Do you even lift bro?

[scottythepinetree]

On 08/11/2020 at 14:05, Big J said:

Well I overdid it on the squats. Gave myself tendonopathy in both my patella tendons! ?

 

That was about 2 months ago and they are recovering fairly well. No squatting yet, but lunges and deadlifts are OK. 

 

No back issues now really. The odd stiff day but 90% functionality has returned, which I'm happy with. Bodyweight it up to a steady 120kg, which is sensible for someone my height. Strength is going up well too. 

 

I bought a Concept 2 rower a little while back too and I'm enjoying that also. A solid all body workout and terrific for your cardiovascular system. Any other rowers out there? 

20 rep sets (how many sets?) could be what did your knees in. I get that you want to stay away from one rep maxes, but have you considered meeting in the middle? 8 rep sets or similar?

 

If you're really set on volume, you could try rest/pause with a rep goal. For example, pick a weight that you can do 8 reps with fairly handily. (Don't worry if it's too light this session). Then do 3 sets trying to hit 25 reps over the 3 sets. Do as many reps as you can for each set with perfect form, stopping at technical failure (i.e. you can't do any more without breaking form). Take 5 deep slow breaths between each set (30-60 seconds) and go again. If at the end of this, you have hit 25+ reps, add 5kg to the bar in your next session.

For squats, twice a week should be enough. Especially if you're experiencing adverse effects. It's easy for the first couple of sessions, but then it gets brutal. You can't really adapt because both the volume and intensity is auto-regulated. It is possible to plateau. If this happens, pick your poison (try to grind through or drop the weight a few %) and take a run at it again. I find either one hit and miss. If one doesn't work, the other usually does.

 

Not sure about your back issues (every injury is different of course), but for me, RDLs/SLDLs got me back to full strength pretty quickly. Their much safer than lifting off the floor, with a lot of the same benefits. I find with deadlifts, you get 100% of the weight instantly, right when you're in the most vulnerable position. With RDLs/SLDLs you increase the forces on your lower back gradually, starting in a position where it's least vulnerable. It's not a perfect substitute for the strength gains made pulling and grunting from the floor, but weighing up risk/reward I think the smart money is on RDLs for me.

[scottythepinetree]

15 hours ago, Big J said:

I've started rowing too as I have a Concept 2 in the gym.

Nice. Concept 2 isn't cheap, but there aren't really many other options for someone your size. You'd outgrow a cheaper one in a week or two. Be careful though. You'd be surprised how many people develop back problems from rowing with bad form. Very similar movement pattern to deadlifts/rows, but high reps/low weight and encourages pushing through fatigue. Some people get sloppy when they get tired and let their back round. Over time, this can cause problems if you're not careful.

 

15 hours ago, Big J said:

Additionally find Pendley rows to be excellent. 

I like Pendlays. I find them hard not to cheat rep when the weight gets heavy (for me that's about 100-110kg), which makes it hard to judge progression. There's not supposed to be any eccentric with them. Explosive concentric and then drop. I do 8 rep sets. I often find myself doing the first 4 or 5 with perfect form, explode, touch the chest, drop with no movement in the legs or torso. Then when I get to rep 6 or so, I get stuck a couple of inches from the chest. Before I know I've done it, I have given it a little bump with leg drive. I'm a stickler for form, so it becomes a judgement call as to whether to count the rep or not. Some of the biggest guys in my gym allow themselves lots of this and still count the reps.

 

I try to compensate with low rows, weighted pull-ups and lat pulls though. They're easier to be controlled with. The explosive stuff is hard not to cheat a little.