Strength / Weight Training

3rd session back now, really enjoying it. Kept weight the same over the three sessions (50kg) to 'condition' my body to picking stuff up again or something. Dunno if that's a thing. DOMs was much less bad after session 2, am hoping for similar after todays.
Next week will start bumping up the weight again.

My gym has a sliding cable type leg press machine and a pivoting plate loaded leg press, does anyone know what the benefits of each type are?

I tried the pivoting version for the first time the other day and felt like the resistance wasn't as linear as with the sliding version - much harder to move with the knee at 90º and then much easier as it extended.

I only use them for single leg work so am not limited by the 225-250kg limit of the cable machine. Any difference between them worth noting?

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Creatine has a positive side effect in that it works for reducing DOMS.

Ooooh ta. It's getting better now I'm back going regularly but I'm due an internet order so I'll try that

Back to the big plates for the squat today, which went well. Suspicious noise from my shorts but no tears I can find.
Bench is stalling big time, on 52.5 and managing 5x5 just, but really could do with a spotter for bumping up

no tears, but did you check for stains?

Never. If it's patina on a bike it's patina on clothing.

Accessory exercises. Does Farmer's Walk fit in better on squat day or on deadlift day?

I can appreciate that there is a lot of overlap in the muscle groups used, the difference is how many days of rest I get. Do I want to do the farmer's walk when it has been week since my last squat, or a week after I did the the deadlifts?

Very good question and unfortunqtely no straight answer. A lot depends on your type of training, programme (training time, number of reps/sets etc) and the way you split your training (upper/lower or push/pull or other variation). I think it also depends on your own preference and how you recover from your session. Personally I always use farmer walk as an accessory exercise meaning that I would do it at the end of a leg, chest or back session depending on my programme for the week. For example You could do it on the same day as your deadlift day if you do a upper/lower split type of training or you could on a chest/back day as a complement exercise for your upper body but also keep your leg going and basically working them a second or third time during the week. Hope it make sense...

depends on your type of training

I am a big fan of the Juggernaut programme (recommended to me on here) where it's squat day, bench day and deadlift day. With a few exceptions I try to bundle the accessory exercises together so that they follow, rather than complement, the main lift that day. My intention being to maximise rest time for each muscle group. Not an exact science I agree.

I am in the process of shaking things up a bit with regards to the accessory exercises.

in your case I think you want to do the farmers carrie either on DL or bench day (not on squat day). The choice between the two will not only depends on personal preference but also on what you use your deadlift and farmers carry for (what muscles you feel and get tired the most when you do those exercises). Both are compound exercises and depending on your weakness/strengths it will hit different part of your body more (in the case of deadlift back vs grip vs leg). It also depends on how you perform your DL (pronated or half supinated) and if your grip gets tired more on DL day than on upper body/bench day. If your grip is fine on deadlift day then I would maybe to it on that day. If you feel like DL kill your grip then perhaps leave the Farmers carry for bench day. What you look in doing is also have a 4th day when you do your carries and perhaps other strong man exercises to complement your programme.

Very good point. Thanks. At the numbers that I am lifting I have no issues with arms/grip or with thighs. For me DL is all about the lower back and core. Definitely the weakest link in the chain for me.

EDIT

Do you do core specific exercises? And if you do what day do you do them on?

Motivation for climbing and running has been a bit low recently so I figured I’d join a cheap local gym and get back on the weights. Was pleasantly surprised to see they have an Olympic platform and bumper plates. Squatting for the first time in half a decade was definitely a shock. Weak as piss, but should come back quick enough. Managed to squat 100kg, c&j 75, and snatch 50. And bench 80 for 3. I then ran around the gym trying all the other bits - reckon I will be crippled tomorrow!

Weak as piss
100kg

Does not compute. I've been working on strength and yoga for a while and feel crippled by 70kg 5*5. Scared to try a 60kg bench though that's a goal I wanna hit in the next couple weeks. You've kept a lot of strength!

One man's hulk is another man's toy

Gaining it first time round is the hardest bit tho, and I reckon having a semi physical job while keeping up with some strength based exercise (climbing) has prevented too drastic a loss. And I weigh 80kg at 5’9.

Bench is a funny one though, as it was my worst lift, but the one I seem to have maintained the highest percentage of. I guess that’s why you see old dudes cranking out big benches at the gym.

Climbers init. Strong tendons don’t atrophy like muscles do.

But also myonuclei last a lot longer than muscle fibre does (the myonuclei tells the fibre to contract, so to speak). I also think that I’ve done the exercises so much that the muscle memory for the movement is still reasonably efficient (and losing my chest forward out the hole is still a persistent niggle!). Myonuclei atrophying a lot slower is also one of the reasons that drugs in sport are so complicated in terms of bans, as it has been observed that myonuclei numbers remain elevated up to 10 years after the person has stopped using.

I have read in a couple of books on training that surprisingly little is required to maintain quite a high percentage of strength. Quite a few athletes having pretty minimal maintenance techniques for when they can’t train properly. Climber Tommer Caldwell has a super basic 10 min thing of press-ups, sit ups and chin-ups iirc, and dave Macleod says even just an hour at a climbing wall a week will almost completely prevent losses in strength. Obviously this is only to a certain degree, and referring specifically to climbing, but I’m definitely surprised my losses weren’t more drastic.

Hmmmm.... Interesting. I read the total opposite for long distance runners a while back
Biology is weird

Wait till you get old.

I am old

Opposite in what sense - they lose it quickly? That definitely seems the case in my experience with endurance. Doing a bit of running after a 6 month layoff my pace is still mostly there, but the endurance has totally gone.

Endurance doesn't take much to lose, I think rule of thumb is 6-8 weeks getting it 2-4 and lost it.

Better start training for old age strength then!