Recent content by liavdh

Thanks Kentucky, for those links, great info!

Excellent, thanks Spatts!!! Geez, if I ever get cocky and require an "ego adjustment", I'll just watch the video of you doing a barbell row with weight I can barely squat. :)

Spatts: What exercise is good for building rear delts? (I'm new) :) And when you say "keeping the traps pinched together", I do that by squeezing my shoulder blades together, is that right?

LucidBlue: I totally hear ya! I thought I had to use Smith because I didn't have a spotter, and after doing free squats once (with a spotter), I didn't want to go back to the Smith ever! It makes me lean backwards into the bar as I push up, in order to not have my knees go over toes, and...

Thanks so much everyone for all the great advice!! JJ: I didn't realize that there were safety bars that could be adjusted, I'll check this out tomorrow (leg day). There's two "racks" where squatting is done other than the Smith Machine, one of them, doesn't seem to have any safety bars, but...

SteelWeaver, do people really do that? Toss the bar off their back if they get stuck down there? My gym is pretty congested, I'd be afraid of "ejecting" onto someone's toes. :) I mean, don't get me wrong, in an emergency situation I'd do it, but I don't know that I'd feel comfortable making...

Well there is a squat rack, but I'm a bit nervous about squatting without a spotter... especially since I like to go as close to failure as I can. It'd be pretty embarassing if I got stuck in the bottom of a squat, and had to slither out from under the bar on my stomach... :) There's so much...

Thanks Makedah, I read through that link, and the majority seem to say "no pad". So I'll ditch it, and try to adjust a bit so the bar doesn't sit on that vertabrae. 8) I think I'm doing something awkward in the Smith Machine, it doesn't feel comfortable, and I don't get the sore...

I've heard that using the pad can throw off the position of the bar, and that it's not good to use it. However, not using the pad results in really sore vertabrae at the base of my neck, and funny red marks on my shoulders. Am I holding the bar too high up? Or does everybody have this happen...

Vixenbabe: Yikes.. 15 pounds is not a risk I'm willing to take. I was thinking that maybe the weight gain was minimal, or was more substantial for inactive people, but if your sister in law is very active, eats well and STILL gained 15, that is highly uncool!! So Depo is out... Maybe Ortho...

Trailseeker, I'm curious to know more about your experience with the Depo shot. All I hear is "Don't do it!!" from people that have had bad side effects, significant weight gain, spotting for 3 months, etc. I'm sure it affects everyone differently, but it's nice to hear SOMEONE that is...

Thanks everyone for your responses! So I guess it totally depends on each individual. I was a D at 29%, and now am a C at 19%, so I think then, I should still have something left when I get to 15-16%, bonus! :) Spatts: Wow, what a big diff in those pics, you look great in both of them, but...

Babyfaced: Do you think I'd still get the benefits though? I know that if you just swallow the flax seeds whole, you don't because the good stuff is in the oil and whole seeds will just pass through your system. So I'm just wondering if chewing them is enough to get through the shell to the oil?

Or does it have to be ground up in a coffee-grinder? What if I just chew 'em real good? :) I tried the oil-on-a-spoon thing for awhile but it became exponentially more disgusting every day.. hoping for an alternate. Thanks!

Oh wow, Spatts, I'm so flattered that you answered me! In the months I've been reading and learning, yours is one of the opinions I respect the most on here, your advice is always exellent, and your strength is SO totally inspiring to me! I'm not trying to be a kiss-ass, I just really...