DaveH

I just looked into this five minute rest thing and that long of rest is only suggested if you are doing extremely heavy weight (your maximum) with only 1-3 reps. I guess I wouldn't know anything about that because even on my heavy days I do weight I can rep between 5-6 times.

If you can hit your reps with the amount of rest you are taking, then awesome. Keep doing that.

My point was that when training for strength, the most important thing is to get your reps. If you need to rest longer to do that, then do that. That's all.

 

 

 

 

There was a guy at my gym that used the community hair dryer to dry his nut sack and ass crack after showering. Can't say I appreciated witnessing that.

 

As far as in the gym, when 2 or more muscle heads are lifting and they are doing weird sh#t like slapping each other in the face and screaming at each other to get pumped up to bench 375 one time.

 

 

Other than that, I usually just mind my own business.

Really dude?

Time to find a new gym. WTF

Yeah. I don't go there anymore. My wife had even stranger experiences than I did.

Like some lady drying her balls with a hair dryer?

Well the lady didn't have balls but it was used in a similar fashion. And she was like 70

 

gross

Can you link to the page that you got that from? There must be a discrepancy here and I'll contact the author.

But yea, assuming you have healthy kidneys and are otherwise normal, you'd have no ill effects more creatine.

edit: here is where I got the numbers I quoted: http://examine.com/supplements/Creatine/#howtotake

 

 

 

 

 

People that decide to take a 15 minute break between reps on a machine/equipment and then get mad when you decide to step in. Gets a quick "f#*k off" from me.

Had that experience last week. Guy is a regular and probably the strongest person in the gym, but he takes inordinately long breaks. I was scoping out this adjustable bench while I finished up my lift to see if anyone is on it because it has a towel thrown at the foot of it. Nobody is near it for a couple of minutes and everyone is using a piece of equipment so I figure somebody just forgot their towel, because if you were saving it you'd probably place your towel on the bench right? So I start my lift on the bench and he comes over all pissed off like and swipes his towel out from under the bench and pouts off muttering something (I have head phones in). He just glares at me the rest of the night, and he never even used a bench after that. It was pretty entertaining, but I would have apologized if he didn't act like a little 3 year old.

 

I can understand taking long breaks. Hell, when I'm going heavy I take about 8 minutes between sets. Less rest will almost guarantee me not getting my next set.

 

But if someone wants to work in the rack I'm using, go for it. I'll even help you unload and load the bar if you want.

 

I mean I understand it but from someone who isn't training for raw power, over 5 minutes of rest seems wasteful. It's like the difference between being strong and functionally strong to me.

 

Functionally strong? I've never understood that term. Strong is strong. Functionally strong sounds like a justification for not getting stronger IMO

 

 

Not an excuse, just a difference of philosophies. Stamina and strength go hand in hand. You can bench 350, great! But if you can't get back under the bar in less than 5 minutes and push out more than a couple reps it seems a little overrated to me unless you're a power lifter.

 

Functionally strong probably has a lot of different meanings depending on who's using it, but to me it's; being able to have the coordination/balance, flexibility, stamina, and strength to complete tasks in a reasonably short time.

 

I guess that's the difference. Time. It doesn't make sense to me to relate strength to time, at all. Strength and stamina go hand in hand in that, all things being equal, the guy who's stronger probably has more stamina too. It's never bad to be stronger.

If you can bench 350 5 times, you're stronger and than the guy who can bench 200 10 times. There's no doubt about that IMO.

Being stronger is always better than not IMO. Being able to rep out a lighter weight more times with less rest doesn't really get you much stronger.

So I read through that Dave posted on creatine. It basically recommends a maintinance intake of 30g a day for someone like me (220lbs), which is 6 times the amount that any study uses or that companies recommend on their bottle. I'll probably try increasing my intake since I seem to be plateauing on my 5-10g intake, but question...

 

I think you misread and miscalculated.

You weigh 99kg (220 lbs)

For loading 99*0.3 = 30g for loading (5-7 days)

Then, maintenance is 99*0.03 = ~3g indefinitely

Or just take 3g indefinitely.

Week 15 on Texas Method. Squat, bench and some chins.

http://thesquatrack.com/share?workout=194318&h=576f527265415830374e4b7351

I'd like to see radios ala the NFL. I've never understood why college teams aren't allowed to leverage simple radios that we invented in the stone age.

I think there has to be something done with regard to how coaches can come and go, but players have rules about leaving.. Someone on the radio the other day said in Volleyball, girls can just up and leave and go play somewhere else immediately, but baseball and football have rules. It doesn't make sense and is terribly inconsistent. I guess a lot of stuff with the NCAA is though.

I don't know that rules need to be that strict or prevent someone from going somewhere else. It just needs to be fair to everyone involved, students and coaches, which I don't think it is right now.

 

 

 

People that decide to take a 15 minute break between reps on a machine/equipment and then get mad when you decide to step in. Gets a quick "f#*k off" from me.

Had that experience last week. Guy is a regular and probably the strongest person in the gym, but he takes inordinately long breaks. I was scoping out this adjustable bench while I finished up my lift to see if anyone is on it because it has a towel thrown at the foot of it. Nobody is near it for a couple of minutes and everyone is using a piece of equipment so I figure somebody just forgot their towel, because if you were saving it you'd probably place your towel on the bench right? So I start my lift on the bench and he comes over all pissed off like and swipes his towel out from under the bench and pouts off muttering something (I have head phones in). He just glares at me the rest of the night, and he never even used a bench after that. It was pretty entertaining, but I would have apologized if he didn't act like a little 3 year old.

 

I can understand taking long breaks. Hell, when I'm going heavy I take about 8 minutes between sets. Less rest will almost guarantee me not getting my next set.

 

But if someone wants to work in the rack I'm using, go for it. I'll even help you unload and load the bar if you want.

 

I mean I understand it but from someone who isn't training for raw power, over 5 minutes of rest seems wasteful. It's like the difference between being strong and functionally strong to me.

 

Functionally strong? I've never understood that term. Strong is strong. Functionally strong sounds like a justification for not getting stronger IMO

 

This probably isn't it, but starting about 3 months ago, I could no longer load the board by typing in "huskerboard.com"

 

It only works if you put the www in front of it now. At least for me. This is the message I get:

 

SORRY! If you are the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider: webmaster@huskerboard.com

It is possible you have reached this page because:

 

things look OK from our end. Have you tried clearing cache and cookies? What happens if you use inPrivate or Incognito mode, depending on your browser?

This is similar to HeyBakerMark's thread around runkeeper, but I guess in general, how do you track your training?

I use a notebook in the gym, then log on www.thesquatrack.com.

I've seen some forums provide logging via just using one thread per person.. It's crude, but it get's the job done.

So, what say you?

 

 

Short workouts are good. Forgot where I read this but it said if you were spending more than an hour in the gym lifting you're wasting time.

 

IMO It really depends on what you're doing, not just that it took you a long time.

For instance, if you're using Texas Method you could easily spend over an hour on volume day. Unless you're inhuman and can squat 5x5 at ~90% of your 5RM in less than a half hour or so. Then you have bench or overhead press 5x5.

It just depends on the program. If you're dicking around using a bunch of machines for more than an hour, then yea, you could probably be using your time more wisely

 

Currently my stats are 5'8" 205 lbs with probably around 12% body fat, I'm hoping to be below 8% and drop about 15 lbs by the time the adventure race comes around. Bulking season has went well this year, but I was hoping to be closer to 215 by this point. Back injuries have slowed my progress there.

You sir must be jacked!

 

 

 

 

 

No doubt. That's pretty damn lean.

 

People that decide to take a 15 minute break between reps on a machine/equipment and then get mad when you decide to step in. Gets a quick "f#*k off" from me.

Had that experience last week. Guy is a regular and probably the strongest person in the gym, but he takes inordinately long breaks. I was scoping out this adjustable bench while I finished up my lift to see if anyone is on it because it has a towel thrown at the foot of it. Nobody is near it for a couple of minutes and everyone is using a piece of equipment so I figure somebody just forgot their towel, because if you were saving it you'd probably place your towel on the bench right? So I start my lift on the bench and he comes over all pissed off like and swipes his towel out from under the bench and pouts off muttering something (I have head phones in). He just glares at me the rest of the night, and he never even used a bench after that. It was pretty entertaining, but I would have apologized if he didn't act like a little 3 year old.

 

I can understand taking long breaks. Hell, when I'm going heavy I take about 8 minutes between sets. Less rest will almost guarantee me not getting my next set.

But if someone wants to work in the rack I'm using, go for it. I'll even help you unload and load the bar if you want.

 

I can get on board with the eating stuff. (HA! maybe)

 

But this sleeping thing? You guys are losing me. Are there really people who do that?

Sleeping is probably the most important aspect of training. Your body recovers itself while you sleep and if you don't get enough, your body will not recover fully and it could end up having a reverse affect on you training. The program I am on calls for a deload week every 4th week but I am going every 7th. This week is to allow my body to recover and to heal what I have stressed. It is essential that you take a rest period to get back to 100% so you can go again.

 

You can say that again. Sleeping is incredibly important for recovery in my experience

Don't get much curling in the rack where I train. I don't think I've ever seen someone do it. Though it would be annoying.

I guess the supersetting or circuit training people who like to lay claim to multiple pieces of equipment at a time. That's just not right.

Good topic. Tracking is crucial IMO.

I use thesquatrack.com to track my training.. along with my trusty notebook.

 

Speaking of shoes, if you squat a lot I'd highly recommend a proper lifting shoe of some sort. Heel height it up to you, but something with a non compressible sole and straps. Its light years better than squatting in trainers.

I've heard a lot of guys I trust in the field say the same thing. Any you specifically recommend? I know nothing about these kind of shoes.

 

I have a pair of Rogue DoWins that I love. I heard they stopped selling them though

Lots of folks seem to gravitate towards Adidias AdiPower'ss or NIke Romaleo's

I'd buy them a half size smaller than usual as you want them snug. I bought mine that way and they were tight when I first got them but now they're perfect.

Watch out for shoes labelled as crossfit shoes that look similar. Those have a less compressable sole than a trainer, but it's still compressible. If you're primarily training the squat and deads, you don't want those IMO

No mobility work for me. Though I probably should do some.

I was doing Limber 11 pre workout some time ago, but stopped because it was just wearing me out before my workout. I usually just do a general warm up on an stationary bike, then jump right into movement specific warmups.

For squat, specifically, I take a little more warm up with lighter weight to find the groove and get to depth. Then pile on the weight. My right ankle isn't as mobile, dorsiflexion wise, as my other one but my Olympic shoes with 3/4 heel help that quite a bit.

Speaking of shoes, if you squat a lot I'd highly recommend a proper lifting shoe of some sort. Heel height it up to you, but something with a non compressible sole and straps. Its light years better than squatting in trainers.

For your consideration..

You don't get stronger in the gym. That's where stress is applied.

You get stronger outside the gym by recovering and eating well. I find the older you get, the more you have to consider how to recover best and what dosage of stress (aka training) is required to drive progress.

Sometimes I like to think of training as a medicine. You need to titrate the dose of training to a level that causes adaptation so that you can apply the next dose sooner than later. Apply too much too soon, you won't make long term progress, and burn out or die (well, not really but you get it).

Apply too little and you won't drive progress either. In my experience, it takes some time to learn how your body and mind react to training to know what was too much, what's too little and what's about right. Starting with a good training program will get you at least pointed in the right direction.

Generally, younger people can recover very quickly and be ready for more training quicker than older people. The older you get (read 40+ years, probably), you need to look to progress slower but progress none the less. This is where proper programming can come in.

A lot of this stuff is described in Seyle's general adaptation syndrome. Check out the books Practical Programming or Starting Strength for a primer on it.

Dave, how do you customize your meal names and orders? For example, instead of only breakfast, how do I add a pre-workout, post-workout, etc.?

Settings -> Diary settings

I like this application a lot. About 2 years ago, I was keeping a handwritten log of the food I ate and macros. This is really convenient and easy. Thanks for the recommendation.

Awesome. It'll get easier to log every day when you start to build a good recent and frequent list.

 

 

Mobility complex to get my hips and shoulders opened up.

Starting Strength routine: Squats 3x5, Bench Press 3x5, Deadlift 1x5.

Auxiliary core and arm work.

 

I got the lifting part down, I need to work on the nutrition (I hate the word diet).

Awesome. How long have you been doing SS?

I think this is my 6th week. I started bare bar, like some recommend. I have lifted for 10 or so years, so it was certainly a shot to the ego squatting and deadlifting bare bar. It has helped my form immensely. I've moved up in weight incrementally, obviously more in squat/DL than presses. I'm doing the Wichita Falls Variant (I believe), that doesn't have snatch/cleans.

 

Squat 3x5

Press (alternating bench and overhead) 3X5

Pull (Deadlift 1x5 or pull-ups to failure)

 

After that, I mix in some core and other auxiliary lifts as desired.

 

Nice!

I followed SS for the better part of a year. After a few stalls on pretty much everything, I switched to a light day in the middle of the week. That only worked for a 3 or 4 weeks. I'm now using the Texas Method and I like it quite a bit. This is my 14th week.

I've enlisted the help of an online coach to see if we can take it to the next level, programming and nutrition wise. It seems with my programming I could be working a bit harder, but my lifts are going up weekly so I can't complain too much.

I enjoy barbell training because you get a ton out of it with just a few simple movements and proper programming.

I use it most of the time. Homemade stuff is kinda hard to put on there though

It takes some effort yea, but definitely doable.

I store multiple recipes for stuff we make. I either construct them manually using the actual ingredients we use, or if the recipe provides it I do a sanity check on it and enter it as a new food.

I try to stick to the USDA sourced values in the database.

That is the only way to train in my eyes Dave. I have never cared for machines but will use them as an accessory lift. ALL my core lifts are with a barbell and that will never change.

 

Just completed my 2nd cycle of 5/3/1 and have loved every bit of it. I am going to run 6 cycles, do some 1RM's and go at it again.

Awesome.