In reply to True Anomaly Yes, there are opposing cable towers where one could do standing flys or bench flys.

Pec deck too, but I've never felt like that does much for me.

I swear, every time I take a week off, I just get behind a week and get no relief for my joints. What's the flipping point?

In reply to TikkaShooter

TikkaShooter said:

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Yes, there are opposing cable towers where one could do standing flys or bench flys.

Pec deck too, but I've never felt like that does much for me.

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It took me some trial and error to get things like a pec dec or cable flys to work for me- was definitely a lot of "mind muscle" connection type of training. Like with benching, one thing that helped me was retracting my shoulder blades to force more pec contraction

In reply to aggiegolfer03 Are you stretching or active when you take off? That's always what gets me is the lack of stretching things like my hips and doing my band stuff for shoulders.

In a related note, I am battling patellar tendonitis again in my left knee and have no idea why…

I played basketball a couple hours one day, and farted around with my kid a bit, but otherwise just a week off from lifting

I've kind of taken a light workload for another week and seem ok now. Pullups are the main thing that bother me, and I rearranged my back workout to do those with lighter weights (doing those as pulldowns at the end of a superset with pre-exhausted lats) and seems to feel better.

And on another note, and I know its just a stupid impedance scale, but I hit sub 20% body fat at 5'10" 230.

Hoping to get to my mental goal body fat % (12-15%) and still have a BMI over 30.

I made a Facebook marketplace impulse buy yesterday on a Titan reverse hyper. I'm pretty excited but damn this thing takes up a fourth of my garage gym. I'll try it for a few weeks and see if it's worth keeping it if I want the space back.

In reply to bam02

bam02 said:

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I made a Facebook marketplace impulse buy yesterday on a Titan reverse hyper. I'm pretty excited but damn this thing takes up a fourth of my garage gym. I'll try it for a few weeks and see if it's worth keeping it if I want the space back.

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I've only been in one gym in my life that had a reverse hyper, and that was years ago, before I knew what they were and never used it. Now I wish I had access to one. I don't have a home gym, but I've considered buying one just due to how much I think it would help. Rogue has one that folds up somewhat compact.

In reply to jtraggie99 Yeah, that one is called the stout. Based on what I have seen online, I would definitely prefer to have that one just so I could move it out of the way. I think as long as you are not putting a ton of weight on it that one would be sufficient. in fact, if we decide we really like the exercise, then I might just sell this one and get a scout.

The reverse hyper is very nice. Hindsight 20/20 I would of spent the money on a Pitshark instead of a reverse hyper. Footprint wise, it really doesn't take up much more room that an a GHR, though you need to make sure you have room for the swing.

But then again, I own my own monolift so my perspective is a little off on what is reasonable for a footprint.

In reply to bam02 Rule #1?

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

Can someone point me to a good resource regarding training volume?

It's what I feel like the next step in my "journey" is to understand. Now that I'm programming more accessories for 5/3/1, I'd like to do a better job tracking it so I can look back on prior workouts if I'm plateauing and maybe identify where I am overdoing it or can add more volume. I feel like I'm getting to that point where less can sometimes be more and I don't want to be programming in junk volume.

Even after making significant lifestyle changes including two protein shakes a day, I'm getting probably 60-70% of the daily protein I need for the amount I'm lifting.

What is this actually doing to me? Is my progress going to just be slower? Or I am leaving progress on the table forever?

In reply to PascalsWager Probably somewhere between the gains you leave on the table from not taking creatine as a lifter and nothing.

In reply to PascalsWager How much protein is in your protein shakes? I get about 50% of my daily protein through one protein shake/mela in the morning.

Agree with the poster above about creatine. Unless your goal is to just be absolutely shredded all the time, creatine is really the only supplement I take and the only one that is proven.

In reply to ttha_aggie_09

ttha_aggie_09 said:

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How much protein is in your protein shakes? I get about 50% of my daily protein through one protein shake/mela in the morning.

Agree with the poster above about creatine. Unless your goal is to just be absolutely shredded all the time, creatine is really the only supplement I take and the only one that is proven.

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I get ~30g with one scoop is 200ml of milk in the morning as my only breakfast.

I have another 25g one as a snack with water in the afternoon between breakfast and dinner.

I don't take any supplements but maybe I'll try creatine.

In reply to PascalsWager How are you calculating only getting 60-70% of what you need? Because I see numbers all the way from .7-1.2g of protein per pound of body weight as what you "should" be taking in.

In reply to CC09LawAg

CC09LawAg said:

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How are you calculating only getting 60-70% of what you need? Because I see numbers all the way from .7-1.2g of protein per pound of body weight as what you "should" be taking in.

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Yeah I agree there's a wide range of information out there about the "should" number. I'm looking at a .8g per pound of body weight as minimum.

If my athematic is correct, for me at 190-195 that's about 150-160g of protein per day. On a loose deficit I've NEVER hit that number.

In reply to bam02

bam02 said:

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Are you fairly lean at 190# or higher BF%?

150g of protein ought to be pretty easy to hit if you want to.

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Any food recommendations for a lifelong vegetarian (for cultural /religious reasons)?

I can hit easily if I was trying to gain weight. But I'm on a very unstrict diet trying to get leaner into the low 180 lbs instead of the mid 190s. Losing about 1 pound every 2 months.

Eggs, milk, tofu, lentils, greek yogurt already make up a huge part of my diet. But if anyone has any other food ideas for me, please tell me!

In reply to PascalsWager

PascalsWager said:

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bam02 said:

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Are you fairly lean at 190# or higher BF%?

150g of protein ought to be pretty easy to hit if you want to.

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Any food recommendations for a lifelong vegetarian (for cultural /religious reasons)?

I can hit easily if I was trying to gain weight. But I'm on a very unstrict diet trying to get leaner into the low 180 lbs instead of the mid 190s. Losing about 1 pound every 2 months.

Eggs, milk, tofu, lentils, greek yogurt already make up a huge part of my diet. But if anyone has any other food ideas for me, please tell me!

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Have you tried any of the meat alternatives (beyond beef, impossible burgers, etc)? My daughter is vegetarian and likes them. Looking at some of the labels, they are comparable to ground beef.

In reply to PascalsWager Not much help there, but I have seen articles with tons of NFL athletes and other strength athletes who have gone vegan, so that might be a good place to start. If those guys are over 200 pounds and professional athletes, they're getting protein somewhere.

In reply to PascalsWager

PascalsWager said:

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bam02 said:

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Are you fairly lean at 190# or higher BF%?

150g of protein ought to be pretty easy to hit if you want to.

---

Any food recommendations for a lifelong vegetarian (for cultural /religious reasons)?

I can hit easily if I was trying to gain weight. But I'm on a very unstrict diet trying to get leaner into the low 180 lbs instead of the mid 190s. Losing about 1 pound every 2 months.

Eggs, milk, tofu, lentils, greek yogurt already make up a huge part of my diet. But if anyone has any other food ideas for me, please tell me!

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there are lots of tasty protein snacks on the market. The Quest chips are milk protein based and are nearly 20 grams of protein for only 140 calories. Find the flavor you like, and load up on the protein

In reply to CC09LawAg

CC09LawAg said:

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Can someone point me to a good resource regarding training volume?

It's what I feel like the next step in my "journey" is to understand. Now that I'm programming more accessories for 5/3/1, I'd like to do a better job tracking it so I can look back on prior workouts if I'm plateauing and maybe identify where I am overdoing it or can add more volume. I feel like I'm getting to that point where less can sometimes be more and I don't want to be programming in junk volume.

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I would honestly just go on YouTube, search "Training Volume Renaissance Periodization" and start watching

In reply to True Anomaly Dr. Mike has some awesome vids on youtube.

In reply to PascalsWager

PascalsWager said:

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bam02 said:

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Are you fairly lean at 190# or higher BF%?

150g of protein ought to be pretty easy to hit if you want to.

---

Any food recommendations for a lifelong vegetarian (for cultural /religious reasons)?

I can hit easily if I was trying to gain weight. But I'm on a very unstrict diet trying to get leaner into the low 180 lbs instead of the mid 190s. Losing about 1 pound every 2 months.

Eggs, milk, tofu, lentils, greek yogurt already make up a huge part of my diet. But if anyone has any other food ideas for me, please tell me!

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I'm sorry I don't really have much advice for a vegetarian diet. I know that is more challenging but I hope you get some good suggestions.

In reply to PascalsWager I've used this in the past since whey doesn't agree with me often.
IRONVEGAN Gainer Chocolate Protein Powder, 2500 GR https://a.co/d/8Zf6Aj9

Have also mixed other proteins from Sprout Living in my overnight oats and pancake mix for added protein.

Orgain makes some decent premade shakes and protein+almond milk also.

Random question ...

Do any of you that go to the gym solo have "friends" at the gym that you've never spoken to, but they help motivate you and kinda hold you accountable? I was noticing last night that I see the same people every day working out and I've made up stories about them and why they are there, and they really push me to show up each day. Not sure if I'm just that weird lol, or if everyone does something similar?

In reply to Pantera

Pantera said:

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Random question ...

Do any of you that go to the gym solo have "friends" at the gym that you've never spoken to, but they help motivate you and kinda hold you accountable? I was noticing last night that I see the same people every day working out and I've made up stories about them and why they are there, and they really push me to show up each day. Not sure if I'm just that weird lol, or if everyone does something similar?

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Definitely. I haven't gone so far as constructing narratives, but there is something about seeing the same people in the gym regularly. If I had a great home gym set up I think I would miss that aspect of going to the gym.

In reply to Pantera Yep. Often it's women who are hip thrusting two plates in the squat rack next to me and when I try it myself I am being a baby about the bar digging into my thighs with half the weight.

In reply to Pantera

Pantera said:

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Random question ...

Do any of you that go to the gym solo have "friends" at the gym that you've never spoken to, but they help motivate you and kinda hold you accountable? I was noticing last night that I see the same people every day working out and I've made up stories about them and why they are there, and they really push me to show up each day. Not sure if I'm just that weird lol, or if everyone does something similar?

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Yep. Asian dude always doing some full body circuit program.

In reply to Claude! I always loved the people that were there so consistently and their workout program generally made zero sense to me but they would stick to it. As someone who is so analytical and meticulous about planning and tracking and maximizing workouts it would drive me crazy.

But hey, they showed up every day and did what worked for them so you gotta give them credit. It's more than most people do.

In reply to CC09LawAg I'm a physical therapist who helps people recover from injuries who has recently got back into weightlifting after a long hiatus. I have been reading this thread and I think the advice that Hoosegrow offered should really be listened to about not overdoing it and letting it take from other areas of your life. He seems to speak from a place of expertise.

I often get asked from a certain patient type what are the exact things I need to do in order to get better the fastest from a particular injury. They tend to be engineers, scientists, lawyers, and even accountants. They ask really good questions but at times fail to not understand that recovery isn't linear and there is no one way to get better. This doesn't suffice their curious nature but in reality it is true. The human body is complex and prescriptions are rarely that specific to the individual.

I often liken it to cooking versus baking. I am more of a cook than a baker. A little of this and a little bit of that sprinkled with some of this seasoning. A baker has to be more exact or it doesn't work.

I think this can be applied to weight training as well. And I agree that consistency is more important that programming.