What have you guys found, be it in training or in nutrition, are those little details that you believe have gone a long way towards helping you really progress?
Its not rocket science, but I have found the development of my delts has really progressed since I started changing the order of excercises on shoulder day. I always did shrugs last but found that by now doing them before lateral raises, I now feel it much more in my delts than before when I think my traps, which are a fair bit stronger, took up a a lot of the load. Now that my traps are pre-fatigued I think they play less of a role.
Obviously this is just the case in my ramp sets and in my later sets at heavier weight, I just focus on lifting the weight and im sure my traps do take on some of the load then. Other things like adding olive oil to shakes to add calories of course but thats a fairly common thing. Although on the point of that, I usually only use it in a slow-release protein shake I have before bed as I find when I have it in a shake with carbs, the insulin spike means that nearly all of the olive oil is deposited as fat. Not sure there is scientific evidence to back that train of thought up but thats what it feels like anyway.
Just thought everyone could post the small changes they have made that they found to help them, perhaps opening the eyes of others to that method.
Only combining protein with just fats or just carbs to the best of my ability, not all 3 together.
Giving up BB bench for Incline because it was hitting my shoulders/tris mostly instead of chest. Bench press is one of those fun ego lifts, so it was tough to let it go
Cottage cheese +natty PB is a godsend as a bedtime meal when trying to gain mass.(and tastes delicious)
Dead stop, Pin CGBPS, are the most effective triceps exercise I’ve ever done (thanks CC!)
Getting a much larger majority of my daily calories from whole foods rather than shakes. For whatever reason, this seemed to help tremendously. I just feel fuller, look denser and gains come faster.
I think CT’s idea of the “perfect rep” is also something every lifter should try to imitate when lifting. Controlled negative, don’t use the elastic rebound, be explosive with the reps.
[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
4) Dead stop, Pin CGBPS, are the most effective triceps exercise I’ve ever done (thanks CC!)
[/quote]
What sort of ROM do you use for these? I tried them with the pins set near the top, so I was basically just performing the extension part of the press(thinking it would better recruit the tri’s) but found I actually get more out of it when performing it nearly like a full ROM CGBP, but just with adding in the dead stop aspect to it. I would highly recommend it doing it that way to others, and I strangely also get an intense pump in my chest when I take the stretch reflex out of it.
[quote]tyrant fazz wrote:
actually dropping the weight and doing ass to grass squats[/quote]
Funny you should mention that, the other day I saw a dude with some skinny ass legs load a bar with 365 in squat rack. Was fairly impressed till I saw him pump out 4 reps of quarter squats turn around and walk away like he was the fucking man…
SO…I’d say one of the little things that makes a big difference would be:
Leave You Ego at the Door and do the Damn Full Range of Motion with a weight that will actually lead to progress…