[mikeymike]

theres no conclusive answer with cocoa butter that Ive read either but it does reduce the visibility of stretch marks so the thinking is if its tightening those up it must have some sort of tightening effect. I'd use it up to a few times a day, once before beds a good one but if you have some time where you can put in on and let it settle in I would put it on.

[Chad Daring]

Thanks for all the info, looks like a got some shopping to do, along with picking up some good fish oil

[Chad Daring]

Meant to link this in the above post in regards to fish oil
http://www.leangains.com/2011/05/omega-3...rowth.html

Edit: Just realized I could've edited the above post...

[godofwar]

(04-15-2011 12:54 PM)Moma Wrote:  

(04-15-2011 12:20 PM)Agent_GQ Wrote:  

[
And yeah, I've only seen two people ever squat correctly at my gym. And they're power lifting guys in their 40's.

They say it's harder (due to longer levers) for tall guys to squat and they shouldn't even bother.

What's your take on that, brah?

I don't know about TALL guys, but I'm 6'1" with a lean, lanky body type and have slowly gotten to the point where I can do a perfect squat and I'll describe how I got to that point in a sec.

First off, I've been lifting since I was 15 (8 years ago), but only really started squatting a year and a half ago. I have nothing but good things to say about them. Someone in this thread compared squatting to yoga because of the mental aspect. So true. Benching, curling all that stuff is where you work out your muscles. But when I squat I truly have the mentality of going to war, it's the only way to summon the strength "within your soul" to really push yourself with the correct amount of weights loaded up. SO, instead of feeling good about looking fly from benching and curling, when you conquer squat sets you feel like a fuckin warrior who just won a battle. I'm sure my testosterone has gone through the roof compared to before I squatted regularly, I just feel like a stronger guy all around.

Also, for you hard gainers like me, I went from 155 to 175 in less than two years just from adding squats. All that gain also came in very short periods of time (1-2 months, 5-10 pounds at a time). I can only lift seriously for a couple months at a time since I've been doing it so long, I get bored or tired, so usually switch to swimming or basketball, etc, and just try to maintain in the off time.

For the tall guys just starting out this is what I like to do:

-watch videos on perfect technique. practice at home in front of mirrors.
-watch more videos.
-practice without weight some more. (so many guys have messed up their back from squatting or in some other way.. don't ever do a squat before you're 100% confident you have perfect form)

I know when I get back in the weight room my mind and body are not aligned. My mind is at my past abilities, I force myself in week 1 to train like a nerd losing his weight room virginity.

-light weight, lots of reps, go down so your thighs are parallel to the ground.
-wake up wicked sore, wait until 1-2 days after soreness is ALL gone (almost a week for me) before squatting again.

-do warm up sets.
-pick a weight that you think you can max out on for 1 set with 6 reps. then take a little off before even trying. do this set slowly and deliberately to feel the burn by the last 2 reps. REST. for your second, third and possibly more sets you take off 5-10 lbs each side each set, so you keep reaching your strength limits but with a SMALL amount left over, just to stay safe until you really learn your body's limits well.
-another option for this workout if you don't know how much weight to use is to start light with lots of reps (12-15) and keep adding weight with each set, doing less reps. always try to do your max (minus a few reps or minus a few pounds)

Without building a whole plan, the idea is to get a lot of reps, then increase weight to gain strength. Keep dropping rep # and adding lbs. Then you start over a few weeks/month in. A lot of reps with light weight. This time lower your butt. Go a little past parallel. Essentially do all the same workouts, but use your new strength to go a little deeper into the realm of deep squatting that's tough for tall guys. Rinse and repeat until by two months in your ass is nearly touching the ground.

During this whole time, you never really increase weight even though you're gaining massive strength. The idea is to develop all the stabilizer muscles, and transform muscle strength into whole body strength. When you start out, your thighs will be sore. By the time you're doing REAL deep squats with REAL heavy weights I guarantee your body will feel so much different. Your walk will have strength oozing out. It feels great. Even tall guys can do it, it just takes educated baby steps.... if you go straight into deep squats on day 1 with light weight, I guarantee your progress will be SO slow... I learned from experience.

Good luck.

[Moma]

@godofwar - When you squat, are you able to keep your upper body perfectly vertical or do you lean forward?

I don't like squatting because my legs become huuuge and then I can't find trousers that fit since my waist will be disproportionate to my loony quads.

[speakeasy]

I've been doing the Stronglifts 5x5 program for the past few weeks and I think I may modify it. I think squatting 3x a week is a bit much. I'd rather deadlift 3x a week. Rippetoe also advocates lots of squats.

The stronglifts plan is:

Workout A
Squat 5x5
Bench Press 5x5
Barbell Rows 5x5


Workout B
Squat 5x5
Overhead Press 5x5
Deadlift 1x5

I may be wrong in going against their regimens as they are experts in the field and I am not. But like Moma said above, I don't want massive legs to the point that I can't even wear normal jeans anymore.

I'd rather do bench 2x a week, deadlift 2x a week. Maybe squat once or twice a week. The overhead press is great too and much more difficult than I imagined it would be. I might add in a few things of my own like barbell curls as I don't feel the stronglifts program hits my biceps hard enough. Same thing with calf press. I'm thinking of 2 sessions on the calf press machine since I feel like the squats/deadlifts are mainly bulking my upper legs and not enough below the knee.

What are your thoughts on doing 5x5 squats only once a week and adding an extra session of deadlifts? Maybe the 2nd deadlift session can include powercleans?

[Chad Daring]

(05-17-2011 12:46 PM)Moma Wrote:  

@godofwar - When you squat, are you able to keep your upper body perfectly vertical or do you lean forward?

I don't like squatting because my legs become huuuge and then I can't find trousers that fit since my waist will be disproportionate to my loony quads.

I'm having this exact problem lately. My pants are huge in the waist so I got the exact same style, cut, brand, just one size smaller and I couldn't get them over my thighs My reaction to this was both and

[mikeymike]

(05-17-2011 07:32 PM)Chad Daring Wrote:  

(05-17-2011 12:46 PM)Moma Wrote:  

@godofwar - When you squat, are you able to keep your upper body perfectly vertical or do you lean forward?

I don't like squatting because my legs become huuuge and then I can't find trousers that fit since my waist will be disproportionate to my loony quads.

I'm having this exact problem lately. My pants are huge in the waist so I got the exact same style, cut, brand, just one size smaller and I couldn't get them over my thighs My reaction to this was both and

welcome to the world of tailoring. It sucks having the added expense but your clothes end up looking so much better on you it's worth it.

[godofwar]

(05-17-2011 12:46 PM)Moma Wrote:  

@godofwar - When you squat, are you able to keep your upper body perfectly vertical or do you lean forward?

I don't like squatting because my legs become huuuge and then I can't find trousers that fit since my waist will be disproportionate to my loony quads.

to answer your question directly, my body isn't vertical completely but pretty close to it, and obv. always straight... but there's a bit more to it...

when i squat, i keep the weight directly above my ankles at all times. I've experimented A LOT without weight in front of the mirror on the best way to do this. Your body might be different, but for me there are a few tricks I use.

My first half is all about sticking my butt out as far as I can... to the point where it feels awkward/gay at first. My calf/lower legs stay vertical the whole time, and I push my butt out as far as it goes until my thighs are at 45 degrees. Then for the second part I drop straight down, where I focus on keeping my back straight (and not rounding at the bottom) the whole time. This requires a lot of flexibility, and strength in the glutes and is VERY hard for tall guys to do, because of the lack of both (glute strength compared to thigh strength)... which is why I recommend to just go parallel at first and slowly work into real squats week by week.

check out this video for this form.. it's like a 2 part movement, but with practice you turn it into 1. In this video it looks like 2 only because the guy is maxing out. not at all my body type... i adjust by sticking my butt way out in the beginning (the drop here is key)....

http://bit.ly/ir7qBG


As far as size goes, no problem. just train for strength instead... that's what i do. when I was 17 at 6'1", 150 lbs I was benching 240 for 1repmax. I'm not big at all... just do what I do... way less working out (each body part 1x per week-- 3 or 4 total wkouts a week) I do only a few sets and a few reps per exercise, 1 hr max workout, usually less. (i squat a total of 20 mins a week) BUT the intensity I train with is ridiculous. I only rarely see guys in the gym with my same mentality, and I think it's only obtainable by working alone. Find your inner killer. Each rep is truly a mental battle, and I am incredibly in tune with my body in order to convince myself I can do it, but still always respectful of my limits since I work out alone. I can only recommend this if you have serious experience or are a gifted athlete, risk of injury is too high for average joe. The real secret is to push yourself beyond your limits every week. I'm not going to lie, it takes ridiculous discipline and intensity, but combine that with rest and it means every time you go to the weight room you set a personal record of some sort. Which is what it's all about for me.

OR just tailor your pants.

[Screwston]

I try to jog a mile once a week but its been killing my calves. Like my bones are in pain, its weird. Can it be the shoes I jog in?

[blurb]

@houston

Your shoes could definetely be the problem, especially if the cushion isn't properly absorbing the force you put into each step anymore. Many people don't know this, but a lot of things such as pillows are used up pretty quickly. How old are your shoes? It's recommended that you replace running shoes every 350-550 miles.

When To Replace Running Shoes:

<http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/tipsandtricks/a/replaceshoes.htm>

It's probably just the shoes. It happened to me when I started jogging in my old sneakers. But if it isn't the shoes, then I'd go to a doctor to check it out. Bones hurt? That's just scary.

[amistod]

(05-19-2011 01:45 AM)houston Wrote:  

I try to jog a mile once a week but its been killing my calves. Like my bones are in pain, its weird. Can it be the shoes I jog in?

i have had similar problems with my shins.. started during p90x (which i completed 100%)

all that plyo just destroyed them. now i can't jog for more than a few minutes with out top to bottom shin pain.

[Screwston]

Lol my bones dont hurt where I can't get walk. My legs just get real sore after jogging for 15 min or 20 min. I figured my legs would be used to running since I've been doing it every week. I'm running with an old pair of jordan's

[Moma]

(05-19-2011 11:57 AM)houston Wrote:  

Lol my bones dont hurt where I can't get walk. My legs just get real sore after jogging for 15 min or 20 min. I figured my legs would be used to running since I've been doing it every week. I'm running with an old pair of jordan's

Why don't you buy yourself a pair of running shoes? Y'all shouldn't cut so much corners, you'll just regret it. Do it right or don't do it at all. I buy running shoes for about 35 bucks and they last me for years.
C'mon, son!

[Screwston]

I'm going to get some this weekend moma. Are some cheap pairs of running shoes fine? I don't think I need to spend 100 or anything, I'm not running 5 miles every morning

[hoops330]

My advice and preference to training is to train like an athlete. I would rather look like an NBA player than an olympic powerlifter. I do explosive lifts that get my heart rate up and challenge my muscles. Lots of olympic style lifts and compound movement lifts. Rather than focusing on bicep curls I will do a squat and press which also hits the biceps. I do a lot of body weight workouts with dips, push-ups, and pull-ups. Im 6'4 with a lean athletic build and have always had trouble putting on weight. Right now I am at my heaviest which is 205.
As far as squatting, I agree with everyone on here that form is key. Again, I prefer to squat explosively as this helps my vertical jump and gives me a functional and athletic build rather than bulky thighs. I like to squat with a pause at the bottom of the lift and then explode through the lift. Mensfitness, menshealth, and muscleandfitness dot com are all great workout resources with videos and tips for lifting.

[hoops330]

I also wanted to post about those with shin splints. It definitely isn't fun and will keep you from working out. I used to get them when changing from soccer season to basketball season when I would transfer from the soft ground to a hard basketball court. I would have a new pair of bball shoes so you cannot say shoes are definitely your problem. It may just take a while for your body to get used to the shock. You can ice your shins both before and after your workout and that will help with the inflamation ( one clever way to do this is to fill a styrofoam cup 3/4 full and freeze it, then rip of the bottom of the cup and you have a nice grip to hold your ice and rub it up and down your shins rather than leaving a bag of ice on them. This can help to stimulate and massage those muscles around your shins. The other thing you need to do is stretch. Stretch your calves and try to feel those muscles around your shin stretching as well. Flex your ankle in every direction and stretch and hold. Lastly, if you strengthen your legs it will help absorb some of the shock. Hit the squats!

[Moma]

(05-19-2011 12:24 PM)houston Wrote:  

I'm going to get some this weekend moma. Are some cheap pairs of running shoes fine? I don't think I need to spend 100 or anything, I'm not running 5 miles every morning

I don't know what it's like in Houston, Texas but I go to the U.S to buy my shyts. I buy them cheap in buffalo and I spend no more than 50 dollars on running shoes. The last pair I bought in 2005 for about 40 dollars and they are still going until today (2011).
I only use them when I go jogging and when I am in training for the company sprint race.

[Roosh]

Chad: Loose skin will tighten up, especially if you're younger. Proof of that is pregnant women. It won't be as tight but it comes back with time.

So I've started Starting Strength in earnest and notice my lower back is the weakest link. It's having trouble keeping up with the rest of my body. Doing my last set of squats yesterday I almost tumbled forward.

[Gmac]

I don't bother with all of that supplement crap, I just try to eat as well as possible and get plenty of protein. I have way too much other stuff going on to focus on this stuff.

As for working out, I have a gym at my workplace so I usually hit it 3-4 days a week and alternate muscles every other day like most guys. I've been doing quad work lately (I run so that takes care of calves), but I definitely neglect the rest of my lower body too much. I tend to focus on pecs, shoulders, tri's/bi's.

[Super Etoile]

(05-26-2011 07:35 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

So I've started Starting Strength in earnest and notice my lower back is the weakest link. It's having trouble keeping up with the rest of my body. Doing my last set of squats yesterday I almost tumbled forward.

Have you seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkF9QD7oCIA

Watch the whole series...........very useful!

[Chad Daring]

(05-26-2011 07:35 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

Chad: Loose skin will tighten up, especially if you're younger. Proof of that is pregnant women. It won't be as tight but it comes back with time.

So I've started Starting Strength in earnest and notice my lower back is the weakest link. It's having trouble keeping up with the rest of my body. Doing my last set of squats yesterday I almost tumbled forward.

Pretty much what everyone keeps telling me, problem is that I was a fat kid for a long time, so I'm worried that it might not snap back because of that.

I actually had a giant black man help me fix my form while doing squats today at the gym. I'm dubbing him Blankman because from the neck up he looks and sounds like the nerdiest black guy you've ever seen, but he's the size of a dump truck.

[Giovonny]

(05-26-2011 07:35 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

So I've started Starting Strength in earnest and notice my lower back is the weakest link. It's having trouble keeping up with the rest of my body. Doing my last set of squats yesterday I almost tumbled forward.

When you get bored with regular squats, try "overhead squats". They work almost every muscle in the body at the same time. My all time favorite weight exercise. Maybe the most efficient exercise in the weight room in terms of maximum results in minimum time.

And great for the lower back. (if you stick your butt out correctly)

[Chad Daring]

I dont remember if this was brought up already in this thread but watch out for over training. This past week I've been really struggling then it occurred to me that I've been going 8 weeks straight and over memorial day weekend I moved a single family home basically by myself which took a heavy toll on my body. My joints are killing me and I'm struggling with weight that I was find with two weeks ago.

I'm going to take a week off and let myself recoop

Also I'm giving the http://www.leangains.com intermittent fasting a try, hoping that the hype is true and this'll help with my mid section issues.

[john.huston45]

It is hard to give strength training, but in our city every year seminar held. Where strength and mind power training is been given.