Weight Lifting techniques and tips

Aaaah, those 'newbie-vacation' DOMS are a;lways the best (not)! You feel good when working out, but the next day you are sore and the day after that even more.
All good as it makes you feel 'alive' a bit/again!
It litteraly awakens dormant muscle fibers.
All that matters is you showed up again and did the work. Kudos and enjoy your Scotch!

 

Want to keep this thread alive, so I'd fuigure I'd post some more tips. Especially one I started to do again.
It's one of the exercises I (used to) love and perhaps the one that got me hooked into weight lifting.
It's the one most lifters forget OR simply find to hard to properly do so they skip it altogether.
It's not one of the big three lifts, but it should actually be the 4th big lift.
It's also not the Military Press; I'm sure some trainers will want to fight on making that the fourth big lift.

It's the Pull Up.

Aka the Chin Up; aka the version where you use a pronated grip aka the palm of your hand is facing away from your body.

It's next to the bench press the exercise that will yield the most bang for your buck in terms of visible upper body development and also makes you look damn cool!

When working out at home you can easy combine it with a bench press or push up and you have a full upper body program. Find something you can pull yourself up from and you have a program you can do anywhere and stay in shape with minimal time during vacations or when you indeed have virtually no time.

This unique exercise trains not only near your entire back (our biggest and most complex muscle group) but also shoulders and arms to an extend.
It's tricky to master as body weight does become a factor but when you do the results come fast.

When starting out and not able to do a single full pull up, try and find a machine that has a seat you can adjust that helps you to a certain extend.
If you don't have such a machine, try and do half pull ups and slowly progress into full ones.
This is also a skill and a skill you can learn. If you can't master a single pull up, try to do 1-2 reps each and every workout; regardless of your workout volume.
Again, focus on your back, not your arms. Your arms are the levers, instigate the pull from your back.
Watch a few youtube clips for proper form cues.

There are litterally tons and tons of how to pull up yourtube clips you can easy find, so I won't bore everyone.
But trust me when I say that when you do master them the 'carry over into real life' is significant.
It's about mind muscle connection, but also grip, balance and sheer brute force.

Another upside is that it is a very safe exercise compared to the bench press, squat and especially deadlift.
The only potential injury danger is on your biceps. Don't jerk and don't (if possible) make it into a pure bicep exercise. Try, again if possible, to straighten your arms.

Again, if there is one exercise I would recommend to anyone, it's this one!

 

Pull-ups are squats for the upper body. Very few people like to do squats, and even fewer people like to do pull-ups. They absolutely suck. I have always used rings for pull-ups. The rings remove all the pressure on the shoulder, and allow for a more fluid motion. Bands work great too. I alternate between “hard days” with weighted pull-ups and “easy days” with high rep banded pull-ups. YMMV.

 

Well said with Pull Ups are the upper body Squats!

They are tough, which is why very, very few people do them as they are difficult to master.
If you have shoulder mobility issues, try setting them up correctly.
Most people start the movement at the rock bottom of the movement. meaning shoulders are maximally stressed; and thus remain stressed during the movement.
When you initiate the movement 10-20% out of the bottom you initiate immediate back involvement.
When going upwards try rounding your back. You do this by focussing on pushing your chest upwards and 'through' your elbows.

With rings I always feel like I'm focussing a lot on balancing the movement whicvh then feels wobbly a bit. I feel like I can apply less force.
But hey they sure are a great, great substitute and if you can do them weighted you can be sure to have great back development.

 

"They absolutely suck".
Correct because of technique involved.
However when we factor in risk vs reward AND fatigue ratio, they are virtually a no brainer to do.
Try to do 4 sets of squats/deadlifts vs 4 sets of pull ups.
Different world all together.

Dips are also a great movement, yet they are (even) tougher on the shoulder joint.

In fact, we could (should) have a discussion about why "movements that move your body through space" seem to be the most efective ones.

 

Dips are another exercise nobody ever does because they suck too. I always had problems until I started doing the Meadows version. Turning around, tucking the chin, and putting the feet out in front was a game changer for me.

 

Not to sound like an @ss but you shouldn’t keep your hand in line with your body.
There needs to be a decent back arch if you want to maximize back involvement.
Being straight as wooden plank is not the best form.
However I understand with your height this becomes and even greater challenge.
Nothing wrong with doing them assisted; if it hel[s with executing and getting some reps in.

 

Yep, dips are great too.
I personally do the opposite from John as his version strains my shoulders too much and I have too much tricep involvement.
Keeping my feet behind my body and tilting forward giving me the best chest ‘ feels’ .
One of those exercise you need to see which form works best for you.
I know several olympic coaches that regard Dips as good as bench presses.

 

Nice.
Try to stretch a bit more at the top with the lat pulldown. You will feel a better stretch and mind muscle connection as well as a seriously better pump. Aka it's OK to stretch so that your butt comes off the seat; the added range is worth it. You get more of a rhythm going a bit up and down with your body. Kind of like a more natural flow with your body. Your botton down and then remain a bit to rigid and stiff. Open up your movements a bit to allow for a bit more movement on the muscle. Tough to explain.... Try it and you'll feel for yourself.

 

OK good stuff. Would love to get a work out in together…..

 

Signed up for my first bodybuilding competition. I’ll be competing in a natural Men’s Physique contest in April. I’ve already been working with an IFBB Pro coach and just started my contest prep. Really excited about how far I’ve come in the last 15 months of training. I wasn’t even thinking about competing when I first started, nor thought it possible in my wildest dreams.

It’s amazing how important a role proper nutrition plays. But it isn’t for the faint of heart - eating 5 to 6 meals a day, constantly prepping meals for the days ahead, packing food when I travel, measuring/weighing/tracking all my food, working out 5 days a week and, most importantly, being consistent. Yes, I had cheat meals and time off every now and then but for the most part, I’ve been on point probably 90% of the time.

 

I wish you all the best!
Any pics?

And may i ask if you have a busy work schedule

I know anything is possible and id love to try a comp one day
But between business and young family it seems almost impossible without taking something away

 

Pics or it ain't happening! ;-)

Keep us posted please as this is very inyteresting.
I hope you informed your family as this will put a strain on them too....
It will be one of the hardest things you will ever do in your life; so good luck and buckle up!
Respect!

 

The biggest advantage I have is that I have a gym at work. If I didn’t have that, it would be much more difficult to find the time.

Yes, it definitely can be a strain on the family but I try and minimize it to the maximum extent possible. I prep all my own food for during the day. For dinners, my wife usually cooks during the week (she’s retired) and she cooks healthy so that makes it easier for me.

Now here are a few potential hiccups I have coming up in the next 12 or so weeks - this weekend we will be at Disney for four days, we’re going away again for three days in February and then the biggest problem - we are going to Colorado for my daughter’s spring break just three weeks before the contest! Luckily our place will have a kitchen where I can prepare a lot of meals. I’ll be packing my food scale, measuring spoons/cups, etc. My plan is to quickly eat my meals at the hotel and then go out to eat with my wife and daughter but just not order anything. My trainer is going to get me a little leaner than he normally would just before that last trip in case there are any hiccups.

As far as pics go….we’ll have to wait and see how things turn out!

I should also note, I’m not a very big guy. I told my trainer that my goal is simply just to get on stage and not get laughed off, look like I somewhat belong, and hopefully not finish dead last!!

 

That gym at work is a life saver indeed.

You can always eat out and still eat healthy.
As long as your restaurants of choice can cater to your wishes, which will probbaly be steak/chicken breast/white fish with veggies.

As you know, it's not always the biggest guy that wins but overall package.
Shape and leanness tend to gather more points then size.
And also practise your routine while on vacation. Tons of good looking physique's are ruined by bad posing.

 

So just a little over 2 weeks into my prep. Went from 3,500 calories a day (surplus eating) down to 2,150. Lost 8 pounds! My trainer estimates I’m around 8-9 % body fat. Unfortunately, the fat I have is concentrated around my abdomen. Guess that’s part of getting older. Probably need to lose another 5 pounds or so. Going to continue leaning out for the time being and see how my body handles it. Still 11+ weeks out from the show.

 

Any chance of update pics?
8-9% body fat means all your abs are visible.
If this is the first time you are really dieting down to getting competition ready, those last few pounds will be tough...... Good luck with those.
2 weeks in and you'bve already lost 8lbs; that's pretty darn fast!
Not sure how you still need to loose, but I'd say you're going waaay to fast and a drop of 1350 calories per day in 2 weeks is also way too much.
You'll end up crashing.
If you still feel good, keep it up.
But be carefull as you still need some time to go.... You don't want to end up with 1500calories per day to loose the last few stubborn pounds.
Good luck

 

I have a clearly visible 4 pack and serratus. We’re sticking with my current caloric intake until that last bit of fat is gone or my body starts fighting back. It’s my first time dieting down so my trainer wants to see how I’m going to respond. We’ve got plenty of time to readjust. Overall, I still feel fine - plenty of energy, my workouts are still close to 90% - just get a little hungry at night but nothing I can’t manage.

 

Ok, excellent.
How you feel is a very important factor in this process.
Hopefully you can continue on this caloric path close to the finish line.