*.* 2013 General Fitness Thread *.*

[penguinz]

Welcome to 2013! Now get your ass in top physical condition!

**From the 2012 Thread**

If you want to get back into lifting, or need a new lifting routine, START HERE:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...inner_Programs

If you have questions about the SS programs, look here:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ

Keep in mind that you're a novice lifter for a longer period of time than you think you are. Novice lifting can last anywhere from a few months to a year or two, depending on how hard you hit the weights and where you started.

Once you've reached the point where you don't make regular progress on the SS program, you are ready to move on to the intermediate stage, which can last you for a good number of years. Find it HERE:

http://madcow.hostzi.com/5x5_Program/Linear_5x5.htm

If you're a very advanced lifter (many, many years of CONSISTENT weight training), then there are lot of programs out there, and which one you pick is simply a matter of preference. If you're really that advanced, you should know what works for you and what doesn't by this point.

[l4z4rd]

Squats and Deadlifts.

[el borracho]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I do deads (heavy), followed by front squats, followed by backoff sets of deadlifts, then good mornings.

Just build up your endurance for the lift and lower back over time. I also use a belt for the deads/squats.

I would never pair deadlifts with any upper body exercises but that's just me.

Well, crap... Deads and front squats is the exact combination that has been hobbling me. I guess I will back down the weight for a bit and work my way back up slowly. Never did either exercise before a few months ago, so I might just have to build a foundation for it.

[Silock]

Hamstring curls and good mornings. I squat on a different day. Too taxing to do both.

[Buehler445]

OK guys, need some help.

My dad has been getting cramps at night if he does a bunch of physical work the day before. I kept telling him it was dehydration as he drinks a bunch of coffee in the mornings. So he got a minor stomach bug over the weekend and didn't eat or drink much. He then said he didn't have any cramps when he didn't drink as much.

I told him to go to the doctor, which he won't do. I know it isn't much good information to go on, but I'm trying to figure out what the deal is. I don't want him just drinking less water because he thinks it causes cramps. I'm thinking it is some electrolyte imbalance or something. Anybody have any idea what's going on?

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by el borracho

Well, crap... Deads and front squats is the exact combination that has been hobbling me. I guess I will back down the weight for a bit and work my way back up slowly. Never did either exercise before a few months ago, so I might just have to build a foundation for it.

Originally Posted by Silock

Hamstring curls and good mornings. I squat on a different day. Too taxing to do both.

I suppose I should clarify.

I do deads/squats (variations) twice a week.

Workout #1- Deads/Front Squats
Workouts #2- Squats/RDLs


I definitely wouldn't have done this in my first few years of training but I go pretty heavy on all of it now and have no problems. I've really incorporated more posterior chain work this past year and it's paying off in both squats/dead numbers while my lower back feels much stronger than in the past.

I used to do exactly what Silock is saying by never squatting or deadlifting on the same day.

You could always focusing on building your endurance across sets with each lift individually during the week and adding in some different accessory work that is less taxing. If you aren't having two legs days a week, you should be and that would solve your problem.

[NewChief]

http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fi...ement-20131105

Supplement Tests Positive for Meth
Bodybuilders and supplement users beware: Scientists have found that the widely available pre-workout supplement, Craze, may contain significant amounts of a methamphetamine-like chemical.
Despite a lack of scientific evidence that dendrobium, a substance derived from an orchid, had stimulant-like properties, a lot of amateurs have been turning to it to get fired up. After several athletes had failed drug tests, claiming they'd only taken dendrobium, researchers decided to dig deeper. "There was a lot of buzz saying, 'This really helped me in the gym, this really gets me fired up,'" says Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who led the study. "There was a disconnect between what was on the label and how people were describing it."
It turns out they may have been ingesting more than an orchid. The chemical analysis suggests that in the product Craze, the most popular purveyor of dendrobium, had a meth-like substance within. When the researchers analyzed samples from three batches of Craze, ordered from three different sources, they found it had 21 to 35mg of a methamphetamine analog (meaning a compound with a chemical structure a whole lot like meth) per serving. No published research had ever found this compound in dendrobium or any other plant.
There are only a handful of papers out there on the compound Cohen and his team found and all of them focus on its chemical structure rather than its biological effects. "There's zero information about what happens when it's in the human body," says Cohen. Driven Sports, Craze's maker, has suspended production and sales of the supplement until further notice.
If you find some Craze left on the shelves, for now you might want pass it over to find another pre-gym boost. Cohen offers an easy-to-find alternative: caffeine. "It works, to a small degree, and it's completely safe," he says. Drink a small cup or two of coffee or take a 100mg caffeine pill before working out.
– Valerie Ross


Read more: http://www.mensjournal.com/health-fi...#ixzz2jtC45xXQ
Follow us: @mensjournal on Twitter | MensJournal on Facebook

[Omaha]

My trainer buddy has a bunch of us doing a 5 week program that he designed. We tested our performance at several exercises (5 rep max on bench, clean, deadlift, # of pullups, time on a metcon workout & 5K time) and we'll test again at the end.

[Omaha]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I suppose I should clarify.

I do deads/squats (variations) twice a week.

Workout #1- Deads/Front Squats
Workouts #2- Squats/RDLs


I definitely wouldn't have done this in my first few years of training but I go pretty heavy on all of it now and have no problems. I've really incorporated more posterior chain work this past year and it's paying off in both squats/dead numbers while my lower back feels much stronger than in the past.

I used to do exactly what Silock is saying by never squatting or deadlifting on the same day.

You could always focusing on building your endurance across sets with each lift individually during the week and adding in some different accessory work that is less taxing. If you aren't having two legs days a week, you should be and that would solve your problem.

Leg day ****s me up so bad I'm worthless for 3 days after. Does anyone else have this problem? Seriously, I had to skip crossfit today and I can barely walk after yesterday's leg workout.

[jiveturkey]

I missed 3 weeks in the gym and my return was terrible. I can't remember the last time I was this sore.

That was the first time I missed more than a week in the last couple of years.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by jiveturkey

I missed 3 weeks in the gym and my return was terrible. I can't remember the last time I was this sore.

That was the first time I missed more than a week in the last couple of years.

I did the same thing about a month ago. I was walking around like an old man. One of our coaches offered to let me use the hot/cold tub, heh.

[Aspengc8]

Originally Posted by Omaha

Leg day ****s me up so bad I'm worthless for 3 days after. Does anyone else have this problem? Seriously, I had to skip crossfit today and I can barely walk after yesterday's leg workout.

It used to, but your body should get used to it. I usually just get some soreness/tightness in my hips if anything. Larger muscles are usually repaired around the 72hr mark, and smaller muscles quicker. This is why you see a lot of guys hitting bodyparts twice a week, usually 3 times for stuff like calves & arms.

[Buck]

For the first month, legs killed me every time. Now I have minor DOMS the next day, but really it's not any kind of nuisance.

[Buck]

Oh, I never posted this in here but I really ****ed up my back after I did Deadlifts a couple months back. I havent even attempted deadlifts since, and have been doing squats in place on my deadlift day. But even squats I've been doing light weight since I don't want to **** up my back. I am not feeling any soreness anymore when I lift so I think starting next week I'm going to start attempting to do deads and add more weight to my squats.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Omaha

Leg day ****s me up so bad I'm worthless for 3 days after. Does anyone else have this problem? Seriously, I had to skip crossfit today and I can barely walk after yesterday's leg workout.

Erry week

[BigBeauford]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

OK guys, need some help.

My dad has been getting cramps at night if he does a bunch of physical work the day before. I kept telling him it was dehydration as he drinks a bunch of coffee in the mornings. So he got a minor stomach bug over the weekend and didn't eat or drink much. He then said he didn't have any cramps when he didn't drink as much.

I told him to go to the doctor, which he won't do. I know it isn't much good information to go on, but I'm trying to figure out what the deal is. I don't want him just drinking less water because he thinks it causes cramps. I'm thinking it is some electrolyte imbalance or something. Anybody have any idea what's going on?

Definitely sounds like he is having an electrolyte imbalance. Is he on any diuretics for high blood pressure? People on those tend to take a potassium supplement.