Discussion
IroningMan said:
Interesting.
5x5 hasn't caused me even a trace of DOMS until the wider stance squats I did last night - I can feel them in my glutes and inner thighs today.
One thing which did occur to me yesterday was what I was going to do if I failed to squat - I'm just using stands, not a rack, and there's not always someone handy to help, so I guess that's another reason to deload and focus on form for a bit.
Netball's bad for my back, though. I'm 47, you know...
I too am 47!5x5 hasn't caused me even a trace of DOMS until the wider stance squats I did last night - I can feel them in my glutes and inner thighs today.
One thing which did occur to me yesterday was what I was going to do if I failed to squat - I'm just using stands, not a rack, and there's not always someone handy to help, so I guess that's another reason to deload and focus on form for a bit.
Netball's bad for my back, though. I'm 47, you know...
I replaced my York squat stands with a cage with spotters, after failing on squats for the third time. Much better now, psychologically, too.
Will be starting this up again in a few weeks - really looking forward to it.
Did 12 weeks at the beginning of last year, then the usual 'reasons' for stopping kicked in.
Shoulder injury (from dicking about with a bar).
Travel for work (which was a norm, so I was doing two sessions a week, then started commuting weekly to Zurich and just couldn't be arsed).
Gym was expensive and rubbish - bought a Squat cage then started clearing the house for renovation, so it became a storage cage.
Well, no more. I'm skinny and weak. Much less travelling for work. Shoulder hasn't caused me gyp in months. House is renovated and the garage is nearly clear.
Question though. When I first did it it was with a mate, and we helped each other out on form (even though we both had little clue, it was better than nothing).
Working out on my own, how can I ensure I'm hitting the movements as closely as possible? Mirrors? Regular videoing?
Is it worth trying to find a coach to help me nail the form when I'm only lifting the bar?
Did 12 weeks at the beginning of last year, then the usual 'reasons' for stopping kicked in.
Shoulder injury (from dicking about with a bar).
Travel for work (which was a norm, so I was doing two sessions a week, then started commuting weekly to Zurich and just couldn't be arsed).
Gym was expensive and rubbish - bought a Squat cage then started clearing the house for renovation, so it became a storage cage.
Well, no more. I'm skinny and weak. Much less travelling for work. Shoulder hasn't caused me gyp in months. House is renovated and the garage is nearly clear.
Question though. When I first did it it was with a mate, and we helped each other out on form (even though we both had little clue, it was better than nothing).
Working out on my own, how can I ensure I'm hitting the movements as closely as possible? Mirrors? Regular videoing?
Is it worth trying to find a coach to help me nail the form when I'm only lifting the bar?
I've had issues with squat depth thanks to poor ankle dorsiflexion since I started training.
Have been doing stretches and rolling my calves and ankles on a tennis ball all week and today was much better, however I still wasn't getting deep enough before feeling like I was falling back.
So I loaded up with 80kg and did a few sets of full depth squats with a 1kg plate (about 1/2") under my heels. After that, I could squat fine without the plates in flat shoes.
So maybe try that. I'm sure the stretches/rolling is useful, but for me body weight + 80kg was what I needed to get everything moving as it should.
Have been doing stretches and rolling my calves and ankles on a tennis ball all week and today was much better, however I still wasn't getting deep enough before feeling like I was falling back.
So I loaded up with 80kg and did a few sets of full depth squats with a 1kg plate (about 1/2") under my heels. After that, I could squat fine without the plates in flat shoes.
So maybe try that. I'm sure the stretches/rolling is useful, but for me body weight + 80kg was what I needed to get everything moving as it should.
LordGrover said:
Initially it was an injury, but then I caught a bad case of bone idleness.
In the same boat fella, doing some Insanity this week and next to get my body loosened up and used to moving again, then 5x5 (or possibly Starting Strength - like the principle of power cleans instead of pendlay rows).
Looking forward to it.
Depending on the injury, it's possible to work round it by doing other exercises which will keep your oar in even if they're not as useful.
Eg I f
ked up my elbow somehow. I think it was practising stupid gymnastics moves which meant I could do any "push" exercises. So I replaced bench press with press ups and flies (sorry, I cannot bring myself to stick a "y" in there) and shoulder press with upright rows and lateral raises.I know it's not the same and won't train things in quite the same way but it "reserves" your gym time for when you get back into 5x5 and keeps you in that training mentality.
Hoofy said:
Re ankles needing propped up, have you tried something like this:
Ankle flexibility is good - I don't think it's my problem. The form goes wrong much higher up and I think it's the hip flexors firing to fold me up in the middle. I've only managed one session in the last couple of weeks, but deloaded and refocused the form was much better, and I can Grok squat now without either jamming my knees up round my ears or hanging on to something, so progress.So, does anyone ever point out poor form to others in the gym?
I'm a small person (narrow) and haven't been working out for a while before 2 months ago but I'm up to 65kg squats doing 5x5, bodyweight is 70kg so it's going along well. Despite being not 'buff' at all I like to think I understand the basics of not injuring myself squatting, because I have done so in the past, and a year later had a very very good PT tell me all the things I was doing wrong, the main one of which was what I saw someone doing yesterday.
This:
Problem is he was much bigger than me, squatting 90kg, in an extremely strange way, he was picking up the bar from the rack facing the wrong way, and walking forwards, and then walking backwards at the end of his set. And his knees made me cringe, everytime he was lifting up his knees made a kind of extreme 'S' motion, collapsing in then going back, made me wince each time. I didn't say anything, obviously, he was also walking around like he owned the place and generally looking like a bell-end but I so wanted to tell him to stop it or he'd ruin his knees like I once did.
I'm a small person (narrow) and haven't been working out for a while before 2 months ago but I'm up to 65kg squats doing 5x5, bodyweight is 70kg so it's going along well. Despite being not 'buff' at all I like to think I understand the basics of not injuring myself squatting, because I have done so in the past, and a year later had a very very good PT tell me all the things I was doing wrong, the main one of which was what I saw someone doing yesterday.
This:
Problem is he was much bigger than me, squatting 90kg, in an extremely strange way, he was picking up the bar from the rack facing the wrong way, and walking forwards, and then walking backwards at the end of his set. And his knees made me cringe, everytime he was lifting up his knees made a kind of extreme 'S' motion, collapsing in then going back, made me wince each time. I didn't say anything, obviously, he was also walking around like he owned the place and generally looking like a bell-end but I so wanted to tell him to stop it or he'd ruin his knees like I once did.
Edited by Salgar on Tuesday 11th November 23:20
Reading another thread on here has for me interested on this 5x5 regime. I've read the stronglifts website and am interested in starting it.
I got into weighs during 2008 where I was able to bench my body weight (85kg at the time) for 3 sets of ten reps. I've not done any serious weights since that time though and I am pretty weakish!
I've always enjoyed running but recent ITB problems has caused knee pain and I've eased off significantly from 4 runs to 1 a week. I wouldn't class myself as overweight but I'd like to loose some and have a properly decent shape for the first time. Recently I've started cycling to work which gives me a "free" 50 mins of cardio a day. I've also started eating more healthily but I'm finding it hard to ditch carbs, cheese and a "treat" most nights.
Basically I can see the following problems:
- I have compulsory exercise at work which is a hard (usually contains squats and burpees WTF!) and fast circuit on a Tuesday morning with a run of 3-5 miles or a sprint circuit on a Thursday. Coupled with the cycling and lots of squats im worried that I'll burn out or is it a case of MTFU and ignore the burn?
-free gym. I have a free and well equipped gym at work. When I would go it is quiet except on Wednesday afternoons when it is rammed. I'm quite a shy person but would feel embarrassed doing just the bar even though it's the correct way.
I got into weighs during 2008 where I was able to bench my body weight (85kg at the time) for 3 sets of ten reps. I've not done any serious weights since that time though and I am pretty weakish!
I've always enjoyed running but recent ITB problems has caused knee pain and I've eased off significantly from 4 runs to 1 a week. I wouldn't class myself as overweight but I'd like to loose some and have a properly decent shape for the first time. Recently I've started cycling to work which gives me a "free" 50 mins of cardio a day. I've also started eating more healthily but I'm finding it hard to ditch carbs, cheese and a "treat" most nights.
Basically I can see the following problems:
- I have compulsory exercise at work which is a hard (usually contains squats and burpees WTF!) and fast circuit on a Tuesday morning with a run of 3-5 miles or a sprint circuit on a Thursday. Coupled with the cycling and lots of squats im worried that I'll burn out or is it a case of MTFU and ignore the burn?
-free gym. I have a free and well equipped gym at work. When I would go it is quiet except on Wednesday afternoons when it is rammed. I'm quite a shy person but would feel embarrassed doing just the bar even though it's the correct way.
dai1983 said:
-free gym. I have a free and well equipped gym at work. When I would go it is quiet except on Wednesday afternoons when it is rammed. I'm quite a shy person but would feel embarrassed doing just the bar even though it's the correct way.
Get that out of your head straight away. Ego should be left at the door.Anyone worth listening to in any gym will understand warming up/practising form with an empty bar.
dai1983 said:
I know what your saying but id still feel like a dick doing it. Guess I do have to MTFU !
This is the type of place though that has chicks doing decent dead lifts!
Then you've nothing to worry about. This is the type of place though that has chicks doing decent dead lifts!
I got some snigger using not much above empty bar as my working sets at my local gym - full of posers and plums.
The 'proper' chalk and iron gym I used a few times when working away was completely different - couple of well meant critiques on form (after asking if it was OK to comment), an offer to spot, etc.
One said something along the lines of '5x5? That'll get you on the way to proper weight'.
Top place, and cheap. Unfortunately a couple of hundred miles from home.
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