cfp1981 Member

Black coffee?

I think the whole knees beyond your toes while squatting thing is a myth: Loads of stuff online about it, but here is a good YouTube channel that explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHc323QwFE I wear knee sleeves when squatting (not wraps) and they keep the joint warm and relatively pain free. I find my knee pain…

Yes. This.

I listen to whatever is playing at the gym, never really got into bringing my own mp3 player along, although maybe I should. Once my home gym setup is complete I will probably create some playlists.

To echo what others have said - get your calories in check, and you cannot spot reduce fat. I'd probably suggest a bit of weight training aswell, but that's just me. Have you lost any weight so far?

That sounds like a good way to do it too! Good luck, hope you reach, and exceed your goals!

I think it's a combination of many of them not knowing how to really work with barbells and therefore unable to correctly teach others, the "safety / liability" aspect, plus it's easier for them (and you) to just go and do a circuit of machines and send you on your merry way...

Ah I see, and understand. Have you looked into the "Beyond 5/3/1" book? There are loads of programs there. I also wanted some hypertrophy, so I do my 5/3/1 sets, then afterwards add what Jim calls "Joker Sets" and then finish off by doing my first set last, ie if your first work set was 100kg for 5 reps, you would do that…

I suspect you will be correct.

Cool. What was the reason for changing from 5/3/1 if you don't mind my asking?

Lifting weights using methods from "Beyond 5/3/1" 4-5 times a week. Bit of walking, few miles most days, out of neccessity more than anything.

Pretty much the same here.

Pretty much this. Lose fat overall.

No problem, squat form can be a tricky one to nail, and there is a lot of contradicting advice out there, hard to know which to follow. I personally found the tip of releasing my hips first before starting the descent and sitting back rather than down helped, but I wish you luck in finding what works for you!

This. I think alot of people think something bad will happen if you lift / train on an empty or near empty stomach. Those same people might be surprised that you will probably cope just fine. I've set plenty of PRs during lifting sessions where I haven't had anything to eat that day.

Do you mean the left was two years ago? You look slimmer in the pic on the right as I see it - with the grey top and black bottoms. Great job so far.

As mentioned already eat at a caloric surplus, lift heavy (relative of course) and focus on compound barbell movements, this should eventually give you a good base from where eventually you can introduce additional exercises, higher rep ranges etc.

It certainly can be yes. I've known people lose alot of weight using these methods. But, like any diet or fitness plan it comes down to YOU. You have to be honest and you have to commit to it. Do some research, do some experimentation and get going. It will be tough at times, but stick with it if you are serious about your…

Could also try some mobility work if you are not doing so already - check out DeFranco's Limber 11 or Agile 8 routines. Might help.

With time, intelligent programming and sufficient recovery methods, you should find you can increase your training loads as work capacity will improve, enabling you to lift more frequently. Lifting 3 days a week is not a bad starting point at all, I tend to do 5 days a week just fine, you just need to be smart about it. Ie…

You'll gain mass if you are in a calorie surplus. If you wan't to gain mass I'd suggest a decent weight training / strength training program (none of the ones you listed) and eating in a calorie surplus with sufficient amounts of protein. Obviously you don't want to be in so much of a surplus so you get too fat, so you'll…

No worries - you could try something along the lines of the "leangains" protocol where you fast for say, 16 hours and then have an 8 hour "feeding window", so you could fit that window around your day - ie wake at 06:00 and have breakfast, lunch and dinner all by 14:00 and then you'd fast from 14:00 until you wake at 06:00…

Do you mean intermittent fasting? If so, it has worked well for many. There are different methods of it also.

It shouldn't be too much if you ensure you are recovering correctly - sufficient food, sleep etc. 1 - 1.5 miles is not that far. I'd do it after lifting, as doing it beforehand may eat into your strength reserves a bit.

What this man said.

You could do a bit of active rest - go for a gentle walk, get the blood flowing, do some stretching. Doesn't need to be anything crazy, but sometimes "something" is better than "nothing".

I get knee pain especially if I have been sitting for a long period at work. I'm also flat footed, so running etc really causes havoc for my knees - if you're flat footed also it could be contributing to your knee pain. There is nothing really wrong with squatting low, infact, you may not be doing yourself too many favours…

A bit of both, depending on my work schedule and whatever else I have going on that day.

3 times a week? Keep it simple, and get the most bang for your buck using compound barbell exercises. Check out something like Starting Strength, you'll be doing squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press and power cleans. You'll increase the weight each session, so if you're just getting back into strength training,…