Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I just got back from my second powerlifting meet.
I did push/pull (bench and deadlift) I got 198 on the bench and missed on 215 (weights are approximate because it was all done on kilograms). I've done 215 in the gym before, but this time I let my breath out too early and that kept me from making the lift.
Deadlift I got 375 (actually374.something, or whatever 170 kilos is, about 30 more than in my first meet in December and 10 more than my best gym lift.
I took home another first-place trophy (again, only guy in my age/weight category).
The only downside was that I reinjured my knee on my last deadlift even though I made the lift. I think it's the MCL, the same one I injured last spring.
I'll get it checked out later this week and just focus on my bench press, which I was planning to do anyway because it needs a lot of work. Also, work on keeping the calories down do I don't pack on fat while the knee is injured.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

So what's your bench press form? My HS hoops coach always said not to touch the bar to your chest or you could eventually damage your shoulders from the stress created going down so far. He always had us bring the bar down to just above the chest, about a fist's width above, and that's a habit I've had ever since. But the other day a guy at my gym saw me doing that and said I should go all the way down -- just touch the chest, no bouncing -- and that it would work my chest a great deal more. And he's a big, strong guy who was speaking from experience.

So today I did that -- touched my chest with the bar when I benched -- and i feel my chest muscles in a way I never have before. They were definitely worked in a unique way, and I'll probably be sore tomorrow, which is proof of a good workout. I couldn't bench nearly as much doing it that way, but it definitely was a unique workout, and I'm thinking that maybe with time, I'll be able to build up to what I can do 'short stroking it' as my friend calls what I normally do.

My question is: Is this safe to do regularly? I've seen some websites that say not to touch your chest with the bar, and others that say to bring the bar down to your chest. What think you SJ?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I keep my elbows tucked and row the bar down to my sternum. I keep an arch with my feet flat on the floor. The only body parts in contact with the bench should be the shoulder blades and the butt. I try to push off my heels while pushing up.
In competition, you have to keep the bar motionless on your chest/sternum for a moment or two (until you hear the command "press" before pushing it up. When you lock out, you hold it until your the command "rack."

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

If anyone needs a good resource for workouts, head to myfit.ca

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Anybody here use any kind of supplements? Anything you recommend or recommend avoiding?

Only thing I use right now is GNC whey protein right before and after a workout. Seems to work OK, but I'm probably going to try a different brand once I finish this.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Rusty, I would go with ONS Whey Protein. It has more bang for the buck and it's delicious. I am cycling some different supplements, trying to knock myself off my current weight plateau, but I would definitely get off the GNC stuff.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Take care of the filler content and aspartame in protein powders.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I never understood the supplements stuff. What, exactly, are the benefits?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Rumple -- what's wrong with the GNC stuff? Is it just that it's not terribly effective, which I'm slowly realizing?

And AMacIsaac -- what does your post even mean?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

They (supposedly) amplify your workouts, meaning you get more benefit from the workouts. For example, taking protein right after a workout is supposed to help your muscles grow more than they would have without. Other supplements give you more energy and increase blood flow to muscles during a workout. Other supplements do other things, but the point is they're supposed to help you get more out of your workout than you otherwise would have.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

It means that you read the ingredient list carefully and know the things to watch for. Aspartame is very bad for you.

It sounds to me like you need to do a lot more reading than we can teach you here. My suggestion is to go T-nation or Bodybuilding.com and start reading there.

And if you join the forums, be prepared to tell people what your goals are. If you don't have set goals, they likely won't have much time for you.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I'm just not a fan of GNC stuff. They are paid to sell that stuff first and they make it sound so much better than everything else. I think you get more protein per scoop out of ONS than GNC and it tastes better in my opinion.