musclebuilder Member

Good points sbs..If you read the work of Mcgill you see that to gain the max benefit from a belt you have to lift with poor technique which may point to the need for that lifter to take a look at his lifting technique..Just look at the work of Mcgill and we see the use of a belt can help increase stability but there is…

If you are getting pain like that from an exercise than don't do it..Maybe all you can do is upper body exercises right now. Nobody here knows what is wrong with your knee so just because they were able to continue training with their knee issue means very little if anything to your specific situation right now. There is…

In the link below check out "Rule #2 – Get a Quality Diagnosis" http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/Knee-Pain-Basics-Part-1/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I don't think that could be any further from the truth..Since when did steroids determine if you are a real BB? If you compete, bust your *kitten*, and pour your heart and soul into BB you are a real BB..Reg Park, John Grimek, Steve Reeves, Clarence Ross ect ect..were not real BB? They were as serious about strength…

You can find some of the best lifting music in movie soundtracks..I love the old western stuff by ennio morricone..Check out l'arena by ennio from the classic film The Mercenary.. If you like early metal like Metallica check out early stuff by Infernal mejesty, slayer, megadeth, liege lord, kreator, forced entry,…

restoration cycles are important parts of your overall training cycle..I personally prefer a week of lowered intensity rather than a complete week off from lifting weights..This allows me to pick right up where i left off next training cyle rather than starting off my next cycle having to work back up to where i left off…

Glutamine stops you from having more money in your wallet

Agree with the others..Keep your chest high when you pull. And thoracic flexion is one thing, lumbar flexion is another. Your lower back is rounded which is a recipe for trouble. Also you are having issue lowering the bar. Notice when you lower the bar you are bending your knees early and forces the bar path to change. You…

performing rack pulls in the mean time sounds like a good plan of action

I don't know if you train at home or at a gym? If at a gym see if they have a safety squat bar which won't require the shoulder rotation involved with regular back squats. Or you could look into "Dave Drapers Top Squat Squat Bar Attachment" This may allow you to A) do squats pain free and B) a greater level of comfort. You…

nicksolomon, you should look into investing in a foam roller for what is called self-myofascial release..It allows for soft tissue work..Its kind of like giving yourself a massage, breakdown of soft tissue adhesions and scar tissue ect..You can get them for $10-$20 bucks so they are cheap. Its like stretching/training in…

Fast reps will increase strength as well. Explosive-strength..With explosive-strength you want an optimal bar speed in the yeilding portion of the lift and you want to switch quickly from stretching to active contraction, utilizing the elastic potential of the stretch for raising the power of the subsequent contraction. If…

There is so much to be gained from strength training. From improving the quality of life to improving performance so you can reach your maximum potential in a given sport. So I look at a women with muscles as somebody who knows the same things I know about the joys and benefits of strength training.

It sounds like what you are doing is working well so if it aint broken why fix it..If your goal is improved body composition as well as long term improvements in health and quality of life then weight training is the furthest thing from a waste of time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp3CTs_klF4 some inspiration..440.9lbs at 148.

Your training approach is not helping you get stronger in your press it is preventing you from getting stronger in your press..It is an organization and management of training issue..Probably the easiet solution is simply to scrap your current training program and find one of a number of pre-outlined strength training…

joejccva, this is a great series on bench press technique.. http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/features/so-you-think-you-can-bench-get-the-whole-series-here/

About 4 years ago I suffered with bad shoulder discomfort..Particularly during chest exercises..It was a pain "deep inside my shoulder" It is good you are getting it checked out, the shoulder is a very complex joint with many muscles crossing the joint and its not easy pin pointing the issue. I agree that for a shoulder…

I think what is the real culprit when it comes to shoulder injury and bench press is bad technique more so then the acual exercise..The fact is many exercises are complex and if done incorrectly you increase the risk of injury significantly. The press is one of them and unfortunately most of us find that lesson out the…

I usually rest between exercises about as long as I rest between sets. I do alot of speed-strength/explosive-strength training which is in the 80-85% intensity zone and you are relying mostly on the phosphagen system. Resynthesis rates are about 30s- 50-70%, 3m-90+%..So for plyometrics or other short duration high…

The DOMS you get when you are relatively new to training can be extreme. You can try ice and even some active recovery..I find when I get them real bad not much helps but time. Though I will still ice at times, active recovery, hot bath, stretching..If nothing else it seems to provide some shorter term relief and its part…

Pro Natural BB Francisco Montealegre used to swear by epsom salt baths..I have tried it myself with mixed results. If nothing else it is relaxing..Still would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it.

The idea of lactic acid associated with DOMS is one that has been largely rejected at this point..The research now on DOMS is focusing on mechanical disruption to muscle cells/sarcomere..And the inflammatory response/swelling that is associated with it..

Good post caveats^^

I like the power clean also. A good exercise for increasing pulling power and development of explosive-strength. OL high-pulls are another. I have found that what Doug Hepburn says about the high-pull holds true in my case. That 1-2 reps are most effective. I prefer quality over quantity with those types of lifts. I also…

Congrats Cathleenr! You all look amazing and my hats off to you for chosing to compete against a deeper class of competitors.

Looks like you are starting off with the basics..That is certainly enough to get you started. Home gyms can be add to little by little over time. If you find you need something like for example, rubber flooring, more weight ect.. Then at some point you add that to your gym..Good luck getting started.

It depends on the individuals goal/sport..Lots of athletes are involved in running, jumping, pushing off ect..so calf work can be very beneficial. Not only in regards to performance but injury prevention. If you are a bodybuilder then direct calf work is likely necessary..I do plenty of jumping exercises, sprints ect..So…

haha Who ever said I was sane?lol I guess that is what you get when you grew up eating Irish brown bread made by an Italian Mom.. I acually forgot to put baking soda and just revised my post..I tried to post a pic with photobucket of my beautiful irish brown bread or the abomination of one but it would not come up..

Good for you JJ..That first step is probably the hardest. Now you can realize you did it and it did not kill you. Upward and onward!