July Q&A Thread
Options
Replies
-
I'm so new to this I don't even know where to start.
I've nearly reached my goal weight and am now not as concerned with the number on the scale but I would like to lose the excess fat I still have.
It was recommended on another thread to check out this group. I've read through the intro threads and the links make me feel overwhelmed.
I obviously want to see results but when I've started in the past I quickly injure my neck and shoulder because I have existing issues in that area that get triggered.
Is there a good place to start that is extremely basic, like three or four exercises and a recommended number of sets and weight amount for someone that hasn't trained with weights in 15 years?0 -
Is 70-75% of 5RM too high for a deload week? Note: the 5RM is not a tested 5RM, but the "weekly" scheduled 5RM for each lift.
It depends.
Best bet would be to try it and see.
If I understand how you are defining 5rm (probably your current working weight on a 3x5 or 5x5 program) then I think the deload sounds reasonable.
But you really won't know until you do it and see how you feel in the weeks afterwards.
Also depends on what you're doing with volume and duration of deload as well.
A popular suggestion is to take about half of your training load. Another popular suggestion is to keep the weight on the bar the same but cut total volume approximately in half.
0 -
I'll possibly come back and post a bit more about deloading -- I'm not coffeed up yet and not quite coherent yet.
0 -
ok so here's what i did for my "deload". These are my lifts and their weight per set on the week of 13 July:
Squat (Mon/Fri)
170
215
255
300
340 (Fri 350)
Bench (Mon/Fri)
105
130
160
185
210 (Fri 215)
Row (Mon/Fri)
105
130
160
185
210 (Fri 215)
OHP (Wed)
85
100
120
135 (only able to do 2 reps at 135)
Deadlift (Wed)
195
235
275
315
Squat (Wed)
170
215
255
255
I was feeling kinda beat up after this, so i decided to go lighter for the week of 20 July. Also, I wanted to revisit my form on the deadlift.
Squat (Mon)
170
215
255
255
255
Bench (Mon)
105
130
160
160
160
Row (Mon)
105
130
160
160
160
OHP (Wed)
85
100
120
120
120
Deadlift (Wed)
195
235
225
225 (yes, i went down for the last 2 DL sets... brain cramp)
(Not listed - assistance lifts for shoulders, biceps, upper pecs, quads)
Sorry for the long list; i tried to put the info in a bbcode table but it did not want to play.
Since this was a light week, on Wed i subbed in some barbell hack squats for my normal low-bar squats, to see if i could get past 135. I need to play with this some more. These are awkward and I may not be doing them right. I'd like to do front squats for the quads, but i don't like those because the bar positioning is awkward.
No lifting on Friday... figured i was going to be moving few cubic yards of pine mulch with a pitchfork, shovel, and wheelbarrow on Saturday, so i'd be doing lots of reps with low weight!
The top weight for almost every lift during this light week was between 70-75%.
I'm probably going to re-do the week of 13 July next week (27 July), so this was a short deload, if it qualifies as a deload at all!
In the next couple of months, I'd like to get up to 4 plates on my squat, 2 plates on my bench, and 4 plates on the deadlift by year's end if not sooner.
0 -
auntstephie321 wrote: »I obviously want to see results but when I've started in the past I quickly injure my neck and shoulder because I have existing issues in that area that get triggered.
Is there a good place to start that is extremely basic, like three or four exercises and a recommended number of sets and weight amount for someone that hasn't trained with weights in 15 years?
I second this question. The last time I tried doing a weight lifting program (NROLFW) I ended up with all the classic symptoms of a bulging disc in my lower back and was not able to sit comfortably for weeks. (No health insurance meant I had to treat at home with rest and some stretches given to me by a friend who is a physical therapist) It was a super scary experience. I still have to be careful of that area as I get "twinges" when I do certain exercises/moves.
0 -
Like training my dog on the positive reinforcement method, I would teach my child what I WANT him to do, I would teach my child to eat a RAINBOW! of colors for life! I made my vegetarian girlfriend a layered birthday cake of cantalope/honeydew with skewers holidng it together and strawberry candles. He will learn that this is what real food is supposed to taste like. I was brought up on mostley homemade foods, and things like fruity pebbles cereal smell yucky like vitamins and look like something one is not supposed to eat to me. Other prepared foods are much too salty. Let his friends introduce him to crap at sleep overs and parties. When he comes home he will eat homemade soup and quionea.
P.S. It works! I trained my high prey drive husky not to eat the neighbor's puppy. They are now friends and the neighbor isn't afraid of my dog anymore.0 -
caroldavison332 wrote: »Like training my dog on the positive reinforcement method, I would teach my child what I WANT him to do, I would teach my child to eat a RAINBOW! of colors for life! I made my vegetarian girlfriend a layered birthday cake of cantalope/honeydew with skewers holidng it together and strawberry candles. He will learn that this is what real food is supposed to taste like. I was brought up on mostley homemade foods, and things like fruity pebbles cereal smell yucky like vitamins and look like something one is not supposed to eat to me. Other prepared foods are much too salty. Let his friends introduce him to crap at sleep overs and parties. When he comes home he will eat homemade soup and quionea.
P.S. It works! I trained my high prey drive husky not to eat the neighbor's puppy. They are now friends and the neighbor isn't afraid of my dog anymore.
That's the opposite of what I want to impart to my children. Everything is ok as part of a balanced diet, quinoa and fruity pebbles. Food is food not a moral imperative.
0 -
I lost 50# through cutting out sodas but leaving everything else intact, to include cookies and occasional donuts. Life is not living if you're afraid to indulge. Moderation, not elimination, is my philosophy.0
-
Any advice for a previously active person to gradually get back into activity after an idle 6 months due to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
I can feel that I'm seriously deconditioned and instead of my 3-4 workouts per week at the moment I'm struggling to walk 2.1 miles or so without being wiped out for a couple of days afterwards.
As a result of this and a reaction to my last set of meds, I've gained ~21lb and would really like to turn this around!
I've started off with a stretching programme to try get my muscles used to movement again just seeing if anyone has had experience with this and could offer some tips!0 -
Just try to be realistic.
Seen folks have good days - go gung-ho - and then probably knocked themselves out for 3-4 days of doing anything else.
Now, could those have been bad days anyway with CFS, or was it really doing a hard workout on the good day?
Journals to figure it out - much like migraine suffers are asked to do.
But realize the weight loss isn't from the exercise, it's from eating less than you burn. If you could adhere to eating little, you wouldn't need to exercise in reality.
But obviously with exercise you can eat more and still lose, and perhaps adhere better.
But of course the body transform is better.
What were the workouts you are attempting to get back in to, you didn't mention.0 -
I'm giving the Texas Method a try and I was wondering if it's OK to swap out the clean for barbell rows. (I have no interest in the clean.)0
