[Rmtt]

I still haven't stepped on a scale yet, but I can tell I'm dropping weight pretty quickly. 3500 calories seems to have been a good spot, plus it gives me some leeway on the weekends to have 1-2 meals that aren't as clean as they could be.

[JP10]

Originally Posted by Rmtt

I still haven't stepped on a scale yet, but I can tell I'm dropping weight pretty quickly. 3500 calories seems to have been a good spot, plus it gives me some leeway on the weekends to have 1-2 meals that aren't as clean as they could be.

Good, stay off that scale! Doesn't provide any good information anyway haha.

Leaning out more and more every day. I haven't had to travel recently with this new job, so I've really been after it in the gym. Think my muscles are just eating everything I can give them. Issue is my hunger has increased more then it was before which is a little annoying. Yesterday I ate lunch around 11:30. By time 1:00pm rolled around I was starving and stuck it out til 4:30. May have to start bringing some extra snacks to work!

[lsturbointeg]

Decimated back today!

[Rmtt]

Headed out the door to kill chest. Should be no one there....so I will have the place to myself!!

[UncleWede]

The toughest thing about Friday night soccer is rotating tires on Saturday with just a jack

[1MOREMOD]

You must drive a lot to rotate tires weekly

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by Rmtt

Headed out the door to kill chest. Should be no one there....so I will have the place to myself!!

You go so early so of course you're going to be by yourself while the rest of us is still asleep lol

[lsturbointeg]

hit arms ealier this evening! Rmtt probably gonna wake up in a couple of hours to go to the gym.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

hit arms ealier this evening! Rmtt probably gonna wake up in a couple of hours to go to the gym.

LOL.....how did you guess? Headed out now.

Looking good man!

[JP10]

Clobbered my legs yesterday. Tons of cardio too. For some reason I had so much energy in the gym. Did 20 mins cardio warm up, lifted legs and abs for an hour and finished with another 30 mins of cardio. Didn't even want to leave because I still felt like I had more in me, but fiance wanted me to get home to run some errands haha.

Back day today!

I stepped on the scale this morning. Mirror says I'm leaning out, but I've gained a couple lbs. Pants are even more loose, this is why I don't trust that damn scale. I mean honestly what good information is it telling you unless you get on it at the exact same state that you got on it the last time. Meaning same hydration level, same amount liquid in your track, same amount of food in your bowel. Talk about pointless haha.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by JP10

Clobbered my legs yesterday. Tons of cardio too. For some reason I had so much energy in the gym. Did 20 mins cardio warm up, lifted legs and abs for an hour and finished with another 30 mins of cardio. Didn't even want to leave because I still felt like I had more in me, but fiance wanted me to get home to run some errands haha.

Back day today!

I stepped on the scale this morning. Mirror says I'm leaning out, but I've gained a couple lbs. Pants are even more loose, this is why I don't trust that damn scale. I mean honestly what good information is it telling you unless you get on it at the exact same state that you got on it the last time. Meaning same hydration level, same amount liquid in your track, same amount of food in your bowel. Talk about pointless haha.

+1......I found myself caught up in the scale game "weigh" too much.

In the past, I solely relied on calipers. As long as skinfold numbers were doing what I wanted....i didn't care what the scale said.

Trying to get back to that habit again.

[xander_g]

Are any of you guys using back braces?

I sustained a lower back injury that resulted in some bulging discs as well as an annular tear with nerve impingement which kept me out of the gym for close to 8 months.
I have been getting back into it slowly but I am afraid to do certain exercises.

I was wondering if the brace would help keep my back properly aligned. If you guys have any other suggestions or ideas please let me know.

[lsturbointeg]

Cause of Rmtt with his early morning workouts session I decided to do an early morning workout after 3rd shift. Hit legs and felt pretty good actually. Usually I feel like a zombie after working all night but this time I felt good. Not that I would do it again since I prefer afternoon and early evening workouts

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by xander_g

Are any of you guys using back braces?

I sustained a lower back injury that resulted in some bulging discs as well as an annular tear with nerve impingement which kept me out of the gym for close to 8 months.
I have been getting back into it slowly but I am afraid to do certain exercises.

I was wondering if the brace would help keep my back properly aligned. If you guys have any other suggestions or ideas please let me know.

Bend your knees

It doesn't matter what you are doing, put a slight bend in your knees so your THIGHS are supporting your body.

If you try a weight that you need to swing, or lock your knees, that is your ego getting in the way of what your body is telling you

[xander_g]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Bend your knees

It doesn't matter what you are doing, put a slight bend in your knees so your THIGHS are supporting your body.

If you try a weight that you need to swing, or lock your knees, that is your ego getting in the way of what your body is telling you

I'm doing that already, I always thought that a slight bend of the knees is part of proper form for a lot of the exercises.

[JP10]

Originally Posted by xander_g

Are any of you guys using back braces?

I sustained a lower back injury that resulted in some bulging discs as well as an annular tear with nerve impingement which kept me out of the gym for close to 8 months.
I have been getting back into it slowly but I am afraid to do certain exercises.

I was wondering if the brace would help keep my back properly aligned. If you guys have any other suggestions or ideas please let me know.

First and foremost you don't want to rely on a brace. I have some back issues too, so you just have to be mindful at all time. Like other mentioned try to keep the load off you back. Especially if you're just getting back into things make sure you don't ego lift. Start with no weight and progress slowly. A slow progression is better another injury.

If you're working hard and start to feel pain don't push through. Stop, stretch it out, maybe some light cardio, and call it a day. One days sacrifice is nothing compared to numerous days of pain.

Find workouts that work for you. Be mindful about your injury. Continue to progress.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by JP10

First and foremost you don't want to rely on a brace. I have some back issues too, so you just have to be mindful at all time. Like other mentioned try to keep the load off you back. Especially if you're just getting back into things make sure you don't ego lift. Start with no weight and progress slowly. A slow progression is better another injury.

If you're working hard and start to feel pain don't push through. Stop, stretch it out, maybe some light cardio, and call it a day. One days sacrifice is nothing compared to numerous days of pain.

Find workouts that work for you. Be mindful about your injury. Continue to progress.

+1......also try and find exercises that use a back support. Like instead of Bent-Rows.....do something like a Hammer Row where you have a built in support pad.

Also...maybe ask your doctor if you can do strengthening exercise for your core such as hyper-extensions and ab exercises. If given the okay....start slowly and take your time progessing.

Find exercises that don't make you second guess yourself. You don't need deadlifts and barbell squats to build those respective areas. Just work on getting as much blood as possible into the muscle you are targeting.

Serge Nubret had one of the most aesthetic physiques of his era, and he was notoriously known for strictly "pumping workouts".

It's not worth screwing up your body for the rest of your life when I've seen people develop respectable physiques even just doing calisthenics.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

Cause of Rmtt with his early morning workouts session I decided to do an early morning workout after 3rd shift. Hit legs and felt pretty good actually. Usually I feel like a zombie after working all night but this time I felt good. Not that I would do it again since I prefer afternoon and early evening workouts

One of the bigger reasons I do aside from not sleeping that long is that it gives me a surge of energy afterwards. So it sets the tone for my workday to follow.

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by Rmtt

Serge Nubret had one of the most aesthetic physiques of his era, and he was notoriously known for strictly "pumping workouts".

This guy had an awesome physique

[JP10]

Shoulders and Biceps today! Over all a solid day. Sometimes I struggle to hit shoulders as hard as I would want to. Depends on the day. Slaughtered Biceps though,

Yesterday was back and triceps and my back is sore as hell today. My gym has these custom grips (MAG) that really isolate your back when doing pulldowns and rows. They allow me to move a lot more weight as well because it moves some of the tension from your grip to your palms/wrists. I know their designs are patent pending, but I am a really big fan. Never seen anything like them at any gym I've ever been to.

https://www.maxagrip.com/products/

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by JP10

Shoulders and Biceps today! Over all a solid day. Sometimes I struggle to hit shoulders as hard as I would want to. Depends on the day. Slaughtered Biceps though,

Yesterday was back and triceps and my back is sore as hell today. My gym has these custom grips (MAG) that really isolate your back when doing pulldowns and rows. They allow me to move a lot more weight as well because it moves some of the tension from your grip to your palms/wrists. I know their designs are patent pending, but I am a really big fan. Never seen anything like them at any gym I've ever been to.

https://www.maxagrip.com/products/

I came across those a pretty long time ago. Think I mentioned it once in one of the posts here. They work so great, I actually bought a pair to take with me to the gym. Everyone kept wanting to borrow them, so the gym owner bought one. It disappeared, and he bought another...then that one turned up missing. He said screw it...so now I'm taking mine again when I go and don't leave it unattended.

I have a close-grip neutral and a Medium Grip Supinate.

To look at it, you wouldn't think it would be any different than any other variation of a pull-down attachment.

But when using it, I swear it feels like I'm pulling with my elbows as it takes my forearms and wrist out of the equation.

[JP10]

Originally Posted by Rmtt

I came across those a pretty long time ago. Think I mentioned it once in one of the posts here. They work so great, I actually bought a pair to take with me to the gym. Everyone kept wanting to borrow them, so the gym owner bought one. It disappeared, and he bought another...then that one turned up missing. He said screw it...so now I'm taking mine again when I go and don't leave it unattended.

I have a close-grip neutral and a Medium Grip Supinate.

To look at it, you wouldn't think it would be any different than any other variation of a pull-down attachment.

But when using it, I swear it feels like I'm pulling with my elbows as it takes my forearms and wrist out of the equation.

Assholes stealing gym equipment. My gym is small enough that no one would ever do that. Hell I left my shaker in the shower room yesterday, my though was "well that's gone". Nope walked in this morning at 4:45 and it's sitting right on the fridge. The fridge there is stocked with pre and post workout and unlocked 24/7. When you take something out you just right your name on the list and they charge your account from there, all honor system!

100% agree. My gym has the pronate close grip, pronate medium grip, and wide grip. I've worked them into each and everyone of my back days. Really helps me out since my arm day is so close to my back day. Feel like I'm using less biceps with their grips! Big fan, if I ever change gyms I'm buying a few of them haha