Fitness and Nutrition

How much do you lift?

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kheavan wrote: Hey, I'm a beginner (well my lifts would indicate so) and I do the whole heavy medium light schedule because I've read that squatting 3x week can be too much.

My goal is to gain weight .. should I be going heavy 3x a week? Right now, I increase the reps on a weekly basis from 8-12. Once I hit 12, I increase the weight by 10% and start at 8 reps again. I'm sure you've heard of the program I'm doing. Is that progress rate too slow in your opinion?
If you want to gain weight and strength, just stick to a basic template like Starting Strength.
Squatting 3x week is perfectly fine for beginners, and you should be adding weight every session.
Stay in the lower range for your goal, 5RM is ideal.
I wouldn't move onto a heavy light medium until you're into an intermediate program.
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onlineharvest wrote:
And if on paper, you would know what you lift. Why is knowing what you lift such a negative thing?
You're speaking of keeping a ' training log ' - that's a basic ' training 101 ' step to follow - and not the issue IMO.

The issue(s) is the perceived necessity for the average recreational gym goer to know his or her 1RM and or to be fixated ( bordering on ' obsession ' in some cases IMO ) on ' how much ' they can lift.

And on that latter point, you see it in the gym ALL the time from those among the more ' male ego driven gym goers IMO. You know the type ....the guys who are literally obsessed day in day out with how much weight they're lifting ....you know, the ones who are constantly asking / fixated on ..." How much can you bench....BRO ? " ........" How much can you squat...... BRO ? " ............" How much can you dead-lift...... BRO ? " ..........yada yada yada.

They're pretty hilarious to watch actually !
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poedua wrote: You're speaking of keeping a ' training log ' - that's a basic ' training 101 ' step to follow - and not the issue IMO.

The issue(s) is the perceived necessity for the average recreational gym goer to know his or her 1RM and or to be fixated ( bordering on ' obsession ' in some cases IMO ) on ' how much ' they can lift.

And on that latter point, you see it in the gym ALL the time from those among the more ' male ego driven gym goers IMO. You know the type ....the guys who are literally obsessed day in day out with how much weight they're lifting ....you know, the ones who are constantly asking / fixated on ..." How much can you bench....BRO ? " ........" How much can you squat...... BRO ? " ............" How much can you dead-lift...... BRO ? " ..........yada yada yada.

They're pretty hilarious to watch actually !
And you have other people here who only posted their 5RM.
And like I said, the fact that people are fixated on these things, and simply ego driven, doesn't mean only those kinds of people know what their 1RM is.

Besides, many of the people who say they can lift certain amounts oftentimes don't even lift that weight through the whole range of motion
Seeing a person bench weight 2 inches, or 1/4 squat is not impressive AT ALL.
When those guys get all pumped and high five, MAN is that hilarious!

So, going to the gym is a kind of comedy for me, then. ;)
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onlineharvest wrote: I guess I'm one of the 3 then.
Do not participate in competitive sport anymore, but just want to be strong.
It's not either or, medical reasons or it's all ego.
No statement on the internet should be taken as an absolute...including this one.
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Dark Phoenix wrote: No statement on the internet should be taken as an absolute...including this one.
Including this one? Lol
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Spidey wrote: Oh posts like this make me realize why I stopped going to the gym so many years ago.

For weight I have no idea what my max is for stuff, dont care. I have been lifting for over 20 years now, gained the weight I wanted years ago and look good

To each their own.
If you don't know what your 1RM is then you're not training, you're just exercising. You don't have to do your 1RM to be able to calculate it. There are websites that do it in seconds.

How else are you going to be able to measure your training progress if you don't know how much stronger you're getting? And if you don't know your progress how can you intelligently alter your programming?
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onlineharvest wrote: And you have other people here who only posted their 5RM.
And like I said, the fact that people are fixated on these things, and simply ego driven, doesn't mean only those kinds of people know what their 1RM is.
I never suggested otherwise
onlineharvest wrote: Besides, many of the people who say they can lift certain amounts oftentimes don't even lift that weight through the whole range of motion
I'd agree.

In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if some of the folks who post the amounts they can lift on this forum are, if not ' stretching the truth ', then they're out right lying ( overstating ) about how much they can lift.

After all, the male ego is a very fragile thing ! ;)
onlineharvest wrote: Seeing a person bench weight 2 inches, or 1/4 squat is not impressive AT ALL.
Agreed - poor form is wrong 100% of the time
onlineharvest wrote: When those guys get all pumped and high five, MAN is that hilarious!
Actually, it's just as hilarious ( and perhaps even all the more sad ) when experienced lifters who have good form do it as well ...IMO.
WildPegasus wrote: If you don't know what your 1RM is then you're not training, you're just exercising. You don't have to do your 1RM to be able to calculate it. There are websites that do it in seconds. How else are you going to be able to measure your training progress if you don't know how much stronger you're getting? And if you don't know your progress how can you intelligently alter your programming?
I disagree 100% with this.

An average recreational gym goer doesn't have to know their 1RM in order to train in an efficient and effective manner.

They simply have to train / exercise ( semantics IMO ) empathizing perfect form within the rep & set range that coincides within their training goal - i.e a primary goal of strength may involve set of 6 reps or less whereas a primary goal of hypertrophy ( building muscle mass ) may involve sets of anywhere from 6 - 12 reps. keep in mind, the science behind different training goals being associated with different rep ranges is based on 1RM to begin with....as the chart below illustrates......

[IMG]http://www.humankinetics.com/AcuCustom/ ... e_Main.jpg[/IMG]

And you simply measure your training progress by keeping a training log, which makes the improvements in your performance self-evident.
" The placebo effect is the most powerful supplement of all "
" The pain of discipline weighs ounces, the pain of neglect weighs tons "
" The best training in the world can't overcome a lousy diet "
TRAIN HARD !!!!
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Why, we shouldn't celebrate new personal records?
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Dark Phoenix wrote: Why, we shouldn't celebrate new personal records?
Not sure who you're replying to, but I wouldn't celebrate poor form and call that a PR. That was the context of posts above yours anyway.
Perfectly fine to celebrate sets done properly.

I'm not sure how people are training who say otherwise, but when you get psyched to lift a new PR and get it, its a damn good feeling.
So, not sure who would say its all about negatively stroking one's ego, when it feels good to get strong, hit new personal bests, etc.
If this can't be displayed in a place like a gym, then where else?

Frankly, this society needs to be less 'whimpy' and not use excuses like 'ego' to avoid what makes people, teams, nations, etc great - competitive spirit, working hard to achieve a goal, etc.
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Was aimed at Poedua when she said

Actually, it's just as hilarious ( and perhaps even all the more sad ) when experienced lifters who have good form do it as well ...IMO.

On YouTube, you can find videos that are so bad, I can't tell if they are real or mocking. Those are the bad ones.
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Dark Phoenix wrote: Was aimed at Poedua when she said

Actually, it's just as hilarious ( and perhaps even all the more sad ) when experienced lifters who have good form do it as well ...IMO.

On YouTube, you can find videos that are so bad, I can't tell if they are real or mocking. Those are the bad ones.
Oh, didn't see that 'good form' part.

Are you referring to the likes of Frank Yang? lol
He's an interesting character if you've ever seen his videos.....
And I've seen idiotic teens, etc, so perhaps people can go overboard.

But back to lifting with good form. It would seem that those who are, hate to use the term but it fits, 'haters' must never have experienced the high of hitting a wall and blasting past it. I don't know if people are just weak or lack the discipline and using excuses to mask their own limitations. I really don't know. And I don't say this negatively, because everyone is capable of achieving their own feats of strength if they put in the work. Sometimes I look at people's online log books, and to see a senior lift, get strong, and even compete in senior lifting events, crazy motivating!
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onlineharvest wrote: Do you own micro plates?

And you're seeing what many people see with a basic beginner style routine - consistent strength gains!
People don't like to follow a 'beginner' routine, thinking it is a negative connotation. People who understand this WISH they could be a beginner again (e.g., consistently adding weight to the bar EVERY workout). It has little to do with how many years in the gym.

When you get to the point you keep hitting walls, and after 3 full resets cannot get passed that plateau, that would be a good time to hit an intermediate routine.
Nothing extra complicated, for instance, same routine, but weights lifted as Heavy Day/Light Day/Medium Day, light being 15-20% less than your RM, medium being 5-10% of that.

Keep milking that linear progression. Eat. Sleep. GROW! :)
I don't own microplates, I was actually going to buy some.
But I just found out that the personal training area of my gym has them, so I will go and borrow them to make smaller strength jumps while still trying to keep things linear if I continuously stall at the same weight.

+1 to the beginner gains being awesome. I'm so glad that I gave up the split routines, fixed my form with a coach, and started back at the basics.

When I reset 3 times on squat/deadlift, I was actually thinking of resetting weights by 20%, increasing from 3 main work sets to 5 (pretty much moving from the cutting to the bulking version) and upping calories a bit.

Do you think that would help push me past the plateau, or be a waste of time and I should just move on to an intermediate program when it happens?

(I'm just hoping to be able to squeeze every ounce of linear gains out of this beginner program as I can before moving on to an intermediate program.)
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hdave wrote: I don't own microplates, I was actually going to buy some.
But I just found out that the personal training area of my gym has them, so I will go and borrow them to make smaller strength jumps while still trying to keep things linear if I continuously stall at the same weight.

+1 to the beginner gains being awesome. I'm so glad that I gave up the split routines, fixed my form with a coach, and started back at the basics.

When I reset 3 times on squat/deadlift, I was actually thinking of resetting weights by 20%, increasing from 3 main work sets to 5 (pretty much moving from the cutting to the bulking version) and upping calories a bit.

Do you think that would help push me past the plateau, or be a waste of time and I should just move on to an intermediate program when it happens?

(I'm just hoping to be able to squeeze every ounce of linear gains out of this beginner program as I can before moving on to an intermediate program.)
You gotta just feel it. If you know your nutrition and sleep are in check, and you still find yourself hitting a wall over and over, that's a good time to hit up an intermediate plan.
You definitely want to milk it for as long as you can, but don't go crazy on the timing. Instead of hitting PRs every session, it will still be every week. So there will still be progress, and a much thankful change if you been squatting 3x daily looking for a slight mix up.

You can absolutely try reducing 20% if you hit that wall 3x, and see if that helps you blast past the plateau. If you're adding weight every session, it wont be long until you see if it worked. And if it does, keep on milking!

Either way, let's just say you'll know when you need to slightly change the program (advanced novice, or onto intermediate, etc).
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What to do when all joints are aching? Especially wrists and elbows.
Its been like that for a week or two now, gradually getting worse, I had just ignored it due to great gains.

Today it got to the point that I had trouble with my lifts. The first rep is very difficult, then it gets a bit easier.
But I failed at EVERYTHING in the first or second set. Did not even make it to the third.

(Doubt that I have truly hit a wall on the lifts, since the last time I did squats and deadlifts, I know for sure I had plenty more juice left)

Light weights for a week or until I feel better?
Take a week off?
Reset everything?
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hdave wrote: What to do when all joints are aching? Especially wrists and elbows.
Its been like that for a week or two now, gradually getting worse, I had just ignored it due to great gains.

Today it got to the point that I had trouble with my lifts. The first rep is very difficult, then it gets a bit easier.
But I failed at EVERYTHING in the first or second set. Did not even make it to the third.

(Doubt that I have truly hit a wall on the lifts, since the last time I did squats and deadlifts, I know for sure I had plenty more juice left)

Light weights for a week or until I feel better?
Take a week off?
Reset everything?
Take a week off and make Glucosamine a part of your diet.
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Go balls out for gains. Here's a good video on overtraining:

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hdave wrote: What to do when all joints are aching? Especially wrists and elbows.
Its been like that for a week or two now, gradually getting worse, I had just ignored it due to great gains.

Today it got to the point that I had trouble with my lifts. The first rep is very difficult, then it gets a bit easier.
But I failed at EVERYTHING in the first or second set. Did not even make it to the third.

(Doubt that I have truly hit a wall on the lifts, since the last time I did squats and deadlifts, I know for sure I had plenty more juice left)

Light weights for a week or until I feel better?
Take a week off?
Reset everything?
If its just wrists/elbows, I would suggest taking note if it is form related.
The way you position the low bar on the back puts more stress on the elbow and wrist joint if your not setup properly.
Remember if your elbows are down and/or you can actually push UP the weight, the wrist/elbow is taking on some of the stress of the load.
That could bring all sorts of issues like tendonitis.
Record yourself to see if the bar is moving (can move DOWN slightly during the set) or is even set too low to begin with, and see what angle your wrists are at during the work sets.

Also make sure if you're doing cleans, your not putting too much stress on the wrist.
There are wrist stretches to ensure proper mobility at that joint.
I necessitate a more upright grip/weight over forearm during bench and press otherwise my wrists hurt (if the weight is too far over in the palm, that would cause pain for me).

Is it the actual wrist, and elbow, or muscles around?
As Thai said, you'll find plenty of people who recommend that, or MSM as well as fish oil for general inflammation and joint health.
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hdave wrote: What to do when all joints are aching? Especially wrists and elbows.
Does any one particular exercise and part of the exercise exacerbate the discomfort in your wrist and or elbow during the exercise itself more than another ?

Do have any prolonged aching / soreness lasting a week or more anywhere else ?
" The placebo effect is the most powerful supplement of all "
" The pain of discipline weighs ounces, the pain of neglect weighs tons "
" The best training in the world can't overcome a lousy diet "
TRAIN HARD !!!!
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All joints are generally sore, the elbows feel the most sore, and wrists are second most sore.
I'm not too sure, but I kind of feel like my strength has increased, and the joint strength has not increased as fast.

Doubt its related to form because I've been working with a strength coach for the last couple months.
My form was pretty good from the beginning. He's helped with tweaks here and there, and he's been telling me that my form is very good.

I'm going to start taking more fish oil (I always forget, but I'll try to make take 4 pills a day,) and take Friday off.
Will see how I feel and possibly go back on Saturday, or Monday.
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Thai wrote: Take a week off and make Glucosamine a part of your diet.
+1
You can try fish oil, but I dont think it will do too much.

You need to strengthen your wrist and forarms, as they may not be keeping up with you strength gains.
Start doing some wrist curls, and static holds.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/f ... e/forearms

I think the pain from your elbows still could be form though.

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