Food/Diet and training hobbies
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@lee-woodman Wow what did you do to smash a kneecap?! they are tough little buggers so you really have to be trying hard to smash one! On that note, I certainly would not be recommending lunges split squats leg extensions etc. Seems like you have a pretty good idea of the things that work for you.
Trap bar deads works for you? they are more of a back squat replacement than traditional deadlift though.
Do you have a reverse hyper machine in your gym, could try some sets of those on upper days to help strengthen up the lower back.Those are very respectable numbers for 'normal' people. You train for strength over size? Personally I have had to switch away from the lower rep heavy sets to more of a volume style workout as my joints are getting old and cant hack it anymore
Always wanted a 200kg deadlift, never got anywhere near it though
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@matt-wood Legs is a funny one for me, I smashed my kneecap when I was 18 so I canโt do certain exercises. Canโt really do lunges, split squat, single leg extensions or leg press without feeling it but can do squats, deadlifts just fine! So better to feel a bit tender in my back (not pain) than a pain in my knee. I donโt go mega heavy, maybe 120kg for 5x3 on squats, 160kg for 6x2 on DL and I rotate the two
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@lee-woodman
https://www.youtube.com/user/mountaindog1/featured
Search with the word 'stretch' on this guys channel he has some good stuff on there.
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@lee-woodman Couple of regular sessions a week will help loads if given time.
Squats and deads are tough on lower backs, especially if you are strong and load up the weight. If you ever fancy giving you lower back a rest you can always switch the traditional deads for trap bar version, much easier on the lower back and split squats are a good alternative as you wont need to load up the weight so much given that you are training each leg at a time. Also great for hip and ankle mobility.
Shoulders are a proper pain in the arse as they got so much stuff in them and its all tiny. Im guessing you already warm them up before your upper body days, mobilise them fully. I have started spending about 5mins on this at the start of a workout now. Might also help, if you dont already do it, spend a little time at the end of your upper session doing some light weight external rotation exercises. Almost everyone I see has over internally rotated shoulders. AthleneX on yotube has some great vids and exercise for this.
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@ryan-carruthers Cheers for that, Iโll check it out and give it a whirl!
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@matt-wood Itโs more of a general session Iโm after, just to loosen up a bit I guess. Something I can do at home would be ideal. Maybe like you said just get on with something, pay attention and then adapt accordingly. Iโve never suffered injuries from training but tend to feel it in my lower back after squats and deadlifts (who doesnโt) and shoulders after upper body, however since targeting my shoulders more itโs eased up
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@lee-woodman Couple of 15-20min yoga sessions would also be a good general routine, loads of free stuff out there for those.
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@lee-woodman
First session back after a month off always a bit sore. Agree though that it felt really good to be back in the gym. I started back last thursday.
You will know about the leg session
With mobility and flexibility keep it nice and simple. Unless you need it for specific injury recovery or a top level sport most people can benefit from just some simple basic stuff. If you are thinking of doing a dedicated session a couple of times a week then I would say anywhere from 15-30mins per session will be more than enough.
With the actual routine, if you just want a general flexibility routine the link @Ryan-Carruthers provided looks good to me (although never seen much of his stuff myself).
If you are more interested in specific areas for improvement then it will be a little bit of trial and error at first. Listen carefully to your body (particularly the joint areas such as anterior shoulder or hip) whilst you are working out. Try to pay attention to the movement patterns of arms and legs, see if they differ etc. Mirrors are great for this if you have them in your gym. I know for myself I have a bit of an issue with my right shoulder not extending back as far as the left. If you can identify something like this then you can focus on that a little more.General rules though, mobility before stretching and never force a stretch or perform one where the stretched muscle is under load.
Sorry bit of a ramble there
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@lee-woodman I always liked this one https://www.defrancostraining.com/joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibility-routine/
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I definitely need to start doing a couple of sessions on flexibility/mobility per week. If anyone has any good links or sites to check out itโd be appreciated
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First session back at the gym after lockdown. Proper enjoyed it but my entire upper body is going to be sore tomorrow! Legs tomorrow
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@matt-wood Ahahahaha glad he was fine, there is nothing like one of those workouts to really bring the guys in the together either though lol
Yep, my coach is a huge fan of them. Always gives me them lol I think because he knows I hate them lol but they have had a profound impact on my knees and strength.
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@ryan-carruthers Yep I think thats why a lot of people skip leg day, it is far mor taxing mentally than upper body as you have to push yourself so much.
LOVE split squats, as I have got older and understood more about the intricacies of training I have coached people more and more with these. I will coach back squats if somebody wants to but unless you are a powerlifter or strongman I am no longer convinced they are the best thing for everyone.
Hahaha he just was not used to pushing so hard with such heavy weights and volume. The gym owner came running out to take pics of him spewing and laughed all the time (he was a competitive powerlifter so understood pushing it that hard).
Mate was all fine after though so all good
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@ryan-carruthers haha very apt!
I miss training legs properly, back when i could do a friend trained with me and wanted to do my session. He had a whitey and need the bucket Luckily the gym was on the ground floor as stairs are a bitch after legs day