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Gym Routine


olboydave

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Here's my stat sheet:

I'm 46

185 lbs

5'-10"

Beer gut and weak upper body strength. I have good torso proportion with good natural definition. I'm lucky that way. But if I don't smarten up, I'll start really looking my age.

Using weights every other day. Doing 30lbs-75lbs on biceps, chest, triceps, lats, shoulders. Lotta reps. Can't do abs cuz my lower back. I'm not strong enough to do challenging weights, plus I have arthritis in my joints. So this suits me. I'm only trying to burn fat and gain definition, not mass.

I'll do legs once a week.

And every day I'll ride the stationary bike 5 miles on medium difficulty. I'm pouring sweat after. Then I'll walk for a mile to strengthen my sprained peroneal tendon.

I'm really enjoying this routine, hope I stay injury free.

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I lost 16 kg between July 1 and mid September. More than I needed to, but it left me room to bulk up and add a little muscle while trying not to add the fat back on. I’ve been doing stronglifts since then and progressed nicely, even if my weight has remained surprisingly steady at 88 kg. My muscle mass has increased but the fat percentage has, to the naked eye at least, kept falling. I was really happy with all of that, which is why I’m now in a bit of a pickle: 

Yesterday, I did my lower back with some poor form deadlifts after two weeks off because of a nasty cold. I’m in quite a bit of pain and have concluded I can’t do squats, deadlifts or rows again until my back is better. Judging by the pain I’m in today, that might take a while. 

So now what? I want to keep working on my chest and shoulders, so hopefully bench press and shoulder press is still on. Should I take up cardio work again, which was on hold while I was doing squats three times a week? and add some stretching/agility drills? Or do I simply wait a few days and start from scratch while focusing on proper form? 

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  • 3 weeks later...

A new low in my gym?

A pair of absolute numpties using the Smith machine to leg press :crylaugh:. Lying on their backs on the floor and pushing the bar away from them. Hugely complicated set-up with one of the them having to unrack the bar and other catching it in his foot arches. Not sure what’s wrong with the three different leg presses that we’ve got here...

It’s one the stupidest things I’ve ever seen in the gym and the sort of thing that normally ends up as a meme!

EDIT: One of them nearly got the disaster his idiocy deserved - he didn’t position the bar properly on his foot and it slipped down to his toes forcing him massively into dorsiflexion with the bar nearly falling on top of him! So close! I’d have pissed my pants laughing. 

Edited by JB
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  • 4 weeks later...

Got a fitbit for Christmas so aiming for 10000 steps a day, alongside 3 sessions of circuit training a week at the gym.

Footall/Futsal will replace 1 of the sessions.

Down to 13 and a half stone at the moment but probably put on 2/3 pounds over Christmas. Aiming to be around 13 stone (I'm 6'3 so any lighter and I'll be a beanpole)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hit a PR deadlift today of 160kg. Pretty happy with that considering I only started to deadlift consistently about 4-5 months ago.

Can anyone shed some light on the differences between conventional and sumo? I've seen people lifting sumo and it appears to me that because they start with what looks like a wider stance they don't need to lift the bar as high compared to conventional?

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20 hours ago, sexbelowsound said:

Hit a PR deadlift today of 160kg. Pretty happy with that considering I only started to deadlift consistently about 4-5 months ago.

Can anyone shed some light on the differences between conventional and sumo? I've seen people lifting sumo and it appears to me that because they start with what looks like a wider stance they don't need to lift the bar as high compared to conventional?

Nice one on the PR. 200kg by the end of the year?

Sumo stance is a bit easier on the back, whereas conventional is a bit easier on the quads. Which a person prefers largely depends on the individual biomechanics, particularly hip structure. For example, sumo always felt more comfortable for me and conventional would ruin my lower back after a few weeks. Some people are stronger with straight-ahead hip flexion (conventional), whilst others are stronger with hip flexion with hip abduction (sumo). 

As you say, there’s a difference in the distance the bar travels between the two variations. It’s minimal but obviously can add up if deadlifting for reps. However, it generally isn’t significant when maxing out. Also, it’s often negated by taller lifters (who commonly do better with sumo) having to lift the bar further off the floor. Neither is really easier or harder. All the heaviest dead lifts of all time have been conventional. 

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14 minutes ago, JB said:

Nice one on the PR. 200kg by the end of the year?

Sumo stance is a bit easier on the back, whereas conventional is a bit easier on the quads. Which a person prefers largely depends on the individual biomechanics, particularly hip structure. For example, sumo always felt more comfortable for me and conventional would ruin my lower back after a few weeks. Some people are stronger with straight-ahead hip flexion (conventional), whilst others are stronger with hip flexion with hip abduction (sumo). 

As you say, there’s a difference in the distance the bar travels between the two variations. It’s minimal but obviously can add up if deadlifting for reps. However, it generally isn’t significant when maxing out. Also, it’s often negated by taller lifters (who commonly do better with sumo) having to lift the bar further off the floor. Neither is really easier or harder. All the heaviest dead lifts of all time have been conventional. 

Cheers mate. That's what i'm hoping for, If I can hit 180kg by the summer i'll be happy.

I'm going to try some Sumo deadlifts. I feel fine lifting conventional and I always feel slightly off balance lifting sumo but it's good to mix it up!

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I feel like I'm restarting again.

2017 goes down as my worst gym year since I started at the gym (as in properly started). So probably 4 or 5 years.

I'm determined that 2018 will go back to the way I was. Dedicated and making progress all the time. 
I've already avoided my usual Christmas blowout. Don't get me wrong, I still ate and drank a lot over xmas, but previous years I'd go absolutely mental for pretty much all of December, under the guise of "bulking".

That always meant the first few months of the following year would just be getting rid of that christmas weight.

This year I'm starting at a much better place.

 

So I'm back on Stronglifts to start. Going to do this for a couple of months until I plateau and then move to either a split, or maybe Madcow 5x5 as I've had good results on that before (I set PRs on that routine years ago that I've never beaten since!)

 

The OH has also quit the gym, which will work wonders for me! Sounds harsh, but together we were terrible for skipping sessions. It would only take one of us to hint that we didn't fancy the gym and the other would buckle. And we'd justify it to ourselves. 
So that's another obstacle out of the way :D 

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Also, bought some new scales as my other ones were playing up a bit. A set of these fancy electronic analyser things that syncs with your phone.

Stepped on. 

They told me I was 37% bodyfat :crylaugh: 

They're getting sent back.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've been on PHUL since the new year.

I'm enjoying it, I did a bit of Stronglifts and Greyskull before, but hit the plateau and also just found it so boring.

PHUL is a bit more varied, the volume is killing me though. 48 squats this morning followed by leg curls, leg extensions, and barbell lunges. It's getting easier to recover compared to the first week or two, but I still have a funny walk today. 

 

 

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2 hours ago, villaglint said:

@Stevo985

What did you do to hurt your back so badly? Sounds very very painful if you couldn't move. 

Deadlifts.

It was nothing I hadn't lifted before (although was a new max on this cycle), but should have been fairly comfortable. 

I think I slightly tipped forward as I was about to lift, but lifted anyway and it just caused that strain to go through my back instead of my legs.

Felt a pop, dropped the bar straight away and just knelt there. Didn't hurt at first but I knew something wasn't right. Soon enough it was hurting like hell.

 

Actually wasn't too bad at the gym. I even went and did some seated bicep curls so the session didn't feel like a waste. Managed to drive home.

But by evening it was absolute agony and basically couldn't move. Not literally couldn't move, but everything hurt. I had to walk at a snails pace.

 

Feeling considerably better now, but still off work as it's still very painful. Doc says it's not spinal or bone, definitely muscular. So I'm guessing I strained or probably tore one of the muscles in my lower back. 

Hoping to be back in the gym next week but will be avoiding any lower back strain for a while yet.

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22 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Doc says it's not spinal or bone, definitely muscular. So I'm guessing I strained or probably tore one of the muscles in my lower back. 

 

Have they diagnosed this off the back of a scan or just from what you have told him/her and examining you? Hopefully they are right but if this continues for more than 10 days you need to be sent for MRI scan.

I hurt my back around 20 years ago and it turned out I had cracked a disc and it was bulging out and catching on a nerve. I have just had to manage it since as they couldn't guarantee that surgery would work. 

I feel for you though mate as proper severe back pain is agony. I have almost been driven to tears with mine and had to be prescibed liquid morphene as only thing that would relax me and ease the pain.

Take care and take it easy.

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14 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

Have they diagnosed this off the back of a scan or just from what you have told him/her and examining you? Hopefully they are right but if this continues for more than 10 days you need to be sent for MRI scan.

I hurt my back around 20 years ago and it turned out I had cracked a disc and it was bulging out and catching on a nerve. I have just had to manage it since as they couldn't guarantee that surgery would work. 

I feel for you though mate as proper severe back pain is agony. I have almost been driven to tears with mine and had to be prescibed liquid morphene as only thing that would relax me and ease the pain.

Take care and take it easy.

This was just from an examination. But he told me the same as you. If it's still bad after 7-10 days then I need to go back and see them.

I've had a couple of niggles in that area before. Nothing compared to this, just the odd pull that's lasted a day or so.

So I'm tempted to go back anyway and see if I can get referred for a scan or something.

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I was reading something yesterday which was talking about an academic study which essentially stated that an injury lasts as long as you have earned it. Ie if you've been pulling with poor form for years you are running the risk of one day doing an injury which will take a similar length time to come back from. Conversely if it's one bad pull then it maybe no time at all before your back and good to go. 

I've been doing Kelly Starretts MobilityWOd since last October. It's a paid for subscription and you do 10-20min a day working on recovery after gym but also working on problem areas of your body to make sure you get into good positions when your exercising.  It gets paid for through my work but I don't think it's expensive and it's the type of thing you could do for a few months and then stop. It's really about giving you the tools to look after yourself. I've learnt so much in these last few months and found it very helpful. I'm also lifting the heaviest I ever have which is definitely related. 

Edited by villaglint
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I knocked it on the head before Christmas. I've been planning to "start back next week" since the New Year.

 

Every excuse has made an appearance, rain, snow, it's a bit cold, and not wanting to infect everyone else at the gym because I have a runny nose. 

 

I'm definitely going back this week, or maybe next...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally went back to the gym Friday night. Realised I'd stopped in November, 13 week break.

 

DOMS

 

Went up to 50kg on bench, squat and rows. 40kg on shoulder press and 70kg deadlift.  Clearly I didn't deload anywhere near close enough.

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On 2/14/2018 at 13:30, Stevo985 said:

This was just from an examination. But he told me the same as you. If it's still bad after 7-10 days then I need to go back and see them.

I've had a couple of niggles in that area before. Nothing compared to this, just the odd pull that's lasted a day or so.

So I'm tempted to go back anyway and see if I can get referred for a scan or something.

The back has been pretty much fine since the middle of last week. Couldn't really feel anything.

So went back to the gym Friday and Monday. Avoided deadlifts, but did squats (although light squats only. About 70% of my current max) and barbell rows and all felt fine.

Will only get one gym visit this week as I'm away with work and then on holiday from Friday so that works out quite well to keep easing it back in.

 

It's amazing how much you WANT to go to the gym when you can't.

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35 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

It's amazing how much you WANT to go to the gym when you can't.

I've only just got to this place. A couple of months of being in there 5 days a week, and now if I miss a session I feel like shit. I think I'm actually a gym person now, rather than an imposter.

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