Squats should be focused on keeping weight on heels. Try to do them in from of a mirror and make sure you are hitting 90 degrees. Best Squat workout in my opinion(as directed by strength coach in college) is to come down and sit on a box(count to three) and go back up. Lots of burn on that. In regards to squatting 3x a week. You should probably not do it every other day like you mentioned. Mix it up to Leg Curls( I assume you are doing full body workouts)and Leg press in your second workout for the week.
Tried that box thing, but you realize how tall I am right? Those boxes are so small. That's really far down. @Pen15clubber lunges kill my hammis, so i cant do those. I'm doing Squats, Deadlifts, Squats. Not leg curl or leg press. I do this: Monday: Squats Pullups Dumbell Bench Press Dips then Wednesday: Bench Press Deadlifts Rows Curls and repeat on Friday. Tuesday and 1 weekend day I wake up to do sprints in the morning, or on Tuesday I do it before bed cause I'm not getting up at 230 am to run. **** that. SIL
I'm a firm believer that there is no "right way" to do this. I think a lot of it is trial and error based on your body. I go Monday: chest, shoulders tris Tuesday: back biceps Wednesday: legs Thursday: all arms for the ladies Friday: body weight Sat and sun I *** my body up as much as possible through alcohol fueled jet ski action then Monday I do it all over.
Oh, I just started. I need a workout buddy, I just moved to a new city. Want to join and me workout buddy? SIL
my 2¢ on your questions: aside from weight, sets, reps, and angle of the bench, bench press has 3 different factors to consider 1) width of grip (hand placement) 2) push point (contraction) 3) drop point (extension) your complaint about the pain from lifting heavy weight with a wide grip is probably from stress/strain put on your upper chest/delts because they're weaker than the middle and lower portions of your pecs. there are something like 5 or so different muscles that make up the pecs. as far as where you drop the bar on your chest and how low? changing that up is going to work a different spot in the pec muscle group. that is why variety is important. without changing up the workout you're going to cause an imbalance in your muscle structure that will effect your strength and physique. that heavy at 3x per week sounds excessive but 1 heavy day and a couple more moderate days are probably a better approach especially if you're experiencing that much soreness. you need to make sure you have enough time in between days to allow for a full recovery, otherwise you're going to overtrain and actually do more harm than good. another option to address your soreness plays in to your next question. edit: as far as form on squats, i personally go down farther more like a natural squat rather than the sitting 90° because it seems like stopping at that point causes more stress on my knees than dropping down further. that of course means less weight and a few more reps but like Pen15clubber said i too feel like i get better results. imo, protein shakes should be your alternative to real food not your primary option. if for no other reason than you're lifting heavy to build muscle so why not build that muscle as cleanly and efficiently as possible? you're not going to be able to do that with protein shakes. besides the fact that shakes are typically full of sugar, they're also generally nutrient diffident. you may be getting calories but you're giving your body what it needs. you need to take time off (a few days) for muscle recovery, sleep (at least 6 but more like 8/9) for mental recovery, and a proper diet to build upon. also, if you do those 3 you won't need coffee or any other energy stimulant cause your mind and body will be ready to go to the gym and workout.
This went all over my head. Okay, when I do shoulder width grip. Very painful. When I do a little more flared out and my actual arms can hold it, it's a wide grip and I take it my upper chest-neck area and my entire chest gets really full and hard and pumped. Like a chest erection, you know? Veiny, full and hard. So I've been doing that, what's wrong with that? 3x week + sprinting absolutely was killing me. so now it's 2x week with 2x sprinting not on the sameday. everyone says to drink a scoop right after you lift. i do eat a large steak and a large pizza after i lift. basically, i take my shake. go home order pizza, as the pizza is coming i cook a 16-20oz steak kobe beef wagyu from local butcher. $20 steak great deal, and eat that with a large pepperoni pizza and a beer or three(depends how early i crack this open in relation to the game and how much i have in the fridge). energy stimulant? you realize that before moving here i was getting up at 230-3am to get into work by 330-4am(have to take care of dogs first) and working till 1pm, go to gym at 230-3pm. you definitely need something man, like it's hard to have energy. i sleep usually about 7 hours on weekdays, 5 or 10 on weekends(depends on if i party). i really do not follow a diet, i keep in good shape without it. i just need to get stronger. SIL[/QUOTE]
My company was re-orging, 18 of us are becoming 6. Plus, I wanted to join a smaller fund pretty badly. Been here about 4-5 years, and really worked my way up. Have a long leash at my new company, but will miss Diego. Now longer will you see me ask people to pull up at Beech st boy. SIL
this seems fine, i'm more addressing the why is there pain with a wide grip vs bringing your hands in (closer grip) and being able to lift just fine. 1) width of grip (hand placement) a wide grip works more shoulder and upper/outer chest where as bringing your hands in more will target less shoulder more chest and then some tricep if you bring your hands in fully. so, why is there pain with the wide grip and none with the closer hand grip? most likely because that area of the pec group isn't as strong and i believe it needs to be targeted more with a lower more manageable weight. 2) the push point (contraction) is pretty obvious, how high do you push the bar up? full extension is generally the answer here. but some variation is good so only going up halfway sometime is fine too. just try not to lock your elbows at the top to avoid strain. 3) drop point (extension) specifically depends on where on your chest you're trying to grow. drop it higher (neck level) vs lower (mid-chest/nipples) and you'll work different muscles and get different results. that sounds like a good adjustment. 15-20 years ago i was doing the same thing. 200+ grams of protein per day, no need to count carbs, and just try to keep fat on the lower side. i didn't bother looking at sugar amounts and beer was great at any meal. that's outdated thinking. no body or nobody's body needs THAT much protein in 1 meal or even in 1 day. it just ins't necessary. average sedentary people only need to consume 60-70 grams per day. ~80% of your body weight in grams is enough to sustain someone wanting to add muscle. any excess protein (which isn't broken down for muscle repair/growth) that you consume in a meal or over the course of a day will be turned in to glucose which your body will store as fat. sure you're getting stronger but eating like that will, over the course of time, contribute to a higher body fat percentage. i'm not suggesting you go keto, or low carb, or some 0 sweet diet. i am suggesting that if you are sluggish late in the day then look at why. if you're getting enough sleep then you must not be getting enough energy from the foods you're eating. that's because pizza, protein shakes, and sour patch kids are all nutrient deficient. no nutrients = no energy i'm no coffee fan but both of these are fairly tasty and the route i go on the occasion that i'm fasting for the day or need a quick jolt - add ingredients and blend or stir well vietnamese egg coffee 1 egg (raw) 2 teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk 8 oz coffee (Vietnamese coffee is bitter and works best with the sweetend milk) bulletproof coffee 2 tbsp butter or cream 2 tbsp coconut oil 8 oz coffee
i absolutely detest coffee even if i add some fikllers. i do not count protein, or anything i eat. i just eat it cause i like it and fills me up after i workout but ill drop this shake i still have 3/4 the tub though. what a waste. after i workout, give it about 30 minutes and i can destroy a family of 4's fridge. so steak + pizza is most economical. if i go 0 carb or low carb, i get very tired easily. i do not even try those things. i hope i always stay this way but i find it very hard to get fat. but im not naturally skinny, i'm naturally broad, and have good muscles. i always competed in athletics, when i was even younger and did sports in college. i'm in very good shape as is, I don't really feel a lack of energy per say but you do realize there's a mental drain in working a highly intense job. i trade for a living, very acidic above the shoulders if you get the reference. i think even if i was all dialed in, i'd still need a lift before I lift after working 8 hours staring at a screen, posting on Cfans when taking dumps, and eating snacks in between. with the chest thing, so im working more of my shoulders this way? hmm makes sense, my shoulders dominate my body compared to anything else. i just get in so much pain if i go any more narrow. i think dumbells are least stressful for me, i can be in a place where i feel it in my chest and my shoulders arent doing the work. i guess ill stick to dumbells. SIL
So back to seriously working out and really want to get shredded. I’m currently 164 lbs with 24% BF. The best I’ve ever been was 164 at 13% or so body fat but never looked truly cut. My biggest issue is my arms. Should I work them out twice a week? I don’t mind going multiple times and have my macros down pretty good. I want to hit 170 lbs and begin cutting (bulking phase rt now). I’m taking in around 2500 calories a day at the moment. Any advice for arm routines and how often?
Okay, you're talking like I'm not serious. I'm more serious than you are. So take a backseat brah. @ryan_98 the squats with the box, i tried this. the box is just too low. there's not boxes high enough. I am taller than 6'5 with shoes on. my knees and even hamstrings(tons of problems with this) get too painful. what are y'all thoughts about overhead presses with the barbell standing up. like just from shoulder to overhead fully extended and down? good exercise? SIL
For overhead presses, I recommend dumbbells or a machine vs. using a barbell because they are both safer. Double this because of your height and (I assume) very long arms. Dumbbells also work your shoulders a lot more. I suggest doing a different triceps exercise and follow them with dumbbell shoulder presses. If you refuse to use dumbbells, go with a machine.
Im fine with dumbbells, but how do I get heavy weight up there standing? That's quite a feat. And yes, long arms. 6'10 wingspan. What's a different tricep exercise? SIL
