Topic: The Weightlifting/Powerlifting/Fitness Thread

[phazotron]

My fitness routine is using my work lunch hour to focus on cardio...sh!t, I know nothing about bodybuilding or weightlifting.  What I do try to do is 30 consecutive pushups which I can do on most days. 

[JG20]

Squats and more squats. Do front squats as an accessory lift.

This.

If I only had time to do one workout, it would be squats. Hannibal, you should read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe as Vmango suggested. Once you start properly squatting your bodyweight and beyond, everyday things that you sometimes struggle with become a piece of cake. For example, instead of making multiple trips to unload groceries, you load up the bags on your arms and make one trip. And who says you need help moving that couch or table cause your wife wanted it somewhere else. Or move that 25' branch that fell down during the ice storm and knocked down your fence .

[Hannibalsmith]

Squats and more squats. Do front squats as an accessory lift.

This.

If I only had time to do one workout, it would be squats. Hannibal, you should read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe as Vmango suggested. Once you start properly squatting your bodyweight and beyond, everyday things that you sometimes struggle with become a piece of cake. For example, instead of making multiple trips to unload groceries, you load up the bags on your arms and make one trip. And who says you need help moving that couch or table cause your wife wanted it somewhere else. Or move that 25' branch that fell down during the ice storm and knocked down your fence .

Thx guys. I kind of so suspected squats are the way to go. They're like the push ups of the lower body.

[lebowski]

Vmango, +1 that is an awesome gym setup you've got.

Totally true about the squats. I'm no bodybuilder, was never really a gym guy - by most accounts I'm a beanpole: 6'2, 175, but I finally discovered squatting via Starting Strength a couple of years ago (i'm 35), with excellent results. This year I moved into an apt. building with a full gym - that is, full, EXCEPT for no squat rack  But it seemed dumb to keep my other gym membership going with a free one in my building, so I ditched it and I've since tried to substitute squatting with lunges, bodyweight squats, plyometrics, and doing one big intensive hike every week (Grouse Grind for those who know Vancouver). Still, there ain't no replacement for displacement the squat rack. 

On another note I find that while push-ups are fantastic, pull-ups are totally underrated (and g*ddamned difficult!  )

[JG20]

The first chapter of Starting Strength should be a required read for society. Rip really points out all the BS out there and I love his writing style attitude - he's hilarious. Weight training is not bodybuilding or powerlifting but something everyone should do for health. Lifting weights is not going to turn you into the bodybuilders you see on TV.

I find SS to be the best program in the world for novices...

Agree and well said.

I used Starting Strength to increase my base strength to match my goals.  Rip points out that you should train properly for your specific sport or interest but having a good strong base is important.  I wanted to increase my speed, quickness and vertical jump for playing basketball.  Almost every vertical jump program out there recommends you be able to squat at least 1.5 times your bodyweight for a 1 rep max. 

This summer my aim was to bring my working weight (5 rep max) to at least 1.5x bodyweight. I trained on a 3-day schedule (M W F) alternating the Starting Strength A and B workouts.

A is squat, bench and powerclean
B is squat, press and deadlift

I started out the summer weighing 169lbs and squatting 225lbs. I had been on Starting Strength on and off so I already had some base strength.  By mid-August, my weight had gone up to 175lbs and squat to 265lbs. Unfortunately, some vacation time stalled my progress so I deloaded a bit when I got back and worked my way back up to a 265lb squat.

In September, I started one of the vertical jump bible programs, alternating strength training and plyometrics.  The goal now is to maintain the 265 squat while slowly increasing plyometric workout volume and difficulty as well as losing some of the inevitable fat gain during the summer bulking period.  Really, I need to lose some weight as jumping at a heavier weight is taking its toll on my knees  .

The eventual goal is at 36 yrs old, to be able to jump higher than I did back in HS and Uni when I had natural jumping ability but very little base strength. Though I was never able to dunk cleanly cause I can't palm the ball.  I'll be sure to post a vid if I do end up dunking .

[Hannibalsmith]

^^I like your goal: clear, defined and focused.

[bridgecity]

The first chapter of Starting Strength should be a required read for society. Rip really points out all the BS out there and I love his writing style attitude - he's hilarious. Weight training is not bodybuilding or powerlifting but something everyone should do for health. Lifting weights is not going to turn you into the bodybuilders you see on TV.

I find SS to be the best program in the world for novices. However, once you've made your primary gains (let's say 8months to a year on the program) and you're doing really heavy weights the workouts become super long an vicious. Recovery becomes difficult. I tried Texas method but I find 5/3/1 by Wendler to be the best Intermediate to advanced program. I workout four days a week but each workout only lasts about 45 minutes to an hour where my SS and Texas Method workouts where 2 hours. I can program a better mix of intensity and volume to maximize both strength and hypertrophy.

Pull-ups (and chin-ups) is one of the best exercises you can do. I make sure to do no less than 100 per week. Same with dips.

I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I don't know if I've ever done or been able to do a single pull-up ever in my entire life.

I've been trying to fix that, fix my physical health over the last two years.

When I was 39 I weighed myself and hit 250lbs, my 42" pant size (waist) was looking like it was going to be a 44 shortly. Very depressing.

Summer started so I was working outside in the yard a lot, lost a little weight, and then I decided to watch my diet a bit better, cut out garbage like cola. Started losing weight at a good pace. Went to the doctor to verify whether I was losing weight or dying from cancer (yay no cancer). I then bought an elliptical machine for at home. Another thing to be ashamed of, first time I used the elliptical I was on there for 7 minutes at the lowest setting before I had to get off because my heart was racing out of control.

But I got back on the next day, and the next, and then one day I had to stop because an hour had passed and I was still going. Most often now I get on the elliptical for 45 minutes and try to keep my heart rate up around 120 for at least 30 of those minutes. I then stretch out for 15 to 30 minutes and try to do a bit of push ups, bit of sit ups, and the planking exercise my chiropractor recommended to help strengthen my back and hopefully lessen the problems there.

Now that I'm 41 I feel better than I have in at least 10 years if not 15. I've taken my waist down from that 42 pant size to a 34" pant size at the waist (I've never directly measured) and weigh in at what feels like a feather at 177lbs.

I'm going to read that book and see what I can do to build up more musculature. I'd like to stay around the 180lbs area for weight, exchange the fat still on my body for muscle. I'm not interested in being as big as Scaerio, but I'd like to not be the weakest person I've ever met.

[Hannibalsmith]

I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I don't know if I've ever done or been able to do a single pull-up ever in my entire life.

I've been trying to fix that, fix my physical health over the last two years.

When I was 39 I weighed myself and hit 250lbs, my 42" pant size (waist) was looking like it was going to be a 44 shortly. Very depressing.

Summer started so I was working outside in the yard a lot, lost a little weight, and then I decided to watch my diet a bit better, cut out garbage like cola. Started losing weight at a good pace. Went to the doctor to verify whether I was losing weight or dying from cancer (yay no cancer). I then bought an elliptical machine for at home. Another thing to be ashamed of, first time I used the elliptical I was on there for 7 minutes at the lowest setting before I had to get off because my heart was racing out of control.

But I got back on the next day, and the next, and then one day I had to stop because an hour had passed and I was still going. Most often now I get on the elliptical for 45 minutes and try to keep my heart rate up around 120 for at least 30 of those minutes. I then stretch out for 15 to 30 minutes and try to do a bit of push ups, bit of sit ups, and the planking exercise my chiropractor recommended to help strengthen my back and hopefully lessen the problems there.

Now that I'm 41 I feel better than I have in at least 10 years if not 15. I've taken my waist down from that 42 pant size to a 34" pant size at the waist (I've never directly measured) and weigh in at what feels like a feather at 177lbs.

I'm going to read that book and see what I can do to build up more musculature. I'd like to stay around the 180lbs area for weight, exchange the fat still on my body for muscle. I'm not interested in being as big as Scaerio, but I'd like to not be the weakest person I've ever met.

Nice work and nothing to be ashamed of with respect to the pull-ups. They are my nemesis as well!

[johngenx]

First, super work Clark on getting healthier!  Congrats.

Second, pull ups are not the be-all and end-all of fitness/strength.  I know a woman that is one of the strongest rock climbers on the planet, out-climbing all but the very elite of the men.  She climbs massive snow and ice faces and vertical frozen waterfalls that again, can only be climbed by a handful of people in the world.  She can run an ultra-marathon in a competitive time.  She is a world class Nordic skier. She is one of the strongest, fittest people I've ever known.  She can barely do any pull-ups.

[evil_twin]

First, super work Clark on getting healthier!  Congrats.

Second, pull ups are not the be-all and end-all of fitness/strength.  I know a woman that is one of the strongest rock climbers on the planet, out-climbing all but the very elite of the men.  She climbs massive snow and ice faces and vertical frozen waterfalls that again, can only be climbed by a handful of people in the world.  She can run an ultra-marathon in a competitive time.  She is a world class Nordic skier. She is one of the strongest, fittest people I've ever known.  She can barely do any pull-ups.

Curious, how is she so good at climbing ice faces and vertical frozen waterfalls without the ability to do pull-ups?

I'd guess those activites would require a lot of the same upperbody strength as a pull-up? (Though obviously also being driven by a lot of lower body power)

[johngenx]

The other day I had just wrapped up a session at the gym.  For my strength training I do circuit training that is designed to increase power to weight or muscular endurance depending on the routine.  I typically look like I've been hit with a fire-hose at the end and I'm pretty nuked by some of the work-outs.  These are not base-fitness building Zone 1 endurance sessions which I do outside mostly - running, biking, stairs, etc.

In the locker room a guy strikes up a conversation.  I've seen him coming and going to the gym for years, and he's still easily 80-100lbs overweight and still has droopy shoulders, no visible musculature, and gets winded just getting dressed post-work-out.  He's preparing a protein shake and asks me what my secret is to staying so lean - he can't seem to make any progress.  I'm occasionally asked this, and I usually take the politically correct way out and the conversation is over quickly.  But today I figure I should let him know the truth.

"You're wasting your time at the gym.  I've seen you working out, and you're accomplishing nothing.  You're spending your time wandering around, maybe checking out the gals, who knows what, but you're just coasting around the floor doing nothing.  Your cardio warm-up is short and really accomplishes nothing.  Your weight routine is nether building strength nor endurance, you're just moving too little weight around for too few reps or sets, and then you have these huge rest periods despite the low effort.  When you're moving to the next machine you move slowly wasting more time.  At first I figured that at least you weren't sitting down eating Doritos and then I see you mixing up that 500cal shake that you don't need at all.  I've worked with sports nutritionists that consult to Olympic athletes and none of them use those shakes.  They're only for body-builders that are using an unbalanced diet to build huge size - everyone else can easily source the protein they need from their diet.  It's just a bunch of calories.  Keep a food log and restrict your caloric intake and up your cardio to begin losing weight.  Add in weight training but learn to do it properly so you stop accomplishing nothing and add in body weight exercises like squats and lunges and push-ups that engage multiple muscles.  Core strength is vital and work on balance.  If you have to sit down to put on your pants, you're weak and your balance is terrible.  I know you're willing to invest the time - you're here a lot.  Just start making all that time count."

This applies to at least half the people I see at the gym.  They invest a lot of time, but little else.  Make it count.

[johngenx]

Curious, how is she so good at climbing ice faces and vertical frozen waterfalls without the ability to do pull-ups?

I'd guess those activites would require a lot of the same upperbody strength as a pull-up? (Though obviously also being driven by a lot of lower body power)

Climbers that pull themselves up get fried fast and fall off.  We do use our upper bodies a lot, but more hanging (she has incredible grip strength and can hang locked off for ages) and stability, then using the legs for upward locomotion.  Think of climbing a ladder.  Who would pull themselves up the rungs, letting their legs flop loose?  No one.  Unless the route is severely over-hanging, the key is in core and lower body strength.  Even on inverted rock roofs, the truly skilled climbers wedge their bodies in order to engage their legs and core more than their arms.  The ability to do massive pull ups looks cool on American Ninja Warrior - but in the outdoor arena, many of the top climbers aren't pull up masters.

I was at one of the hardest rock crags in North America with a friend that can climb some of the most difficult routes in the world, and I was blown away by the different techniques use by men and women.  The women relied on skill, core and legs, and didn't swing around like monkeys.  My friend was about to climb and as he tied in said to me " the best thing to happen to my climbing was learning to climb like a girl."  He then completed a route that many guys had fallen off as he wasn't trying to do a hundred pull ups as would be required for the very overhanging rock.  And he climbed just like the women that had completed it earlier.

[Snowman]

My wife is crazy...... See's her personal trainer twice a week for an hour weightlifting session. Takes those routines and uses her gym once or twice a week then for cardio runs 5k 2-3 times a week.

[Hannibalsmith]

The other day I had just wrapped up a session at the gym.  For my strength training I do circuit training that is designed to increase power to weight or muscular endurance depending on the routine.  I typically look like I've been hit with a fire-hose at the end and I'm pretty nuked by some of the work-outs.  These are not base-fitness building Zone 1 endurance sessions which I do outside mostly - running, biking, stairs, etc.

In the locker room a guy strikes up a conversation.  I've seen him coming and going to the gym for years, and he's still easily 80-100lbs overweight and still has droopy shoulders, no visible musculature, and gets winded just getting dressed post-work-out.  He's preparing a protein shake and asks me what my secret is to staying so lean - he can't seem to make any progress.  I'm occasionally asked this, and I usually take the politically correct way out and the conversation is over quickly.  But today I figure I should let him know the truth.

"You're wasting your time at the gym.  I've seen you working out, and you're accomplishing nothing.  You're spending your time wandering around, maybe checking out the gals, who knows what, but you're just coasting around the floor doing nothing.  Your cardio warm-up is short and really accomplishes nothing.  Your weight routine is nether building strength nor endurance, you're just moving too little weight around for too few reps or sets, and then you have these huge rest periods despite the low effort.  When you're moving to the next machine you move slowly wasting more time.  At first I figured that at least you weren't sitting down eating Doritos and then I see you mixing up that 500cal shake that you don't need at all.  I've worked with sports nutritionists that consult to Olympic athletes and none of them use those shakes.  They're only for body-builders that are using an unbalanced diet to build huge size - everyone else can easily source the protein they need from their diet.  It's just a bunch of calories.  Keep a food log and restrict your caloric intake and up your cardio to begin losing weight.  Add in weight training but learn to do it properly so you stop accomplishing nothing and add in body weight exercises like squats and lunges and push-ups that engage multiple muscles.  Core strength is vital and work on balance.  If you have to sit down to put on your pants, you're weak and your balance is terrible.  I know you're willing to invest the time - you're here a lot.  Just start making all that time count."

This applies to at least half the people I see at the gym.  They invest a lot of time, but little else.  Make it count.

Wow. That is the truth though. How did he react?

[Snowman]

The other day I had just wrapped up a session at the gym.  For my strength training I do circuit training that is designed to increase power to weight or muscular endurance depending on the routine.  I typically look like I've been hit with a fire-hose at the end and I'm pretty nuked by some of the work-outs.  These are not base-fitness building Zone 1 endurance sessions which I do outside mostly - running, biking, stairs, etc.

In the locker room a guy strikes up a conversation.  I've seen him coming and going to the gym for years, and he's still easily 80-100lbs overweight and still has droopy shoulders, no visible musculature, and gets winded just getting dressed post-work-out.  He's preparing a protein shake and asks me what my secret is to staying so lean - he can't seem to make any progress.  I'm occasionally asked this, and I usually take the politically correct way out and the conversation is over quickly.  But today I figure I should let him know the truth.

"You're wasting your time at the gym.  I've seen you working out, and you're accomplishing nothing.  You're spending your time wandering around, maybe checking out the gals, who knows what, but you're just coasting around the floor doing nothing.  Your cardio warm-up is short and really accomplishes nothing.  Your weight routine is nether building strength nor endurance, you're just moving too little weight around for too few reps or sets, and then you have these huge rest periods despite the low effort.  When you're moving to the next machine you move slowly wasting more time.  At first I figured that at least you weren't sitting down eating Doritos and then I see you mixing up that 500cal shake that you don't need at all.  I've worked with sports nutritionists that consult to Olympic athletes and none of them use those shakes.  They're only for body-builders that are using an unbalanced diet to build huge size - everyone else can easily source the protein they need from their diet.  It's just a bunch of calories.  Keep a food log and restrict your caloric intake and up your cardio to begin losing weight.  Add in weight training but learn to do it properly so you stop accomplishing nothing and add in body weight exercises like squats and lunges and push-ups that engage multiple muscles.  Core strength is vital and work on balance.  If you have to sit down to put on your pants, you're weak and your balance is terrible.  I know you're willing to invest the time - you're here a lot.  Just start making all that time count."

This applies to at least half the people I see at the gym.  They invest a lot of time, but little else.  Make it count.

Wow. That is the truth though. How did he react?

I'm going to guess, offended.

People don't want good advice, they want a magic bean to fix their problems. That's what people expect now, get a cold, take a pill, have a headache, take a pill, want to lose weight, take a pill, want to be stronger, take a pill.

I know lots of people like that. When we meet people we have not seen in a while they ask how did we get in such good shape. I always reply... two years of hard work.

[lebowski]

I'm going to guess, offended.

People don't want good advice, they want a magic bean to fix their problems. That's what people expect now, get a cold, take a pill, have a headache, take a pill, want to lose weight, take a pill, want to be stronger, take a pill.

I'm sure that's true, but I've got to believe if someone like the out-of-shape guy Johngenx described is so fed up and frustrated, someone else's willingness to candidly explain what's up must surely be a welcomed breath of fresh air.

On another note, just wanted to chime in and say congrats on improving your health and fitness - way to get it done And +1, there's no shame in struggling with an exercise; one of my favourite things about fitness and/or athletic pursuits is the humility inherent in knowing there will *always* be someone stronger/faster/leaner than you, and ain't that life! 

[johngenx]

How did he react?

I'm not sure.  Right after my rather long winded reaction, I just left.  He did just stood there kinda open-mouthed while I went on though - so I think he was a little blindsided by it.  I haven't seen him since.  Hopefully he takes my advice and gets down to it.

[Snowman]

Some people can't handle the truth. Sometimes its a good thing and they take their heads out of the sand. 99% of the time when I do that I get told I'm an azz hole.

[johngenx]

Snowman's new avatar?

[Noto]

I start with some cardio (15-20minutes, this is improving quickly also) for warmup, then about 45 min to 1 hour of weights with stretching mixed in.  I have a lot to learn, so thanks for the reading recommendations. 

^^^This is me.

I work from 7am until 6pm on a normal day, but Papa Noto and I go to Goodlife together 3x/week-ish from 5am-7am.  I do exactly like bridgecity - 15-30 mins of cardio (depending on my state of exhaustion) and then 45-60 mins of weights (typically 2-3 muscle groups).  It's not a great workout, and I'm up 10lbs more than I want to be.  I eat like sh!t since I've started working these hours and sitting on my as$ all day.

While I was in university, I did yoga 5x/week, with 1 hr of cardio prior to 90 mins of yoga, and then weight days 3x/week for 2 hours.  I juiced, like rrocket (that is, smoothies, not some fancy term for 'roids), ate only home-cooked meals, and was in great shape.

I'm hoping that once Lady Noto moves back to Canada, I can get back into a better routine.  I feel like sh!t these days

I had a pneomonia with atelectasis and ran for 60 mins 2 years ago.  Now I struggle to complete 15 mins

This thread motivates me a bit, thanks guys!

except reading the pants-size drops.  I've always been 29-30", fattest ever at 32"...and now I'm at 33".  Stupid law.