Stupid Questions Thread

[hoyeahtop]

Interesting, thanks!

I’ve heard a lot of people running minimalist programs recommend doing DL + Chins with no horizontal pull to develop a big back but haven’t heard many (any?) recommend DL + Rows with no vertical pull.

[Testiclaw]

I would focus on horizontal row variations and curl variations if I the goal was a big back with big arms over any kind of vertical pull, to be honest.

[hoyeahtop]

What would be your next progression after Push Ups assuming it’s the only upper body pushing exercise you do.

Hoping to soon be at a level that regular push ups are a bit redundant (5 sets of 20 reps in 10 minutes).

Today I tried elevated feet push ups which felt weird and I guess is similar to an incline bench with a bit more work on the upper chest/front delt? But open to trying some other suggestions.

Or would weighting the exercise be the best way forward?

[Particle]

I would definitely first increase the range of motion my using chairs, push up handles or something like that. That probably cuts the number of reps by 1/3, and your titties might even get sore at first

[mbasic]

What would be your next progression after Push Ups assuming it’s the only upper body pushing exercise you do.

Hoping to soon be at a level that regular push ups are a bit redundant (5 sets of 20 reps in 10 minutes).

Today I tried elevated feet push ups which felt weird and I guess is similar to an incline bench with a bit more work on the upper chest/front delt? But open to trying some other suggestions.

Yeah elevated push ups... the more ROM thing (put anything under your hands: phone books (lol), blocks, etc ...and elevate your feet).
Dips between two chairs as a different "push" exercise; either different day, or as a supplementary/accessory lift before/after your push ups.
Pausing them at the bottom. Or bottom up push ups ... no stretch-reflex = harder.

Head stand up against the wall for a OHP-ish lift.
For many people, this will be a maximal type thing (1-3 reps) depending on your body weight.
Do these first, then a bunch more rep-work with push-ups, dips, etc ???

Or would weighting the exercise be the best way forward?

Unless you have a vest, or a good apparatus for this ^ ...
...its a pain in the ass, from what I've seen people at my gym when they try it (various ways).

[damufunman]

What would be your next progression after Push Ups assuming it’s the only upper body pushing exercise you do.

Hoping to soon be at a level that regular push ups are a bit redundant (5 sets of 20 reps in 10 minutes).

Today I tried elevated feet push ups which felt weird and I guess is similar to an incline bench with a bit more work on the upper chest/front delt? But open to trying some other suggestions.

Yeah elevated push ups... the more ROM thing (put anything under your hands: phone books (lol),

But it's too short, and I might mess up the screen!!

Head stand up against the wall for a OHP-ish lift.
For many people, this will be a maximal type thing (1-3 reps) depending on your body weight.
Do these first, then a bunch more rep-work with push-ups, dips, etc ???

Or would weighting the exercise be the best way forward?

Unless you have a vest, or a good apparatus for this ^ ...
...its a pain in the ass, from what I've seen people at my gym when they try it (various ways).

I've seen people (on the interwebz (successfully, I think)) use chains.

[mbasic]

yep.
+1 on da chainz.

Chainz are just anabolic on their own .... just sitting there in your gym.

(we don't have any chains at my globo-country-club-of-a-gym; thats way too low-brow)

[hoyeahtop]

I think for now I might work on bringing the rep time up (2 seconds down, pause at bottom and explode up) as I just kind of power through them at the moment. Is this actually beneficial however or am I just making it harder for no gain?

Also, I use small push up handles (linked below), should I be touching my chest to the floor? At the moment I just go to where I imagine the handle would touch my chest. That’ll be another way to make it slightly more difficult.

https://www.johnlewis.com/adidas-push-u ... lsrc=aw.ds

[hoyeahtop]

Actually just been reading about band resistance push ups and think I may try them next as I have a few resistance bands that I’m not using at the moment. https://www.strongerbyscience.com/band- ... ul-is-emg/

[olekto]

If you would like to play around a bit with what pushup variations you can do, I have found inspiration here:

[Paul]

Would running a training cycle of pure density work be stupid? No prescribed sets/reps, just timed amrap/emom stuff.

[plaguewielder]

How is, in the context of being the main cause of hypertrophy, mechanical tension defined/measured?

[mettkeks]

How is, in the context of being the main cause of hypertrophy, mechanical tension defined/measured?

Itensity x ROM x duration

[mettkeks]

How is, in the context of being the main cause of hypertrophy, mechanical tension defined/measured?

Itensity x ROM x duration

Would running a training cycle of pure density work be stupid? No prescribed sets/reps, just timed amrap/emom stuff.

What's the goal? Strength, yes stupid. Hypertrophy? Not stupid. Work capacity/endurance? Great.

[Testiclaw]

One of my go-to "resets" for training is just 50/20 for trap bar deadlifts and bench press.

Pick a weight, go by feel, when you get all 50 reps within 20 minutes, add weight. I'd do two session of benching and two sessions of trap bar a week, followed by lat fluff.

After a few weeks or months I'd move onto more "reasonable" programming.

Sometimes simplicity and no real rigidity is nice. Density work is fucking amazing for that.

[lehman906]

One of my go-to "resets" for training is just 50/20 for trap bar deadlifts and bench press.

Pick a weight, go by feel, when you get all 50 reps within 20 minutes, add weight. I'd do two session of benching and two sessions of trap bar a week, followed by lat fluff.

After a few weeks or months I'd move onto more "reasonable" programming.

Sometimes simplicity and no real rigidity is nice. Density work is fucking amazing for that.

You’ve got all kinds of neat ideas. We’re really gonna have to do an Exodus whip-around to fund your template-bender with Hanley.

[Testiclaw]

One of my go-to "resets" for training is just 50/20 for trap bar deadlifts and bench press.

Pick a weight, go by feel, when you get all 50 reps within 20 minutes, add weight. I'd do two session of benching and two sessions of trap bar a week, followed by lat fluff.

After a few weeks or months I'd move onto more "reasonable" programming.

Sometimes simplicity and no real rigidity is nice. Density work is fucking amazing for that.

You’ve got all kinds of neat ideas. We’re really gonna have to do an Exodus whip-around to fund your template-bender with Hanley.

That's an old Bryce Lane setup, not my idea!

I don't actually have any ideas of my own...I've just collected a million from other people that I've been able to tweak to make work for me.

50/20, OTM, Shaf's Ladders, etc etc

[plaguewielder]

How is, in the context of being the main cause of hypertrophy, mechanical tension defined/measured?

Itensity x ROM x duration

Thank you. Why isn't tempo work then more common? If you can swap intensity for time?

[BenM]

One of my go-to "resets" for training is just 50/20 for trap bar deadlifts and bench press.

Pick a weight, go by feel, when you get all 50 reps within 20 minutes, add weight. I'd do two session of benching and two sessions of trap bar a week, followed by lat fluff.

After a few weeks or months I'd move onto more "reasonable" programming.

Sometimes simplicity and no real rigidity is nice. Density work is fucking amazing for that.

I haven't got a trap bar, but it's been on my wishlist for a while and this makes me want one even more. I love this idea. Might try it for bench.

[mettkeks]

How is, in the context of being the main cause of hypertrophy, mechanical tension defined/measured?

Itensity x ROM x duration

Thank you. Why isn't tempo work then more common? If you can swap intensity for time?

"Mechanical Tension is the main driver of hypertrophy" makes sense since that's the work the muscle produces, and you can measure it. It is a better metric than tonnage, because it considers intensity (RPE) and the distance the bar traveled (ROM, joint angle change).

Think about rep count. 10 vs. 3 reps, same RPE/ROM. Same with tempo work. But you have to keep the training goal in mind. Tension roughly estimates the effectiveness of a given set in terms of hypertrophy. If you want to build muscle, any set @8 will do, but longer/more sets with longer ROM ( in short: volume) will net more stimulus. Yet sets of 25 aren't great for strength increases, doubles @8 don't allow for much volume, and half reps for 8 aren't any productive unless you really push the weight.