need training advice

[Madcow2]

great advice madcow. I was wondering Bro with the 5x5 routine you posted you said it can be modified. Can i do leg press instead of sqauts and is ther an alternative to deadlifts i can do as i have a back injury and i cant do those. Also with the barbell rows you say arch your middle back slightly.....do you mean lean a bit forward so that your torso is roughly halfway between verticle and horizontal?

Ok - in general, you never ever want to substitute leg press for a squat, there's no comparison in the results or stimulus for growth. For the deadlift, pulling is a fundemental movement to the body (like the squat) the only real substitutes involve nearly an identical motion done dynamically (power clean/snatch, high pulls etc...). With the modified 5x5s I've posted the squating is the key so making a substitution here isn't something I'd advise in any circumstance except one - injury.

In your case, a back injury precluding you from doing the movements, I'd substitute and work around as best I could. Hopefully it's not permanent and you can go back to regular lifting. That being said, a lot of the people who claim they can't squat or deadlift are using it as an excuse or had some lame brain general practitioner tell them that. Not saying that's your situation but if I'm going to put something down in writing other people read it too and I don't want some candy ass subsituting out the bread and butter lifts and wondering why he makes no progress.

So basically, you do what you can and your focus should be on getting better and improving your back - depending upon the injury, hypers are solid rehab as well as an assortment of stretches and basic bodyweight movements you can get from your P. Therapist.

For rows - I like to be as close to parallel to the ground as possible (back at 90 degrees). Obviously we all have varying degrees of flexability, so as low as you can without rounding, keep your back flat, and your chest should be visible in the mirror (head faces forward/body follows head/back will be flat to arched/you will see your pecs some in the mirror). What you don't want is the "bodybuilder bullshit row" where they are squating like taking a crap and their torso is nearly straight up and down making the range of motion look like a little shrug. This is due to horrible core strength.

 

[c gheller]

Ok well my injury is L3/4, L4/5 and L5s1 bulging disks. Ive had this niggling injury for a good 6-8 months now...during which time i only did leg extensions for legs and could not do anything that pulls me forward or bending over. As you can see i was and still am quite limited as to what i can do.
As for shirking squats..nah. Ive done 500-550lb squats week in week out up until my injury...i love em. This is simply a case of being scared because of my back. In regard to the rows..the post said bend your middle back slightly so i thought id clear that one with you. I did actually do squats the other day. Only 250lbs which is about all the courage i have to try at the moment. Is it worth doing squats with such a pathetic weight or should i do the leg press which i can still load up with no probs?

 

[curgeo]

Like all the others have said, you should probably stay away from isolation exercises. They really do nothing for your overall strength. Also, make sure you know what you are training for......strength training is different than bodybuilding. If you want a big chest, large calves and a tiny waist then powerlifting isn't for you. I learned that the hard way.

Read all you can. Elite is a good place to start, but make sure to check out www.elitefts.com. That site is all about powerlifting.....It's the resource that I continously refer to for more knowledge on training for strength. I was a bodybulder for 15 years and am powerlifting now and couldn't be happier. Elitefts helped to ease my transition into powerlifting.

There is also a book that is sold on that site called "The Science and Practice of Strength Training" by Vladimir Zatsiorsky. I recommend when you get extra money to buy that book. It tells you what you will need to know for your journey in strength training.

Lastly, goto the article section on elitefts and click on the "TMag" articles. You will find stuff written by Dave Tate for Tmag. Click on the "Eight Keys" articles and start there. You will understand a little better.

Good luck to you. I wish I had realized like yourself to get into powerlifting earlier. We are training a 17 year old kid right now that is eager and works harder than anybody we have allowed to train with us. This kid is going to be strong because he is smart and he reads as much as he can.

Take care and If we can help you let us know.

 

[c gheller]

Cant find the articles section bro..where is it?

 

[curgeo]

When you goto elitefts....it should be on the top left of the screen.....next goto "tmag" on the middle left hand side.......then click on the 8 keys article.

Email me if you have any problems finding it.

[email protected]

 

[c gheller]

Found it Bro...thank you...excellent reading!

 

[c gheller]

Curego or Madcow. ive begun the 5x5 training regime. I was wondering is this a successful way to stimulate muscle growth or is it more focussing on gaining strength?

 

[Madcow2]

Curego or Madcow. ive begun the 5x5 training regime. I was wondering is this a successful way to stimulate muscle growth or is it more focussing on gaining strength?

I have a couple of links in my threads - one is to Meso - read over the description of the 5x5 and 8 week squat programs. It's written by a very high level strength and conditioning coach. He'll tell you flat out that many athletes have trouble keeping their weight down and athletes close to a weight class line may have to drastically curtail their diets. My experience has been the same. It's a great all around foundation program. Mixing it up occasionally and addressing some weak points in your lifts with specialized assistance work, it could serve as the bread and butter routine for the majority of your training career, either as an athlete or a bodybuilder.

 

[c gheller]

Ok good. So you dont train any of the smaller muscle groups ie: biceps, calves etc with an exercise? I have no problem with not doing those, just want to maintain symmetry. Also in regards to diet. You say people have trouble keeping their weight down. Do they maintain a respectable level of bodyfat? Personally i have a HUGE apetite and have no trouble gaining weight. My problem is that i find myself restricting my intake because i dont want to get too fat...what is your take on this? This is also a three day a week program right? BTW thankyou for the help and advice.

 

[curgeo]

You can train calves and biceps or any other bodypart......but just make sure to do the main lifts....(deads, goodmornings, squats, bench, rows, dips, chins) and prioritize them.

As for maintaining weight....When I was a bodybuilder I was always worried about my bodyfat and it really suppressed my gains. You have to take in more than maintenance calories in order to get bigger. It is really hard to put on muscle while losing bodyfat at the same time. If you want to get stronger you have to make sure to eat. Bodyfat can come off later.

I think what madcow was referring to was people are putting on muscle with the program. A lot of sports have weight limits and the extra hypertrophy that you get from that program pushes them out of their weight class.