***The 2020 Gym Rats Thread*** ᕦ( ͠°◞ °)ᕥ

[AndyCr15]

In what way? My local PureGym is quite busy again now, probably not that much different to pre-covid. People generally seem quite good at following the rules, wiping things down after use. The stations always have sprays or wipes and plenty of hand gel dotted about too.

 

[Maccy]

How are people getting on in the gyms? I'm still not confident to go back again after what's been going on.

I've just returned back from my first visit since lockdown, had to book a timeslot on the app so I went for 7:15 - was only about 3 other people in the free weights area, had to clean everything after use with the spray and blueroll provided but it was absolutely fine. Don't know why I've put off going!

 

[PermaChanged]

It's leaving me starving but luckily I'm still on plenty of food, not sure how long that'll last though...

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes for you bud! Had you been trying on your own before, but always fallen off the wagon so to speak? I'm wondering if this guy could be the coach I need too to keep me on the straight and narrow.

 

[tom_e]

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes for you bud! Had you been trying on your own before, but always fallen off the wagon so to speak? I'm wondering if this guy could be the coach I need too to keep me on the straight and narrow!

Me too mate, he's got some very impressive transformations under his belt so we'll see!

I completely changed my body composition and lost a lot of fat a few years ago now so the knowledge is there but to be completely honest I managed that when I was a student/in lower level jobs, these days works a lot more full on, when I'm in the office it's a 1-2 hour commute each way and when I'm not working I don't want to be sat in front of a laptop calculating macros/working out meals.

So I decided I just needed a paint by numbers plan basically, I'm happy to put the graft in if someone else just tells me what I need to do/eat and the outside accountability definitely helps.

 

[nicktay2605]

How are people getting on in the gyms? I'm still not confident to go back again after what's been going on.

I've been a few times a week since the gyms reopened and have had a mixed experience. Sometimes it's really quiet and all the people in there are really good about spraying equipment, other times it's been busy and I've noticed a fair few people not cleaning things before or after use.

 

[B&W]

Injured my lower left back Monday doing bent over rows, not sure what caused it. I have scoliosis and a history of back pain going back to early teens so could be incorrect form triggered something.

Was only 60KG have done upto 80 before so cant be the weight.

Tuesday morning just about got out the bed, after a day of stretching I managed to go gym this morning.

Still in a bit of pain but manageable.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Injured my lower left back Monday doing bent over rows, not sure what caused it. I have scoliosis and a history of back pain going back to early teens so could be incorrect form triggered something.

Was only 60KG have done upto 80 before so cant be the weight.

Tuesday morning just about got out the bed, after a day of stretching I managed to go gym this morning.

Still in a bit of pain but manageable.

Bent over rows seem quite common for lower back injuries. I’ve done the same, fortunately muscular. If it’s lower left it’s probably muscular. Just because it’s not near your maximum doesn’t mean you can’t get injured - I’ve probably had more injuries from lower weights. Rest up and build up slowly again. Worth checking your form. What were you using to row? Barbell?

 

[B&W]

Barbell yes. Upper day tomorrow but I will not be doing that.

 

[LiE]

Focusing hard on hypertrophy at the moment. The lure of lifting heavy is hard to resist, but I need to stay on track. My current program is pretty demanding. I'm doing a 4 day bro split and aiming for 6 days a week. This means I don't go 7 days before hitting a muscle group again, 5 days max.

It's hard, but I'm putting a priority on getting quality sleep by managing my caffeine intake. My current protocol is; sleep 11pm - 7am, then 200-250mg of caffeine over 30 minutes from 10am - 10.30am and training at 11am. I am also doing a few sessions 4pm - 5.30pm when I need longer e.g. legs.

Couple of other changes I've made recently; I've ditched my belt as it's been causing me some pain, also gives me a chance to really focus on my core when squatting which is the only place I use it. I'm also 3 weeks in ditching meat, I'm now a pescatarian.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

I've hurt myself a little bit. I finally got back in the gym on Monday, first time since March or April I guess. I'm following Starting Strength as usual and have added in 3 x 10 of bicep curls and hammer curls. I've been in twice now and upped it to 3 x 11 of each.

After yesterday's session, my left bicep feels swollen a bit like it's constantly tensed. It only hurts if I try to stretch it out (same with my right arm). But it's hard whereas my other bicep is soft. I'm guessing it's swollen. Any idea why???

 

[Musty Pie]

Quite possible you have had a mini tear or similar. But its impossible to tell, best bet is to speak to GP if its that bothersome.

did you do any kind of warming up for them? and what lifts from SS did you do that day?

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Quite possible you have had a mini tear or similar. But its impossible to tell, best bet is to speak to GP if its that bothersome.

did you do any kind of warming up for them? and what lifts from SS did you do that day?

Yeah maybe. It’s much better today than it was yesterday. I didn’t do any warm ups for the curls, no.

yesterday was squat, OHP, deadlift

 

[SideWinder]

Discovered calf raises on the leg press today (one where you add the plates) and wow it's tough. Did 3x12 at 40kg but felt the burn which is good.

 

[Somnambulist]

Discovered calf raises on the leg press today (one where you add the plates) and wow it's tough. Did 3x12 at 40kg but felt the burn which is good.

Friendly reminder if you're not already, because calves are notoriously hard to grow: DO. NOT. BOUNCE. EVER. Pause at the top and bottom - if you bounce you're just using your Achilles tendon and stretch reflex more than anything, not the actual calf. I lose count of the amount of people at the gym doing set after set of calf stuff and it's all bouncy bouncy.

 

[Somnambulist]

Tried some strongman stuff today for the first time.
- the inside of my forearms looks like I've been hit by a car
- the tacky stuff you use for the atlas stones is messy AF, needed to shower in white spirit afterwards
- the stones themselves are a b1tch to lift, and the fixed height of the platform you plop them off is heightist to manlets (just suck at the top bit of the lift tbh)
- tyre flipping is fun once I got the technique down, same for log press

Everything about it feels awkward! I like my boring barbell/DB/machine/cable stuff. Such a bro.

 

[Monkeymatt]

Tried some strongman stuff today for the first time.
- the inside of my forearms looks like I've been hit by a car
- the tacky stuff you use for the atlas stones is messy AF, needed to shower in white spirit afterwards
- the stones themselves are a b1tch to lift, and the fixed height of the platform you plop them off is heightist to manlets (just suck at the top bit of the lift tbh)
- tyre flipping is fun once I got the technique down, same for log press

Everything about it feels awkward! I like my boring barbell/DB/machine/cable stuff. Such a bro.

How does your body feel today?

I've always watched strongman events with huge admiration but I just worry I'd constantly injure myself lifting something awkwardly heavy like the stones.

Going to the gym in these covid times wasn't as bad as I had feared although I'm certain The Gym do not give a monkeys about restrictions so I'm only going in the morning before work (7am) when it's quieter. I did see someone on Twitter asking them what they've calculated the capacity of their gyms actually is, as there is a "live" capacity tracker so you can see how busy your gym supposedly is. However The Gym came back essentially saying they don't know, which combined with me seeing my local one supposedly being at 70% of capacity half an hour before it even opened on Sunday(not 24/7 anymore), suggests to me they're faking it... Generally all the members seem quite good at cleaning after themselves so I'm not too worried, just a bit disappointed.

In positive news my (limited) strength seems to be coming back after a lazy lockdown, now I'm going ~4 times a week I need to start tracking my lifts properly!

 

[dirtychinchilla]

How does your body feel today?

I've always watched strongman events with huge admiration but I just worry I'd constantly injure myself lifting something awkwardly heavy like the stones.

Going to the gym in these covid times wasn't as bad as I had feared although I'm certain The Gym do not give a monkeys about restrictions so I'm only going in the morning before work (7am) when it's quieter. I did see someone on Twitter asking them what they've calculated the capacity of their gyms actually is, as there is a "live" capacity tracker so you can see how busy your gym supposedly is. However The Gym came back essentially saying they don't know, which combined with me seeing my local one supposedly being at 70% of capacity half an hour before it even opened on Sunday(not 24/7 anymore), suggests to me they're faking it... Generally all the members seem quite good at cleaning after themselves so I'm not too worried, just a bit disappointed.

In positive news my (limited) strength seems to be coming back after a lazy lockdown, now I'm going ~4 times a week I need to start tracking my lifts properly!

Incredible that they don’t know what their capacity is considering you have to enter through that ridiculous air lock thing! You would have thought that they had the best idea

 

[tom_e]

Tried some strongman stuff today for the first time.
- the inside of my forearms looks like I've been hit by a car
- the tacky stuff you use for the atlas stones is messy AF, needed to shower in white spirit afterwards
- the stones themselves are a b1tch to lift, and the fixed height of the platform you plop them off is heightist to manlets (just suck at the top bit of the lift tbh)
- tyre flipping is fun once I got the technique down, same for log press

Everything about it feels awkward! I like my boring barbell/DB/machine/cable stuff. Such a bro.

You need to master the head press to get the stone up if you're a dwarf like me

I bet you feel extra battered today! It's totally different to a normal gym workout but great fun, we've done a few strongman meets from the forum and they were always a good day.

 

[Somnambulist]

You need to master the head press to get the stone up if you're a dwarf like me

I bet you feel extra battered today! It's totally different to a normal gym workout but great fun, we've done a few strongman meets from the forum and they were always a good day.

My forearms are so tight and I have bicep DOMs which is really weird, mid-upper back is tender too, probably because I don't usually do anything where that flexes under load. Bruising is no different to when I first started playing with kettle-bells before I joined a gym so not that bad.

I must research this head press technique for next time. I skimmed an Alan Thrall video on technique quickly to get the gist, but while I was okay with stones below bodyweight, but once they got as heavy/heavier than me it all fell apart. When I used to deadlift I got up to repping double bodyweight fairly easily, so obviously found being pwned by significantly less than that a bit annoying!

Also re these apps telling you about capacity - my PureGym is exactly like this, claiming x amount of people in the gym and then going in to find it's heaving because people haven't actually checked in on the app once they've entered. Daft. I don't think MuscleWorks gives a hoot about capacity other than their official statements. People in both clearing up after themselves though, but other than sweat stains I don't plan on licking barbells or handles.

 

[SideWinder]

Friendly reminder if you're not already, because calves are notoriously hard to grow: DO. NOT. BOUNCE. EVER. Pause at the top and bottom - if you bounce you're just using your Achilles tendon and stretch reflex more than anything, not the actual calf. I lose count of the amount of people at the gym doing set after set of calf stuff and it's all bouncy bouncy.

All good but thank you