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

[Osama Bin Laden]

came back into the gym after a couple of months and damn i missed it

i managed to overwork my arms but i never felt so happy being able to work out. i’m probably gonna go back tonight

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

My first tournament is over.
Here’s the breakdown.
Round 1: lost by points in last second due to sweep. In gi
Round 2: won by bulldog to rear naked choke quick. Same opponent as round one. No gi
Round 3: got fuckslammed by a wrestler and armbared. Got a hip injury. No gi
Round 4: lost by two points and had a Kimora sunk in, but the opponent was holding out for the last five seconds as I put the hold in with less than thirty seconds left. No gi

Overall, it was a great time and I’m proud of how I did. Even when I lost, I fought hard and made them earn it.
My hip is sore as fuck though, I’m going to be taking it easy for a bit lol.

 

[thejackal2]

came back into the gym after a couple of months and damn i missed it

i managed to overwork my arms but i never felt so happy being able to work out. i’m probably gonna go back tonight

I have a distinct memory of doing deadlifts the first day the gym finally opened after over a year of covid closures. It was a great day. I'm a type that needs that gym atmosphere to go 100% so yea, working out at home just doesn't do it for me.

Only got in once this week after being on vacation for half of it, hit 20k steps three days in a row on vacation so that's good. Did leg day yesterday. Did 30x 225lbs back squat, then 5x 275lbs and then finished with 20x 135lbs zercher squats and an unweighted split squat set of 10. Road the bike for about 20 minutes and called it a day. I have some knee issues so always good to complete a leg day pain free. Knees felt awesome yesterday, probably because I gave them a break on vacation and just walked. Get to middle age and the knees are just sorta worn out.

 

[Dean Pentel]

My fellow Kiwis that love The Iron, I hope you're all well. Stay committed to whatever process you have going, be honest with self-assessments, take your recovery seriously, and enjoy your gains. Let's get brutally strong this year. We're all gonna make it.

 

[Fren]

Hello my fellow lifters,
hope you all are achieving your weight goals this spring.

I have a quick question regard sups and your expierence with them.
Currently I'm only using protein shakes post workout since I've always struggled to put on weight. Other than that, the occasional Redbull if I'm tired or feeling low energy.

Is there anything else you swear by or would recommend? What did you implement into your routine that you wouldn't want to miss now?

I'm not looking for advice on roids or other pharma level stuff, btw.

 

[Jarry Seinfelt]

Supplement questions

Creatine, 5g daily. You can mix it in water or something. AFAIK, the literature says it doesn’t matter when you take it.

 

[pork and beans]

what do you guys think of doing split squats/lunges on the smith machine instead of dumbells?

 

[thejackal2]

what do you guys think of doing split squats/lunges on the smith machine instead of dumbells?

Some people swear by the smith machine for certain movements but my opinion is that for your average lifter, avoid it. There's a million opinions on this tho, just do what feels better for you.

Hello my fellow lifters,
hope you all are achieving your weight goals this spring.

I have a quick question regard sups and your expierence with them.
Currently I'm only using protein shakes post workout since I've always struggled to put on weight. Other than that, the occasional Redbull if I'm tired or feeling low energy.

Is there anything else you swear by or would recommend? What did you implement into your routine that you wouldn't want to miss now?

I'm not looking for advice on roids or other pharma level stuff, btw.

As noted, creatine. The original non steroid miracle supplement. Still don't think there's a better one. I've posted it but my supplement regime is creatine, AKG, Taurine, and Cissus. I was doing collagan for awhile but it tore up my stomach, YMMV.

Foam roller and theragun type device are helpful for recovery.

I also huff a mint scented chapstick. There is some evidence it can increase performance, although at this point I just do it for the (real) placebo benefits.

 

[Fren]

I guess im going to look into Creatine then.
Thanks for the input.

 

[pork and beans]

swear by the smith machine for certain movements but my opinion is that for your average lifter, avoid it. There's a million opinions on this tho, just do what feels better for you.

i used to never use it then I used it for squats but didnt really like it and now I use it only for standing one leg calf raises and for that i absolutely enjoy it ngl

 

[ITK]

what do you guys think of doing split squats/lunges on the smith machine instead of dumbells?

I think it's as good if not better than doing it with free weights. There's probably some value in still having the skill to do it freely though, so personally I'd rotate between smith and free weights. I've been thinking about doing smith machine deep knee bends, myself.

 

[get-tar manajerk]

Spoiler: sad story about my lack of gains

Took a good look at my spreadsheet and I really haven't gone up in any lifts other than a couple isolation/machine exercises in over 4 months. The only real improvement I guess is that I lost about 15 lbs because I stopped eating out frequently and started drinking less beer. Plateauing at really low weights too. Only thing I can do body weight or greater is squats and deadlifts but deadlifts use trap bar or do rack pulls because my mobility is shit and I can't grab the bar from the ground with proper form. And squats I feel at body weight my form starts to break. I'll fatigue quickly and lean forward on the drive up and my spine will be sore instantly. I can't do Pendlay rows either cause of form. I can't touch my toes. I feel my hip mobility is affecting my deadlifts and squats, I don't know enough though.

Other than drinking alcohol too often and the fact I'm approaching mid 30's and took a 10 year break from the gym from 2012 to 2022, I try and eat well. I get my fruit everyday, I have a lot of chicken breast and broccoli. I take vitamins, I get 8 hours sleep and I'm usually consistent with it, same time going to bed every night same time waking up. Lately it's been a bit thrown off but it's pretty good.

I don't think it's testosterone either, I got mine tested recently but haven't called booked an appointment to talk about the results. I don't have a low sex drive, or any of the other things that come with low test.

It's probably the alcohol as well as mobility. I go to the gym early, 6 AM because I get off work late a lot and even if I didn't, I know I'd make excuses to not go. Too tired, too hungry, it's too late, etc. I really don't have the time in my life right now to take a yoga class or something but I guess I could follow one online when I get home from work. And cut the alcohol.

Need to work on mobility/flexibility and don't really know where to start.

 

[Lords Greatsword]

Spoiler: sad story about my lack of gains

Took a good look at my spreadsheet and I really haven't gone up in any lifts other than a couple isolation/machine exercises in over 4 months. The only real improvement I guess is that I lost about 15 lbs because I stopped eating out frequently and started drinking less beer. Plateauing at really low weights too. Only thing I can do body weight or greater is squats and deadlifts but deadlifts use trap bar or do rack pulls because my mobility is shit and I can't grab the bar from the ground with proper form. And squats I feel at body weight my form starts to break. I'll fatigue quickly and lean forward on the drive up and my spine will be sore instantly. I can't do Pendlay rows either cause of form. I can't touch my toes. I feel my hip mobility is affecting my deadlifts and squats, I don't know enough though.

Other than drinking alcohol too often and the fact I'm approaching mid 30's and took a 10 year break from the gym from 2012 to 2022, I try and eat well. I get my fruit everyday, I have a lot of chicken breast and broccoli. I take vitamins, I get 8 hours sleep and I'm usually consistent with it, same time going to bed every night same time waking up. Lately it's been a bit thrown off but it's pretty good.

I don't think it's testosterone either, I got mine tested recently but haven't called booked an appointment to talk about the results. I don't have a low sex drive, or any of the other things that come with low test.

It's probably the alcohol as well as mobility. I go to the gym early, 6 AM because I get off work late a lot and even if I didn't, I know I'd make excuses to not go. Too tired, too hungry, it's too late, etc. I really don't have the time in my life right now to take a yoga class or something but I guess I could follow one online when I get home from work. And cut the alcohol.

Need to work on mobility/flexibility and don't really know where to start.

When it comes to squatting at least, it helps significantly to simply hold the squat position for time to the point it becomes as natural as sitting down. Getting familiarized with it at bodyweight alone can carry over to a barbell and bolster your mobility.

Moreover, might've been said before but bracing in lifts is always key; there's a lot of info elaborating on the specifics, but it always boils down to:
- taking a big breath
- flexing your core like you're about to get punched
- bringing your rib cage down to try and keep your body as rigid as possible

The amount of breath and the pressure you force might be trial and error since overdoing it can quite literally get to your head, but getting those three steps down are definitely a start. Plus if you can apply it well enough to squats it'll continue to do you well for deadlifting, with some minute differences due to the nature of the lifts.

That aside, mobility does sound like a key drawback here if everything else is in order. Improving your hip flexors is another thing that can greatly help, and a movement for that I'm partial toward is hanging leg raises.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

As noted, creatine. The original non steroid miracle supplement. Still don't think there's a better one. I've posted it but my supplement regime is creatine, AKG, Taurine, and Cissus. I was doing collagan for awhile but it tore up my stomach, YMMV.

Foam roller and theragun type device are helpful for recovery.

I also huff a mint scented chapstick. There is some evidence it can increase performance, although at this point I just do it for the (real) placebo benefits.

Is creatine mainly for muscle size or power? I'm trying to get stronk without getting excessively bulky, going for more of a toned looked if possible.

In other news, I've increased my exercise frequency from 2 on 1 off, to 3 on 1 off. Added in some clean and press every other day to the Simple and Sinister exercises. Pressing 35 pounds is still a bit much and I can't always get it on the left, so I'm going to do stick to 5x25lbs on each side for a while and come back to it. But I was actually surprised that 25 isn't excessively difficult and was pretty easy to add in.

 

[thejackal2]

Is creatine mainly for muscle size or power? I'm trying to get stronk without getting excessively bulky, going for more of a toned looked if possible.

In other news, I've increased my exercise frequency from 2 on 1 off, to 3 on 1 off. Added in some clean and press every other day to the Simple and Sinister exercises. Pressing 35 pounds is still a bit much and I can't always get it on the left, so I'm going to do stick to 5x25lbs on each side for a while and come back to it. But I was actually surprised that 25 isn't excessively difficult and was pretty easy to add in.

Creatine makes you puffy when you're taking it enough but just lose body fat (hard to do while also putting on muscle tbh) and you'll look plenty toned.

Clean and press is a great movement. It builds a lot of explosive power not just show room muscles so helps when climbing, hiking, all sports, grabbing a plate off the shelf etc.

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

In other news, I've increased my exercise frequency from 2 on 1 off, to 3 on 1 off. Added in some clean and press every other day to the Simple and Sinister exercises. Pressing 35 pounds is still a bit much and I can't always get it on the left, so I'm going to do stick to 5x25lbs on each side for a while and come back to it. But I was actually surprised that 25 isn't excessively difficult and was pretty easy to add in.

I recommend you add more exercises than just the swing get up. It's a nice program to start out, but you can do so much more. If time allows, of course.

You can try incorporating volume cycling with the heavier bell or a lot of reps with the smaller one for the C&P. If you like Strong First programs, you can look up Dry Fighting Weight which is a C&P-Front Squat program.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

I recommend you add more exercises than just the swing get up. It's a nice program to start out, but you can do so much more. If time allows, of course.

You can try incorporating volume cycling with the heavier bell or a lot of reps with the smaller one for the C&P. If you like Strong First programs, you can look up Dry Fighting Weight which is a C&P-Front Squat program.

One miracle at a time. I've added in presses, and in the medium term I'm also considering farmer's/suitcase carry, and rows. I need more endurance in the lats, and rows seem good for that, question mark? I'll get there, but nothing about exercise is natural for me, so I need to make sure changes are slow.

 

[JoseRaulChupacabra]

I need more endurance in the lats, and rows seem good for that, question mark?

Unsure. Typically rows are a strength/power/size exercise.

But with enough reps, just about anything becomes an endurance work out.

 

[thejackal2]

Man my mile time sucks now. Sucking wind just to get an 8:30. Starting to notice some old age creeping in, FML. Wrist is all banged up, hamstrings are tight. Everything just takes longer to warm up, longer to heal, and quicker to injure in middle age.

 

[Just Hamsters]

Been consistently hitting the gym six days a week for about 15 months now. Man, I wish I started sooner but it's awesome seeing the progress I've made. Thought I'd hit this thread up for any suggestions to mix up my routine a bit.

I currently do a 4 day split:
Day one: cardio and core
Day two: push (chest focused)
Day three: pull (back and arms)
Day four: legs
Day five: rest then repeat

Supplements: ~10g creatine daily (I don't think I was responding to 5g, plus it's suppose to help brain health)
Water: ~3.5L daily
Sleep: 8 hours

My target for every exercise is 3-4 sets of 8 - 10 reps, but I'm wondering if I need to go heavier for some exercises (especially shoulders) as I feel like strength isn't improving even though definition is. Might just need to keep maturing in form though.

Anyway, I'm having fun with it kiwibros and hope you all are as well!