[dk902]

After reading the thread on Weightlifting: Starting Strength it's obvious there are many guys on here who are interested in lifting weights and know a thing or two about it. However there doesn't seem to be a dedicated thread on here and we all know how important being in shape is to game.

Athlone gave me the idea from his How to Become a Sex God thread.

There are plenty of resources on the web on weightlifting, but with many other industries, the health and fitness one tends to be full of contradictory ideas, so it's difficult to know who to believe, what exercises to do or what diet to follow. Below I'll list some resources I that I have found to be really helpful on my quest in and out of the gym.

Feel free to add your own stuff to the thread too.

As mentioned before, the two main resources I use to read up on training and lifting weights are:

http://www.elitefts.net

http://www.t-nation.com/

There is also:

http://www.mountaindogdiet.com/

http://www.thenategreenexperience.com/

I'm sure there are others good ones out there too. However these two are my favourite because they give straight up no-nonsense advice from a range of contributors for all different training stages - beginner, intermediate and advanced lifters alike.

Elitefts has a Question & Answer section where you can ask any of the veteran lifters a specific question, whether it be on diet, getting them to review your form on a video, how to improve your bench, etc. They usually answer you back within 48 hours. It's like having Q & A session on girls with Roosh or Mixx.

The main guys who I read articles from and respect are Dave Tate, Jim Wendler and Matt Kroczaleski. This is mainly because these guys have been to the mountain top of the weights world and overcome many difficulties to get there. They don't talk BS which is one of the reasons I like reading Roosh's blog. They give you tough love and inspire you to do more.

Some of my favourite articles:

How to Stay Motivated

3 Tricks for Faster Fat Loss

The Five Tools of Mental Strength A.K.A. Balls

The World's Simplest Training Template

Diet:

Diet is very important, but it's not something I always want to spend my whole day thinking about or focusing on. I've been following Leangains diet for about 3 months and have seen great results. The basic concept is intermittent fasting, and I've never been more cut with such little effort.

http://www.leangains.com

Nonetheless, you need to start thinking of your food in basic terms of carbs, proteins and fats. If you're not working out that day, do you need that many carbs, etc?

Programmes:
I currently follow Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 - how to build raw strength which I recommend, but to try and get some more gains I may give Starting Strength a whirl, as it's has some great reviews on here and elsewhere.

The main lifts:

Squats
Deadlifts
Press
Bench-Press

I know so many guys who just only do the Bench-Press for years along with isolation curls and wonder why they have small arms? If you can Deadlift 500lbs you're going to have big arms, as the biceps are a stabilizer. If you get good on the big lifts, your body will repay you tenfold.

Also doing only upper body and having chicken legs, what's up with that? I lost count of the amount of people who don't squat.

You should also be doing plenty of Dips, Rows and Chins (various grips). These exercises have stood the test of time and will should be staple to any man's gym routine.

Poor-form
Don't be that guy in the squat rack who squats 1 inch down, this is a pet hate of mine. Why can't you learn to squat parallel or deeper to get all the benefits? Some guys just can't leave their ego at the door and take off the weight to learn the correct form.

You don't have to have 100% perfect form on everything, but there is a reason each has exercise has it's own technique - not only for safety purposes but for getting the most bang for your buck.

Final thoughts and rants
Don't buy into the myth that lifting light weights with high reps gets you 'toned' - this is just some bullshit perpetuated by skinny guys who rationalise being too much of a pussy to lift heavy weights. Just lift heavy and keep it anywhere from the 3-10 rep range.

Do compound lifts, save the isolation exercises until you start getting some decent strength on the main exercises.

Use chalk when you deadlift, you'll be surprised how much it helps. You won't miss a lift again due to sweaty palms, if your gym doesn't allow it, sneak it in.

Prepare your work-outs, write down what you want to do before each session and have a plan. If you go in without a plan every week, how do you know you haven't improved?

If you want to get big, it's your duty as a man to eat until there is no tomorrow. Yes you will lose your precious abs, but if that's not a sacrifice to get to where you want to get, then good luck with looking like this:

[ElJefe]

http://www.exrx.net

[CupCake]

Go on YouTube and search for Scooby1961's Channel. He's got a lifetime of experience in bodybuilding and teaches a no-nonsense, common sense way of getting in shape that doesn't require subscriptions or supplements. He makes great videos and everything he offers is free. Check it out.

[Docter]

chaosandpain.blogspot.com

[Martin_Heidegger]

Very few men can achieve tremendous results without steroids. And if you really want to look like a god, trenbolone is the only reliable method to my knowledge.

[travolta]

(08-27-2011 10:10 AM)dk902 Wrote:  

Also doing only upper body and having chicken legs, what's up with that? I lost count of the amount of people who don't squat.

You should also be doing plenty of Dips, Rows and Chins (various grips). These exercises have stood the test of time and will should be staple to any man's gym routine.

Poor-form
Don't be that guy in the squat rack who squats 1 inch down, this is a pet hate of mine. Why can't you learn to squat parallel or deeper to get all the benefits? Some guys just can't leave their ego at the door and take off the weight to learn the correct form.

You don't have to have 100% perfect form on everything, but there is a reason each has exercise has it's own technique - not only for safety purposes but for getting the most bang for your buck.

Final thoughts and rants
Don't buy into the myth that lifting light weights with high reps gets you 'toned' - this is just some bullshit perpetuated by skinny guys who rationalise being too much of a pussy to lift heavy weights. Just lift heavy and keep it anywhere from the 3-10 rep range.

Do compound lifts, save the isolation exercises until you start getting some decent strength on the main exercises.

Use chalk when you deadlift, you'll be surprised how much it helps. You won't miss a lift again due to sweaty palms, if your gym doesn't allow it, sneak it in.

Lifting light weight with high reps builds MUSCULAR ENDURANCE, not so much MUSCULAR STRENGTH. It's better to focus on muscular endurance if you're primary goals are more focused on endurance events such as running, biking, swimming, gymnastics, etc. Not everyone wants to look like Ronnie Coleman.... but yeah you're right when you say that skinny pussy guys usually justifying by lifting like this.

There are 5 components of fitness:
1. muscular strength (heavy lifts)
2. muscular endurance (pushups, pullups, lower weight/high reps)
3. cardiovascular endurance (running, swimming, etc)
4. Flexibility (stretching, yoga)
5. Body composition (not being obese)

You need to focus on all 5 of these for complete fitness. All of them are important.


-Actually, you should focus on 100% perfect form on everything. Why set yourself up for injury? LIFT VERY LIGHTLY UNTIL YOUR FORM IS PERFECT. It will seem pointless at first, but in the long run it's worth it, and you won't regret it. Don't worry if the other fags in the weight room think you're a pussy for squatting 20lbs.. just do it. 100% PERFECT FORM IS NECESSARY. Lift for perfect form, not ego. In fact, leave your ego at home when you go to the gym.. you're only lying to yourself and wasting time if you can't properly handle the weight you're lifting.

-Pullups and deadlifts are the best back exercises. Period. Barbell rows are fun too. If you suck at pullups, focus on improving your number.

-If you can't deadlift heavy because of your hands, it means that you need to improve your grip strength

-I think that isolation lifts are a waste of time for the most part.. unless you're into body building, i suppose... Multi-joint exercises will always trump single joint movements. Here are some staple movements I like to do:

Legs: Squats, deadlifts, front squats (these are fun), leg press.

Chest: Barbel + dumbell bench press- incline, flat, decline, dips

Back: Pullups, deadlifts, barbell rows, cable rows

Shoulders: Military press, Arnold press, upright barbell rows, shrugs

Biceps: barbel curls, cable curls, etc. 21's.

Triceps: dips, close grip bench, cable pushdowns.

Calves: try this- on the standing machine- do 10 reps. For the first 5 reps go very slowly, squeeze calves at the top for 5 seconds, do the next 5 reps at a regular speed, on the 10th reps hold at the top/squeeze for 5 seconds. After the set, walk around on toes for 30 seconds. Repeat this 3-5 times, your calves will burn.

Abs: basic circuit- crunches 30-60 seconds (no rest)--> bicycle kicks 30-60 seconds (no rest)--> 10-20 leg raises (no rest) --> planks 30-60 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this circuit 3-5 times. Depending on your level, either increase/decrease the reps and number of circuits.
**for abs, inhale on the eccentric phase (muscle lengthening), exhale on the concentric (muscle shortening- contraction) phase.


One of the keys for all lifts is to keep constant tension in the muscle groups your working out.

Here is a great body building resource. I read this years ago and learned A LOT from it
http://www.amazon.com/New-Encyclopedia-M...0684857219

-I recommend doing yoga as a means to increasing ROM and stability. I find that yoga is quite enjoyable, and a good place to meet broads.

[travolta]

(08-27-2011 01:23 PM)Martin_Heidegger Wrote:  

Very few men can achieve tremendous results without steroids. And if you really want to look like a god, trenbolone is the only reliable method to my knowledge.

Wtf, you are a troll... A homosexual, mentally retarded troll

[dk902]

Nice post travolta, your post shows you know your stuff and do some serious lifting.

Mobility and stretching is something I've been lazy to address before but I've started doing more recently, e.g. foam rolling. I've always been interested by yoga, especially as someone who lifts weights seriously and I know that long term joint health and flexibility is the key to staying in this game. Definitely gonna give that a try. Gonna check the book out you posted too, cheers!

(08-27-2011 01:23 PM)Martin_Heidegger Wrote:  

Very few men can achieve tremendous results without steroids. And if you really want to look like a god, trenbolone is the only reliable method to my knowledge.

And what exactly would you class as tremendous results? I have no idea where you have got this notion from but it's mere suggestion is ludicrous.

Steroids is another topic altogether, I would be curious to hear people's anecdotes on it. It's not something I've ever tried or intend to use in the near future. Nonetheless, I may consider it as I get older. It gets a bad rep in the press, but this is the same family of drug that is used every day in medicine, but gets vilified in professional sports, so I think there needs to be more objectivity surrounding the subject.

For anyone interested in the subject: Steroids for Dummies

[travolta]

Yoga is a work out, but it's definitely NOT on the same level as lifting weights, or running. It's just different. I find it to be quite enjoyable. It increases your flexibility, balance, improves your breathing, and is supposedly good for your immune system. After a solid yoga session I always feel extremely relaxed. I also have a better awareness of my body (although this is more so from all of the anatomy & physiology classes I suffered through in school). I've only been doing yoga for about 2 months. I'm not sure if it directly helps with weight lifting and running, but I'm sure that the improved flexibility is helping me somehow. It's kinda fun when you are able to do the more advanced poses... I can (almost) pretzel myself, and I'm able to do a head stand. As strange as it sounds, I somehow feel like a badass for being able to do this type of stuff.

I'd recommend trying out yoga for a couple of weeks, to get a real feel for it. The first couple of times you're going to suck really badly at it.

[hoops330]

(08-27-2011 10:52 PM)travolta Wrote:  

Yoga is a work out, but it's definitely NOT on the same level as lifting weights, or running. It's just different. I find it to be quite enjoyable. It increases your flexibility, balance, improves your breathing, and is supposedly good for your immune system. After a solid yoga session I always feel extremely relaxed. I also have a better awareness of my body (although this is more so from all of the anatomy & physiology classes I suffered through in school). I've only been doing yoga for about 2 months. I'm not sure if it directly helps with weight lifting and running, but I'm sure that the improved flexibility is helping me somehow. It's kinda fun when you are able to do the more advanced poses... I can (almost) pretzel myself, and I'm able to do a head stand. As strange as it sounds, I somehow feel like a badass for being able to do this type of stuff.

I'd recommend trying out yoga for a couple of weeks, to get a real feel for it. The first couple of times you're going to suck really badly at it.

Agreed. Most important is you get to stare at girls stretching it out in yoga pants. I went to a few yoga sessions at my university and I was extremely sore the next days. Won't get you looking like mr. universe obviously but still something good to throw into the routine.

[Dash Global]

i only focus on heavy lifting of my chest, arms(shoulders included), and back.

[Basil Ransom]

I'm pretty sure that blog Chaos and Pain (NSFW) is scientific proof of what every lifter knows as:

Squat Syndrome: The more you squat, the bigger your ass, the bigger the ass you require in a woman.

[CupCake]

(08-27-2011 01:30 PM)travolta Wrote:  

Lift for perfect form, not ego. In fact, leave your ego at home when you go to the gym.. you're only lying to yourself and wasting time if you can't properly handle the weight you're lifting.

When I WAS lifting I couldn't see myself going to the gym for this very reason. This is why I recommend that you do as much from home as you can, preferably everything.

When you're in public you're going to be surrounded by distractions. Lifting requires 100% of your focus. Buy your weights and work from home. It'll save you time by sparing you a commute, get you better results, and spare you any injuries due to ego-lifting.

[Aliblahba]

The biggest holdback for some of us is the constant traveling. The international playboy lifestyle isn't conducive for regular workout programs. I for one hate getting to a point in the gym, then traveling, then losing those gains. It's also hard and frustrating to start back. Most hotels only offer cardio machines, and hostels or rented apartments even less. Sometimes abroad it's hard to find a gym, and day rates can get expensive.

Here is a way to at least maintain your current physique while traveling.

http://www.bodylastics.com/

These are the best quality bands I found. They have several packages. These are easily carried in your checked baggage. Here's an example of a rounded workout to use:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw10.htm

Pair this w/ a travel set of perfect pushups.

It never hurts to break up the workout routine, and resistance are a good way to do it.


I haven't used yet but purchased:

http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html

His exercises and workouts are solid if you don't want to carry in gear.

[dk902]

(08-29-2011 04:19 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

The biggest holdback for some of us is the constant traveling. The international playboy lifestyle isn't conducive for regular workout programs. I for one hate getting to a point in the gym, then traveling, then losing those gains. It's also hard and frustrating to start back. Most hotels only offer cardio machines, and hostels or rented apartments even less. Sometimes abroad it's hard to find a gym, and day rates can get expensive.

Here is a way to at least maintain your current physique while traveling.

http://www.bodylastics.com/

These are the best quality bands I found. They have several packages. These are easily carried in your checked baggage. Here's an example of a rounded workout to use:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw10.htm

Pair this w/ a travel set of perfect pushups.

It never hurts to break up the workout routine, and resistance are a good way to do it.


I haven't used yet but purchased:

http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html

His exercises and workouts are solid if you don't want to carry in gear.

Cheers Ali, I've been thinking about bands for a while as many of the pro's use them and rave about them. When I travel abroad I hate not being able to get in least 30 mins of weights for a few days a week, like you say...difficulties in having access to equipment, day prices etc. I am a bit of an exercise addict so I go nuts if I haven't done something in a couple of days. The bands seem perfect. Do you have any experience of a decent pull up bar that's travel compact?

[Aliblahba]

(08-29-2011 02:22 PM)dk902 Wrote:  

(08-29-2011 04:19 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

The biggest holdback for some of us is the constant traveling. The international playboy lifestyle isn't conducive for regular workout programs. I for one hate getting to a point in the gym, then traveling, then losing those gains. It's also hard and frustrating to start back. Most hotels only offer cardio machines, and hostels or rented apartments even less. Sometimes abroad it's hard to find a gym, and day rates can get expensive.

Here is a way to at least maintain your current physique while traveling.

http://www.bodylastics.com/

These are the best quality bands I found. They have several packages. These are easily carried in your checked baggage. Here's an example of a rounded workout to use:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw10.htm

Pair this w/ a travel set of perfect pushups.

It never hurts to break up the workout routine, and resistance are a good way to do it.


I haven't used yet but purchased:

http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html

His exercises and workouts are solid if you don't want to carry in gear.

Cheers Ali, I've been thinking about bands for a while as many of the pro's use them and rave about them. When I travel abroad I hate not being able to get in least 30 mins of weights for a few days a week, like you say...difficulties in having access to equipment, day prices etc. I am a bit of an exercise addict so I go nuts if I haven't done something in a couple of days. The bands seem perfect. Do you have any experience of a decent pull up bar that's travel compact?

Great thread dk902. Last time I googled travel pull up bars these werent available:

http://www.amazon.com/Lifeline-Power-Up-...B00065BT3G
http://www.portable-pullupbar.com/

Ill buy both sets and report back. This has been a missing link for me.

[speakeasy]

I stopped using machines and isolation exercises this summer. Now it's deadlifts, squats, bench, military press and barbell rows. I might throw in a few barbell curls if I feel like as well as some calf presses. People have been noticing. The last couple weeks about 6 of my friends as well as my parents said, "you've been working out, aren't you?" One was a girl I used to know from years ago in my teens. Saw her at a friend's wedding the other week. She was eyefucking me and came up and said how good of shape I'm in. She is now fat. It's cool to see that at 35 I'm in better shape than I was at 25, meanwhile my friends are putting on weight like there's no tomorrow.

[ersatz]

Squats
Pushups
Situps
Planks
Pull ups (where you can)
Burpees
Jogging uphill (not a lot of knee impact due to challenge)
Jumping onto a platform that is +1ft higher and back (this is killer, but don't use a bed)
Doing it all with a backpack full of water jugs (1L of water = 1kg = 2.2 pounds)
Back extensions (with a bed and that backpack or a girl weighing your legs down)
Throwing said backpack into the air with a squat action (don't use your arm muscle power) and catching it with a squatting action (this could end in wet disaster)
Put a girl on your shoulders and do squats
Butt lift with backpack (http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/de...ift-bridge)
More Exercises: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/fi.../body-only

All of the above kill you while travelling. Not a challenge? Add more reps,speed and the backpack and it soon will be. When you travel developing nations, your buying bottled water like crazy, so getting a big batch of them for weight won't go to waste. Just keep on adding one rep a day and you'll soon be doing hundreds of them a day. A skip rope can also help and is compact.

[Oyster]

A perfected diet cannot be stressed enough. Muscles are made in the kitchen, not the gym. It's like building a house. The bricks are the protein and the calories are the workers who build the house, because calories = energy. If you have a bunch of bricks laying around; you need workers to put them together. So just keep your protein intake high and use a calorie calculator to figure out how many calories you should eat per day to maximize muscle growth. As far as protein goes, it's usually 1g of protein for each pound you weigh. If you weigh 170, you want at leas 170g of protein a day.

Eat 5-7 meals a day, and figure out how many calories each meal should be. Just divide how many calories the calculator gives you by how many meals you'll have per day.

So if you need 3500 calories a day, eat 7 meals at 500 calories a meal. If you go over 500 calories, it will be the equivalent of just eating a slice of fat. Your body doesnt need the extra calories so don't eat them. This is a crucial step to reducing the amount of fat you will take in when bulking, and then you can still gain without sacrificing those precious abdominals ^_^. You'll know how many calories your body will need so why be foolish and overeat just for the sake of "bulking"? Don't give your body those extra calories when you know it doesn't need them.

One decent calorie calculator : "www.muscletech.com/resources/tools/calculators/caloric.shtml."

You provide a stimulus by training hard. Your body will adapt to that stimulus - it can build muscle to be able to deal with the next bout of stimulus or it can just break down. Your body is comfortable at a certain weight and would rather not build more muscle than it thinks it needs - it's a high maintenance tissue. As a bodybuilder you want more muscle than your body wants you to have.

Providing a surplus of calories gives your body the energy to build the muscle. So when it has the energy it uses the protein and begins to build. Without providing a sufficient amount of calories, your body won't be in a comfortable environment to build. So eat clean, and eat a lot. Make protein a staple of your diet. If your trying to lose weight and get more toned, keep the protein high, but calories lower.

For gaining mass, keep the reps low and weight high. Try to utilize compound exercises as much as possible (ie Deadlifts, squats, bench press) as others mentioned. Isolation exercises aren't useless and should be incorporated a little, but utilize those compound lifts! Personally I do pyramid sets so i'll do 3 sets per exercise, first set: 7-8 Reps. Second set: 5-7. Third set: 4-6. Do your exercises in front of a mirror to watch your form. The key is to lift less, eat more. But make sure your lifting as hard and heavy as possible!

"Bodybuilding.com" is a great resource for exercises, and articles on gaining muscle. "Supplementreviews.com" is a great website for comparing supplements.

There are many other factors that can promote or inhibit growth such as: getting enough sleep (6-8 hours minimum), not drinking enough water (some bodybuilders have become accustomed to drinking a gallon a day), neglecting cardio (you should incorporate a little cardio into your weekly routine, but make sure on your cardio days your accounting for those wasted calories), and supplementing smartly. Even if you keep everything in check, you can only gain about 3-4 pounds of lean muscle a month , and that's only if you've done everything perfect. However, those pounds add up fast over the course of a year. If your older, low testosterone levels may inhibit growth but theres a whole market of testosterone boosters available.

For those who travel, there are lots of gyms that provide weekly passes and sometimes if its not advertised, you just have to go in and ask. However, just doing pushups is a fantastic upper body workout altogether. Pair them with crunches and couch dips and you've got a nice "anywhere" workout.

Following these guidelines can really add mass to even the most extreme hardgainers because it forces your body to build the muscle. I personally gained 30 pounds of lean muscle this year and am very happy with my gains. The calorie counting gets tedious, and the extra eating gets a little annoying, but if you want to maximize growth, you gotta do it. It sucks but you should at least try it for month or two. If you really don't want to count calories, you can just ballpark how many calories/protein your taking in per day just by reading nutrition facts. Start experimenting with supplements and keep training hard. My dad was a former bodybuilder (even made a living out of it at one point hah), and he passed all these facts down when I started to lift. Hope this helps.

[stein]

My question is regarding how to train after an injury:

It's been a year since I was diagnosed with an inflammation in my knee. I've exercised regularly since June this year, and have started running a 3-4 times a week (20 mins and increasing). My first goal is to cut out excess belly fat i.e. about 15 lb overall fat loss. I'm 5'10/180 right now. I keep my diet in check and eat well within my calorie limit. My upper body build is skinny but the running is building my leg muscles somehow. The problem with running is that it leaves my knees in discomfort for days.

I've only resorted to cardio since I'm afraid of squatting/dead-lifting and damaging my knee further - it doesn't feel 100% strong. I feel I might be missing out on compound exercises (I do pull ups, push ups, sit-ups, and dumbbell bench, a few machines). What also baffles me is that none of the muscular dudes at my gym squat.

Should I stay away from squats/deadlifts until the knee has healed completely, or is there another way out? Any advice/recommendations would be really appreciated.

[BoiBoi]

If done correctly, squats and deadlifts are beneficial for injury recovery, but form is crucial here. Get a spotter if u can. I had some severe injuries from playing basketball (tore my ligaments in my right foot 3 times and also had a bad lower back injury from balling) and Rippetoes Starting Strength really helped me. I was struggling the past years especially with my fucking back and now it actually feels better for the first time in ages.

[Martin_Heidegger]

(08-27-2011 01:34 PM)travolta Wrote:  

(08-27-2011 01:23 PM)Martin_Heidegger Wrote:  

Very few men can achieve tremendous results without steroids. And if you really want to look like a god, trenbolone is the only reliable method to my knowledge.

Wtf, you are a troll... A homosexual, mentally retarded troll

That is really uncalled for. Given your style of writing and the purile insults, I'd say you're of sub-average intelligence and generally not capable of independent research.

There is nothing wrong with not being intelligent, but you have first question your initial reactions.

[hoops330]

(09-01-2011 04:44 AM)stein Wrote:  

My question is regarding how to train after an injury:

It's been a year since I was diagnosed with an inflammation in my knee. I've exercised regularly since June this year, and have started running a 3-4 times a week (20 mins and increasing). My first goal is to cut out excess belly fat i.e. about 15 lb overall fat loss. I'm 5'10/180 right now. I keep my diet in check and eat well within my calorie limit. My upper body build is skinny but the running is building my leg muscles somehow. The problem with running is that it leaves my knees in discomfort for days.

I've only resorted to cardio since I'm afraid of squatting/dead-lifting and damaging my knee further - it doesn't feel 100% strong. I feel I might be missing out on compound exercises (I do pull ups, push ups, sit-ups, and dumbbell bench, a few machines). What also baffles me is that none of the muscular dudes at my gym squat.

Should I stay away from squats/deadlifts until the knee has healed completely, or is there another way out? Any advice/recommendations would be really appreciated.

Ease back into it and let pain be your guide...this is what they will tell you at the doctors office or athletic trainer

[stein]

Hoops, thanks. Right now, I'm only comfortable doing a few sets of free squats per week. I stop when the discomfort increases, so I'm not making any gains. The doctor said, no squats until you're healed -> go swim or something else. I'll "ease myself into it" as you said.

BoiBoi, I was actually wondering if Rippetoe talks about this so thanks for mentioning Starting Strength. I'll check it out.

[travolta]

(09-01-2011 09:10 PM)hoops330 Wrote:  

(09-01-2011 04:44 AM)stein Wrote:  

My question is regarding how to train after an injury:

It's been a year since I was diagnosed with an inflammation in my knee. I've exercised regularly since June this year, and have started running a 3-4 times a week (20 mins and increasing). My first goal is to cut out excess belly fat i.e. about 15 lb overall fat loss. I'm 5'10/180 right now. I keep my diet in check and eat well within my calorie limit. My upper body build is skinny but the running is building my leg muscles somehow. The problem with running is that it leaves my knees in discomfort for days.

I've only resorted to cardio since I'm afraid of squatting/dead-lifting and damaging my knee further - it doesn't feel 100% strong. I feel I might be missing out on compound exercises (I do pull ups, push ups, sit-ups, and dumbbell bench, a few machines). What also baffles me is that none of the muscular dudes at my gym squat.

Should I stay away from squats/deadlifts until the knee has healed completely, or is there another way out? Any advice/recommendations would be really appreciated.

Ease back into it and let pain be your guide...this is what they will tell you at the doctors office or athletic trainer

What hoops said...

I've heard that squatting is a good way to prevent knee injuries (you build up the muscles/tendons around the joint). I'm not sure if this applies to a recovering knee injury though..

Another thing too- since your knee is recovering I wouldn't recommend running on it very much. You'd be better off getting a bicycle. Cycling is significantly better for your joints than running. EVERYBODY seems to hurt themselves from running... I once hurt my knee after a long race. It put me out of commission for over a month. Despite my injury-prone knee, I continue to run to this day. The other day I dropped $120 on a new pair of Brooks. Running is awesome, it's just a bit harsh on the body. IMO, cycling is the way to go... it's healthier in the long run, and you can go fasttt.

Swimming is great too.