Last week I started doing this two :





After a couple of days my back started to ache. Is there any wrong method here?

Btw when I do the first video workout, my muscle doesn't seem to 'expand'. Should I do it anyway?

How are we supposed to know if your form is wrong if you don't post a video of yourself?

You said you started last week but you see no muscle growth....dude, give it time, it's only been a week!

Here's my experience. I started doing pushups diligently about a year ago. The first 2-3 weeks, no visual change. One day when I was resting my upper arm on a table the triceps felt weird, as if something hard was implanted in my triceps. Only a few more weeks afterwards did my friends say my triceps are starting to bulge out. See, these things take time dude. Free weights or body weights, the same thing applies.

Also I agree with -Dan there that if you don't post at least a picture we won't know if you're doing it in the right form or not.

owh i do the exact same thing.
I'll post my vid up later, hope you can be my mentor ^^

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Added on November 6, 2012, 10:08 pmI've started my training 2 months ago. And thank god I can see improvements, well at least some shapes on my body (:

It's just that I stumbled upon these two vids last week. Hence I tried doing it. But a couple of days later my back ache.

Sure thing, I'll upload my video later (:

This post has been edited by Puteih: Nov 6 2012, 10:08 PM

Which part of your back? Either you've done them in the wrong form or that your weak back muscles are being trained. That depends on the kind of pain you're experiencing. If it's mild to medium tightness and soreness it's probably the effect of your back having experienced new workload. If it's sharp, cramp like pain, that's something else.

soooo, imma not a videogenic. and so sorry that I had to delay the videos because imma shy person





notice on the first video I had to stop at certain sets. It because my back is in pain and I need to take a breather.



The pain is all over in the box area, or somewhere near it.

Is this normal?

This post has been edited by Puteih: Nov 19 2012, 05:58 AM

your back is in pain bcoz your core is weak. you need a strong core to support ur lower back.

I see you did the plank. The pain near the lower back is normal. Like janson said it is because your core is still too weak. Keep doing what you're doing and it will get stronger. I see you do the plank there which means you're in the right track. Build it up to 2-3 minutes.

Might I suggest slowing down your tempo? Or at least fast positives and slow negatives (fast 'up' and slow 'down'). Your muscle would stay in contraction for longer and this will lead to better strength gains, hypertrophy and will also help with your form. It will also increase the difficulty.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Nov 19 2012, 10:00 AM

Try duin some abs n back exercises..hanging leg raises helps a lot in improving your core..sit-ups with weights also helps..deadlift also helps..bent over rows..etc..

if i keep on doing the sets will my core gets strengthen?

ahh, I only do for 30 seconds. hopefully I can hold my plank for over 2 minutes and more.



ooo, I've always in a rush will do it in slower tempo tonight.

btw is my training complete? i mean does it cover my body wholesomely?

care to share some vids? I only found out what reps means last week; i'm not familiar with bodybuilding terms.

Try Googling the exercises, and see what comes up. Alternatively, go to Bodybuilding.com and search for it there.

I forgot your video and my internet is too slow for me to play them again.

Though I don't remember you doing any significant leg work. You need to have more legs and back exercises. For the back and arms you can do pullups and chinups, but you need to have somewhere you can hang. There are lots of ways to do pullups and progressions as well. I am training for the one-arm chinup and right now doing towel assisted one-arm chinup (look it up if you don't know). Really brutal stuff for the back (latissimus dorsi) and biceps, and the triceps of the assisting arm too now that I have my hand nearing the end of the towel. I combine that with an L-sit to work on my abs at the same time.

For legs you can do squats. You don't need extra weights, just progress your way to a one-legged squat (aka. pistol squat).

Also as a rule of thumb, once you're able to do 15 reps with proper form and proper tempo, move on to something harder. Don't fall under the 'reps' trap. I did for a while. I worked my way up to 70 reps in diamond pushups...... What a waste of a few months.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Nov 19 2012, 07:30 PM

aaaa i cannot do pullups. if chin ups maybe just 3 for a day, then I cannot go on any further.

gosh , i guess my back is very very very weak huh.

as for pistol squat, is it okay if I started doing it assisted? Meaning if I squat for the right leg, my left hand is holding onto a chair or something. because I can't really squat well, my body just won't let me squat well even with two legs. heck my left hand can't touch my left shoulder.

No no, 3 is good. I would advise for you to do 1 rep for up to 10 sets, 1-2 mins rest in between sets, a few days a week (3-4 days). Don't rush that one rep, do fast up and 3 seconds down. Focus on your form. Pretty soon 2 straight chinups would be very easy, then 3, then 4. Just keep adjusting the number of sets so you total about 10 in a day. Just work your way up to 10 straight picture perfect, proper tempo chinups. A few pullups SHOULD be possible by then.
You just can't skip pullups or chinups, there's no solid reason for you not to do them. They give you strength in your arms and back, they give you a good looking torso, they promote grip strength, they work on your core a bit (for stability when doing them).

You don't have to squat with a single leg right away, assisted or not. I'm just saying you should work your way up to it for maximum gains before eventually going to weighted squats. If you can barely squat with two legs, start by perfecting your 2 legged squat before moving on. Don't rush into things. If your knees start to feel even the slightest bit weird, STOP. Give it a day of rest and then continue the day after if they feel ok.

I'll salute you if you can pistol squat right away

This is how I squat since forever. If I put my heels down i will fall down as well. I have no scientific explanation for this though

If I hold things to support me can lah

If not holding things then only halfway then fall down lol

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Added on November 20, 2012, 3:32 amoh i forget to tell you guys, i do this sets 5 rounds. can i eat peanuts while work out? or drink some plain water...

This post has been edited by Puteih: Nov 20 2012, 03:32 AM

Wrong form for the squat. Your heels should never leave the ground. Do you mean you fall backwards? Try using your hands as counter balance, put them out in front of you.

I don't know eating while working out, but you sure can drink water any time you like during your workout. Just don't down a whole bottle of water in a few seconds, your tummy would be too full of water and it'll slosh around. Not a good feeling.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Nov 20 2012, 10:12 AM

Orang berak cangkung pun tak teruk mcm tu laa... Hahaha.

I think if ur newbie or just started in bodybuilding, b more cautious when trying out squats or dead lifts. One small error can leave u regret for the rest of ur life. Only for the pros & experts.

hhahahaha wrong form la dei.

start from an empty bar again, then slowly build up. I used to squat using the front portion of my leg, but finally realized it and start from an empty olympic bar all over again and slowly building up. I was squatting approx 50kg+ with the wrong form.

and I also found out why some gym, at the squat rack you will see a long piece of wood. It is for your heel to step on it and make sure you're channeling the force from the correct area.

That makes it important to learn proper squat form with body weight before tackling on weighted squats/deadlifts.
He should also remember to stop well before his knees feel very fatigued.

TS,

in order to fix your squat form you need to learn to hinge at your hips.

how so? you may be asking.

this movement is similar to when you are about to land your butt on a chair. yes, when you are sitting down.

find/make a low-ish box that can take your body weight and start box squatting.

a few other pointers when setting up to squat:
- heels slightly wider than shoulder width
- toes pointed outwards at a 45deg angle

Hey guys, I know its unrelated and since I don't wanna be opening a new thread for this I might as well post here since I see people are helping around. I had a back injury while lifting weights like around 3 weeks ago. My lower back muscles strained too much n tore. The pain is slightly there and its still numb in the lower back to upper butt area. My doctor said it should be fine in a months time( I saw him 2 days back ) and prescribed me B-complex vitamins.
My question is, can i go back to gym now and do exercises that won't strain my back? I was thinking just twice a week, for arms and shoulders as other parts of the body will stress my back. So is doing arms and shoulders fine without straining my back? Or should I just wait another month of complete recovery then only start back lifting? Thinking of doing some light cardio also. Would it affect the recovery of my back?

This post has been edited by murv90: Nov 20 2012, 02:26 PM

are you trolling or something?!

Checkout this video here for form
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/deta...e/barbell-squat

Ouch! Honestly I'd suggest just taking those few weeks off before returning to lifting. There are a few compound exercises you can do for your bicep and tricep but I don't think any other exercises can REALLY be done properly without affecting your lower back... Definitely cannot do legs... I might be completely wrong though so feel free to ignore me.

For cardio, you could try slow-moderate swimming which shouldn't aggravate your back injury... Anyone with experience on this?

In any case, good luck with your recovery and in future be extra careful! Those who have back pains and injuries will surely understand how awful it would be to have to live with such discomfort, trust me - you want to take care of your back. Heck, your whole body! Take care and don't stress. Your body has an awesome feature known as muscle memory, alittle mass lost can be quickly regained with good eating, training and sleeping.

Haha yeah, was thinking of biceps and triceps since it doesn't stress lower back. Shoulders some might stress lower back but is it advisable? Oh for cardio I've no swimming pool available nearby since I'm studying overseas. Just asked if I could go back to lifting cause this sem is too relaxed for me. I've only one subject so kill time by going to the gym often. Now for 3 weeks just been lazying around and resting.

Oh ya the agony and pain I'll never forget. Probably when deadlifting next time I'll be a little bit phobia to go heavy weights at first.

check with your doctor first but i believe you should be clear to do some static stretching and light band work. i'd check your deadlift form to see if you're lifting your hips way too much before your upper body follows. this creates an extremely long lever arm from your hip to your shoulder which could be the reason why you were able to mess up your lower back.

to help with your recovery, i would recommend grape seed extract. lots of it.

I really don't wanna mess with back/spine injury if i were u & resting with proper medication is what i'll do.

Hmm okay. Will do a form check when i do the next time. I think the problem was because I tried a pre workout for the first time. And I lifted around 25% more of my original weights. Grape seed extract, got it!