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

[Idiotron]

I want to get into fem bodybuilding but I'm really unsure where to start, especially since I've never had a very healthy lifestyle or diet. Any tips? I don't want bikini-contest huge of muscles, just enough to actually show through. My thighs are already pretty hefty from god knows what, but I have noodle arms.

Workout:
Look up this girl named Andreia Brazier.
She was a fitness model world champion several times.
I'm a guy but I use a lot of her exercises, they're really effective.

Diet:
Lean meat, fish, eggs, fruits (not fruit juice, too much sugar) and vegetables.
A-Z vitamin supplements.

Lifestyle:
Rest properly. Try to go to sleep and wake up at similar hours every day.

Just remember - if you want to change your body permanently, you need to change your life permanently.
If you go back to your old ways after getting lean, you'll just revert back to what you looked like before.
Getting fit is easy, staying fit is hard.

 

[Ahoy]

Lean meat, fish, eggs, fruits (not fruit juice, too much sugar) and vegetables.

The leanness of said meat doesn't really matter provided that she is tracking her macros and finds a way to make it fit. Case in point: over half of calories from an egg come from fat.

Of course I am not suggesting anyone eats an imbalanced diet...

 

[Red Hood]

The leanness of said meat doesn't really matter provided that she is tracking her macros and finds a way to make it fit. Case in point: over half of calories from an egg come from fat.

Of course I am not suggesting anyone eats an imbalanced diet...

Fats are probably the worst named of all chemical components in food. My well-meaning parents used to look at a food label and say "it's fat free, it's healthy!" regardless of sugars, carbs, calories, sodium. It took me years to break them of that habit and show them how to actually read a nutrition label.

Fats are important in a diet. If I'm not mistaken they contribute to your feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

 

[Ahoy]

1) What is your recommend go to exercise for developing your lower back outside of hyperextensions? I've been doing Good Mornings, or rather I should say I've been trying to do them, but I'm sure I'm doing them wrong since I don't feel any good tension or fatigue down there.

2) Do you use resistance bands and if so what for and which brand of such do you use?

3) What exercise(s) do you do to strengthen your Gluteus Medius, Inner thighs, Serratus Anterior, Obliques and Abs (Note : I'm aware of types of exercises for these, but I'm curious to know what any of you all do)?

4) How long do you workout any given time (min or max) and what in general is your routine like? I.e. do you have a leg/lower body work out day, an upper body work out day and what else? When do you rest?

1) Good mornings are a movement for your hamstrings. Consider the similarities in posture and loading to a stiff-legged deadlift. Your erectors should be stabilizing, but not actually doing any work.

2) go away louie simmons no one thinks you're cool any more (srs tho use them as a variation to overload the top of the lift if you want but there is nothing magical about them)

3) Glute loaded squats (i.e., breaking at the hip before the knee to maintain vertical shin angle with a wide stance) will strength your glute-meds and adductors. It's similar mechanically to a sumo pull, but with less emphasis on hip hinge and more emphasis on knee extension. If you're trying to strengthen your glute-meds because you have problems with your IT band sumo RDLs might be a more appropriate movement. Obliques, abs, rest of core I throw in the ab wheel. That thing is great. I do a decent amount of beltless training as well - not sure if that has been helping me but I like being able to lift without relying on my supportive equipment.

4) ~60 minutes. Typically 2 core movements each day. I like Chad Wesley Smith's original Juggernaut program a lot, but have modified it to increase the frequency of each core movement to three times per week. The best feature of the program is that each month is a training block at a specific rep range and AMRAP set which is used to program the weights for the next block. Splits never worked for me, but I started lifting to get better at wrestling so I don't know very much about hyoooooge.

(This is my spreadsheet, I train four times per week and do two of the core movements each session. Variations are counted as core movements, and I have a percentage modifier for each variation. For instance, my safety bar squat is ~10% weaker than my high bar back squat and my hex bar deadlift is 15% stronger. I'm not convinced an effective program needs variation but I like it because it keeps the training from getting boring. Safety bar squats are great though, they really save my shoulders.)

 

[Recoil]

Why do people take Phenibut when they lift?

 

[Babyspackle]

1) What is your recommend go to exercise for developing your lower back outside of hyperextensions? I've been doing Good Mornings, or rather I should say I've been trying to do them, but I'm sure I'm doing them wrong since I don't feel any good tension or fatigue down there.

Try supermans

 

[Bassomatic]

Why do people take Phenibut when they lift?

I have never heard of that.

Fun fact, that I totally read on line and didn't try, even if you only have a bit popping 20mg of d-bol before a work out does make a difference as it's a vasco dilator. Still should be cycled and used correctly but felt it and had a great lifting sesh.

 

[oldTireWater]

1) What is your recommend go to exercise for developing your lower back outside of hyperextensions? I've been doing Good Mornings, or rather I should say I've been trying to do them, but I'm sure I'm doing them wrong since I don't feel any good tension or fatigue down there.

I like both windmills, and one-arm overhead squats for lower back, oblique, and general flexibility work.

I've got another exercise that I think is great for lower and middle back, but I'm not sure what you'd call it, so I'll try to describe it.

• Assume a deep kneeling lunge position (knee down)
• Lean your torso over your front knee at roughly 45 degrees
• Hold a single light weight (10 to 15 lbs for me) with both hands
• Keeping your arms as straight as possible, move the weight from your front foot to over your head (biceps next to ears) and back

 

[Grinrow]

Are personal trainers worth it? I'm looking to get back into lifting but I want some help getting my form right. Is it better to figure it out yourself or get some help

 

[Bassomatic]

Are personal trainers worth it? I'm looking to get back into lifting but I want some help getting my form right. Is it better to figure it out yourself or get some help

Depends on your goals, dedication and the skill of the PT, a base PT cert isn't too hard to get some are gonna lie to keep you around etc. If you need help or a spot don't, if you are looking for a goal pony up for a proper certified strength coach, worth every penny imho. I don't mean to say a PT can't help but they aren't for everyone, and just getting form right a mirror will go as far.

 

[Freedom Fries]

I want to get into fem bodybuilding but I'm really unsure where to start, especially since I've never had a very healthy lifestyle or diet. Any tips? I don't want bikini-contest huge of muscles, just enough to actually show through. My thighs are already pretty hefty from god knows what, but I have noodle arms.

Starting Strength is a good starting point for anyone looking to weightlift. It tells you what to do, how to do it, and when; perhaps more importantly it works. Be sure to actually read the book though.

Just throw an hour of cardio and abs (I know heresy) in on off days leaving one to rest you won't get too big. Once you hit a year or so or finish your novice progression you will have a really solid base to cut or work on definition or whatever if that's your thing.

I could use some halp, Kiwis. I've been working out regularly for ~7 months now, and I cannot get my bench past complete garbage- I'm 6'1, 175 lbs, and have trouble getting over 100 lbs on the bench. Issues: 1) I seem to have a lot of trouble keeping the bar stable. 2) Pectis excavatum, though I don't know exactly how much this actually impacts things. Are there some ancillary muscle groups I should be working? Or could someone point me to a bench guide for complete exceptional individuals?

Thanks in advance.

Every once in a while this guy explains things really nicely although be careful of some of his bluster in other vids. You may also just have to eat more.

I gave this a shot tonight, and it felt really good. Not sure how to interpret the results though: 5 sets of 8, plus an additional 5 reps before I burned out. I looked up some advice on grip and alignment and found that the bar was making contact with my chest higher than I was used to- right below my collarbone. Normally, it touches right on top of the mammary glands. (Reading this back, I realize I changed way too much stuff for a good test.) All told, not having to struggle to keep the bar from clipping the rack was a godsend.

You're going to wear a hole through your shoulder that way. The bar should start and end near up there but should touch your chest lower down. That vid I embeded explains it better than I could.

Are personal trainers worth it? I'm looking to get back into lifting but I want some help getting my form right. Is it better to figure it out yourself or get some help

I think it's a mixed bag and depends on where you find them and what gym. I once had one who just wanted me to do burpees and kettlebell swings and stuff (bad since I can do those on my own). I once had one that corrected my form on compound lifts and programming (very good). Just look out for the college age guy who doesn't want you near a barbell and watch out for the ones who assign exercises that just serve to make you tired rather than stronger.

 

[aerostar88]

The past few months I've been away from bodybuilding training to try powerlifting, it's been awesome. Doing my first meet next weekend, female 63kg open classic. I was a few elbees away from 63 so I've been in a deficit for the past 4ish weeks. Will post how it goes down next weekend.

Are personal trainers worth it? I'm looking to get back into lifting but I want some help getting my form right. Is it better to figure it out yourself or get some help

I had a bodybuilding PT for a bit, the experience taught me a lot before I started getting my own education on strength training. I have a coach now who writes my programming for relatively cheap. I've trained alongside him a couple times before for some in-person pointers, which he doesn't charge me for. I spend way less on him than I did on on any PT. A good coach will be available to answer your questions in a way a PT won't really care about. If you're just looking for pointers on lifting for general fitness, though, I'd recommend just chatting with lifters you see at your gym who clearly know what they're doing. Most people are more than happy to give advice or spot you on your lifts. Just beware of bro science, reference what you hear from various reliable sources online before implementing wild boomer tips.

watch out for the ones who assign exercises that just serve to make you tired rather than stronger.

Seriously, pay attention for this. Any trainer who talks a bit game about how after training with him you'll be broken etc, doesn't understand that you build a physique through PROGRESSIVE overload, adequate rest and proper nutrition, not by doing a million supersets to failure each session and feel broken for the next 3 days.

 

[aerostar88]

The only time I can justify double-posting is to update on the meet I mentioned. I made it to female 63kg OP raw after a small but oddly painful cut. Converting to elbees, I got 215 squat (low but have been fixing mobility issues), 121 bench (got 132 but jumped the gun on rack command), and 303 deadlift. 8/9 aint bad for first one. Took gold in my (tiny) class. Qualified for regionals!

Gotta take a week of powerlifting now so I'm going balls to the wall in bodybuilding training, super excited. Gonna do a session with my old bodybuilding PT to torture my upper body, bitch doesn't fuck around.

 

[4str4staleatherbelt]

I don't go to a gym and only use dumbells at home. I train legs by running. Is this ok?

 

[Regulas]

Getting fit is easy, staying fit is hard.

The thing to remember is that it's gets easier over time to stay fit. At a certain point, exercise is just like brushing teeth. It's just something you do regularly. The biggest enemy is boredom. For years I have been doing planks to work my core, but I decided to incorporate one of Jeff Cavalier's ab routines, and now DOMs are back on the menu.

I don't go to a gym and only use dumbells at home. I train legs by running. Is this ok?

Weighted lunges
Goblin Squats
Dumbbell deadlifts.

 

[AlphaBadger]

I don't go to a gym and only use dumbells at home. I train legs by running. Is this ok?

you're not really going to build much power from it, but it is for endurance. Simply add in body weight exercises.

 

[Bassomatic]

I don't go to a gym and only use dumbells at home. I train legs by running. Is this ok?

Depends on goals.


You can get stupid strong lower with just DBs and lunges tho.

 

[???]

What's the correct form for dumbbell bench press? I was told to keep my elbows as far away from my sides as I can get them, but this makes my right shoulder ache.

 

[Bassomatic]

Do you have any shoulder issues? Are you right or left handed? Any arm issues? Hand issues? If you reduce the weight slightly on the right side does that reduce/remove ache?

 

[???]

Do you have any shoulder issues? Are you right or left handed? Any arm issues? Hand issues? If you reduce the weight slightly on the right side does that reduce/remove ache?

Right-handed.

I only lift twice a week, both total body days. I'm doing an extremely paranoid version of SL5x5. Instead of 5 reps and then incrementing the weight, I instead do 6/8/10/12 reps over four weeks and then increment the weight.

I can't do barbell presses above about 145 lbs because my right arm does most of the work and it just hurts my right shoulder somehow.

No known shoulder injuries.

Anyways, I took it easy for two weeks and benched with dumbbells at about nipple height and the pain went away. Previously I had my arms out and was benching at shoulder height.