thread of getting sw0le

Also I have found through trial and error that taking a meditative approach is more effective than trying to get aggro/hyped up

I've been back at the gym for 2-3 months at this point and have been v disciplined abt being consistent and not making excuses to skip days, and proactively rescheduling gym days on nights I wanna do stuff. My weight is the same, which I expected more or less, but I def feel like parts of my body are getting meatier. It also feels really good to do things with ease that I could barely complete 2 months ago with 5-10 lbs less weight. It's still laughably small stuff (like, I'm benching 85, shoulder pressing 30, deadlifting 85) but it feels cool to notice improvements and I'm also happy that after doing this for several years I've become confident in what I do and no longer insecure abt, like, "will ppl notice i'm doing this incorrectly or with too little weight"

I think my goal next is going to be being much more mindful abt my diet, like eating more nutritious things, maybe tracking calories and protein instead of just winging it with making a vague effort to eat more meat and having a 25g protein shake after each workout

That’s awesome!

Fwiw I never ever judge anyone for using low weight bc everyone starts low. I do sometimes judge people for form just because either they are not getting benefit from the way they are doing it or they are risking injury.

I think low weights are pretty acceptable now too because of some people being into high reps/low weights and also who gives a shit ( no one knows your life). I like during my boot camp type of classes that almost every swole dude having to drop their weights in the middle of an interval because they just can't finish.

Keep going Stevie! I'm also a guy starting with relatively little muscle, but I've been working very steadily the past few months and noticing the changes.

Also you never know if someone is working up to a higher weight. I had a weirdo get snobby working in with me on bench press because I was only at like tens on each side. But that was my warmup and I was doing a gradual ramp. My last set was more than his (in spite of him having prettier and more defined muscles), and he was doing like half range of motion.

the absolute number of weight doesnt matter just as long as its heavy to you, then lift it with perfect form, also if you want to gain weight the easiest way is to eat a bunch of pizza and ice cream unfortunately, or so ive heard ive never been in the position to want to gain weight, tho i have eaten a lot of pizza and ice cream and can attest to its efficacy

I am in that supposedly lucky category of an easier gainer who doesn't even need to eat a bunch of pizza and ice cream. The downside of that shows in my belly.

i feel like over all people focus on things like weight and reps when they cld be focusing on having perfect form

yeah def

That's a little why it's really good to take sculpting/boot types of classes at the gym (if offered). The instructor will constantly be on your ass about adjusting your form, engaging your core, getting your breath right.

Or other weird nonsense like how sleeping on your side causes scoliosis or how using women’s barbell is unacceptable for dudes. JK I do agree those classes are useful for form improvements (and occasional comedy stylings as well).

For my part I improved my front squat from maybe like 135 to 195 to 235 and it was almost all form related.

Ha! I guess it depends on the instructor or demographic of the class. I know dudes don't often take them because it's "for women." But it's helpful if you can find the right class. I would never have felt comfortable doing different standing flys on my own otherwise.

hmmm i feel like bootcamp/circuit training/crossfit etc are actually pretty bad for form, too many reps too much speed

too amped up

Like anything it depends on the class, instructor. I've never done crossfit. A lot of reps are fine if you have lighter weights.

on paper its fine, like communism

Ha, I always just thought it was too expensive for that type of torture. Plus I see these crazy videos of how they row all wrong.

I feel like the classes I see at my gym are absolute garbage for form, just someone yelling at you to do as many reps as you can as fast as you can.

agree with lagoon basically. I mean even if they emphasize form, it's just natural that if you're getting all tired and winded you're going to start cutting corners.

yeah imo the circuit training etc approach of adding speed to the mix making it sort of a hybrid strength/cardio thing is sus

on squats i do 4 count down, 4 count up

same for dumbbell presses

I don't know anything about the speed component. Is that a staple of something outside of crossfit? That seems weird and where injuries happen.

xpost yeah, for squats I sometimes do a decreasing countdown. Start at 10 count up/down and then gradually get faster.

my form in nearly everything (handwriting, running, climbing stairs) has sucked, so lifting can be preemptively dismissed.

I don't know anything about the speed component. Is that a staple of something outside of crossfit? That seems weird and where injuries happen.

― Yerac, Tuesday, June 5, 2018 2:31 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah crossfit and just circuit training generally are kinda all about working up a lather until yr totally bonked

they often go until failure but the problem is failure of form happens way before total failure

Oh, i was thinking of when I do plyo or kickboxing classes with 5-8 lb handweights where I can. I keep it super controlled though since I have nightmares about accidentally throwing the weight into the mirror.

ugh i love the idea of perfect form, as it is i pride myself in doing slow, smooth reps even if it means a little less weight vs like doing lots of jerking and pulling and yanking and taking advantage of the weight's momentum

also i silently judge ppl who do a lot of jerking and yanking

i just don't want to drop mad coin on a trainer!!!

I mean slowness past a certain point definitely makes the exercise more challenging and might reduce the amount of weight you can do. Tempo squats are harder than regular squats. So for powerlifting, where the goal is to maximize the amount of weight you can lift, using explosiveness/speed will usually give you better results. But even powerlifters tend to do some slower-speed training.

My brother in law came to visit for a week when we were living in an island location. He brought all his protein powders and his food scale because he weighs his chicken without fail. I got up in the morning and saw him out on the terrace lifting the chairs. He's super, super cut and dorito shaped though so I was like, YOU GO.

also, he was a very slight teenager with body image issues so it's impressive to how much he's changed. My spouse is like "why are you looking at half naked pics of my brother!" But it's the before and after pics on his fb and it's crazy how much sculpted, proportional muscle he's put on.

w/r/t form i find it easier to attain with ~more~ weight, rather than less. not, like, maximally loaded, but something where gravity helps enforce a good bar path

yeah its cool the lifts are natural

hey guys and gals, idk who uses Optimum Gold Standard Whey but i just switched from double rich choc to mocha cappuccino and it's actually really great and prob better than the plain choc

yeah? might have to try that next time

I switched to vegetable protein powder. I find it makes me feel better and stink less.

i know i'm "back" on the sw0le train when i'm tacking on lat pull downs after pull-ups.

I did lay pull downs after pull ups today!

i laid down after pull-ups if that counts

Still working on tight hip flexors. Really annoyed with myself for not honing in on the problem better/sooner (and a little for physical therapy in late 2016 being so vague and unhelpful), since it really seems like that's been my major limiting factor for squats and, to a lesser degree, deadlift

man havent been in the gym in forever, weather too nice outside man

Sometimes I feel like I will never fix my squat. I thought I finally had it down when I switched to low bar, but then a trainer (one who knows his lifting shit) realized my back was dangerously rounding and I wasn't tightening my core enough. Now I'm doing that but squatting higher again and I feel like my hips are as tight as ever.

I've been doing a lot of iron crosses and reverse decline lunges and stuff like that, and I even got a standing desk. IDK if anything will do it, squats have always been unnatural for me. I see guys who are much weaker than me who can do them more easily, the movement is so natural for them.

man havent been in the gym in forever, weather too nice outside man

― sprout god (lag∞n), Friday, July 6, 2018 12:07 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

v same

Hi there, long time long time listener, first time caller.

Since I am coming off my second stress fracture in two years, I decided to start a lifting routine so I wouldn’t allow myself to run 7 days a week. I’ve been doing 5/3/1 for a couple of months now, and I think I kind of like it? It fits with my slow/steady/methodical progress mindset. I just don’t care about lifting massive amounts of weight, I just want to slowly progress.

Some random thoughts:

-I can’t do deadlifts, so many of the 5/3/1 zealots would say I’m not really doing the program right, but my lower back is just not deadlift friendly. I’ve tried it off the rack and not from the floor, using the bar thing you step into, etc. Even just lifting the bar with no weights almost tweaks my back every time. So I’ve been doing a bunch of extra assistant work on deadlift day to try and work the same muscles. It seems to be working? I really like single leg Romanian deadlifts with dumbbells. Any other suggestions welcome.

-I love squats, and really leg stuff in general. Any thing that I don’t have to lift with my runner noodle arms is good. However I’m still using the Smith Machine for squats. Which I know isn’t ideal, but I’m kind of chicken when I’m anything about 180 or so.

-I’ve been doing barbell bench, which has been mostly fine except on the the AMRAP for the last sets. It’s only happened once, but I pinned myself, some random dude saw me and helped me out though. So I don’t think I’ve been pushing myself to my true AMRAP. Eventually I’ll find someone to spot me. Not a lot of people in my gym at 5:00 AM though.

-Favorite assistant work, one leg dumbbell squats, leg press, inclined dumbbell bench, lat pull down

-Least favorite assistant work, side planks, machine assisted dips/chins, cable triceps pull down (maybe the worst, I don’t think I have triceps, I currently do 30 lbs x 15 three times).

That’s it. Progress is slow, but starting to be noticeable after 2 months. But ultimately I’ll be glad when I can quit and run all the time again. The end.

my gym right now is the exact opposite of the gym i used to go to in d.c. - very low-pressure and podunk and never crowded. they have a big room with a wooden floor and mirrors that people teach classes in, though it's empty like 98% of the time. so i do some yoga for about 20-25 minutes in there before i go back out and lift weights. it's great. no distractions. i can go shirtless, pretend i'm a dancer and jack my iphone into the stereo. so i'm in there today wearing tights with no shirt doing yoga while ambient autechre is playing and my boss, the owner of the bookstore where i work, walks in with the trainer he's been working with for the past few months to do some yoga of their own. i finish my routine, get my stuff, try to avoid interaction and it's kind of awkward. the end.

lmao whoops

map took me to his gym in DC once and it was so wack, like ultra high end lUxUrY gym with lots of exposed concrete and brick and indirect fuchsia lighting