rick_po Member

You want a bar that fits in whatever squat rack you will be using. Even if you're not using a rack now, you'll need one soon, so plan ahead. I would shop around and see what's available to you, and get out your measuring tape. Budget for the future. If you can't find a rack that works with those bars, you might need to…

A balanced machine program will take a lot longer than a compound movement, free weight program. Machines are basically all single-muscle movements. Free weights let you workout dozens of muscles with one lift. You need to do 3 or 4 machines to equal the workout of a single compound lift. Some small muscles - like…

For weight loss, it doesn't matter. In general, do the exercise that's most important to you first. You want to do your most important workout when you're freshest.

In the beginning of SL, when you're still practicing good form with relatively light weights, you can do whatever cardio you want on your off days. In a month or so, when the weights start getting more challenging, you may need more recovery time. Be prepared to cut back on the cardio if you need to.

You'll make faster progress on full body program. If you can't do a full body program for some reason - like you need more recovery time, or you're spending 3 hours in the gym that you don't have time for - then do a split.

For just a two week break, I would just start where you left off, repeat your last successful weights and then move forward normally. If it seems hard to get back in the swing of things, maybe cut back 10%. Two weeks is too short an off-time to start from the empty bar again.

In the beginning, when the weights are light, it doesn't matter. When the weights get much heavier, a lot of people have trouble doing much of anything on off days. But other people handle the work just fine. Do all the cardio you want for now. Be prepared to scale back later if it seems to be too much work.

Ring and little finger numbness is often a sign of an ulnar nerve problem. Typically happens when you bend your elbows enough to irritate the nerve. Maybe you're tensing your arms, or bending sharply at the elbow, or tucking your elbows into your side? You could try straightening your arms when it happens, see if that…

See your doctor as soon as possible. Do not exercise until you get his/her ok.

To get very far, you'll need a minimum of a squat rack, barbell, a weight bench, and a couple hundred pounds of plates. You can find this stuff on craigslist sometimes for not much money, but it takes quite a bit of space. If you can get it, a power rack, bench, and 300-pound Olympic barbell set will last you a lifetime.…

Yes, those weights are too light to do much with them. But you can start with a bodyweight program and go a long way with no weights at all. I'm a fan of buying a book with a bodyweight program, because some of the progressions can be complicated and it's nice to have a reference on hand. These are the 3 books I've looked…

Some people get sore, some people don't. There's no rhyme or reason for it. If you like feeling the soreness, I've read that going slow on the eccentric movement results in more DOMS, so try slowing down the movement that lengthens the muscle. For example, lowering the weight slowly in a barbell curl.

If your form breaks down, stop immediately, re-rack, and consider the set a failure. Do not increase weight for the next workout. Form breaking down means the weight is too heavy for you. If you fail for 3 workouts in a row, lower the weights by 10% for the next workout. Lifting with bad form at low weights is playing with…

I take a TRX suspension trainer with me in my suitcase. It wedges in a sturdy door frame and is a pretty good strength workout.

Break down your fitness into 2 different programs: a cardio program, and a progressive strength program. I would suggest 3 days a week for strength, with an off day between strength workouts. Do your cardio on strength off days, probably 3 days a week. Give yourself one full rest day a week for recovery. Your treadmill is…

In general, it's best to do the thing that's most important to you first, so you're freshest when you do the thing you're practicing the thing that's most in line with your fitness goals. If your goal is just general fitness, I'd do just a 2 or 3 minutes of cardio warm-up, then strength training, then the main cardio…

I've had it all my life, too. Not much can be done. I learned to always stand up slowly, and I try to hold on to a table when I stand up in case my vision blacks out for a few seconds.

You can do incline planks. Get into push-up position on the edge of a counter top to start. Once you can do 10 seconds or so, you're on your way. Just add a few seconds every day. Get up to 30 seconds and find a lower platform, like a stairway, or a sturdy chair. You'll be doing normal floor planks in no time.

I've done a ton of hiking, and I eventually got to the point where I almost never wore hiking boots on trail. A good fitting running shoe will work on most popular trails. If the trail is wet, a Gore-Tex running shoe, or an ultra-light-weight hiking shoe will work. Rocky, or on snow or ice, or the footing is treacherous,…

If I remember right, the SL rule for failing sets is to deload 10% if you miss 3 workouts in a row. So, if you miss again, drop to 70.

Go on a no carb diet for 2 days. Also, no salt.

If you've never done a strength program before, start with a beginner progressive strength program. Once you have built up a base level of strength, re-evaluate where you are and adjust the program to address specific problem areas. For example, after a couple months of your beginner program, you could add Lat Pulldowns to…

The general recommendation for beginners is to do a beginner progressive free weight program. They are typically full-body programs that you do 3 days a week, with a rest day between workout days. Programs I can vouch for: Stronglifts 5x5 Starting Strength all pro beginner New Rules of Lifting Strong Curves The beginner…

You need a barbell and a handful of plates just to start Stronglifts. If you don't have that, start with a bodyweight strength program, like You Are Your Own Gym, Body By You, or Convict Conditioning. You can do Stronglifts proper when you have access to a gym. If you have a little bit of money to spend, a suspension…

The key is to keep progressing. As long as you keep pushing yourself to more difficult moves, you can keep with body weight exercises. For me, I stalled out in body weight exercises because I don't have the balance and flexibility to do some of the advanced body weight moves. It was a whole lot easier to switch to free…

The 80-100 RPM range is safest for your knees. Keep in that range always. When you get in better condition, you can increase the resistance, but always stay in the 80-100 RPM range.

I haven't read Supercharged, but I've read some of the reviews. It sounds like the book is similar to the original NROL, which is a fine book. One caveat: it sounds like Supercharged is set up to let you "customize" your workouts for your specific goals, picking from a menu of similar movements. If you've never done a…

The book Starting Strength, by Mark Rippetoe, has a lot of information on lifting form. It's a lot of detailed reading, but if you're going to be your own coach, it's a good reference to have.

Hanging food is best, but if you're careful, you can get away with good air-tight containers. Be careful, though. Stuff like instant oatmeal packets, or mac-and-cheese cups, aren't all that air-tight. I've had chipmunks eat holes in my tent, backpack, and a nylon stuff sack to get a bag of trail mix that I forgot was in…