Going back to College and Lifting

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Pretty In Pink, Aug 6, 2018.

  1. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Most lifters recommend warming up with the main lift starting from the bar.

    I felt that until I got to lifting near my body weight that it didn't feel like it warmed me up enough. More about practising the movement.
     
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  2. Monkey_Magic

    Monkey_Magic Well-Known Member

    How about a two stage warmup?
    1. General warmup to elevate heart rate, warm muscles and get your mind and body ready for exercise (e.g. 5-10 minutes of something like rowing that warms up arms and legs).
    2. Exercise specific warmup: 20 reps of a light weight before you start your training sets proper (as axelb suggested).

    The benefit should be a gradual warmup, in order to reduce injury risk.

    AND remember the cool down at the end :)

    A proper cool down’s important for keeping your body in shape for the next day’s workout. Finishing with 3+ minutes stretching, of course :)
     
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  3. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    From what I vaguely remember, the reason for not doing too much cardio before, was because it drains the glycogen stores too much from the muscles. But I don't think that's much of an issue until the weights become more challenging to you.

    Cool down, it's recommended by most, something light and low HR.
     
  4. Nachi

    Nachi Valued Member Supporter


    That is pretty much what we do in crossfit and although I don't remember much of the science behind it, it definitely works for me! General warm-up, then starting from a bar of a specific exercise and adding weight from there. When the day's exercises are set to be hard on legs or shoulders for example, we sometimes target that part in a warm-up (and stretching) specifically. It doesn't tire me out even before starting as I usually think, but actually helps to perform better and probably prevent injury, too.
     
  5. Monkey_Magic

    Monkey_Magic Well-Known Member

    A light cardio warmup is a good idea and probably essential to reduce injury risk.

    However, if you’re aiming for hypertrophy via bodybuilding, then too much cardio reduces hypertrophy. In other words, a bodybuilder who also trains for a marathon isn’t going to get as big as a bodybuilder who solely focuses on weight training. Although - in both cases - they’ll still need a general warmup with a bit of cardio before hitting the weights.

    In contrast, a marathon runner who adds weight training won’t lose out (provided he or she weight trains for muscular endurance, not hypertrophy). Weight training doesn’t hamper cardiovascular fitness and may actually improve it.
     
  6. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Didn't do anything yesterday because I'm ill. Tomorrow I'll go even if it sucks. Also figured out I can add in a Sunday session and bump up to 4 days a week. So that's Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
     
  7. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    Since I was a dick in my previous post I'll be nicer. Outside of powerlifting there is no need to go parallel or lower especially if you are a taller athlete the risk simply isn't worth it.

    Go to a depth you can keep good form that is enough.
     
  8. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    And yet every good bodybuilder does hours of cardio Arnold and Franco did 5 mile runs daily, kai green does an hour on the stepper at a time.
    No cardio before lifting is a myth akin to the whole cardio kills your gains myth and will make you look like a marathon runner
     
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  9. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Cheers! So I'm free to cardio pre-lifting?
     
  10. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

    Light easy cardio should be fine anywhere from 20-40mins, not intervals but stuff like easy bike work, rowing core work prehab stuff and so on is fine, nothing that gets the heart rate over 150bpm or you breathing hard
     
  11. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    You misread :p. I was talking about not going overboard on accessory exercises after your main workout or after each main lift, because you already get your main work in with those lifts.

    The weightlifting snob in me wants to disagree but Icefield speaks the truth. Still, the capacity for low squatting is developed gradually, and is as much a strength issue as a joint mobility issue. The longer your levers (and you are a very long person :p), the more base strength will be needed to hold certain positions (just around parallel is the hardest, usually), and if you can't hold them, your body will try to wiggle out of even casually passing through them, deforming the technique and sometimes stressing tissues more than is recommendable. Even if you don't squat to parallel or below in regular training or at heavier weights, it may be worth playing a bit with gradually lower squatting over the long run. Your balance in the squat seems to be good judging from the videos, as you keep your feet fully planted on the floor, so my only recommendation would be to be patient on the way down and take your time to make sure you maintain that balance, keeping the bar over the middle of your foot, and making sure your posture and technique are 100% consistent from rep to rep. From the mouth of the GOAT.

    Regarding warming up, warming up is warming up, you just increase temperature to limber up and improve circulation, so you can definitely do cardio, bagwork, or whatever else you prefer. The thing is, as Icefield said, not to go overboard and do a hard workout instead of a warm-up, because you'll then be tired, and your subsequent workout quality might plummet. Train what you actually want to train, in this case lifting. Additionally, warm-ups are also one of the best opportunities you will have to go through your exercise technique and try to groove/ingrain it BEFORE going to heavy weights from under which your body will try to wiggle out if you're not committed to the proper motor pattern (again, see the vid linked above).
     
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  12. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Nice one. So on the whole, parallel isn't completely necessary but I should probably try to get there? Keep form and warm up with the bag but don't over-do it. Also warm up with the bar more?

    Yesterday I was in a rush. I think I did squats @ 60kg 5x5 just to try it. It was hard. I think I'll do 10x 3 at around 50kg next time.

    Did bench @ 40kg 10x3 felt heavy so next time I'll probably do that again rather than increase.

    Today I'll didn't lift as I'm still sick. Next lift session planned is Sunday and I think I'll do deadlifts, pull ups, and something else. Suggestions? Also on Sunday I don't have any time constraints whereas trough the week I'm limited to about an hour.
     
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  13. Anwolf

    Anwolf Valued Member

    I enjoy doing shoulder shrugs or farmers walks after deadlifts + pullups, they're a really good finisher for grip strength and working the traps.
     
  14. Bozza Bostik

    Bozza Bostik Antichrist on Button Moon

    Farmers walks are the best! Such a simple exercise too. I would happily go to a gym and only do that one exercise.

    ------

    Warm up stuff continued: What would you do for stretching before lifting? Would you do some active stretching stuff or not bother.
     
  15. Monkey_Magic

    Monkey_Magic Well-Known Member

    I follow the NCSA advice: do a general warmup and then dynamic stretching pre-exercise.

    Post-exercise, I’d do a cool down and then 3+ minutes passive stretching.
     
  16. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    I generally will do a little short but somewhat intense stretching of whatever feels particularly tight that day before going to active mobility stuff, and my go-to full-body movilization is a deep good-morning (straight-backed) transitioning to a parallel squat, then slowly down to full squat, and finish with a press behind the neck when standing up,but I don't recommend weighted BTN presses unless you already have solid back and shoulder strength for the same reasons stated above re: minimal preexisting positional requirements (the good morning-to-squat is itself a very good movement without the press amyway). I usually follow that with a set of slow descent squats plus one or two sets of regular ones depending on how stiff my lower body is.
     
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  17. icefield

    icefield Valued Member

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  18. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Didn't write down what I did for Tuesday but it was deadlines and bench.

    Friday I did 3x10 squats @50kg and 3x10 bench @35kg

    Then to finish I did 30 seconds on the grappler with a 10kg plate alternating hands with 15 second rests.

    Am I right in thinking it's 1 minute breaks for 3x10 and longer for 5x5?

    Really starting to make my time more efficient in the gym which is good. And less DOMS and more of just a general feeling of emptiness. Feels better than DOMS anyway.
     
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  19. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    It's often stated 3-5 minutes for 5x5 or lower rep, and 1-3 ish min for higher rep.
    You'll probably find it's rest time until you are nearing 80-90% 1rm.

    If you can monitor your HR during rest; it's a good indicator of when you're good to go again.
     
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  20. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    My phone has a HR monitor on it but I'd bet it's not too accurate.
     

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