July Q&A Thread

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Replies

  • LiftAndBalance
    LiftAndBalance Posts: 960 Member
    nossmf wrote: »
    ...and maybe box squats to about parallel if my new gym has a bench that's low enough (I'm short so with most benches I'm still above parallel, which is why I haven't included box squats so far).

    If you can't get the bench to go lower, you can go higher. As in stand on something so your feet are raised above the ground, either a small step platform or if nothing else lay down a couple weights on the ground as small steps.

    For your original question, I highly recommend against doing single-leg exercises in a 3-5 rep range for fear of torqueing your knee the wrong way in case you start to lose balance and don't have the second leg to compensate. Personally, I would do two-leg leg-presses for your heavy lift, or else the box squats as mentioned above.

    Thanks! And going higher is brilliant, why did I not think of that?
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    tigerblue wrote: »
    Is there any particular way to reduce visceral fat, or is it just like every other fat--no spot reduction, just lose overall fat?

    I'm not aware of any method.
  • taco_inspector
    taco_inspector Posts: 7,223 Member
    tigerblue wrote: »
    Is there any particular way to reduce visceral fat, or is it just like every other fat--no spot reduction, just lose overall fat?

    I'm just reading along here, but:
    Increased intensity in high volume training is efficient in improving visceral fat loss and carotid-intima-media-thickness, and is realistic in community dwelling, moderately obese individuals. High-intensity-resistance training induced a faster visceral fat loss, and thus the potential of resistance training should not be undervalued

    Link to abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23714599

  • timg760
    timg760 Posts: 115 Member
    how critical is it to drag the bar up the shins during a deadlift? When i set up like that, i tend to experience back rounding.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    timg760 wrote: »
    how critical is it to drag the bar up the shins during a deadlift? When i set up like that, i tend to experience back rounding.

    For leverage advantage you generally want the bar as close to you as possible. However, different people with different builds may have slightly different methods. I know if I drag the bar up my shins I tend to hit my knees. So I generally setup slightly behind the bar (like an inch) and the bar just grazes by. Some great deadlifters don't even touch their shins at all. For example:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ5rY_beDLY

    (I hope this is the right video, no sound at work).
  • timg760
    timg760 Posts: 115 Member
    I like this guy.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited July 2015
    tigerblue wrote: »
    Is there any particular way to reduce visceral fat, or is it just like every other fat--no spot reduction, just lose overall fat?

    I'm just reading along here, but:
    Increased intensity in high volume training is efficient in improving visceral fat loss and carotid-intima-media-thickness, and is realistic in community dwelling, moderately obese individuals. High-intensity-resistance training induced a faster visceral fat loss, and thus the potential of resistance training should not be undervalued

    Link to abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23714599

    I was wondering about that question - internal organ fat loss?

    Anyway, more on this along with study above, showing that it'll also help with the under skin fat too.

    http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/HIITvsET.html

    "After a 5 week conditioning period on a recumbent cycle, The High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) group performs sprints while the Endurance Training (ET) group performed a more traditional aerobic protocol, throughout the remaining 15 weeks. Both groups progressed in intensity. At the conclusion of the study, the HIIT group lost over 3 times as much subcutaneous fat as the ET group despite expending less than half as many calories. For every calorie expended during HIIT, there was a nine fold loss of subcutaneous body fat, as compared to the ET group."
  • timg760
    timg760 Posts: 115 Member
    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.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,083 Member
    I've heard of deloads being something like 60% of 1RM, so 70% of 5RM sounds reasonable to me.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    timg760 wrote: »
    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.

    I usually do something like 5x10 @ 50% of 1RM so that sounds ballpark to me.
  • auntstephie321
    auntstephie321 Posts: 3,586 Member
    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?
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    timg760 wrote: »
    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.

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I'll possibly come back and post a bit more about deloading -- I'm not coffeed up yet and not quite coherent yet. =)
  • timg760
    timg760 Posts: 115 Member
    edited July 2015
    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.
  • MicheleStitches
    MicheleStitches Posts: 306 Member
    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.

  • caroldavison332
    caroldavison332 Posts: 864 Member
    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.
  • andylllI
    andylllI Posts: 379 Member
    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.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,083 Member
    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.
  • ilessa
    ilessa Posts: 61 Member
    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!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    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.
  • timg760
    timg760 Posts: 115 Member
    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.)
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