yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Good news everyone..

The shoulder is much better this week! :good:

I'll stick to Decline Chest again this week in the hope that i can return to normal the week after with some Incline/Flat DB press. Speaking of which..

...the DOMs from all that Decline work on Saturday lasted until Tuesday! :eek: Goes to show that putting your last exercise first once in a while can be enough to stress those muscle fibres beyond what they're used to.

Plateau busting like a boss! :)

Anyone else find themselves panting like a dog doing heavy leg work? 145KG Leg Press and i'm dying. Then i see this:

[YOUTUBE]Id_e5vvPwe0[/YOUTUBE]

I don't think he's even notice if there were only 145KG on the machine!
[Off-topic] roofrider:
I got doms in my chest 3 weeks in a row now. DBs FTW! My shoulder seems to be getting better too. Yay!

These are the kinds of leg press machines we have here.

Pin loaded leg press, the one i've been doing for months since i started.

And the plate loaded squat press, the one i've been doing since the last couple of weeks. It's not a typical leg press machine. It's a weird one.

Coleman is big..very big! :eek:
[Off-topic] Dirk:
His Thighs are like my Chest! :eek:

That Selectorised machine is similar to what i use, although on yours it's the feet that move whereas on mine the foot plate is fixed and the seat slides. What i'd prefer is what Coleman is using in that video. There was one in the very first gym i ever frequented and they're much better. They do tend to squeeze the gas out of you due to the long ROM, but it's a ROM you can only get with the weights bearing down on you though!

The only problem is, if you overdo it you can wind up in a scrunched up position with no hope of pushing the weight back up and off you. Especially as the hardest part of the movement is when you're at the bottom like that. I had to save myself more than once by pushing on my knees to get the weight off.

Do you have a Hack Squat machine in your gym? I used ours for the first time last week and managed to invoke some DOMs. Not keen on the mounting/dismounting procedure though. It's a little awkward!

Good to hear you're getting good chest work in and that your shoulder is healing too. In both our cases, DB is better than BB for Chest because the latter tends to 'fix' your arms in position which is sometimes contrary to what your shoulder wants.

I have a week off work next week. Not going to be able to really hit it hard like i want because of the elbows, but with all the free time i should be able to do a little more than i usually would. At least i'll be in the gym in the morning when it's quiet and cool for a change.
[Off-topic] animatedbreak:
[YOUTUBE]uPnCV7K6ihM[/YOUTUBE]
[Off-topic] roofrider:
That squat press machine is a little similar to that, the foot plate is fixed while the back rest along with the plates lifts off the rest.

So these are the symptoms of tennis elbow? I'll keep my eyes open...you never know.

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/tennis-elbow-lateral-epicondylitis

Dat chick!! No problem in killing somebody to marry someone like her lol. The core strength he's got is amazing.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Any pain in your elbow and you should cease and desist immediately! I think it's Tennis elbow on one arm and Golfers elbow on the other for me. Underside/overside. The right, (Tennis), has gotten somewhat better but the Left, (Golfers), is horrendous. It hurts to pick up my water bottle from the floor. :(

:D

The only girl i'd be interested in dating would be a hard-core gym-rat. Ironically the last place you're likely to pick up a girl is in the gym...and the odds of meeting a female gym-rat outside of the gym are heavily stacked against! Will have to settle for perving from across the room! :p
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Oh that sounds bad! I noticed my Arms day was putting a little stress on the elbow, especially when using too much weight on the skull crushers. Better to use less weight and good form i guess. Also since the reverse curls work the forearm, guess i was little concerned when i noticed minor pain near the inner elbow the next day lol. No sharp pain, so that's good i guess.

Word!! :D
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I've seen a lot of people on Bodybuilding.com say they refuse to do reverse curls/direct forearm work because of the risk of Tendonitis. Some have been through it as a direct result. I was doing a lot of forearm work, but i think it was mostly Preacher Curls that did my right arm in and upright rows that did for my left.

Who knows, maybe it was just too much of everything combined with not enough rest and recuperation. If, or when they ever recover, i'll be steering well clear of isolation work for a good long time.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Hmm.. if it's complicating things during this month, then i'll dump a few of those isolations for the next.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I'm beginning to think my immune system is completely shot to pieces. I was fine when i woke up today, i was fine when i got to work and i was fine for the first couple of hours. Then i had a ten minute sneezing fit and now i've got full blown cold symptoms and can barely breathe!

What the hell is wrong with me?? How can you go from full on healthy to full blown cold in ten minutes?? WTF? This is like the sixth cold i've had this Winter.

Goddamsonofabitch!!!! :mad:

Edit: Interesting Thread, full of people who have quit smoking and now get sick all the time because of it:

http://www.steadyhealth.com/health_problems_after_stop_smoking_t94787.html

Perhaps i should start smoking again!

Edit2: Took a Clarytin anti-allergy pill that i found in my bag, leftover from last year. Took it on the off chance and now my nose has stopped running like a tap. Go figure. It's snowing outside and i have Hayfever. Is that even possible? :p
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Fever out of nowhere? Lol.

Also why the hell do certain women wear all that makeup when coming for a workout session? :confused: Wonder if that happens in other parts of the world too.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Oh man, it's so true. I've often wondered the same, and yes it happens everywhere it seems. Makeup Monsters i call them.

It's a shame because some of them would actually look pretty if they didn't bother with it.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
I can't even go close to some of them, looks like they bathe in perfume/deo before hitting the gym. It stinks!!! :crying:

On plus side i've seen only women on weight loss program wear such makeups, the hot ones come in hot with no makeup!:victory::D Only 2 but still :D
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Dude, i feel sick sometimes when i'm flat out doing Cardio and gulping for air, when somebody who is doused in perfume gets on the machine next to me. It's heinous! I'm practically suffocating anyway so the added pollution doesn't help!

Still, i hope there's something to look at tonight while i'm doing my 30 mins of torture! :D
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Lmao!! Oh sometimes they are the motivation that you need to put in some extra effort, yesterday i went hard on the Elliptical because there was a hot one on the bike behind me. :D My throat went dry pretty quickly but that doesn't matter.

Anyway, my new favourite exercise is the Shrug, always liked them but was cheating a little back then, now my elbows are locked and being able lift heavier weights is just even more awesome.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Shrugs are awesome! I do them with DBs. The heavy weight hanging on my arms is a nightmare for the elbows, but i like having big traps so i carry on regardless! I do 3x20 with 30KG DBs. Short ROM so high reps!

Also, Face Pulls. Do you do them? Fantastic exercise for Rear Delts. Have to be done with good form for best benefit though. You need the rope handles on a pulley set lower than your Shoulders, overhand grip on the ends of the rope, pull back and up until you are in the classic Front Double Biceps pose, hands either side of your head.

Dropping that here for inspiration! :)
[Off-topic] roofrider:
I use DBs too, 3x12-15 i increase the weight in steps, 17.5KG till now but i think i will be able to do 20KG..next week then.

Nope doing reverse flys on the machine now, noted though. Will add them later to mix things up.

Arnie is lean and neat when compared to coleman. He's mass mass and more mass.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Stick a fork in me, i'm done.

Cardio only today. Felt good! Nothing to look at except hairy men and my own feet, so i stared at the ceiling a lot while i wished the air con would magically crank itself up to maximum and get stuck there!

If you don't have a copy of Arnies Bodybuilding Encyclopedia i highly recommend it. I'm on my second copy after cutting the first one up for the inspirational pictures. (Stuck them all over my room!)

It's full of good information but the pictures alone make it worthy of the price. It's chock full of the classics throughout the history of strong man to modern bodybuilding.

Good Face Pull guide:

[YOUTUBE]uQS-tXL1CLg[/YOUTUBE]
[Off-topic] animatedbreak:
[YOUTUBE]RdNWoKWz15o[/YOUTUBE]
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Really? That came as a surprise lol. Got movie posters stuck too?

I'll look into buying the book when i get a chance. Thanks for the facepull link.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Nice! :good:

Just old ones of Cybill Shepherd and Pamela Anderson! :p :laugh:
[Off-topic] Dirk:
So inevitably it's the Back sessions that have suffered the most because of the Tendonitis. Having taken a long break from doing any Back work, and then recently doing some limited work, the training in that area has just gone backwards. The last couple of weeks i've come away from Back day feeling like i didn't do anything productive. This week i tried a different approach.

Instead of my usual routine of 3 x sets per exercise i hung in and carried on knocking out set after set, going lighter each time so that i could do another, and then another. By the time i had done 9 x Assisted Pull-ups i had a nice pump going for the first time in months. Did the same on Bent over BB Rows, (although i don't have to drop the weight much on those), just kept going at them. It felt great!

I wouldn't be surprised if i feel some DOMs when i wake up tomorrow. :good:
[Off-topic] roofrider:
So is it sore? lol

Gaining weight is damn hard!
[Off-topic] Dirk:
More soreness in my Bi's than anywhere. My Back is so resilient it's unbelievable. Life spent doing hard labour for a living i reckon!

Ectomorphs need to EAT! ;) Seriously though, listen to Scooby and be realistic about what you can actually gain in lean muscle mass. Even noob gains will only net you a Pound in lean mass per month. After a few years you'll struggle to gain a third of that! Easy gainers put on muscle at the same speed but put on fat easily. As you are starting at a low BF, and don't have to worry about controlling it, you're actually at an advantage. Everything you gain will be lean. If you're putting on weight faster than the average it means one of two things. 1) You are a genetic freak, 2) You are on steroids, 3) You are getting fat!

There's a natural Mesomorph that goes to my gym at the weekends. We speak ever time we're there together. To look at him in shorts and a T-shirt you'd peg him as a semi-pro Bodybuilder. He's short and stocky with bulges in all the right places. He lifts half what i do! The truth is he has a very high BF but it goes on evenly all over. His Calves are like my Thighs, without having to train them! Same for everything else. Barrel chest, broad shoulders, big arms.. perfect physique and 35% fat! What it would take me ten years to accomplish in the gym he can match by staying home and eating pizza!

I'm making the most of my week off from work by training hard and not worrying about what i eat. Right now i'm half way through a bottle of wine, which is the first drink i've had in eight months! Been sorely tempted to smoke too for some reason, but i'm resisting. I look better in the mirror than ever before so it's going well despite the injury set-backs. I'll stick to the higher volume work for a while to lift my game and break the routine.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Not having to worry about BF% does feel good. :D I don't smoke so i'm not of much help there, don't drink much either..it's very rare.

What's your height? So i can slowly start forming a picture of how you'd look lol :D I'm 5'11" btw, so badly wish i were 6' instead!!
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Officially..? 5'11 3/4! I reckon if i had squeezed i could have make 6', lol! :p You?

Today has been very weird. I've finished two bottles of wine, which even when i used to drink would have made me sick. I just woke up with the bin next to me, which at some point i obviously dragged over in case i was sick. I'm awake now and feeling sober and not at all sick or hungover, although i've lost about five hours! My headphones are still planted on my head though and i'm a bit hungry.

I guess i'm putting that down to my week off blow-out. We will not discuss it any further! :o
[Off-topic] roofrider:
And we shall not. lol

I'm 180 cm and that's exactly 5'11" i think. :( Not 6'.

What back exercises do you do?

Mine is Pull-ups, Pull-downs, Machine rows, single arm DB rows and Bentover BB rows (think i'll do bentover DB rows instead, i feel my left side is lagging a bit.) Deadlifts maybe from next month, need to improve my flexibility first.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Had a good Leg day yesterday. Walking lunges are total killers! Squats are improving slowly.

And today was a low energy day. :mad: Not exactly sure why, could be the delayed lunch or the juice that i had pre-workout.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
That's what i've been doing for all these and i'm making an attempt to change that now. :cool:

Trying to kill the skinniness with fire. :D
[Off-topic] TheSkinnyDrummer:
Wait... So you're trying to gain weight?

Sent from your mom.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Well, kinda. Don't get the wrong idea, i'm not looking to get fat.
[Off-topic] TheSkinnyDrummer:
Well....just reverse my previous post then.

Look up, then look down. Do that when someone offers you food. Profit?
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Lol, definitely profit!
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Look at that form. Proper ATG Squats. I wish i was that flexible!
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Frank Zane. Lean and mean. Ok, maybe not be that mean but still looks freaking great.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
One of the greats!
[Off-topic] animatedbreak:
Challenge: Post your before and after pictures or progression photos.

I'll start off. :highfive:

Before:

After:

Sorry! One photo for now - I just started taking snaps.:cool:

Note: The pen on my forearm was written on me by a waitress at Boston Pizza. It says: "If I'm lost, it's because I had too much Rickard's Red. (Beer.). If found please return to my bartender, call 416-She's-Hot" haha.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Before:

After:

It's amazing the difference a few press-ups can make! :good:
[Off-topic] Dirk:
roofriders handsome visage and chiseled physique will be appearing in..

3...

2...

1.....
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Nope nope nope...gimme a couple of years to chisel up will ya? lol
[Off-topic] Dirk:
:D

I have no 'before' pictures making the task set by animatedbreak indefinitely impossible! Anyway, nobody wants to see my ugly mug staring back at them while they're browsing the Internet. :D
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Dooooooo Eeeeeeeet!!

PICS!

PICS!

PICS!

You lucky you!!

For how many years have you been lifting??
[Off-topic] roofrider:
I hope the sore traps from incorrectly rowing yesterday doesn't prevent me from squating on Thursday. And tomo is shoulder day, so i might have to go light on the shurgs or drop it completely. :(
[Off-topic] Dirk:
What sort of rowing and how were you doing it incorrectly? Cardio rowing? You'd have to be pulling the handle above your head to get sore traps! :D

Stick shrugs onto your Back day later in the week. Wouldn't want sore traps when squatting with an Olympic Bar resting on them! :eek: (Or, cowboy up and enjoy the pain!) :D

My shoulder still isn't there yet. Knew it on Saturday so i went straight into decline work again. Tried one set of Incline press at the end just to see, and boy did i regret it. The pain was awful! No problems doing a Shoulder session tonight using machines though. It's just that Incline/Flat Chest work. :(
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Yep the cardio rowing machine, i was pulling it more towards my chest rather than the abdomen, i was feeling it in my traps all the while ...i expected it to be a good thing but boy it hurts. It's probably sore because that's my first time ever on the rowing machine, had no choice...all the ellipticals were occupied that day lol. I'm expecting it to be better just in time for the squating session, or i'll just have to man up. After all, pain is just weakness leaving the body. :D

Today was my Back day unfortunately and i'll be out of town for a few days this weekend so i might miss an Arms session.

I felt a little something in my left shoulder when doing lateral raises, trying to use low weights and good form. Only recently did i notice that my wrists were going slightly above the elbow when doing those, read they were supposed to be along the same line. Everything is perfect on the right side though, no cracking and popping.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Shoulders need taking care of. They do so much work through the course of a week, so if something if hurting it's best to stop and find something else to do. For Lateral Deltoid i prefer Upright Rows with a wider grip. Narrow grip for Traps. Of course, i can't do either atm. It's OHP or nothing until the injuries have healed.

Btw,

:D
[Off-topic] animatedbreak:
One year, next month :D. The new workout regime works really well.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/best_ectomorph_workout.htm

I do the top one, which is username: Liquid_Diet. Pyramid sets are super win.

Pull ups are epic too. :D :cool:

Sounds like you're also lifting too heavy - if you are compensating with other muscles.

No shame dropping the weight a little, and remember to pull with your back, by squeezing your shoulder blades together and keeping your arms down to the side (to remove pressure from elbows). Focus on that, and you should remove some of the pressure off the other muscles for sure. http://www.bodybuilding.com has a HUGE database of video how-to's for exercises I always look at them if i'm going to try something new ;).
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Lmao! I saw a few brilliant gym fails the other day, will look for them in gifs when i have time.

Wow! All that change in one year! Sweet!

I use pyramid sets too but only 3 and not 4.

Damn! Wait till i gain a few kilos.

Edit: will read your other post in some time, gotta run now.

Edit2: Read. Ya i'll give it one more week before i ditch lat raises. I tried both lateral and front raises (5KG) today and felt a little pain in my left shoulder. I'm unable to pinpoint what the problem is but i'm sure something isn't right. The ROM of Cuban Rotations have greatly improved though, when i started doing those about a month earlier i wasn't able to get full ROM on the left due some pain but now it's vanished and the ROM is good.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
So, the fat loss program is under way this week! Currently 87KG and want to lose at least 0.5 KG per week. Should be easy peasy! Cutting back on eating and increasing Cardio, including adding an extra Cardio session on what used to be my night off. I think ~82KG is what i'm aiming for, to expose the Abs in time for Summer and to help with temperature regulation!

Shoulder is still bad so the lifting program is still suffering. :mad:
[Off-topic] roofrider:
All the best! Nothing new from my side except my cardio might be slowly improving, no longer neglecting it.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
More cardio = more fitness = more endurance = more lifting = more hypertrophy.

Conclusion:

Cardio = Muscles! :good:
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Haha thanks for that extra bit of motivation. :)

Also, is your injured shoulder a little soft and squishy compared to the good one?
[Off-topic] Dirk:
No, nothing like that. There's just a sharp pain, especially when the elbow is pushed all the way back as it is at the bottom of a press or dip movement. I wonder if it was dips that caused the trouble in the first place actually.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Yeah, scooby says not to do that. Elbows shouldn't drop below the shoulders/back level when doing chest press, doing so gives that extra stretch but does more harm i guess. He recommends doing them on the floor which ensures shoulder safety.

And for dips he says the arms should be horizontal.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
It's true. Deep dips are known to cause issues. Not so bad if you're young and flexible, but i'm not that any more! Decline press was okay today though. Shoulder might still be improving slowly. Yours is still ok i hope?

Extra Cardio doesn't seem to be causing any problems either. Looks like what i'm doing now might become the new minimum amount that i'll allow myself to do! Should dump those extra Kilos in good time. :fingers-crossed:

So the rest of my day is free now and i've got a ton of movies to watch thanks to all the recommendations in the movie thread this week. It's movie marathon time! :good:
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Surprisingly, my shoulder didn't hurt during lateral and front raises which is great news, could be the 5 day rest since last weekend. But i used only 2KG :o - 5 KG, didn't want to risk it and will continue to use low weights for those in the coming weeks, also read somewhere that lat raises are low weight high rep exercises.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Only because people ego lift and do them with terrible form. You'll never see more variation in technique than with lateral raises, and it's all because people hate using the pink dumbbells! :D
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Lol. How do you prefer to do them? With elbows slightly bent or with the shoulders pulled back and elbows straight?
[Off-topic] Dirk:
I prefer not to do them, even without tendonitis! :D Should be done with straight arms out to the sides though. Ego lifters go too heavy, bending the elbows and bringing their arms up almost to the front, effectively making them a front raise instead. I preferred upright rows, when i could do them, but i did Lateral Raises seated as it makes it harder to cheat.

86KG at this weeks weigh-in. That's meets my target of 1KG a week fat loss, which is encouraging. Resting Heart Rate is now the lowest it's ever been at 56BPM. It was 80+ before i started back at the gym!
[Off-topic] roofrider:
That awesome!! :good: Mine's probably in the 70-80+ range.

I'm sure doing Cable Upright Rows instead of BB was what caused the shoulder problem for me..i feel it's easy to lose the form with cable, it's a good thing though cause i'm more careful now.

If in future i do upright rows i'll do them like this with really wide grips, this guys puts more emphasis on safety in his videos than others.

[YOUTUBE]Xa7IHCWaCxQ[/YOUTUBE]

Scooby looks great in this video.

[YOUTUBE]_kbERsQvuf0[/YOUTUBE]
[Off-topic] Dirk:
That's how i do them. Maybe not quite as wide though, but wide enough to hit the Lateral Delts rather than the Traps. One arm Cable Lateral raises across the body are good i find too, as again it's harder to cheat than it is with DBs.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
Hmm, i'll give it a try someday.
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Out of interest, what's your working heart rate usually when you're doing Cardio? I'm at 170+ BPM throughout my Cardio workout which i think is higher than most.
[Off-topic] roofrider:
I aim at 160+ but most of the time avg heart rate is 158. 170+ is great!! I'll aim at 170 next month, i'm only doing 15mins of cardio, 5days a week.

For how long do you maintain it? 30mins? Good stuff!
[Off-topic] Dirk:
Yeah, 30 mins. I'm not sure that 170+ is something to aim for. I don't know if it's a sign of fitness or weakness. The machines have those charts that list 'fat burn' and 'cardio' range, and none of them mention going that high! Perhaps they envisaged people going for an hour or so rather than those aiming for high intensity/short duration work-outs, or perhaps most people are taking it easy at a lower BPM? I honestly don't know! I know i'm usually the only one with rivers of sweat pouring off of them in the gym which is why i'm always complaining about the air-con!

Bear in mind too that when i first started back 9 months ago i was hitting 185 BPM doing Cardio. :eek: