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if you've never lifted before, just do heavy compounds 3x/week i.e. rippetoes or stronglifts or whatever. it'll suit you much better than a dedicated bi/chest day (ps artoftennis why bis/chest instead of bis/back or chest/tris or chest/shoulders or something a little more intuitive?)
Anybody here runs for more explosiveness? I feel like running but I'm not doing for marathon purposes, more for more cardio and endurance. I feel like running full blast 30 seconds and resting 30. Anybody with tips/experience?
Resistance training is great. Build or buy a harness that you can attack a rope to, and then either have somebody provide resistance by pulling on the rope while you run 50-100m, or tie a big weight to the rope and pull that.
Also, those parachute things (you'd have to buy this) work wel too.
For cardio and endurance, I don't really think 30s is enough for intervals. I'd suggest doing 200m minimum, and 400m works the best from my experience (but also sucks the most). Start with something attainable, say six 75s 400m dashes with 4min of rest between each one, and then gradually decrease your lap and rest times. These suck a lot but will greatly help with conditioning.
I do a 3-day full body split. Bis/chest, shoulders/back, and legs/triceps. I was aiming to not do chest/tris, because I've heard it was more effective to have them on separate days to better exhaust each one, so I did chest/bs, because I didn't want to squat and deadlift on the same day or have an "arm day". Before I just did 3 days of full body workouts, but I've changed to this because it made me too sore for tennis on top of it. To be honest though, I've liked this better anyways.
fair point, I''d just never heard of it before is all.
ya anyways (finally) steady access to weights = stathakis gonna get strong.
only one small question, though. when you squat, how do you deal with the stupid weight on your back? whenever I squat I always have to stop because my skinny as shoulders hurt so much and my legs barely feel it.
fair point, I''d just never heard of it before is all.
ya anyways (finally) steady access to weights = stathakis gonna get strong.
only one small question, though. when you squat, how do you deal with the stupid weight on your back? whenever I squat I always have to stop because my skinny as shoulders hurt so much and my legs barely feel it.
It happens to everybody when they start squatting. I started out using a towel on my shoulders because the bar would mark my shoulders bad and it would hurt. I got used to bar no towel in about a month. Make sure it's not too low or too high, the middle should be just about fine ( I would advice a little bit towards the top of your neck).
Start low btw. Don't be ashamed of being the guy with a 60 pound squad, fuck the guys that make fun of you. I now squat 235 and still gaining. The look in their face is priceless.
So I've been more consistent lately and I've been seeing really great gains. Squat is up to 245 3x5, Bench is at 200 4x5, and OHP is at 110 4x5. I'm considering switching the last 2 to 3x5 but right now I think I can still keep going with 4 sets. Also I've totally fallen in love with weighted dips and chinup/pullups. My gym has this belt that you hang weights off of and it's the best. Currently up to 40 lbs on all three of those lifts 3x5.
Also I've really been trying to focus on my lower back/hamstrings. I've been doing glute/ham raises lately and they are a killer. It's pretty obvious that my hams were a weak point because I was struggling with these when I first started doing them. Everyone should at least try doing these because the majority of people are quad dominant and hitting your glutes/hams will likely help out your squat. Just a suggestion.
Great place to make your first post! nice stats, 1RM or 5RM? (or 3x5M or 5x5M)
fitday has the general calories of your stuff at
calories: 2,239
fat: 56.9
carbs: 298.8
protein: 136.7
not including your pre bedtime proteins and cereals or lean meats, which would obvs increase your protein. so i'd say you're doing pretty well for yourself! make sure you drink plenty of water :P
Cottage cheese is relatively cheap (just make sure you get the good kind, not the kind with 4g fat / 8g protein but the kind with like 1g fat / 26 g protein) and if you can stomach it it makes for a great snack. If you don't know if you can find someone you know who buys this stuff and try it!
i commend you on tuna man. i can stomach the stuff like once a week, sometimes twice a week but it's just impossible to eat often for me haha. i don't like fish in the first place and tuna is just one that i tolerate for the sake of protein.
edit: popemobile i'm thinking about doing some hamstring raises monday...not sure though. gonna start lifting again in the season because my legs didn't get better but got worse and always felt dead no matter ice bath nor stretching, which pissed me off. you sure they're good?
also we're 0-1 in the season already! they had people standing behind our keeper (obvs illegal) yelling and cursing at him and taking pictures of him. the refs wouldn't stop any of it until the second half when one of their players got a card and they all shouted "YOU FUCKING MORON REF" and he kicked three out (as if they didn't come back 6,6) and sent the rest to the stands. fucking sucks they scored because of the most lucky goal and i only played 60 minutes (legs felt like shit).
SUPER EDIT:
So I'm fully a moron and sometimes I am ridiculous. This is one of those times.
You think that's over the course of the day? not even close. that's my dinner only. oh man what's wrong with me why did i do this to myself. i didn't think i was eating that much! i quit fast food after this. my mom agrees after i showed her this. she's not buying fast food for us for the next week at least, which is enough time for me to start hammering out a more solid plan. i can't make chicken for lunch everyday anymore so i'm subbing in turkey even though it's not as good :( the real question is: why the fuck have i reverted back to the way i was during last school year these past few weeks? makes me mad. just ticks me off. fuck.
took a 2 week break from running. I was burning my candle from both ends and really starting to just get too tired physically and mentally. i'm in the middle of the 2nd week now, and I ran twice this week (so not a "full" break but a break nonetheless). both times I felt really fresh and rejuvenated, so I feel like it was a good move.
in other news, I'm writing a paper about optimum stride rate. basically the idea is the higher your power/weight ratio, the more likely you are to take fewer, longer strides as opposed to more, shorter strides. so, I was doing an experiment that involved running at various paces to determine optimum stride rate as well as a vertical jump test (best measure of power/weight ratio). I tested all the guys on the basketball team and a few others. this little white 5'8 135 lb kid out-jumped all the bball guys! he jumped 38 inches from a standstill. it was a mind-shattering experience for all who were there, especially the basketball guys.
also S_I based on your edit you may be mentally tired as well. maybe after next week finishes, try taking a break. I'm not sure what kind of break, whatever suits you really. for me it was a lot less running. for you it may be multiple cheat meals in the diet. you'll feel ready to rock when you get back. Idk, I'm speaking from experience in running, not soccer/lifting, so it may be a bit different, but I know that a week break after months of hard training really hit the spot for me, and now I'm hungry again (metaphorically, in case that's unclear).
anyways, I'm going back to my training, just wanted to check in. see you guys in a month or two!
Ah yes Tuna!! That stuff has a nice stench to it :]
Thanks I appreciate the feedback and will use the info you hit me back with to make it through another year of college :]
Oh my max on bench is 3 reps, the other two are 3 reps as well.
i get mine in water in a bag (starlight? starfish? something like that) and it's already prepared, just pop it out and eat it. mayo is sometimes included in my family's tuna but i can't stand the taste of mayo (i am truly unamerican).
I'm a big fan of microwave cheese omelettes. Sometimes I'll also use whey to make my own sort of homeade protein bar goo (lol). But yeah, for me oats + whey + fruit or peanut butter is a staple; it's cheap and relatively efficient. You can also try mixing greek yogurt with whey; it makes like a protein pudding type thing, and tastes much better than greek yogurt by itself. Try adding cottage cheese to the tuna sometime, too (straight tuna from the can).
i get mine in water in a bag (starlight? starfish? something like that) and it's already prepared, just pop it out and eat it. mayo is sometimes included in my family's tuna but i can't stand the taste of mayo (i am truly unamerican).
I might end up trying canned tuna, apparently it really is a different taste. idk how much more / less expensive it is but i guess it wouldn't hurt to try it once.
also discussion starter: school lunches. i'm looking to improve my own but it's hard for me to actually think of what to include. like turkey is a given (too easy), a banana, but then what? my mom always wants to give me cereal bars / special k bars (not bad) / slim jims (too much fat for my liking) etc. and i'm trying to think of stuff that's easy to pack and still good. considering taking tuna but not sure. thoughts?
<-- looking to significantly improve diet (albeit without forcing too much, eating clean 80-90% of the time and not having battle of the wills with fast food / soda / unclean foods).
matches up with a lot of stuff i learned and provided some studies to look into. solid read if you've got ten minutes to kill!
---
After monitoring my diet for this past weekend, I've decided that it's about time I actually do something. So I've been searching around and I've read a few articles, watched a few lectures, and looked at some studies and I've changed up my diet. Breakfast is light (mostly because I can't eat heavy early), lunch is good, and dinner is adjusted according to what my mom makes for dinner. My main goal is <20% fat; the complementary goal is 2000-2200 calories per day (I eat just over 1,200 with breakfast + lunch so I've given myself a lot of room). game days will be a little different but i'll figure it out as I go and learn from mistakes. i'm basically looking to drop the pudge, milk the beginner gains all while continuing on in the regular season. i've got two goals over the last six games; for me that's not enough so my goal is to get 9 goals in the rest of the season at least. double digit goals would be glorious. lots of short term goals, a long term goal, and i'm going to iron out my lifting goals. i'm hoping to just steadily drop weight, 1-3 pounds / week over the next two-three months to cut out most of the fat. i'm just tired of ruining myself so i'm setting goals and hoping to stick to them! good luck me, thanks me, this is getting rambly so peace
edit: not hoping. going to stick to my goals there is no room for error if i want to improve my overall health and appearance
I lol'ed at the mexican tuna, my mother makes it that way (i'm mexican).
Usually mayo + fried fish isn't all that bad, I can try out the tuna + mayo + maybe lettuce + bread and report back some results.
On the topic of school lunches:
I was thinking Turkey / Tuna sandwiches (see what I did there ^)
Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches are boss.
Again oatmeal bars / protein bars are good.
And probs a banana / orange to round out the fruit.
Oh and lots of water, (thanks Stylish Interval). Water is actually one of the least taken supplements, and its a key one at that.
So as some of you know, I've been going to the gym between 2-3 times a week for the past 10 months (with a few weeks missed in between due to illness) and while my transformation has not been anywhere near as drastic as Ninahaza's it's been pretty big for me personally at least (one of these days I'll post photos of my transformation).
Anyway whilst I already eat pretty well (if I do cheat, the quantity is so small that it doesn't affect my gains) I felt that it was time to step up my training. Starting last week, I'm aiming to go 5 days a week, with Tuesday and Wednesday my rest days so I'm not crippled for basketball. I had a talk with a few PT friends and some mates who've made some great gains, and the workout plan is roughly as follows:
Monday: Chest & Calves
4 sets of incline dumbbell press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of bench press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of incline flies, 8-10 reps
3 sets of chest dips until failure
2 sets of standing calf raises until failure
2 sets of donkey calf raises until failure
Tuesday and Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Legs
4 sets of squats 8-10 reps
3 sets of leg press
3 sets of leg extensions
3 sets of stiff-legged deadlifts supersetted with leg curls
Friday: Biceps & Triceps
4 sets of chin-ups supersetted with barbell curls
3 sets of 12's (my variation of 21's but geared towards heavier weights)
3 sets of close-grip bench press
4 sets of pulldowns
3 sets of skullcrushers
Saturday: Shoulders
4 sets of military press supersetted with lateral raises
3 sets of upright rows
3 sets of front raises
3 sets of lying rear delt raises
Sunday: Back
3 sets of wide grip chins until failure
4 sets of deadlifts
3 sets of bent over rows
3 sets of T-bar rows
The core is done anyway as a biproduct of some of these exercises (you have no idea how much my abs hurt during Bi's/Tri's day) but I'm probably gonna throw in some plank variations and other core related exercises to assist with everything. Let me know what you guys think, pics will come after a few months of this program to see if it worked!
So as some of you know, I've been going to the gym between 2-3 times a week for the past 10 months (with a few weeks missed in between due to illness) and while my transformation has not been anywhere near as drastic as Ninahaza's it's been pretty big for me personally at least (one of these days I'll post photos of my transformation).
Anyway whilst I already eat pretty well (if I do cheat, the quantity is so small that it doesn't affect my gains) I felt that it was time to step up my training. Starting last week, I'm aiming to go 5 days a week, with Tuesday and Wednesday my rest days so I'm not crippled for basketball. I had a talk with a few PT friends and some mates who've made some great gains, and the workout plan is roughly as follows:
Monday: Chest & Calves
4 sets of incline dumbbell press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of bench press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of incline flies, 8-10 reps
3 sets of chest dips until failure
2 sets of standing calf raises until failure
2 sets of donkey calf raises until failure
Tuesday and Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Legs
4 sets of squats 8-10 reps
3 sets of leg press
3 sets of leg extensions
3 sets of stiff-legged deadlifts supersetted with leg curls
Friday: Biceps & Triceps
4 sets of chin-ups supersetted with barbell curls
3 sets of 12's (my variation of 21's but geared towards heavier weights)
3 sets of close-grip bench press
4 sets of pulldowns
3 sets of skullcrushers
Saturday: Shoulders
4 sets of military press supersetted with lateral raises
3 sets of upright rows
3 sets of front raises
3 sets of lying rear delt raises
Sunday: Back
3 sets of wide grip chins until failure
4 sets of deadlifts
3 sets of bent over rows
3 sets of T-bar rows
The core is done anyway as a biproduct of some of these exercises (you have no idea how much my abs hurt during Bi's/Tri's day) but I'm probably gonna throw in some plank variations and other core related exercises to assist with everything. Let me know what you guys think, pics will come after a few months of this program to see if it worked!
I don't want to sound like if I want to fuck up your routine or anything, just a suggestion; take it as you will.
Why don't you try out a Hypertrophy routine? I've been reading on this for a while now and it seems promising. The reason why I haven't done it is because my body fat % is not where I want it to be yet. Not that it matters or anything, but it's a mental thing with me that keeps that fire inside of me lit up. But anyways, you seem to have the time to do it, as 5 days are necessary for it and you seem to have everything needed as well. I would do this workout in a heartbeat, but like I said it's a personal thing with me, so I'm concentrating on strength at the time but once I get to my goal I will do it.
That actually looks sick Venom, thanks for sharing! When I feel as though I start to plateau with my routine, I might just try out a Hypertrophy routine to use on alternate weeks to continually shock my body. They seem pretty intense which is what I'm looking for, lots of supersetting which I love. I'm curious though as to how to tell whether you're two reps from failure haha, personally I can't tell that easily until I'm actually at failure.
You would have to do some sort of test with yourself, something like find out at what weight you feel more comfortable at doing the number of reps desired. On other words, test your failure. The workout is kind of built around strength, even though its built to muscle growth. The power days are meant to build all round strength so you don't get stuck at the same weight with the workouts. This will help you a lot in the future to determine where you're going to reach failure.
You're gonna get mixed responses about this, but in my opinion 3x5>5x5. The only reason I would recommend 5x5 over 3x5 if you have no experience doing core workouts; such as people who can't squat for shit, 5x5 helps to learn proper technique. 3x5 is also good with this workout because the days you are doing hypertrophy isn't gonna be easy shit. You're gonna need as much recovery as possible. It's gonna fuck your basketball up for a while, maybe a few weeks but your body will get used to it. You're gonna be sore from muscles you didn't even know existed.
My lower back is quite weak and it means I have pain squatting and deadlifting lately so I'm taking a few weeks off the lower body stuff, is there any good exercises I can do to strengthen this area (like very low back, almost my bum) and dont say bent over row this just aggravates it 0_0 ?
