigslist.org/spo/3675514607.html
 
I don't know exactly what the perfect price on it is but if you can get a rack and weights for $300-$400, you are essentially just "renting it" (i.e. when you sell it, you will get all your money back. Someone else takes the big hit from retail to craigslist). $600 is probably a "decent" price depending on the amount of weight.
 
Hopefully you have the space and can afford to tie your money up in it.
 
No need to worry about spotters -- those bars will catch everything!
 
It is also the way to go for squats. I know we have covered this already, but this is copied and pasted right out of a well reviewed book on weightlifting:

 

Rebound out of the bottom, the concept of "bounce," is very important. Once again, the
bounce DOES NOT INVOLVE THE KNEE. You bounce off of the hamstrings and
adductors, not the quads. It happens when the hamstrings, glutes, and adductors reach the limit
of their normal range of motion due to the slight forward and outward motion of the knee and the
more pronounced backward motion of the hips. Remember: the pelvis is locked in position — in
line with the spine — by the low back muscles, the hamstrings attach to the ischial tuberosity at the
bottom of the pelvis, and the pelvis tilts forward with the torso as squat depth increases, thus
stretching out the hamstrings and glutes. At the same time, the adductors are tightening as the
distance between their attachments on the inside of the femur and on the pubis area of the
anterior pelvis are stretched apart The bounce at the b o t t om of the squat is merely the correct
use of the stretch reflex — a muscle contraction enhanced by the proprioceptive detection of
muscle elongation immediately prior to the contraction — inherent in any dynamic muscle
contraction, added to the rebound provided by the viscoelastic energy stored in the stretched
muscles and tendons. Essentially, you are bouncing off your hamstrings, not your knees. It is safe,
it is correct, and it is necessary if heavy weights are to be lifted. The only way it can hurt your
knees is if your hamstrings relax at the bottom, which would result in your knees traveling
forward, and which you should not do. If the hips are shoved back at the bottom while your
knees are shoved out, your hamstrings and adductors will tighten, your knee will be protected, and
power out of the bottom will increase.

 

I'm no medical doctor and I don't claim to be one, but from what I have read, you are putting your knee in more danger from running than if you squat (properly).

[thebiglebowski]

And it's not the funnest thing (or proper by any means), but before I bought proper equipment and I just had a common bench with the arms to hold a bar I've definitely rolled out from under something like 230 (went for one rep too many). You just kinda roll the bar down by your pelvis, carefully push it off until it hits on one side, then slide out.

Going for a real max (something you couldn't do at least 3 times) without safeties is very dangerous. You drop the bar on your face or throat and you could die. However, doing an amount of weight you know you can safely handle but going for 5 reps and getting stuck on the last one, you are just going to have an uncomfortable roll, but won't kill yourself. Hopefully you don't have to worry about the weight hitting the floor either (like in a basement).

Just saying, getting stuck isn't so awful that you shouldn't push yourself cause you think you can't get out from under a bar on your chest.

[jerseydave77]

Running is def bad but honestly I'm seeing whole body improvement through cross training. I get a free national YMCA membership as a volunteer firefighter, the one near me is an amazing facility so I have access to killer equipment, pools etc.

I like sets of 7 or 8 personally. I'm not too concerned about a slip, I just like keeping things incremental and comfortable. Maybe I will give it a test in a couple weeks and just ask for a spot. It would be fun to know what I can do between 185 and 200.

[thebiglebowski]

No power racks at the gym? You don't really need a spotter with the right equipment. I bench close to 300 in my basement with no one around but my dog (the rack has me covered).

 

It might be fairly clear from my posting but I could go to a gym with $20k worth of "circuit training" or "nautilus" or whatever kind of equipment you want to call it (machines were you lock your body into train in a way so that it can only use one muscle) and I wouldn't use any of it. I believe in compound lifts with free weights -- training your body in the way in which it will use the strength in sports / life.

 

Power rack, bench, bar, 350 pounds of weight, elliptical -- Give me the option to use a gym with every machine ever invented and this is all I will want.

 

If you can do a set of 7 at 175 you can do over 200. I don't know how accurate this is but it says 210:

 

http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/orm.htm

[bigbruise]

This thread needs a pajama ninja meme.

This.

 

Straps are foolish at 200-300 pounds. When you start pushing 400, 500,+ deadlifts they are necessary. You want to increase your grip strength but you will (probably) never be able to grip 400+ pounds. Hands just aren't as strong as the back.

 

I've seen workouts that suggest deadlift sets as low as one (not a one rep max, but suggesting you should be doing near your max for 5 sets of 1 every week to improve). I'm not positive of the reasoning other than that it is usually a heavy lift. But just from what I've generally seen recommended, 8-12 seems like a lot and it's time to increase the weight.

 

The most important form point is that you need to keep your lower back in contraction (this is a generally good idea for all lifts, but especially important for the deadlift). If you aren't sure what this feels like, lay on your belly with your arms and legs in the air at your sides. You should feel your back in contraction. Usually another key when deadlifting would be that the chin should be up (this helps maintain a tight back).

 

If your back is tight and your form is good, there is little injury risk, even with a whole lot of weight.

 

I'm confident in my form and feel very comfortable dead lifting, I'm assuming the advice was for a general audience though. 

 

Also, I decided to put on some weight a few months ago, so I can really put up some weight. Dammit I went overboard. I put on too much I feel like, eating all those calories was just so awesome!

[jerseydave77]

This.

 

 

I'm confident in my form and feel very comfortable dead lifting, I'm assuming the advice was for a general audience though. 

 

Also, I decided to put on some weight a few months ago, so I can really put up some weight. Dammit I went overboard. I put on too much I feel like, eating all those calories was just so awesome!

 

Ha ha - I miss calories so damn much! 

[partysmasher]

Any of you guys ever had a shoulder impingement? On tuesday i finished a 30 min cycle and got down to do some body-weight exercises, shoulder started aching but i did one set before deciding to stop. There's no swelling and the pain isn't excruciating, just irritating and enough for my range of motion to be slightly affected, i'm gonna stick to cycling and running for at least a week and hope the pain goes so i can just strengthen to prevent further instances. Any of you dudes had this happen before? ANy exercises i can do to help speed things along? I've never appreciated my shoulder more in my life than i do now .

[thebiglebowski]

Never had that. Always hesitant to comment on injuries. It's a whole nother situation than just proper diet or exercise regime.

 

I think you have it right though. Lay off it for a while, start slow again, and if it isn't going away, see a doc.

[partysmasher]

Never had that. Always hesitant to comment on injuries. It's a whole nother situation than just proper diet or exercise regime.

 

I think you have it right though. Lay off it for a while, start slow again, and if it isn't going away, see a doc.

 

Seems like a good idea, they're really common, especially amongst people who do weights or similar activities, someone at work did it lifting a fucking suitcase. Was worried about it jarring when i ran tonight but i crushed a 10k easy in about 70 degrees so i'm happy for now. I have some resistance bands from when i was doing physio on an ankle injury and i've been given strengthening exercises so i'll start them next week. Sucks!

[Shitty Rambo]

So I'm in the process of losing some belly fat I gained while lifting. 'Cutting' I suppose? I'm not focused on gaining mass at the moment but I have also never dieted while eating poultry. I started running and walking a lot more and doing sit-ups, also monitoring my carb/calorie consumption with the app Lose It! What else should I be doing and what measures should I take to ensure I don't lose the muscle I've put on while dieting?

[hipsterasfolk]

Pfft cutting phase, go barrell chest it up bro!

[thebiglebowski]

So I'm in the process of losing some belly fat I gained while lifting. 'Cutting' I suppose? I'm not focused on gaining mass at the moment but I have also never dieted while eating poultry. I started running and walking a lot more and doing sit-ups, also monitoring my carb/calorie consumption with the app Lose It! What else should I be doing and what measures should I take to ensure I don't lose the muscle I've put on while dieting?

 

You will lose some muscle. Just how it works on a cutting diet. It's completely analogous to someone trying to put on size needing to eat a lot and consequently picking up a little flab, which they later lose. Don't focus on it too much. When on a calorie surplus focus on increasing the weight or number of reps. When trying to lose weight, focus on the pounds.

 

No real secrets to it. If your workout program is getting results you like, keep on it. You might have to back off on weight a bit but don't go TOO far in the other direction (i.e., if you are doing sets of 5 reps and you want to go to 10, that's fine. Don't think "I'm cutting so I will put 20 pounds on a bar and do sets of 40). Eat good food, track your calories, don't eat giant meals, shoot for minus 500 calories a day -- all the normal good advice that people give about dieting. Have a goal, weigh yourself, get there.

 

If you want to know about diet supplements, I can write a post on that. The short of it -- they are substances that shut down your appetite and contain stimulants to raise your metabolism. I would recommend not using them if the diet is working, but if you feel stuck, give them a try.

[Daniel Dopp]

 

Did any of you ever workout with this dude?

[thebiglebowski]

No clue who that is