Do you even lift bro?

[silky fox]

I often use the Smiths machine. I prefer Pringles though. [emoji4]

Pop,crunch....repeat[emoji12]

[stihlmadasever]

2 hours ago, Mark Bolam said:

Is there a Smith machine in the gym J?

Makes it much more comfortable for front squats (on your shoulders at least!).

Always someone bench pressing on the smith machine at my gym,great piece of kit which can be adapted to many exercises

 

Edited January 16, 2018 by stihlmadasever

[Mark Bolam]

It's great that disabled people are training hard as well!

[Big J]

No smith machine but I never got on with the restricted range of motion. I was always OK with them when I was chunkier, but preferred back squats. 

 

Back a bit twingey today, spasming randomly but it's probably due to the cold and driving snow.

[scottythepinetree]

2 bulging discs in my lower back put me out of work for nearly 2 years. Training 3 days a week, deadlifting or RDL/SLDLs have pretty much fixed it for me. The injury is still there, but the spinal erectors are now strong enough to keep my back from rounding under most of what the job can throw at me. Also, the muscle memory and learning to hip hinge properly has given me nearly 3 years of a pain free lower back.

 

I'd say that sensible training would be a wise move for anyone in this industry with an interest in longevity. Plus, it's good for the head.

[Stephen Blair]

Hip hinge! I’ve just googled That!
The only time my back is sore is when I bend to pick something up, I usually try and squat to lift stuff but after a looking at a couple of utube videos I think this is where I’ve been going wrong! I’ve not been sticking my backside back , I just fold over! And twang! Blaming tight hamstrings!
Thoughts?

[Big J]

On 1/18/2018 at 16:01, Stephen Blair said:

Hip hinge! I’ve just googled That!
The only time my back is sore is when I bend to pick something up, I usually try and squat to lift stuff but after a looking at a couple of utube videos I think this is where I’ve been going wrong! I’ve not been sticking my backside back , I just fold over! And twang! Blaming tight hamstrings!
Thoughts?

I don't know Stephen. Have you visited a physio for an assessment? I'm up in the Strath second week of February if you wanted me to have a look, one dodgy back sufferer to another!

 

Great session at the gym today. About the 7th squat session now, squatting every 48 hours. At the point now where even the Rehband neoprene support (much softer than a belt) feels unnecessary. I couldn't feel any benefit at all. Legs are constantly aching, but I think they'll adapt to the workload, and squatting every 48 hours will cause rapid general muscle growth. 

 

Dumbell bench well up too, to 10's at 38kg per hand. 

[silky fox]

Into my second year of gym training.My favourite session is Saturday morning.It's empty and the music is Chilled.Progressed from Cables and Smith machine to Free weights.Leg day was yesterday so today is Back.Lat machine and Rows.Starting to to lean up and Muscles are becoming more defined.Also noticed since Bench pressing my upper body growth has become rapid.Our bodies are incredible.....Even my you tube viewing has changed from Caisey Neistat and Buckin'Billy Ray (which i catch up on once a week) to Lee Priest....Jujimumu and for the sickening ments of the delray misfits [emoji23][emoji23]

[Big J]

2 hours ago, silky fox said:

Into my second year of gym training.My favourite session is Saturday morning.It's empty and the music is Chilled.Progressed from Cables and Smith machine to Free weights.Leg day was yesterday so today is Back.Lat machine and Rows.Starting to to lean up and Muscles are becoming more defined.Also noticed since Bench pressing my upper body growth has become rapid.Our bodies are incredible.....Even my you tube viewing has changed from Caisey Neistat and Buckin'Billy Ray (which i catch up on once a week) to Lee Priest....Jujimumu and for the sickening ments of the delray misfits

I just can't lift well in the mornings. It takes at least 6 hours from getting up for my lower back to work properly. It always has. After 6 hours I can squat effectively without lower back instability and weakness being an issue. 

 

It's so funny being in a commercial gym after all these years. We used to have a little industrial unit and a spit and sawdust strongman gym about 10 years ago, so a shiny warm gym with treadmills and machines is very alien.

 

This was our old gym:

 

 

There are a few main mistakes people seem to make in the gym:

 

* The main one is not train legs. Considering that your legs, glutes and lower back make up way in excess of 50% of your muscle mass, I'd say 90-95% of the training I observe is upper body training. This is especially true with younger guys. They don't seem to realise that the anabolic effect from consistent leg training will cause everything else to grow more quickly. And also that chicken legs don't impress the ladies.

 

* Not enough intensity. A lot of folk barely seem to break a sweat. Doing 10 rep sets when they could easily do 20. Pratting around with the phone between sets. Doing 6 different exercises to hit one muscle group. Going through the motions of lifting won't build muscle.

 

* Too much isolation. I've seen guys come straight in through the gym doors and hit the curls. 8 different ways. They ought to be doing all sorts of upper back work (which hits the biceps) and then do a few sets of curls at the end. 

 

* Not eating correctly. I was chatting to one kid a couple of months back (early 20s maybe) who said he hadn't gained weight for a year. He was maybe 60kg and 5ft 8". He didn't train legs, as you would expect, but I think a lot of guys don't realise how much you have to eat. Over the past 12 weeks I've stepped up my calorie intake from 4500, to 5000, to 5500 and it's now nearly 6000kcal a day. That's at 111kg bodyweight, training every other day. It'll have to go up further if I want to keep growing.

 

Other than that, I'd just say have fun. Training hard, with goals helps me progress and keeps me motivated but I know it's not for everyone.

 

[the village idiot]

I don't know anything about gym's or regimented weightlifting but I think I have definately benefitted hugely from 'accidently' strengthening my core muscles.

 

I worked on a farm for years. It was physical but only in specific ways, alternating between driving tractors and lifting cumbersome heavy items. My arms and shoulders got strong but I suffered from serious bad back issues.

 

Since switching to woodland management, the greater range of movements under load has I think significantly strengthened my core, particularly legs and back. I no longer suffer any back problems at all, despite still lifting heavy awkward objects.

 

Sorry, not specifically gym related, but still relevant I think.