thread of getting sw0le

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w2FALws0Xk4/UFR3NeLqogI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/v7T5pTRjjvE/s1600/ronnie.jpg

ok I'm never opening this thread again

dying

He would do well in a hunter-gatherer-type of society.

Nah. He'd lose muscle mass like crazy in a hunter-gatherer society, cuz hunting is only a marginal source of protein and calories in such societies.

Plus if he tried to run he'd just tip over.

all his gym equipment would just be rocks

karl malone to thread

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vA5f07iM_TQ/Tl13APZ-giI/AAAAAAAAAbU/zNUoEUy80fY/s640/untitled.bmp

The navel on that guy is ugly as sin.

Never done this, but I think it would be... relaxing? Does that make sense? De-stressing, anyway.

Is it supposed to be combined with cardio in particular ways?

Could I do it at home without practicing with a trainer at a gym first, or would that inevitably lead to screwing up?

is this any weight lifting or only free weights, olympic lifts?

it's just getting sw0le

kk *getting sw0le*

i got this book called the new rules of lifting for women and i finished stage 1 but instead of moving on i decided to keep working on basic things and doing things i want to do. i did it at the gym. i think there are limited things you can do at home but not all of it. ljub aren't you in school? you have a gym! it's best to have access to barbell and heavy dumbbells. it is very de-stressing. you don't have to do cardio. it's like how you are supposed to feel after yoga but not bored. i did not use a trainer. it only felt awkward for a few times then i started to not give a shit about looking dumb. my gym is all gays anyway. i watched some youtubes about how to do stuff.

um what's the difference betweengetting sw0le and getting swOle? and which one is easier to accomplish if I'm not the bodybuilding type? swole with an O sounds like it might be more work.

one is on i rate everything, one is for a general audience

http://i.imgur.com/OJxLK.jpg

xp yeah, I'm in school, but the gym is kind of far and I'm too stressed out to make it a priority to get there. Home I might actually do. 'Like yoga without the bored' is exactly what I'm after.

frank yang appreciation the2ad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdiCB-pdC6g

that's me

Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength Routine:

*note the dip/chin isnt in the original program

Here is a routine from Mark Rippetoe’s book called “Starting Strength”. You can buy the book at www.startingstrength.com. It includes endless useful info that all beginners should learn. But as for the program he suggests, his clients that he gives it to on AVERAGE gain 30-40 pounds in about 6 months or so which is amazing gains.

The program is as follows:

You alternate Workout A and Workout B every other day, 3 times a week. So you could either do Mon, Wed, Fri or Tues, Thurs. and Sat. Depending on what works best for you.

Example:

Week 1:

Monday - Workout A
Wednesday -Workout B
Friday - Workout A

Week 2:

Monday - Workout B
Wednesday - Workout A
Friday - Workout B

Etc.

For the actual workouts read below:

Note: This doesn’t include warm-up sets

**Means this is OPTIONAL**

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
**2x8 Dips (if you cant do these or no assist machine then do Decline Dumbbell Bench Press with your hands Facing each other)

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay or Bent Rows (or power cleans)
**2x8 Chin-ups (recommended mainly if doing the cleans)

Assistance work:

Most people cant get it through there head that compound lifts also work your arms Plenty and always Insist on direct arm work. As quoted by Madcow2, “Don't **** with this. Every bodybuilder seems to have Attention Deficit Disorder and an overwhelming desire to customize everything.” If you are one of these people note that you have the option of doing the dips and chins which give PLENTY of arm work. Abdominal work is fine to do also if needed.

I recommend weighted decline sit-ups and/or Hanging Leg Raises at 2x8-10.

Weight:

As for the weight, make sure that you use the SAME weight throughout the sets. For example if I do the first set if Squats with 200lbs then I do the other 2 sets of squats with 200lbs.

Every week make it a goal to increase each of your lifts by 2.5%. Meaning if I lifted 100lbs for my Bench Week 1 then Week 2 I would try for 102.5lbs. If I did 200lb Squats Week 1 I would try for 205lbs in Week 2. Sometimes you will be able to do more but don’t mess with your form just to lift more.

Warm-up Sets:

Before all your working sets it is best to do a few warm-up sets. Specifically for your first lift. You don’t have to do the whole thing for the other lifts but definitely the first.

What you do is you ramp your weight up to your working sets.

For example:

2x5xbar (sets x reps x weight)
1x5x85
1x3x125
1x2x155

And the working set weight would be 175.

If you are lifting your working sets under 150 I would cut out the 3rd warmup set of 1x5 because it wont be needed.

The Lifts:

**Used references and quotes from Madcow2 and Bodybuilding.com**

Barbell Squat: These should be full range Olympic style squats. Use the full range of your body - that means as low as you can go which for almost everyone is past parallel. If the top of your thighs aren't at least parallel it's for sh!t. If you think this is bad for your knees going low, you and whoever told you that are relying on an old wives tale. Anyone who knows the human body will tell you that below parallel is MUCH safer on the knees whereas parallel and above put all the sheer right on them and doesn’t allow proper transfer of the load to the rest of your body (this is how your body was designed).

Rest a barbell on the upper portion of your back, not your neck. Firmly grip the bar with your hands almost twice your shoulder width apart. Position your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes should be pointing just a little outward with your knees in the same direction. Keep your back as straight as possible and your chin up, bend your knees and slowly lower your hips straight down until your THIGHS ARE AT LEAST PARALLEL TO THE FLOOR. Once you reach the bottom position, press the weight up back to the starting position.

Video: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/2003/barbellsquat.wvx

To be honest ATG (Ass to the Grass) squats work the best IMO. What you do is you go ALL the way down until your hamstrings touch your calves and keep the same Olympic squat form.

Barbell Deadlift: Each rep is deweighted fully on the floor. No touch and go. This is called the 'dead'lift because the weight is 'dead' on the ground. You can touch and go warm ups but that's it.

This is a very complicated exercise so here is bodybuilding.com’s detailed instructions on this lift.

Flat Barbell Bench Press: Lie on a flat bench and firmly position your feet flat on the floor a little more than shoulder width apart. Keep your back flat on the bench! Using a grip broader than shoulder width, hold the barbell above your body, then lower slowly to the middle of your chest. Without bouncing the weight off your chest, drive the barbell up over the middle of your chest until your arms are straight and your elbows are locked. Lower the bar down slowly.

Standing Barbell Military Press: Standing overhead presses. Supporting weight overhead is a fundamental exercise and stimulates the whole body.
Raise barbell to your chest with your hands shoulder width apart. Lock your legs and hips. Keep your elbows in, slightly under your bar. Press bar to arm's length overhead. Lower to your upper chest or chin (depending on what is comfortable).

Bent Barbell Row: Raise barbell to your chest with your hands shoulder width apart. Lock your legs and hips. Keep your elbows in, slightly under your bar. Press bar to arm's length overhead. Lower to your upper chest or chin (depending on what is comfortable).

Power Clean:http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/PowerClean.html

Chin-Up: Hold the chin-up bar with a supinated grip (palms facing you) with your hands about 6 to 8 inches apart. Pull yourself up and try to touch either your chin or upper chest to the bar. Return slowly to the starting position. Do NOT swing back and forth! Using this grip works more of your biceps than your back or lats.

Dip: Using the parallel bars, grip the handles and push yourself up to your starting position. With elbows close to body and hips straight, lower body until shoulders are slightly stretched. Push body up in same posture and repeat. You can bend and cross your legs or keep them straight.

The Diet:

If you are bulking, which is what people usually do on this program, you need to be eating like there is no tomorrow. 3000-4000 calories a day. Make sure you get 1 to 2 x your bodyweight in protein (in grams) and more than that in carbs. Mark Rippetoe also suggests that you drink up to a gallon of milk a day and plenty of water.

Your bulk could be clean but its hard to do so. I suggest just going all out and getting any protein you can get your hands on. For example lean grilled chicken and egg whites is best but if you want to gain that muscle fast then ground beef, steaks, whole eggs, cheeses etc is great. Eat a lot of oats, pasta, wheat bread, yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna, etc.

Make sure you get a huge breakfast. Mark recommends 4 huge meals a day with breakfast being the largest. Make sure all your meals have plenty of both carbs and protein! Also look into getting a PWO shake for post workout to get some carbs DIRECTLY into your system when your done lifting. Then an hour later eat a meal. Its also good to eat a snack before bed. Just remember to get big you need to eat big because eating is 90% of your muscle gains.

Quote:
1. What are ATG Squats?
ATG is short of Ass To Grass. It means a full squat. Go as low as you can go.
Squat depth is extremely important and makes a huge difference in your development. Going deeper is more uncomfortable and difficult, but by far more beneficial. Not only does greater depth require greater muscle fiber recruitment, which means greater overall training benefits, but the degree of squat depth strongly influences the loading of the different hip and torso extensor muscles and stabilizers.
[kethnaab]
Hamstring flexibility and structure will ultimately decide how low you can go without your lower back rounding under (which is VERY bad bad bad). Each person's structure will differ, so what is "ATG" to one may not be ATG to another. Ultimately, you cannot control your structure, but you CAN control your flexibility, so ensure adequate hamstring flexibility to maximize benefits, range of motion, and safety.

2. I've got large legs already. Do I really need to squat?
Yes. You need to squat. Squating will stimulate growth in the whole body given that the leg muscles are so big. If you take the squats out, then this isn't Starting Strength anymore.
Still not convinced? Read this

3. I work out at home. I don't have a squat rack. How can I do this routine?
You need to be able to squat. This is the single most important thing in the program. Get a part time job to make enough to buy a squat/power rack or gym membership.
Without someplace to squat you absolutely cannot do this program.

There is also an alternative if you've already got a bench. Did you consider grabbing the barbell from the back of your bench? You may need to re-arrange your home gym, but you may well be able to squat from behind your bench setup.

4. Do I need a belt?
No. You shouldn't need a belt. A belt will take away from the natural 'core' belt that we're all equiped with. If you wear a belt, you'll become more reliant on this and your core muscles will not get a workout.

Later in your training, you may need to use a belt, but for now, part of "Starting Strength" includes "Starting your Core Strength" to prepare you for your further training.

5. I know this is mainly for building strength and mass. Can I do it while I cut?
[kethnaab]
Newcomers can frequently add muscle so rapidly that, with a clean diet, they will lose bodyfat as if they were cutting. Also note, cutting typically involves an abundance of cardio, which will be VERY detrimental to gains. Younger fellows especially will probably be able to get away with zero cardio while on this program, and will notice a substantial fat loss.

[Ripstone]
Cutting is more about changing your nutrition plan, not your lifting routine. One is going to find it very difficult(if not near impossible) to gain size on a cut, however strength gains on a cut can(and should) occur. In order to gain size you need to a) eat a caloirc surplus, which during a cut one is obviously not doing b) progess in the weight you use, which "Starting Strength" will take care of.

In order to gain strength you need to:
a) progress in the weight you use, which again "Starting Strength" should accomplish.
b) become more neurually efficent
c) obviously progress in the weight you use.

However, you DO NOT need to eat a caloric surplus to gain strength, it just makes it easier to gain strength if you do eat at a calories surplus, but again you DO NOT need to do so.

6. My arms are small, and there isn't any direct work for the arms. Can I add in some curls?
Your arms will still get worked through every day through the Bent Over rows (or PowerCleans) and with pressing and pulling motions.

Do NOT add any arm work for AT LEAST the first 2-3 weeks. At this point in time, you can add in dips and chins on alternating workouts, 2 sets of 8 reps (Add weight if needed).
As your workload increases, you can add a 3rd set and more weight to keep your repetitions at 5 reps per set
Note: According to the book Starting Strength, this additional work is not included.

7. It seems like I'd have this all done within 10 minutes of walking into the gym. Is that all there is to this program?
Yes. That's it, but you need to take into account that there are warm up sets. Overall, this workout should take you around 45 mins to complete, which is ample for a workout.
The amount of time you spend lifting really doesn't matter all that much. All the matters is if you are progressing in the weight you use as often as possible(ie; adding weight to the bar, which is the goal of "Starting Strength").

8. I keep hearing different opinions of how to progress. Do I need to increase EVERY workout?
That's right. The intention is that you start light. You should be able to add 2.5% of each lift every workout. However, if you feel it was heavy for you then do the same weight next time. It's recommended that you do this only to a maximum of 3 workouts in succession. If you're still having trouble, then you'll need to reset for this weight.

[kethnaab]
Keep in mind that adding repetitions is also progress. If you try 100 lbs and get 5, 5, and 3 repetitions on your 3 sets, then next workout, you try 100 again. As long as you get 5, 5, and 4 (or 5), then you are progressing. Adding weight to the squat on a weekly basis is a must, however. There should be no reason to go 2 consecutive weeks using the same weight.

9. Why is there only 1 set of 5 for deadlift? Surely that's wrong
No. Again, these are the working sets and don't include warm ups. Deadlifts are a very intense exercise for the body, and is ample in conjuction with the squats being done.
Trust the program as it is. Mark Rippetoe has the knowledge to create it. Have faith and trust that it will work for you.

10. What is a good rest interval?
As for the rest interval, Rippetoe suggests 1-2 minutes for the worksets, with no rest needed for warmups You can take up to 3 minutes for the heavy sets, depending on how you feel.

11. I think I hurt myself doing the squats. The bone at the top of my neck is sore
[kethnaab]

1) Use the closest grip on the bar you can use comfortably. This forces your upper back, delts and traps to tighten up and support the bar better.

2) Make sure your elbows are BEHIND the bar, not underneath the bar. This takes strain off your wrists and helps ensure your delts, traps and upper back muscles are flexing nice and tight during the squat.

3) Do NOT NOT NOT look up! This is ridiculous! This forces your upper body to lean forward slightly as it will naturally put the bar off center. Just look forward, i.e. neck in a "neural" position. If you were to stick a grapefruit underneath your chin and hold it there for the duration of the squat, your upper back and neck would maintain proper alignment. You'd also look liike a jackass, but that's beside the point.

12. What angle rows are we talking about here, is 45 degress ok that is what I usually do with bent over rows.
[kethnaab] ideally, rows will be done with your body parallel to the floor.
Go here and wade through to the bottom where I describe (and post a nifty pic) of how to do the row properly (known as "Pendlay rows" or "JS Rows"

13. So, if i do the Rippetoe's program, and eat a lot of protein and all those calories, wouldn't I get fat, instead of gain muscle? all those calories kind of a lot.
As commonly seen, "Lifting builds strength, eating builds muscle". If you ate all those calories while you sat on the couch and didn't lift weights, then yes. However, given the workload of this program it will assist with building muscle

Age and, of course, metabolic rate, play a role. Typically, a skinny teenager will be able to eat anything and everything he sees, as long as he is lifting with this program. The eating will fully support the training. Chubby teens or older people will obviously need to cut back a bit on the caloric info, and as mentioned earlier in the cutting question, a clean-eating trainee can gain a significant amount of strength and muscle mass while burning bodyfat, and cardio won't necessarily be required.

14. How long do I do this program?
You continue doing it until you stop progressing.

15. I know my 5RM for each of the exercises. Do I just start with that?
No. It's intended that you start light, and that you shouldn't even KNOW your 5RM. If you do, then you can safely start with 70% of your 5RM, and start progressing from there. Yes. It will seem light, but you'll be lifting your 5RM (and more) before long as you're adding every workout

16. I'm not in the US. How can I buy the book?
You can try www.amazon.com. I'm in Australia (Short One), and I've been informed and seen that the cost to Australia isn't too bad. 11.98USD (as of 20-Jun-2006) for one book. Cheaper if you buy more than 1 book

18. Is doing cardio ok with this program?
It's fine to do moderate cardio with this program.
Note: Beginners will build enough muscle with a clean diet that that fat will be burnt with minimal to no cardio.

19. I see lots of people saying PR!!! what does PR stand for?
Personal Record.

20. Is taking creatine and an NO ok with this routine? such as cellmass and NO-xplode?
It's fine but it likely won't make much difference. The most important thing is to be eating a lot of quality nutritious food. Diet is the big factor, supplements are a very small factor and not at all necessary.

21. Is it ok if I do militaries seated?. I have a low ceiling and I'll punch a hole in the ceiling if I do.
It is recommended that you do them standing up as it will give your core a workout as well stablizing.
However, if doing them outside/elsewhere is not an option then doing them seated is better than not doing them at all. If you have to do them seated be mindfull of your form so that you don't turn it into an incline press

22. Do I have to do the workouts on Mon, Wed, Fri?
The requirement is 3 nonconsecutive days each week. The exact days are up to you.
You don't have to do it on Mon, Wed, Fri. You can do Tue, Thu, Sat, as long as you're having at LEAST 1 day rest between each workout. If you can't manage this, then the program is not right for you at this point in time.

23. My calves are lagging. What exercise can I do to bring them up?
If you're not already doing the Power Cleans with this routine, you may wish to consider doing them, as doing PowerCleans properly encourages the use of the calves
Squats will work your calves too, and as all pro is quick to point out. "Have you ever seen a powerlifter with small calves?"
I started the program this week, and am looking forward to the strength gains that are bound to come.

A couple of things I've learned sofar:

Warmups:
It's always a good idea to do a warmup that closely resembles what you're about to do for the main part of your workout session. In this case, the strength session, we want to start off with bodyweight or lightweight excercises that mimick the excercises that are about to come, and work up to our 50-90% max. This is not set in stone, if you want to do burpees, pullups and squat-jumps as your warmup feel free to do so.

Most people however, including BlessedSamurai (to name a familiar name ) and other strength and conditioning coaches, do something similar this:

1x8 Bar
1x6 50%
1x4 70%
1x2 90%
3x5 100% (Work Set)

Rest periods:
Keep the rest periods between 60-120 seconds, you can get away with 60 seconds or less when the weights are still light. As the weight increases you might want to add to the rest times aswell. I'm with Chad Waterbury on this when he says keep the rest periods low for strength and muscle gains.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chad Waterbury
I define short rest periods as any time less than two minutes between sets. The antiquated 3-5 minute rest periods recommended in every ****** newsstand muscle mag made me incredulous. As it turned out, my instincts were right on target.

My empirical evidence has shown that short rest periods will lead to a great hypertrophy response. In other words, five sets of ten reps with 60 second rest periods will induce more hypertrophy than five sets of ten reps with three minute rest periods. An even better option is to utilize short rest periods with low-rep (1-5 repetition) training parameters. This is precisely what 50% of my ABBH program is based on.

If you keep the rest periods short, you’ll stay more focused. In addition, you’ll keep the nervous system revved up, and you’ll get out of the gym quicker. For certain trainees who only seek maximal strength increases, shorter rest periods are still possible by alternating between opposing muscle groups (antagonist training).

Bottom line: If you seek hypertrophy, keep your rest periods under two minutes. It’s preferable to utilize a 60-90 second range when training more than six sets at a load greater than 80% of your 1RM.
Extra excercises: (Accessory Work)
Again, the accessory work isn't set in stone, but it's a good bet to add chins and dips with a set/rep range that you're comfortable with. I'm using 3x3 for pullups and adding 1 rep every week, I'm also doing GTG for pullups on a daily basis so I kept the workload low.

The program calls for either Rows or Snatches, you might want to do both, so here's what another forum member did:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tad_T
Workout 1

Core lifts
Squats = warmup then 3 x 5
Bench = warmup then 3 x 5
Deadlift = warmup then 1 x 5

Accessory Work
Dips = 3 sets
Pendlay rows = warmup then 3 x 5
Abs = 3 sets

Workout 2

Core lifts
Squats = warmup then 3 x 5
Overhead press = warmup then 3 x 5
Power clean = warmup then 3 x 5

Accessory work
Pullups = 3 sets
Abs = 3 sets

What's going on itt?

I'm kinda swole and looking for a community.

it's about lifting heavy shit

do your squats and deadlifts yo

i do something pretty much like what carne asada posted there

i drink a lot of whole milk but that "gallon a day" business is crazy

i hit a PR last week! overhead press 100lb 3x5

did 2x2x2x2x2 of heavy box squats yesterday

Milo z. to thread he knows what's up

if you get annoyed by old dudes with wack form and young dudes doing curls, this thread is for you

if you get annoyed by people who don't squat past horizontal and put that foam roller thing on the bar, this thread is for you

my squat is good, my overhead press is feeble.

also my row form is pretty awful (via hilarious flexibility)

strict OHP always makes me feel so weak because i want to dip at the knees and get a little jump in.

about 6 months ago i could not even do an air squat to depth without falling over but my squat is pretty good now

are u guys gonna beat someone up

too old to get swole, but I support this thread

watch that lower back position, y'all

i am not getting sw0le, but i am getting fat. maybe i can get fat and sw0le.

Yes im always super deliberate on my lifts for fear of messing up my back xp

I'm just lurking here bc I'm somewhat interested, though I can barely lift my groceries

also bc cheering on harbl :)

i knew i'd hit some kind of beginner threshold for sw0leness when i found myself enjoying mark rippetoe youtubes for an hour at a time

haha otm

I recently hired a personal trainer on a contract for a tremendous number of sessions to ensure my commitment to working out, and despite certain small wrenches in the works, it's starting off nicely and making me feel good about the mid-term future of my physical and mental health. Last time I had a trainer I was only half-assing it (drinking tons (not drinking at all now) skipping sessions, not really 100% in the game) but the cosmetic results still blew me away. That's not what I'm in it for, and body definition is gravy that will make the other benefits extra good.

honestly part of the mental game with this for me was finally admitting to myself that yes, a strong minority motivation was 'cosmetic'

goole congrats on being sw0le :)

oh man i'm nowhere near my sw0le g0ls

learning to do olympic/power lifts *correctly* (or so i hope) in the past year or so has been really mind-blowing. sort of a light turning on: "so THIS is what it's supposed to feel like." I actually enjoy squatting, dead-lifting, and all that now. and i pretty much gave up any exercise that doesn't work at least a few muscle groups at a time.

i go to the gym every 4th day (doing yoga on the 3 days in between) and try to pack in the protein and i've never felt better in my life.

i went to a brazilian jiu jitsu class today, the first time i have done any wrestling / grappling or martial art in my life. i basically have no instinct for moving aggressively against another person, so it was interesting and kind of funny to break that ice at 41. i ended up enjoying it, there's a pretty undeniable rush involved, and i'm letting myself pay for a 10 class pass. and a uniform i guess.

Curious: do you think a class like that would actually help you learn to fight someone irl? Asking for a friend, of course.

maybe? i have no idea tbh. i mean it is kind of fighting someone irl already, but with an off switch. where does grappling even happen irl? i'm curious why you ask that question.

the more i reflect on that first class, the more i want to keep going. there was something undeniably great about the experience. i felt different the rest of the day. it was activating in ways i've never felt before. just one class and like maybe 2 minutes total of rolling, all of it me clenched up like a mannequin and going straight into being immobilized lol. nb i have never been physically aggressive in my life, never played a sport growing up, etc. i see why people, i should say men, but women too of course, get into it. there's a t spike. so i mean it isn't fucking fight club or anything, it's a sport, it seems like a fairly safe sport especially for a martial art, especially considering the casual workout-focused 9-to-5 group of adults who were at this place. there also seems to be a lot of mindfulness and mechanical awareness. people call it physical chess or whatever.

wow i didn't mean to come off so prickly there tobo, that was meant to be a much friendlier response, sorry about that.

i have to admit i’ve been interested in trying “old school karate” - which is about dealing w realistic fighting situations, rather than preparing you for competitions - but unfortunately the guy moved to oxford -

https://www.oldschoolkarate.co.uk/about-us

All good. Not prickly at all. I’m not proud of why I asked - I’m in p good shape these days, running ultras and doing body weight strength work and yoga but have never done any martial arts and, full disclosure, I have someone in my life who has doing me very wrong for at least a year and I have occasional dark urges to get violent with that person. I have never ever engaged in such behavior. This person completely deserves it but more metta meditation is probably a better way to deal with this! I’m going to go do that right now.

The mental and social aspects of martial arts training make it a lot more fun for me than solitary running or lifting. There are always new demands on attention, judgment, and communication skills.

If you stay with it, you can continue to make progress for a long time. I'm in my 60s, my physician is in his 50s, we've both been active in different martial arts for decades. I asked him yesterday if he believes they are good for longevity. He said, "I think so, as long as you don't get hit in the head too much."

The advice I give to people who are considering training is to watch a club practice and see how it feels. If everyone is working diligently, there are smiles and laughter, and more experienced people are patient with less skillful people, all is well. If some people are slacking off and being ignored, while others are bullying or being bullied, go somewhere else.

Putting yourself in situations where you're trusting training partners not to injure you can teach you a lot about fear and aggression. Over the long term that kind of practice tends to make people more empathetic and less violent.

ah thanks for your input brad! i noticed something about the way some of the people in the class looked at me - with open, gentle, penetrating, encouraging eyes. it felt good! i was back at my gym this morning, and after the experience yesterday, i'm starting to really see why i get so annoyed at my gym. there are a lot of image-oriented people there. i am a little image-oriented myself. but not super proud of it, and being around just that day in and day out gets alienating and depressing.

Putting yourself in situations where you're trusting training partners not to injure you can teach you a lot about fear and aggression. Over the long term that kind of practice tends to make people more empathetic and less violent.

I was picking up on this a little bit! It rings true for me. I feel like not exercising aggressive energy in any way would ultimately make me more dangerous to myself and others.

Been switching it up and going to the gym more in the late afternoons and early evenings, which means I get the after school crowd, which I thought would annoy me, but is instead wonderful— makes me want to be a climbing coach tbh!

I do that at the fitness center where I work more lately and what I’ve noticed are a surprising number of inconsiderate people taking the entire space as if it’s still their private office and holding Zoom/Teams calls loudly while using the equipment.

Just like a real office

tell me about creatine

my 15-y-o is obsessed with getting swole and he says it’s fine. lotta information out there but not sure what to trust. what say the sw0lemind of ilx

Tracer, it’s more about the amount of creatine, and a lot of the packaging and stuff is deceptive.

For a first month, 5g a day is optimal.

Ever after, 2g a day is optimal.

Loading and unloading cycles with creatine have been proven to not help with strength or building muscle. It is better to maintain a small, 1-2g/day schedule than to load heavy and unload.

Creatine is fine but you have to make sure one of his friends doesn’t introduce him to the Liver King.

There's vague warnings of creatine possibly exacerbating hair loss but creatine is generally regarded as about as good as it gets in terms of effective and safe supplements, and it's cheap, with potential benefits in reducing the ravages of alzheimers as well.

At the same time, about 25% of people don't respond to it, possibly because they're already getting sufficient amounts through their diet? It might be more worth taking for a vegetarian/vegan adult than a kid in the throes of adolescence who is already plowing through a rotisserie chicken per day (or various organ meats if he's already been indoctrinated into the Liver Kingdom).

table otm

curious if anyone here is a personal trainer or knows about it as a career. i signed up for some training with a guy and we're going to work on fine tuning my power lifts and also i'm asking him questions about his job. the advice he gave me was, get one of the recognized certifications, it doesn't matter which one (just a hoop to jump through), then start at a big box gym as they will grind you through clients and you'll get experience fast. that works with my plan of transitioning out of my current ft job i think. take the certification, start doing evenings at a big box gym, pay down some debt, and if i'm liking it and things are going well, make the transition.

My cousin used to be a personal trainer but he got out of it like maybe two decades ago

As a volunteer club coach at a university, I've considered personal trainer certification but haven't persuaded myself it would be helpful.

Most of the personal trainers I see in the campus facilities look very young and are working with equally young people. Sometimes it seems like the trainers might be more focused on motivation and intensity than on the personal needs of their clients. There's got to be a lot of turn-over through schedule changes, graduation, etc.

A friend who coaches with me just started working weekly with a personal trainer. She made a point of finding someone off-campus because she hopes to keep working with the same trainer for a long time. She's in her 50s and wants to get stronger but also needs to rehab a chronic shoulder problem.

I'd assume the most desirable clients for a personal trainer would be like her, older people willing to pay good fees but often presenting some significant deconditioning or movement problems they'd like to fix. In some cases it's probably a fine line between choosing to take on those clients and design very specific programs for them vs. encouraging them to see a physician or physical therapist first.

appreciate your input! yes, i think that working with older clients is probably a smart way to go. i wouldn't turn down work with younger people who just want to get some strength and/or mass but i think that mobility stuff is generally more interesting, that older clients probably translate into a steadier paycheck, and that i would work well with them (i'm 42 myself). ideally i'd like my training and knowledge to be that of a pt specialist, but that's years of school and $$$ i don't have. knowing up front what the scope of the lowly personal trainer is, i know there are movements that can really help with injury prevention and recovery (and presumably that would be a lot less $ for the client). i recently saw a position listed with a smallish personal training studio located in a somewhat affluent and aging suburb near me, the pay was a few $ more per hour than starting positions at the big box gyms. i saw that and thought "you know what, if i had my cert hoops jumped through, i might be competitive for something like that, and it's in the ballpark of paying my bills adequately." like, maybe i could skip the stage of holding onto my current ft job while hustling evenings, and just jump into it.

anyway, i'm looking at certs now. i think i'm going to go with ace. the guy i'm currently training with told me it really doesn't matter which one i get, as long as it's recognized by the industry. i'll probably buy it in the next few weeks. 3-6 months to take the (open book) exam. shouldn't be that hard. i am pretty busy right now with the ft job and my dj gigs, but i have many hours of twiddling my thumbs (and posting to ilx) on my work from home days, so my plan is to plug it in during that time.

on the sw0le front, i've rejoined a smaller, more powerlifting- and barbell-focused gym and been the last four days. i had forgotten how awesome it feels to be training in a place where there are 10 other people in the facility max at the same time as you. i can hear myself think. fewer distractions = more peace and relaxation = better results.

i forgot to ask, what made you volunteer? are you thinking of turning it into a paid gig?

I coach a karate club. When the previous coach left town I was next up, and since then I've kept doing it mainly to have people to practice with and a nice place to do it. No disrespect to any of my teachers, but over the years I've learned more from teaching than from being taught.

I taught briefly for a YMCA and as a half-assed small business person, but that was long ago when I was doing a different martial art. I don't think I could teach the way I do now in someone else's gym, and I'm not excited about opening another school of my own. Being a volunteer costs me some money but saves me from having to deal with leases, insurance, marketing, and children younger than 18.

baby's doing his first farmer carry and variations. heavy suitcase carries (lol) and a one-handed kettlebell carry where you hold the bell like you're holding an overhead handle on a train. beautiful core engagement, and the slow walking seems good for the hips.

i have to kvetch about the 'steps' craze. the studies make sense and yes i agree that people should walk more etc. there's just something ridiculous to me about people walking around the gym staring at their phones.

i finished a personal training certification a month ago (ACE). thought i could have landed part-time work by now but haven't heard back from anyone and am frankly discouraged about it. luckily a friend and regular gym goer has agreed to let me 'train' him once a week and he can even pay me a bit for it.

people get their steps in AT THE GYM? that's crazy, you can just walk anywhere

yes but out there you might get attacked by hoodlums

i kind of get it if it's freezing outside i guess. or if you live somewhere with heavy car infrastructure design that hasn't started catering to 'walkable' yet. still annoying af. also ....... ever heard of hiit? come on sweat a little bitch 😈

be one of the retirees walking around the half-empty shopping mall

Wait are these ppl walking on treadmills or just, like, strolling around the gym floor?

there is a person who paces the gym floor at my small crossfit style gym while looking at his phone in between sets of other things, i assume he is watching his step count.

at my old gym there were walkers who lapped the perimeter of the gym.

another stare-at-phone walker this morning. i'm pretty sure he was trying to keep his heart rate at a certain target in between sets on the leg extension machine. i get it, people exercise in different ways, at least he's at the gym etc. i still find myself thinking "just do some walking lunges my man and put your phone away for a second." but are we even exercising if our phones don't know anything about it?

i also find this weird— well, in some ways.

climbers will sometimes film themselves to see where they might be making mistakes, to analyse movement— this makes sense.

but many gyms also have a gamification thing, where you can rack up points by using a phone app and logging your climbs. we have a screen with a leaderboard and everything in the gym where i work, and when people ask me why i don’t care for it, i say plainly, “one of the reasons i climb is to get away from my screens.”

absolutely how i feel.

it did finally click for me that a potential reason i see so many people filming their workouts is because after covid a lot of personal trainers are offering remote training, where they have their client send video and then they offer pointers. but after my friend has let me 'train' him for a couple of sessions, by far the most valuable aspect of it for me has been when i'm able to channel real-time energy that leads to .. the things that create results. it's easier to point out 'alignment problems' or whatever virtually, harder to bring out people's mojo.

i've been training two friends most saturdays. i just finished with the first guy. it was a great workout and he's making progress - i'm really proud of him. i really like doing this. it isn't too difficult and it feels 'natural.' i kind of needed it this weekend too. get out of my head and have a 'success'.

very stoked about hitting a 505# deadlift.

That’s a lot of pounds, great work

why thank you!

Daaaaaaaamn

Congratulations, that is a scary 1RM

it was heavy haha! it's wild how you can get the right mechanics, the right things engaged, and then it's almost like a neurological barrier somehow. anyway i'm happy mainly because my deadlifts feel solid enough now that a 25 lb jump on my pr didn't kill me. focusing on the mechanics for a while is worth it.

well, today was my first day back at climbing since surgery six weeks ago.

I completed 17 V3 boulder problems, and my next trip will consist of doing all problems of the next higher grade. once i can hit all the V6s in the gym, i will consider myself “back” and start doing more rigorous training again. before surgery, i was regularly doing V8s and the occasional V9.

i also started back on my finger routine, which entails placing plates on a loading pin, then attaching a carabiner attached to a 20mm edge to the end of the loading pin. then, using my legs, shoulders, and fingers, i lift the weights on the loading pin with my fingers against the 20mm edge. before surgery, my max was 120lb— today i did 75lb. once a week i will be adding 5lbs until i get up to 110, then i will be adding 2.5.

all in all a really successful day, particularly considering i had major abdominal surgery six weeks ago.

that's fantastic to hear - way to go!

congrats on your PR too, map!

thank you! i had a recent pr on my squat, 355, and finally did a 500 pull on the deadlift. now to get back to a 315+ bench.

you know you're winning the arms race when you're putting dumbbells back on the rack and you overhear someone make a comment about your "overdeveloped arms". oh is that jerk-speak for "huge?" thanks loser! but for real never ever make comments about other people's bodies when you're at the gym, just a psa that i highly doubt anyone here needs to hear. a lotta wild bullshit at any gym! as much as i love lifting and as good as i am at ignoring everyone, sometimes the feeling of "god i don't wanna go in there today" is legit and needs to be honored. the gym circus is real and it mostly sucks.

oh shit i did 505 in july? how did i forget that. none of these exercises are making my memory any stronger lol.

do you keep a log?

i do.

my big one atm is doing sets of lock-offs with my arms at 90 and 120, all with weighted belt…. i am up to 60 lbs additional.

trying to teach myself to muscle up this year, know i am strong enough to do it but need to get the technique and motion correct.

Anyone every strained an oblique? I think that's what I did, trying to do a 10 RM on deadlift a week ago, I felt a little pop right in the left exterior oblique. And it happened on the 10th rep, I was so pissed and now I've lost a week of working out.

Jeff, I did that once about a decade ago. Can’t really remember how I came back from it but I did, and don’t remember it being a long recovery

like a week or two

2nd place in my bracket at the climbing competition last night :-)

also loved this article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/well/move/dead-hang-world-record-longevity.html?smid=url-share