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Anyway, im a huge advocate of squats. It has helped me gained a lot of overall mass throughout the years.

Question is, im choosing a new gym now. One has a squat rack but is filled with meat heads and no chicks.
The other one has no squat rack, but the place is filled with snatch.
What shall I do ?

5/30/2009 3:18:09 PM

are you really going to try and pick up chicks at the gym?

5/30/2009 3:23:38 PM

Yes, I'm new in town. I think it would be a good place to meet girls.
And it's always nice to look at chicks while im working my abz

5/30/2009 3:26:59 PM

gotta love those hip abductors/adductors and the stretching areas

5/30/2009 3:58:59 PM

go find a third gym to join.

5/30/2009 4:29:14 PM

snatch the bar overhead or into the front rack position and just do OH squats and Front squats

[Edited on May 30, 2009 at 7:43 PM. Reason : ]

5/30/2009 7:43:05 PM

^^ I'll keep on looking
^ front squats sound like a good idea. I guess I need to work on my snatch then

5/30/2009 8:40:23 PM

For OH squats, yes, but not for front squats.

You can also do lumberjack squats, zerchers from the ground/boxes/bench/preacher bench, bb hack squats, pistols, db pistols, zercher pistols, oh pistols, front pistols, hack pistols.... you get the idea.

[Edited on May 30, 2009 at 9:47 PM. Reason : n]

5/30/2009 9:45:39 PM

^ Thats true.

So does anyone do OH squats ? It seems to be the superior squat IMO, but ive never done it on a consistent basis.

5/31/2009 6:28:36 AM

yea, I can box squat 315 and OH squat 85, that shit is rough

I've just messed around with OH squatting and Zercher Squats though, if I were to take it as seriously as I take the heavy stuff, I'm sure it'd be a different number, it's always fun to spice things up each WO session. Just takes a good amount of time to learn the proper forms before deciding to increase weight.

5/31/2009 7:39:25 AM

it's intimidating to do heavy OH Squats without bumper plates...

I usually use them as a warm-up, but rarely go heavy for that reason (I've dropped reg. plates from overhead before...not fun)

5/31/2009 10:08:29 AM

I do. I do them w/ just the bar as part of my warmup. They are added into the mix for my squat variations, but I did them more when my focus was on oly lifting--as a snatch accessory lift.

W/out bumper plates, I do them in the rack (w/ the pins set high as fuck). But I guess that wouldn't work if you don't have a rack. Honestly, I wouldn't look at joining a gym that doesn't have a rack--it's so limiting.

[Edited on May 31, 2009 at 1:10 PM. Reason : ]

5/31/2009 1:07:44 PM

I've had knee problems for a while but surprisingly they seem to have gotten much better in the past couple weeks once I started lifting (squats, leg curls, leg extensions), running, and biking!

5/31/2009 1:42:11 PM

did squats on the smith machine for the first time the other day, sort of weird. i didnt like the feeling of leaning forward to much, you cant really drop your ass like you do with free weights.

5/31/2009 2:37:13 PM

They're shit, don't use 'em.

5/31/2009 2:51:47 PM

^^that forces most people into an unnatural pathway since the bar only goes straight up and down...it actually is worse on your knees and takes a lot of focus off your stabilizer muscles since you don't have to worry about stabilizing as you go up and down.

5/31/2009 3:40:01 PM

Yeah, it was my last thing to do and some people were taking their sweet ol time in the two squat racks. So I figured Id give it a shot.

5/31/2009 4:12:15 PM

i herniated a disc in my lower back when I was 14 because of squats on a smith machine. To this day I still have a pinched L5S1 nerve. I attribute that injury more towards improper form than the actual machine though. I still have a biased against using it though.

5/31/2009 8:44:22 PM

5/31/2009 10:09:33 PM

I need a shut up and clean shirt with a broom instead of a barbell

6/1/2009 12:07:55 PM

Quote :

"1. Wall-ball: 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps) 2. Sumo deadlift high-pull: 75 pounds (Reps) 3. Box Jump: 20" box (Reps) 4. Push-press: 75 pounds (Reps) 5. Row: calories (Calories)"

Quote :

"^ I would like to try the workout i just will never have access to 3 bars."

That workout only takes one bar @ 75 lbs. The Sumo deadlift and push-press use the same bar. The row is referring to using an actual rowing machine, not dumbell rows or anything like that. You can make a medicine ball out of an old basketball and some bags of sand (google it) and you can substitute running for rowing if you don't have a rowing machine.

Quote :

"So does anyone do OH squats ? It seems to be the superior squat IMO, but ive never done it on a consistent basis."

OH squats will make your shoulders and sides burn, but you can't do them with very much weight so you won't get the leg strength that you'd get from doing front squats or back squats. Your back squat is probably double your OH squat or more.

Check out the Crossfit "Nancy" workout for a simple OH squat benchmark. 15x95 lbs OH Squats, 400M run, 5 rounds for time. I do it with 75 lbs so that I can make it all the way through without stopping. 95 is a little too much for me and it kills your time if you have to set the bar down during sets.

[Edited on June 1, 2009 at 12:21 PM. Reason : l]

6/1/2009 12:16:18 PM

I only do the crossfits with the manly macho names..sry

[Edited on June 1, 2009 at 1:24 PM. Reason : better BAAAAALEEEED daT i dont do no crossfit]

6/1/2009 1:15:49 PM

^^Isn't that the fight gone bad?

6/1/2009 1:38:14 PM

^yes

6/1/2009 2:10:17 PM

http://www.break.com/index/crazy-exercise-ball-trick.html

Needs to go lower.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 5:46 PM. Reason : l]

6/9/2009 5:46:25 PM

today I saw one of my co-workers squat 585lbs with such great form that I got a little teary-eyed

6/9/2009 5:59:09 PM

^^that hurt my ankles

6/9/2009 6:27:53 PM

the crossfit "cult" mentality, i'll never get it

Quote :

"you won't get the leg strength that you'd get from doing front squats or back squats. Your back squat is probably double your OH squat or more. Check out the Crossfit "Nancy" workout for a simple OH squat benchmark. 15x95 lbs OH Squats, 400M run, 5 rounds for time"

maybe i do not quite understand what xfit is going for, but why can't you run and lift on seperate days or in seperate seasons? what good is having tremendous fitness when you cannot hope to utilize it because you are so sore?

example: i play a competitive sport for a team in raleigh. between may and septemer and november and february are the off season. during this time, you cannot strength train to maximum potential AND be in great cardiovascular shape. hence, you make your strength gains and then during the month preceding the season, switch to a different plan which dramatically affects your fitness level without draining your strenth because you lift (albeit intensely) only twice a week. if you practiced, lifted, and ran during the season (mimicking a crossfit workout) you would overtrain every workout and see a plateau or !GASP! even a drop in strength.

crossfit's very nature induces muscle catabolism and rhabdomyolisis. Unless you are hitting the juice REALLY hard or are an ELITE, i repeat, ELITE athlete, it is unlikely you could train at that nonsensical level, week in, week out without adverse effects to your body.

6/10/2009 11:30:03 AM

Quote :

"maybe i do not quite understand what xfit is going for, but why can't you run and lift on seperate days or in seperate seasons?"

There are days when crossfitters do nothing but olympic lifts. There are days that focus solely on running. Even when the workout appears to be a mix of different exercises there is usually a bias towards working the upper body or lower body so that you don't work the overwork the same region. The example you are trying to pick apart, "nancy", would be a leg day IMO. Yes, you get some core, arm, and shoulder work from the OVH part of the OVH squats, but for the most part it is going to build strength in your legs.

Personally, I think the mental fortitude required to lift while gasping for air is something that can and should be trained as well. It'll help you push harder at the end of your game when you and everyone else on the field is tired.

I don't see a problem with it. Listen to your body. Crossfit doesn't have to be your sole exercise. You can always mix it in with traditional lifting, cardio, etc. if you want something else in your regimen.

Quote :

"crossfit's very nature induces muscle catabolism and rhabdomyolisis"

Rhabdomyolysis has little to do with the actual exercises being performed and everything to do with pushing your body too hard. Besides, I think that's only happened to like 3 people although the news sites love to harp on it. It's Crossfit's own fault for glorifying it so much though, so whatever.

I really don't see how your body is going to start to metabolize muscle in a 30 minute or less workout if you're well hydrated and well fed.

6/10/2009 1:51:04 PM

Quote :

"Personally, I think the mental fortitude required to lift while gasping for air is something that can and should be trained as well. It'll help you push harder at the end of your game when you and everyone else on the field is tired."

so squatting over a quarter ton for reps is not a cardio workout in and of itself? you can actually increase your lung capacity by taking DEEP breaths between reps. arnold was a big proponent of expanding your rib cage this way. if you want to be good at running 400m, xfit might be a perfect fit for you; only there is one sport that warrants such training, track.

olympic lifts? i've been to crossfit, and to say that those are "olympic" lifts are laughable. the crossfit site actually mentions someone snatching 200 as an accomplishment. i have yet to see one crossfit athlete who is elite in squatting or the push press. you will NEVER develop big numbers unless you back squat, plain and simple. even olympians high bar squat (albeit with knee first bends), and while it will not develop the big numbers like low bar squatting, it is critical to developing the hip strenth and trunk development needed for elite status.

while i do recognize the training regiment as a legitimate form of supplemental training, i just don't understand rationalizing your training by doing pullups, overhead squats, and a bunch of pushups. have you ever seen a football/hockey/lacross/soccer/rugby/baseball/hackey sack game where thirty minutes of continuous leg action is warranted? like it or not, free weight, barbell, back squats, when supplemented with other compound squatting exercies such as zerchers, sissies, hacks, front, overhead, are the BEST method for increasing athletic performance.

THEY AIN'T THE KING FOR NOTHING.

6/10/2009 2:18:08 PM

People need to post some pics in here.
I feel like I'm getting advice from a bunch of skinny kids

6/10/2009 2:27:02 PM

Quote :

"have you ever seen a football/hockey/lacross/soccer/rugby/baseball/hackey sack game where thirty minutes of continuous leg action is warranted?"

Am I wrong to think that a person might want to do 30 minutes of continuous leg action in training so that they'll be better at 5 minutes of continuous leg action than everyone else when it counts?

If your goal is to get huge and be really good at moving iron around then, by all means, Crossfit is not the thing for you. However, if you want a very broad fitness that can be translated into a lot of sports Crossfit is great.

Quote :

"while i do recognize the training regiment as a legitimate form of supplemental training, i just don't understand rationalizing your training by doing pullups, overhead squats, and a bunch of pushups. have you ever seen a football/hockey/lacross/soccer/rugby/baseball/hackey sack game where thirty minutes of continuous leg action is warranted? like it or not, free weight, barbell, back squats, when supplemented with other compound squatting exercies such as zerchers, sissies, hacks, front, overhead, are the BEST method for increasing athletic performance."

I don't even get what you're trying to say here. First you question pullups, OVH squats, and pushups; but serious athletes in just about every sport in the world probably use at least two of the three (pushups/pullups) on a frequent basis. At the end of the statement you're telling us that using OVH squats as a supplement is a part of the "BEST" method for increasing athletic performance.

In the middle of your post you seem to be saying to use free weights, barbells, back squats, and compound squats. What do you think Crossfitters are doing when they have either front squats, back squats, OVH squats, thrusters, wall balls, air squats, etc. in several workouts a week? They're doing a shit ton of squat variations...which seems to be what you're condoning. What are you criticizing here?

By the way, I think it is pretty funny that if you go to Crossfit.com the workout of the day is:

Quote :

"Wednesday 090610 Back Squat 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps"

[Edited on June 10, 2009 at 2:41 PM. Reason : l]

6/10/2009 2:34:47 PM

how can i take someone seriously who can only overhead squat 95lbs? that's not elite, that's not advanced, fuck that's not even good.

6/10/2009 2:43:33 PM

I can't do 95 lbs for 75 reps while running 1.25 miles and still turn a decent time. So pathetic.

6/10/2009 2:45:48 PM

here's a fitness test for you: load the bar with 2 times your body weight and perform a parallel good morning exercise without bending your knees or rounding your back.

if crossfit is the monster you say it is, your posterior chain should be strong enough to handle that.

6/10/2009 3:01:54 PM

ok...I just did it. It was easy. I think a better workout would be to load far more than 3x my bodyweight (because anything less than that isn't very good) and do single rep dead lifts with 5 minutes of strutting in front of the mirror and talking to my bros in between each rep of course. That's how you become an elite athlete son.

6/10/2009 3:23:55 PM

SON

6/10/2009 3:26:01 PM

^^now we have resorted to talking about how much you can lift on TEH INTARNETS!1!!

you do your "nancy" boy workout with your toys. meanwhile, the men will still be in the corner of the weightroom, moving iron.

6/10/2009 3:37:44 PM

maximus

6/10/2009 3:52:50 PM

k...You and the dudes enjoy whatever you're doing in the corner.

Quote :

"I play real sports. I ain’t trying to be the best at exercising."

6/10/2009 4:17:57 PM

Quote :

"However, if you want a very broad fitness that can be translated into a lot of sports Crossfit is great."

that would be wonderful if there was no such thing as specifity of training, unfortunately, our body will not become more athletic at certain sports just because our training regiment looks like a sport in itself. This has been proven time and again in the scientific community. If Crossfit translated into sports that well, then pro sports fitness trainers would have had their athletes doing this shit 20 years ago. Instead, they followed the guidelines of the scientific literature and had them do specific training. You want a guy to have an explosive first step, then make him do explosive squats and lunges. Want him to be able to run fast, then make his ass run fast.

You don't lift weights for cardiovascular fitness or to develop better reflex skills or to lose weight. There are better things you could be doing with your time if these are your goals. The only reason to lift weights is to increase strength and muscle size.

6/10/2009 5:45:56 PM

I just did some practice squats, paying attention to form but still not great at it, and I felt a burn. I'm not new to lifting, but I've never done squats or deadlifts, but I want to start.

6/10/2009 5:53:47 PM

^ That's a great point.

6/10/2009 5:56:28 PM

i just have one question.

do you guys really "train" for your adult league sports? really?

6/10/2009 7:16:17 PM

Quote :

"You don't lift weights for cardiovascular fitness or to develop better reflex skills or to lose weight. There are better things you could be doing with your time if these are your goals. The only reason to lift weights is to increase strength and muscle size."

:facepalm:

6/10/2009 7:46:22 PM

^what, are you stupid enough to think otherwise? :facepalm:

6/10/2009 10:45:18 PM

^you're funny

6/10/2009 11:02:46 PM

i lift weights to lose body fat and gain strength, since I'm constantly in a caloric deficit, mass gains are unlikely but I'm setting new PRs with some random lifts once a week

I've more or less cut out my cardio and just focused on diet and keeping my lifting sessions under an hour, maximizing the volume I'm working with and minimizing rest time. I'll use my HR as an indicator when I've rested enough between sets, generally if I drop below 100 BPM, I move on, else it's 30-45 seconds between hypertrophy sets, 2-3 minutes between exercises. No more than 1hr to complete my main core of workouts after a 20-30 minute warm-up/stretch.

I do agree about the improving CV via lifting, that's not what I'm there for. Ultimately, I lift for it's caloric expenditure.

6/10/2009 11:04:34 PM

^no you're not. you're there to maintain muscle mass while in a caloric deficit. You are trying to force your body to think it needs to get stronger and retain muscle, even though you're not feeding yourself enough to make this possible. If all you were focused on was burning calories, then you'd be doing cardio instead. It's a lot more efficient that lifting weights and is better for your cardiovascular system too.

are you people really not understanding the simple concepts behind what I just said? I give you people more credit than you deserve a lot of times. Maybe I should break it down item by item.

Lifting weights is not a good way to improve cardiovascular fitness. Heavy lifting is known to cause leaky heart valves and stiff arteries later in life.

Lifting weights is not a good way to burn calories. You can burn more calories in a given period of time by jogging or getting on an elliptical machine at a moderate pace than you can by lifting weights intensely. You'd burn calories a lot faster by swimming or running with the same intensity you lift weights. Also, diet is just as important if not more so to losing weight.

Lifting weights will not make you more athletic unless you are doing lifts that are very similar to the actions you are training for. Lunges might improve a wrestler's shooting ability, and explosive squatting might make a sprinter faster on takeoff. Even still, weight training will not improve that person's ability at those skills unless they practice at those skills to imrpove coordination. Sports as simplistic as strongmen competition are trained for by perfoming the specifc events in addition to training in the weight room.

[Edited on June 10, 2009 at 11:44 PM. Reason : and you're doing HIT training too. You probably don't even burn 250 calories an hour lifting.]

6/10/2009 11:40:51 PM

Quote :

"that would be wonderful if there was no such thing as specifity of training, unfortunately, our body will not become more athletic at certain sports just because our training regiment looks like a sport in itself. This has been proven time and again in the scientific community. If Crossfit translated into sports that well, then pro sports fitness trainers would have had their athletes doing this shit 20 years ago. Instead, they followed the guidelines of the scientific literature and had them do specific training. You want a guy to have an explosive first step, then make him do explosive squats and lunges. Want him to be able to run fast, then make his ass run fast."

Of course pro sports trainers are going to tailor their workouts to a very specific sport. That's great for someone who is getting paid to be the best at one sport, but their training regimens wouldn't make sense for the rest of us.

Do you not think Crossfit will make you stronger? Do you not think it will make you faster? Do you not think that being stronger and faster will make you better at almost any sport you might decide to play?

If you're arguing that you can get better gains by specificity then I won't argue, however you have to know what gains you're looking for. If a person just wants to be well rounded and fit I think it's a great place to start.

I fully understand why professional bodybuilders cycle between gaining muscle and cutting fat; but I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder nor do I want to get jacked up big. I want to swim faster and bike longer. I want to paddle out in bad surf for hours on end without worrying about whether I can hold my breath and keep swimming when things get tough. I want to be able to sling lumber for three days straight building a deck and be the guy who hasn't faded into a useless lump by the end of the job. I want to swing an axe for a couple of hours to cut firewood for the next few weekends and not get tired doing it. A well rounded workout program with a lot of dynamic movements seems beneficial for me and what I want to do. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[Edited on June 11, 2009 at 12:56 AM. Reason : l]

6/11/2009 12:53:59 AM