Weightlifting for Kiwis - Discussion and support regarding the art of swole

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Should I be using straps/belts? I feel like I've been raw dogging reality.

After 2 years or so of using the leg press machine/incline leg press to do my calf raises, I started using the plated-loaded tilt calf raise thing. The pump is unreal. I don't even care much about legs I just don't want to have chicken legs.

Also do you guys do calisthenics on your rest days? I'm 3 on/1 rest for my split
 
I will never shut up about how great calisthenics are as high rep additions to anyone's program. I do these at least 3 times a week, 4 sets AMRAP, BW only. They're also far superior to curls of any type for bicep hypertrophy, unless one is actually going for bodybuilding. Someone else has called them a compound lift for the biceps, which I think is accurate.

Another great back development movement that gets overlooked are ring rows. If you don't have access to rings, setup an inverted row instead. Start easy to get the technique down. Once you're good there (and it will take a bit), add volume. I promise the body can handle much more than you think as long as you're smart about recovery.

I repeat some things often because I want newer lifters to learn from my mistakes. Don't waste precious time reinventing the wheel.
Dead hangs kick ass. Do them, too. They're not going to make your back huge but they work your grip like crazy. Pavel Tsatsouline says you should do them every day if you can, and he's right as far as I can tell. I do them in both my pre- and post-lifting stretching routines. Alternate between them and holding a deep BW squat, that'll hit most major muscle groups. They help your posture, too, which is obviously nice. People have told me I look taller since I started doing them, and I'm obviously not, but holding onto a chin-up bar for as long as you can will do a lot of work to counteract phone neck.
 
Dead hangs kick ass. Do them, too. They're not going to make your back huge but they work your grip like crazy. Pavel Tsatsouline says you should do them every day if you can, and he's right as far as I can tell. I do them in both my pre- and post-lifting stretching routines. Alternate between them and holding a deep BW squat, that'll hit most major muscle groups. They help your posture, too, which is obviously nice. People have told me I look taller since I started doing them, and I'm obviously not, but holding onto a chin-up bar for as long as you can will do a lot of work to counteract phone neck.
Deadhangs are GOATed, and calisthenics/bodywieght exercises are some of the best techniques in all of resistance training. Many, many great lifters from particularly the Bronze and Silver eras did plenty of them, and for good reasons. They had less fancy equipment than today, and gymnastics were a much more common athletic background than today. I think it’s a step backwards that a lot of modern lifters think that you can outgrow calisthenics.
The single greatest tool I have ever used in my workouts have been the gymnast rings. They are so insanely versatile, they can hit every muscle in the upper body, and you can use them at any level. I’ve even replaced flat benching with ring pushups and dip because they just feel so good. And if you’re training back and abs? My man the rings can make you look like a damn anime character even when sticking to basic movement patterns.
I usually chill at like 190-200lbs, but I always do calisthenics because they are, by nature, a magnificent way to get a freaky workout.
 
Should I be using straps/belts? I feel like I've been raw dogging reality.
A belt would let you brace harder than last time (which is essential for stability) on any movement with a tendency to bend your spine, and straps would prevent grip from being a limiting factor on deadlists, pullups etc etc. Strongly recommend (and personally own) both.
Also do you guys do calisthenics on your rest days? I'm 3 on/1 rest for my split
Hell yeah. Over the last week I've literally done pullups every day. Now I am SLIGHTLY paranoid about overuse and so I do them weighted some days, with pure bodyweight others, wide some days, narrow others, supinated some days, pronated others and so on. Stealing Westside/Conjugate principles here. I havent been doing this for very long, but my pullup strength has absolutely shot up.

On other fronts, pushups and other basic calisthenics movements are kinda nice for doing a fast, low effort set to shake off a little lethargy and not feel stiff.
 
Hell yeah. Over the last week I've literally done pullups every day. Now I am SLIGHTLY paranoid about overuse and so I do them weighted some days, with pure bodyweight others, wide some days, narrow others, supinated some days, pronated others and so on. Stealing Westside/Conjugate principles here. I havent been doing this for very long, but my pullup strength has absolutely shot up.

On other fronts, pushups and other basic calisthenics movements are kinda nice for doing a fast, low effort set to shake off a little lethargy and not feel stiff.
Alternating weighted and unweighted pullups is the absolute best way to pack meat on your back. I’ve studied the streetlifters, the strength athletes with some of the most impressive upper backs that I’ve ever seen. They specialize in the weighted pullup, but as bodybuilders we can steal a few methods from them.
Basically, you can use the weighted pullup to get better at unweighted variations. Most people can’t rep out Gironda Sternum Pullups because they are fucking hard. But they are the single greatest pull-up for back development. So, if you can increase the weight on your normal pullup you will eventually be able to do them and your back just explodes.
I train with a good amount of guys who are both light and strong in the boxing gym, but even though I outweigh some of them by more than forty pounds I can rep out Gironda Pullups and similar variations while they can’t. And they do pullups all the time, just without weight.
In my mind, the final form of a lifter is one who can use any and all tools to achieve his goals, and not get married to a single modality.
 
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You guys are really making me wish I could get a pull-up bar at home that doesn't rip my doorframe out.
If you're able to, one that screws into the sides is better but I still don't trust it.
If you don't want that get creative or find a compact pullup station. You could even just build a good station if you are in any way handy whatsoever. For example, I just use the rafters in the garage or hang my rings up somewhere.
 
You guys are really making me wish I could get a pull-up bar at home that doesn't rip my doorframe out.
When I was younger and couldn't afford a gym membership, I used to carry a pair of wooden rings like these in my backpack whenever I went for a run. I'd find a sturdy tree in the park, throw the straps over a branch and do pullups, pushups, dips and others. You can also use them for stability to work towards a pistol squat. They're super cheap and very versatile. They'll last for a long time - I think I still have my original set somewhere.

To do pullups, just thread them as high as you can comfortably reach, then tuck your ankles into each other, hang down and pull up.

Even if you can already do a lot of bodyweight exercises, you might find it really hard to start with, especially with dips, because you don't have the stability of the equipment fixed to the ground to work from.

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Hit a milestone today. Deadlifted 225 for 8 Not a lot objectively speaking, but its progress. Next week 230.
Your deadlift will fly up if you're feeling confident in technique, worst thing that can realistically happen with the lift is that it doesn't go up.

Speaking of, I hit 4pl8 on deadlift, 405, for a double this last week of training. It came up so fast the first time when I set it down I walked off for a second, happy I hit it, then thought shit, I could do it again, then I did, and I tried for the triple but couldn't get it past my knees without hitching and grinding. Strength feels really good on there. Bench is going up bit by bit, I'm pressing 205 for singles doubles and triples, highest I've gotten up to successfully with a strict bench press is 210. Squat feels weirdly variable, and once I start going over 3 plate for reps I get real nervous.

I've been working on dialing in my warmup and fixing it to my routine really fixedly. For squats I warm up with a few sets of unweighted sissy squats and go with thinner and thinner plates until I'm really hitting depth confidently. For bench I do a set of seated overhead tricep extensions with the barbell then front raises then my bar set, get my shoulders and triceps ready, then for deadlifts I do a set of light barbell rows before I start my warmup sets.
 
Your deadlift will fly up if you're feeling confident in technique, worst thing that can realistically happen with the lift is that it doesn't go up.
I've been moving slowly on both Squats and Deadlifts because my form, while still improving, isnt yet bulletproof, and at my age (45) lower back injuries are nothing to play with. Im also fairly tall, 6'4", with long legs, which makes both lifts awkward. Add in some hip mobility issues because I sit on my ass all day for work, and its been a long process. But as I said, progess is being made, and both my DL's and squats are now over 200lbs, and my bench is getting close. I am by no means a mass monster or a candidate for strongman competitions, but the numbers are going up, Im feeling stronger, and looking better.
 
Congrats bro. Keep it up.

Also, just curious as to why you go for deadlift maxes for high reps? I do deadlifts at higher reps but at lighter weights but they are never a milestone so curious as to why you use them?
I dont do one rep maxs because Im only really interested in overall progression. When I say its a milestone I just mean its the furthest I've reached in my current development. Each time I hit 8 reps on DL's I add 5 pounds to the next workout. I just consider 225 to be significant because its 2 plates per side.
 
I was real close to finally getting my target bench max of 250lbs. I had a good controlled decline and was able to get the back about 1/3 of the way back up before failing. Hoping to get it before the end of the year
Can keep grinding those triceps. Saw a tip on shethar training, strongman guy on youtube, called it the goober routine, basically he just set a rep target and went to failure on multiple sets of some tricep isolation work, like pressdowns or something. Your triceps have more rapid recovery and likely aren't as maxed out as the prime movers on a press, so you can keep driving them with some cleanup work to keep challenging them.
 
Ive just started doing low bar squats and my lower back and legs hurt. Will that go away the longer I do it or is my form fucked?
Record yourself or get a spotter who knows what's up to make sure you're on base.

We're on month 3 of my ankle hurting. I don't think it's going to get better like ever at this point. Hate this shit I'm not even 40.
 
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