JB

Oh really? Glutes? Possibly. Beginners may well get enough direct glute work through squat and deadlift variations but I'm a massive fan of hip thrusts and their carryover for the bigger exercises.

Absolutely spot on. Same here.

Looks good to me. For someone starting from scratch, I might not bother with bis, tris and calves, though. Maybe not delts either. I'd probably stick some direct glute work in there.

Hmm, see I think it is answering the question. He asked how important deads are to a routine. 'Essential' would be a point (the highest) on the scale of importance surely? Saying they're not essential and that it's possible to build a solid routine without them, but to do them if you're able/don't hate them gives an idea of where they would figure on this imaginary importance scale that I seem to have invented . Perhaps I didn't express myself very clearly. I tend to ramble a bit sometimes . Also, I probably wasn't clear enough when I addressed the part about it being the king of mass builders. It could be considered as much, in that it requires the usage of more muscles than pretty much any other exercise. It gives you a lot of 'bang for your buck' so to speak. However, there are individual exercises that activate every single one of those muscles to a higher extent. So you don't need it to get big. If that makes more sense (probably not) .

See, I find the opposite. It's different for each individual.

No single exercise is vital for a good routine. There seems to be a form of snobbery amongst some people in the fitness world who think that everyone should deadlift. Deadlifts are great and I'd recommend them to anybody who is physically able to do them but they're certainly not essential. Those with lower back or spinal issues would certainly be better off ditching them. I'm not sure there is any such thing as a king of mass builders, although it's quite fashionable to claim that about the deadlift as it requires the activation of loads of muscle in the posterior chain, as well as grip strength which will help build forearms. I was unable to deadlift for about 2 years due to some spinal issues and didn't notice any difference in my overall muscle mass. A reasonable weight to start on is something light that would help you get used to the movement. Watch some of the tutorial videos, learn to hip hinge, practise, be consistent and the weight will take care of itself .

Haha sorry that wasn't the clearest description! I meant using both hands to push the bar up, then taking one hand off the bar and just using one arm to resist the negative. Means you can do negatives on the bench without a spotter.

Smith machines definitely have their uses. Reverse lunge, supine row, negative bench press (two hands up, one down) are just a few worthwhile exercises.

Lots of good dead lift advice but I'd thought I'd chip in with a few other considerations. The key to successful/correct deadlifting is learning the fundamental movement pattern involved - the 'hip hinge'. Many beginners make to mistake of thinking that the dead lift is a lower back exercise so the flex there when lowering the bar. It is actually all about the hips extensors (glutes and hamstrings). There are lots of excellent drills available to teach you how to hip hinge and I advise really grooving this pattern before adding weight to the bar. The best deadlift tutorials I've seen have been by Joe Defranco and Eric Cressey. https://www.onnit.com/academy/defranco-fitness-tips-how-to-practice-proper-deadlift-form/ http://www.ericcressey.com/learn-how-to-deadlift-detailed-deadlift-technique With regards to where to fit it in on your training days, it really depends on your goals and your split. Contrary to popular belief, the deadlift is a lower body exercise. Whilst muscles in the back are used as stabilisers and synergists and it can definitely help build a big back, the prime movers are the hamstrings and glutes. Therefore, if you're following an upper/lower split, then deadlifts will be best placed on lower body days. If you're following a typical bodybuilding split then they fit best on leg days. However, lots of people don't like doing them on the same day as squats so shifting deadlifts to back day is a good option. This is actually what I'm doing at the moment.

Yeah I strip it completely as a lot of people (myself included) like to warm up with just the bar.

I will tell people to put their weights back. Seriously **** me off. Nothing inherently wrong with saturated fat at all. Links to high cholesterol proven to be unfounded. Plenty of it in the less lean meats. As with most things, moderation is key. At the other end of the scale are the high-fat nutters who do stuff like put butter in their coffee and claim that it helps them lose weight [emoji23].

Goddamn autocorrect.

People who don't put their weights back at words removed.

I'm pretty specific. I notice the difference (both in term of body composition and strength) when I bother to track my calories. I'm aiming to properly lean out over the next few months, too so I'm reducing my intake steadily by 100 calories a week. With regards to meals with multiple ingredients, using yesterday's paella as an example, I will simply enter the values for the calorifically significant ingredients eg. 175g chicken thigh, 75g chorizo, 75g rice, a pepper, 75g peas, 50g sour cream and not bother with the really low calorie stuff like the canned tomatoes and stock. I won't necessarily stay away from things I don't know the values of - I just won't make a habit of eating them. Like if the Mrs offers to make me something, I won't say no. Will just try and roughly estimate my portion sizes.

I'm a big advocate of flexible dieting. It's not quite IIFYM but I get up to about 20% of my daily or weekly (doesn't matter) calories from whatever I want. As long as I get enough quality protein. For example yesterday, I had carbs to spare so had a big bag of wine gums. I was also a bit short of fats so added some chorizo to the what would normally just have been a chicken and vegetable paella. I've only just moved into a calorie deficit this week and I'm already pretty lean. Up until 3-4 years ago I was pretty stupid with my eating, generally sticking to the boring and outdated fitness staples like oats, brown rice, broccoli, chicken breast etc. (ironically in your early/mid twenties it's easier to get away with eating less "clean"). Since I've become more flexible I've noticed improvements across the board, not least in terms of no longer finding eating a chore. Think I may have mentioned him before but it's worth reading anything by Alan Aragon. Pretty much the guy in the nutrition world. I haven't read it but his latest book is meant to be awesome.

Hell nooooo. I don't live to lift. My main priority is actually having a life. In my late teens/early 20s when I was out every weekend, I didn't even notice it impacting on my training/results at all to be honest. I don't go out so much anymore but over the past few years my occasional nights out have had a bit more of an impact. I guess I do try to minimise caloric excess by generally sticking to spirits and diet mixers when I can. But if I fancy a beer I will have one. For example, at the London 7s in May I was on pints during the day then switched to spirits in the evening. Of course it all depend on goals so each to their own. The most boring, antisocial person I know is national champion bodybuilder. He's missed so much stuff because of his crazy dieting.

Love Friday night training! Place pretty much to myself apart from a couple of other fellow losers haha. Surprisingly enjoyable leg session... 1 Front squat 115kg x 5,5,5,5 2A Slow eccentric glute-ham raise x 8,8,8,8 2B DB straight leg deadlifts 60kg DBs x 12,12,12,12 3 Hack squat 160kg x 10,10,10 +drops 120,100,80kg x 10,8,10 4A Lying legs curls 80/45kg superset x 7/11,6/11,7/10 4B 1.5 rep extensions 65kg x 15,15,15 5A Barbell hip thrust (5 second holds) 60kg x 15,15,15 5B RKC plank Front squat has stalled for a few weeks since starting them again post-injury but finally made some progress tonight!

**** gutted. If there was one team in the world I wished he didn't join, it would be them. Doesn't feel right that it's ended this way. You're better than them, big man. Way better.

Nothing particularly bad about this episode, it was just really, really, really boooooring. It just doesn't seem like a story worth telling. At all. I'm noticing a few people saying that the only reason some of us don't like it is because the first season was so good and this doesn't compare. Personally, it has nothing to do with how I felt about the first season. I just don't like it because it's shit!

Yeah in fairness, apparently it's usually the guys with the highest 1RMs who get the highest number of reps anyway!

I disagree. Surely the purpose should be to test maximal strength and power in relation to body weight? Pressing for reps simply doesn't do that. NFL is an explosive sport. Doing sets of 20+ has zero carry over.

I've always found it weird that they test strength through max reps with a relatively low weight (for athletes anyway)!

I don't begrudge him the move, I just can't believe he's "only" going to Liverpool. He should be playing alongside world class players and I'm struggling to think of a single one in their team... He's too good for them. Some truly big clubs are really missing out on a bargain. Also, he was a player who I thought I would always keep an eye on as he's so good to watch. But because I loathe Liverpool so much, I have to hope he fails, unfortunately.

I'm not going to let emotion get the better of me and start spouting rubbish about how he was limited and shit etc etc. He's clearly a class player who we'll miss massively. That said, what a **** sneaky, horrible, lying little word removed. **** him. **** football. I hope it all goes horribly wrong for him and City. The game is broken. There is literally no point in doing anything more than staying up. Any good players will just clear off at the earliest opportunity.

No issue with him moving on. Just that as others have said, he's better than Liverpool. He should be winning things and playing in the Champions League. That's not going to happen if he goes there. Whereas, if he stays here for one more year and continues to bang them in, he'll have his pick of the top clubs. Even if he succeeds on a personal level up there, it will probably be at least 3 years before he gets a move to a top tier club. It would be a really, really, really dumb move on his part.