STAY/GET BACK IN SHAPE VOL 3.0 -- A New Niketalk = A New Thread

[ootherocoo]

Did Chest this morning.  Felt Awesome!!!

 

[inter1032]

so i started running again last week and i noticed i dropped a few pounds but then i weighed myself the other day and i had gained those pounds right back.... is it just water weight or something? because ive had this happen a few times before and i cant understand it

 

[freeze]

nothing better than adjusting your diet again and seeing that immediate feedback in the mirror. It makes the struggle much easier when you start to see the change right away.

 

[blkrstr21]

Is 24 hours between leg days too little rest? I was moving Saturday and Sunday so I missed my Sunday workout. Normally I would do

Sunday-A day Mon-Leg tue-b day Wed off Thur A day, Friday leg, Saturday off

But I was thinking of doing
Monday A day
Tue Leg
Wed B day
Thur leg
Friday A day
Sat off

Then go back to my normal routine after that. Or on Friday maybe doing leg and A day and taking thur off but I would have to go to them gym earlier.
OR I can just chalk my Sunday as beig a missed day and do my normal schedule but my legs feel worked out from the weekend because moving was a workout in itself.

rule of thumb is a good 48 hours before reworking the same muscle group. but i guess it depends if you're sore 

 

[baltimoregutta]

One of the homies joined me for a leg workout... I'm already feeling it.

 

[luckyluchiano]

rule of thumb is a good 48 hours before reworking the same muscle group. but i guess it depends if you're sore 

Think ill do
ALBLA

I wanted to avoid my A day today since Monday is national chest day and I do chest on A day, but I go late so it might not be a big deal

 

[ooiron manoo]

Crushed legs last night, surprisingly not as sore as I thought I would be. CrossFit endurance kicking in I guess.

Tried to reevaluate my stance on the Smith machine, sorry, unless you're injured there is no excuse for using that thing.

Rule of thumb is 48 hours?

I would say go by feel, if you feel you can go through a workout without injuring yourself, go for it.

Remember the body is functional, it's used to being worked every day, the notion of 48... forty ******g eight hours... is ridiculous.

 

[stuntman mike]

did a 3.5 mile mountain walk and imma still do squats today. surprisingly my legs aren't sore at all today.

 

[luckyluchiano]

Crushed legs last night, surprisingly not as sore as I thought I would be. CrossFit endurance kicking in I guess.

Tried to reevaluate my stance on the Smith machine, sorry, unless you're injured there is no excuse for using that thing.

Rule of thumb is 48 hours?

I would say go by feel, if you feel you can go through a workout without injuring yourself, go for it.

Remember the body is functional, it's used to being worked every day, the notion of 48... forty ******g eight hours... is ridiculous.

I tend to workout based on how I feel I just didn't know if I should count a day missed or alternate my workout schedule to get my 5 days of lifting in

 

[3stheluckynumbe]

So I'm trying to get in shape. First order of business is losing weight. Is swimming good for this? I tried running but my knees couldn't handle it.

 

[djyoung08]

So I'm trying to get in shape. First order of business is losing weight. Is swimming good for this? I tried running but my knees couldn't handle it.

As long as ur heart rate is up and ur putting in effort swimming is a great way to burn calories.

Remember though... weight loss, in its basic form is calories in vs calories out

so even if u swim an hour...

"rewarding yourself" with a big ol burger will defeat the purpose.

Stay strong, homie.

 

[Bert.]

Always liked Scooby..specially when he made fun of Jeff Seid

that was hilarious

 

[paulprince3730]

Always liked Scooby..specially when he made fun of Jeff Seid

that was hilarious

LMAO, dude is a fool

 

[djyoung08]

Anyone here every try bison as a source of lean mean?

 

[jewbacca]

Anyone here every try bison as a source of lean mean?

Yep. It is a nice to change it up with some bison, but not worth the price. Tastes just like ground beef.

 

[sneakerfan1]

Going back to what Durden said regarding the time waisted on isolation exercises, specifically trap work.  Here's a good article. 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

by Chris Colucci T-Nation


Here's what you need to know...


• Spending excessive amounts of time and energy targeting the upper traps is like a beginner spending a lot of time on his soleus instead of squatting.


• Effective trap training is about respecting the way the muscle was built to function and training it accordingly.


• If you intentionally incorporate some "accidental" trap work in your training, then you won't need much direct trap work.


Shrugs are pretty much even with crunches as a way to look like you're doing work in the gym without getting much accomplished. Yet the shrug remains popular, which is odd because it just doesn't work very well for complete trap development.


Let's take a look at what the traps are really meant for and figure out a better way to train them.



Why Shrug? I Dunno.


Gym novices who are just learning how to operate a barbell will get a lot of trap stimulation from deadlift variations, rows and pulldowns, cleans, and overhead presses, assuming they do these exercises.


Even many smaller movements, like most dumbbell work for the shoulders or back, will activate the traps to some extent. Spending excessive amounts of time directly targeting the traps is like a beginner spending tons of time and energy targeting his soleus – it's just not necessary yet. And note that excessive is a key word here.


For most people with physique-based goals, there's generally no reason for direct trap work to be given more attention than, say, the forearms, in terms of training volume or frequency. Ending a workout with six sets each of two different shrug variations is unnecessary and inefficient.


Aesthetic-focused bodybuilders like Steve Reeves and Frank Zane actually avoided too much direct trap training because overdeveloped traps de-emphasize shoulder width. Not good.


Yet peek inside most gyms and you'll see skinny guys doing barbell shrugs and very skinny guys trying to figure out how to use the Hammer Strength shrug machine.


On rare occasions, you might catch a genuine monster doing double-bodyweight shrugs with more movement at the knee than at the shoulder. Good on him for doing something with a seriously heavy weight, but you have to wonder how much work the traps are actually doing during these weighted seizures. In truth, he probably built those big traps with other exercises.



Form and Function


When I say "traps" I really mean the upper portion of the trapezius muscle – the tiny part you're primarily working when you shrug.


Geographically-speaking, the "lower traps" are actually part of the upper and mid-back musculature. The trouble is, everyone seems to be stuck on only using shrugs when they want to work the traps, leaving a ton of potential resources untapped.


You need to give the lower traps plenty of attention. The lower traps are actually essential for joint health, strength and performance, posture, and overall appearance.


The trapezius is more than just a narrow slab of meat running from one shoulder to your neck and down to your other shoulder. The traps actually originate at the base of the skull, run down to the upper and mid-back area, and run width-wise covering both scapulas.


To get a clearer mental image, if the traps were on the front of your body, they'd start near your mouth, go down your neck and across your front delts, cover most of both pecs and some of your upper abs.


That's a lot of landscape covered by one muscle, but for some reason the majority of people only focus on the few inches of beef beside their neck. Probably because that's what pops out, or should pop out, when you do a most muscular pose in your bathroom mirror.


Unfortunately, training the traps with only shrugs makes as much sense as training your shoulders with only lateral raises. Nobody does that because it'll set you up for joint damage, limited strength gains, and incomplete muscle development. Same goes for the traps.


The trapezius not only functions to pull the scapula and shoulders upwards on command (like the good old shrug), but they also pull them backwards/together, as in the common deadlift cue to "open up your chest."


Remember when you were a little kid and your mother caught you slouching, so she poked her fingertips between your shoulder blades as a cue to straighten up? She was teaching you to contract your traps. Thanks, Mom.


Part of the confusion is that because the trapezius does cover so much muscular real estate that crosses over or involves several joints, there are different movement patterns/exercises that can be used to attack the muscle.


Emphasizing the lower traps rather than the upper isn't about working a fictional "muscle within a muscle" like the lower biceps or inner chest. It's about respecting the way the muscle was built to function and training it accordingly.



Real Trap Training


Training your traps only with shrugs is avoiding a primary function of the muscle.


But if you intentionally incorporate some "accidental" trap work in your training, then you won't need much direct trap work. Instead, maximize the attention you give them by choosing the right exercises at the right times.


Why are traps the only muscle where we seem to be just fine allowing crappy ROM reps in the stretched position? You certainly wouldn't grab an EZ curl bar, straighten your arms, and barely unlock them 10 times to get a good biceps workout. But for traps, we accept that super-heavy partials are the way to go, for every rep of every set. Weird.


Heavy partials do have a place. If I claimed they didn't, John Meadows would fry my tender bits in coconut oil. But with no other body part do we use heavy stretched-position mini-reps as the primary method of training.


The traps rarely get placed under direct, heavy load in daily life. You might deadlift the end of a couch, but it's not too often that you find yourself having to simulate a weighted shrug in normal everyday situations.


That could be one reason why the muscle seems to respond to the super-heavy, short ROM work. It's a unique stress that the muscle is unaccustomed to, and unfamiliar stresses are often a key to triggering new muscle growth.


The scapula-thoracic joint wants to be stable, so training it for that purpose is the best way to achieve joint health and strength, which is often the foundation of size training.


One of the best ways to achieve that level of stability is to work the lower traps with paused reps, longer contractions, or a general increase in time under tension. Basic muscle activation work is always a good call, too. For the next few weeks, start each back and shoulder workout with face pulls for 2-3 x 8-10.


To really get the most out of the face pulls, have the cable set at eye-level or a bit higher so the movement is slightly downwards to further minimize upper trap involvement.


Also, exaggerate the movement of the scapulas and hold the peak contraction for 3-5 seconds. This makes it especially effective in drilling that static strength, endurance, and stability.


Using face pulls to activate the traps before bigger work will go a long way to improving their performance. Once that's taken care of, take a look at the rest of your training, especially your back workouts, to look for ways to increase that "accidental" trap training.



Best Exercises for Traps


Here are some effective exercises that can be incorporated into your current routine. These will increase your weekly trap work without requiring a total program overhaul.


Since people usually hit traps on the same day as back or shoulders, plugging in one or more of these moves instead of their usual "trap workout" will be a good exercise in training efficiency.


Face Pull With Pause
: Holding the peak contraction will "teach" the low and mid-trap fibers to stabilize the scapula. This works well as an activation drill, especially before any session that includes rows. If you can go heavier and still hold a brief pause at the peak, consider it a solid alternative to other rowing.


Power Clean From Hang
: By working from the hang, the legs are taken slightly out of the movement and the upper body work is emphasized a bit more. The traps work to explode the weight up and then they fire again to complete the catch. There's a reason cleans have been all-around badass-builders for decades.


Snatch-Grip High Pull
: The SGHP has explosiveness, lots of muscular involvement, and the ability to move big weights. The upright row used to be considered one of the best trap exercises (shoulder injuries aside), but think of the SGHP as an upright row that's been improved in every way possible.

 
Wide-Grip Deadlift
: Not quite a snatch-grip, but wider than your usual grip. Stance doesn't matter as much as nudging the grip out wider to increase the upper back work without significantly changing the rest of the movement.


Kroc Rows
: Remember that a key to Kroc rows is using a crazy-heavy weight for a bunch of reps. Every time someone does "Kroc rows" for a set of 8-10 with 30 or 40 pounds, a kitten loses a leg.


Krok Row


Neutral-Grip Shrug (dumbbells, trap bar, or Dead-Squat[emoji]8482[/emoji] Bar): Puts you in a more natural body position compared to a straight barbell, giving a more direct line of pull and more efficient application of force. If you're going to shrug, go with the neutral grip.



Effective Training vs. Habitual Training


We need to directly train each muscle that we want to improve, but we always need to be training them correctly, in proportion, and in the most efficient, effective way possible.


Re-examine your routine and your physique. Make some of these changes to be sure you're training the right muscles in the right way, instead of sticking with the same old methods out of habit.

Great read.

 

[nikexcartoon]

As long as ur heart rate is up and ur putting in effort swimming is a great way to burn calories.

Remember though... weight loss, in its basic form is calories in vs calories out

so even if u swim an hour...

"rewarding yourself" with a big ol burger will defeat the purpose.

Stay strong, homie.

Good advice man

Not much but just PR'd at 100lbs on dumbell chest press today. Felt good as hell

 

[luckyluchiano]

My appetite has been insane since I started a 5 day split

 

[cincoseisdos]

Good advice man

Not much but just PR'd at 100lbs on dumbell chest press today. Felt good as hell

Strong , I've been stuck at 80lb but I'm not worried, any day now ill move forward

Im trying to go up 5lb every workout compared to my previous day of PPL

Today got 210 BB BP for reps, felt GREAT. Can't expect to be moving up like this without hitting a plateau somewhere but id be super pumped getting 230 for reps as it was my previous max at 220 over a year ago

 

[luckyluchiano]

Brah LA fitness will make you want to leave your girl and smash all these fitness broads. So many wimimz with big booties and strong legs

 

[needsomejays]

Brah LA fitness will make you want to leave your girl and smash all these fitness broads. So many wimimz with big booties and strong legs

yeeeeuuuup
my eyes do lots of wandering between sets

 

[cincoseisdos]

my brother just scored a deal @24 for all super sports, my home LAF doesn't have much in the nice department compared to others in the area, but my boys have shown me the power of 24 hour, aside from that I'm excited
Me paying for the both of ours LAF and him taking care of 24 is great, less than $80 either way and that's with the guest pass I take my GF with on weekends

 

[imreallydirknowitzki]

This workout is nuts. I want to try it ASAP

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kris-gethin-vs-team-grenade-dtp-chest-and-back-workout.html

Vid in link, I couldn't seem to get it to embed.

 

[sonunox34]

Brah LA fitness will make you want to leave your girl and smash all these fitness broads. So many wimimz with big booties and strong legs

 

[tsamshox]

Ran 4 miles after going super heavy on legs the day before.....I'm walking around like Bambi right now

I'm fat btw...