Weight Loss and Fitness 2016

[MindFreak]

If its 7ft long its 20kg, if its 6ft its 15kg. Male/female bar. Female bars often do not have knurling (that grip stuff) in the middle of the bar.

 

I would say the chances are they're probably the standard 20kg male bars as they fit on squat racks and are cheaper (making something smaller but equally as strong = £££££)

 

And unless its a serious olympic training gym it'll not have female bars

True and still. We have some 20 kgs that do not have the stuff in the middle (I hate that, it hurts when cleaning the bar). And they actually have some female bars in some of the gyms (it's a chain). They even have the 10 kgs ones.

[Daft]

Today I did chest and triceps. On bench I did 110kg for three sets of five (accidentally wrote 5x5 on my Instagram) but I had quite an overeager spotter. So I'm a little unsure of really how much I did. I don't think he helped at all on at least the first couple reps of all three sets – so that's good – but it's hard to gauge. He said it was all me (except on the last rep of both the second and third set) but he's one of these people who doesn't even come close to touching his chest on bench so I think he's a lot more generous than me when it comes to form and what is construed as 'help'.

 

Still, that's all pretty promising. I think on Monday I'll do negatives at 115kg.

 

Over overhead pressed 60kg for 3 reps. So there's that, too. Good day at the gym all in all.

[EEVILMURRAY]

When doing weights, do you find it better to lift them fast or slow? I've started adding in lifting dumbbells lying down, might be that bench press I hear peeps talking about. When lifting them fast it feels easier but slower you feel the gains a bit more, but sometimes I can't complete the routine.

[Daft]

Personally, slow. I concentrate on form and maintaining tension. If I know it's going to be a hard lift I might speed it up a tad but that probably matches what should be the normal speed.

 

If I can't complete the set I will sometimes have the next lower weight ready next to me and switch to that to finish out the set. Really depends on a whole host of factors including where I am in my routine, how I'm feeling generally, the type of lift, etc,.

[MindFreak]

Do both? Fast improves your explosiveness while slow improves the core strength of the muscle - both are important to have a balanced body.

 

Yesterday I did deadlifts, 4x12 as part of the gym classes I attend. Did 90 kgs which was merely because of a bad grip - I think I could probably have done 100 kg on the last set but didn't have the weights nor the strength in the grip.

 

After that we did one hell of a workout: every minute on the minute, 18 minutes, with 15 kettlebell swings (24 kg) and 12 burpees. After one round it became clear that it would be nearly impossible to do this for us so we scaled it down to 10-12 swings and 6-10 burpees. I did 12 / 8 and barely had time left. I think most did 10 / 6 but I'm not sure. I can't believe that anyone can keep it at 15 / 12 for 18 minutes!

[Jon]

Depends on what you want to do. If you're after muscle building then slowly. It's time under tension that is crucial, which is why it pays to make sure form is solid and not just lifting as much you can with no control or stability. If you want to improve your fast twitch muscles then explosive lifting is the way to go.

[Beast]

I've been going to gym classes for the past two weeks. They've been amazing. My fitness levels have increased by leaps and bounds. At the start, I was struggling to run properly and now I can jog for 10 minutes straight and sprint for 1 minute. I've really started getting into boxing. I say 'boxing' but it's pad work mainly. I'm weighing myself on Saturday and hopefully I'll see a loss!

[Zechs Merquise]

When doing weights, do you find it better to lift them fast or slow? I've started adding in lifting dumbbells lying down, might be that bench press I hear peeps talking about. When lifting them fast it feels easier but slower you feel the gains a bit more, but sometimes I can't complete the routine.

 

The most important thing isn't your speed, it is doing the exercise correctly. Keep your form and don't jerk or swing the weights. The key to this is lifting the correct amount, often people try to go too heavy as if to prove success or progress. In doing so they lose their form. For example, if the weight is too heavy people will swing their body and try to use other muscles that aren't meant to be used in that exercise.

 

Success comes from isolating a single muscle and making sure the lift is done solely using the muscle that you are exercising.

 

I watched a guy at the gym using cables to raise a flat bar to his chin. He was doing it with a lot of weight and was bending down slightly and jerking the bar up with his back and hips which lead to him completing the exercise stood on his toes. In reality, his back should have been perfectly straight at all times and his feet flat on the floor with his shoulders taking all the strain.

[Goron_3]

When doing weights, do you find it better to lift them fast or slow? I've started adding in lifting dumbbells lying down, might be that bench press I hear peeps talking about. When lifting them fast it feels easier but slower you feel the gains a bit more, but sometimes I can't complete the routine.

 

Sounds like the Dumbell fly I'd recommend doing the same exericse on an incline too!

[Charlie]

When doing weights, do you find it better to lift them fast or slow? I've started adding in lifting dumbbells lying down, might be that bench press I hear peeps talking about. When lifting them fast it feels easier but slower you feel the gains a bit more, but sometimes I can't complete the routine.

 

On a push exercise, fast on the way up and slow on the way down. Pull exercises are the opposite.

 

No idea why this is the case but what a few PTs have told me.

Edited January 22, 2016 by Charlie

[Beast]

I was inspired by @Blade and made an Instagram based on my weight loss journey. Please follow me, it'd be awesome! 😊

 

Instagram: TheFlabAndFurious

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Raining_again]

Depends on the exercise but generally Daft's advice is pretty dead on.

 

Olympic stuff (cleans, jerks, snatches) tend to be the exception to the rule

[Beast]

This Instagram lark is pretty cool. Had some dead nice messages which is awesome. Also, I'm going to try 5x5 Stronglift as well as my gym classes.

 

@Daft, there's an actual app with the same name which I downloaded. Is this good?

 

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[Daft]

This Instagram lark is pretty cool. Had some dead nice messages which is awesome. Also, I'm going to try 5x5 Stronglift as well as my gym classes.

 

@Daft, there's an actual app with the same name which I downloaded. Is this good?

 

Honestly found the app unnecessary and a bit fiddly. All you need is a notebook and to read through this, http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

[dwarf]

I'll be hitting the gym soon to try and put some muscle on, so I'll put a stop to my current running 'regime'.

 

What's the crack with protein shakes, in terms of when to have them and in what quantities? Obviously depends on diet and weight etc (I'm around 75kg).

Also, anyone tried vegan protein shakes? Recommendations?

[Daft]

It doesn't matter when you have them. They're not really necessary unless you're having real trouble hitting your protein intake for the day. I would say most people don't actually train hard enough to really need a protein shake. I would go without until you notice your lifts suffering.

 

In other news, yesterday I benched 115kg.

 

 

BOOOOOM!!

[MindFreak]

Not disagreeing with Daft, however, studies show that if you take the protein within 30 minutes of the workout, it will give a better result or faster or something.

 

That said, I don't believe in protein shakes myself. Just drink a glass of milk afterwards and eat food with a high protein count like lentils, beans, meats, and .. other stuff during the day.

[Daft]

Not disagreeing with Daft, however, studies show that if you take the protein within 30 minutes of the workout, it will give a better result or faster or something.

 

That said, I don't believe in protein shakes myself. Just drink a glass of milk afterwards and eat food with a high protein count like lentils, beans, meats, and .. other stuff during the day.

 

It's really not going to make that big a difference.

 

Check out this meta-analysis;

 

These results refute the commonly held belief that the timing of protein intake in and around a training session is critical to muscular adaptations and indicate that consuming adequate protein in combination with resistance exercise is the key factor for maximizing muscle protein accretion.

 

http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/53/abstract

 

I have a protein shake after the gym because it's convenient so I'm not saying you shouldn't. I'd just say there's no reason to get hung up on it. There are way more things to be concerned about before you get to protein timings.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Daft
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[Raining_again]

I found it helped me more just getting the extra protein in, all I had was 1 shake on active days. I could say it helped with recovery but there are more factors than just that.

 

You have to be careful with protein shakes as well, they are tough on your kidneys, so don't consume stupid amounts and always drink lots and lots of water!

[Daft]

Yesterday I benched 115kg again. Did a few sets; the first set consisting of two reps, the second two sets were just a single reps. Just trying to get comfortable with that amount of weight. Then I managed to do a couple sets of negatives, the first was a set of five at 120 kg and the second set was 125kg, but for three reps.

 

So bench is going well. Think it's time to put that same kind of intensity into my squats.

 

Also, think I've slipped into a slight bulk. It's a little hard to tell (because I'm too lazy to count calories) but there's no way I could be increasing weights otherwise. I don't really have a problem with it, in fact it's working out quite well, I'm just a little surprised how easy it was to slip into.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I've changed my emphasis slightly and have moved towards 8-reps per set but with lighter/more moderate weight. I felt it was time for a change and it does take a looooot out of you having to go heavy all the time. We'll see how I go with this before I decide to switch it back over.

 

In general, I feel like there's quite a bit of zip about me these days. I'm noticing in work that I'm moving around quite quickly, getting more things done these days whilst others are flagging or lagging behind.

[Charlie]

I actually moved back to the 10-rep range a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it again. I've had to drop all my lifts down a bit but overall I'm actually lifting a higher total weight as I'm doing an extra 5 reps.

 

It's good to mix things up every now and then. I've moved onto a PPL work out which takes me longer each session (around an hour) but I'm only doing 3 a week as I also play tennis twice, go to circuits and play badminton with the gf once a week.

[drahkon]

Still doing my body-weight-workout almost everyday

 

Noticed some progress. I can now do 3 sets with 6 reps of wide-grip push ups. 2 months ago I couldn't do 1 set with 5...I find them much more difficult than normal push-ups.

My goal is to be able to do a push-up-only workout in two or three months (4-5 different push-up excercises). (long term goal: one-handed push-ups).

 

I also do at least one abs-only-workout per week.

 

Need to do more for my legs, though.

Think I'll try to find some excercises for a legs-core-workout. (long term goal: pistol squads)

[Fierce_LiNk]

I actually moved back to the 10-rep range a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it again. I've had to drop all my lifts down a bit but overall I'm actually lifting a higher total weight as I'm doing an extra 5 reps.

 

It's good to mix things up every now and then. I've moved onto a PPL work out which takes me longer each session (around an hour) but I'm only doing 3 a week as I also play tennis twice, go to circuits and play badminton with the gf once a week.

 

Yeah, I'm enjoying it, too. Think that lifting weights 3x per week is really the best way to do it, imo. 3, maybe 4 times max. It still gives you enough time to do other still like play sports, game, have a social life, etc.

[Raining_again]

I'm having chronic migraines at the moment, not only am i not working out, I've been on pizotifen which is giving me an appetite the size of this planet... :-(

 

Yeah, I'm enjoying it, too. Think that lifting weights 3x per week is really the best way to do it, imo. 3, maybe 4 times max. It still gives you enough time to do other still like play sports, game, have a social life, etc.

 

I agree with this... while i was my fittest and strongest at regularily going 4+ times a weak, my joints were starting to suffer and i was nearly always knackered lol