Apostasye

You've probably figured this out by now, but the "safety bars" are just run of the mill saw horses, that can be bought, or built pretty easily. I really want to do something like this as well. It's so simple, and effective. And I've actually got a question, that probably could help in this situation. I've been reading about keeping time under tension to a maximum, while trying to "explode" out of the hole. Meaning, the downward motion of the lift will be about a 2-3 second count, followed by a 1 to 2 second pause, followed by a quick upward motion, or the "exploding" part. I did some lower weight pause lifts friday, and it was pretty brutal. What do you guys think of increasing time under tension? Is it really any more effective I guess is the ultimate question.

From everything I've read I'd say diet is number 1, followed by physical activity. I know that my body likes to tell me when I've been eating like crap. There's a number of things I do to try to stay vigilant when it comes to diet. I have started to pay pretty close attention to the ingredients in food, and have, to a large extent tried to stay away from a lot of processed foods. I always avoid stuff like MSG and high fructose corn syrup. This means that pretty most fast food is out, not necessarily all. I do love Chipotle. MSG by itself can cause a whole host of symptoms, and our bodies just don't know what to do with high fructose corn syrup. Make sure to drink a lot of water! And then drink some more. lol Also don't rule out the possibility of a food allergy or food intolerance. These can cause things such as fatigue, headaches, weight gain, muscle aches, joint pain... etc etc. Apparently a huge part of the population has some sort of intolerance to wheat and milk, and are unaware. Just some ideas on what to do, and possibly what to check.

Practice the roll of shame! lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_OdXKfSp-Y

Question for ya, is the friend that introduced to SL5x5 working out with you on a regular basis? And the real question is does he actually practice strick form if he does? Your back is going to be sore after deadlifts, along withs legs... arms... hands... feet.. lol. Seriously though, It is a very taxing workout, however, there will be muscle fatigue, muscle pain, but not something deeper. That's the reason I ask. Get your buddy to take a video of you doing the big workouts and post them. If your buddy isn't there, awkwardly prop your phone up and have people stare at you like I do. lol Another biggy if you're just getting into strength training is flexability. Flexability, or lack there of, can be a killer on squats/deadlifts. Which is another reason to start lighter.

Looks like you're doing amazing! I've got a few questions for ya. The knee pain you experienced, did it ultimiately come from flexability issues? Or was it more of a mix of flexability and weaker muscles around the knee? Or possible form? I ask because I'm doing stronglifts, quite similar to Starting Strength, and on occasion, experience knee discomfort. Just curious what has ultimately resolved the issue. And on that note, what do you think of starting strength? As I said I'm doing SL5x5, and honestly, I think I like the laid out plan of SS better. Keep up the great work!

I've been doing it for 5 weeks or so, and I added more than 5lbs several times. For the really simple lifts I started adding 10lb increments, until the 5x5 began to become more of a challenge, then I went to 5lb increments. He says on the SL website that it's not a big deal at first to add more weight/bigger increments if you have some experience. You just don't want to start out too heavy, then you'll progress to quick, stall quicker, and demotivate yourself. Not to mention if you start out to heavy you may miss workouts potentially from muscle soreness and fatigue. With that said, if you're worried about form, start out where the SL spreadsheet is advising you to start out. Lift lighter, work on form, and post form videos if you're unsure. I came off a back sprain from squatting a few months ago because of bad form. Starting light is never a bad thing.

Your back is way to bent for a bent over row. Remember neutral spine position. It seems you are bending in the lower back and not at the hips, which will cause back pain. It's difficult to describe, but what you need to do is get into more of an athletic position, keeping your butt back, and keeping a neutral spine angle from your lower back to your neck. So you're going to bend at the hips, and not the back at all. And your squat is good until you've reached parallel or so. Your lower back starts to round. This is something I've been struggling with as well, as a few months ago I sprained my lower back squatting. It sucked. lol As the other guys have said, it's most likely a flexibility issue. Start doing some stretches that target the hips to loosen them up. I'd personally avoid going to heavy until the flexibility is better.

I'll keep that in mind. Deadlifts are coming Wednesday. Appreciate it.

Thanks for the comments. One question. When I'm getting the bottom on the squat my butt is starting to "wink" a little, but and the lower half of my back through butt look to be rounding? Am I seeing this right or am I just seeing the hips rounding and my back coming into a more neutral position. I know "Butt winking" is a flexibility issue, one I'm working on as well. Most people I've seen videos of have the same thing going on.

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site, and new to having people check my form. I'm coming off of a back strain from squatting and am getting back into lifting again. And unfortunately squats are a huge part of what I need to concur. This is literally the first gym workout I've had since pulling my back. I guess it's a large part due to a mental block. And I'd really not like to hurt myself again, cause ya know, that sucks. lol So it's literally been since late July since I've lifted. First video should be the squat. I'm starting off light as I'm going with the Stronglifts 5x5 idea this go around. http://youtu.be/mAJfPJ2N-Ow Second Video is Deadlift. Once Again starting off lighter. The first initial lift needs work, but after that I think I'm good? http://youtu.be/lp2RlYlHsFI I'm not sure how to embed video, this are linked to Youtube. Let me know how to embed I'll be sure to do that next time.

As it stands... derp... lol I agree, I seems you're not locking out the deadlift, which means you're still leaning forward. I'd say the actual uplift looks spot on until the top. Going down, however, does look more like a stiff legged dead lift, which isn't a bad thing, if you want to do a stiff legged dead lift... lol You're breaking at the hips and dropping the weight then finally you're bringing the legs down to match. Your back looks great however. I'm still learning myself granted, but this would seem to be why you feel like you're doing stiff legged dead lifts, because for half the lift, you kind of are. Hope this helps a little.

Hello! I feel ya, I literally just joined this site finally and am looking for the same things really. Mainly looking for consistency and accountability when it comes to workouts and diet. Which I have been massively lacking. I may have slightly different goals from you since I'm not a girl, but hey, goals are goals. I'm looking to legitimately jump back into working out. Currently starting back at square one, with Stronglifts 5x5, then once I get far enough with Stronglifts I'll go from there. So I'm interested. lol

Hey guys, I'm Brad, I've been stalking this site for a few months now and have finally decided to join up. I've really like pretty much everything I've seen about this community and have even been recommending it like crazy to most anyone I know. My background isn't to crazy, been working out on and off for sometime now up until a few months ago when bad form on a squat caused a pretty bad back sprain. I'm finally conjuring up the courage to start again, as of tonight actually. It went well, but I feel I could use some advice and help along the way that I'm hoping I'll find here. I felt I was pretty hardcore on keeping form, but I guess lack of flexibility and help from others got the better of me. I'm hoping I'll be able to learn and grow and finally become consistent in this fitness thing, consistency that I've been hunting for for what seems like a few years now. So as of now I've ditched all split routine stuff and am going to focus on Stronglifts 5x5 and see where that takes me. Fwiw, my name Apostasye represents abandonment from, Not religion, or faith, but abandonment from one's former self. I'm using it as a metaphor to break away from myself so to speak, to better myself. Consistency! Cheers!