OT: Fitness and Nutrition Part IV - Let's get jacked up Edition

[Jethlan]

Why not?
If one comes from a very weak starting point, curling 60lbs is a very good strength goal.
I warm up with 60lbs so obviously this doesn't apply to me, but if I have a client who struggles with 40lbs, then there is nothing wrong with a 60lbs objective.

i started at 15lbs so 60 is a good goal.

 

[Suiteness]

As long as you stay tight you should have no problem deadlifting conventional. Obviously theres some advanced techniques such as bar roll, balance, etc... but its a fairly simple move. What do you struggle with?

My mind is blasted with too many things when I setup for the heavy lifts; Squeeze your armpits to activate the lats, pull the slack out of the bar, spread the floor with the heels of your feet, keep the bar closed to your shins, breathe in and push against your abs, etc, I just end up psyching myself out meanwhile I just go and bench or squat without any 2nd thought. It's annoying, I just need to figure out a way to clear my mind and just go and execute the lift.

Curling 60's achieves nothing. You don't curl to be strong, you curl to look good.

Even pro Bb's like Kai Greene and Heath curl with fairly low weight, it kinda defeats the purpose of curl's if you go heavy.

Pretty much, if you want to add mass to your biceps, weighted chin-ups and barbell curls would be the best choices. Dumbbells are better for isolation, preacher curls or concentration curls to improve your biceps peak.

 

[Mrb1p]

I think you are being a little too anal here. Some people have fixed numbers in their mind that they want to reach. It isn't necessarily that they think hitting that number means they'll be super strong or look good, they just want to hit it.
I had an objective of 8 reps at 135lbs. It had nothing to do with how strong I would get or thought my biceps would be huge if I got there. I just wanted to be able to put a plate on each side of an olympic bar and curl it for 8 reps. Completely useless and entirely egotistical, but **** it, I wanted to do that.

So if someone has that 60lbs number they are eyeing out, it's totally fine man. Anything that makes a person come back into the gym to workout is good in my books.

Not denying anything you said but there's better goals than curling 60's you could set for yourself. Mostly comes from the bro-vado of the gym.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

but... but... curls for the girls!

 

[Kriss E]

Not denying anything you said but there's better goals than curling 60's you could set for yourself. Mostly comes from the bro-vado of the gym.

For sure. Remember though, fixing a curling objective doesn't mean doing curls senselessly.
If someone comes to me saying he wants to curl 60lbs. No problem there. We are going to get there by doing loads of pulling work like chin ups and rope/towel pull ups. That's how we will reach that goal.

 

[Kriss E]

When I take in my breath and engage my core, my back is in a good straight position and will stay as so (almost) through the lift. And the bar basically just travels up and down.

For squat, when I first started lifting, my feet were about shoulder width apart and straight out, my back would be very upright through the lift, and I'd only get down to about 90 degrees in terms of deep I could get. I squatted like this for quite some time. Eventually I made some tweaks, and now my feet are wider apart with toes slightly out, there's a bit more forward lean through the movement, and I get my ass to the grass.

For bench, when I first started I was doing it bodybuilder style, I had my elbows flared out at nearly 90 degrees and my bar path would just be straight and I'd bring the bar in the high/middle of my chest. Great for the chest, but brutal on the shoulders. Eventually I made some tweaks, and now my elbows are tucked more and I bring the bar lower on my chest powerlifter style.

Your back doesn't automatically get in position, you organize your back posture.
Same goes for the bar. We, as Humans, are designed so our arms naturally fall right under our shoulders. Test it out. Do not put any tension in your body, lean forward, your arms will fall right under your shoulders. Stand straight, arms under shoulders. Lean back, arms under shoulders.
When you set up for your DL your shoulders are going to be slightly in front of the bar, so if you aren't thinking of keeping that bar close to you, as soon as it lifts off the floor, it will move forward, which will cause the weight to shift forward. It is a big reason why people miss their lifts.

As for your BS, yes, you tweaked your narrow stance. Very few people I know can squat in good position with a narrow stance. Most do not have the mobility to lower their hips down enough, which seems to have been your case as well.

Good fix on Bench. A lot of people don't know how to position themselves on a bench.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Your back doesn't automatically get in position, you organize your back posture.
Same goes for the bar. We, as Humans, are designed so our arms naturally fall right under our shoulders. Test it out. Do not put any tension in your body, lean forward, your arms will fall right under your shoulders. Stand straight, arms under shoulders. Lean back, arms under shoulders.
When you set up for your DL your shoulders are going to be slightly in front of the bar, so if you aren't thinking of keeping that bar close to you, as soon as it lifts off the floor, it will move forward, which will cause the weight to shift forward. It is a big reason why people miss their lifts.

As for your BS, yes, you tweaked your narrow stance. Very few people I know can squat in good position with a narrow stance. Most do not have the mobility to lower their hips down enough, which seems to have been your case as well.

Good fix on Bench. A lot of people don't know how to position themselves on a bench.

Perhaps there are cues for my DL that I just don't think about anymore but are still there. All I really think about is feet, grip, breath/engage the core and then lift. I do know I'm keeping the bar tight to my body though as I'm one of those guys who always has nicks and bruises on their shins lol

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Anyone else take "maca powder"? I think DA mentioned it at somepoint, but picked some up from that family owned asian store I get all my stuff at. Had a chat with the son and he recommended it to me, and it was on sale so grabbed some. When I went to pay for it the older dad was behind the register and as he put it in the bag he told me "Ahh Maca... good for caca" and I'm not sure whether he was talking about poop or boners lol

 

[DAChampion]

Anyone else take "maca powder"? I think DA mentioned it at somepoint, but picked some up from that family owned asian store I get all my stuff at. Had a chat with the son and he recommended it to me, and it was on sale so grabbed some. When I went to pay for it the older dad was behind the register and as he put it in the bag he told me "Ahh Maca... good for caca" and I'm not sure whether he was talking about poop or boners lol

Make sure it's Peruvian maca.

The plant has been transplanted to other parts of the world but that doesn't mean that it will be as healthy. The soil it grows on in Peru is rather specific, it's a high altitude soil with a specific chemistry that probably contributes to Maca's mineral profile.

I think it tastes bad but I'm open to believing that it's healthy. I'm generally an open-minded eater but it's one of the few foods that gross me out.

 

[Paddyjack]

I had an objective of 8 reps at 135lbs. It had nothing to do with how strong I would get or thought my biceps would be huge if I got there. I just wanted to be able to put a plate on each side of an olympic bar and curl it for 8 reps. Completely useless and entirely egotistical, but **** it, I wanted to do that.

So if someone has that 60lbs number they are eyeing out, it's totally fine man. Anything that makes a person come back into the gym to workout is good in my books.

Oh! For some reason I thought this discussion was that curling 60 pounds dumbells on each side was not strong and I was like.... meh, I'm weak af then. I didn't realize you guys were talking about a barbell curl ;p

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Oh! For some reason I thought this discussion was that curling 60 pounds dumbells on each side was not strong and I was like.... meh, I'm weak af then. I didn't realize you guys were talking about a barbell curl ;p

I thought the same haha

 

[Paul Dipietro]

Oh! For some reason I thought this discussion was that curling 60 pounds dumbells on each side was not strong and I was like.... meh, I'm weak af then. I didn't realize you guys were talking about a barbell curl ;p

I also made the same assumption. Really felt pathetic at 40lbs db and 100lbs bb...

 

[Mrb1p]

I thought the same.

 

[Kriss E]

Oh! For some reason I thought this discussionI ass was that curling 60 pounds dumbells on each side was not strong and I was like.... meh, I'm weak af then. I didn't realize you guys were talking about a barbell curl ;p

I assume he meant 60lbs BB curl as a starter.
60lbs DB Curls will take someone a very long while to reach.

 

[Kriss E]

Anyone else take "maca powder"? I think DA mentioned it at somepoint, but picked some up from that family owned asian store I get all my stuff at. Had a chat with the son and he recommended it to me, and it was on sale so grabbed some. When I went to pay for it the older dad was behind the register and as he put it in the bag he told me "Ahh Maca... good for caca" and I'm not sure whether he was talking about poop or boners lol

Not sure when ''good caca'' ever referred to a boner...

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Not sure when ''good caca'' ever referred to a *****...

I'm fairly certain that's what he meant though.

 

[DAChampion]

I just watched an educational documentary on fasting:
Fasting

It goes over the different fasting regimens including short-term, medium-term, long-term, juice fasting, etc. Also goes over the different benefits such as fighting diabetes, fighting cancer, fighting auto-immune diseases, etc. They interview a stem cell researcher who requires his patients to fast.

There's a horror story in the middle where a bunch of people did a water-only fast at a facility with low-quality water, it was outside Canada. They all developed health problems associated with dehydration, etc. That does strike me as remarkably stupid.

Anyway two lessons for me:
- I need some more long-term fasts. A lot of benefits only kick in at 3+ days, particularly the ones involving stem cells and cellular repair.
- I should eat more sprouts. I realize that it's a part of my diet that's just not there. I don't know if I "need" sprouts but I may as well as add them. Sprouts include Alfalfa, wheatgrass, mung bean, lentil sprouts, Brussel sprouts ... now that I think about it I'm not exactly sure war's a bean and what's a sprout, I should figure it out lol.

 

[Mrb1p]

My mind is blasted with too many things when I setup for the heavy lifts; Squeeze your armpits to activate the lats, pull the slack out of the bar, spread the floor with the heels of your feet, keep the bar closed to your shins, breathe in and push against your abs, etc, I just end up psyching myself out meanwhile I just go and bench or squat without any 2nd thought. It's annoying, I just need to figure out a way to clear my mind and just go and execute the lift.



Pretty much, if you want to add mass to your biceps, weighted chin-ups and barbell curls would be the best choices. Dumbbells are better for isolation, preacher curls or concentration curls to improve your biceps peak.

These would go on automatically if you had better mind muscle connection. One of the thing that helped me tremendously without actually knowing it would was concentrating on that. Now i can pretty much control every muscle contraction needed for the deadlift. My main problem with BP is that limb positioning is huge.

 

[Bieber fever]

I just watched an educational documentary on fasting:
Fasting

It goes over the different fasting regimens including short-term, medium-term, long-term, juice fasting, etc. Also goes over the different benefits such as fighting diabetes, fighting cancer, fighting auto-immune diseases, etc. They interview a stem cell researcher who requires his patients to fast.

There's a horror story in the middle where a bunch of people did a water-only fast at a facility with low-quality water, it was outside Canada. They all developed health problems associated with dehydration, etc. That does strike me as remarkably stupid.

Anyway two lessons for me:
- I need some more long-term fasts. A lot of benefits only kick in at 3+ days, particularly the ones involving stem cells and cellular repair.
- I should eat more sprouts. I realize that it's a part of my diet that's just not there. I don't know if I "need" sprouts but I may as well as add them. Sprouts include Alfalfa, wheatgrass, mung bean, lentil sprouts, Brussel sprouts ... now that I think about it I'm not exactly sure war's a bean and what's a sprout, I should figure it out lol.

Try ezekiel bread. Its not a “ real “ bread because its made with 7 sprout and not with flour. very low Glycemic index too

 

[Kriss E]

Been back in Montreal since Wednesday. I'm gonna have put on at least 10 lbs by the time I get back to HK after holidays.
Hats off to anyone who still keeps their diet on point during Holidays. For me though, f*** that, it's binging time!
Merry Xmas!

 

[Lshap]

Merry Christmas everyone!

I was hoping to find a post about eggnog with rum having health benefits. Oh well...

 

[Paul Dipietro]

Merry Christmas everyone!

I was hoping to find a post about eggnog with rum having health benefits. Oh well...

I mostly blame DAChampion and Mrb1p. For all their science/fasting and physical prowess, they clearly are doing it wrong

 

[Lshap]

I mostly blame DAChampion and Mrb1p. For all their science/fasting and physical prowess, they clearly are doing it wrong

I second this. Come on DA and MrB, get off your butts and find some rogue report of milk fat, booze, and a barrel of sugar being the key to immortality.

 

[Lshap]

I mostly blame DAChampion and Mrb1p. For all their science/fasting and physical prowess, they clearly are doing it wrong

By the way, just did a drive-by and BuzzFit is open today.

 

[DAChampion]

Enjoy your eggnog guys. I do not and never will advocate perfect adherence to some narrow specified diet.

If you want some science, eggnog isn't so bad, it contains complete proteins, healthy fats, and the vitamins and minerals found in milk and eggs. It's not a coke.

Alternatively, remember that the healthiest peoples the world often include festivities which have cheat meals. The people of Pioppi, Italy live to 90 and have cake every Sunday. Social drinkers are also measured to have a longer life expectancy, possibly because there's a value to social and emotional bonds.

But really that's all bullshit. Nobody other than @Son Oncle Jerry decides to have sex because it burns 100 calories. Most people have sex because it's fun, and that's why you should have fun, because it's fun, full stop.