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How do i calculate my maintainence calories? I am 78kg 6'1 and i go to gym 6 times a week
google a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator. That'll give you a good estimate, then you may have to adjust calories consumed from there if you aren't maintaining/gaining/losing how you want after a few weeks.
You're
Scale being perturbed? Cut/add a portion on the week. : )
Measure your food intake using a food scale and an app. Measure your weight fluctuations by weighing yourself first thing in the morning after you use the restroom.
Get the averages for these over the course of a few weeks. It takes ~3-4 weeks to get within ~50cal if you measure all your food meticulously which is really the hard part.
1lb = ~3500cal for the purposes of calculating it.
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I know novice linear progression programs are unsustainable, but they can also go on for a long time. Should I just grind through it for 6 months? Or is it worth taking some breaks?
I am a novice with about 1 year experience, 6’3” 205lb. I only got access to barbells in September and I have been running GZCLP for about 14 weeks. Around the 9th week, I deloaded for 2 weeks for a Spartan race (1 week before and after). I had never really used a barbell before so I started with modest numbers, but here they are:
* Squat 115→225 (5 reps)
* DL 115→225 (6 rep, I did 10 max AMRAPs but after hitting 2 plates I mentally switched to 6)
* Bench 115→170 (2 reps)
* OHP 80→110 (2 rep)
Should I just push through the progression scheme? I have only reset OHP. I’m on 2 rep scheme now for bench, and 3 reps still for squat and DL. I feel like I might get a single 255 squat and DL could go for another 6-12 weeks.. The thing is, pushing my limits is kind of dreadful. Is it worth pushing the limits? Or would it make sense to reset using my new numbers?
I had the same problem with linear progression and GZCLP. I am a lifelong wuss and lifting the heaviest weight I had ever lifted, every single session, started to get to me. I traded faster progression for peace of mind by switching to 5/3/1 and now SBS hypertrophy, both of which have you working with weights lower than your theoretical/actual max. The progression is more gradual than an LP program, but like others have said, it's a marathon, not a sprint. I want lifting to be a lifelong habit and this helps me do that, even if my strength level is lower for longer (or even if it never gets as high as it otherwise might have).
There is nothing special about linear programs. The main point of them is that they teach newer lifters the lifts really well, and teach them how to push themselves.
If you're struggling to get 2 reps on your bench and overhead, and are around 5 and 6 reps for squats and deadlifts, I can't imagine that you have another 6 months. Or even 2 months really.
So switching is perfectly viable right now.
I don't think you're losing out much by resetting early, but your squat and deadlift seem to be in pretty good condition still. Assuming you're squatting with safeties I'd keep pushing it until you fail at least once before resetting
It's not long in the grand scheme of things; 9 months fly by when you train for 15-20+ years.
How important is this to you? Only you can decide what's worth doing. Shit never feels lighter; it only gets heavier.
Do you wanna get stronger? If you have only had to deload OHP once and nothing else, I'd keep going, especially for squatting and deadlifting. Are LPs a grind? Yes. But so is life and the rest of your lifting career.
I hate to say it, dude, but it only gets harder, not in the sense of lifting the heaviest weight of your life every session, but in a 30,000-foot view kinda way. Five years from now it might take 2 years to add 20lbs to your OHP.
Considering you squat 225 for 5, you can probably hit more then 255 now
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Any of you wear squat shoes? I squat barefoot and never have lower back pain/discomfort but sometimes it feels like my knees are doing the driving.
Would squat shoes help alleviate that? I have feet a penguin would be jealous of. I can post a form check next time but I don’t think it’s a case of my knees driving too far forward
If you want to reduce the knee pressure, widen your stance a bit to shift the weight over to your hips. You might have to reduce the weight a bit in the beginning, but it'll catch up.
I just use vibrams and crocs man. They work well.
As others said squat shoes will let your knees drive even more forward. If you want a less quad dominant squat you could try low bar - but there is nothing wrong with your knees traveling forward while squatting unless it’s causing pain
Gotcha, no pain. Maybe it’s because of the heavier weight
Might want to stand toes out or heels wider a smidge
Squat shoes give you more dorsiflexion(ankle travel) which allows for more knee travel. Thus putting more work on the quads. Taking a wider stance and loading more into the hips would do the opposite of this.
I personally wear squat shoes because I can't squat tall and narrow without them. What problem are you trying to solve?
The “problem”, if it really is one, is that sometimes it feels like the top of my knee has pressure. I just wasn’t sure if that would give me long term issues.
I have no pain or anything like that, I just didn’t want it to be a pre cursor to something. Wider stance doesn’t give me enough depth and then I pull something in my inner thighs
I'd be surprised if you didn't feel pressure in the tops of your knees when standing up with hundreds of pounds. Since that's where the tendon from your quad connects. Knee sleeves can also be nice since it gives you a sense of proprioception.
Yeah that’s comforting to know. I already use knee sleeves, it was far worse before them.
As long as I’m not feeling something that will cause my knee to snap further down the line I’m happy and it sounds like that’s the case. Normal feelings
Thanks
I have also found training hams on a curl machine before squatting makes my knees less achy during a squat session. Might be worth doing as part of your warmup for a bit to see if it helps
Ooh never tried that before. Will give it a shot
It’s the opposite, elevating your heels will shift more load to your quads and knees
If anything, the squat shoes would put a greater emphasis on your knees as they make squats a bit more quad dominant by driving the knees forward.
Hello I'm a complete beginner. What I don’t understand is why nobody ever tells me that I should track my steps per day or even the calories I burn while working out and add them to my daily intake.
Let’s say I need 2100 calories to gain muscle and lose body fat at the same time according to a formula. What I don’t understand is that I’ve heard that a 1 hour full body workout or a 30-minute hiit workout can burn around 400 calories, and 10k steps burn about 400 calories too. I really dont understand... Do I need to add these to my 2100 calories?
Example calculation:
Or is that wrong and I just eat 2100 calories per day doesnt matter what day it is?
I'm a beginner and i do 3x a week 1 hour full body workout and 2x a week hiit workout.
thank you guys!
Because it's basically impossible to determine calories burned from steps or exercise, the common recommendation is to keep activity relatively the same, and adjust weekly caloric intake based on how your weight is moving. Which is to say, just eat at 2100 a day, and if you're losing weight too quickly, adjust upwards slightly to compensate.
Track your weight (weigh multiple times per week). Adjust the amount you eat every 2-6 weeks based on what's happening to your weight (and what you want to be happening).
Formulas and counting are fine but ultimately the scale is what determines if you're eating the right amount for your goals. The scale changes on a weekly time scale, so adjusting your calorie intake also only needs to occur on a weekly time scale.
If you're using a TDEE calculator or spreadsheet, regular exercise is factored into your activity level already.
Trying to measure/evaluate caloric burn is so incredible difficult due to a variety of individual factors at play that it's ultimately not worthwhile. Most folks rule them out and just keep the calories IN portion fixed and evaluate based on outcome.
had some auld fella come up to me in the gym today and give me some advice on ohp. he was saying theres no need to bring the bar all the way down to my clavicle, thats just putting stress on the joint and not really engaging the muscles. fine when youre young but youd regret it when youre his age kinda thing
he was saying he was an ex-log thrower chucking 160kg lads about, thick scottish accent on him, so i guess id be inclined to take his advice, he probably knows what hes talking about. figured id check first what the consensus is on here though, when i did them like he suggested today only bringing the bar down between the chin and nose they really just felt like a bunch of half reps
he seemed to think the deep stretch/elongated muscle stuff was a load of old bollocks and i really dunno about that. what would ye lads say? whats the proper rom on an ohp, is it really pointless joint stress going down past the chin?
I’m weak as shit, but i do have a thick Scottish accent. I vote you listen to the people in here keep on keeping ROM.
Giving advice to you that you didn't ask for and use of the phrase "you'll regret it when you're older" are a good barometer for a person who should be ignored.
What kind of bullshit is this.
The day you're throwing logs, listen to him. You're just a guy.
Full range of motion during OHP.
I kind of agree. I think you'd get close to the same level of muscle growth for a lot less effort by cutting a little bit of depth.
On the other hand, ROM is a use-it-or-lose it quality. If you want to keep the whole range then don't stop practicing it.
If the guy used to compete: throwers tend to use their shoulders to rack whatever they're sending, and use their legs to power it past the chin. Full ROM strict pressing from below the chin is fine since it lowers the load you're able to move. I wouldn't push press starting from below the shoulders
I disagree with him. I think going through the full range of motion is important, and in terms of stress on the joints, that's how resistance training works.
yeah see thats what i thought too but im also thick as pigshit and half as fragrant so what do i know
two voices disagreeing with him at this point though so i guess ill just keep doing it how i was doing it
Is there a reason you believe Scottish people are particularly qualified to give advice on OHP?
I don't agree with this. Your muscles are doing the work to lift it from the bottom position (provided you aren't bouncing it a ton at the bottom).
nah the scottish accent was like irrelevant information i guess. just kinda reinforcing this man was once a competitor in the highland games and probably knows some things. intended to be a small part of the whole sentence
i mean auld fellas can have been in the game for years and just be wrong about shit too though, hence the asking
Q: I dont have incline in my program currently, so I was thinking, is there any quick isolated exercise only on upper chest that I can do and don't mess with regeneration that much ? Thanks
Low to high cable fly is a good upper chest isolation exercise.
Probably the best upper pec exercise imo