Blonde will make you STRONG

[iRaise]

I've tried and failed it twice before. I find t iso tiring, but people really close might just help the mental side so I'm hoping that will help.

I dont think I will do heavy twice, one volume in the am and then strength in the pm. My overall volume will go up a far bit by adding 124 reps in the AM, but I may take out some of the reps in the PM to focus on heavier longer rests. I am not sure yet. Overall volume will still go up though of course.

Not sure what additions food wise, I will probably just eat when I am hungry and be pretty flexible for the first month, and then refocus if I need to. I think I just want to focus solely on training and making sure they are the best sessions I can do.

But not too sure yet, it could all go very wrong by a week today.

Come on mate, you know fine well that they won't be the best sessions you can do if you aren't adequately fuelled. They'll be the best you can do on the fuel you have perhaps but you know they could be better.

Seriously you can't just eat when you're hungry if you're taking your training to another level like this. You could see some huge gains over the next 3 months if you do this right. Not an opportunity to be missed in my opinion.

I assume I am going to be really hungry. What I meant by that is I don't want to go hungry. So I won't be not eating if I feel hungry. Definitely dont want to be feeling like I am dieting in there!

[iRaise]

Our house needs some TLC over the next 12 weeks so we have to move out. I am moving to about 90 seconds walk away from Pure gym so I am toying with a few 2x a day training sessions. In the past I have last 1 and three days so not sure how it will go. But since its so close, I feel I may miss an opportunity to do it, and I can just smash some cheesecake to recover (only half serious).

I am thinking something like 8x8 anterior 8x8 posterior in the AM then some 3x5/4x6/3x8 in the PM. I am not sure how I will go, or if I will do it as lately even 5x a week has tired me out, but if I stick to just going 4x days a week, I may be able to trick my brain. Who knows.

If you going twice daily really think you need to be strict with your split training regime or you gonna be burning out in no time

Not sure what will work best for me, some days I won't be able to because of work. So I am not 100% how it will work yet. We shall see.

[EvilPie]

Our house needs some TLC over the next 12 weeks so we have to move out. I am moving to about 90 seconds walk away from Pure gym so I am toying with a few 2x a day training sessions. In the past I have last 1 and three days so not sure how it will go. But since its so close, I feel I may miss an opportunity to do it, and I can just smash some cheesecake to recover (only half serious).

I am thinking something like 8x8 anterior 8x8 posterior in the AM then some 3x5/4x6/3x8 in the PM. I am not sure how I will go, or if I will do it as lately even 5x a week has tired me out, but if I stick to just going 4x days a week, I may be able to trick my brain. Who knows.

If you going twice daily really think you need to be strict with your split training regime or you gonna be burning out in no time

Not sure what will work best for me, some days I won't be able to because of work. So I am not 100% how it will work yet. We shall see.

Nothing wrong with winging it for a bit and see what happens. I've done this quite often when I don't have a specific goal in mind.

Just get to the gym and shift a bit of metal about until some inspiration hits.

[EvilPie]

70kg deadlifts this morning for 5 x 10. All very easy and starting to feel the same problem I had a few weeks back with the bar moving before I've got full tension.

I don't really want to move up yet as that wasn't the plan but I think I need to get a bit more on the bar to be able to lock myself in before I pull. Might add a bit on Saturday and see how it feels. As long as I get my 5 x 10 then I'm still hitting the same volume so as long as the form feels good then it's a bit of a no brainer really.

[Ant040689]

Thought i would plop back into thread.

Very interesting transition i am experiencing now.

I have a lower back condition. Spondylolisthesis of the l5/s1. I forget the grade it was given about 5 years ago. That was while i was at least 5 stone overweight, which increased before i eventually got down to a reasonable weight. I remember only really of the doctor's appointment saying that he thought within a couple of years i would probably need spinal fusion surgery. Grim. I haven't been back since, and probably will shortly to get an update.  

I would say the long term chronic pain of that helped feed the ill discipline with diet to the point where i snapped at 8 stone overweight and went whole foods plant based as it seemed a very clever way to maintain weight for life where it should be without the mental toil of yoyoing. The pain decreased with the weight loss in general and i feel the diet helped with pain response generally, which is great.

But despite all of that I was always pussy footing around my lower back and hip muscles while training out of fear i would make something worse and without realising, as i was so used to the restriction, I was definitely way too stiff and underworked in that area.

Which is why when i last posted in here i mentioned how the deadlift felt like it gave me a lower back orgasm lol, and that was a great release after years of inactivity. I have kept those up and I am also bringing in squats. The notion with both is to only ever increase the weight to something that i feel my back can tolerate without jarring anything, as I doubt i will be able to hit super heights with either weights wise, it is more about getting the range of movement right and developing the muscles around there carefully with the notion of becoming pain free and strong in that area without concentrating too much on the numbers.

I also sleep using a thin mat now which i think is unbelievable for reducing back pain and I have been using a standing desk which i will upgrade to a treadmill one soon to help with things even further. Sitting is dreadful generally for my pain. Having it so the brunt of my day in front of the computer is standing really helps offset the times when you inevitably need to sit in life.

I have come to a point where I am getting good pain relief gains, but I am worried. I do worry about the complicated advice online and conflicting "expert" opinion on what exercises i should or should not be doing. It all might be well and good that i am engaging the muscles in that area providing pain relief but at what cost if it is structurally in the long term it is going to make things worse?

All alternative exercises to the deadlift and squat pale in comparison to the pain relief i get with them, so I am going to just carry on ticking along very carefully. With the notion that i am happy to change things up with better knowledge. I do have a limited knowledge on alternatives currently, and I could really benefit with knowing good stretches for hips and lower back. I do ok ones daily, but any "exotic" ones i may not know about lemme know haha.

Advice on squat technique generally would be appreciated as I am just concentrating on a very low bar weight as I try getting full range of movement as I get "ass to grass" effectively, this seems to be really mobilising a very tight hip area that is really helping with pain relief.  

General routine is warm up and warm down with this in between - deadlifts/squats/200 sit ups on machine/side bends (no woodcutters as twisting movements are a no go) on one day (4 sets each aside from the sit ups) - really concentrating on the core here.

Second day is warm up/warm down - lat shrug/bench press/lat pull down/bent over row single dumbell (4 sets each)

I then randomly sometimes add in other movements on each day if i fancy.

(shoulder press seems terrible for the lower back with me btw so thats gone. Side and front arm raises seem a good alternative movement for the shoulders that i often put on the second day, but i was a bit stiff after them recently from doing it for the first time in a while, so need to start slowly next time. Also exercises that may hyper extend the lower back aren't the best - just throwing that out there).

I think generally it is quite a solid routine i got going?

[iRaise]

Our house needs some TLC over the next 12 weeks so we have to move out. I am moving to about 90 seconds walk away from Pure gym so I am toying with a few 2x a day training sessions. In the past I have last 1 and three days so not sure how it will go. But since its so close, I feel I may miss an opportunity to do it, and I can just smash some cheesecake to recover (only half serious).

I am thinking something like 8x8 anterior 8x8 posterior in the AM then some 3x5/4x6/3x8 in the PM. I am not sure how I will go, or if I will do it as lately even 5x a week has tired me out, but if I stick to just going 4x days a week, I may be able to trick my brain. Who knows.

If you going twice daily really think you need to be strict with your split training regime or you gonna be burning out in no time

Not sure what will work best for me, some days I won't be able to because of work. So I am not 100% how it will work yet. We shall see.

Nothing wrong with winging it for a bit and see what happens. I've done this quite often when I don't have a specific goal in mind.

Just get to the gym and shift a bit of metal about until some inspiration hits.

I have my plan of volume in the am and strength in the pm. Its just if I can keep it up.

That last sentence is probably the best bit of advice anyone could give.

[iRaise]

the bar moving before I've got full tension.

That is a very good thing.

[iRaise]

Thought i would plop back into thread.

Very interesting transition i am experiencing now.

I have a lower back condition. Spondylolisthesis of the l5/s1. I forget the grade it was given about 5 years ago. That was while i was at least 5 stone overweight, which increased before i eventually got down to a reasonable weight. I remember only really of the doctor's appointment saying that he thought within a couple of years i would probably need spinal fusion surgery. Grim. I haven't been back since, and probably will shortly to get an update.  

I would say the long term chronic pain of that helped feed the ill discipline with diet to the point where i snapped at 8 stone overweight and went whole foods plant based as it seemed a very clever way to maintain weight for life where it should be without the mental toil of yoyoing. The pain decreased with the weight loss in general and i feel the diet helped with pain response generally, which is great.

But despite all of that I was always pussy footing around my lower back and hip muscles while training out of fear i would make something worse and without realising, as i was so used to the restriction, I was definitely way too stiff and underworked in that area.

Which is why when i last posted in here i mentioned how the deadlift felt like it gave me a lower back orgasm lol, and that was a great release after years of inactivity. I have kept those up and I am also bringing in squats. The notion with both is to only ever increase the weight to something that i feel my back can tolerate without jarring anything, as I doubt i will be able to hit super heights with either weights wise, it is more about getting the range of movement right and developing the muscles around there carefully with the notion of becoming pain free and strong in that area without concentrating too much on the numbers.

I also sleep using a thin mat now which i think is unbelievable for reducing back pain and I have been using a standing desk which i will upgrade to a treadmill one soon to help with things even further. Sitting is dreadful generally for my pain. Having it so the brunt of my day in front of the computer is standing really helps offset the times when you inevitably need to sit in life.

I have come to a point where I am getting good pain relief gains, but I am worried. I do worry about the complicated advice online and conflicting "expert" opinion on what exercises i should or should not be doing. It all might be well and good that i am engaging the muscles in that area providing pain relief but at what cost if it is structurally in the long term it is going to make things worse?

All alternative exercises to the deadlift and squat pale in comparison to the pain relief i get with them, so I am going to just carry on ticking along very carefully. With the notion that i am happy to change things up with better knowledge. I do have a limited knowledge on alternatives currently, and I could really benefit with knowing good stretches for hips and lower back. I do ok ones daily, but any "exotic" ones i may not know about lemme know haha.

Advice on squat technique generally would be appreciated as I am just concentrating on a very low bar weight as I try getting full range of movement as I get "ass to grass" effectively, this seems to be really mobilising a very tight hip area that is really helping with pain relief.  

General routine is warm up and warm down with this in between - deadlifts/squats/200 sit ups on machine/side bends (no woodcutters as twisting movements are a no go) on one day (4 sets each aside from the sit ups) - really concentrating on the core here.

Second day is warm up/warm down - lat shrug/bench press/lat pull down/bent over row single dumbell (4 sets each)

I then randomly sometimes add in other movements on each day if i fancy.

(shoulder press seems terrible for the lower back with me btw so thats gone. Side and front arm raises seem a good alternative movement for the shoulders that i often put on the second day, but i was a bit stiff after them recently from doing it for the first time in a while, so need to start slowly next time. Also exercises that may hyper extend the lower back aren't the best - just throwing that out there).

I think generally it is quite a solid routine i got going?

Welcome back.

Have you mentioned that before?

Firstly, sit ups are pretty brutal for a healthy back. I cant think of a time I would ever advocate using them. There are FAR better exercises for core work.

Standing shoulder press is very lower back intensive, so probably a good idea to swerve it.

Squat and DL technique you need to put a video up. Its so hard to give advice with no clue whats happening. You then become an internet expert that does more harm than good.

Core wise, focus on dead bugs (youtube them, probably one of the best for back rehab) and plan variations along with hollow body holds. Even just hanging is core intensive to start too.

Definitely go back to a specialist, they will see/know things that nobody else will. With something as life hampering as that, I would be extremely careful with DL and Squats, not to say they couldn't help but it seems high risk if you were to do them without care. Don't fatigue your core too much too, as you end up being sloppier and sloppier. I would split squats and DL to a different day to lower that risk.

Yoga feels like your friend here too. Cat camels seem a sensible start, but mobilising the hips take pressure off, posture and shoulders pressure off etc.

[Ant040689]

Thought i would plop back into thread.

Very interesting transition i am experiencing now.

I have a lower back condition. Spondylolisthesis of the l5/s1. I forget the grade it was given about 5 years ago. That was while i was at least 5 stone overweight, which increased before i eventually got down to a reasonable weight. I remember only really of the doctor's appointment saying that he thought within a couple of years i would probably need spinal fusion surgery. Grim. I haven't been back since, and probably will shortly to get an update.   

I would say the long term chronic pain of that helped feed the ill discipline with diet to the point where i snapped at 8 stone overweight and went whole foods plant based as it seemed a very clever way to maintain weight for life where it should be without the mental toil of yoyoing. The pain decreased with the weight loss in general and i feel the diet helped with pain response generally, which is great.

But despite all of that I was always pussy footing around my lower back and hip muscles while training out of fear i would make something worse and without realising, as i was so used to the restriction, I was definitely way too stiff and underworked in that area.

Which is why when i last posted in here i mentioned how the deadlift felt like it gave me a lower back orgasm lol, and that was a great release after years of inactivity. I have kept those up and I am also bringing in squats. The notion with both is to only ever increase the weight to something that i feel my back can tolerate without jarring anything, as I doubt i will be able to hit super heights with either weights wise, it is more about getting the range of movement right and developing the muscles around there carefully with the notion of becoming pain free and strong in that area without concentrating too much on the numbers.

I also sleep using a thin mat now which i think is unbelievable for reducing back pain and I have been using a standing desk which i will upgrade to a treadmill one soon to help with things even further. Sitting is dreadful generally for my pain. Having it so the brunt of my day in front of the computer is standing really helps offset the times when you inevitably need to sit in life.

I have come to a point where I am getting good pain relief gains, but I am worried. I do worry about the complicated advice online and conflicting "expert" opinion on what exercises i should or should not be doing. It all might be well and good that i am engaging the muscles in that area providing pain relief but at what cost if it is structurally in the long term it is going to make things worse?

All alternative exercises to the deadlift and squat pale in comparison to the pain relief i get with them, so I am going to just carry on ticking along very carefully. With the notion that i am happy to change things up with better knowledge. I do have a limited knowledge on alternatives currently, and I could really benefit with knowing good stretches for hips and lower back. I do ok ones daily, but any "exotic" ones i may not know about lemme know haha.

Advice on squat technique generally would be appreciated as I am just concentrating on a very low bar weight as I try getting full range of movement as I get "ass to grass" effectively, this seems to be really mobilising a very tight hip area that is really helping with pain relief. 

General routine is warm up and warm down with this in between - deadlifts/squats/200 sit ups on machine/side bends (no woodcutters as twisting movements are a no go) on one day (4 sets each aside from the sit ups) - really concentrating on the core here.

Second day is warm up/warm down - lat shrug/bench press/lat pull down/bent over row single dumbell (4 sets each)

I then randomly sometimes add in other movements on each day if i fancy.

(shoulder press seems terrible for the lower back with me btw so thats gone. Side and front arm raises seem a good alternative movement for the shoulders that i often put on the second day, but i was a bit stiff after them recently from doing it for the first time in a while, so need to start slowly next time. Also exercises that may hyper extend the lower back aren't the best - just throwing that out there).

I think generally it is quite a solid routine i got going?

Welcome back.

Have you mentioned that before?

Firstly, sit ups are pretty brutal for a healthy back. I cant think of a time I would ever advocate using them. There are FAR better exercises for core work.

Standing shoulder press is very lower back intensive, so probably a good idea to swerve it.

Squat and DL technique you need to put a video up. Its so hard to give advice with no clue whats happening. You then become an internet expert that does more harm than good.

Core wise, focus on dead bugs (youtube them, probably one of the best for back rehab) and plan variations along with hollow body holds. Even just hanging is core intensive to start too.

Definitely go back to a specialist, they will see/know things that nobody else will. With something as life hampering as that, I would be extremely careful with DL and Squats, not to say they couldn't help but it seems high risk if you were to do them without care. Don't fatigue your core too much too, as you end up being sloppier and sloppier. I would split squats and DL to a different day to lower that risk.

Yoga feels like your friend here too. Cat camels seem a sensible start, but mobilising the hips take pressure off, posture and shoulders pressure off etc.

I think i mentioned the back stuff before I am not sure.

I will be on to a back specialist soon for sure.

The dead bugs i will try today, thank you.

The cat camel looks okay but the part where you invert your spine seems a little like I wouldn't go with it. I do think your view on yoga is spot on. Its low impact, but strengthens the core and muscles well while gaining flexibility. It is something i would like to pursue but wouldn't know where to start in terms of a routine and how to integrated that with weights.

On the sit ups i am with you all the way, I actually couldn't tolerate doing them even if i tried.

On the machine i talk of for the 200 sit ups though, it is one of ab crunching ones where you have two soft straps over the tops of your shoulders that you have to pull down as you do them. What i like about it is i can do a "sit up" while reducing the strain on the lower back as i do it by never going back too much at the start of the sit up. It is hard to explain but its very good at working my abs without my lower back hurting too much is all i know.

On changing up the deadlifts and squats onto separate days i tried that before and i didn't like it. It is as if once i work on the lower back and that area in general i like a day to leave it alone. I am not in too much pain or too stiff by any means, but i just like not engaging it again and giving it a days rest. I do take your point about being careful doing both on the same day though and that is why i am being very careful with how low the weights are currently. Generally i am very good at working myself just hard enough so i have exerted myself well but can go again the next day.

General goals from reposting in thread is to eventually get to the bottom of a flexibility/yoga routine and weights side by side. Already paying off with the dead bugs shout, tyty.

[iRaise]

I do see the sense in doing all lower back work together to aid recovery. It is kinda bro, but I think for you situation it is pretty legit.

I think I see the point on the ab side, my argument is why just train abs? Not that you shouldn't, but if you are time constrained in only doing a few days a week there are better ways to spend the time. But if you enjoy it and do it, its probably worth doing.

I think with the yoga type stuff you just youtube yoga for beginners and start there. Then build things in the more you see. I just tend to pick 4-5 and do them until I am bored, then another 4-5 etc. I will have a think and suggest some others and hope the names are the same for youtube.

My typical sessions now are becoming longer but less frequent. Obv this could change as discussed over the last few pages. But this time last year it was:

6 sessions a week
15 min walk to the gym
5 minutes of warm up
45 mins of training
15 min walk back

Now its:

4 times a week
drive to the gym
15-20 mins mobility
50-70min training
15-20 mins mobility

So spend around 2 hours with travelling included, sometimes a touch longer. But getting it all done. Placing lots of on mobility and prehab, with a few rehab things in there too. But I cant remember the last time I had a session where there wasn't 30 mins worth of mobility in.

[iRaise]

Deadstop rows. 3x5 95/97.5 still loving this one

4x8 OHP 52.5 struggling with this a bit

Have to move the fish tank tomorrow which is about 200-225kg. So thats a nice little pre DL warm up for Saturday.

[Marky147]

Shoudlers/Tri

Cable Front - 9/14/23/23 - 10/8/6/5+2p (Straight bar)
DB Lat Rais - 5kg x8 & 7.5kg x6 + 3p
Rear Delts  - 18kg x 8 & 36kg x7 + 2negs (Hi-Lo on cables)
DB Shrugs - 22.5kg x 10 & 32.5kg x8

Straight bar pushdowns - 36kg/47kg/58kg - 8/6/8 & 2p
Single arm rope extensions - 9kg/14kg - 8/6 + 2p
Rope Pushdowns 36kg/50kg - 8/7 & 1p

Arm is getting better, so think that no pressing has helped. Migh stick that for a few more weeks, then see if I can get back into it for the month before I go away.

[EvilPie]

Shoudlers/Tri

Cable Front - 9/14/23/23 - 10/8/6/5+2p (Straight bar)
DB Lat Rais - 5kg x8 & 7.5kg x6 + 3p
Rear Delts  - 18kg x 8 & 36kg x7 + 2negs (Hi-Lo on cables)
DB Shrugs - 22.5kg x 10 & 32.5kg x8

Straight bar pushdowns - 36kg/47kg/58kg - 8/6/8 & 2p
Single arm rope extensions - 9kg/14kg - 8/6 + 2p
Rope Pushdowns 36kg/50kg - 8/7 & 1p

Arm is getting better, so think that no pressing has helped. Migh stick that for a few more weeks, then see if I can get back into it for the month before I go away.

If it's anything like mine was you're looking at months not weeks for it to get better. The slightest thing can set it off again and put you back to square one so take it really steady.

[iRaise]

Didn't eat great Friday due to moving everything. So was fairly tired today, but strength wasn't too bad.

3x5 DL 160/165/170. Really disappointed with the last rep at 170, just shouldn't have done it. It was really ugly and I just don't want to do those kind of reps right now.

Some front squats where the last set was a little poor too.

One great set of farmers and two above average ones.

On the flip side, a fantastic handstand day, so silver linings and all.

[EvilPie]

Didn't eat great Friday due to moving everything. So was fairly tired today, but strength wasn't too bad.

3x5 DL 160/165/170. Really disappointed with the last rep at 170, just shouldn't have done it. It was really ugly and I just don't want to do those kind of reps right now.

Some front squats where the last set was a little poor too.

One great set of farmers and two above average ones.

On the flip side, a fantastic handstand day, so silver linings and all.

I really want to catch up with you on deadlifts. Going to take a while but I'll get there I promise.

On the flip side I have no desire to do a handstand whatsoever.