BCAA's if you do fasted training. If you are having pre and post-workout meals, then not nessecary.
Makes sense
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BCAA's if you do fasted training. If you are having pre and post-workout meals, then not nessecary.
After bench press i feel a bit funny after each set, once i sit up and the all excess blood rushes from my head. Is this bad?
And sometimes while i am doing a set i feel a lot of blood pressure in my head. Have not been feeling 100% for a while now. I chalked it down to bad sleeping patterns and not getting eight hours sleep.
After bench press i feel a bit funny after each set, once i sit up and the all excess blood rushes from my head. Is this bad?
And sometimes while i am doing a set i feel a lot of blood pressure in my head. Have not been feeling 100% for a while now. I chalked it down to bad sleeping patterns and not getting eight hours sleep.
Sleep could definitely be the factor. Sleep is very important for gymming. Sounds like blood pressure but could be low instead of high - only way to tell is by testing. Get yourself a blood pressure kit
And like twaatie said, pay attention to breathing - in when pushing and out on the reverse.
Thanks guys, high BP runs in our family but I suppose low BP could be a possibility. Getting my Vitality Health Check done on Tuesday but can also use my dad's machine.
Doh, I was breathing wrong and doing the opposite. I was breathing out when pushing and in on the descent![]()
How should I breathe?
Don’t think about it and you’ll do it right. Lifting weights isn’t the same as running. Staying tight is key to lifting big weights without getting injured. That’s why if you pick something heavy from the floor, you’ll automatically take a big breath and hold it before you lift it. This technique is called the “valsalva maneuver”. Big breath, hold it, lift, then exhale. By taking a big breath you’ll increase the pressure in your abdomen. This in turn reduces the risk of lower back injuries because your “core” is tighter. Here’s how I recommend you do it:
Squats. Take a big breath at the top of your Squat, before you go down. Hold your breath on the way down, hold it at the bottom of your Squat, then breathe out at the top.
Bench Press. Take a big breath at the top. Do as many reps as you can with good form, breathe out at the top when you need to. I’ll often do three or even five reps with a single breath.
Deadlift. Take a big breath at the bottom before you pull. Hold it on the way up. Exhale at the top while staying tight. Or hold your breath at the top and exhale when the bar is back on the floor.
Overhead Press. Take a big breath at the bottom, and do as many reps as you can with good form. Breathe out when you need at the top or at the bottom (top is better but tricky).
Barbell Row. Take a big big breath at the bottom. Do as many reps as you can with good form. Exhale when you need at the bottom, when the bar is on the floor.
Do NOT exhale at the bottom of your Squat. You’ll lose tightness and could hurt your lower back. If you want, you can exhale by grunting on the way up if you want (I do that sometimes on hard Squat set). But make sure you’re tight at the bottom of your Squat. Your blood pressure will indeed increase if you hold your breath. However it will go back to normal once you’re set is over. Plus weight lifting is proven to improve blood pressure.
Read more: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/#How_should_I_breathe
um, that is right to me, out on the exert, in on the slow controlled part.
Anybody have a good program for using just free weights. I've been on my current program for at least 5 months and want to change things up a bit.
Preferably a 4 day split. (Chest+Triceps, Back + Biceps, Shoulders, Legs).
Most of the programs I have found includes machines.
Apoc, another way you can change your existing program is to change the amount of reps and weight. So if you been focused on strength gain, then change it up to focus more on hypertrophy with a higher rep range. In fact, one is meant to change from one to the other on a regular basis, AFAIK.
This was new for me - seeing a guy doing neck raises with the foot pad of leg extensions.
I do that![]()
What about bench press in the squat rack?? I saw that on the weekend...This was new for me - seeing a guy doing neck raises with the foot pad of leg extensions.
This was new for me - seeing a guy doing neck raises with the foot pad of leg extensions.