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Veteran Thread Training Tips

Veteran Discussion
Training Tip No21
Forearm Curls Tip
This is another tip that Arthur Jones of Nautilus fame came up with. Take a flat bench and stick a 10-kilo or so plate under one end. You're looking for a 10-degree or so incline. Using either a barbell or, as I do, a dumbbell (I do one forearm at a time) and curl it in the usual way. The slight incline will mean a greater muscle contraction at the top. It works for either forward or reverse forearm curls
 
Might sound crazy, but I focus a ton on breathing. When you breathe properly your workouts (and life in general) is better and easier. Most people do not know how to properly breathe. I have seen very experienced gym rats that clearly know how to lift, don’t know how to breathe. When those two things click, you get astronomical benefits. My breathing experience came from over ten years of yoga and three years (and counting) of Systema. Two disciplines that truly know breathing.
 
Training Tip No14
Look After Your Joints
Trust me on this. You might not thank me today but you'll sure as f**k thank me in the future. Top of the list are your shoulders, followed by elbows, knees and wrists. And what's really crazy is it's oh so easy to sort out.

Warm ups are key. Followed by rehab and then joint formula products. If you MUST use supports use them sparingly. While they do help worn and injured joints wearing them all the time is as bad. I've attended strongman comps where the rules didn't allow for some aids and athletes who had got a little too used to them were at a disadvantage.

Do rotator cuff work. Don't say I didn't tell you.

On point Mobster. Protecting your joints and ligaments is key!
 
Might sound crazy, but I focus a ton on breathing. When you breathe properly your workouts (and life in general) is better and easier. Most people do not know how to properly breathe. I have seen very experienced gym rats that clearly know how to lift, don’t know how to breathe. When those two things click, you get astronomical benefits. My breathing experience came from over ten years of yoga and three years (and counting) of Systema. Two disciplines that truly know breathing.

Good advice. I'll add a tip based on this as I agree. In fact I did an article on Power Breathing back in the day.
 
I would love to read that if you have it available. I am well versed on breathing for fighting and running but not so much for power lifting. Is it more diaphragmatic or chest? I could see maybe power lifting be through the stomach but for short bursts and interval training maybe incorporate chest breathing. I incorporate what feels natural because I am somewhat trained in breathing but everything has its application and I cannot say I was taught the proper way for different lifting techniques. I do what I feel makes sense and it is about 90% correct most of the time.
 
Training Tip No22
Power Breathing
Inspired by E32038's post
Occasionally you'll see a question of which way to breath when doing this or that exercise. Breathing is, of course, natural. So the simple answer is to just suck it in and blow it out and repeat. Or you'll be dead right ;) But, as many a top athlete can tell you timing your breath so as to have a certain tension in the chest etc before a BIG record breaking throw, lift, shot or kick can easily add 10%.

As an example take what is called Breathing Squats: A single deep breath, then squat. At the top between reps, take three breaths. That's said to be anabolic. More so if you can do 20 reps. Another is keeping air in the lungs on bench presses and overhead work on all but the last part. Obviously, we don't want you to hold your breath too long. We don't want anyone passing out!!

If you wanna see 'experts' in breathing check out the free diving videos and documentaries on YouTube. They've not only developed larger lungs but, in essence, re breathe and control their reactions.
 
Training Tip No23
Taking Ownership Of Being Out Of Shape
Let's start with - you're fat. Not bloated, not holding water and almost certainly it's not a medical issue. Taking ownership of being honest with yourself means you can take action. You ate too much. You didn't do enough activity and so on. Now, having admitted that, you can do something about it.
 
Training Tip No23
Taking Ownership Of Being Out Of Shape
Let's start with - you're fat. Not bloated, not holding water and almost certainly it's not a medical issue. Taking ownership of being honest with yourself means you can take action. You ate too much. You didn't do enough activity and so on. Now, having admitted that, you can do something about it.
And...

The problem is not sugar, pizza, chocolate, cookie, cheesecake... the problem is that you eat a bunch of these stuff every single day and you probably don't eat all your veggies and fruits. There's no density in your nutrition.

Food is not the problem. The problem is you can't control yourself over food. Eating is part of life but you don't live to eat.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk
 
And...

The problem is not sugar, pizza, chocolate, cookie, cheesecake... the problem is that you eat a bunch of these stuff every single day and you probably don't eat all your veggies and fruits. There's no density in your nutrition.

Food is not the problem. The problem is you can't control yourself over food. Eating is part of life but you don't live to eat.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

Asking if X or Y has a lot of sodium in it, for example, vs NOT eating too much of X or Y to begin with.
 
Training Tip No24
Cook Your Own Food
And by cook I mean from scratch. I'm old enough to have, here in the UK, had lessons in what was called 'Home Economics'. It included (usually just for girls then - an indication of times being different) stuff like how to lay the table. It also included making and cooking simple meals for what was less than what we paid for a school lunch. So we'd bring home (with luck not done in) simple cakes and so on for our family to try.

Now I get how hard some of us work. Heck, even though I work part time, my shifts are 12 hours at a time. So I don't wanna be standing in the kitchen after a 14+ hour day (inc traveling) cooking a meal from scratch for a whole family. But equally, as is common in the US and becoming so here, I don't want to either eat a ton of ready cooked meals or too much 'take out' (or even restaurant food). These are ALL fine in moderation. However, they are becoming staple parts of diets. here, when I did voluntary youth work, there was data to support kids having teeth issues from the glucose syrup added to ready meals prepped by parents who worked all day.

Not only do you have Glucose Syrup but sodium/salt and a TON of additives present. Cooking scratch meals controls that. It can also be something to connect families too if you get them to help. Dad does the meat, kids helping with mixing and mum getting it all together. Healthier too!

The same is true with the dedicated athletes among you and doing what we term 'meal prep' (do a search on Evo for tips and ideas).
 
Training Tip No25
Think Long Term
There are, in my opinion, some small things we can do daily which will over a VERY long time make a difference. All too often we get asked about what time to take X, how soon before Y works and so on. With the reality (statistically speaking) that most people who work out not sticking around long enough to see the benefits the right answer for them is 'it wont make any difference'. However, if like me you've been hitting the iron for 38 years and (hopefully) done enough of the right stuff - the small right stuff - for 20 plus of those 38 years then that might be why I'm 280lbs most days, stronger than most most days and so on.

So don't obsess over what's the best time for a post workout shake etc etc unless you plan on doing this for a LONGGGGG time ok? :D
 
Training Tip No26
Plan Ahead
I'm thinking of your PED cycles when I say this. We get guys changing drugs mid-cycle. It's not like changing buses or vacation hotels. Plus you've the rest of your life to do another cycle. Stick to ONE plan.

Then same is also true of members who are a few weeks in - mid-cycle then - and start asking then about PCT. That's ass backwards for a number of reasons but the No 1 is trust me... not being prepped and ready at the beginning is when the usual source will dry up. Murphy's Law comes into play here. Even I've had items arrive only 72 hours before a cycle starts.

The last one is guys who seem to suddenly remember they've a holiday right in the middle. Now yes some of you won't have known about it but equally some do. Hence the 'how do I smuggle my drugs on a plane' questions.

Like I said - plan ahead.
 
Training Tip No27
Think Long(er) Term v2
I've seen the odd post from guys who either stay on (which I think is silly) or rush from one cycle to the next (which I'll address here).

Now IF you are an actual highly paid professional athlete who is a little more than blessed with either an amazing skill set or genetics the rest of us cry over then doing different cycles through the year makes a LOT of sense. Not only will your response be better, you can afford to do it and take and pay for ALL the precautions. But lets be fkin honest in the other 99% of cases it's just not true is it. So remind me, if you will, of the great advantage of rushing one mass/bulk cycle followed by a cutting cycle and so on sometimes as much as 4 times a year in the odd case to be all of 180lbs tops.

The tip, as it were and one we've posted on a few times, is to take as long as you can off between cycles. The numbers we suggest are the MINIMUM. It's cycle length (lets use 12 weeks) plus PCT (so again we will say 4 weeks as an example). That's a MINIMUM OF 16 weeks off AFTER both the cycle and PCT. Even trying to be clever and doing short cycles (say 6 weeks) and a short PCT (not always ideal but we will use 3 weeks again as an example) still means NINE weeks off.

Even if you follow the very sensible advice of getting blood tests done to see where your levels are you can only push so much. And, I gotta ask, what's the damn rush?? After all you're almost certainly a genetically average guy who wants to build muscle. Not a pro ball player on $30m a year. Adding, as is possible, 5lbs of muscle every year for 10+ years (see - LONG TERM) is fkin HUGE! While I'm no Mr O (never my aim) I still hit those numbers for many, many years (175lbs or so age 18 vs the 280 I sit at now). And I've been lifting a LONG time.
 
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Training Tip No28
Feet positioning
On Leg Extensions (and other leg movements) changing the angle of your feet can shift emphasis from one head to another. All the heads will still get some affect but turning the foot out, in or keeping them straight will vary the percentage from one head (or quad in this example) to another.

You can try this on calves (in, out or straight). Hack squats and others too. Give them a try

Edit: worth a read (I don't have one but I know what it's about) is the book 'Muscle Meets Magnet'.
 
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I put together my wife's workout for her about a month ago because I didn't like what I saw her trainer having her do. We dropped her trainer last week and I worked with her last night. She asked me why I only had her doing (2) sets of barbell curls for her biceps and only (3) sets of triceps pushdowns for her triceps. I explained that all the compound movements I had her doing took care of those muscle and that she didn't need to isolate them. I only included those two exercises because I knew she enjoyed doing them and I want her to have parts of her workout that she really looks forward to doing. They are not needed. I incorporated back squats, rows and deadlifts into her program (how does a trainer not include those) and she likes the rows but loves the back squats and deadlifts. She said they make her feel powerful. She failed on her last set of squats the other day and spent two hours bitching and pissed off about it. You have to love determination. I also told her weightlifting is full of failure and that is how you gage your progress.

Dustin - is your wife heading in that direction of being a body builder? Or were you speaking in generalities as far as weightlifting? ( Yes, I know not all weightlifters are actually body builders....just curious)
 
Training Tip No29
Don't Be A Pussy In The Gym
I've started to see, as per an article yesterday, guys faffing about with bands 'activating their lats' and so on. One local chap wears both the spandex style leggings and shorts and does 3 plates (60kg) on the leg press with one leg. He also uses the arm on the same side to support said leg etc. Now as much as I like loading it up with every plate in the gym and grinding out 8 reps I'm also aware that doing so isn't as effective as using a little less and doing 20 reps.

Equally, doing what the fella above does is a waste of fkin time. To quote Luke Sandoe in the latest MD 'it's a load of bollocks'. He then says 'Yates inspired me'. The in the trenches style (or more accurately his basement gym) of Dorian built grainy hard mass. Not 'activating my lats' with a fkin rubber band.

There's a TON of equipment out there which MIGHT have a place as addendum's to the core compound lifts but you need to grimace, get sweaty and under a load of weight to get somewhere. I've a bunch of books from the 50's by guys like Earle Leiderman et al as well as the more up to date Stuart McRobert all of which say quite clearly to aim for a 300 bench, 400 squat and a 500 deadlift and you'll be in the 5%
 
Training Tip No29
Don't Be A Pussy In The Gym
I've started to see, as per an article yesterday, guys faffing about with bands 'activating their lats' and so on. One local chap wears both the spandex style leggings and shorts and does 3 plates (60kg) on the leg press with one leg. He also uses the arm on the same side to support said leg etc. Now as much as I like loading it up with every plate in the gym and grinding out 8 reps I'm also aware that doing so isn't as effective as using a little less and doing 20 reps.

Equally, doing what the fella above does is a waste of fkin time. To quote Luke Sandoe in the latest MD 'it's a load of bollocks'. He then says 'Yates inspired me'. The in the trenches style (or more accurately his basement gym) of Dorian built grainy hard mass. Not 'activating my lats' with a fkin rubber band.

There's a TON of equipment out there which MIGHT have a place as addendum's to the core compound lifts but you need to grimace, get sweaty and under a load of weight to get somewhere. I've a bunch of books from the 50's by guys like Earle Leiderman et al as well as the more up to date Stuart McRobert all of which say quite clearly to aim for a 300 bench, 400 squat and a 500 deadlift and you'll be in the 5%

bro you hardcore...nice
 
Training Tip No30
The Three Minute Workouts
So back in the day the late Paul Borreson would, at various seminars and on video, show bodybuilders how to work calves in three minutes. In a couple he was assisted by Pro Ian Harrsion. He's set up kit and, with the crowd watching, take a willing victim through the pain.

From memory it'd be standing calf raise. Three pins in the stack. 20 reps, pull a pin (so less weight), 12 reps, pull a pin, rep to failure. Step back and rep on the block with body weight. All reps to this point are full range. Finally bounce reps (for time). At this point, three minutes in, said victim looks like they might cry.

It's a killer workout. Those of you who are interested can find Tom Platz teaching guys online in which he takes them through a similar style of training on other lifts.

The method is brutal and isn't for the 99.9%
 
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Training Tip No31
Check Supplement Side Effects Too.
So today a high end amateur (Jon Griffiths - having competed on the Arnold Stage back in the day) was with me at the gym counter showing us the shaking hands he gets on Clomid. I was reminded of the one and only time I forgot to do my research when I first sampled Beta Alanine. Somewhat foolishly I took 3-5g's and was at my PC when the tingles kicked in. I'm rubbing my face... then my neck.. now my hands. Wow... what's this? Google yer moron!1 Ahh... it's parethesia. It lasts 20 minutes and can be negated with a dose of carbs. So it's normal then ha ha.

In other words we teach you by virtue of our mistakes
 
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