My new gym is going to kick ass!

[IronFist]

I just visited the gym where I'll be working out when I move and start my job in the next month and a half.

Holy ****!!!

My friend who already lives there was showing me around. So I was taking the tour, and it looked like pretty-boy Bally's, right? Only one squat rack, not too many free weights... then I walk over to the dumbell rack and what do I see???

4 Kettlebells!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

I was like "Holy **** they have kettlebells here!!!" There were two 16kg ones and 2 8kg ones. They said russiankettlebell.com on the side, which is a link to Pavel's site.

But I said to my friend "um, is there a place to deadlift here?" Cuz I don't really want to join a gym if I can't deadlift, you know? He's like "hmm, let's ask that guy."

So we ask a guy working there if there's a place to deadlift. He was like "well you could do it in the squat rack" and I'm like "yeah but that kinda sucks" and he's like "well, downstairs behind the basketball courts theres a room with deadlifting platforms and bumper plates!

I was like: :eek:!

So I went to check it out. None of the gyms I've ever been at have had bumper plates before, so I was totally excited! There were TWO deadlifting platforms that were wood in the middle and rubber on the edges, and 6 or 8 20kg bumper plates along with another tree of regular weights!

I was like this: :D

So now I can't wait to start working out there!

However, there are a couple things that suck:

1. All the bench press bars are the thin ones. I hate those. I don't have big hands at all, but when I bench with them my fingernails stab into my palm because the bar is so thin in diameter. I have no idea how you guys with big hands do it.

2. There's one place to do pullups, and it's a narrow little bar in the squat rack.

3. It's a mostly family-oriented gym with lots of cardio and machines, but the vital free weights are there so it's all good.

But did I mention:

Kettlebells and DL platforms with bumperplates?!!!!

[KWUsCRD]

Originally posted by IronFist

1. All the bench press bars are the thin ones. I hate those. I don't have big hands at all, but when I bench with them my fingernails stab into my palm because the bar is so thin in diameter. I have no idea how you guys with big hands do it.


Thats because your holding the bar wrong. You have to remain open handed.

Hold the bar so it goes through you index finger and your thumb and lays along the crease of your palm.

It's called a "false" grip as opposed to a "true" grip. If your not sure what I mean, ask someone at the gyme to show you a false grip when benching.

I personally like it more. You can focus on just pushing the bar away as opposed to holding the bar and pushing it away. But it is risky. Theres a chance of having the bar roll on you etc. But theres also a risk of choking when eating cheerios.

I hope this helped, and congradulations on your new find.

[Shaolinlueb]

these kettleballs are interesting.

[Kymus]

a YMCA I used to go to was similar to that I think Upstairs they had all the pretty weight machines and tredmills and such, but downstairs was for the barbarian weight lifters :D. It didn't have anything pretty or fancey, just lots of heavy weights and big guys. I found it amusing.

[FatherDog]

Originally posted by IronFist

1. All the bench press bars are the thin ones. I hate those. I don't have big hands at all, but when I bench with them my fingernails stab into my palm because the bar is so thin in diameter. I have no idea how you guys with big hands do it.


We trim our fingernails once in a while. :D

[IronFist]

I hate the false grip. As far as I know, it makes no difference in muscle recruitment and it's dangerous. It's kind of like putting your feet up on the bench when you're benching... it's something bodybuilders think is useful but is actually counterproductive and dangerous :D

[Pork Chop]

err which one's false grip?
where your thumb goes all opposable and curls the opposite direction around the bar?
or where it curls the same direction as your palm?
I always did the second one, but I dunno if i like it so much.

[KWUsCRD]

Originally posted by IronFist
I hate the false grip. As far as I know, it makes no difference in muscle recruitment and it's dangerous. It's kind of like putting your feet up on the bench when you're benching... it's something bodybuilders think is useful but is actually counterproductive and dangerous :D

It's not really any more dangerous than the way you are currently holding the bar. :D

[KWUsCRD]

Originally posted by BMore Banga
err which one's false grip?
where your thumb goes all opposable and curls the opposite direction around the bar?
or where it curls the same direction as your palm?
I always did the second one, but I dunno if i like it so much.

Opposite.

[IronFist]

Huh? False grip is when your thumb and fingers are on the same side of the bar. It makes it easier for the bar to roll out of your hands and fall onto your chest/head/etc. depending on what exercise you're doing. In other words, it's NOT when your thumb and fingers are wrapped around in opposite directions.

How is that not any less dangerous than the grip I'm currently using?

[blooming lotus]

so get some gripped gloves:rolleyes: ;)

Ps..I wanna be that happy with my gym...feeling you there, nothing like it right :p :D

[Ford Prefect]

Sweet.

[KWUsCRD]

ok, basically what I meant, is hold the bar the same way you are doing now, but don't close your fingers around the bar, leave them pointing up towards the ceiling when doing reps.

[stubbs]

sounds good!! just wondering though, whats good about bumper plates? do they just make it look like your lifting alot more?
________
Voyeur teen (http://www.****tube.com/categories/1165/teen/videos/1)

[Ford Prefect]

Most people who oly-lift use them. I don't have bumper plates, so any weight I lift, I have to be able to lower to the ground under control. If I had bumper plates, I could lift more and just drop the weight from overhead onto the ground and watch it bounce harmlessly a few times.

[IronFist]

KWUsCRD said:

ok, basically what I meant, is hold the bar the same way you are doing now, but don't close your fingers around the bar, leave them pointing up towards the ceiling when doing reps.

Ohhhh... well in that case, that does somewhat weaken your press as it doesn't allow the forearm muscles to fully contract, which lessens the overall amount of tension you can generate.

I thought you were referring to having your thumb on the same side of the bar as your fingers.

stubbs said:

whats good about bumper plates? do they just make it look like your lifting alot more?

I don't know if they make it look like you're lifting more... they're a bit wider than regular plates so maybe they look like 100lb plates (which the gym also has :D) when they're only 20kg plates, but that doesn't matter. Besides, the only people you'd be impressing would be people who didn't know how much they actually weighed.

As Ford said, bumper plates let you kind of drop the weight without damaging the floor or anything. There's an Olympic lifter lady at my current gym and she has her own bumper plates and stuff that she keeps chained up so no one else can use them. Sometimes when all she has on the bar is the bumper plates, she'll drop it and they'll bounce back up a couple feet in the air.

[IronFist]

Except I probably won't use the KB's too much because almost every KB lift is shoulder-intensive and you all know I don't need any more shoulder development.

[stubbs]

thought bumper plates had a good purpose. i saw a vid of one guy squatting 100kg's with bumper plates and my jaw dropped because at first i didn't know what weight they were or that they were bumper plates. i now know better, thanks.
________
****ing Gay (http://www.****tube.com/categories/823/gay/videos/1)

[Toby]

Originally posted by blooming lotus
so get some gripped gloves:rolleyes: ;)

Ps..I wanna be that happy with my gym...feeling you there, nothing like it right :p :D Gloves are for (no offence, BL :D) girls. You lose some strength through the indirection given by gloves. Plus you miss out on the cool callouses :D. I still continue to use my squat pads, though :o.

Iron, my plates are all a cheapo rubber plate with 3 spokes on them so I get the softcock lifting ease as well. I also have rubber matting under my power rack so it's all good, I can drop the bar at will (and I do when deadlifting). They were the 2nd cheapest plates they had when I bought them. My old gym had a few York and Eleiko bumpers. They were well used but still my favourites. I wish I could afford York or Eleiko equipment, but looking at the Ironmind catalogue, I'll have to win Lotto first :eek:.

[FatherDog]

Originally posted by IronFist
Except I probably won't use the KB's too much because almost every KB lift is shoulder-intensive and you all know I don't need any more shoulder development.

Nah, keep going till your shoulders look like basketballs. It'll focus attention away from your tiny girlish hands. :D

[IronFist]

Originally posted by FatherDog


Nah, keep going till your shoulders look like basketballs. It'll focus attention away from your tiny girlish hands. :D

lol :D

[Ford Prefect]

lol!

[fa_jing]

I bet those shoulders are all fat. Try pressing two 16kg's in one hand and report back to me how many reps you got.

[IronFist]

I'll try when I start working out at the new gym. Altho remember, I have small hands so I might not be able to hold both of them at once. :D

What would 2x16kg be in pounds? 72 or something? I think I've side pressed a 70lb barbell before. We have these preset barbells at my gym that are like 4ft long that you can do curls with. They have straight bars (we also have the curl bar variety). They're awesome for doing side presses with because they look like those oldschool barbells that the oldtime strongmen used to use (except they don't have the bowling ball type weights on the end). Oh yeah, and they don't have knurled grip in the middle so they can be kind of slippery.

How many reps can you get with it?

[blooming lotus]

you know..from your recent posts over the last few weeks, you seem to pushing quite a bit weight there..I think you just won your argument about resistence and gaining mass, you're not so huge right..well cool ..maybe I will reconsider ..:D




;)

[Toby]

Originally posted by IronFist
What would 2x16kg be in pounds? 72 or something?

Google is your friend:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=32+kg+in+lb&btnG=Search

[Toby]

Found some photos for you BL:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2000/weightlifting/news/2000/09/21/haworth_dingold_ap/lg_xugang_ap.html
http://www.robertosmith.com/power2001.html (the guy at the bottom)
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/photo/2000/09/19/0000010688
http://www.serbia-info.com/g3/images/weightlifting2009.jpg
http://www.serbia-info.com/g3/images/weightlifting1909.jpg
http://www.serbia-info.com/g3/images/sydneylifting1809.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics2000/other_sports/937026.stm
http://www.adfpa.com/newsletter/02/results/womensart.html (the woman at the very bottom)
http://www.weightlifting.gr/loutraki2003/gallery.html (especially the lighter weight classes)

Lots of small people (i.e. not bodybuilders) lifting a lot more than I ever will.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Toby
Google is your friend:

I didn't know Google did conversions for you. Thanks :)


Originally posted by Blooming Lotus
you know..from your recent posts over the last few weeks, you seem to pushing quite a bit weight there..I think you just won your argument about resistence and gaining mass, you're not so huge right..well cool ..maybe I will reconsider ..


Are you talking to me? I'm not very strong. I guess I'm alright for my weight (165) but I'm not really that strong. I still can't do double bodyweight Deadlift (altho I don't train deadlift that much), much less double bw squat or bench. I have DL'ed in the 300's before, but not for reps.

Unless you're talking about weighted pullups, in which case I'm pretty strong. I've done bw + 105lbs on a belt for 2 or 3 complete, full ROM reps before, and when I train for it I can do single arm chinups.

And I guess my side press is alright, considering I really only do a couple reps every couple of months just for fun.

But yeah, you don't need to gain mass to gain strength.

[fa_jing]

Correct, and a 70 lb. dumbell would be an acceptable substitution. With the 2 - pood kettlebell, my bests are 4L/3R, so far. Oddly my right side is my strong side. I weigh 190 BTW.

5/5 would be pretty strong, and a good goal for you. I'm talking a strict MP here - feet together, kick the hip over a little, no leaning back, slight side bend allowed but no side press.

There are guys your weight who can press the 88. That would be pretty strong.

You won't have so much success unless you learn to engage your lat. Without weight, clamp your upper arm against your chest with the elbow down and the fist up. Have someone fold their hands over your fist and exert pressure downwards. Your lat should fire automatically as you brace against the pressure - that's the feeling you want in your 1-armed MPs.

You also need to tense your whole body, grip the weight hard, and make a tight fist with your free hand as you push up.

[blooming lotus]

Originally posted by Toby
Found some photos for you BL:

[the lighter weight classes)

Lots of small people (i.e. not bodybuilders) lifting a lot more than I ever will.

Lets not get too carried away..compared to me, none of them are so small to start with ansd second, when I was pt, I was lifting more than most except the extremely larger chicks...who I dead set to use AS my weight....but on a total gym....but cheers for the snaps..always good to keep an eye on the comp ;)