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

[Harambe]

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?

So low bar squats can be a bit tricky depending on your stance width.

Some cues to help you keep your back at the right angle.
Keep your gaze focused a couple of feet in front of you at a 45 - 30 degree angle. Don't look in the mirror. Keep your chest pointed there.
Break at the ankles first--practice this, don't sit down, lean forward a bit

With a low bar squat your back should be at an acute angle that becomes less acute as you lower your hips. Since the bar is further back, you need to lean forward a bit to keep the center of gravity over your midfoot. As a lot of people find, they fold more than they should though, and they end up squat-morning-ing, and wasting energy and straining their lower back. It's normal to shift back more upright as you come up, but it's easy to basically use your lower back to keep the weight moving up and make it easier to get out of the hole. The gaze forward is to keep you from shifting your shoulders unconsciously away from the acute angle you want. And breaking at the ankles first, as in leaning forward at your ankles first, will let you squat deeper and keep your back straighter, since your legs are shifting the weight over midfoot and not your spinal erectors and whatnot.

Alan Thrall has a great video with Austin Baraki about squatting lowbar with a wider stance.

Another way I improved my depth and posture was doing sissy squats with a cable, I'm starting to work with them for barbell squats as well, using progressively smaller bumper plates to get my ankle mobility and squat depth better.

 

[MS Paint Gigachad]

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 cannot speak for him, but when I do a 1rm (they are evidence of growth, not drivers of it, after all) it's usually after setting a rep PR with a working set with like 75% of my old 1rm (since my training doctrine progresses primarily through increasing reps, and involves a lot of AMRAPS)

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?

Lowbar squats tend to be more of a hinge type movement pattern than a highbar squat (gigabrain way to say that you bend over more) so I'm not surprised at all that your lower back would have more strain applied to it. Also your glutes would be activated more, so if you're not used to that (or just did a fuckton of glute work) they'd hurt. You could very well get used to it.

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

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.

Interesting. Are you planning on eventually getting a program set once you hit a wall?

 

[Hollywood Hulk Hogan]

Set a new PR on dumbbell OHP last week. Feels good man.

 

[Sumptinsfuckey]

Interesting. Are you planning on eventually getting a program set once you hit a wall?

I got a coach/trainer. I let him worry about that. I just hit the gym, put in the work, and watch the numbers go up.

 

[CowPox]

Has it ever been verified which kiwi posseses the best physique?

 

[Harambe]

Has it ever been verified which kiwi posseses the best physique?

Null obviously

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

Which lolcow has the best physique would be a fun little guessing game

 

[MS Paint Gigachad]

Which lolcow has the best physique would be a fun little guessing game

Well, I'm pretty sure we have at some threads on bodybuilders for reasons other than bodybuilding.

There's a thread on Alex "Alphadestiny" Leonidas, and I'd say his physique is pretty fuckin great, but i don't exactly see him as **currently** being a lolcow. It was also last updated in 2019.

But we all know it's Eugenia Cooney, right? Permanently sub-10% body fat and a slim figure, that's hard to beat.

 

[74164978231]

But we all know it's Eugenia Cooney, right? Permanently sub-10% body fat and a slim figure, that's hard to beat.

She holds the record for all lifts at Auschwitz.

 

[anustart76]

Anyone ever feel like sometimes getting yourself psyched up to lift the weight is harder than actually lifting the weight?

 

[ColinQuinnsStent]

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.

Ver archivo adjunto 5432591

Seconding this. You can work everything with rings, including muscles you never knew you had. I recommend a pair of these for everybody even if you have a home gym or a membership. For instance, a set of skin the cats will do more for your joint mobility than anything you can do with weights.

 

[AngoryDorf]

Anyone ever feel like sometimes getting yourself psyched up to lift the weight is harder than actually lifting the weight?

Coffee and Sabaton helps me a lot on that front: yeah I'm Sabaton's biggest retarded fan.

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

Anyone ever feel like sometimes getting yourself psyched up to lift the weight is harder than actually lifting the weight?

I had a period where I couldn't bother to actually lift. I found that the hardest part is just getting in the car to drive to the gym. Once that happens, the workout is happening. I just have to create a moment that gets the workout going. Surprisingly, don't need pre workout or any caffeine to get going

 

[Harambe]

I had a period where I couldn't bother to actually lift. I found that the hardest part is just getting in the car to drive to the gym. Once that happens, the workout is happening. I just have to create a moment that gets the workout going. Surprisingly, don't need pre workout or any caffeine to get going

Preworkout or caffeine are just nice conveniences, the heavy ass weight is going to get your blood pumping either way

 

[thejackal2]

I'm always looking for recovery tools as I age and keep lifting hard, so I bought one of those sauna bags on Amazon. It was about $150 and I like it. It def gets you sweating. I found it didn't burn me just wearing a t-shirt, boxers and shorts and I sweated my ass off in it. It wasn't as nice as a real sauna at all, not even close, but it's also super convenient and can approximate the experience even in a small apartment like I have. It raised my heart rate and I felt less soreness this morning after working out and using it the other day.

I'd recommend it for anybody that likes the sauna but can't always get to a real one.

 

[Helvítis Túristi]

Is there a website or app with accurate measurements of grams of protein in specific cuts of meat? I keep forgetting the values of how much protein is in 4 oz of chicken breast and different websites have different values. Also, I tend to use different cuts of meat in my cooking. I'm having a problem where I either get too much protein and can't eat my food, or I don't get enough protein. It's a direct result of miscalculating the amount of protein I intake in a day.

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

Is there a website or app with accurate measurements of grams of protein in specific cuts of meat? I keep forgetting the values of how much protein is in 4 oz of chicken breast and different websites have different values. Also, I tend to use different cuts of meat in my cooking. I'm having a problem where I either get too much protein and can't eat my food, or I don't get enough protein. It's a direct result of miscalculating the amount of protein I intake in a day.

In reality, those measurements are ballparks. However, I am a fan of Chronometer and MyFitnessPal because even if it’s not perfectly accurate it’s consistent.
If you’re having trouble digesting your food, I would suggest soaking good ginger in honey and eating a few pieces with your meals. Papaya and pineapple are also really good for digestion. These contain various enzymes and such that help break down food.

 

[Equal Rights for Androids]

Situps probably don't count as weightlifting but our health eval is coming up and I'm wondering if any of you know: what exercise exercises the same muscles as a situp without having to actually do the situp? I've read situps are shit for your body but we have to do a minimum. So I'd like to train for endurance to increase my situp maximum.
Unless situps are the only way, in which RIP my back.

 

[gorgoroth7134]

Situps probably don't count as weightlifting but our health eval is coming up and I'm wondering if any of you know: what exercise exercises the same muscles as a situp without having to actually do the situp? I've read situps are shit for your body but we have to do a minimum. So I'd like to train for endurance to increase my situp maximum.
Unless situps are the only way, in which RIP my back.

Planking is good for your core and very easy on your back if you focus on form (using a mirror really helps) and if you like more movement-based exercise then hanging leg raises would be my go-to. Also not too bad on your back, and actually gets you a pretty good stretch. I think both of those would make sit-ups a lot easier.