The (Great?) Workout Thread.

[styx]

I'm interested in who the source on that is and what the context is. If we're talking general health, fitness and all that comes with it then sure since the back is more hit with our sedentary lifestyle. on the other hand deadlifts are easy to cheat*. my personal opinion is that olympic pulls for cleans and snatches are a lot better since they aren't a squatting or a hinging pattern but rather a very effective combination of both for general purposes.

squatting is a broad subject to say it is bad. i saw a first time gym goer yesterday and much to my chagrin the trainer had him do low bar movement pattern with high bar positioning on the smith machine and stopped him just above hitting parallel. i'm starting to believe more and more that squat isn't as bad of an exercise as there are simply bad squatters out there that mess it up

*cheating in general health and fitness would be hitching and ramping. for pure strength like in strongman, i'm entirely fine with using those techniques

[Syncop8r]

It was an article in my msn news feed. They didn't say squats are bad, just that we don't need to do them as much as we need to do things like deadlifts. I think it was referring to muscles that need working (and those that don't so much) due to the effects of sitting so much.

[styx]

as said, I can agree with that.
although I'd still think that heavy deadlifts are very taxing. maybe substituting one day for a romanian deadlift or some other variation that would limit the weight as to spare the CNS a little

[lister]

so y'all workin' out or not?

i've cut my gym time down to 3 days, 4th being an optional Bulgarian day (max snatch, max clean and jerk, max front squat) and maybe arms since I tend to ignore 'em
but as a trade off, every morning I'm doing a few upper back and shoulders exercises, bulgarian split squats and core

How do you find the time to do anything else? I go to the gym 3 times a week and between this and my job I feel like I almost have no free time. 

 

[styx]

office job from 9 to 5. i get up a bit too early and after 5 i'm free to do as i please

[lister]

office job from 9 to 5. i get up a bit too early and after 5 i'm free to do as i please

You sir seem to be a tougher smurf than I. If I tried to exercise first thing in the morning things would not go well for me... 

 

[styx]

office job from 9 to 5. i get up a bit too early and after 5 i'm free to do as i please

You sir seem to be a tougher smurf than I. If I tried to exercise first thing in the morning things would not go well for me... 

 

doubt it. those are low impact exercises. band pullapats, band lateral raise, band front raise, band hip hugger, bulgarian split squat and this for the core

[Syncop8r]

I want to write down my workouts but I don't know the names of most of the exercises. 

this is a good place to start
https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/
you choose which part it works and then see what looks the most like something you do

I got some of them.... here are my two workouts for critique or whatever:

Upper Workout

- Standing Dumbell Presses
- (standing, raising dumbells in a way that works rear delts)
- Front Dumbell Raises
- Lateral Dumbell Raises

- (standing one-arm dumbell fly diagonally up and across the chest)

- One-Arm Dumbell Rows (with Middle Back Shrug at end of each rep)
- Standing Dumbell Shrugs (I rotate shoulders one way for first half of set then the other)

- Standing Dumbell Bicep Curls (with rotation)
- Standing Dumbell One-Arm Triceps Extension
- Dumbell Palms-Up Wrist Curls (kinda squatting, forearms are resting on thighs which are at about 45°)
- Dumbell Palms-Down Wrist Curls (as above)

I haven't found a way to do my Lats with my limited equipment at home.

Lower Workout

- Cross Body Crunches
- (side bridges with twisting crunch)
- Weighted Crunches
- Barbell Ab Rollouts (on knees)

- Barbell Glute Bridges
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Deadlifts
- Calf Raise (I can't do these very well at home)

I probably need more squatting and rotation.

[styx]

I want to write down my workouts but I don't know the names of most of the exercises. 

this is a good place to start
https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/
you choose which part it works and then see what looks the most like something you do

I got some of them.... here are my two workouts for critique or whatever:

Upper Workout

- Standing Dumbell Presses
- (standing, raising dumbells in a way that works rear delts) 1*
- Front Dumbell Raises
- Lateral Dumbell Raises

- (standing one-arm dumbell fly diagonally up and across the chest) 2*

- One-Arm Dumbell Rows (with Middle Back Shrug at end of each rep)
- Standing Dumbell Shrugs (I rotate shoulders one way for first half of set then the other)

- Standing Dumbell Bicep Curls (with rotation)
- Standing Dumbell One-Arm Triceps Extension
- Dumbell Palms-Up Wrist Curls (kinda squatting, forearms are resting on thighs which are at about 45°)
- Dumbell Palms-Down Wrist Curls (as above)

I haven't found a way to do my Lats with my limited equipment at home.

Lower Workout

- Cross Body Crunches
- (side bridges with twisting crunch)
- Weighted Crunches
- Barbell Ab Rollouts (on knees)

- Barbell Glute Bridges
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Deadlifts
- Calf Raise (I can't do these very well at home)

I probably need more squatting and rotation.

1* - you're pretty much describing a hip hugger (check out the first video below)
2* - I think that is called the UCB raise (check out the second video)





When it comes to legs, it's a question if you can load them well on squats. 40kg bulgarian split squats will do more than 80kg back squat done to parallel. If you are very limited in weight, front squats are a good alternative, just make sure you go as low as your mobility allows. ATG is also different for everyone so don't worry on that aspect depth
You might want to look into Nordic ham curls to add a bit more to your hamstrings

For lats, at home without any bands and cables, your only serious options are pull ups and chin ups. Dumbbell rows and their variants are nice to pack on thickness, just make sure you don't use a stance that can lead to a hernia, but they require heavy weights to be effective in the long run. And by heavy I mean that 35 and 40kg gets to be too light too fast

[Syncop8r]

1* - you're pretty much describing a hip hugger (check out the first video below)
2* - I think that is called the UCB raise (check out the second video)

Those videos are where I got those exercises from, so..... yeah. 

I'm only doing about 20kg with the split squats and they are killing me. I might add some lunges to the front and side (as seen on another of Jeff's videos).
I shall look up the ham curls.

I may also look into getting some sort of chin up/dip apparatus. Eventually (when finances allow) I would like a bench that can incline and cables.

Thanks for the suggestions. 

[styx]

good trick for legs is doing 10x10 with 60 seconds of rest between sets

[styx]

just saw a video that has me smurfed off. exactly the reason why i dislike big commercial gyms and my first 2 questions for a new gym are - do you allow chalk and what is your stance on deadlifts

[Syncop8r]

Feet shoulder-width apart with toes just forward of the bar is my stance on deadlifts. 

[styx]

good, you're always welcome to pull with me.

Pete Rubish posted a video of his teenage client getting kicked out of a gym. But the guy basically assaulted that teen and damn I have a feeling that in most harder gyms someone would have thrown a dumbbell at him

[Essexman]

Yep, back at it.

Quick update. I've lost over 1 stone in weight since mid May, which is good. My food intake has changed. Eating more good stuff, less no so good stuff.

TRX - full body workout 2 to 3 times a week (10 mins light cardio warm up, 1 hour TRX workout)
CV - 45 minutes Spin class 2 times a week (was doing 4 to 5 before and nothing else)
Yoga - 2 one hour classes a week (best thing ever, really wish I'd found thing 20 years ago!)

My Sister hadn't seen me for a few months, on meeting last week she said "Wow ! look at you!!"

Not only have I lost weight, I've gained some shape. Not big, just lean, which is nice.

[styx]

that's great news, congrats. you've worked for it

[Syncop8r]

Great job! 

[styx]

well today looked like this. managed it in about 90 minutes

[styx]

getting after it. max out week. damn i love this when you can see the work paying off or the weights telling you that you didn't put in enough work

[Mercury]

Got a three mile jog in this morning, it was a bit tougher than I thought it would be, but after two years basically off the rails diet-wise, I'm lucky I can still run at all!  I'm looking forward to feeling better and leaning back out. 

I restarted one of my favorite workouts yesterday, the stronglifts 5x5.  I had hurt my wrists a while back and couldn't really do any lifts other than leg isolation, so it's nice to be back in the gym.  Anyone else have a concise program they like to fall back on?

[styx]

wendler 5/3/1 since it is modular and FSL and BBB allow for good amount of variation
Juggernaut method is nice if you have 4 months uninterrupted and can properly recover from one session to the next (i.e. not the best thing to run in blazing heat with a lack of sleep and anything above a 300 calorie deficit)
Smolov  and Smolov Jr are something I'm itching to try out as well as the Texas method for weightlifting. I think Greg Everett has it in his book

[lister]

wendler 5/3/1 since it is modular and FSL and BBB allow for good amount of variation
Juggernaut method is nice if you have 4 months uninterrupted and can properly recover from one session to the next (i.e. not the best thing to run in blazing heat with a lack of sleep and anything above a 300 calorie deficit)
Smolov  and Smolov Jr are something I'm itching to try out as well as the Texas method for weightlifting. I think Greg Everett has it in his book

I went form 15 reps of ab-rollouts to 16 reps in the last three months. That's about it. Now stop making the rest of us look bad you crazy Croatian! 

 

[styx]

that's my national description - loud, drink a lot, hot tempered, crazy, will light road flares for any reason even if the reason is an absence of a reason, if they shut up start running in the opposite direction

[Mercury]

And today I start the glorious hangry journey of intermittent fasting.  It's not as bad as it sounds on paper, except for the first few times you do it! 

[styx]

good luck with that

[Essexman]

And today I start the glorious hangry journey of intermittent fasting.  It's not as bad as it sounds on paper, except for the first few times you do it!

Why are you doing that?

[Mercury]

And today I start the glorious hangry journey of intermittent fasting.  It's not as bad as it sounds on paper, except for the first few times you do it!

Why are you doing that?

It kickstarts Keto, and when coupled with smart eating and exercise it really helps me lose weight.  At least in my experience that is.  I lost 75 lbs three years ago by exercise, ketogenic diet, and intermittent fasting. 

[Essexman]

And today I start the glorious hangry journey of intermittent fasting.  It's not as bad as it sounds on paper, except for the first few times you do it!

Why are you doing that?

It kickstarts Keto, and when coupled with smart eating and exercise it really helps me lose weight.  At least in my experience that is.  I lost 75 lbs three years ago by exercise, ketogenic diet, and intermittent fasting.

Ah right. So many different food ideas these days. Not something I’ve looked into.
If it works for you that’s great.

[Essexman]

How you all doing?

Another quick update, now 1.5 stone lighter than last May. In the main this is due to change of diet, eating better, keeping in calorie deficit.

My exercise routine is still almost the same, spin class twice a week, yoga class twice a week, also sometimes do extra yoga at home with an free app class called "simply yoga".

At the end of last year I found kettlebells. Being winter its not great working out on my patio in the dark and cold,  kettlebells I can use indoors. The training methods are very different to barbell/TRX etc. I'm mostly using metabolic circuits. For some reason I really enjoy Kettlebell workouts.

Anyone else use kettlebells?

[Syncop8r]

Good stuff! 
I have still been doing my (mostly) dumbell workouts at home BUT two weeks of pretty much sitting at my computer all day and no cardio in the last month means I have some extra padding to lose.