Grassroots Strength Training - Bodybuilding, Power Lifting, Etc.

In reply to Katie Suddard :

Use the muscles you want to build up. Work strenuously but don't overwork them. For post surgery, I'd probably go lower weight and higher reps.

With weight training, that's very relative. "Higher" reps is probably 8-20, with 10-16 probably the sweet spot.

You want to go close to failure, but not quite hit it. Recovering, I'd got until you hit "technical failure" - your muscles can still exert force, but you're not able to hold a smooth and controlled range of motion. A couple reps like that aren't going to hurt you.

Much like learning performance driving, you will make the most improvement operating at about 8/10, at least as a novice.

I'd create a circuit with multiple lifts that work the triceps, associated major muscles, and supporting muscles. Ideally use free weights (barbell and/or dumbells).

• Bench press
• Overhead press
• Close-grip press (like bench, but hands closer to target triceps)
• Neutral grip dumbbell press
• "Skull crushers"
• Overhead tricep extensions
• Some rowing or other shoulder type movements for support.

Do 3-5 exercises a session, always doing bench and/or overhead press. 3 sets of 8-16 reps. Rest about 1-2 minutes between each set. 2 or 3 sessions per week hitting the same muscle groups with at least one day of rest in between. Increase weight slightly each session. If your equipment gives you big-ish jumps in weight - increase weight one step, drop to 8 reps. Increase reps each time until you hit 14-16 reps for 3 sets. Increase weight again and drop back to 8 reps.

To find your working weights, start with a lower weight. Increase until you max out what you can do 14-16 reps due to strength, technique, or discomfort.

I really like barbells and a good used olympic bar or easy-curl bar and some plates are the best value in exercise equipment.

For cheapest handy cost of entry that will continue to be valuable, I'd get some simple adjustable dumbbells like these. And buy some cheap 10lbs plates when you need the extra weight. We've got a set of these and still use them regularly. Only slowing down because we bought some fancier adjustable dumbbells.

If you're fealing good or want to shift over to including other major muscle groups and want to lift heavier, transition to the Starting Strength program that was recommended to Nicole.

I like bands and cable type weight machines for  recovery but  you're going to have to use it to make it strong.  Weights are one way but various types of movement help. Bodyweight exercises, cycling, swimming. All work well for different parts of tbt body.   Swimming really helped my shoulder get better from a collarbone break.  And holy E36 M3 is it hard and a fantastic workout.   Start slow and work up. 

Still struggling with the hook grip. Even with my thumb locked into my hand and being pressed on by the bar, my fingers are still opening up.

I'm ready to admit my grip strength is craptastic after the injury. I ordered the grip strength training tool my physical therapist advised me to get 8 months ago.
 

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

Still struggling with the hook grip. Even with my thumb locked into my hand and being pressed on by the bar, my ringers are still opening up.

'm ready to admit my grip strength is craptastic after the injury. I ordered the grip strength training tool my physical therapist advised me to get 8 months ago.
 

Its worth checking out the workouts I referenced earlier ("Just A Bar").  A lot of them will fatigue your grip as you try to hang onto the bar as long as possible.  The first workout has 100 hang cleans in a row which doesnt sound like a lot with only 45lb, but its hard not to give your forearms a break!

Well, this was an interesting experiment.  Trying to gain a little weight. 

Starting weight on Sept 6 was 181.6, ending weight this morning was 183.4

Target was to eat 3000 everyday.  Actual average was 2905.  I have been uncomfortably full for a month now.

No burn target, I just wanted to see where I ended up naturally.  Ended up at 3087 according to fitbit.  This is fair as I did a metabolic panel last year and my RMR was a hair over 2000.

Obviously there is room for error in both of those numbers, because at a nearly 200calorie deficit I should lose instead of gain weight, but I'm happy to understand some sort of baseline.  From my reading you can aim for 1-3% of weight gain per month when building muscle, so I'm on the low end of that.  Probably good though as with my shoulder issues I am currently not pushing hard enough to capitalize on any more gain.

Because google sheets sucks:  Blue = weight in lb, Red = Calories eaten, Yellow = Calories burnt

Full Power Racks vs just a Squat Stand? What are people's opinions?

We have one rack now. CL Market special. It's an open front squat stand with a pulley system (overhead or at the feet).

Want a second rack so wife and I can train at the same time more easily. Being in Columbus, will almost certainly buy Rogue, especially if we decide to buy new.

Leaning squat rack with spotter arms, mostly for space and ease of taking a bar off the rack to go from like Squats to Overhead Press.

People talk about the greater versatility of a full power rack. People with a full rack, what does it gain you that you can't really do with just a squat stand with spotter arms?

Squat Rack I'm leaning towards... vs. a Full Rack like this. Open to recommendations on good alternative brands, but I feel like Rogue tends to offer value in line with its pricing.

In reply to Beer Baron :

I like the second option better (RML3), but not getting pinned under weights while squatting is a major concern for me, and if you fall while twisting you may miss the spotter arms on the first rack.

I have a half rack, I feel like it's a good compromise between the two.  The bar doesn't get "trapped" inside the rack, but you still get most of the stability of a full rack,  

I have one from Grind Fitness.  It's ok.  It's not Rogue, but it's also not Rogue prices.  My main 2 gripes about it are:  the hole spacing is too far apart and the spread between the grips on the pull-up  at the top is way too wide.

I bought it during the pandemic and scoured CL/fb marketplace for a while and it was competitive/better than used pricing at the time.

calteg said:

If you have the shoulder stability, Olympic ring workouts make a HUGE difference in strength in a short period of time. I was just doing dips and muscle ups and I saw an upper body transformation, even after a decade+ of dedicated lifting

Same for Turkish getups. Start with a very light kettlebell. Way lighter than you think. You'll be gassed before the end of the first set, but it's a phenomenal workout.

First tried some of these last night for shoulder day- began with OHP 5x5 up to 115lbs, moved to wide-grip pullups, then cable rear delts, attempted Turkish get-ups, then finished with delt raises and DB Shrugs. Slapdash, but I'm more focused on learning what "feels" good and what to incorporate into a future workout plan- but my heart rate isn't high enough, I lack power exercises, and I have no idea where to being with Olympic rings. Any tips or videos?

And could someone point me to how to build an effective workout plan? I think I want to get back into martial arts and have that capacity, but I don't know what i'll need to do workout-wise. I've really just done basic strength stuff.

In terms of power racks, I have a Titan Fitness T3 short height (82"), 36" deep rack. I've had it for a few years now, and love it. It was a great value, and they make a ton of accessories for it. It's no Rogue, but it doesn't carry the Rogue price tag, either. I think I paid about $360, and now the same model is about $580 with free shipping.  The shorter height works well for the basement it's in, and I love the deeper rack which gives more space. I'm also a big fan of the Westside spacing for things like Bench Press.

In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :

I've heard good things about Titan. I'll look into that.

I'd really like something with the Westside spacing.

GIRTHQUAKE said:

And could someone point me to how to build an effective workout plan? I think I want to get back into martial arts and have that capacity, but I don't know what i'll need to do workout-wise. I've really just done basic strength stuff.

It depends on your goals. It depends on your current fitness level and how much variety you need to subject your body to varied intensity. It depends a LOT on how much time you have to devote and what you will be willing to stick with.

You've gotta figure those things out yourself.

Key things to remember:

• 80:20 (up to 90:10, depending on who you ask) - >80% of your progress will come from <20% of your lifts. These are your major compound lifts - Squat, Deadlift, Bench/Overhead Press, Pull Up - focus on the ones that give you the most benefit for your goals.
• Vary intensity - Force your body to adapt to new stimuli. Adjust variables of weight, reps, range of motion, time under tension, speed, etc.
• You get stronger during recovery between exercising
• Going to absolute failure will increase recovery time more than it increases the stimulus on your muscles (you see most gains going 1-2 reps short of failure).

If the goal is to be ready for martial arts, I'd focus on squat, deadlift, and pull ups.

I'd also include some form of cardio/endurance that prepares you for the type of exertion you expect to do. If you're doing martial arts, you don't need to be able to run a steady state 5k. You want to practice higher intensity for shorter bursts of time that you will need to exert yourself for. Like run full out for 2-4 minute intervals.

Hill sprints or running stairs would be really good exercise.

If you're getting ready to start martial arts, lift 3 times/week with 1-2 days rest in between, and cardio 3-5 days/wk. Then drop to Twice/wk after you've built up strength and are training in martial arts.

Alternate between:

Routine A:

• Squat (3x5)
• Pull up (3-5 max rep)
• Dead lift (2x5)
• Overhead Press (3x5)

Routine B:

• Squat (3x5)
• Pull up (3-5 max tep)
• Power Clean (5x3)
• Bench (3x5)

Add 5-10 lbs to each exercise each time until you plateau. When you plateau, drop to 70% of the weight you can do 5 reps of and do 8 reps. Build up with 5 lbs each time and dropping reps as necessary until you're only doing 3-5 reps. At which point, you're out of your newby gains phase and need a new routine.

That program is a modified Starting Strength, with less pressing (because those exercises are aimed more for people who want to do power lifting or football) and more pulling.

If focusing on pulling, why not bent over row?  That should engage much more of the back than pullups, no?

Re: building a good program, my though is, increasingly, use a program someone else has developed.  When I make my own I have fun and maintain, maybe increase a little, vs. if I follow a good one I make significant progress.  That said, tweaking a program like above is a gray area and depending how much you mess with it, usually offers good results.

ProDarwin said:

If focusing on pulling, why not bent over row?  That should engage much more of the back than pullups, no?

Not really. Looking it up, they're pretty similar. Maybe hitting some a bit more than others.

I find bent over row more awkward and/or you get less range of motion.

I like the additional core stability element that pull ups offer.

Re: building a good program, my though is, increasingly, use a program someone else has developed.  When I make my own I have fun and maintain, maybe increase a little, vs. if I follow a good one I make significant progress.  That said, tweaking a program like above is a gray area and depending how much you mess with it, usually offers good results.

The above program is really meant to be one for beginners to get up to speed. It's just a slightly modified Starting Strength with Pull-Ups given higher priority. My assumption is that the goal is to establish and maintain baseline strength to support the focus of Martial Arts, rather than having increasing strength as a primary goal.

I think my workout routine and goals are very different than most here, but I have been enjoying reading (and my workouts still), but there is news.

I was changing in the gym, and glanced at the mirror (I do not make a habit of using the mirror other than shaving, and I don't take selfies). No doubt about it, that's a six pack. Woohoo!

In reply to tuna55 :

Today's workout was seeing how heavy I could go without losing form and without straining my wrists too much. I'll be staying at these weights for a while, until I can get more reps.

175 lb bench 4x5 reps and 1x 4 reps (staying at this weight for a bit)

135 lb barbell row 5x 5 reps (last set was tough as hell)

95 lb military press 4x 5 reps, 1x 4 reps

I've not yet moved to body weight or barbells on the following exercises:

115 Pulldown machine:  3x1 0 reps. 

70 lb Shoulder raises on cable: 3x 8 reps

I'm still working up in weights in legs, being very careful of form and such. I'll post those numbers once I plateau. I'm doing squats and deadlifts on leg day, followed by cardio. Should I add a third leg exercise? Thoughts on what I'm doing right now? I also work out solo, so getting pinned or falling under the weights is a huge concern. I do ask for spots when going heavy, and I'm thinking about trying to find a workout partner.

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

Today's workout was seeing how heavy I could go without losing form and without straining my wrists too much. I'll be staying at these weights for a while, until I can get more reps.

If you stay at set weight and reps, you will get used to do that weight and reps, not get stronger. Always be increasing weight or increasing reps.

If you've been lifting for a while, the easy answer is to do a "light day" where you do less weight for more reps, and a "heavy day" where you do more weight for fewer reps.

I don't think you *need* any extra lower body exercises on leg day, but it would certainly benefit.

In reply to Beer Baron :

Correct, which is why I mentioned I'll be staying at the weights for a while until I can get more reps.  
I'm shooting for 3x10 instead of 5x5 for a bit until I start trying to go up in weight using Stronglifts.

I should mix in a lighter weight day for more reps, too, though. That's a great idea. 

I picked up a Garmin Instinct wearable to track steps and exercise.

I've only had it for four days so far, but it seems that it's going to provide some good insights to my daily activity. How many of you are using this type of device to help with your exercise routines?

I have a fitbit.  You can see the data I collected from it above.  Its fun to play with, but provides zero value to me.

The heart rate is often a joke.  Its reasonable if I am out for a long run, but is wayyyyy off during weightlifting.

Current status/check in:

I jumped from 175 to 185 on the bench press and managed 5, 4, 4, 3, 2.  It looks like I have to go back to 180, ten pounds was too much of a jump.

I went up to 215 in squats and managed 5x5 with some effort. I'm going to have to use some safety bars moving forward. It'll help my confidence.

Dead lift was 245 for 6 reps, 3 reps with a mixed grip right overhand and 3 reps left overhand, no break other than to quickly switch grips in the middle. Last rep required real effort.

I dropped the military press to 80 pounds, and I'm going more reps, watching my back posture and form. I got 2 sets at 9 reps and 1 set at 8 reps. I'm going to stay at this weight until I can do 3 sets of 10 perfectly.

Barbell row was 5x5 at 140 pounds with good form, but the last rep was close.

Overall, I seem to have hit my peak strength points in my lifts. All of them are  lower than before, but it's where it is now, so I'll build it back up, 5 pounds at a time. I'm debating continuing with strong lifts 5x5 or going to an intermediate starting strength routine.

The Garmin watch isn't perfect at keeping track of reps or figuring out what exercise I'm doing, but it's easy to edit in the app and it's a great way to keep track of progress. It also aggregates all of my exercise into one location. I'm glad I picked it up.

 

I'm finding I need to work on consistency, I've been averaging only 1 day a week of working out over the past month, so I need to up that to at least 2 and ideally 3 days a week.  I can feel that my grip (double overhand) is an issue with deadlifts already, so I'm going to add some specific grip work to try to address that.  I have the rubber extension bands, a bar to hang from, and I ordered a grip exerciser and fat grips to use.  I can do a dead hang from a 1.25" bar for 100 seconds, so I feel like my grip endurance is there, but I can feel the bar slipping on deadlifts as I get into the 7 rep range, so my ultimate strength is lacking.  I'm not above using straps eventually, but not in the weigh range I'm working in (low 200s).

I tried some hangs from the pullup bar today, the first one I just hung for time and the second time I tried to squeeze the bar hard for the entire time.  The difference between the two was pretty big, focusing on squeezing the bar made it feel like I was working a lot harder.

tuna55 said:

I think my workout routine and goals are very different than most here, but I have been enjoying reading (and my workouts still), but there is news.

 

I was changing in the gym, and glanced at the mirror (I do not make a habit of using the mirror other than shaving, and I don't take selfies). No doubt about it, that's a six pack. Woohoo!

I signed up for the St. Jude 3000 pushups challenge fundraiser for November. Since then definition has only increased. I am 2/3 of the way there!

If anyone is thinking of it, donate to Bill for Ukraine humanitarian efforts instead of my fundraiser. I didn't want to post about it here as to not divert funds away from that effort.

For a long time now (5 years I think), my workout plan has been "do 50 of something every day". For the first 3 years I did 50 pushups one day and 50 squats the next - as many sets as it takes to get to 50. Along with changing my diet with weight watchers app, that helped me go from 210ish to 175-180. Very large improvement. 

Then I added a "pull up" day to the mix for the 4th year, but 50 pull ups in a day is a LOT. So pull up day is actually 15 pull ups and 35 v-ups. Adding pull ups really changed the way I look but didn't really change my weight. Then my wife bought me a weight vest, and I added that in to the pull ups, I can now do a set of 9-10 pull ups wearing about 25 lbs! I can do 10 or so pistol squats on each leg in a set, and sometimes I get my kids to stand on my back for pushups, and I can do a handfull with my 8 year old standing on my back. 

I'm currently working toward a gymnast pull up (getting my chest to touch the bar, the last inch is killer) and a muscle up. I might be adding in some dips now as I recently got a "power tower" type device which has a pull up bar and a dip rack. 

The reason this all works for me is that there is basically no equipment requirement and the whole thing takes very little time (no excuses), and if I miss a day, then I double the next day of the same exercise. So only in rare cases do I skip!