Beginner's (noob) questions thread 2

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i feel i have a while to go before i stop making gains with the squat like a noob. i like to plan ahead though, what would be better to do afterwards something like smolov ? or box squats ?
 
i feel i have a while to go before i stop making gains with the squat like a noob. i like to plan ahead though, what would be better to do afterwards something like smolov ? or box squats ?

How's your flexibility, mobility, and balance? If you have issues with any/all of those, the program I did recently was good. That's if you want to buck the trend of choosing from only three or four popular workouts.

I have my own noob question. I've had a week of rest and am crackling with energy. Tomorrow night is equipment check-in. Saturday is the meet. I'm very nervous and excited. I don't know how I'm going to sleep. Any suggestions?
 
all of those are pretty good. my balance is a lot better with high bar squats so i switched. as for your question sleep when your excited is hard. i would turn all of the lights off , wear loose clothes and turn on a fan. for some reason the fan not only blocks some noise it also helps me lull off. i would also try stuff like warm milk as childish as it sounds.
 
I have a question that is more of "soft/opinion" inquire; How strictly should I follow my program when it conflicts with my inspiration or gut feeling?

When I have a day where I get into the gym feeling energetic and strong should I do those extra sets or throw in support work that is not programed? Also the days when I feel weak and sluggish should I drop some sets or cut the session short?

In short how do the more experienced posters here balance the art and science aspects of getting strong?
 
for me it's odd, when i am sluggish and all of that can i do what i planned ? if i think i can i push through it. i sometimes though will cut it a bit short like i have recently. when your energetic i would stay the course and do what you planned.
 
I don't know how I'm going to sleep. Any suggestions?

I find it very helpful to do a deep relaxation routine before I go to sleep. Basically, I concentrate my attention on each body part or major muscle group in turn, usually starting with the feet, first flexing/tensing lightly and briefly, then allowing the muscles to relax completely. So on, up the legs, the back, abs, chest, shoulders, neck, even the face. By the time I'm finished, I feel incredibly loose and like I'm sinking into the bed. It can help a lot. (This is a relaxation technique from yoga, that some teachers do at the end of the class.)

The second thing I find helpful is not to worry about whether I sleep or not. I find that 5-6 hours of absolutely excellent rest (being relaxed in bed, not moving) plus a couple of hours of actual sleep is pretty much just as recuperative as 8 hours of actual sleep. So if I am having trouble sleeping, I just remind myself of that, and I accept that it might be like that, and if it is I will be fine. Then I actually fall asleep. I frequently find that, before a big day, it is the worry about not sleeping that keeps me awake.

Of course there are all the standard things- make sure room is dark, noise free, no stimulants of any kind after lunch, etc etc. I am sure you know those, so I just mention two that I think are less widely known.
 
I have a question that is more of "soft/opinion" inquire; How strictly should I follow my program when it conflicts with my inspiration or gut feeling?

When I have a day where I get into the gym feeling energetic and strong should I do those extra sets or throw in support work that is not programed? Also the days when I feel weak and sluggish should I drop some sets or cut the session short?

In short how do the more experienced posters here balance the art and science aspects of getting strong?

In general I would say stick to your program and just enjoy feeling strong as fuck that day. A lot of programs are put together so that you are able to recover for the next day (Starting Strength) or week (Texas Method) of lifting. If you feel great and go overboard you can end up doing more work than you can recover from for the next session. The obvious exception would be a program such as 5/3/1. The last set of the main lift is as many reps as possible so if you feel good then you can go to town.

If you are feeling crappy then just try to do the minimum of what is planned. If that means that you fail a few reps trying to do 3x5 or only hit the minimum reps on 5/3/1 then so be it, just correct whatever caused you to feel crappy so next time you hit the required reps.
 
I have a question that is more of "soft/opinion" inquire; How strictly should I follow my program when it conflicts with my inspiration or gut feeling?

When I have a day where I get into the gym feeling energetic and strong should I do those extra sets or throw in support work that is not programed? Also the days when I feel weak and sluggish should I drop some sets or cut the session short?

In short how do the more experienced posters here balance the art and science aspects of getting strong?

Do what the program states. If you're feeling good that day and you're crushing stuff, awesome day. If you're feeling like crap and it's showing on your sets, just do what you can and get out.

To be honest though, some days I feel horrible and I'm tired and ate one piece of chicken for breakfast and I do not feel like going to the gym, but then I absolutely own the weights. So just go and do the program and if you don't hit everything, just chalk it up to a bad day and move on.
 
The second thing I find helpful is not to worry about whether I sleep or not. I find that 5-6 hours of absolutely excellent rest (being relaxed in bed, not moving) plus a couple of hours of actual sleep is pretty much just as recuperative as 8 hours of actual sleep. So if I am having trouble sleeping, I just remind myself of that, and I accept that it might be like that, and if it is I will be fine. Then I actually fall asleep. I frequently find that, before a big day, it is the worry about not sleeping that keeps me awake.

Thank you. I have trouble sleeping and this is reassuring.
 
i feel i have a while to go before i stop making gains with the squat like a noob. i like to plan ahead though, what would be better to do afterwards something like smolov ? or box squats ?

Smolov makes grown men cry and beg for mercy...
 
i've recently been forced to bike everywhere due to car and monetary failures. two days a week, i bike 8 miles to martial arts class, grapple for a half hour, strike for an hour, then bike 6-8 miles immediately thereafter (one night i work, the other i don't), and shortly after that i get extremely sleepy. i assume this is normal for intense exercise like that, is the only way to fix it to just suck it up and get used to it or are there other things i could do to help? also what leg exercises and/or biking techniques will help me develop my biking so i don't need to hop off and walk up the big hills? i have a barbell, lex extension apparatus, and dumbbell handles. and one last thing, sometimes my lower back hurts when biking, is this bad form or does biking exercise the lower back, cause it never persists, just when i'm on the bike.

thank you very much for helping me
 
proper bike fit is important. with the pedals at bottom dead center, ball of your foot should be over the center of the pedal with your knee over the center of the pedal and slightly bent. adjust your seat position if needed. keep a high cadence if you can. (ie high pedaling rpms) I find it helps my back if i keep it tight kind of like when you are squatting only not so much tension. a good seat also helps all of this alot. your legs should be able to go through full range of pedal motion without rocking your butt side to side. it should also not put too much pressure on your junk and you should not have issues staying in the seat.

noob question of my own:

what is the Big 3? and is there a Big 4? which one is the real measuring stick? I've seen both being talked about. I've seen them listed as various combinations of squat, bench, dead lift, OHP, power clean . . .
 
what is the Big 3? and is there a Big 4? which one is the real measuring stick? I've seen both being talked about. I've seen them listed as various combinations of squat, bench, dead lift, OHP, power clean . . .

big 3 : bench, dead , squat

there is no real big 4, but i would assume everyone has 4 movements they consider the most important. for me it would it be squat, snatch, OHP, power clean.
 
The 4th is usually an overhead lift. I havent seen anything referred to as the Big 4 outside of this forum tho. Which is kinda too bad.
 
Quick question about squat form:

I'm running 5/3/1 and I just had my deload squat day. For assistance I did 5x10 of good mornings. Then I did some sets of squat assistance at 50%.

An interesting thing happened which is that on these squat assistance sets, I'd start my descent and REALLY feel the tension in my posterior chain, similar to how I start my good mornings. These assistance squats really felt different than my squats have ever felt before but I completely blasted through them. I think I was on my heels more and engaging my glutes/hips better out of the hole. It's now two days later and my hammies are still sore (remember this was supposed to be deload day).

Question is: Am I finally doing my low bar squats correctly and properly engaging my posterior chain, and is that tension supposed to feel similar to the start of a good morning? Or did I just make a mistake and do a weird hybrid exercise?
 
How's your flexibility, mobility, and balance? If you have issues with any/all of those, the program I did recently was good. That's if you want to buck the trend of choosing from only three or four popular workouts.

I have my own noob question. I've had a week of rest and am crackling with energy. Tomorrow night is equipment check-in. Saturday is the meet. I'm very nervous and excited. I don't know how I'm going to sleep. Any suggestions?

melatonin lozenges.... natural sleep aid that wont leave you tired or groggy in the morning....ive tried heaps of shit and even prefer these over vallium or any other pharmecopia ..... hit up your chemist bra.
 
Question is: Am I finally doing my low bar squats correctly and properly engaging my posterior chain, and is that tension supposed to feel similar to the start of a good morning? Or did I just make a mistake and do a weird hybrid exercise?

Anybody? Bueller?
 
melatonin lozenges.... natural sleep aid that wont leave you tired or groggy in the morning....ive tried heaps of shit and even prefer these over vallium or any other pharmecopia ..... hit up your chemist bra.

Placebo effect.
 
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