In the gym

[Monique]

i read that a famous climber, who weighs 30 lbs less than me, does 12 with 110 lbs.

You realize that "weighs less than me" matters a lot in this comparison, right? Pull ups are a "strength to weight ratio" exercise. Lighter people do better with them.

 

[LuliTheYounger]

You realize that "weighs less than me" matters a lot in this comparison, right? Pull ups are a "strength to weight ratio" exercise. Lighter people do better with them.

Worst part about doing gymnastics as a kid is that I'm forever haunted by the pull up numbers I could do as a 3rd grader.

 

[Monique]

Worst part about doing gymnastics as a kid is that I'm forever haunted by the pull up numbers I could do as a 3rd grader.

And they're beasts in the climbing gym.

 

[Varmintmist]

"Time under tension" is the name of the game for body building / muscle size. Slow reps, lots of them. That's what I'm doing in the current part of my program. Then later, strength training, fewer reps at a normal tempo. You'll get some strength gains from doing high reps, but it's more about muscle size. If you want to look swole, yes, go slow and do lots of them.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lift-for-length-build-muscle-with-time-under-tension.html

I dont want to look swole... thats why I go to the gym

 

[Varmintmist]

Thanks for the link. We used to call them negatives way back when. Its one thing I have found with the resistance band, it is constant pressure. I think it works better for my shoulder to. I cant press anything on a bench or machine, but using a band I can press because it starts at a lower angle. I thought bands were silly at first, but I am becoming a fan.

 

[Chef23]

I was pretty happy with my 5 pullups with 45 lbs until i read that a famous climber, who weighs 30 lbs less than me, does 12 with 110 lbs.

Aging doesn't matter so much. I'm 70 and still increase my weights and reps.

I could do 8 pullups at 240lbs at one point until I had some shoulder issues. My friend who weighs 165 could do 15-17. I always told him to strap on 60 lbs and see if he could do any. Definitely a stregth to weight ratio exercise.

 

[Rod9301]

I could do 8 pullups at 240lbs at one point until I had some shoulder issues. My friend who weighs 165 could do 15-17. I always told him to strap on 60 lbs and see if he could do any. Definitely a stregth to weight ratio exercise.

That's about right. Without weight i can do 18 pullups, but adding 45 lbs i drop to 5 reps

 

[Monique]

Thanks for the link. We used to call them negatives way back when. Its one thing I have found with the resistance band, it is constant pressure. I think it works better for my shoulder to. I cant press anything on a bench or machine, but using a band I can press because it starts at a lower angle. I thought bands were silly at first, but I am becoming a fan.

They're just a tool. I'm sure some people do silly things with them, but they can help on all sorts of ways.

 

[Monique]

Just did my first ever 1 rep max tests. This is after a month of hypertrophy training following what was mostly rehab oriented exercises. I weigh about 190 pounds right now at 5'5. I haven't done deadlifts in over a month, but my failure point was grip strength (I want to build grip strength, so I'm not using straps or mixed grip).

Deadlift: 260 pounds
Bench: 97.5 pounds
Squat: 175 pounds

This was the first time I've used my lifting belt, so that was exciting. I wanted to break 100 on bench, which didn't happen - but I'm thrilled and surprised to break 500 combined, so it's all good. The deadlifts were better than I'd feared but not as good as I'd hoped. I thought my squat would be weak because I'd never actually done much weight with them - went from doing rehab oriented exercises to the ultra slow and lightweight hypertrophy sets. During testing, I stopped tracking how much weight I was doing and just let my trainer take care of it. At some point, he said, "I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised." Oooooh yeah.

 

[Monique]

Oops -

 

[socalgal]

Oops -

View attachment 70395

View attachment 70394

Awesome!

 

[John Webb]

I'm gaining weight !

 

[TheArchitect]

I've been with my personal trainer for a year now but I'm going to take a break during the off-season. He's great but it's just too. damned. expensive! I plan on signing up at my local gym until maybe October.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good off-season program that's ski-centric aka lower body and core? I plan on spending 3 days a week in the gym and one weekend day either biking, inline skating or some other similar activity. I could build a program myself but my previous gym experience as a youth was based on bodybuilding and I'm not interested in that type of routine any more.

I know that I could craft a workout based on the functional training I've been doing with my trainer but I need to do something new for a while to break up the monotony. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[Seldomski]

I've been with my personal trainer for a year now but I'm going to take a break during the off-season. He's great but it's just too. damned. expensive! I plan on signing up at my local gym until maybe October.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good off-season program that's ski-centric aka lower body and core? I plan on spending 3 days a week in the gym and one weekend day either biking, inline skating or some other similar activity. I could build a program myself but my previous gym experience as a youth was based on bodybuilding and I'm not interested in that type of routine any more.

I know that I could craft a workout based on the functional training I've been doing with my trainer but I need to do something new for a while to break up the monotony. Any suggestions are welcome.

I suggest you ask your trainer specifically for the lower body and core routine, and perhaps even say that you want sessions where you get hands on training and then sessions that you can do independently.

 

[Monique]

I suggest you ask your trainer specifically for the lower body and core routine, and perhaps even say that you want sessions where you get hands on training and then sessions that you can do independently.

Any trainer should be open to that, I would think. It's a pretty typical mode.

(I've expressed an interest in programming, so now my trainer gives me "homework assignments" where I write a programming rough draft, and then we talk about it, and he adjusts it as necessary.)

aka lower body and core?

For core, I swear by decline sit ups and what my trainer calls "hammers." The trick with decline sit ups is that I do them on a bench that allows you to increase the angle quite a bit, so that I'm hanging at about 55*. "Hammers" are twists using a bar and a landmine, ie:


Between high angle decline sit ups and hammers, my core is ridiculously strong now. To the point where when I suggested side planks as one of my exercises, he said, "There's no point - you're too strong for that to do anything for you." I've become convinced that the core is the magic ingredient in making every day things and all our activities just so much easier. Carrying two formless sacks of dog food on my shoulder, slip-sliding against each other? I can do it. Carrying a 90 pound dumbbell (which I can't even pick up if I only use one hand) against my side? Done! (My boyfriend said not to worry about those, because he didn't want me to hurt myself trying to carry them. He should have known not to say that!) Moving a mattress and various other weirdly shaped furniture? I'm your gal! (unfortunately)

Of course, the core goes all around the torso. I swear by good mornings and deadlifts. Both of which are rewarding if done correctly, and excellent for posterior chain.

 

[mdf]

...using a band I can press because it starts at a lower angle. I thought bands were silly at first, but I am becoming a fan.

That's an advantage of cable weights too.

I need to do something new for a while to break up the monotony. Any suggestions are welcome.

I spend half an hour on the stairmaster most days of the week. I have it set one level below the setting where I can't finish a half hour. (Been there a long time ... probably time to try to push up one now... sigh.) I read books to keep from getting bored.

Then I do some low-weight arm work (25 or 30 pounds per arm) with cable or dumbbells to keep my shoulders functional. 30 reps in 3 to 5 different directions. Sometimes suitcases or twisty things for my back. I used to do inclined sit ups but something weird has been going on with my throat that they aggravate.

Even after all these years I am still not a gym fan. I go because it makes my body work better. Based on who is almost always the last one off the ski hill, it seems to be working.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Find the longest stairway on your neighborhood and start climbing it regularly.

 

[scott43]

Can anyone tell me what the most effective stretch and strengthen is for the upper part of the psoas muscle? The part that attaches to the lower back?? Help!

 

[TheArchitect]

I suggest you ask your trainer specifically for the lower body and core routine, and perhaps even say that you want sessions where you get hands on training and then sessions that you can do independently.

I talked with him tonight about how I should train before I go back to him. He went over how he builds my routines, which have always been functional and targeting skiing. Now that I know how he does it I can look at doing the same type of structure but with my own exercises.

Any trainer should be open to that, I would think. It's a pretty typical mode.

(I've expressed an interest in programming, so now my trainer gives me "homework assignments" where I write a programming rough draft, and then we talk about it, and he adjusts it as necessary.)

For core, I swear by decline sit ups and what my trainer calls "hammers." The trick with decline sit ups is that I do them on a bench that allows you to increase the angle quite a bit, so that I'm hanging at about 55*. "Hammers" are twists using a bar and a landmine, ie:


Between high angle decline sit ups and hammers, my core is ridiculously strong now. To the point where when I suggested side planks as one of my exercises, he said, "There's no point - you're too strong for that to do anything for you." I've become convinced that the core is the magic ingredient in making every day things and all our activities just so much easier. Carrying two formless sacks of dog food on my shoulder, slip-sliding against each other? I can do it. Carrying a 90 pound dumbbell (which I can't even pick up if I only use one hand) against my side? Done! (My boyfriend said not to worry about those, because he didn't want me to hurt myself trying to carry them. He should have known not to say that!) Moving a mattress and various other weirdly shaped furniture? I'm your gal! (unfortunately)

Of course, the core goes all around the torso. I swear by good mornings and deadlifts. Both of which are rewarding if done correctly, and excellent for posterior chain.

I LOVE the landmine twists (hammers). We do them and you can really feel the core being worked hard. My trainer isn't a big fan of sit-ups but give me tons of different core exercises using lever bells, kettle bells, sandbags, chops and a lot more. I agree with you about the core being so important for all things. I can't imagine working out and skipping core. I could care less how big my arms or shoulders are. I want to keep a strong core.

That's an advantage of cable weights too.

I spend half an hour on the stairmaster most days of the week. I have it set one level below the setting where I can't finish a half hour. (Been there a long time ... probably time to try to push up one now... sigh.) I read books to keep from getting bored.

Then I do some low-weight arm work (25 or 30 pounds per arm) with cable or dumbbells to keep my shoulders functional. 30 reps in 3 to 5 different directions. Sometimes suitcases or twisty things for my back. I used to do inclined sit ups but something weird has been going on with my throat that they aggravate.

Even after all these years I am still not a gym fan. I go because it makes my body work better. Based on who is almost always the last one off the ski hill, it seems to be working.

I'll be mixing in some cardio so I'll give the stairmaster a shot. I'm not a huge fan of the gym either but I can tell the difference when I'm skiing so I keep going and will continue to do so.

Find the longest stairway on your neighborhood and start climbing it regularly.

I've got some good options for that.

 

[Scruffy]

I've been with my personal trainer for a year now but I'm going to take a break during the off-season. He's great but it's just too. damned. expensive! I plan on signing up at my local gym until maybe October.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good off-season program that's ski-centric aka lower body and core? I plan on spending 3 days a week in the gym and one weekend day either biking, inline skating or some other similar activity. I could build a program myself but my previous gym experience as a youth was based on bodybuilding and I'm not interested in that type of routine any more.

I know that I could craft a workout based on the functional training I've been doing with my trainer but I need to do something new for a while to break up the monotony. Any suggestions are welcome.

Leg Blasters
https://www.backcountry.com/explore/train-eccentric-leg-strength-for-alpine-skiing

and

Burpees