Lifting Thread;training for the tattooed warrior.

[Kev]

So I just read an article by Dr. Jim Stoppani, probably the most heavily tattooed trainer I've seen:

BodyBuilding.com Writer: Jim Stoppani, Ph.D. - Real Science For Real Results!

[PhilB]

crossfit has sent some good business my way lol. lot of injuries

My favourite CrossFit video yet (in this article): CrossFit at its Worst - Don't Try This At Home! | Physical Living

[ChrisvK]

got dumped last saturday and over the week i consumed a little bit alcoholic beverages without that much exercise, regained the weight i lost in the past 3 weeks in 1 week. Need to get my shit back together. Upcomming week will be insane workout week + strict diet like there's no tomorrow

[kylegrey]

''Curls get the girls '' sson !

[ChrisvK]

yeah, gonna get the cuts for the sluts ;)

[kylegrey]

Whatever your mantra - through out all times the discipline of training has been one of the few constants in my life. Mostly It builds a self-belief that lasts, I think because its one thing that solely you are responsible for the outcome .

[ChrisvK]

Whatever your mantra - through out all times the discipline of training has been one of the few constants in my life. Mostly It builds a self-belief that lasts, I think because its one thing that solely you are responsible for the outcome .

wise words

[hogg]

I weigh 160 and my bench PR is a humble 225x1. However, I recently dipped BW+88x1, then finished off with two sets of 8 dips at BW+40. And all of that was AFTER benching! I use a full ROM on dips. I just don't understand how my dips are that much stronger than my bench.

Anyone else experience this? Might it indicate--I don't know--that I'm not engaging my triceps enough on bench? I'm out of ideas. Thanks in advance for any help.

[ChrisvK]

Maybe if you switch your chest routine up to dumbells instead of barbell and add some dumbell chest fly's to? I find that dumbells put more strecht on my chest then barbell presses. Should add some more strenght to your chest imo

[kylegrey]

If you look at the structure of the really big benchers they tend to be under 5-10 with short levers and deep barrel chested . I'm more your height and my triceps were also exceptionally strong with pulling movements much more my forte ,therefore I reasoned that I needed to really hit my front delts , I added front raises and gave shoulders more priority .

[hogg]

@kylegrey I'm 5'10", too--not exactly built for benching with super short levers, but my arms aren't ridiculously long, either. For shoulders, I do military press once a week and just added seated DB press once a week, too. I also do rear delt work (face pulls, band pull-aparts, DB laterals, power shrugs). I'm just surprised that my dips are so far above my bench. Maybe I'll try to focus on recruiting triceps more and see if I can use my mind to will the bar up. :)

[kylegrey]

@hogg On another level 225 on the bench represents a psychological barrier for a lot a lifters in effect much like the sub 4-minute mile ,you can get caught up on benching and particulary numbers .Try switching to DBs for a cycle and hitting different angles by pressing up as normal but at the finish twisting em and touching at the middle ,one thing I noticed early on is that all great benchers swear by DBs .Now approach your military press like your bench concentrating on increasing the weight and getting stronger on this movement ,follow up with front DB raises for raw power .

[kylegrey]

Also 225 on the bench ain't that shabby !!

[ChrisvK]

exactly, that's more then twice the weight i can bench atm so be proud of what you have achieved so far!

[Colored Guy]

I was a regular heavy lifter until I had a shoulder injury late in 2010, took until February of 2011 to get back on track after 4 months of intensive PT. Prior to injury, my PR on the bench was 300 and I'd do 225 for reps. Go to late 2011 I was in a car accident and have a back and neck injury. All of my lifts are compromised and down the crapper. My workouts are light and I throw in more cardio than I had been doing. I'm in PT now since January, did 2 months at a chiropractor, now I see a pain management specialist as well. Talk about insurance company hassles, being hurt is no fun.

CG

[Cork]

Sucks to hear about he pain @Colored Guy. Hopefully PT works well for you and you heal up fast.

@hogg A 2xBW bench is damn impressive. I'd say 88lbs BW with dips isn't too far from a 225lb bench. How do you setup on the bench and what is your sticking point? I'm sure your technique could use some work. Pick an appropriate exercise to work on that weak point and your bench should go up. Also, get your body weight up and do your upper back work. A more stable body means bigger weights can be handled.

I'm stilling going strong with my contest prep. I sort of psyched myself out by looking at the competitors who have done this show in the past couple years. They are in damn good shape and top 3 is going to be hard to get. I just have to hope that I got big enough in the last year and keep on charging ahead. One of the worst parts of competitive bodybuilding is all the damn mind games you play with yourself.

[Kev]

My favourite CrossFit video yet (in this article): CrossFit at its Worst - Don't Try This At Home! | Physical Living

The only Crossfit videos that catch my attention are the ones with chicks in booty shorts/ knee socks/sports bras and I'm not watching them for their workouts :p

[CultExciter]

Do you have any recommendations for starting a program. I have books and weight lifting anatomy charts.

I'm 6'1", about 220 lbs. Mostly beer belly. I was a runner for years and spent the better part of my 20's at around 170lbs.

But my knees suck now, and I want to get tone, stronger, and get fit again. I can't seem to find a program that actually feels like it is working.

I should also add I'm a vegetarian, but my eating habits suck. Comes with working 10 hour days.

[kylegrey]

@CultExciter check out Kev's and Rory's posts in this thread numbers 3 and 4 , I really like Kev's routine and would condense it to 3 days and pick the bones of it suit you starting out .

[hogg]

@hogg A 2xBW bench is damn impressive. I'd say 88lbs BW with dips isn't too far from a 225lb bench. How do you setup on the bench and what is your sticking point? I'm sure your technique could use some work. Pick an appropriate exercise to work on that weak point and your bench should go up. Also, get your body weight up and do your upper back work. A more stable body means bigger weights can be handled.

I think you may have misunderstood me; I am nowhere near a 2xBW bench! I've benched 225 for a single a number of times, which is about 1.5xBW. I recently dipped BW+77x3 (at the time, that came out to about 235 total pounds). I guess bench and dip are just really different. One possible cause of the discrepancy: I have a nagging left elbow issue (golfer's elbow) that flares up on bench at times, but never on dips.

I'm currently trying to put on a few more pounds and worry less about overall body comp. When my pants get too tight, I'll cut a little again. :)

Speaking of cutting, good luck with your prep! I'm sure that the mind games are rough. @kylegrey might have tips for you on that front.

[Cork]

Ha, silly math. I even typed 225 but for some reason I had 325 in my head.

[hogg]

When I bench 325, I'll let you (and the rest of the world) know.

[Colored Guy]

Do you have any recommendations for starting a program. I have books and weight lifting anatomy charts.

I'm 6'1", about 220 lbs. Mostly beer belly. I was a runner for years and spent the better part of my 20's at around 170lbs.

But my knees suck now, and I want to get tone, stronger, and get fit again. I can't seem to find a program that actually feels like it is working.

I should also add I'm a vegetarian, but my eating habits suck. Comes with working 10 hour days.

Look for a program called Starting Strength, excellent for a beginner or intermediates. I'm still doing a full-body routine since my lifting is in the toilet right now. I have nothing to add regarding a vegeterian diet, I don't see how you'll get enough protein to help you out. I'm sure it can be done, you may have to dig for answers on that.

CG

[Colored Guy]

Sucks to hear about he pain @Colored Guy. Hopefully PT works well for you and you heal up fast.

@hogg A 2xBW bench is damn impressive. I'd say 88lbs BW with dips isn't too far from a 225lb bench. How do you setup on the bench and what is your sticking point? I'm sure your technique could use some work. Pick an appropriate exercise to work on that weak point and your bench should go up. Also, get your body weight up and do your upper back work. A more stable body means bigger weights can be handled.

I'm stilling going strong with my contest prep. I sort of psyched myself out by looking at the competitors who have done this show in the past couple years. They are in damn good shape and top 3 is going to be hard to get. I just have to hope that I got big enough in the last year and keep on charging ahead. One of the worst parts of competitive bodybuilding is all the damn mind games you play with yourself.

Thanks, I am a hurting unit for sure. I have a facet joint injury and have had a spinal epidural and facet joint injections, nothing is working right now. PT makes the pain bearable, I get these spasms that are pulling one vertebrae around.

CG

[RoryQ]

I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, but I always thought it was kind of neat that at least there are still supplement options out there- pea, soy, hemp etc.

Vegan Protein | Soy Protein Isolate | Pea Protein Isolate | Organic Hemp Protein | Brown Rice Protein | Myprotein.com

Assuming regular whey protein is out.