The Gym Thread...

[manxrider]

There not as bad as they look, and he goes very far forward compared to others I've seen aswell.

[Peperami]

Been thinking of a good trials related fitness programme. Thinking press-ups, chins, bodyweight squats and cardio (hill running and box jumps should be good for explosive power)... odd weights every now and then thrown in, nothing too heavy.

As for the protein question, if you're after a weight gainer prolabs n-large is good. Have tried most stuff out there, and that seems to digest easiest, and doesnt taste too bad either!

[angrybeaver23]

For weight gainers i use Pro-mass its the best to help me bulk and it tastes fantastic.

What sort of weight exercises can i do for my lower back? I've had problems with it before and I can't keep form when squatting or deadlifting.

Lower the weight and do more reps with perfect form. Its the form not the weight that leads to gains.

Also use a lifting belt!!! Especially when doin squats or deadlift!!

Work your abdominals and obliques more as they act to stabilise the back just like a lifting belt.

And most of all give yourself a few weeks off to make sure your back is fully recovered before starting again. You only get one!!!

[Fish-Finger-er]

ok, im rather worried, had to cut me work out short today.

i blacked out on shoulder press. and dont know why. was only doing like 18kg dumbells(if it had been with a bar could of been a lot worse) was feeling fine, lifting ok, but not going stupid heavy, as ive just come from whats effectively 5 weeks off. 2nd set in, about 5th or 6th rep, i started to struggle about halfway up, got it to the top, and was holding it for a couple of seconds. just as i got to the top, i remember just feeling me arms give way, everything went black for a second, and the weights just kinda bounced off the floor. ended up feeling a bit dazed for a few seconds, and was white as a sheet.

anyone ever had anything like that before???

was quite scary, and i quit me workout straight away, went and chilled for a few minutes and have come home now.

gunna whack a blood pressure monitor on in a bit and see what thats saying.

but anyone ever had or heard of anything like that before. only possible things i can think of are;

blood pressure.

trapped nerve or the like in me neck as i pushed me shoulders forward at the top.

or the same with a blood vessel restricting blood flow.

gunna take it easy for a few days and see how it goes, but just cant understand it, i wasnt going for it, its not like id done 12 hours work before hand, im not on any medication,steroids or supplements(beside whey, but i been on whey for 18 months, and its protein, cant see it causing anything like this).

[angrybeaver23]

Errr?? I would make an appointment at the doctor and get his opinion if im honest, dont wanna scare you but i just would just to be on the safe side mate and as im not a doctor i would not feel right quoting and sort of views!

I work out 3-4 times a weeka and have been doing for years and often burst the odd blood vessel in my eye lol particuarly when doing skull crushers but not that.

My question is how well hydrated were you at the time and do you breath correctly when working out??

Have you ever experinced dizziness before when working out??

[Fish-Finger-er]

Errr?? I would make an appointment at the doctor and get his opinion if im honest, dont wanna scare you but i just would just to be on the safe side mate and as im not a doctor i would not feel right quoting and sort of views!

I work out 3-4 times a weeka and have been doing for years and often burst the odd blood vessel in my eye lol particuarly when doing skull crushers but not that.

My question is how well hydrated were you at the time and do you breath correctly when working out??

Have you ever experinced dizziness before when working out??

yea, i was planning on going to see the doctor about it.

i cant say i breathe correctly the whole time as that whole inhale and exhale with the rise and fall of the weights, purely because you sometimes lift slower, and hold at the top/bottom/midway.idont think it was breathing related as ive never had problems with it all.

and i was better hydrated than normal (purely because normally at work, i never drink enough, this morning, i didnt do much, so sat next to the water dispenser all morning)

as for dizziness, ive had dizziness, but only when ive either been idiotic and not eaten all day, and gone lifting, or when ive spent way to long on the cross trainer.

[angrybeaver23]

Hows your diet then?

Do you eat a good balanced diet with correct amounts of veg and vitamins etc?

had you been drinkind alcohol last nite??

[Fish-Finger-er]

Hows your diet then?

Do you eat a good balanced diet with correct amounts of veg and vitamins etc?

had you been drinkind alcohol last nite??

nah aint drank in a while, i probably suffer a bit on the veg, but its no different to normal, dont think its going to be diagnosed over the net, was just wondering if it was something other people experienced when lifting. but doesnt seem to be, so doctors it is

[angrybeaver23]

Yeah doctors is prob you best bet, hope all goes well anyway!!

[Token]

Did you forget to breathe you burke?

[Gavyn.]

I too blacked out the other day, but that was because I was running full tilt after covering 5 miles or so with 50 pounds on my back. Hit the deck like a sack of shit next minute I was spitting grass out.

luckily I could feel something wasn't right when I left my house and so was only half a mile away when I fell. Think i just never ate enough before I went. sort of felt "the wall" after about 2-2 1/2 miles normally I wouldn't have felt it for much further.

never had anything like what happened to you though.

Edited April 5, 2008 by G4vyn

[Fish-Finger-er]

I too blacked out the other day, but that was because I was running full tilt after covering 5 miles or so with 50 pounds on my back. Hit the deck like a sack of shit next minute I was spitting grass out.

luckily I could feel something wasn't right when I left my house and so was only half a mile away when I fell. Think i just never ate enough before I went. sort of felt "the wall" after about 2-2 1/2 miles normally I wouldn't have felt it for much further.

never had anything like what happened to you though.

yea ive heard of it, and come close to it myself when doing cardio, but never when having a reasonably calm, slow paced, lifting sesh, or even come close to it.

[I'm hungry]

killer sesh today! chest was excellent, went for 30kg dumbbells on flat, 6 sets very strict form, slow 8 reps per set, 16kg flat dumbbell flys 5 sets of 12 reps, cable flyes 14 12 10 10 10 reps, incline press and incline flys. super pumped by the end!

biceps got hammered too, done incline dumbbell curls with 20kg dumbbells for the first time. found it suprisingly easy, ez curls after 12.5kg on each side on a full size olympic bar, finished with dumbbell preacher curls, awesome pump!

shoulders and traps tommorow, cannot wait! will try and go for 20kg plates on barbell press to front.

[Muel]

Anyone got any tips for concentrating on shoulders? I already do sitting press in front of me neck, lateral raises and raises in front. But is there anything else I should be doing?

[angrybeaver23]

Look up arnold press..

Hard to explain but is basicaly a military press but when you come down you rotate your arms 180 degrees and end up with them in front of you palms facing yor face in the end position for a bicep curl... Then you press up whilst rotating your arms so you finish up with dumbells pressed above your head with palms facing forwards...

Hope that makes sense...... They target the deltoids pretty well

[Fish-Finger-er]

Look up arnold press..

Hard to explain but is basicaly a military press but when you come down you rotate your arms 180 degrees and end up with them in front of you palms facing yor face in the end position for a bicep curl... Then you press up whilst rotating your arms so you finish up with dumbells pressed above your head with palms facing forwards...

Hope that makes sense...... They target the deltoids pretty well

yea, but isnt that renowned for being majorly back for the rotator cuff.

never really had a need to work shoulders on there own.theyve always come on pretty well with my compound exercises. but just look into incline bench, bench press, shoulder press, dumbell shoulder press, upright rows, seated rows, etc.

went to the doctors, they did the usual bulsh*t questions, and measurements, blood pressure was found to be slightly high but always has been, one thing he did point out to me though was when he asked me if id drank or ate anything different on friday/saturday too what id normally eat. and it made me realise due to only working a half day, then goin trainin at like 1.30pm, and feeling pretty unawake when i got to work on saturday morning, id had rather a high(for me) amount of caffeine before i was training, which could be partially to blame.

just going to keep an eye on me blood pressure for the next few weeks, and see if anything comes of it.

[I'm hungry]

all you need to build big shoulders is, press to front or behind neck, lateral raises two arm and individual, and bent over raises or cables.

dont go over the top with shitty isolation exercises, u dont need them especially as you still at the start line...

work hard, results will follow

[munkee]

i found for my shoulders.. pull ups (randomly worked for me), deadlift, standing military press with db's.. do like 15 reps x 2 sets with 17.5kg really worked wonders for me .. and just in general.. every exercise seemed to hit them.

[Muel]

Thanks for the tips guys, I just want to make sure i hit them more than my other muscle groups. I don't want to end up with a huge chest and no shoulders or arms. Because to me that just looks wierd.

[angrybeaver23]

Thanks for the tips guys, I just want to make sure i hit them more than my other muscle groups. I don't want to end up with a huge chest and no shoulders or arms. Because to me that just looks wierd.

Hey i know what you mean there buddy, my arms are seriously lagging behind my chest, that just blows up but my arms just struggle to grow...

They lift lots and by no means let me down in strength terms but i worked out that to be in proportion wit ma chest in a bodybuilding sense they would need to be 18.5 inches n that just aint gonna happen.... anyone got any ideas to induce growth in them....

PS. i have been lifting for about 2 years and do th usual barbell, wide, narrow grip, reverse curls, hammer curls, concentration etc obv not all at once lol

Right back to eating some steds!!! lol

[Caleb]

what can i do for lower abs?

i usually do around 30 push ups and 30 squat thrusts a day and started lifitng 10 key on each arm for about 40 reps and been bench pressing small stuff.

im eating better than ever also, pasta, chicken, bacon, peppers, just generally good stuff every day and eating a lot but cant put on a pound literally, im at 12 and a half stone at the moment and my protein doesnt help too much either, any tips for weight gain?

[angrybeaver23]

Eat more!!! it takes me ages to put on weight.... i use cnp promass yum yum 3 of them a dya on top of 4 solid meals should see you gaining weight

Also drop the number of reps and increse the weight use to 12 10 8 rep principle and add more weight each set..

You seem to be doing high reps and that will just cut up and define wont build much muscle..

Low reps big weight compund exercises like squat dead lift bench press etc

No pain no gain!!!!!!!!

[kells]

It's all about the nitrogen balance and to be able to gain muscle mass then you need to be in a positive nitrogen balance.

To do that you've got to be eating the right amount of protein. 0.7g of protein per kg of body weight is the balance so anything greater than that will result in an increase in muscle mass but it's recommended that you should be aiming for 2.0-2.2g of protein per kg if you're aiming for hypertrophy.

[Si-man]

Also use a lifting belt!!! Especially when doin squats or deadlift!!

Work your abdominals and obliques more as they act to stabilise the back just like a lifting belt.

I read in arnies weight lifting encyclopedia that using a belt all the time is bad for muscle growth as it stops the muscles from forming properly due to being constantly held in one place.

[Muel]

Eat more!!! it takes me ages to put on weight.... i use cnp promass yum yum 3 of them a dya on top of 4 solid meals should see you gaining weight

Also drop the number of reps and increse the weight use to 12 10 8 rep principle and add more weight each set..

You seem to be doing high reps and that will just cut up and define wont build much muscle..

Low reps big weight compund exercises like squat dead lift bench press etc

No pain no gain!!!!!!!!

I fancy trying that, but the problem is, I use weights that are so small that going up one weight notch is an increase of 50%. (5kg dumbbells to 7.5kg).

I think I'm going to try it, but just not change the weight.