Strength / Weight Training

But so NATURAL

few vitamins and some healthy eating

And a couple one legged squat pushups

Regarding supplements, having consumed whey isolate mixed with porridge every morning for the last few weeks as well as drinking it after climbing three times a week, I've noticed increased strength, better recovery and maybe a little extra lean-ness.
Really been watching what I eat too, no bread or pasta (still eating porridge and rice, though) lots of veg, no sugary shite, ALL THE AVOCADOS, the odd dollop of coconut oil, fish, yada yada yada.
Basically eating normally, other than reducing carbs.

#broscience

I have all supplements... Small cost. Potentially huge life extending benefits.
Multivitamins. Super omega oils. ZMA. Vitamin D. Vitamin C.
What's the worst thing it could happen? I piss it out? Best? The biological machine runs smoother.
Car engine runs better when you understand what it needs and you give it What's missing? @Dammit, you're a car person... This right?
Micro nutrients are as important as Macro.

Left wrist still knackered so I've replaced the lift that knackered it with a bicep curl followed by lifting the dumbbell above my head - so arm ends up vertical, if that makes sense?

I was alternating 10 of these with standard bicep curls with 15kg dumbbells.

So 20 curls, 10 curl+press (?), 20 curls, 10 curl+press - tough!

Anyway, toward the end of this, all at once, my entire (visible) upper body infused with blood, all veins doubled in size/popped out. I thought it was "the" scene in Scanners...

?

It's just fucking weird.

Back to basics:
Which 'method' for plank do you use? Post links to online articles if you like.
I've spent the last year and a half trying to perfect what my favourite yoga teacher told me. But I've been bothered that I never got the breathing right and that this was undermining what I could achieve.
Having had a rummage around online I find plenty of conflicting advice. This diversity of opinion has me a bit excited though. There seems to be room for fashioning a method that works for you.

Moar calories (2000 > 2300) + adding some vit C and vit B. If 3 people say you look like washed out and lifts so-so, you are washed out. So Westie's Top Tips: Not getting stronger despite sleeping OK? Eat Moar.

Meet this weekend, need to get to 63. An lbs or so to lose, so no biggy.

Sorry no advice on planks, don't do them :)
Only side bends, and kettle bells. I have a 3 pack so the muscles are there...somewhere...

So I didn't cut any weight at all, weighed in at 87kg and put up a 577kg (190, 135, 252) total with 9 for 9. As it was just a little inter-gym meet I think the judging was pretty lax, but all good fun. Borrowed someones belt for my squats but didn't bother with it for my deadlifts. Really good day though, pbs on everything and still get a bit of a gym buzz thinking about it.

Back at the gym/weights after being ill/convalesent for about a month..

Did a easy random session yesterday just going with what felt good and now I feel trashed, wich feels great..

I'm kinda with Charles Poliquin and co on this one -

http://www.poliquingroup.com/Tips/tabid/130/EntryId/917/Tip-264-Perform-Squats-and-Olympic-Lifts-for-Greater-Core-Strength-and-Power.aspx
People involved in a decent lifting programme are probably getting enough in fact if you ask most bodybuilders they rarely train them .
If you want to do some specific ab work or you feel it's necessary my favourites are
Medicine ball sit up throw with or without a partner
Cable crunches with a rope
Ab roller
Some form of knee raises ,my favourite are off a bench .
Farmers walks .

Woohoo :D

I like weighted decline crunches. Hold a plate out from your chest and then do 4 sets of 25. It's super quick and if you go quick enough it's also a little touch of cardio.

I've had one of those periods where everything gets in the way of the gym - a week of being super busy clearing up at work (think office till 10/11pm) then on holiday skiing, and drinking and eating accordingly (specifically a significant amount of beer, nutella, pizza, chips et fromage) and then back into a fortnight of having a shitload of stuff on, plus being busy at work again. It is so, so frustrating as I have set a goal of June to get myself in as good a shape as possible before my stag do in june (as my wedding is 2 weeks later).

Any tips? Planning to make my diet as strict as possible and incorporate as much HIIT as possible. Problem is, I get so bored with cardio.

I find that curls mess my wrists up for some reason, so I just avoid. They're kind of just a vanity exercise anyway - performed pretty much exclusively by top-knot, tapered jogger and backwards hat wearers at my gym.

If you're trying to develop general strength, with a view to moving on to more specific stuff I can recommend the Starting Strength program Mike Rippetoe. You can buy the book - but the guts of it are here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

It's basically two workouts which you alternate and pretty much all exercises are 3x5 reps, but you work up to that weight by warming up on lower weights - all the exercises are well described in terms of form and there are plenty of videos on youtube of MR teaching the form for all of them too.

I've been doing it since January (twice a week, not three as recommended), with some extra core work and some back extensions and some single leg presses recently - the results have been noticeable.

My bench press is still feeble, but that's just years of neglecting upper body strength. Amazed at the progress I've made with squats and deadlifts in particular - but had to wait for upper body to catch up a bit so I had enough muscle on my shoulders to be comfortable squatting 90kg+.

Try some DB shoulder presses as well. Also stronglifts is another good programme to start with.

top-knot, tapered jogger and backwards hat wearers

lols

I do things based around the starting strength stuff. I've never been consistent enough in my training, eating and sleeping to progress to needing anything more. i.e. I didn't turn into a beast but I have managed to get stronger without putting on weight/getting noticeable bigger. Best thing about it has been that it improved my posture. I now look the 5'11'' I am.

At my strongest I was doing 3*5 of squats at 107.5 and deadlift of 120. At that time I was benching around 65 and pressing around 45. strong legs/back>strong press.

Define "as good a shape as possible" perhaps?

Your body remembers, so if you revert to previous food + training states, it'll go back strength/muscle wise reasonable quickly, looks wise that depends if it's 1 or 10 years between... ;)

And "let go of perfection/plan". That sounds kack, but a sneaky 20 minutes kettlebells/looking like a derp in the park is way better than "shit can't train at all, cos need to go to gym etc..."

So, if you've half an hour grabbing some kettlebells at home means you can do your HIIT style there and do some strength/core. I do that on driving days where I don't go to gym either (miss my bike :/

As for diet, myfitnesspal, track, do it. If you've no clue of calories/protein it's all guesswork.

So tl;dr

1 - Your Goal (what you want + what you can do, see a six pack for me is misery, so I do not want, even though I can)
2 - Track your time, find some slots you can sneak in some exercise (gets bells and pullup rack if you must, maybe at work you can do a wee run in breaks)
3- Track your food. Make it sustainable, 2 months of just lean protein and veg may mean a grumpy wedding...

Best thing about it has been that it improved my posture. I now look the 5'11'' I am.

So much this. I actually stand up properly for the first time in my adult life.
Has really helped form on the bike too - my lower back and hips are much more stable which has been an issue for me in the past.

Yeah, cheers. I guess the main thing s going to be cutting out the alcohol. :)

I've got myfitnesspal and was getting good results tracking calories. I haven't really lost much strength, so should get back into it ok, but just when I'm almost there I end up with a few weeks like the above and I can never shift that little last bit on the belly.

Seems you have two possible goals...

Goal 1 - No shitemare at work = all gone yeooo!
Goal 2 - Work bad, no belly dancing performance by you at stag do due to last little bit... ;)

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. :)

Heh, lower back/core is the area that, when I work it, has the most noticeable impact on my cycling- strength work and stretching, specifically.

I now do bicep curl to (don't know name) arm vertical with weight above head- works the shoulder without the impact to the tendon in my wrist.

3 lift done. Weight 63 kg, squat 85 (all 3 lift buried it left bit in tank)
bench 50 (not OK only opener massively mental work to plan as its not gym strength where I do 60-65 no bother) deadlift 160 kg (yeeoooo!)

Eating everything in sight atm