11
There's actually a number of strength sports, where people who don't compete train similarly to competitors in those sports. A brief understanding of them will help you decide what would be a better match for you:
Bodybuilding is primarily building and shaping your muscle for aesthetics. However, there is a big nutritional component to bodybuilding that's ...
9
Joe Micela's Minimums and Maximums
One of the foremost problems in my own strength training is that my strength work often gets pushed around by other athletic and social endeavors. I frequently find myself in a workout without the capability to hit the numbers as scheduled.
At the moment I've simply reduced total lifting volume, and that’s fine. Another ...
7
Your program can be improved by simplification and emphasis on objective metrics of progress.
Forget about creatine, BCAA, and other expensive supplements. You are so far away from your genetic potential that these are a waste of money. You can make incredible novice gains without them. (Multivitamin is a fine idea though.)
Drop the leg press, anything ...
7
About the program
We don't know your size and shape, so we're in no position to second-guess your instructor. For now, go with what he says.
About the diet
Protein powder is something we use when our regular diet doesn't offer enough protein. It's a supplement, nothing more. It doesn't replace anything, it just adds.
You are right!
In most cases, you ...
6
You can try Smolov method for squating
How Smolov Works
The Russian Smolov Squat routine is split into 3 phases for a total of 13 weeks. As always, start with a weight you're 100% sure you can Squat instead of starting too heavy and hitting plateaus. The 4 Smolov cycles.
Weeks 1-2 - introduction cycle to prepare your legs. Week 1 you Squat 3 day in a row ...
6
Looking at your numbers, strength is not an issue if you are a local/regional level player, you are all set.
It looks like your biggest problem is the lack of mat time. 1 to 4 sessions a week is not enough and no amount of weight lifting is going to change that.
4 sessions a week is a minimum if you compete locally and you should be putting some serious ...
6
A program should be switched out when you feel like you're hitting a plateau, and are no longer progressing. If your program doesn't have a "here's what you do if you plateau", then switch it out.
As ever, variation is key, which means that unless your program has built-in variation for when progress stagnates, every program is only temporary.
It sounds ...
5
The Knee
The knee joint bends. To avoid bending it in the interest of injury prevention is folly, since we know from experiment and experience that the dangerous exercise regimen is in fact the one that does not use the knee to its full capability. Like anything else in our body and mind, it's Use It Or Lose It.
The half-squat-half-deadlift, whether single ...
5
The first thing to realize is that if you have good knees, full depth squats are safe as has been stated on multiple occasions including a link to the kinesthetic breakdown of a squat. A squat and squat jump are two very different exercises though. A proper squat is much less impact on the knees than say running or jumping. Although there is some research ...
5
1. Measure up
First of all, if you're serious about your weight loss and subsequent bulking, you may consider buying a body fat caliper. You'll get much more precise values and you'll be able to measure progress more accurately. If you're not willing to spend the money or are not sure whether you can use a caliper, The other solution is having a ...
5
Nothing inherently wrong in the math, just in the model you are using. As it turns out, Greg Nuckols just published an article on Muscle Math, which sheds some light on why it is simply not feasible in practice to go from 300x3 to 840 lbs in 1 year (52 weeks).
Some of the major take-aways are:
Recovery activities have a power law distribution (i.e. the ...
5
You can add cardio on off days if you wish, and if you do it right. The most important thing to consider is whether or not your body is getting proper recovery.
The reason Mehdi says not to change the routine at all is because when people do, it's almost always too much. The routine is already difficult, and a BIG aspect of the 5x5 SL routine is in its rest ...
5
Since your stated goals are to gain mass and to lose some bodyfat, I highly recommend that you consider the Starting Strength Program. With it, you can use your gym time much more efficiently and gain strength and useful bodymass much more quickly. When you're stronger, losing bodyfat is easier.
5
"For example I always feel my quads after squatting and hardly ever feel my hamstrings."
This is because squatting is a quad dominant exercise, this is normal. Yes squats use your whole leg but you wouldn't 'feel it' in your hamstrings as much (if at all) than your quads.
"I can go to parallel but an attempt to go below results in form degradation "
Why ...
5
This is simultaneously an easy problem and a hard problem.
The easy part is that it sounds like you're a novice without other training to work around. Programming for novices is easy. Many times an off-the-shelf program is sufficient. (The hardest part about this is finding a program that suits your goal. You're right that many so-called "strength" ...
4
Something to consider:
Machines restrict your range of motion. You are going to have less restriction on range of motion with dumbbells. Generally this means that machines encourage good form. With dumbbells you will have to focus on form because there is no machine to do it for you.
4
At the end of the day, calories in < calories out = weight loss. There is some mixed data about the amount of calories, and the textbook "3500 calories = 1 lb" is somewhat suspect according to more modern studies, and the way that different people react, but all the studies agree (Whether atkins, paleo, grapefruit, etc) that caloric deficit is the main ...
4
What you need is a rehab program to get you back to good shape, followed by a proper program to prevent the condition from happening again. I have to qualify my answer by the fact I am not a physical therapist, and I highly recommend you see one.
In general, rehab programs involve ridiculously light weight with ridiculously high repetitions. You will be ...
4
Judoka do not have as high V02max as other sports like bicycling, rowing. In this study LEVELS OF ANAEROBIC AND AEROBIC CAPACITY INDICES AND RESULTS FOR THE SPECIAL FITNESS TEST IN JUDO COMPETITORS. They have measured good judoka. They seem to be around 52 ml/kg/min . I think you can reach that in if your not already there in 45 days with Intervall/HIIT etc. ...
4
Ok, given your program and what you would like to do (Along with the upper body restrictions), here's what I would recommend.
Conditioning - I would concentrate on HIIT training for your lunch sessions, with an emphasis on agility and footwork drills. Leave the heavy lifting stuff for your lifting/mobility sessions. This will have the double effect of ...
4
Definitions
Powerlifting would be better called strengthlifting. It is training for strength using a barbell. It is a sport consisting of the squat, bench press, and deadlift, though powerlifting training often includes other similar exercises such as the overhead press as well as supplementary exercises such as power variants of the Olympic lifts, ...
4
Whether your goal is to gain muscle, strength, or endurance, it is always better to do your exercises together (with short breaks between sets) than spaced throughout the day.
In general, 3 sets of one exercise won't actually give you any noticeable changes in strength or endurance. You need to do more. You can try adding some exercises that would help ...
4
First off, congratulations to your progress!
With those numbers though, just like you say, I believe you still have some to gain from a foundational (linear progression) strength program. My personal favorite is StrongLifts but others swear by Starting Strength. Either would work for you.
StrongLifts took my squat from 90 kg to 125 kg (5RM) in two months. ...
4
TL;DR - Go read Dan John's stuff
I remember a while back (several years, so my memory of it may be slightly off) I went through a phase of reading books by old time strongmen, especially Eugen Sandow. Admittedly, back then, there wasn't really any research into physical fitness, but one of the ideas that he kept coming back to was how strength training and ...
4
Bodybuilder with rotator cuff tear here.
I have a shoulder injury as well in my rotator cuff although I'm very curious about yours because most tears heal. Either way, I'd suggest seeing a few different bone specialists or orthopedics or physiatrists and a well qualified physical therapist. Making sure they specialize in sports will help too.
The treatment ...
4
The quick answer is either "When you've reached the end of the program" or "When you're not longer progressing or your goals change".
I don't know anything about the program you're following, so I'm going to address two different types of programs and introduce a concept by Dan John, bus bench and park bench programs.
The two different types of programs ...
4
(In this answer I am only addressing muscle growth.)
Muscle growth occurs on a per need basis within certain genetic and environmental parameters. Presenting a challenge to the muscles (typically by training) creates a stimulus for growth. Environmental factors (relative to the muscle tissue) such as stress and nutrition can promote or discourage additional ...
4
I used to compete regularly, and based on my experience I train differently when I am close to a meet than when I am just building strength. I was also working with a coach when I was trying to get my nutrition dialed in along with getting stronger. Whether I used common training plans like Wendler's 5-3-1, or my coach's outline, my training cycle was a ...
4
Making sure that your workouts are properly spaced out in the week, and you are taking advantage of the deload weeks, you could probably run 5/3/1 for a long time. This also depends on what sort of 5/3/1 variant you might be following since 5/3/1 is very flexible and more of an approach than an actual program.
Nutrition-wise, since you're striving for a body ...
4
There are a few reasons why those exercises in particular are chosen in beginner programs.
They're foundational. Every beginner needs to build on a foundation of something. These are full body strength exercises which are ideal for building a solid foundation of fitness to move on to more difficult tasks.
They're simple to perform. Push, pull, squat, and ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
