Tiggs

2nd gym post of mine!

Started back in the gym after a few years off last week.....i used to be an instructor so allways had pretty good form.

MY GODDDDD.....people havent got any better at using the equipment have they?

few examples that made me laugh/cry:

Tricep pushdowns: Range of movement from lockout to...ohh, about 2cms from lockout....weight LOADS!!!!

Seated Rows: range of movment....bar about 4 inches from chest to bar about 8 inches from chest....weight LOADS!!!!

Assisted Pull up machine: now im heavy so i appreciate the need for an assisted chin machine...but....saw a bloke using a LOT of assistanec on it for wide grip pull ups. I wasnt sure how much help it offered....until he took a hand off and wiped his brow.....AT THE TOP OF THE MOVEMENT!!!!!!!

Curls: i thought he was doing 21's until he put the dumbells down- range of movemnet- 3 inches!

Lastly, bloke after me on the leg press- i set the sled a long way back as im 6ft6.....and use the full stack for my last set. Bloke on after me doesnt adjust the sled so his knee is almost fully extended before he even presses it! He then reps out 10 on the full stack, range of movemnet- 6 inches, bounces of the stack springs on every rep...in fact his last rep was still bouncy on the springs 2 mins after he finished!!!!

Funny/sad all rolled into one!

Daryl

Just like you!

GaryScoobNCBR

Tiggs, this is far too comon but you have to learn to ignore all the egos.

It used to wind me up but now i just leave them to it, I just glad i've realised that good form = Best

I often do lighter weights but do slow..slow reps under complete control, i couldn't care less if people think its a light weight...i just feel happy that they are wrong.

After a few months of this workout i was the one needing extra weight to do my tricep dips etc...not them

Tiggs

Its a good job not all your posts are in Photo Geek forum......where would Non Scooby Related be without your witty one-liners and ugly dog pics?

Rumplestiltskin!

Bad form with too much weight & overtraining are THE 2 most common mistakes when training (diet is a close 3rd)

Try this....for example bench press. Take 3-4 secs to raise the bar & then 4-5 secs to lower it again. Do not either lock out at the top or "bounce" at the bottom (ie on the up & down movement stop about an inch from the top/bottom so that pressure is always on the muscles.
If you apply this proper constant pressure / slow movement / perfect form technique to all your sets/exercises then you will need to reduce your weight by at least 1/3rd.

On the subject of overtraining......everyone wants big arms, who doesn't......watch people in the gym do 16 sets on their biceps & then only 3 sets on their back or shoulders...then think about how big your bicep muscle is compared to your back or shoulder muscles......go figure.

Tiggs

If gyms banned dumbell curls....national bicep size would increase over night!

Andrew Timmins

And why is it that these guys with poor form all need to shout a lot and drop dumbells from a great height to attract attention to themselves?

Daryl

Very good I do generally try to post constructive comments, but I can't help but make an exception in your case.

Actually though, I'm surprised you didn't tell the lads in the gym where they were going wrong, in your usual sarcastic and condescending tone. Then again, you weren't hiding behind your computer at the time, were you?

ps please keep my ugly dogs out of this!

milo

yep gym form is horrendous in general

but lets face it, with the exercises u listed out, even doing them 100% strict wont get u much in the way of mass/strength at all

Edcase

I'm going through popcorn at a rate of knots lately

Daryl

Time to bail out, I think...

ChristianR

iTrader: (1)

better get down the gym then!!

Tiggs

Done correctly there is nothing wrong with any or those exercises as part of an all round session for a joe bloggs trainer.

milo

they are all sub-optimal exercises that do little more than just cut into recovery time from a real workout.

EXSCOOBY

oh hell i have the best
i am a qualified instructor
nabba advanced
i was training in the gym on a sunday on my own actually just light cardio etc
this guy put about 350 pounds on the smith machine and proceeded to lock the smith down to about 5 inches tops of movement
he then benched this for on rep at a time ( 2 inches )
every time he did this he stomped around the gym slapping himself and shouting
i literally stopped what i was doing and stared at this loon
awesome

Tiggs

Working tri/bi like that may not be the way to get big arms (which is why some people are doing them) but done correctly, as part of an overall fitness workout, there is no harm in them at all.

and how are seated cable rows and wide grip pull ups "sub optimal"?

taffyboyo

it wasnt tiggs was it? you'll have to go easy on him he's been out of action for a few years

milo

sure there is no harm, but why waste time doing "exercise a" when "exercise b" will get u where u want to be infinitely quicker?

seated cable rows are far inferior to bent over rows.

weighted chins are fine, but you listed assisted pullup machine as the exercise. if you're not able to chin/pullup your bodyweight, you're better off spending your time working on the big all-over strength moves like squats and deadlifts for now and nothing else. messing around with light weight pullups will just cut into recovery time and ultimately slow progress.

Tiggs

But not everything has to be 100% effecient, some people will drive home from work the long way just to enjoy it......some people enjoy training arms. I sometimes go and shoot hoops the day after a leg session- not great for my quads recovery but what the hell. I have no prob with people doing "fancy" exercises.....as long as they do them right!

not for me, i always found bent over rows pretty poor at hitting my back......poss due to my height and the weight being held so far from my hips - realtively? although i dead lift fine.........just found seated rows far better

actually, i like the machine. At 6ft6 and 250lbs i allways struggled to do pull ups....long arms are no good as levers. The assisted chin machine was great for me and my back/lats improved no end when i started using it years ago (was a home made one rather than the fancy gym stuff nowadays but did the same thing)

Fuchsrohre

so what are "optimal" excercies to get big arms ?

I'd like some big *** arms, instead of these girly programmers arms! ;-)

zoomzoom

There is no way that form in the gym will ever get better. It takes work and it takes dedication. I remember when I started... lets not go there. I see new guys in the weightroom all of the time, and its funny, especially some of the facial expressions that accompany the form.

A friend of mine's younger brother came in one day, and I helped him max out on the bench. One arm has magnificent form. He has it at the 45, pushes well, doesn't drop the weight or bring it down to slowly... the other arm is terrible, all over the place, above his head (which is wiggling and twisting). His feet are moving all over the mats. His butt is so far off the bench its sad.



Tiggs, when you do bent over rows, do you have your back and neck arched upwards? Do you have the weight right at your shins and you pull up from there? Good form makes the difference. I'm just playin man.

milo

you are probably doing them incorrectly in that case. bent over rows are one of the most incorrectly done exercises in the gym and are often done more like a shrug than a true row.

besides, if you are doing them correctly, how do you know they're not hitting your back? have you spend weeks/months ONLY doing bent over rows and found that they didn't cause any size and strength increase? you cant go on "feel" you know.

milo

sure, but usually purely because they THINK it will make their arms big.

JamieMacdonald

I think people go to the gym for different reasons. There are the big bouncer types who just want to get big at all costs, there are the poseurs who go just to develop a six pack/arms, there are the fatties trying to lose some weight or just make themselves feel better, there are athletes following a strict traing programme, there are of course general experts such as yourself Tiggs, and then the guys who go to check out the honeys in their lycra. I'd probably put myself in that category . I won't mention the guys who spend more time in the changing room than in the actual gym . I think it's wrong to assume that everyone goes to the gym just to do the ultimate workout though, or even get fit! Luckily, I have been blessed with a great body so I don't really need to go to the gym to look good. I just got a cheap membership, and you can rent DVDs for free.

Tiggs

I do know how to do the exercise!

I did bentover rows as one of my main back exercise for over a year......i was training with someone who had coached at Olympic level and had a Sports Science degree. He was also an expert on body building and "enhancement" back when Joe Bloggs thought the blokes on the front of Flex just took a few extra shakes. I got very strong on the movement but noticed very little development....certainly not enough. I switched to seated rows and my back become more developed in 6 months than the previous year (both years where clean) It just worked for me...my back got stronger and clearly larger.
I still use bent over rows but only when i'm mixing things up...its not a core exercise for me.

T

ozzy

I agree with Jamie, not everyone lifting weights just wants to get "big"; I certainly don't.

I don't want to be a 10-stone weakling, but I don't want to be 16-stone and having to lug around an extra 3 stone of muscle with all the endurance sport I want do. Horses for courses really.

It was the very first thing I read as a teenager when first starting to lift weights. Concentrate on the form before worrying about the weight you're lifting. I've thrown on weights and it's only ever ended in injury.

Mind you if someone posted a routine and mentioned weights, I'm sure some would start winding them up if the weights weren't high. You can see why people get pressured into looking like they're lifting heavy.

SPEN555

lol at the above.

Most instructors insist I am doing my bent over rows wrong as they are more like shrugs. But I am always conscious of trying to get my lower back flat and my head up. My technique is pretty much the style that Mr. Yates promoted and I can't argue with the results he got.

People telling me they are qualified instructors means jack $hit as more often than not it's just some crappy course to get a certificate at the end of it. How can some 18 year old possibly know what is best, they themselves have only been training a few years. This is what leads ultimately to the crap you see in gyms, they are being taught by 'instructors' with no real experience.

Damian.

ozzy

You could also argue that someone who has trained for 10 years may only know what works for them. Guess the qualifications AND the real-life experience is what counts. As long as the experience is varied. Same with any sport really.

SPEN555

Very true Ozzy,

I am seeing if eating Black Jacks at work will have a postive effect on my bench press tonight

Touch wood, provided I feel okay I might attempt to bench 180kg's on Black Jacks

Damian.

ozzy

LOL

Just make sure you lift the bar more than 2 inches off your chest