Anyone successful with not tracking workouts?

sollyn23l2

tomcustombuilder wrote: »

sollyn23l2 wrote: »

I_AM_ISRAEL wrote: »

@tomcustombuilder
You must not people watch at the gym as much as I do. Most in the gym have no idea what’s going on 😂

They could easily be thinking the same thing about you. Most people just aren't rude enough to say it. That being said, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Just because some people work out *differently* from you doesn't mean they're wrong. I've seen more than one post on here from people who bulk and cut who post saying "I've been bulking now for 2 years, trying to cut but just can't stop bulking... I've gained 45 pounds. Help! What do I do!!!!!". This is a big part of the reason there is now pushback against the bulk/cut style. Bulking is fun. Cutting sucks. So a number of people just never quite get to the cutting part. Full disclosure: I don't bulk and cut.

the bulk/cut process can be misleading as most people have the idea that you have to pack on a bunch of weight then spend months cutting the fat when in reality when it’s done correctly there is a very small surplus and if the waist grows more than an inch or so, a short dieting down period takes place and then the surplus resumes. The tighter you get your diet down, the longer you go before you have to diet down.

Yep, exactly.

I_AM_ISRAEL

I bulk and cut all day. Most optimal way to build muscle. As the previous poster mentioned. Most are ignorant to the fact that a true “bulk” means, gaining something like .5lbs-1lbs of BW per week over the span of 8-12 weeks.
But hey, to each their own

tomcustombuilder

I_AM_ISRAEL wrote: »

I bulk and cut all day. Most optimal way to build muscle. As the previous poster mentioned. Most are ignorant to the fact that a true “bulk” means, gaining something like .5lbs-1lbs of BW per week over the span of 8-12 weeks.
But hey, to each their own

true

a “bulking diet” is really just your normal maintenance diet with an added protein shake or something similar, provided your maintenance diet is on the healthier side.

There is no reason to re invent the wheel just like when “cutting” you just eliminate some of what you normally eat rather than going on some new ultra “clean” diet plan.

It’s all very simple, really.

I_AM_ISRAEL

it really depends on one’s goals. If you want to become strong AF. Then you’ll be eating more than “a shake a day”.
More like, 2-3 cheeseburgers extra a day.
Now if your goal is to remain super shredded because of body dysmorphia while bulking? Then eat an extra apple or shake a day for the rest of your life to sloooooowly gain muscle mass.

tomcustombuilder

I_AM_ISRAEL wrote: »

it really depends on one’s goals. If you want to become strong AF. Then you’ll be eating more than “a shake a day”.
More like, 2-3 cheeseburgers extra a day.
Now if your goal is to remain super shredded because of body dysmorphia while bulking? Then eat an extra apple or shake a day for the rest of your life to sloooooowly gain muscle mass.

Lol, body dysmorphia you mean keeping fat gain under control? Strong AF to look like a powerlifter which usually ends up as a fat guy with traps? Unless you're super lean that's what an extra 2-3 cheeseburgers will get you unless you’re “enhanced” then you’re going into a whole other set of rules.

The majority of guys at the gym in good shape are usually in the 12-14% bf range and really aren’t interested in getting much higher.

I_AM_ISRAEL

Lol bruh don’t lie to yourself. Everyone who gets shredded is afraid to get fat again 😂

tomcustombuilder

I_AM_ISRAEL wrote: »

Lol bruh don’t lie to yourself. Everyone who gets shredded is afraid to get fat again 😂

Lol bruh, nobody wants to get fat. There is no reason to bruh….

jiggyj9

pandoragreen21 wrote: »

I think maybe for a short time just to fall in love with the process again “winging it” might work to take the “stress” out of it . If you want to progress though…it’s inevitable to return to tracking. I use fitlist and that way I can quickly save my workouts and ensure I’m applying progressive overload. I’ve wasted too much time in the gym (I don’t compete either) by “winging it”…tracking has got me to where I am today and after five years of lifting I finally feel like my body reflects that work.

This is pretty much exactly how I'm feeling now. I've gone a few weeks without tracking and have enjoyed the natural flow, but now I'm starting to feel like a chicken with its head cut off, and it's increasingly difficult to remember past performance. I need to try one of these apps!

I also appreciate the other points of view. There is certainly no one-size-fits-all box.

sincerelyhailey

Try the Fitbod app for tracking! The exercise library is a fair size and it’s much easier than a notebook in terms of seeing your workout history

springlering62

I’m not as pro as these guys. I do weights for my own personal satisfaction, and don’t record it as any kind of calorie burn.

I simply set a weight training placeholder in my exercise diary so I know when I’ve done it:


And I keep simple notes for my own use to refer back to, using the “exercise notes” function at the bottom of the screen:



This particular day I was determined to work on squats and very little else. I have no spotters (my gym’s clientele tends towards grey headed possums and most of those are doing dumbbells and machines) , so I’ve got my own system to stay safe. I also have no intentions of blowing out my knees at this age.

It’s fast, easy to enter, simple, and a good reference point if I need to go back. But then again, I kinda already know when I’ve increased weight.

On training days, my trainer does the whole chart and notepad thing.

My question, however, is….and TIA to you knowledgeable folks….if the goal is to keep increasing weights, at some point you’re going to max out, right? How do you know when you have, and where do you go from there? What would do you do differently?

Retroguy2000

springlering62 wrote: »

My question, however, is….and TIA to you knowledgeable folks….if the goal is to keep increasing weights, at some point you’re going to max out, right? How do you know when you have, and where do you go from there? What would do you do differently?

At that point, you'd probably switch programs. Or put more focus on periodization. Or you could focus on strength training more.

You'll get similar muscle gains at any rep range, assuming enough volume to near failure. With the caveat that lower rep ranges which favor strength gains (1-5 reps) will build more fatigue and may be more likely to injure you, which could be a headwind to muscle gain. That's certainly a consideration for us older folks. I have zero interest in finding out what my 1RM is on anything. If I'm curious I'll use a calculator to estimate it. If you do build more strength though, that will in turn lead to more volume in your higher rep sessions.

I'm still progressing with simple linear periodization (adding reps then weight when I feel able), and this double dynamic progression method which is described well in this video from Sean Nalewany is far more useful than a simple, "Increase the weight after every set gets to X reps", method. You can maybe figure it out from the thumbnail too. If you're at the high end of your rep range for some set, increase the weight for that set next session, and also increase the weight for your next set this session. If you're at the low end of your rep range on some set, decrease the weight for your next set this session.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEEyH6JtCqQ

springlering62

Thanks @Retroguy2000 I was just curious.

I had to Google periodization and this had an excellent explanation;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/#:~:text=Periodization is defined as the,the onset of overtraining syndrome.

My eyes are still rolling around like marbles.

I’m happy with how my squats are progressing. Bench not so much, due to shoulder pain but mostly fear of not having a spotter. I do not like the benches at this gym at all. They have hooks to rack, which catch the bar, and I slide badly on the bench. I just don’t feel as confident on this rig as I did on the old-school beater of a bench at the old gym. I guess I could use the Smith machine to try increasing.

As a relatively new “lifter” (just sounds precocious to even say) at 61 and only doing it for my own pleasure, I don’t know if it’s worth pursuing. But the buzz when you do a PB is sorta like crack.

Retroguy2000

springlering62 wrote: »

Thanks @Retroguy2000 I was just curious.

I had to Google periodization and this had an excellent explanation;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/#:~:text=Periodization is defined as the,the onset of overtraining syndrome.

My eyes are still rolling around like marbles.

I’m happy with how my squats are progressing. Bench not so much, due to shoulder pain but mostly fear of not having a spotter. I do not like the benches at this gym at all. They have hooks to rack, which catch the bar, and I slide badly on the bench. I just don’t feel as confident on this rig as I did on the old-school beater of a bench at the old gym. I guess I could use the Smith machine to try increasing.

As a relatively new “lifter” (just sounds precocious to even say) at 61 and only doing it for my own pleasure, I don’t know if it’s worth pursuing. But the buzz when you do a PB is sorta like crack.

Re bench, doesn't the rack have safety hooks? Does a towel on the bench help with slipping? You can also try gripping the bench with your knees too. You can also not use collars, so the weight slides off easily if you have a problem. Yeah, it'll be noisy and messy, but better that than you struggling with the weight on your neck.

sheacummings

Fitbod is my go-to app. Free trial, then paid sub. But totally worth it! Makes tracking super intuitive and simple.

springlering62

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

Thanks @Retroguy2000 I was just curious.

I had to Google periodization and this had an excellent explanation;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/#:~:text=Periodization is defined as the,the onset of overtraining syndrome.

My eyes are still rolling around like marbles.

I’m happy with how my squats are progressing. Bench not so much, due to shoulder pain but mostly fear of not having a spotter. I do not like the benches at this gym at all. They have hooks to rack, which catch the bar, and I slide badly on the bench. I just don’t feel as confident on this rig as I did on the old-school beater of a bench at the old gym. I guess I could use the Smith machine to try increasing.

As a relatively new “lifter” (just sounds precocious to even say) at 61 and only doing it for my own pleasure, I don’t know if it’s worth pursuing. But the buzz when you do a PB is sorta like crack.

Re bench, doesn't the rack have safety hooks? Does a towel on the bench help with slipping? You can also try gripping the bench with your knees too. You can also not use collars, so the weight slides off easily if you have a problem. Yeah, it'll be noisy and messy, but better that than you struggling with the weight on your neck.

Thanks for the tips!

My old trainer was an old school power lifting person. Tbh I thought she used the towel because she was a clean freak. It never occurred to me she set it down to prevent slipping. 🤦🏻‍♀️

She taught me to press with my heels pulled back and press hips up with each lift, so I don’t think hugging knees would work, but I’ll certainly try tomorrow.

The old gym had old school benches with Y-cradles to rack, and safety bars on the sides. I absolutely loved those benches. They also had incline and decline benches, which I loved doing.

The new gym has only flat benches with two or three hooks, and they’re sort of angled towards the bench. There are no safety bars whatsoever on their benches, and nothing about the benches is adjustable. The hooks just always seem to be in the way, even though I touch below the breastbone and push up and out like I was taught. It’s nice equipment, and they replace it every three years or so.

The old gym had some awesome squat machines that had big ole chains and pulleys and cranks that the big lifters used, and they’d often (not for me, of course) have a spotter on either end of the bar and one in back, too . It was always exciting and an honor to get to use one of those. The new gym has routine squat cage type racks.

I miss the old gym. 😢

Retroguy2000

springlering62 wrote: »

She taught me to press with my heels pulled back and press hips up with each lift, so I don’t think hugging knees would work, but I’ll certainly try tomorrow.

I miss the old gym. 😢

That style enables you to press more weight. However, that's not allowed in powerlifting competitions these days. It reduces the range of motion, by raising your chest a little. If you keep your butt on the bench, more ROM, which is good for muscle growth. And you'd then be able to grip the bench with your knees if needed. It's fine to keep doing it the way you were shown, I'm just explaining the difference.

We strive to do the best we can with the tools available. It was good enough for Rocky in Rocky IV I make do with dumbbell bench press and barbell hack squat at home because I don't have a rack. Speaking of, I just added another 10 pounds to that barbell hack squat an hour ago, so I'm pleased with that. I've ordered a Captains of Crush gripper too, to hopefully help increase grip strength which I'm finding isn't quite where I need it to be.

springlering62

@Retroguy2000 thanks for the towel tip. I feel like such a dolt. That never even occurred to me.

I was able to stay on the end of the bench I wanted, and realized I’d been sliding back so badly that my head was hanging off the other end.

I tried not arching and hugging in my knees, but that may be a hard habit to break.

This is our bench setup: