• Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Yoshichan

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
3,045
Sweden
First time someone showed up to me and told me my technique sucked while I was doing deadlift and now I don't feel motivated anymore going to the gym despite going 4 times a week for 7 months

I'm so embarrased, ashamed... i seriously suck at life
 

Bumrush

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,770
First time someone showed up to me and told me my technique sucked while I was doing deadlift and now I don't feel motivated anymore going to the gym despite going 4 times a week for 7 months

I'm so embarrased, ashamed... i seriously suck at life

That's not a good attitude Yoshi. No one starts out with perfect technique, especially on compound movements ( ESPECIALLY on DL). People giving you advice on form will make you a stronger and safer lifter.
 
Oct 25, 2017
1,713
I'm having a really hard time managing my weight properly. I spent a straight month managing my macros and calories very carefully - 1500 total from 176 lbs, low carbs, high protein and fats. Got down to 169.5, looking a bit leaner and stronger. Then I went on a date and ate a small sandwich and some iced tea because I didn't want to look like some highly particular weirdo. Nothing crazy, just a really minor deviation from my diet. Next day I was 171.5 and nearly a week later I still can't get the weight off. What's the deal?
 

M-66

Member
Oct 27, 2017
68
I used to cycle to work everyday. Then a couple of years ago I got hit by a driver who was talking on her cellphone. Dislocated my shoulder, messed up my leg and wrecked my bike. Did physio, which was good and all injuries have healed since (very lucky). However I then bought a car with the settlement money, stopped cycling/walking and basically stopped taking care of my health altogether.

I'm 40+ year old (M). 6'5". Just under 200 lb. Which is not terrible. But 41" waist, which is not good. I tend towards ectomorphic body type though so I have like zero upper body muscle mass. From the weight point of view, my biggest problem is I used to drink a glass or two of wine basically every night with dinner. Have cut that out completely. Now that I drive a lot, I never drink at all when we go out anymore if I've got the car with us. This is already having an impact and I'm losing a couple of pounds a week from that change alone.

My goal now is I want to shape up so I can play outdoor airsoft and at least keep up with the younger dudes (while also not looking like the usual middle-ager stuffed into an ill-fitting plate carrier lol). Mostly need to work on shoulder strength for load carrying and rifle shouldering, endurance, leg strength and explosiveness. Some weight loss wouldn't hurt.

Above all else, I can't afford an injury right now so I'm starting slow since I'm new to this whole "working out" thing. Once I get a bit more used to it I'm looking to get a personal trainer at the local rec center for a few sessions to get me onto a better routine. I'm good on self-motivation but I'm basically ihavenoideawhatimdoing.gif right now.

After about a week or so my home routine (2x a day) looks like this:
3-5 sets of 10 goblet or air squats
3 x 30 second planks to improve core/back strength (my shoulders give out long before my core does on this one)
3-5 sets of 10 band pull-aparts

Some sort of HIIT would probably be a good addition when I get access to machines (difficult for me to get to a suitable place outdoors to do sprints during daylight during the week)?

Typical day's food looks like this:
Breakfast: Frozen fruit/yogurt smoothie with a bit of protein powder. Occasionally a multigrain bagel with ham/cr. cheese when I get to work. 1-2 coffees w/ milk but no sugar. Egg/Toast/Bacon maybe once a week.
Lunch: Chicken/Egg rice bowl (bibimbap) or Pork/Egg rice bowl (katsudon).
Dinner: 250-350 gr steamed fish (usually salmon or trout). Wholegrain rice & a veg of some sort (broc, chard)

Not sure I have any questions other than is there something else/better I can be doing at home to get started in the meantime with the limited equipment I've got (basically resistance bands and some hand weights)?
 

ArkhamFantasy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,541
I'm having a really hard time managing my weight properly. I spent a straight month managing my macros and calories very carefully - 1500 total from 176 lbs, low carbs, high protein and fats. Got down to 169.5, looking a bit leaner and stronger. Then I went on a date and ate a small sandwich and some iced tea because I didn't want to look like some highly particular weirdo. Nothing crazy, just a really minor deviation from my diet. Next day I was 171.5 and nearly a week later I still can't get the weight off. What's the deal?

Your weight is going to fluctuate several pounds even on large deficits, it's just water weight. You will have weeks where you lose a lb, there will be weeks where you don't lose anything, there will be weeks where you gain weight. The important part is that the trend is downwards over the course of months. Also make sure you're on a diet that you can maintain forever.
 

Newman

Member
Oct 28, 2017
161
Okay guys I'm gonna jump in on this, I feel like a fat sack of shit and I want to change myself... So let me first clarify that I used to be a pretty regular gym goer and considered myself pretty fit so I am not approaching this with zero experience, however two years ago I had a sport related injury and dislocated my shoulder. I broke my humerus and tore my labrum requiring surgery to repair and was in physical therapy for months. In that 2 years I completely stopped going to the gym and have gained almost 50lbs. My Doctor has said my shoulder is repaired well enough that I can return to the gym but I have to be careful and slowly build back strength in my left shoulder. It is VERY weak since the surgery and I am always very mindful of my limitations. Lets say I have about 85% mobility of my left shoulder but I bet that will improve as I strengthen the shoulder more sufficiently.

My diet is awful as well and I know I for sure have to get that under control during this.

Any advice would be appreciated. Especially in regards to exercises that I can do to work on that shoulder.

  • Age: 25
  • Height: 6'4"
  • Weight: 275
  • Goal: 220
  • Current Training Schedule: I work a lot but because of some changes at work my schedule should free up a bit more. I'm guessing 3 nights per week should be doable.
  • Current Training Equipment Available: Membership to local gym (Planet Fitness)
  • Comments: See above paragraph.
 

Heromanz

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,202
Okay guys I'm gonna jump in on this, I feel like a fat sack of shit and I want to change myself... So let me first clarify that I used to be a pretty regular gym goer and considered myself pretty fit so I am not approaching this with zero experience, however two years ago I had a sport related injury and dislocated my shoulder. I broke my humerus and tore my labrum requiring surgery to repair and was in physical therapy for months. In that 2 years I completely stopped going to the gym and have gained almost 50lbs. My Doctor has said my shoulder is repaired well enough that I can return to the gym but I have to be careful and slowly build back strength in my left shoulder. It is VERY weak since the surgery and I am always very mindful of my limitations. Lets say I have about 85% mobility of my left shoulder but I bet that will improve as I strengthen the shoulder more sufficiently.

My diet is awful as well and I know I for sure have to get that under control during this.

Any advice would be appreciated. Especially in regards to exercises that I can do to work on that shoulder.

  • Age: 25
  • Height: 6'4"
  • Weight: 275
  • Goal: 220
  • Current Training Schedule: I work a lot but because of some changes at work my schedule should free up a bit more. I'm guessing 3 nights per week should be doable.
  • Current Training Equipment Available: Membership to local gym (Planet Fitness)
  • Comments: See above paragraph.
Did you do physical therapy?
 

Irnbru

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,127
Seattle
Hey guys, what's a good substitute for power cleans? I don't feel comfortable doing them on my own in my gym in my house so I wanted to know if there was anything I could do instead? Thanks!
 

Psychotext

Member
Oct 30, 2017
16,660
Not sure I have any questions other than is there something else/better I can be doing at home to get started in the meantime with the limited equipment I've got (basically resistance bands and some hand weights)?

There are some sites dedicated to bodyweight exercises. Have a look at them. You have a lot of options available to you.
 

Buran

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
365
Hey guys, what's a good substitute for power cleans? I don't feel comfortable doing them on my own in my gym in my house so I wanted to know if there was anything I could do instead? Thanks!

No good substitute because the power clean is quite unique, but due is mostly a explosive pull you can train the legs with high pulls and the upper body with pendlay rows.
 

Amnixia

▲ Legend ▲
The Fallen
Jan 25, 2018
10,408
I lost quite a bit of weight last year (30+ KG) and then randomley dropped excersising.
Since I'm gaining a bit of weight again, I kinda wanna get back into it but I hate these summer months.

Anyone got any good tips for working out during the summer?

edit: I already don't use my car anymore. Home-Work is by bike, groceries etc. by foot.
 

lordxar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,103
I'm having a really hard time managing my weight properly. I spent a straight month managing my macros and calories very carefully - 1500 total from 176 lbs, low carbs, high protein and fats. Got down to 169.5, looking a bit leaner and stronger. Then I went on a date and ate a small sandwich and some iced tea because I didn't want to look like some highly particular weirdo. Nothing crazy, just a really minor deviation from my diet. Next day I was 171.5 and nearly a week later I still can't get the weight off. What's the deal?

Let me preface this by saying, this is my understanding on how things work. So my inclination is to say throw a cheat meal in every week or two. Your body isn't an app that if you plug 1500 calories in for 52 weeks you lose 52 pounds. It gets finicky and wants a different stimulus to keep going. The weight will fluctuate up and down and it really is only a number on the scale unless your prepping for some comp. What your post says to me is that you meticulously counted everything and no change happened so to me, that's your body saying that it wants a different stimulus. Which could be more cardio or lower calories, but it could also mean a need to eat maintenance for a couple weeks or simply toss in a cheat meal every once and again to let the body ramp itself back up again, ie metabolism.
 

Dokkaebi G0SU

Member
Nov 2, 2017
5,922
with recent life events, moving, moving again and a lot of stress it ended my lifestyle of working out every 4-5x a week. .. i feel at loss

BUT im finally settling in after all of these months of... stuff and a new Vasa gym is opening .5miles away and is on my way back from work on the way i drive.

i can't wait to get back on routine and what i think im gonna do before the gym reopens is try and do a lot of body weight stuff.
push ups
lunges
squatsquat jumps
planks

what else can i do with just the floor?

(good news is that i live on the 3rd floor and i kinda get a good leg work out from that haha)
 

yogurt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,782
Hey FitERA, what are the best leg exercises out there that don't put a lot of weight / stress on the knees? I picked up a bone bruise a few weeks ago on a piece of equipment (no fracture, got an x-ray) and I was told to nix squats, leg press, and running for a little while. I've started to ease back into running this week, but I'm still looking for the best ways to work out my leg muscles before I can re-start squats and presses.

Here's what I've been doing -

Cardio: Stationary bike, stairmaster, elliptical.
Strength: Hip abduction / adduction, leg curls, calf raises (doesn't stress my knee, surprisingly). Can't do leg extensions, they put a lot of tension on the knee.

What else should I add to my easy-on-the-knees wheelhouse?
 

Karateka

Member
Oct 28, 2017
6,940
First time someone showed up to me and told me my technique sucked while I was doing deadlift and now I don't feel motivated anymore going to the gym despite going 4 times a week for 7 months

I'm so embarrased, ashamed... i seriously suck at life
I would have just told him "I don't care please go away."
 

I Don't Like

Member
Dec 11, 2017
14,882
First time someone showed up to me and told me my technique sucked while I was doing deadlift and now I don't feel motivated anymore going to the gym despite going 4 times a week for 7 months

I'm so embarrased, ashamed... i seriously suck at life

Relax.

At worst, just use it as a means to review your form. If the person knew what they were talking about, they could be saving you from a potential injury.
 

Deleted member 11069

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,001
First time someone showed up to me and told me my technique sucked while I was doing deadlift and now I don't feel motivated anymore going to the gym despite going 4 times a week for 7 months

I'm so embarrased, ashamed... i seriously suck at life

As someone who got injured doing Deadlifts, you should be happy he said something.
OR you should at least take it as a hint and film yourself doing them to check yourself.

Continuing and then not being able to lift is way worse then losing some pride.
EDIT: should have read above poster before sending, what he said
 

Psychotext

Member
Oct 30, 2017
16,660
Being told that your technique sucks is next to useless. Fucker could have at least given an idea what was wrong.
 

lordxar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,103
Couple pallets of stuff showed up! Unfortunately, the wrenches did not. So I really can't put this together until Monday when those get here though I may hand tighten it together to get an idea of how this will layout. Also have to wait until Monday for the garbage to haul all this stuff off too so it may be best to just wait until I have ample room to move around anyway. Would be nice to just tighten it all and go on Monday so I can get my workout in on the new. I thought this would be like my other bench which uses standard hardware you get in a socket set, but these bolts look far bigger than anything I have. Need to check though.This thing is a tank! Rogue does not mess around. Sturdy doesn't begin to describe the heft this rack has. The bench is a beast too.

5YthE5V.jpg



 

Oliver James

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
7,737
So the rowing machine is busted, I loved that thing, and it seems they ain't fixing it. Any alternatives I could do?

Anyway, been playing ball recently and I hope to really learn how to play well. Been playing with high school kids and it's been fun because they think I'm just a year or two older than them, and some of the reactions when I tell them my age are amazing.
 

yogurt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,782
So the rowing machine is busted, I loved that thing, and it seems they ain't fixing it. Any alternatives I could do?

Anyway, been playing ball recently and I hope to really learn how to play well. Been playing with high school kids and it's been fun because they think I'm just a year or two older than them, and some of the reactions when I tell them my age are amazing.
Alternatives in terms of comparable cardio workout, or of comparable muscle groups worked?
 

lordxar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,103
Got this thing put together! Dropped some dough on a 3/4" breaker bar and a 1-1/2" socket to get it done because I won't get my wrenches until tomorrow. Will do a once over on tightening when they show up, but now I will be able to start tinkering with my program and actually doing something rather than spending tomorrow night after work building it. About to head and and finish cleaning up the garage to get my car back in but it definitely looks like I will be able to leave the car in the garage during my workouts. Not ideal for all the time, but if its raining or snowing, its nice to know I can get around it. Will definitely need to test this so I don't scratch up the car door, but promising nonetheless. Only have two major issues...well minorly major I guess. I have a barbell gun rack and a kettle bell shelf that was intended for the back rails, but putting those on effectively cuts off the back rails from use and/or severely limits the range of J hook placement. I guess that's why the bigger racks have an additional set of rails out back. Unfortunately, I've already hacked up the boxes both came in and I'm not sure they will even take the parts back. Will see though because I think they have a wall gun rack that would be nice to have. Could use something for barbell storage, but leaving them racked isn't necessarily bad I suppose.


The landmine doesn't connect up like I thought. Initially, I figured it would straddle the bottom rail with the U part that hangs out the back, but it didn't fit and I kind of got pissed that I'd need to send this part back, but then I checked out a youtuber that showed it installed and got that sorted out. Still seems odd that it hangs off like this, but tested it for a short bit and that is indeed how it hangs...

In other news, dropped 4 pounds in like ten days which I'm attributing to all the garage cleaning and painting. It's been high 90's typically so there has definitely been some water weight mixed in, but I don't think this will bounce back up though. I've stayed well hydrated. Diet has been the same. Haven't added anything to reflect on the extra energy spent. So I'm thinking the increased activity level has helped push some additional loss. Down to 247.8 today which is a great way to start July!
 

Nelo Ice

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,444
What kind of doctor did you see and what was the conclusion based on? Did you get a X-ray? MRI? Unfortunately former may not tell the whole story but might provide a clue. About 1.5 months ago I re-injured my sacroiliac joint (base of the back) and I'm just now getting back to normal but the routine was: rest, go back to gym doing light workouts and non-impact cardio, hit the steam-room to stretch and constantly pay attention to how everything felt after every exercise. Your issue sounds muscular or spine/disc related but a lot of the same applies. However, you should try to pin down exactly what it is first.

As for your second post about it feeling better after a workout: that's a good sign. What isn't a good sign is if it feels tender/weak after physical activity. But this can also be accompanied by tightness so you should try to apply heat or cold and stretch.

There's plenty to do other than power lifting: low-weight/higher rep lifting and cardio as I mentioned. If you have access to a pool or a hot tub, hit them up.
Apologies for the late response. I went to my primary doctor twice granted the first time she wasn't available so another checked my back. Both times they examined me, had me do some stretches and concluded there was nothing wrong with my back back. It was only after the 2nd time they gave me physical therapy when I said I was still in pain after months. First time I was prescribed medicine for muscle spasms I forget what the other thing did. Didn't get an xray or mri.

Also what ice or heat packs should I get and yeah guess I'll just go back to the gym this week and do hiit/cardio on the bike for an hour or however long I'm usually at the gym power lifting.
 

I Don't Like

Member
Dec 11, 2017
14,882
Apologies for the late response. I went to my primary doctor twice granted the first time she wasn't available so another checked my back. Both times they examined me, had me do some stretches and concluded there was nothing wrong with my back back. It was only after the 2nd time they gave me physical therapy when I said I was still in pain after months. First time I was prescribed medicine for muscle spasms I forget what the other thing did. Didn't get an xray or mri.

Also what ice or heat packs should I get and yeah guess I'll just go back to the gym this week and do hiit/cardio on the bike for an hour or however long I'm usually at the gym power lifting.

Just listen to your body, especially if you have radiating pain. That is, the pain extends to other parts of your body (in the form of nerve pain). You mentioned your "upper back" and if this is a muscular issue you'll be fine. If at any point it feels like it's spine-related, that's when you want to be careful and look into getting a xray, etc.

You can do upper back workouts with very little weight and just kind of see how it feels after each exercise. Ultimately I think you want to keep that area warmed up to help it recover.

Ice/heat packs are all fairly standard, just pick one. You can also look into a cheap, small, electrical heating pad so you can lay it on your back and just leave it on when you're sitting/laying around the house or whatever.

Good luck.
 

yogurt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,782
Muscle groups worked.

Oof, forgot I don't do cardio anymore, mainly because of the weather.
Ah, I see - originally I thought you were referring to an erg machine (cardio). If you need strength alternatives to rowing, here are a few off the top of my head:

Upper back:
Lat pulldown - can be on a dedicated machine or on a cable machine with a wide handle attachment
Pull-ups - using a somewhat wide, overhand grip (like in the pics at the link) will work your upper back hard. If you're unable to do a pull-up, you can use an assistance machine (if the gym has one) or modify by hopping up to the top position, holding, then slowly lowering down. Other grips (hammer grip, chin-up) will work arms more than back but are still great exercise.

Mid-back:
Cable machine row - just need a cable machine with a seat and the appropriate handle to attach. Great back workout.
Bent-over barbell row - Can use a squat rack or a bench with a barbell.
Dumbbell row - just need a dumbbell and a bench.

That's my go-to rotation for back work.
 
Oct 25, 2017
8,257
The Cyclone State
Alright y'all, I need some help. My workout schedule is currently as follows. I'm looking to change up my Tuesday from home to our gym and basically want a good all-around set of lifts to do every Tuesday at the gym (our gym is huge, has everything from machines to DB, to free) I can do to supplement my other workouts and cover as much as possible.

Monday - Hot yoga
Tuesday - Lift
Thursday - Cardio (usually walking, or spin class, so lower body)
Friday - P90X video, focuses on pullups/pushups of different types.
Weekend - Various if time. Yoga/Cardio usually.

Currently, I am doing a simple all around lifting routine using bands and dumbbells at home on Tuesday but want to move to the gym and make sure my routine really is solid. if you were to put together a once a week circuit to hit most of your body, what would the lifts be?

Thanks
 
OP
OP
EssBeeVee

EssBeeVee

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,741
work is off 4th so it's good. la fitness closes at 4. but anything opens 24/7. yes. i'll be gymming on the 4th. ;P
 

KillerBEA

Member
Oct 26, 2017
290
Hey guys, what's a good substitute for power cleans? I don't feel comfortable doing them on my own in my gym in my house so I wanted to know if there was anything I could do instead? Thanks!
Clean Pull, which is just a remediation of the Clean to train strength off the floor.

Could just do general plyometrics to train explosiveness; knee jumps, tuck jumps, box jumps, broad jumps, and box jumps as examples
 

lenovox1

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,995
Hey guys, what's a good substitute for power cleans? I don't feel comfortable doing them on my own in my gym in my house so I wanted to know if there was anything I could do instead? Thanks!

To add on to KillerBEA, every intro to CrossFit class (and they're usually free or low cost in Las Vegas) will teach you how to do a proper power clean in a few sessions.
 
Oct 25, 2017
5,094
Taiwan
Do not have any gyms within a reasonable distance to where I live and I need to get healthy. What can I do? I got access to running equipment here (because I ain't about to go run in very humid 35C weather) which is about it.

What are my options? I am currently reading through the diet stuff, anybody have a suggestion on what to eat daily?
 

ArkhamFantasy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,541
Do not have any gyms within a reasonable distance to where I live and I need to get healthy. What can I do? I got access to running equipment here (because I ain't about to go run in very humid 35C weather) which is about it.

What are my options? I am currently reading through the diet stuff, anybody have a suggestion on what to eat daily?

You can do alot with body weight exercises and bands.

Download myfitnesspal, put tell it what you're trying to do and follow its macro recommendations as closely as you can. Try to stick to fruit, vegetables, chicken, turkey, fish, grains, nuts, beans, brown rice, etc. You can find alot of healthy recipes on youtube, i'd recommend a bodybuilder channel because they usually have videos making lots of meals at once.
 
Oct 30, 2017
707
What would some good goals be for a beginner lifter at around 145 pounds? I started seriously going to the gym and practicing the major lifts a little over half a month ago, and so far I've gone from:

Bench 110
OHP 70
Squat 135
Deadlift 125

to:

Bench 130
OHP 80
Squat 180
Deadlift 195

I guess I'd like to get a sense of what reasonable progression tends to be, and where I should comfortably be at once I hit the 1 - month mark.

NOTE: The squat and deadlift have such relatively big jumps because I started pretty low on both of them, and they only got heavy for me during the last few workouts - before that I was usually adding ten and fifteen/twenty pounds respectively per session without any real issues with exertion.
 
Last edited:

KillerBEA

Member
Oct 26, 2017
290
What would some good goals be for a beginner lifter at around 145 pounds? I started seriously going to the gym and practicing the major lifts a little over half a month ago, and so far I've gone from:

Bench 110
OHP 70
Squat 135
Deadlift 125

to:

Bench 130
OHP 80
Squat 180
Deadlift 195

I guess I'd like to get a sense of what reasonable progression tends to be, and where I should comfortably be at once I hit the 1 - month mark.

NOTE: The squat and deadlift have such relatively big jumps because I started pretty low on both of them, and they only got heavy for me during the last few workouts - before that I was usually adding ten and fifteen/twenty pounds respectively per session without any real issues with exertion.
Work towards

  • 135 lb Strict Press
  • 225 lb Bench Press
  • 315 lb Squat
  • 365 lb Deadlift
These numbers may seem daunting now, but just keep at it and they will fall pretty easily; and yes you will probably need to gain a little weight. This should keep you busy for a number of months
 

lordxar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,103
Looooooool....just caught a Complete Nutrition ad on the radio for their shred stack. You'll lose so much weight so fast that they need to adjust it to stop the free fall. Wonder how many people fall for that crap?

Edit: holy shit, that stack is $80 for a month supply....
 
Last edited:

Oliver James

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
7,737
Ah, I see - originally I thought you were referring to an erg machine (cardio). If you need strength alternatives to rowing, here are a few off the top of my head:

Upper back:
Lat pulldown - can be on a dedicated machine or on a cable machine with a wide handle attachment
Pull-ups - using a somewhat wide, overhand grip (like in the pics at the link) will work your upper back hard. If you're unable to do a pull-up, you can use an assistance machine (if the gym has one) or modify by hopping up to the top position, holding, then slowly lowering down. Other grips (hammer grip, chin-up) will work arms more than back but are still great exercise.

Mid-back:
Cable machine row - just need a cable machine with a seat and the appropriate handle to attach. Great back workout.
Bent-over barbell row - Can use a squat rack or a bench with a barbell.
Dumbbell row - just need a dumbbell and a bench.

That's my go-to rotation for back work.
Everything you've mentioned are part of my routine aside from the rows, I'll try those out. Though the bent-over row looks scary though. I never knew the rowing machine worked the back though, heh. Thanks!
 

lordxar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,103
So two days of workouts on the new power rack and I'm a bit sore. The Powertec multi bench I've been using for the last year is a lever based machine that basically just hinges up with the weight. So my bench and squats have been artificially inflated on weight which I knew going in. Somewhere over the years I came across a figure of 70% meaning that the Powertec was roughly equivalent to 70% of a free weight. So I took 70% of what I was doing on that thing and rounded down. Turns out, I still needed to drop some weight off.

I've never actually squatted with free weights, so that was an experience. I tried low bar, but my wrist was killing me. Had to go to a higher bar placement in order to not feel like my wrist was going to tear off. Am definitely going to either stay on the same weight or more likely dump a little off so I can get my form down and get all the associated muscles that have not been worked up to par with everything else. Bench was the same, but I had to drop more off in order to get the bar up for reps. No big deal though. Had to switch to standing overhead press from seated shoulder press because the bench is too tall to get around the bar into anything that worked. Not a problem, but another change that needed to be made. The deadlift jack is invaluable. Deadlift, RDL's, and stiffleg DL's are so much easier to setup now. Dip station is pretty cool, but I can't do too many. Same for the pullup bar. I suck at those too.

I did manage to get the gun rack installed, but I have to unrack all the bars for bench days. No biggie, but I've hit my head on the damn bars more times than I care to count trying to get back to put weight on something else.

Downsides. The bar I have is narrow. Like its only a couple inches on either side of the rack so the big ass 45's bang around a bit if I get sideways on my lift. I keep hitting my head on the barbells in the gun rack. The bench is really heavy and a bit much to maneuver around.

Just some growing pains really. I love how quickly I can get transitioned from one exercise to the other. In the house, I was having to setup one portion in the extra bedroom on the Powertec and the other out in the living room, but now everything is pretty much right there. I'm definitely happy I bought this setup.
 

studyguy

Member
Oct 26, 2017
11,282
Gotten more annoyed as the years go by, had an accident when in my early 20s snowboarding so my knees aren't great anymore. My left knee swells up if I run long distances and they hurt if I go heavy on deadlifts/squats. I've becoming increasingly worried and gone light/longer reps to compensate, but it feels like I'm just not making progress any longer. Wanting to go heavy but being limited, even with bracing staps on your knee is a bummer.
 

Violence Jack

Drive-in Mutant
Member
Oct 25, 2017
41,601
I'm embarrassed that I can't do deadlifts anymore except for the Romanian deadlifts which I can do pretty well between 135-225. But normal ones kill my lower back and hips, especially when I have to go back down to the floor. Can you build the same power with RDLs that you can with regular deadlifts?