I would say, please warm up adequately before exercise since you sit at a desk all day. I would also say, since you don’t compete, you don’t need to pull over 500 or squat over 400, it will plague you in later years
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Stop trying to go fucking alpha lifting heavy for low reps all the time . Changed rep range from low reps to minimum 12. Removed deads and sqauts. Body has not felt this way for a long time.
Meaning your body feels a lot better now? Yeah, I haven’t been doing much deadlifting or squatting of late either, and I feel a lot better, too – way less aches and pains. Obviously those are incredible muscle- and strength-building movements if you get the mechanics down, but I’ve been working on them for years and am still far from perfect on form.
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What do you consider an adequate warm-up, brother? I usually do about 10 minutes, including some light cardio and a bunch of dynamic stretching/core activators.
Oh dude, I love Jujimufu. I think he’s kind of an anomaly, though, like a high-level pro athlete. And he’s also done a ton of gear (not that that discounts him, just that I don’t think there’s a 1:1 correlation). I’m also guessing he started doing acrobatics early in life?
Yeah, that’s part of it – my back is way more developed than the rest of my body for some reason, though I don’t work it more often than anything else. He thinks I should stop doing pullups altogether.
I agree with you on that, my man, but I do think the size-gaining would take a hit just by nature of devoting more time in my workout schedule to mobility. He is indeed recommending “functional” training because I don’t want to compete – he thinks that would serve my long-term needs better. He also used the phrase “avoid becoming muscle-bound,” which I kind of laughed at.
What type of stretching do you do? Before/after workout?
That’s my problem is I don’t do enough now as it is. I don’t enjoy stretching as much as lifting so I don’t give it enough attention. I don’t think I could convince my 28 year old self to do it as I can’t get myself to now lol. I wish like hell I could though. I have had impingement (or bicep tendonitis) in both shoulders so I mostly focus on stretching the chest when that flares up. I did the whole newbe too much focus on the chest and not enough back, for too long and now I am paying for it. Trying to get my back to compensate and haven’t quite gotten there even after not pressing for about 2-3 months.
I utilize doorway stretches a lot. Laying on a foam roller lengthwise between the shoulder blades so that when hands are allowed to touch floor creates a stretch. Then move arms around to stretch in various positions. I’ll also occasionally grab a PVC pipe at the gym and do shoulder stretches with that. If hips are bothering me also like the couch stretch for the hip flexors. I also like foam rolling and lacrosse ball soft tissue work for whatever is bothering me.
The advice I would give is add some sort of stretching or soft tissue work nightly before bed or while just chilling with the wife at home. That way it doesn’t interfere with time spent on other goals. Advice I need to heed myself.
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That’s pretty good. I tore my quad once due to squatting heavy after a long day behind a desk. I should have done something to get the blood flowing and the muscles loose
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Oof, sounds brutally painful! I’ve found even just doing a bunch of air squats before squatting with resistance is really helpful. I love them but I hate them, lol. Really get the heart rate going. But I’ve been loving not squatting and just using machines of late. Much less pain in my lower body. It’s nice to have a reprieve.
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Man, I don’t enjoy it at all either. Lifting is so much more fun. But I’m beginning to realize how necessary it is for feeling good throughout the day. Foam rollers are great, too. My chiro actually said he doesn’t love the PVC because he thinks it creates too rigid a movement pattern which can amplify problems; he said he’d rather I do things more fluidly, like raising one arm at a time and doing arm circles.
Arm circles don’t do anything for me but put blood flow into the shoulder, which is good, but not the stretch I need. Locking into place on a pvc pipe or broom stick forces my shoulders into a position that I cannot currently get myself into just by raising my hands above my head due to lack of range of motion in my shoulders. Maybe they aren’t the best, but damn they feel good after doing “shoulder breakers”. I have to go pretty wide on those though or I really would break my shoulders.
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@bkb333
Have you tried yoga? I thought it was for pussies until I started having problems with muscle tightness. It’s solved most of the issues I’ve had and some I didn’t realize I had. I also feel like I heal faster now that I’ve implemented yoga twice a week.
It’s hard for sure with the holding and breathing. AND its really effective and you see results immediately.
When started back doing jiu-jitsu in NYC all the top level guys were doing yoga as well. They said it’s a major part of their success which is what got me on it. I haven’t had any shoulder, shoulder blade, lower back, neck or knee issues since I got into it. It’s pretty crazy how well it works.
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Yeah, I love yoga, brother – I’ve done it a bunch over the years but need to do it more often. I’m super inflexible right now.
I especially love hot yoga. Nothing makes me feel more “pliable”/loose. Plus something about the heat really just invigorates and refreshes you! It’s kinda expensive, though, so it adds up quickly. And a lot of those classes are super long – like 90 minutes – which is inconvenient.
Hindrances/complaining aside, it’s something I should really get back into, because like you said, “it’s pretty crazy how well it works.”
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Oh man, putting the hands too close together on the PVC really feels crazy! My left shoulder always cracks and pops, lol. Chiro said he has no idea why my left and not right would do that (I’m right handed and sit at a computer a lot).
I like band pull-aparts a lot. I also do the “Cam Newton Superman” chest openers with the band. Nothing like opening that chest up and pulling those shoulder blades back! We all (or at least most of us) really need that today with our computer-driven lifestyles.
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My PT (for my recent shoulder surgery) is huge about this and even told me that I was a high probability for a rounded back. He said I needed scapular retraction exercises at twice the number of chest exercises.
I use these on some back days. Just wide pulldowns but you only come to the top of your head. You just pinch the blades in.
The PT I saw said the same when I had my impingement/bicep tendonitis. Said I really needed to stretch/soft tissue work on the chest, as I already have the shoulders pulled too far forward and need it to get it to relax more until the back is equal or stronger.