****Official Beginner Question Thread****

[welsh-witch1]

so lately ive been hitting the gym hard been mon-friday for 2 weeks.
i struggle on shoulder press an bench press when max repping 1 arm is stronger than the other and 1 arm is higher in the air than the other, what should i do drop weight an practise correct technique but my friend said il lose balance an technique when i lift heavy weights? so i should lift as heavy as i can an the balance an technique will come when i lift more regular? what do i do?

[Soulman]

welsh,

check your technique before anything. If you're failing sets left and right, reset. Check that your wrists are bent at the same angle for both arms. And...depending on your programming and progress, lifting five days in a row is prob too much.

[AcesFullMoon]

Originally Posted by Cyluscylus

I used to have bad knees and thought squatting would be a problem but it has actually strengthened them.

I'm a slow pony but ΔΔΔ THIS. I had a fairly major meniscus repair waaay back in 2001 and resisted doing SS for a long time because the emphasis on squats. At that point, EVERYTHING caused my knee to stiffen and swell: 95 lb squats, jogging, half court basketball, etc.

I finally bit the bullet and now have zero problems with that knee. The only accommodation I've made is more frequent than necessary resets to make certain my form is good. In short, enduring a month of serious discomfort has enabled me to leave behind a decade of coddling my "bum" knee.

Cool story, huh? Love me some skwats.

[cha59]

Originally Posted by AcesFullMoon

I'm a slow pony but ΔΔΔ THIS. I had a fairly major meniscus repair waaay back in 2001 and resisted doing SS for a long time because the emphasis on squats. At that point, EVERYTHING caused my knee to stiffen and swell: 95 lb squats, jogging, half court basketball, etc.

I finally bit the bullet and now have zero problems with that knee. The only accommodation I've made is more frequent than necessary resets to make certain my form is good. In short, enduring a month of serious discomfort has enabled me to leave behind a decade of coddling my "bum" knee.

Cool story, huh? Love me some skwats.

Nice work!

[Soulman]

Very cool story.

[BPA234]

Just my opinion, but I don't get the I have bad knees I can't squat and/or squatting is bad for your knees arguments. My knees were/are pretty jacked. In both I have runner's knee which is a build up of scar tissue behind the knee cap, arthritis, excessive patella movement and my left knee buckled when I was jumping up into a fork lift and folded in at 90 degrees.

Before I started working out they would constantly click, pop, semi-dislocate, swell, hurt and make life not fun. Since working out (squatting) I have almost zero issues. When squatting, I do have to maintain strict knee position and, when doing volume, keep my sets/reps in the 3x 5 range and I also use a foam roller regularly. If I don't I will get some swelling. But, my knees feel stronger and more stable than ever and there is no pain anymore. Again, just my opinion.

[cha59]

Originally Posted by BPA234

Just my opinion, but I don't get the I have bad knees I can't squat and/or squatting is bad for your knees arguments. My knees were/are pretty jacked. In both I have runner's knee which is a build up of scar tissue behind the knee cap, arthritis, excessive patella movement and my left knee buckled when I was jumping up into a fork lift and folded in at 90 degrees.

Before I started working out they would constantly click, pop, semi-dislocate, swell, hurt and make life not fun. Since working out (squatting) I have almost zero issues. When squatting, I do have to maintain strict knee position and, when doing volume, keep my sets/reps in the 3x 5 range and I also use a foam roller regularly. If I don't I will get some swelling. But, my knees feel stronger and more stable than ever and there is no pain anymore. Again, just my opinion.

I love reading stuff like this

[Zenzor]

Originally Posted by Zenzor

hey all,

Can you recommend perhaps an alternative program to starting strength for beginners? I played a lot of baseball and absolutely can not barbell bench press, overhead press or back squat without significant pain.

Gonna shamelessly bump myself here. I put together a program, would like to know what you guys think.

workout A:
deadlifts 3x6,
incline DB bench press 3x8-10,
chest-supported rows 3x8-10,
negative chin-ups, 3x8-12
tricep extensions 3x10-12

workout b:
bulgarian squats 3x8-10
barbell rows 3x 6-8
romanian deadlifts 3x10-12
lat pulldowns 3x-8-10
rack pulls: 3 rep max

rotate A and B every other day. off days I do shoulder rehab and core work

would appreciate feedback, thanks.

[Soulman]

You should probably focus on rehabilitation more than anything. Foam rolling, lacrosse ball work, getting an ART guy to look at you. If you're more specific about your issues I'm sure cha/yugo et al can help you out.

[Zenzor]

I saw an ortho and PT a few years ago, they said I just have weak shoulders from all the overhand throwing in baseball (something about a loose ball & socket if that helps). They said I can work out in the gym but to avoid overhead work and anything else that places pressure on the shoulders. The rehab is very similar to what these guys do. Is it really necessary to put off working entirely out just to do shoulder exercises?

[Soulman]

I'm not too knowledgeable about this. Those rehab exercises look legit, but not using a lacrosse ball in addition + ART is definitely a leak. FWIW my brother had a lot of shoulder issues up until about a month ago. Rehab stuff like that didn't help too much - but lacrosse balling did.

I wouldn't do 3x6 DLs, 5/3/1-style or one set is enough. Regular DB bench press with neutral grip if you're able to instead of incline. DB/Kroc/Pendlay rows instead of chest-supported.

And no, of course you shouldn't put off working out entirely. Work around the issue. Have you tried high bar squatting though? If the pain/injury doesn't get worse, that's a solution. Rowing both days seems like overkill, I dunno.

[PartyGirlUK]

What is Peter Crouch's squat 1rm?

[KPowers]

why the hell do people put wooden boards on their chest sometimes when benching?

[saw7988]

Originally Posted by KPowers

why the hell do people put wooden boards on their chest sometimes when benching?

I'm under the impression it's to train the lockout part heavier? Sort of like a rack pull maybe?

[MortalWombat]

IMO the main reason people claim that squats are bad for the knees is that they don't want to squat and want an excuse not to.