Form

[Twist]

Chest: What grip do you use? Wide or narrow? In relation to the line on the bar

Shoulders: What grip do you use? Wide or narrow? In relation to the line on the bar

Legs: What feet positioning do you use for squats (feet pointing straight or outward)? Leg press?
How big of a step do you take when lunging (more glutes or more quads)? Knees go over your toes?

Back: How wide of a pullup position do you use (in relation to the kinks on the pulldown bar)?
Seated rows do you lean forward or do you keep your back at 90* and only move your back/arms?

[baseline_9]

Benchpress - narrow grip just wider than shoulder width... Inside lines on bar maybe 1 inch

Shoulder press - wider grip. Just outside lines on bar

Squat fairly neutral... Hip width. Toes out slightly

Leg press... Wide feet low on platform. Toes out slightly

Pull downs.... Underhand/ neutral grip.... Close grip...

Seated rows... Stay at 90 degrees, lean forward slightly for stretch... Pull low into waist

[baseline_9]

Do I pass....?

[Twist]

I'm not looking for a right or wrong lol. I always do bench with pinky on the line but recently I have finished with wide grip bench and I feel the stretch more. BUt I also think it is bad for shoulders...

I do lat pulldowns with my hands on the kink in the bar but lately I have been going wider to see how that works.

Shoulders I do the same as you

I used to always keep my feet facing 100% forward doing squats but now I point out slightly.

Lunges I always go knees over toes (I hear its bad but idk why, doubt it is).

Seated rows I always get a huge stretch like arnold style. Tried the other way but I just don't feel it as much.

Just wondering what others do and how they like it/how they respond. Thanks for the input Base, I was actually gonna message you here if you missed it.

[baseline_9]

I know LOL I was kidding..


When I used to do wide grip pull downs I would never go that wide... I used to prefer it on the straight part of the bar.... About the same width as my bench in fact...

However I much prefer close grip now with an underhand or neutral grip.... We have a nice iso plate loaded pull down machine that has a 'palms facing each other grip'... It starts close (about 6 inches apart) and as you pull down it goes out to about 18 inches appart.... Really good IMO

[baseline_9]

I could meet up with you and talk about training all day LOL

[Twist]

I know LOL I was kidding..


When I used to do wide grip pull downs I would never go that wide... I used to prefer it on the straight part of the bar.... About the same width as my bench in fact...

However I much prefer close grip now with an underhand or neutral grip.... We have a nice iso plate loaded pull down machine that has a 'palms facing each other grip'... It starts close (about 6 inches apart) and as you pull down it goes out to about 18 inches appart.... Really good IMO

I've always had problems with my back (too strong for my arms- guess my problem is my arms lol) so I'm always trying to figure out new ways to hit them. I actually like palms facing each other but wide. What I've really been enjoying lately is regular lat pulldowns (last exercise for back), superset with behind the neck wide lat pulldowns and super slow squeezing the shit out of the contraction then super slow negative and repeat until my shoulders (rear delts especially) are so pumped I can barely move. Working on utilizing that now. I really never train my shoulders separately, I just try to work them on other exercises and they grow pretty well. I'll see if my gym has one of those machines and try it out. I also have been doing flat bar rows but leaned back past 90* and trying to hit the upper back a little more. Not sure about the success of that one...

I could meet up with you and talk about training all day LOL

Agreed.

[baseline_9]

For upper back do cable rows as follows... Really good..

Lat pull down bar...

Hands slightly wider than shoulder width...

Row bar to bottom of chest...

Pause at full contraction on each rep... Seriously pause! If u can't pause then drop the weight...

Have a spotter do forced reps with you to complete every rep ensuring a full contraction and pause... Even if he spotter is the one helping you to pause...


Started doing these after I saw Yates doing them when he was training guys in all of there back workouts....

Great for traps as well

[Twist]

I tried that already. Didn't do much. I'll cycle it back in and see what happens but it didn't do anything last time. Chest and biceps seem to be the only muscles of mine that respond well to static contraction. I'll try again though as I'm at a sticking point so it won't hurt.

[baseline_9]

I tried that already. Didn't do much. I'll cycle it back in and see what happens but it didn't do anything last time. Chest and biceps seem to be the only muscles of mine that respond well to static contraction. I'll try again though as I'm at a sticking point so it won't hurt.

Heavy rack pulls?

[Twist]

That's a new one I have never tried. ATM can't squat or dead or do anything heavy on my feet cuz of the tears in the bottom of my feet along with my calfs. Going to doc monday so I'll know more then. I'll have to put this off but as soon as I can I'm gonna try this out. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[baseline_9]

Wide grip bent over rows...

Overhand grip

Bent all the way over parallel to the floor

Explosive movements... Don't worry about full contraction... Power it up


Finnish off with a really light set and then focus on the contraction...


Pull bar to just below chest

[Twist]

Can't stand on my feet and do bent over rows so how about the cables or even the machine where you lay down with the pad on your chest? I do that one but I don't focus on contraction very much.

[Twist]

What are your thoughts about squatting with feet forward vs feet pointed slightly out? And what about knees not going over toes in lunges?

[baseline_9]

Do you mean supported t bar rows... Good IMO

My thoughts on squats are;

Do them the way that feels best.... Do go ****ing about trying to go narrow or wide, just use a fairly neutral stance Wight he toes out slightly (which should be fairly neutral)

I do like hack squatting a bit narrower tho... Only because it is more controlled...

The whole knees over toes thing is bull IMO.... If your knees are not going over your toes then your not bending the knee joint enough resulting is less ROM...

When I squat, I squat deep and my knees go over my toes slightly... If they didn't then I would not be able to go as deep... It all comes down to how your put together...

If your femur is long in comparison to the rest of your body you will find it harder to go deep and stay balanced without the knees going over the toes

If your femur is short your centre of gravity will be more central at the bottom of the squat and will allow you to keep the lower leg more upright, thus keeping the knees back behind the toes..


Im rambling

[Twist]

Great we are on the same page then. Hey check my thread bro
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...5#.Tkb4E3NOV2o
Back workout is in there (yeah I meant supported tbar rows) along with a protein mix to be critiqued.

[Nooomoto]

Chest: What grip do you use? Wide or narrow? In relation to the line on the bar

Shoulders: What grip do you use? Wide or narrow? In relation to the line on the bar

Legs: What feet positioning do you use for squats (feet pointing straight or outward)? Leg press?
How big of a step do you take when lunging (more glutes or more quads)? Knees go over your toes?

Back: How wide of a pullup position do you use (in relation to the kinks on the pulldown bar)?
Seated rows do you lean forward or do you keep your back at 90* and only move your back/arms?

Chest: On dynamic effort days, I alternate grips for each set. Close, medium, wide (as far as I can go on the bar). For maximal effort days, I use pinky on the ring.

Shoulders: As wide as possible on the bar

Squats: Feet point 45 degrees out, legs spread as wide as possible, squat below parallel

Pull ups: I alternate grips for each set. Narrow pull up, wide pull up, chin up.

I'm a strength athlete (rugby), not a bodybuilder. BB would obviously train differently.

[Twist]

For squats you use a sumo stance? How's that work for you moto?