I'm using a tennis ball now, but I need a long foam roller to do thoracic spine work.

First thing first, u can still do thoracic spine work with tennis balls if u dun have athletic tape, slot two tennis balls into a sock and get the same thing.

PVC has a much denser structure and definitely helps reduce the muscle adhesions and make your wallet lighter. Two feet long and four inches wide will suit pretty much everyone. If the PVC pipe is still too uncomfortable while doing soft tissue work, just throw a towel or a yoga mat on top of it to relieve some of the pressure.

Even perform better sells foam roller with a PVC embedded inside

so it's fine and dandy to think the expensive foam roller makes you part of the Cool soft tissue manipulation community. I do rather stick with a inexpensive PVC pipe and get the job done as well.

People are too caught up with fancy stuffs, like training, they dream of the magical rep range, magical rest period, just train harder dumbass

PS. Just FYI, the foam roller you see actually deforms after using it for quite some time. Using a PVC i can replace it again and again and a dense PVC pipe retains its shape for a long time

This post has been edited by ken86: Jan 31 2010, 09:58 AM

Hey guys, I'm thinking of joining a small gym and starting on stronglifts 5x5. Working out at home just doesn't cut it anymore. Only problem with the gym is that it doesnt have a squat rack, only a smith machine. Should I join and use the smith machine for squats anyway? Distance + money is an issue for me, so it's either home or that small gym .

Just join,smith is fine,I use it!

I am not anti-machine but smith is really bad for learning the compound movements

The Smith machine locks you into a fixed plane of motion, which develops what is called 'pattern overload syndrome'. This was coined by Paul Chek and is explained as

People get a pattern overload from using the Smith machine. The more fixed the object, the more likely you are to develop a pattern overload. This is due to the fact that training in a fixed pathway repetitively loads the same muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints in the same pattern, encouraging micro-trauma that eventually leads to injury. If one always uses a Smith machine for his bench presses, he ends up working the same fibers of the prime movers in the bench press all of the time: triceps brachii, pectoralis major, long-head of the biceps, anterior deltoids, and serratus anterior. But he can't change the pathway, the bar will always be in the same position. This commonly leads to chronic injury over time. The weight is stabilized for you. However, the joints operate in multiple planes. Use of the Smith machine, greatly decreases stabilizer activity. That creates a problem when the trainee returns to free-weight training. When that happens, the trainee is exposed to the three-dimensional environment called real life.

This clearly applies to any exercise. Because of the mechanics of the knee joint, the body will alter the natural bar pathway during a free-weight squat to accommodate efficient movement at the knee. A fixed bar pathway doesn't allow alteration of this pathway for efficient movement of the joint, thereby predisposing the knee to harmful overload via lack of accommodation.

Biomechanically the bar path should travel in a straight line when you squat but squatting in a smith machine stabilizes the weight for you and well this leads to injury and little to no carry over to real life situations.

If you've been training for a long time, and looking to target that particular muscle (say VMO ) maybe it would work for a while.

For beginners, it's highly discourage, look for a gym with a rack.

I've been having sleeping problem lately after my workout. I will turn and toast, strugling for sleep for the whole night. Even until 6am can't sleep omg the next day I'll be tired and can't focus in my work and studies. Do any of you facing the same problem after workout? Only will take a cup of coffee before my training could this be the culprite?

This post has been edited by lcsum: Feb 2 2010, 10:38 AM

i have a question

i alway seem to not really have enuff strength to do weight training..

i only can do like 10 time in a row, not even 15times before i am out of strength, then i need to rest awhile before i do again..

is this because of my meal? i need to consume more protein before doing?

Do what, Dude?

i'm out of strength in 5 reps

I have a goal of deadlifting 200 for 10 - 12 reps...lol...I get gassed out and shakey after 5..

wad exercise to work upper chest if one doesnt have incline bench??

* OT

nice obliques n abs shane. cutting goes fine huh


Chow

What time do you weight train?

If your training is at very high intensity (i.e. doing heavy weights for low reps, attempting maxes etc), your nervous system will have problems relaxing, which is why you can't sleep.

Apparently taking magnesium supplements will help. I also have the same problem, but I haven't tried taking magnesium supplements yet.

almost everything lol...

is doing 5 then rest then 5 again..ok? cause i cant seem to reach 15

Now, do you see what's wrong with your question?

There's no details. How to freaking respond?

^ Uu, I'm loving the above reply. Lol.

Hi, I just started working out a month ago, this will be my 2nd month working out. My goal is to gain weight and build muscle. I took serious mass for a month, and now I plan to start GOMAD. I was wondering if I should do the stronglift 5x5 or just carry on with what I have been doing, which is free weight and machines which focuses on a specific part of my body. So which one should I do? thanks

yo not cutting dude..ini abs nasib...

NICEEEEEEE Explaination. One post with a purpose to read!

oh crap, been using smith for 6months right now because the damn gym doesnt even have a rack.