Dante_Lockhart Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Yup, no need to really do anything else when you're doing the big 5 compound lifts. Squats DLs Overhead Bench Rows No need for ab crunches, sit-ups etc... If you lose body fat % and increase your muscle mass using these then the 6 pack will come. This guy never did ab crunches, he just stuck with the above, worth a read too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Deadlifts are horrible, sorry to warn you. They really do make you very fatigued, very quickly. I suppose this is probably an element of all compound exercises due to the number of muscles involved. Good luck anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 14, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14, 2012 Aren't you supposed to do a few accessory exercises as well as the main compound lifts as well on Stronglifts (I know you do on Madcow which is the version I'm doing) I'd just add in a few sets of weighted sit ups on one session per week (although I don't want to suggest that if it's not in the program) As others have hinted, deadlifts and squats will target your abs more than enough. They work your core a lot. That will make the abs strong, a low fat percentage will make the abs visible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 14, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2012 I've never done any lifting and I like the look of this. I'm a little bit intimidated by that part of the gym to be honest though! did you not feel a little bit silly just lifting an empty bar?Speaking as someone who is only just over one month ahead of you in 'that part' of the gym , I can tell you that there is actually (in my gym anyway) quite a bit of camaraderie in that part of the gym. Guys who know their stuff know what you're doing, they never mock and most would be more than willing to help or 'spot' you if you ask. And quite apart from the fact that it doesn't matter if you are lifting an empty (20kg) bar, you won't be lifting an empty bar for very long at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 14, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14, 2012 Deadlifts are horrible, sorry to warn you. They really do make you very fatigued, very quickly. I suppose this is probably an element of all compound exercises due to the number of muscles involved. That is exactly the reason why the big compound lifts are the best ones to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 14, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2012 Deadlifts are horrible, sorry to warn you. They really do make you very fatigued, very quickly. I suppose this is probably an element of all compound exercises due to the number of muscles involved. Good luck anyway! Fatigue I don't mind. I sweat like a blind lesser on a trawler in the gym anyway. Once I can avoid sciatica I don't care how bad they are. I'm looking forward to it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 14, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14, 2012 The deadlift looks fairly tough on the lower back too. I suppose I'm not going to be able to eliminate all risk from the lower back. I think I've enough to go with for this evening (all nervous like). These are big boy exercises now On your deadlifts, just make absolutely 100% sure your lower back stays straight at all times. if you do that you won't hurt it. It'll hurt in terms of muscle soreness, but not in terms of doing anything wrong to it. If you start rounding that lower back then you're in a world of trouble. Absolutely key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 14, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2012 OK thanks for that Stevo, Julie noted. And going back to my pecs question. Do I just need to continue doing flys on bench aswell as the compound lifts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 That fella bends his arms quite a bit, was always told to keep them relatively straight. Though, judging by the size of him, he seems to know what he's about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regular_john Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 OK thanks RJ. And pecs? None of the above seem to concentrate particularly on those. As for abs, the kitchen bit is sorted. I've a really healthy diet. I just want a stronger stomach. I'm currently doing a 3 drop set as follows 20x57.5kg, 20x55kg, 20x52.5kg and that's increasing in weight slowly. I'm happy with that and want to continue it. I'll definitely look into the pendlay now before I start the new prog. Thanks again. Stomach will strengthen naturally with squats, deadlifts and overhead presses. You need a stable core (i.e. a tense stomach) to complete these exercises properly. Also, abs machines and the like are horrendous for the lower back. Keep in mind that the vast majority of machines in the gym exist because they make money for the company selling them, not because they're effective for exercise. Golden rule for the gym - if you're not using a barbell you're almost certainly wasting your time (or at least being inefficient). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regular_john Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 OK thanks for that Stevo, Julie noted. And going back to my pecs question. Do I just need to continue doing flys on bench aswell as the compound lifts? Pecs will get bigger and stronger with bench presses and tricep dips (the upper body equivalent of squats) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Golden rule for the gym - if you're not using a barbell you're almost certainly wasting your time (or at least being inefficient). Jebus. I never use the Barbell. I replicate Barbell type exercises using Dumbells, does that count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 14, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2012 My bench press hasn't progressed at all and tricep dips aren't in the stronglifts5x5 programme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 14, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14, 2012 Wait tricep dips are different to upper body dips, as I'd call them. Upper body dips should definitely be performed, imo. They're the upper body squat and hit the chest from the bottom so will help with pecs. They're tough though if you're starting off. Good if the gym has an assited pull up/dip machine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regular_john Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Shillz - dumbells are great but a barbell is more effective in the long run. You absolutely need to use your arm strength in order to lift dumbells, which means the weight you can lift with dumbells will always be limited by the strength in your arms, regardless of which exercise it is you're doing. A barbell, on the other hand, can be lifted with the strength in your back and legs, meaning you can lift a lot more (this is most obvious in squats). BOF - How much weight are you trying to progress by each time? When I add weight to the bar I do so in increments of 2.5 kg (5 lbs), if you're adding any more than that you might struggle as you're demanding more of your body than it can adapt to. Also, any programme is just a rough guide, you don't need to stick to it religiously. I include dips because I enjoy doing them, they are completely optional and not entirely necessary if you're doing bench presses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 14, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2012 I want a programme that I can stick to religiously tbh. I like having X, Y & Z to do each day. As for bench press. I've been doing 3 sets (10x, 8x, 6x) on each workout and am currently doing 50kg, 55kg, 55kg on those and tbh that's only up by 10kg since I started. The extra 5kg feels enormous. The 50kg is quite easy and the 55kg feels like someone sitting on the barbell. It's rather annoying but, hey, I'm probably demanding too much. I dunno. It's just that every other exercise has progressed hugely. I've gone from 10kg to 22.5kg per arm on the shoulder press without losing form for example. Similar increase on the flys, up from 10kg to 20kg per arm. Fear is a factor with the bench press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Good effort on the flys, I must say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante_Lockhart Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I want a programme that I can stick to religiously tbh. I like having X, Y & Z to do each day. As for bench press. I've been doing 3 sets (10x, 8x, 6x) on each workout and am currently doing 50kg, 55kg, 55kg on those and tbh that's only up by 10kg since I started. The extra 5kg feels enormous. The 50kg is quite easy and the 55kg feels like someone sitting on the barbell. It's rather annoying but, hey, I'm probably demanding too much. I dunno. It's just that every other exercise has progressed hugely. I've gone from 10kg to 22.5kg per arm on the shoulder press without losing form for example. Similar increase on the flys, up from 10kg to 20kg per arm. Fear is a factor with the bench press. 20kg x 6 25kg x 6 30kg x 6 WARM UP 40kg x 5 50kg x 5 55kg x 5+ (as many as you can do) WORKING SET 30kg x 10 (5 times) WARM DOWN The next time you do bench do the same and try to increase your max. Say you did 5x 55kg, try to do 7. Once you've improved it move up a weight so your working set would be 45kg x 5, 55kg x 5, 60kg x 5+ etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regular_john Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I want a programme that I can stick to religiously tbh. I like having X, Y & Z to do each day. As for bench press. I've been doing 3 sets (10x, 8x, 6x) on each workout and am currently doing 50kg, 55kg, 55kg on those and tbh that's only up by 10kg since I started. The extra 5kg feels enormous. The 50kg is quite easy and the 55kg feels like someone sitting on the barbell. It's rather annoying but, hey, I'm probably demanding too much. I dunno. It's just that every other exercise has progressed hugely. I've gone from 10kg to 22.5kg per arm on the shoulder press without losing form for example. Similar increase on the flys, up from 10kg to 20kg per arm. Fear is a factor with the bench press. I didn't mean that you shouldn't stick to a programme, what I meant was that you don't have to religiously stick to one that somebody else has designed, you can add in your own bits and then stick religiously to that. For example, I do Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength programme but I've also added in some of my own bits. Workout A: Squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull ups, dips, kettlebell swing Workout B: Squats, pendlay rows, overhead press, chin ups, dips, kettlebell swing. I stick to the above programme religiously, even if it is different to the initial programme designed by Rippetoe. Your bench press routine is strange, the reason you're not progressing is probably because you're doing too many reps. Knock the reps down to 5x5 (or 3x5) and increase the weights by 2.5 kg (not 5 kg) each session. i.e. week 1 = 50kg, week 2 = 52.5 kg, week 3 = 55 kg etc. Fear doesn't need to be a factor with the bench press if you're exercising intelligently and with good form. Follow these rules... 1. Always do a warmup set of about half your working weight 2. Never, EVER collar the weights on a bench press. If something goes wrong and you get trapped beneath the bar you want to be able to tip the weights off so you can escape, which would be impossible if the weights are collared. 3. If you do get trapped, roll the weight down to your belly rather than try to lift it off, that way you can then lift it like a deadlift (much easier) and escape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 14, 2012 Moderator Share Posted August 14, 2012 Good effort on the flys, I must say.Cheers. I enjoy them and it's why I'll probably continue to do them. They really work too. Dante, that's an enormous amount of reps I will definitely do a warm-up though and reduce the reps. The 5x5 programme suggests that anyway so it fits with what I'll be doing. RJ - Ah right, I get you. Stick to a programme, just one that fits. You're on the same lines as Dante w.r.t. the bench press too. I'm clearly doing that wrong so it's good to know that might've been the issue with my progress. Bench weights aren't collared either b.t.w. Every day's a school day. Cheers guys :thumb: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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