Trevor10 said:
Alright so i have a few questions, but other than that i understand everything so far...
Glad to hear!
Im not sure what planks or SHELCs are...so i may need a briefing on that, or i can Google them.
SHELCs = supine hip extensions with a leg curl
For these, you will need an exercise ball.
Here's a vid:
YouTube - SHELC
The first part where you pelvis moves up is the hip extension. This should be accomplished primarily by "popping" your pelvis forward/up by contracting your glute muscles.
The second part of it is the leg curl, where you curl the ball toward your butt. It's best to go nice, slow, and controlled here. Focus on pushing down on the ball and contracting your hamstrings.
It might take you a minute to get used to this as for some, it's an awkward exercise with balance and whatnot. Just be sure to keep your arms planted down at your sides to stabilize your body.
As far as form goes for squats, i may need some directional videos so i can practice this form in order to lift properly.
Squats can be tricky for some people depending on muscle imbalances, poor balance, and flexibility issues.
I'd really spend a lot of time focusing on the mechanics of the exercise before worrying about how much weight you're lifting. Actually, I'd focus on this for ALL the exercises before worrying about weight.
That said, first I suggest reading my write up on the squat in the basic lifts thread, found here:
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weight-loss-through-exercise/14264-basic-lifts.html
It's the second post in the thread, however, the entire thread is worth a read as it goes into some progression.
I'm not sure if the vids are all still working or not, but you should watch them as well.
This youtube user has some amazing vids on squat rx worth watching.... it could eat up some time but it's a wise investment IMO if you are going to start lifting seriously. You don't have to watch them all, but at the very least, most of the ones concerning the squat. He's found here:
YouTube - johnnymnemonic2's Videos
What kind of machine is needed for calves?
Some gyms have machines specifically for calves.
If not, do you have a leg press machine?
If not, you'll have to modify something and use DBs.
How often will i need to change routines?
There's no set answer to this..... it will vary from person to person. That said, there's no need being as that you're a novice to create some fancy periodization set up yet. In the early stages, focus on learning proper execution of these exercises. Once comfortable, start focusing on gradual progression in terms of weight lifted.
Being as that you're a novice and you're going to be eating adequately, you should expect pretty steady strength gains for quite a while.... some can ride out these novice gains without changing things up for a few months. I've seen some ride it out an entire year.
We'll discuss progression in a bit.
lol so many questions, and i understand if you cant get back to me right away...sounds like the test is keeping ya pretty busy...hope you ace it!
Haha, I'm busy, but it sure as shit wasn't b/c of that test. I studied for a week. Crammed a lot of reading into a few days, but I passed.... thanks.
***********************
The main point of order that you need to keep in mind right now is you aren't focusing on getting strong right now. That comes after a foundation is in place, and that foundation comes in the way of learning the exercises. I don't want you grinding out any sets yet; by that, I mean don't be using any weight that you are even close to struggling with. Everything should be 'light.' Think 55-65% intensity. Focus all of your attention on form.
*************************
Most people have tight/overactive hip flexors, ITB, biceps femoris, adductors and piriformis muscles and weakened/inhibited hip extensors – the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and minimus, and possibly medial hamstrings.
That's the imbalances I speak of for the most part.
With that in mind.... it would be wise to focus on flexibility training, especially during these initial stages before you're pushing any serious weights. This is a large chunk of that initial 'foundation' I mentioned previously.
I'd really think about purchasing a foam roller if I were you. Most anyone nowadays is going to have bad stuff going on in terms of kinetic chain imbalances and self myofascial release (foam rolling) is one of the best weapons to combat these imbalances. We can discuss some flexibility training concepts in a bit once the rest of this shit is digested.
****************************
Anytime you're weight training, you should do a proper warm-up. A general warm-up is good to start with. This would be something like 5-10 minutes of light jogging, jump roping, bike riding, etc.
From there, you should move into more specific warmup, specific to what you're about to do; lift weights.
A specific warmup serves as a neuromuscular rehearsal of the upcoming lift as well as an opportunity to get your body used to progressively heavier loads.
Contrary to how most people warm up (with high reps), the focus should be on low rep warm up sets as the high rep warm ups sets promote too much residual fatigue which can negatively affect strength. You should do a couple light weight (but progressively heavier), low rep warm up sets for the exercises before getting into the work sets. So, a warm up for a 200-pound squat might look something like this
95x5
135x3
185x1
And then you'd start the work sets with 200lbs for the designated number of reps.
Follow me?
************************
Like I said, there's a lot to digest in the beginning, but once it's digested, the concepts in weight training are rather simple.
Again, take some time, look through everything, and then let the questions fire.