Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

StretchMediatedHypertrophy

Members
  • Posts

    3,288
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation

2,394 Excellent

Retained

  • Member Title
    Most Recently Sin Carne

Recent Profile Visitors

4,477 profile views
  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqg1TEhqjyI I can't embed anymore, but I watched the above video and it's somewhat pertinent. My gym in Budapest got in 2 cheap SSBs a few years ago, and I was just so happy to have the opportunity to use one. Fast-forward to now, and the padding is definitely not what it was, and the handles don't feel secure enough (why on earth people have been removing the handles I have no idea, f'n savages). The SSB I was using at Sky campus in the UK...yeah I don't know if it was really a much better bar, but it had thicker padding and more secure handles. As the video points out, the really cheap SSBs don't have an offset between the downward bars and the weight collars - so it ends up being a goblet squat basically. I think I used to cheat that a bit by holding the handles higher (pushing the weight back) but now they're loose it doesn't feel that secure. Anyway, the point is that I don't really like doing heavyweight with this SSB anymore. Did a long pause single ATG with 121kg tonight, not sure I'll work with this above 2 plates moving forward sadly. Maybe I can get my shoulders ok with using a straight bar again sob. I am enjoying the dip very much right now, I have started messing around with the outward v version where the shoulders are externally rotated - the feeling in the chest is unreal. I do choose to use the assistance machine to ensure good ROM and no screw ups, but I think I will progress it further soon enough as long as I don't abuse them. Cut continues. I am in a deficit for sure (I get hungry and feel the sudden urge to pee out of nowhere several times a day), I am not really doing it in a structured way which is not ideal but I am ensuring I get a decent amount of protein. No obvious differences but it's only been just over a week.
  2. If something feels good on Smith for you then great, but I would generally suggest people rotate movements in and out. So do Incline Smith for 3-6 weeks max, then put in a non-Smith in that slot. You can then move a Smith JM Press into a tricep slot. This is especially applies if you're doing heavy work. My current mindset.....makes me not that keen on them. I'll be honest, I think if your gym is *really* well equipped then there's not much need for them (i.e. you don't really need to do bench presses on there if you have good chest machines, & lunge machines do exist!)...obviously for most of us this isn't entirely the case. The other thing I'd say is that it is not clear to what extent the theoretical advantages of the Smith Machine really translate to better muscle growth.
  3. Back to the above, yeah I mean I think I'd use a bench block rather than not touch but it could be that he wants to get hypertrophy work for the chest, shoulders & maybe tris without tearing up his shoulders. Maybe he is a powerlifter who normally trains somewhere else? You can generally lift more weight on a Smith, I'd generally prefer a machine but some chest machines aren't easy to get 'out of the hole' without assistance and the stack-loaded may not go high enough. As for me, yeah so a few weeks ago I got some pain on the left side of my chest and my left arm. I know right, bit terrifying? So being in the UK, I get myself to the hospital and I have to say, they saw me very quickly and I had a suite of tests and they didn't find anything heart-related so yeah that was a relief. I did slow my roll on my training for a bit, and I'm fine now. Back in Budapest for a piece, I think I have just begun a cut but we'll see eh? Monday was an Upper - mostly assisted dips (I guess I can do actual dips, but preferring to get better ROM & control rn - I may have a summer season where I do more outdoor calisthenics), and widish grip pull-ups, bit of auxiliary work. Tuesday - pin GMs, leg press, seated hamstring & calf. Friday, Saturday will be UL with the gf, so today is going to be a bit of an utility day - a bit of horizontal pulling, abs, carries, arm work etc.
  4. TIMEUNDERTENSIONBRAH~! I mean in his defence, if he's doing 360+bar for reps even with sleeves and shitty ROM he's still fairly strong. Apparently people do wear knee sleeves at meets sometimes so idk. It might be worth asking him non-judgementally. I will update in a bit.
  5. Tbh all this probably means is that CJ has the house, and Miro has decided to spend time with family & friends rather than rent somewhere in the US. He is injured apparently of course (medical care is cheap in Bulgaria, standards are different but it isn't like it is terrible), though yes Plovdiv Airport is hardly a hub. Bulgaria also has hot women, flexibility varies I am sure but tbh I'd be very unsurprised if Miro doesn't end up marrying a younger Bulgarian lady in 2-3 years.
  6. I don't think any of those four were ever actually released.
  7. Fuck Miro and fuck Malakai too. Meat Madness is a dumb idea anyway. Just have a hoss tournament already.
  8. Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Clark, Endo, McConnell; Elliott, Danns, Diaz. I messaged a Chelsea-supporting work colleague...don't think he's taking it well Two games this week though, it's a happy moment but Liverpool have work to do.
  9. Cappucino Jones~! Need to pair him up with a Hames Cortado to form 'The Roastery' or something.
  10. Just coming back to the squatting to depth thing, I think setting up boxes is a pretty good way to a) keep things honest/real, & b) work your squat depth over time. During the p******c, I was doing a lot of squats with bands off a 20cm step - often with bands - sometimes I had foam on top of the step. Now bands aren't great for hypertrophy, but working off a sub-8 inch box definitely helped me keep a lot of leg power & mobility. And realistically most ppl should be able to do that - with bodyweight I mean. Don't be frightened to work with bodyweight, or with an empty bar - as the Yogi Guru Pattabhi Jois' say: “Practice and all is coming”.
  11. I had work drinks last night, quite a few, and although there was no headache, I really didn't feel like training today. So I actually used the opportunity to do a heavy squat single - so I decided to squat to a 30cm (so a shade under 12 inches) hip thrust bench pad, and went to 121 kg with the SSB - which is 267lbs. Now I said I could squat 300 the other day no problem, but this is a tougher variation on a bad day, and it wasn't a true max, so it was validating enough. Echoing what I said earlier about going back to a hip-dominant squat, this was my first time doing a fat powerlifter squat in a while - I can definitely feel it in my hips. I also tried landmine goblet squats and they are surprisingly challenging - again this is a more hip-dominant variation. I will have doms tomorrow I can tell, despite it being a rough workout.
  12. Taco squatter eh? You're hardly alone there though. Hack squat might help you with that tbf. I also agree with C though, going with a lower weight for reps and working up may be the way to go. I could probably put 300lbs on the SSB tomorrow (well maybe Thursday) and squat it, but I could work with 100lbs for deep reps with slow eccentrics and make it count.
  13. Thanks for the question, and congrats on the run. Okay my answer would be, basically no you shouldn't be doing barbell squats if you can't get anywhere near parallel so it's not in your own head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmAugQT1b4M (there are other resources, but Steve is a pretty reliable source of info) Now I can offer a caveat, which is to say that squatting onto a high box is probably ok - and will likely give you some of the benefits of squatting that a hack squat won't reach. But it's probably not the best solution. There are also front squats and even zercher squats which involve a more upright spine - if you try them and get on with them you can consider a harness down the line if you really want to push more weight. I don't get on with front squats to be honest, but I actually quite like zerchers though obv your crease of the arm may have a different opinion. A lot of gyms also have Safety Squat Bars thesedays, which generally also enable you to maintain a straighter back. To be fair, leg press is actually quite sneaky in terms of its ability to compress the spine.
  14. Tbf if you can hack squat 4 plates a side, then you're pretty strong and yeah, leg day is going to suck....as is trying to wear slim fit pants one imagines. It's something I do think about - the truth is that I like the idea of hitting big squat numbers but I do not like the idea of having to hack squat or leg press, or even squat, big loads every week. Tbh, I just don't really want to. So if I want to hit bigger numbers I actually going to have to revert to a wide-stance squat and use the hips. We'll see. So I did sort of deload the legs today - but went to 45kg for 12 on the deep leg extensions I have been doing, supersetting with ghd with the 20lb sandbell for sets of 12. So there was progression of a sort, but nothing spectacular. I may actually do some SSB squats on Friday for the first time in a while. I decided I'd actually try an OHP single, see where I'm at, despite no OHP or even Incline in weeks. I actually used a slightly wider grip than last time, and went up to 76kg which is a PR technically but.....I hitched it (it dropped slightly after the initial raise, but I completed it with my triceps). Now it's not a powerlifting lift, you can hitch in strongman...but in my heart of hearts I don't think it counts. Still a very good gym lift considering, and tells me I can peak that up to 80+kg nae bother. None of the bar holders for the power-racks really give me what I want in terms of a max bench set-up, but I may just try and hit a PR on Sunday best I can or else do another dead-bench in a slightly higher position. I *might* have another go at the OHP next week.
×
×
  • Create New...