OT: Fitness and Nutrition Part V

[Kriss E]

I love deadlifting in chucks, don't get me wrong, but squatting ? What the hell, that's wayyyy too unstable and I'm not mobile enough to lose the 1/2 inch i get from my lifters on the heel.

Even for DL..I don't get it. Anyways I can't be bother to travel with a few pair of different shoes anymore so I just lift in whatever it is I will wear out.
But I used to use Onitsukas or lifters depending on lift.

 

[Suiteness]

wasting a nice piece with fries taken from the freezer ?

Nah the fries were from Benny Rôtisserie. They're ok but I honestly don't even know why I bother, the Steak is so Goddang big that I barely even touch the fries in the end.

 

[Suiteness]

If you guys need supplements of some kind, I've been mostly buying my stuff from myprotein.com for the past year. It's decent quality and they always have deals. They currently have a 50% off selected products, I just picked up two 5.5 pounds of Protein and a 2 lbs bag of BCAA's for 110$.

Never seen 50% off before, best I had seen was 40%.

 

[DAChampion]

Bayesian bodybuilding:
4 Squat myths

Article says that squats are good for the quadriceps and glutes, but not the hamstrings.

Is that why people pair it with the deadlift?

 

[Mathletic]

If you guys need supplements of some kind, I've been mostly buying my stuff from myprotein.com for the past year. It's decent quality and they always have deals. They currently have a 50% off selected products, I just picked up two 5.5 pounds of Protein and a 2 lbs bag of BCAA's for 110$.

Never seen 50% off before, best I had seen was 40%.

that's where I buy my stuff as well ... that being said, I wouldn't spend too much dough on bcaa's if any

 

[Mathletic]

Bayesian bodybuilding:
4 Squat myths

Article says that squats are good for the quadriceps and glutes, but not the hamstrings.

Is that why people pair it with the deadlift?

unless you do romanian deadlift or stiff legged deadlift, you are not going to work your hammies so much in a conventional or sumo dl. In a powerlifting context, we tend to do squats as the main lift and then do a sumo or deficit deadlift because they work your quads a bit more and they insert as a complementary movement for the day. Plus you get some sets to work your back without killing it.

 

[Mrb1p]

Bayesian bodybuilding:
4 Squat myths

Article says that squats are good for the quadriceps and glutes, but not the hamstrings.

Is that why people pair it with the deadlift?

Who are these guys? They could at least spell check.

And yeah, deadlift is better for the posterior chain, this is hardly news.

Moving away from this muscle fixation is probably the best one could do though. Unless you have a condition that requires you to strengthen a specific muscle, I dont see the point in defining those parameters.

 

[Mrb1p]

How do you guys manage your form breaking down past 95%? Ive had trouble lifting at that intensity every time I went there. I feel like its a matter of not moving that type of weight often enough. Using 5/3/1 you move past 95 only once a month and I feel this could be holding me back technically, theres break downs in form that happen with higher weights that is hard to perceive at 80-90%.

I think adding singles/doubles would probably help me a lot in that matter, maybe ditching the + in week 3 and 1 and substituting for 95 single/double.

@Mathletic @Andrei79 @Kriss E

 

[Mathletic]

How do you guys manage your form breaking down past 95%? Ive had trouble lifting at that intensity every time I went there. I feel like its a matter of not moving that type of weight often enough. Using 5/3/1 you move past 95 only once a month and I feel this could be holding me back technically, theres break downs in form that happen with higher weights that is hard to perceive at 80-90%.

I think adding singles/doubles would probably help me a lot in that matter, maybe ditching the + in week 3 and 1 and substituting for 95 single/double.

@Mathletic @Andrei79 @Kriss E

My form doesn't break down at 95%. Of course, it has to be your true 95%. If it's a new pr attempt and you pass it as 95% then it's a different thing. In my last meet, my openers were at 95% and they were very clean. Even in training. I can't say I do 95's more often than you do. About once every 3 or 4 weeks I'll venture into those territories but most of the time I'm in the 85 to 92.5 range.

It could be an intensity thing but I doubt it. My guess is that form breaks down to some extent at lower percentages or your technique simply needs work and your errors pop out even more at 95. I'd have to see your lifts to make specific comments. My recommendation would be to record your lifts. I like the "technique" app made by hudle, for that.

A few mistakes that often come out on the squat is not keeping the bar straight with the middle of your foot. Quite often, the bar moves passed the feet. At low percentages, the back compensates for it but at higher intensities your form will likely break down. Not bracing hard enough and leaving your back leaning forward too much could be another issue.

On the deadlift, you have to be tight before starting and your shoulderblades have to stay tight throughout the movement. Also, a few other common mistakes are that people have a good starting position but once they start lifting, their shoulders come a little forward. This way, they can't push as much with their legs and it's all back from there. Locking the knees too early is a problem you see at higher intensities as well.

For me, I have a pretty good coach. We worked extensively on technique and it paid off. I've come to develop a good proprioception. Without even looking at the tape, I know what I do well and wrong when I move up in weights.

 

[DAChampion]

22 Interesting studies from this summer

I get a kick out of items #19, 20.

 

[Andrei79]

How do you guys manage your form breaking down past 95%? Ive had trouble lifting at that intensity every time I went there. I feel like its a matter of not moving that type of weight often enough. Using 5/3/1 you move past 95 only once a month and I feel this could be holding me back technically, theres break downs in form that happen with higher weights that is hard to perceive at 80-90%.

I think adding singles/doubles would probably help me a lot in that matter, maybe ditching the + in week 3 and 1 and substituting for 95 single/double.

@Mathletic @Andrei79 @Kriss E

For me, the big difference was coaching.

Meaning, we looked at the reasons why I was breaking form. They're usually threefold:

1. Technical errors.
2. Lagging muscle groups.
3. Lack of enough maximal effort training, or close to max effort (numbers around 90%).

After that, I can't say I was ever really breaking form hard at maximal effort. I would just miss the lift.

I'm curious though, has 5-3-1 been good for you ? Everytime I tried it, it was shit. Same for my training partners.

 

[Mrb1p]

For me, the big difference was coaching.

Meaning, we looked at the reasons why I was breaking form. They're usually threefold:

1. Technical errors.
2. Lagging muscle groups.
3. Lack of enough maximal effort training, or close to max effort (numbers around 90%).

After that, I can't say I was ever really breaking form hard at maximal effort. I would just miss the lift.

I'm curious though, has 5-3-1 been good for you ? Everytime I tried it, it was ****. Same for my training partners.

I went straight from stronglift to 5/3/1... I'm on week 57 so far (Took about 10 weeks off in total since starting, so really this is probably closer to week 65 or smething.) and I'd say in that span, it was great for bench and squats, but mediocre for deadlifts. I'm hitting some PRs lately but it's 5's and 10's and maybe 15's and it's been more than a year of 5/3/1... I don't know if it's good or whatever. I'm pretty sure it would be fantastic for someone just starting out or someone who wants to stick to it for 10 years. What I like is that it lets me see progression on all three (Four, but I don't actually have a day for OHP) lifts and it doesn't concentrate on only a lift. Id also be lying if I said my diet and sleeping schedule were even close to okay for like 75% of this time frame.

 

[Andrei79]

I went straight from stronglift to 5/3/1... I'm on week 57 so far (Took about 10 weeks off in total since starting, so really this is probably closer to week 65 or smething.) and I'd say in that span, it was great for bench and squats, but mediocre for deadlifts. I'm hitting some PRs lately but it's 5's and 10's and maybe 15's and it's been more than a year of 5/3/1... I don't know if it's good or whatever. I'm pretty sure it would be fantastic for someone just starting out or someone who wants to stick to it for 10 years. What I like is that it lets me see progression on all three (Four, but I don't actually have a day for OHP) lifts and it doesn't concentrate on only a lift. Id also be lying if I said my diet and sleeping schedule were even close to okay for like 75% of this time frame.

That's the kind of progress I was getting with it, too. I felt restricted by the program. It's been a while since I read the book, but I recall he mentioned to push or take it easy depending on how the body felt that day, but I still felt pretty restricted in what I could accomplish every month.

I've had way more progress with a lot of other programs: conjugate, smolov (ran it after a shoulder injury and 30lbs weight loss many years ago, had a 300lbs front squat at 150lbs after 3 months running it), modified sheikos and when I joined a group which was taking ideas from a bit of everything (not 5-3-1 though). I really feel 5-3-1 is suboptimal for gains unless you want a steady program that keeps you lifting for years and don't care about short-medium term results.

I can't say I know what works for me now though as I don't lift seriously anymore. Even with very good coaching, near perfect form and proper rest, I was still getting tendonitis, tears and injuries every year.

 

[Mrb1p]

That's the kind of progress I was getting with it, too. I felt restricted by the program. It's been a while since I read the book, but I recall he mentioned to push or take it easy depending on how the body felt that day, but I still felt pretty restricted in what I could accomplish every month.

I've had way more progress with a lot of other programs: conjugate, smolov (ran it after a shoulder injury and 30lbs weight loss many years ago, had a 300lbs front squat at 150lbs after 3 months running it), modified sheikos and when I joined a group which was taking ideas from a bit of everything (not 5-3-1 though). I really feel 5-3-1 is suboptimal for gains unless you want a steady program that keeps you lifting for years and don't care about short-medium term results.

I can't say I know what works for me now though as I don't lift seriously anymore. Even with very good coaching, near perfect form and proper rest, I was still getting tendonitis, tears and injuries every year.

I can't say I know what works for me either having ever tried two programs All I know is that I wanted to stick with it for a long enough time to see what it gave me... I love the Smolov potential, and in hindsight, I shouldve moved onto that when I injured my shoulder this winter... But hey too late now.

Sheiko is definitely something Id want to make the jump too, it falls in line with what Id want to do in the summer when I only have 3 days to train. It seems tough as hell, but it's something I'm ready for. I also like the fact that you'd, theoretically , develop near perfect form by using lower weights.

 

[Andrei79]

I can't say I know what works for me either having ever tried two programs All I know is that I wanted to stick with it for a long enough time to see what it gave me... I love the Smolov potential, and in hindsight, I shouldve moved onto that when I injured my shoulder this winter... But hey too late now.

Sheiko is definitely something Id want to make the jump too, it falls in line with what Id want to do in the summer when I only have 3 days to train. It seems tough as hell, but it's something I'm ready for. I also like the fact that you'd, theoretically , develop near perfect form by using lower weights.

I liked both, a lot. Both were tough on the joints, though. I had to cut a lot of my Sheiko sessions though because sometimes it was just too much.

For me though, getting some good coaching was what really perfected my technique.

 

[Kriss E]

How do you guys manage your form breaking down past 95%? Ive had trouble lifting at that intensity every time I went there. I feel like its a matter of not moving that type of weight often enough. Using 5/3/1 you move past 95 only once a month and I feel this could be holding me back technically, theres break downs in form that happen with higher weights that is hard to perceive at 80-90%.

I think adding singles/doubles would probably help me a lot in that matter, maybe ditching the + in week 3 and 1 and substituting for 95 single/double.

@Mathletic @Andrei79 @Kriss E

That would be logical. The more often you lift heavier weight, the better you will get at lifting it.
Perfection? I don't really believe in that when pushing PRs. Even Olympians, when they go for their max snatch or clean and jerks, often times mess up their technique quite a bit.
Personally, I just put restrictions on my progress if my technique did not satisfy me. I didn't care if it was 80% . If my lift does not feel very close to perfect, I ain't going up. As Mathletic said, if you have little issues that start to pop in playing with 80-85%, they'll be way more noticeable as you keep increasing.
The problem is you are already lifting heavy weight, you are used to it, so going back down now probably would be extremely annoying.

So my advice would be for you to drop just below the point where you definitely are surely breaking. Lift that weight more often and make slow increments. Do not jump up until you are satisfied with your form.

 

[Kriss E]

I went straight from stronglift to 5/3/1... I'm on week 57 so far (Took about 10 weeks off in total since starting, so really this is probably closer to week 65 or smething.) and I'd say in that span, it was great for bench and squats, but mediocre for deadlifts. I'm hitting some PRs lately but it's 5's and 10's and maybe 15's and it's been more than a year of 5/3/1... I don't know if it's good or whatever. I'm pretty sure it would be fantastic for someone just starting out or someone who wants to stick to it for 10 years. What I like is that it lets me see progression on all three (Four, but I don't actually have a day for OHP) lifts and it doesn't concentrate on only a lift. Id also be lying if I said my diet and sleeping schedule were even close to okay for like 75% of this time frame.

I tried 5-3-1 but really could not stick with it long enough to notice anything. It is very tough for me to stick with a program that goes beyond 10-12 weeks. I like to test a lot of the stuff I give to clients before hand, and I also want to try a lot of different ones from various domains (Football training, Rugby, Strength and Conditioning, Crossfit, Oly Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, Weight loss, muscle endurance, etc), to increases my knowledge.
My opinion from trying it is for you to benefit from it, you'd have to stick to it for a very long time. The downfall, as you pointed out, you aren't going really heavy too often.

I have tried it on a newbie, but I switched her on to conjugate after a short cycle. When you're a newbie, you can hit PRs every other week, so you can really just do a weekly progressive loading and you'll likely hit decent PRs fast. On 5-3-1, she was lifting too light too often.

Maybe you can switch to something else.

 

[Mrb1p]

I tried 5-3-1 but really could not stick with it long enough to notice anything. It is very tough for me to stick with a program that goes beyond 10-12 weeks. I like to test a lot of the stuff I give to clients before hand, and I also want to try a lot of different ones from various domains (Football training, Rugby, Strength and Conditioning, Crossfit, Oly Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, Weight loss, muscle endurance, etc), to increases my knowledge.
My opinion from trying it is for you to benefit from it, you'd have to stick to it for a very long time. The downfall, as you pointed out, you aren't going really heavy too often.

I have tried it on a newbie, but I switched her on to conjugate after a short cycle. When you're a newbie, you can hit PRs every other week, so you can really just do a weekly progressive loading and you'll likely hit decent PRs fast. On 5-3-1, she was lifting too light too often.

Maybe you can switch to something else.

At this point I don't know, the slow and steady might sound good.. Since I'm natural I don't know how much higher I can really go... Making huge gains wont happen no matter the program, but for the sake of mixing it up, I think I will change it up. I've looked at Sheiko quite a bit and it seems like the way I would go.

 

[Kriss E]

At this point I don't know, the slow and steady might sound good.. Since I'm natural I don't know how much higher I can really go... Making huge gains wont happen no matter the program, but for the sake of mixing it up, I think I will change it up. I've looked at Sheiko quite a bit and it seems like the way I would go.

That's possible. Unless you are training for a comp, there is nothing wrong with a little mixing.
So many different programs out there.

 

[DAChampion]

I fell off my diet last week due to the stress of applying for a grant (54 pages, short notice work) and a presentation that I had to make on Friday that I only got around to starting on Thursday morning. I did succeed in achieving my professional requirements, but it came at the expense of awful lifestyle habits during that week. This week should be better. I also had to break up with a woman last night, and I was not looking forward to it.

I looked into it, and it turns out that there are multiple theories seeking to explain why humans turn to comfort food in times of stress. One theory is that when we're babies, we're given food by our parents when we cry, I think that's true, parents will often try for breast milk first. That's a wonderful theory, it's really the first indoctrination that we get in our lives. Human breast milk is predominantly fat (mostly saturated), sugars (mostly lactose), and very little protein. So it resembles comfort food, or rather, comfort food resembles breast milk.

 

[Mrb1p]

I fell off my diet last week due to the stress of applying for a grant (54 pages, short notice work) and a presentation that I had to make on Friday that I only got around to starting on Thursday morning. I did succeed in achieving my professional requirements, but it came at the expense of awful lifestyle habits during that week. This week should be better. I also had to break up with a woman last night, and I was not looking forward to it.

I looked into it, and it turns out that there are multiple theories seeking to explain why humans turn to comfort food in times of stress. One theory is that when we're babies, we're given food by our parents when we cry, I think that's true, parents will often try for breast milk first. That's a wonderful theory, it's really the first indoctrination that we get in our lives. Human breast milk is predominantly fat (mostly saturated), sugars (mostly lactose), and very little protein. So it resembles comfort food, or rather, comfort food resembles breast milk.

Relax DA its only a week I hate a 14 inches sub yesterday, with two churros. Not gonna kick myself for it, it wasnt even good too.

 

[Mike Mike Caron]

So I've been lifting by myself for three months without the shade of an injury. I watch YouTube videos and work on my lifting posture all the time.

 

[Mrb1p]

K im going in dry right now. Im on Smolov day 1 and i already want to throw up. Not used to the sets of 8 l. Deer bambi.

 

[Mrb1p]

I havr trouble with reps that are so high, they get me all sweaty.

Confirmation, 5 plus reps is cardio.

 

[Habsawce]

After 3 months of physio I've been given the green light to re-incorporate my chest and shoulder routines at low weight. Pretty damn excited, it's been a frustrating few months.

**shoulder tendonitis and bursa sack fraying