View All Posts: CJR
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| » Chris's attempt at getting stronger (Go to post) | 14-01-2013 @ 20:51 | ||
Post Edited: 14.01.2013 @ 21:25 PM by CJR Had a massive reply typed out on my phone and lost it all :@Had LOTS of rest over the weekend so was feeling good today. Gym had two brand new Texas Power Bars so had a play around with them. Changed squatting technique so that it's now basically a low bar oly squat i.e. torso much more upright with more bounce in the hole. ME lower squats - belted, with small chains (~6 kg each) 130x3 worst set of the bunch, need to do more warm up sets 130x3 130x3 130x3 130x3 rest of these were great, no problems deficit sumo deads - off 3 mats ~ 5 inches. Beltless 120 for 3 singles. laughably slow. Need to work on these. 100 for 3 singles. Running out of time so the following was done alternated with minimum rest. GHRs BW +10 x7 BW +10 x5 BW x 10 band pullthroughs 2 sets of 10 machine rows 35x7 35x7 40x5 40x5 40x5 decent situps/side bends 2 sets each That's more like it!! Squats felt great, nice and explosive. Lower back was probably rounding a bit at the bottom but that will improve with time. I'm not joking when I say tonight's squats were easier than Thursday's 107.5 sets! | |||
| » Chris's attempt at getting stronger (Go to post) | 10-01-2013 @ 20:36 | ||
Post Edited: 10.01.2013 @ 20:37 PM by CJR So got forced into doing squats again...RE day bench - with mini red bands 72.5x5 72.5x5 72.5x5 all fast DB floor press 35x3 37.5x3 40x3 40x3 40x3 JM press 52x7 52x7 52x7 squats 107.5x5 107.5x5 107.5x5 107.5x5 beltless. All tough :s good mornings 60x5 60x5 60x5 Alternated with DB rows 37.5x10 37.5x10 Rest times were pretty short but still didn't have time for GHRs, reverse hypers, abs and curls. So f**ked right now. Instead of going to bed before 11 every night I've been getting approx 4 hours sleep...and waking up in the middle. Feels like I'm overtrained right now, squats felt super heavy. | |||
| » Chris's attempt at getting stronger (Go to post) | 08-01-2013 @ 20:50 | ||
| ME upper bench 80x5 80x5 80x5 80x5 80x5 close grip bench - with 3 board 70x3 70x3 75x3 75x3 paused 75x3 paused JM press 40x12 40x12 DB tricep kick ups on floor 10x12 10x12 DB shrugs 40x3 40x3 40x3 Yates' rows 90x5 90x5 80x5 one arm DB press 20x5 20x5 20x5 cheat curls 40x7 40x7 40x7 Meh. Reconsidering February's comp (10th) as I'm off on holiday for 2 weeks on feb 25th. So might be better served by skipping the comp and just building strength up to the holiday, rather than building to the comp, recovering for the week after and then essentially going straight on holiday for 2 weeks. Still got time to decide anyway. If things keep going the way they are I don't think I'll be able to improve on my total in time... :s | |||
| » Chris's attempt at getting stronger (Go to post) | 08-01-2013 @ 09:21 | ||
| ME lower squats beltless 105x5 105x5 122.5x3 122.5x3 122.5x3 tough. wasn't happy with any of these. rack pulls - from below knee 140 for 8 singles. Last one conventional just for kicks. All fast anyway seated GMs 50x15 50x15 GHRs BW+5kg x 8 +10kg x 7 pullthroughs/band curls 2 sets of 12 on each machine rows 35 - 5 sets of 6 abs Squats are going nowhere atm. Legs just constantly feel so tight, squatting with the bar is painful despite all the stretching. quads and IT band are causing the problem in particular. Don't think it's systemic overtraining as my bench feels ok and I'm not particularly lethargic throughout the day. Going to ice a lot more and try getting to bed before 11 each night! Will probably skip squats on Thursday or do them light. | |||
| » Chris's attempt at getting stronger (Go to post) | 08-01-2013 @ 09:19 | ||
Post Edited: 03.10.2015 @ 13:30 PM by CJR Thought it was about time I started a journal on here. Been keeping one on the MP forums for a few years now but it's always nice to get input from a variety of sources.I'm 22, been strength training (properly) for about two years now, mainly doing routines such as the Texas method, madcow and 5/3/1. Recently switched over to a westside-style workout to see what I can get out of it. I train at Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club in London and competed in my first powerlifting competition in December, totalling 455kg (at 98kg BW). My next competition is in Hitchin on the 10th Feb. The plan is to continue entering comps and hopefully hit a 500kg total before 2013 is up! Anyway, the lifts: Squat (belted) - 157.5kg Bench (TnG) - 105kg Bench (paused) - 97.5kg Deadlift (sumo) - 204.5kg (the bar weighed 17kg which is why this number is weird :s) I occasionally upload youtube videos to my channel, including ones I took at the London olympics so if you're interested, the address is: www.youtube.com/user/chrisryan90 Start of 2014 training Start of training in Taiwan after 2 months off | |||
| » Super Log of Joy (Go to post) | 19-12-2012 @ 08:40 | ||
Rico said: Hi mate, cheers! Yeah I was on it for about two months and would definitely recommend it. The only reason i'm not following it rigidly now is because im back from uni and having to train with minimal equipment (ie no bands etc), but still loosely doing max and repetition effort. With regards to height, nah i'm a short arse! 5ft 8 on a good day! Sounds good! One quick question though. How did you set up the bands for push pressing?? Did you just loop it around heavy dumbbells on the floor? | |||
| » Super Log of Joy (Go to post) | 18-12-2012 @ 13:46 | ||
| Nice lifting dude. Are you still on the forced entry method? Noticed you were on it a while back, was thinking about doing it in the new year. You seem to have gained a lot out of it. Your strengths and weaknesses look similar to mine (except you're stronger in general), you're the same age and you weigh the same as me. Tell me you're 6ft2 and we'll be peas in a pod. | |||
| » Qualifications and a career in strength training (Go to post) | 17-12-2012 @ 17:16 | ||
Post Edited: 17.12.2012 @ 17:16 PM by CJR If I'm still in this job by the time I'm 30 I'll probably throw myself under a bus tbh (don't quote me on that)..In all seriousness though, I never really planned on being in this line of work for more than 5 years, even before I started. | |||
| » Qualifications and a career in strength training (Go to post) | 17-12-2012 @ 15:36 | ||
Post Edited: 17.12.2012 @ 15:37 PM by CJR Funky_monkey said:I used to work in a commercial gym, and my enthusiasm did indeed drop. Definitely do NOT train at the place you're going to be working at - the number of times I'm covered in blood/sweat/chalk/all three and a customer comes and asks me a stupid question. Hours are always going to be unsociable, a majority of those who can afford to pay somebody for an expert opinion witll be working 9-5 and you'll be waking up at 5am, or working until 10pm, or both. Early starts on weekends/bank holidays aren't much fun either. I do some work as a personal trainer (University Degree and REPS Level 3 with ACSM, this should make VG and some others laugh about my poor knowledge and stupid questions) and trying to get more into strength and conditioning, but the market is TOUGH. From personal experience, money is at commercial, poncy gyms and having clients do what they want (they'll all claim to be experts but they're overweight/weak/constantly injured) instead of letting you guide them with your expert advice. I agree with VG that some people can get a silly qualification with 4-6 weeks training and don't think this is fair on those that have studied for years to gain an in-depth knowledge of everything, and that to me is also demoralising. I honestly considered buying a commercial gym with a bit of a balance between prettyboy training/cardio bunnies and heavy weights, but the gym got sold to someone else. I barely see the guy who ended up buying the gym, but he obviously trains. Obviously somewhere else. Could you not do some job shadowing for a couple of weeks to see how you feel? Needless to say, I've not worked in a gym for a couple of years now and don't want to go back, i'd much rather know when i'm working/not working and plan my life a little better. I'm much more enthusiastic about my training that I was when I was working at the gym. It's also worth noting that whilst the money can be excellent at some times, you can easily get NOTHING which is exactly the situation I'm in at the moment. I remember at one point having more money than I could want and luckily I saved it up for when there's no work, such as now. May I ask what your qualifications are and what work you're doing at the moment? Thanks for the advice, this sort of stuff kind of knocks me back into reality. And I'll be honest I never really thought about the whole working hours thing. I guess when I think about "working in the industry", I see it through rose-tinted glasses, comparing it to what some of the top American coaches have managed to do (like the whole elite FTS franchise or DeFranco's etc) even though they are merely exceptions to the rule! My degree was in Maths and I currently work in banking. As I said, not the most fulfilling of jobs! And nothing related to sports science unfortunately, although I try to do my own research as I have quite a critical mind. Just out of interest, are there any members on here that run their own gyms? If so I'd be interested to hear their experiences. | |||
| » Qualifications and a career in strength training (Go to post) | 17-12-2012 @ 15:20 | ||
Post Edited: 17.12.2012 @ 15:26 PM by CJR Thanks for the insight VG, I was secretly hoping that you'd reply actually.Completing a qualification is starting to look a bit more appealing and I would do it in parallel to my job, so I wouldn't have to sacrifice much at least. Yes it will cost a few hundred quid (or more), but at least I can meet more people in the industry, and the added knowledge should help my training in some way. I thought UKSCA might be better as it doesn't just focus on the snatch and C+J (which BWLA course does, I assume?) As for actually making the leap of faith to a new job, it's a decision that I won't be taking too soon. You've given me a lot to think about though, so thanks for that. Call me naive or idealistic, but like most of you guys I really just want to educate the general public and make them realise what a sad state the fitness industry is in right now. Although in saying that, I can imagine punching a client in the face within 3 weeks of becoming a PT lol. Fazc said:Just to play devils' advocate. You're still very young and it could be argued you shouldn't really care *too* much about your job right now anyway. Rack up experience, sure, but it shouldn't be your life. Enjoy your training as a hobby, and appreciate the fact that you're putting away valuable experience and qualifications in a job which will support you as you get older. As foreign as it may seem now, there will come a point where training is not your life. Where you aren't as enthusiastic and other things gain priority. At that point you may well be glad you racked up experience in a steady field which provides good money and creature comforts. I just want to give you another perspective. I think this kind of thing goes through every young trainees head at one point or another, I know it did for me. Personally I'm glad I stayed the course. I now enjoy training as my hobby, it's valuable to me as a hobby, but I prefer the satisfaction and money from my regular day job. Just another perspective, hope that encouraged some thought. Interesting. I guess it's just because my job seems so unrewarding right now, and I hear no end of people saying "do what you love, don't waste your life in a job if you don't enjoy it!". At the moment, the only thing I really have any enthusiasm for is training, which is why it seemed the logical step. My aim for the future is to run my own business/be self-employed. But I guess even if I was to start my own company in an arbitrary sector of work then I would develop an enthusiasm for that area anyway, simply because it was "my own". Don't know if that last bit makes sense lol, but I'm basically agreeing with you that maybe it is wisest to keep training as a hobby as you say. | |||
| » Qualifications and a career in strength training (Go to post) | 17-12-2012 @ 12:12 | ||
Post Edited: 28.01.2013 @ 11:43 AM by CJR Hey all, first post and it’s a bit of a long one I’m afraid, so apologies in advance for that. I’m looking for a bit of advice regarding qualifications and a profession centred on training.First off, a bit about me. Been training for about four years now, two of those being plagued by f**karounditis/bodybuilding/useless stuff etc, with the most recent two being focussed on strength training. I train at Bethnal green weightlifting club and just competed in my first powerlifting comp there, which was an amazing experience. I totalled 455kg (needs work I know). I’ve tried weightlifting in the past but my knees couldn’t hold up to it (probably due to bad beginner technique). Despite not practicing the Olympic lifts anymore I still remain very interested in the technique behind it and the sport as a whole continues to fascinate me. I may take it up again in the future. I graduated last year and have been working in a graduate job since then. It’s a profession that would be very rewarding (financially speaking) if I were to stick with it. Thing is, I hate my job. It’s completely uninteresting to me and I don’t want to let myself get trapped there for the rest of my life (something that could quite easily happen). It’s for this reason I’d like to switch profession to something I’m passionate about, although I'm willing to stay in my current job for a year or two more in order to accumulate some savings. Everything in my life is prioritised based on my training. I certainly put my training above impressing my bosses and networking/kissing ass, and I think that having a job that was in some way related to strength training would suit me down to the ground. Whether it be owning my own gym, being a strength coach or even conducting research around technique, it’s something I’ve got my mind set on. I’ve felt like this for a long time which makes it seem genuine rather than a passing thought/pipe dream. Since I don’t quite know what I want to do yet, I just want to learn as much as possible. I was thinking of completing some courses to gain qualifications, and the UKSCA and BWLA courses look to be good, decent ones. I know that qualifications won’t guarantee success, especially since there are so many pseudo-qualifications for PTs making the rounds, but I think for someone in my position it would be ideal in order to learn and meet like-minded people. This highlights another problem with my current job – nobody shares my enthusiasm for training no matter how much I try to convert them, so I’ve got all this pent up training frustration haha. Anyway, most of that information was probably completely irrelevant because I only have a few key questions: 1) Do you think UKSCA/BWLA courses are worth the monetary investment (for someone in my position)? And if so, which would you recommend? I’d guess UKSCA as it’s more general? And are there any other courses you’d recommend above and beyond these two? 2) For those members whose profession is somehow related to strength training; has working full-time in a training environment diminished: a) your enthusiasm for the sport, and as a consequence b) your performance. 3) Am I completely wasting my time in trying to find a lucrative profession in the strength training world? Thanks in advance. | |||