Lifting workout help

StartingAnewDay · May 2012

I need a few idea's. I'm doing SL 5x5, I have a torn rotator cuff, It's been twinging a little when I do my OHP's and Chest press.. I was wondering what assistance exercise would help strengthen the muscles in and around my shoulders? I've been doing lat Pull downs so far. Also I need to strengthen my hamstrings, and most likely my grip is kind of weak on the Deadlift.

Also, I've read conflicting ideas about warmups for weight training. I was doing about 5 minutes or cardio followed by some dynamic stretches, Especially hip flexors etc. for the squat. Then I do warm up sets before the working the sets. I read on BB.com that was too much and potentially fatiguing me before getting to my working sets.

How many sets/reps/wt.. should you do? I normally do 2/5/bar (45).. then 1/6/40%, then 1/6/60% then 1/6/75% then 5/5/100% Is that too much?

My weights so far are..

Squat 175
OHP 75
Bench 95
Dead 175
P.Row 115

StartingAnewDay · May 2012

bump

StartingAnewDay · May 2012

hmmm.... I find this odd, I thought this was where to come for answers because everyone is an expert on everything.. :laugh:

bump again

DopeItUp · May 2012

Not sure on shoulders myself, as my shoulders are trashed and shoulder presses are pure torture.

For hamstrings and grip, deadlift is perfect for both.

As for warmups, you're doing a whole bunch. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but I only do 1 extra set of warmups. For example, if I'm doing 3x8 working sets of deadlifts, I'll do 1x8 with just 135 for a warmup. Works for me. Some people do extensive warmups but it seems that's more for pushing tons of weight (1-rep personal records such as 400+ benches). If you're just doing 3x8 or 5x5 or whatever, I think 1 warmup set is sufficient.

DopeItUp · May 2012

By the way, posting and then bumping the post twice, all in 20 minutes, has to be a new record.

DopeItUp · May 2012

Bump

DopeItUp · May 2012

Why aren't you replying? Sheesh, some people.

JNick77 · May 2012

I've had my share of shoulder issues too and this has completely improved my shoulder's health,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lnqtibxboo

StartingAnewDay · May 2012

By the way, posting and then bumping the post twice, all in 20 minutes, has to be a new record.

LOL!! beacause the post was buried in less than 5!! We all know noone reads past the first page LOL!! Ok sooo maybe thats just me!!

Anyways, thanks.. I know there have to be assistive strenghtening exercises for all types lifting.. maybe I'll try BB.com forums or something..

mjbrenner · May 2012

I have found a 5 minute cardio warm up on the elliptical to be sufficient for Stronglifts, and then I dive right into my warm up sets. I do my first warm up set of squats without the bar, just to limber up my legs a bit more before the real work begins.

The best aid I have found for increasing flexibility is to do DEEP stretches after my lifting routine, and I will hold many of them 30+ seconds and at a variety of angles. It takes some real time, but my hamstrings, ankles, and shoulders have all become far more flexible. I use one of the those stretching stations with grips and whatnot to help me out at the gym, and I just use a big rock when I stretch at the park after running.

lickmybaconcakes · May 2012

I need a few idea's. I'm doing SL 5x5, I have a torn rotator cuff, It's been twinging a little when I do my OHP's and Chest press.. I was wondering what assistance exercise would help strengthen the muscles in and around my shoulders? I've been doing lat Pull downs so far. Also I need to strengthen my hamstrings, and most likely my grip is kind of weak on the Deadlift.

Also, I've read conflicting ideas about warmups for weight training. I was doing about 5 minutes or cardio followed by some dynamic stretches, Especially hip flexors etc. for the squat. Then I do warm up sets before the working the sets. I read on BB.com that was too much and potentially fatiguing me before getting to my working sets.

How many sets/reps/wt.. should you do? I normally do 2/5/bar (45).. then 1/6/40%, then 1/6/60% then 1/6/75% then 5/5/100% Is that too much?

My weights so far are..

Squat 175
OHP 75
Bench 95
Dead 175
P.Row 115

I would do inner and outer shoulder rotations this is a good example;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdlF_Vh7zg , and these exercises : dumbell sides raises ( elbows bent),shrugs and bent over side raises. The heavier you go the more it's going to hurt your shoulders so bear that in mind, a rep range of 10-14 and a weight so that you finish the exercise in this range.

StartingAnewDay · May 2012

I need a few idea's. I'm doing SL 5x5, I have a torn rotator cuff, It's been twinging a little when I do my OHP's and Chest press.. I was wondering what assistance exercise would help strengthen the muscles in and around my shoulders? I've been doing lat Pull downs so far. Also I need to strengthen my hamstrings, and most likely my grip is kind of weak on the Deadlift.

Also, I've read conflicting ideas about warmups for weight training. I was doing about 5 minutes or cardio followed by some dynamic stretches, Especially hip flexors etc. for the squat. Then I do warm up sets before the working the sets. I read on BB.com that was too much and potentially fatiguing me before getting to my working sets.

How many sets/reps/wt.. should you do? I normally do 2/5/bar (45).. then 1/6/40%, then 1/6/60% then 1/6/75% then 5/5/100% Is that too much?

My weights so far are..

Squat 175
OHP 75
Bench 95
Dead 175
P.Row 115

I would do inner and outer shoulder rotations this is a good example; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdlF_Vh7zg , and these exercises : dumbell sides raises ( elbows bent),shrugs and bent over side raises. The heavier you go the more it's going to hurt your shoulders so bear that in mind, a rep range of 10-14 and a weight so that you finish the exercise in this range.

^^^^^ SUPER HELPFUL!! thanks!!

CallMeCupcakeDammit · May 2012

I need a few idea's. I'm doing SL 5x5, I have a torn rotator cuff, It's been twinging a little when I do my OHP's and Chest press.. I was wondering what assistance exercise would help strengthen the muscles in and around my shoulders? I've been doing lat Pull downs so far. Also I need to strengthen my hamstrings, and most likely my grip is kind of weak on the Deadlift.

Also, I've read conflicting ideas about warmups for weight training. I was doing about 5 minutes or cardio followed by some dynamic stretches, Especially hip flexors etc. for the squat. Then I do warm up sets before the working the sets. I read on BB.com that was too much and potentially fatiguing me before getting to my working sets.

How many sets/reps/wt.. should you do? I normally do 2/5/bar (45).. then 1/6/40%, then 1/6/60% then 1/6/75% then 5/5/100% Is that too much?

My weights so far are..

Squat 175
OHP 75
Bench 95
Dead 175
P.Row 115

I would do inner and outer shoulder rotations this is a good example; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdlF_Vh7zg , and these exercises : dumbell sides raises ( elbows bent),shrugs and bent over side raises. The heavier you go the more it's going to hurt your shoulders so bear that in mind, a rep range of 10-14 and a weight so that you finish the exercise in this range.

Thank you! YOU are AWESOME!!! :flowerforyou:

oats4breakfast · May 2012

If you have a torn rotator, let the thing rest and recover - otherwise it'll never heal.
A warm up is a warm up and is just to get your blood flowing. Some of the warm-ups I've done have felt like the workout itself ... but that's another story.
For shoulder strength, good ole push ups (real ones, chest TOUCH ground) is pretty good at strengthening your shoulder girdle and doing a few sets of 10-20 is not going to ruin your workout - so long as you don't constantly go to failure in them (for warm-up, save that for part of your working sets). Some dips will also do wonders for your strength on bench and shoulder press as will the raises previously mentioned.
Shoulder rotations (small/big circles) will help alot for flexibility and warm-up, and getting a band to help stretch you will also help. Attach the band to something high and then pull on it in different directions, you'll feel and figure it out.
Do an overhead squat with an unweighted or light bar (or broom handle) is also good. Do a few and then stay at the bottom and hang out - go side to side to get your hips moving then move the bar back and forth to stretch shoulders.

Another thing, when you are doing your presses and bench, make sure you engage your shoulders properly. Compress your lats (pinch shoulder blades) and rotate your shoulders down and back. Feel like you are going to pull the bar apart and twist it (thumbs against the bar). When on a bench, try to keep your shoulders down at all times, sometimes, we'll push our shoulders up and off (into a really weak position that's asking for hurt) in an effort to press that bar up. It's an incorrect position and recruits the wrong muscles.

tigersword · May 2012

To be honest, overhead press is one of the best exercises you can do for an injured shoulder. It works all the heads relatively equally, and the stronger muscles will help support the injured one while you do it. Just keep it relatively light compared to your normal workload, and ease your way back into it. I injured my rotator back in February, and stopped pressing because of it (believe it or not, it hurt most doing squats, due to the arm position required to hold the bar,) and it just got worse. While I was reading Starting Strength, Rippetoe mentioned in the book that the Press is actually a good exercise for shoulder injuries, so I put it back into my rotation, and my shoulder has improved considerably over the last few weeks.

Warming up properly is also essential, do something to get the blood flowing in the shoulder, some jumping jacks, pushups, heck, I usually do 4 or 5 empty bar sets with the overhead press to get my shoulder loose before I do anything else.

As for your warmup sets description, the reps should be decreasing as you move toward your work set. 5x45, 5x45, 4x95, 3x135, 2x155, 5x5x175, for example (obviously fill in your own weights.) If you do more reps during your warm up set than your work set calls for, you may end up fatiguing yourself.

jaweiss1 · May 2012

If you have a torn rotator, let the thing rest and recover - otherwise it'll never heal.

Rotator cuff tears do not heal.

oats4breakfast · May 2012

If you have a torn rotator, let the thing rest and recover - otherwise it'll never heal.

Rotator cuff tears do not heal.

Really? Well that sucks.

wackyfunster · May 2012

Do you know what caused the tear? Make sure that you balance push and pull, as extreme differences in training (e.g. working bench up to 1.5x body weight, but never training back) can lead to imbalance in the stress on the rotator cuff, causing further issues. Also, if you are doing chest press, make sure your arms are not 90 degrees straight out to the sides of your body, as that will jack up your rotator cuff like no one's business (same goes for bench press). The rotator cuff is involved to some extent in just about everything you do with your arms... definitely stop whatever you're doing if you start to feel any sort of sharp pain.

Also, everything tigersword said.

Lifting workout help

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