Lifting Progress Check In

I agree that pulling exercises are important. I don't really agree with doing twice as many pulling exercises as pushing exercises, though. When it comes down to it, doing some kind of row (seated cable, dumbbell, bent-over barbell, etc.), some kind of pullup or pulldown, and hyperextensions (lower back) are enough to keep your back strong. There's certainly nothing wrong with doing more, and I often do 5+ back exercises when I have the time, but it's just important to make sure all the major muscle groups are being worked at some point during the week.

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts here and I'm surprised I haven't gotten any negative posts so far! Another question - my abs have already started to become a lot more defined than they were from just running, what are everyone's thoughts on doing ab-specific work in addition to the compound movements everyone recommends? Or do most just focus on abdominal gains that are a byproduct of the compound movements? Do you do ab work on the same day as the compound movements or on the off days?

At one point in my life I was 135 d3 xcrunner

Now 225 all

Muscle

Squat 505 max

Date Tate from

West side tutorial about proper set up key

My squat skyrocketed when I did what he recommends

I was farm strong as a kid young adult worked on the docks loading trucks and fishing boats

lets lift wrote:

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts here and I'm surprised I haven't gotten any negative posts so far! Another question - my abs have already started to become a lot more defined than they were from just running, what are everyone's thoughts on doing ab-specific work in addition to the compound movements everyone recommends? Or do most just focus on abdominal gains that are a byproduct of the compound movements? Do you do ab work on the same day as the compound movements or on the off days?

Look up Stuart McGill and his big 3 core exercises.

wikid pissah wrote:

I was farm strong as a kid young adult worked on the docks loading trucks and fishing boats

There’s a consensus amongst strength and conditioning coaches that what you do as a kid sets you up for life. I personally think it’s true having seen the results of 8-10 year old rowers 8 years down the line. By the time puberty hit they all just so happened to develop in the same way, despite having parents of all shapes and sizes. Broad shoulders, very lean, wide lats etc.

I don’t think you can compare an adult of any age from such a background against your average joe.

OP, keep doing what you’re doing for as long as you improve. Just keep chopping at the tree. In the grand scheme of things chasing ‘optimal’ is pointless.

If / when you plateau may be some merit in trying a basic top set / back off set approach (Andy Baker has some good articles on this) for a few months.

Following that, for sustainability’s sake if you want to basically maximise athleticism and continue building size and strength in the long run, I’d buy 5/3/1 Forever by Jim Wendler and run templates from that to the letter. Or run by the inverted juggernaut method 2.0 programme by Chad Wesley Smith. Similar concept, but it’s free and would give you an idea of how you respond to that style of training - big lifts built predominantly around submax weights with a high focus on bar speed backed up with assistance volume to build some muscle, and then some shorter blocks of higher intensity stuff.

I've become a big picture guy. No matter what talking head in the fitness industry you listen to it is YOU who has to put forth the effort. It is YOU who has to dig deep and go for "one more rep".

As long as you are hitting your upper body and lower body and front and back equally the rest just doesn't matter.

Wanna do 3 sets of 8-12? Do it! Wanna do 3-5 sets working up to a max 1-3 or whatever. Do it! Just do what you want to do.

If running is in your rear view mirror then I would suggest a typical football program, 4 day upper/lower split. Do a basic linear program.

If you wanna run more then do a 3 day Total Body.

I do a 3 day Total Body and right now only two of those are in the gym. I do 1 day of muscular endurance typical army stuff. 2 days of strength stuff and 3 days of some kind of running. 1 day off. It's what works for me.

I'm not crazy strong. But just "gym strong". 250 x 3 bench, 350 x 3 squat, 390 x 1 deadlift at 43, 5"6, 180+ lbs.

Alan

lets lift wrote:

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts here and I'm surprised I haven't gotten any negative posts so far! Another question - my abs have already started to become a lot more defined than they were from just running, what are everyone's thoughts on doing ab-specific work in addition to the compound movements everyone recommends? Or do most just focus on abdominal gains that are a byproduct of the compound movements? Do you do ab work on the same day as the compound movements or on the off days?

Lifts like squats and deadlifts and standing shoulder press are good for your core. But having a strong core in the first place is important to make sure you don't get injured when you start squatting and deadlifting heavier weights. Ab-specific exercises will strengthen your abs, but your body fat has to be low enough if you actually want to see them (it seems like that's not really a problem in your case). At this point, my abs are plenty strong, but it's having that lower body fat that's more of an issue for me. You can do ab work basically any day and can also do ab work multiple days during the week. If you're going to stick to three days a week, I'd probably recommend doing ab work after you've completed your heavy lifts.

That all reminds me that the absolute most important thing no matter what your routine looks like is to make sure you're doing the exercises with correct form. If your form isn't good, you're not only robbing yourself of gains, but you're greatly increasing the chances that you'll get injured. This also means to do the exercise with full range of motion. So, for example, on bench, you should lower the bar all the way to your chest and then push all the way back up on every rep (maybe not the very last one if you think you're on the verge of failure). Don't half-rep. If you can't do the exercise properly with the full range of motion, then just drop the weight until you can. You'll be able to get back to the other weight with the right form eventually. If you're unsure of how to do an exercise, look it up online. There are plenty of tutorials.

Great advice. Let me add a couple of points. Full range is important, but be sure not to neglect form on curls. For example, a novice mistake is to allow dumbbells to drop down with gravity after a curl. If you do that, you're running the risk of pulling the biceps at the insertion point by the elbow or causing something like tennis elbow.

Keep the dumbbell under tension on the way down.

My current routine is 5 sets of 15 reps, alternating with another body part exercise between sets unless it's a really hard exercise. Then, I just recover passively for 60 seconds or so.

lets lift wrote:

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts here and I'm surprised I haven't gotten any negative posts so far!

Somebody had to represent LRC.

But seriously, switch up your routine every 6-8 weeks to avoid stateless and overuse injuries. And if somebody says it should be 4-6 weeks or 2-3 or whatever, no argument.