Anyone want to shape up in 2018? A continuing journey.......

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  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,215
    Had to look up JM press. Looks like that will destroy your triceps! Close grip bench is my main triceps exercise. Might have to switch it up and add this one.
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,111
    rgambs said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    rgambs said:
    CrossFit games have been keeping me motivated on the treadmill
    Nice!  Yesterday I ran two miles outside and did a nice intense ab workout.   When I hit the gym today i'll be doing biceps/back and some sort of cardio.  A new diet also starts today with me.  I'm going to basically mimc tempo and ban all drinking and carbs for a few weeks.
    Remember, bathing suit weather is just around the corner!
    Good work!
    I did 5 miles on treadmill, 2.25 miles, chest and triceps, then 2.75 miles.  10 minute mile pace.

    Great lift, supersets on dips (parallel grips and bench dips) for 100 reps each and supersets on push-ups/cable crossovers 4 sets and push-ups/pec deck 4 sets done dropset style without breaks.
    Other stuff too of course, but that's the only interesting part.  

    Been loving the JM press lately, it's a hybrid between close grip bench and skull crushers.
    bro you are kicking some serious ass!  keep it up!
    by the way planks are killing my shoulders...time to give them up for awhile.
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    Had to look up JM press. Looks like that will destroy your triceps! Close grip bench is my main triceps exercise. Might have to switch it up and add this one.
    I love it, skullcrushers never felt right always too much stress on the elbow and I never felt the tricep contract strongly, CG bench always felt too chesty.  

    I tried CG bench over my face one day and it felt good and natural whether I went elbows tucked or wide, so I started doing it and then looked it up.  
    I do a ton of that sort of experimentation to find what feels best on my joints or has best mind-muscle connection.  I vary my grip/stance in each set with almost every lift.  
    I'm not an overhead barbell press guy, it hurts or feels like it could lead to hurt and I've read a bunch of articles about how it's irrelevant to muscle gains (every press movement uses anterior delts and they are less important aesthetically than lateral anyways) and functional strength building is there but can be achieved with less joint stress.
    I tried doing it with elbows in front, starting from a front squat type position and pressing straight up to lockout, and loved it.  Great tricep burn, and enough anterior delt activation to feel good.

    Wonder what that's called?
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    I love the interesting nature of biomechanics.
    I also use a thumbless grip on both presses and that limits the shoulder rotation.

    Gotta be easy on your shoulders, they are a weakish joint and they get used with almost all lifts.
    I used to assist in shoulder surgeries and that's not something anybody wants!
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,215
    edited January 2018
    For CG bench, I bring the bar down lower on my torso than my chest, right at the bottom of the sternum. I find that takes a lot of the chest aspect out of it and lets me focus more on the triceps.

    For shoulders, I really like the overhead press. I actually feel like I get more mind-muscle connection with that than any other shoulder exercise. I really feel it in the lateral delt locking out at the top. The variation you described with starting in a squat sounds like the push press. Gotta be careful not to ego lift with that one though. I've seen some people at my gym try to really overload it and I honestly don't know how they haven't injured themselves yet. I think they assume that the momentum driving up out of the squat means they don't have to worry about the stress on their shoulders.
    Post edited by markymark550 on
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    For CG bench, I bring the bar down lower on my torso than my chest, right at the bottom of the sternum. I find that takes a lot of the chest aspect out of it and lets me focus more on the triceps.

    For shoulders, I really like the overhead press. I actually feel like I get more mind-muscle connection with that than any other shoulder exercise. I really feel it in the lateral delt locking out at the top. The variation you described with starting in a squat sounds like the push press. Gotta be careful not to ego lift with that one though. I've seen some people at my gym try to really overload it and I honestly don't know how they haven't injured themselves yet. I think they assume that the momentum driving up out of the squat means they don't have to worry about the stress on their shoulders.
    I start from the push press position, but I lift it with modest weight, slow controlled reps as if I'm dumbell pressing. 


    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,111
    edited January 2018
    rgambs said:
    I love the interesting nature of biomechanics.
    I also use a thumbless grip on both presses and that limits the shoulder rotation.

    Gotta be easy on your shoulders, they are a weakish joint and they get used with almost all lifts.
    I used to assist in shoulder surgeries and that's not something anybody wants!
    Planks directly effect your shoulders?  Maybe my form sucks. (And I have two herniated discs so I have to be extra careful.) gambs, I also don’t do much of anything over my shoulder I.e. military press 
    did back and biceps at the gym today. 

    Post edited by mcgruff10 on
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,215
    mcgruff10 said:
    rgambs said:
    I love the interesting nature of biomechanics.
    I also use a thumbless grip on both presses and that limits the shoulder rotation.

    Gotta be easy on your shoulders, they are a weakish joint and they get used with almost all lifts.
    I used to assist in shoulder surgeries and that's not something anybody wants!
    Planks directly your shoulders?  Maybe my form sucks. (And I have two herniated discs so I have to be extra careful.) games, I also don’t do much of anything over my shoulder I.e. military press 
    did back and biceps at the gym today. 

    If planks are hurting your shoulders, my guess would be that your shoulders are too forward. That or you retract them too much during the exercise.

    I hate planks though. So high on the level of suckiness. :lol:
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,111
    mcgruff10 said:
    rgambs said:
    I love the interesting nature of biomechanics.
    I also use a thumbless grip on both presses and that limits the shoulder rotation.

    Gotta be easy on your shoulders, they are a weakish joint and they get used with almost all lifts.
    I used to assist in shoulder surgeries and that's not something anybody wants!
    Planks directly your shoulders?  Maybe my form sucks. (And I have two herniated discs so I have to be extra careful.) games, I also don’t do much of anything over my shoulder I.e. military press 
    did back and biceps at the gym today. 

    If planks are hurting your shoulders, my guess would be that your shoulders are too forward. That or you retract them too much during the exercise.

    I hate planks though. So high on the level of suckiness. :lol:
    Thank you for the advice, I'll try to pay more attention to my shoulders.  And yes, planks suck. lol
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    https://www.t-nation.com/training/nonstop-natural-gains-the-neuro-typing-system

    It sounded dumb at first, but everything about type 2 matches me perfectly.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,215
    mcgruff10 said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    rgambs said:
    I love the interesting nature of biomechanics.
    I also use a thumbless grip on both presses and that limits the shoulder rotation.

    Gotta be easy on your shoulders, they are a weakish joint and they get used with almost all lifts.
    I used to assist in shoulder surgeries and that's not something anybody wants!
    Planks directly your shoulders?  Maybe my form sucks. (And I have two herniated discs so I have to be extra careful.) games, I also don’t do much of anything over my shoulder I.e. military press 
    did back and biceps at the gym today. 

    If planks are hurting your shoulders, my guess would be that your shoulders are too forward. That or you retract them too much during the exercise.

    I hate planks though. So high on the level of suckiness. :lol:
    Thank you for the advice, I'll try to pay more attention to my shoulders.  And yes, planks suck. lol
    Hope it helps you out.
  • Bentleyspop
    Bentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 11,394
    rgambs said:
    CrossFit games have been keeping me motivated on the treadmill
    I've  watched The Crossfit Games periodically and my takeaway is that NO woman should  have an 8-pack!! :fearful:
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    rgambs said:
    CrossFit games have been keeping me motivated on the treadmill
    I've  watched The Crossfit Games periodically and my takeaway is that NO woman should  have an 8-pack!! :fearful:
    And your opinion on how some woman should look and what exercise she does is relevant because......?
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    I'd not reject a single one of those ladies.
    Not sure I'd want that full-time, but yeah, it's hot in it's own way.
    Those ladies put us all to shame, shattering preconceived notions of female fragility, it's badass.
    Half of them have the physique I'm shooting for.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,111
    Question: it s snowing here bad today so the trails will be a muddy mess. What kind of cardio do you guys do at home? Burpees are a no go for me. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    I'm at the gym at noon....yuck.
    Crazy busy, 6 guys walking around nipples out, all of them plus 3 more with very bad ILS (imaginary lat syndrome) 
    Boooo!
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    mcgruff10 said:
    Question: it s snowing here bad today so the trails will be a muddy mess. What kind of cardio do you guys do at home? Burpees are a no go for me. 
    I did lunges in a foot of snow yesterday, it's making leg day difficult right now.
    Lunges, air squats, and push-ups are my go tos.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,215
    If I were to do cardio at home, it would probably be something with repetitive jumping. That always gets my heart rate going. Jump rope, jumping jacks, squat jumps (those are killer), etc.
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,215
    rgambs said:
    I'm at the gym at noon....yuck.
    Crazy busy, 6 guys walking around nipples out, all of them plus 3 more with very bad ILS (imaginary lat syndrome) 
    Boooo!
    You said you go to Planet Fitness? I didn't think that kind of stuff was allowed there?
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    rgambs said:
    I'm at the gym at noon....yuck.
    Crazy busy, 6 guys walking around nipples out, all of them plus 3 more with very bad ILS (imaginary lat syndrome) 
    Boooo!
    You said you go to Planet Fitness? I didn't think that kind of stuff was allowed there?
    They nix the gallon jugs, but they allow the nipples unfortunately.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?