Stupid Questions Thread

[DCR]

Unless you are tiny, pinkies on rings is not a wide grip and you won't really hit chest at the bottom, but....on narrow grip you use chest a lot at lockout. A lot. So, although narrow grip increases triceps ROM and indeed increases the workload for them, if you typically bench narrow anyway it won't provide novel stimulus for the triceps. It's also a "Relative" thing, it's relatively greater emphasis on triceps, but it isn't a JM Press.

That makes sense.

I'm a proportionally smaller guy at 5'7, with tight shoulders. The rings are right at the edge of tolerance for my rotator cuffs.

Note about Hardgainers, I was friends with one. He worked out religiously, and claimed to eat a ton. I saw him eat. Slowest eater I have ever seen in my life. He did indeed work out and did not avoid volume like most, but no way was he ever anywhere near the calories he needed to get anywhere. He won't live long enough to eat the calories at the speed he eats.

Typical of the species.

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

I always had a voracious appetite so it's hard for me to understand the people who complain about not being able to eat enough. I mean I understand them theoretically and respect their struggle but I could never understand it from the practical side. My hunger is constant. If you are presented with delicious looking food, don't you just want to eat it ? I guess they are a minority though, the majority of humanity is very good at eating, so much that we are all becoming obese now that food is available in abundance.

[DCR]

I always had a voracious appetite so it's hard for me to understand the people who complain about not being able to eat enough. I mean I understand them theoretically and respect their struggle but I could never understand it from the practical side. My hunger is constant. If you are presented with delicious looking food, don't you just want to eat it ? I guess they are a minority though, the majority of humanity is very good at eating, so much that we are all becoming obese now that food is available in abundance.

Yes. A thousand times, yes.

[alek]

Can neoprene knee sleeves shrink over time?

[AlanMackey]

Can neoprene knee sleeves shrink over time?

WTF!

[lheugh]

Can neoprene knee sleeves shrink over time?

If you consistently wash them at high temperatures, it can damage the rubber (which can cause shrinkage). Neoprene in general is fairly heat resistant so it would have to be at higher temperatures than you'd probably wash typical laundry with.

[alek]

WTF!

A couple years ago I started with medium knee sleeves, but I had to go up to large after they got too tight. The larges are starting to feel tighter than they should. I figured it was from them shrinking over time. The alternative is that my legs are getting bigger, but they don't look like they're any bigger to me. I also don't regularly take measurements of my legs, so I could be mistaken.

If you consistently wash them at high temperatures, it can damage the rubber (which can cause shrinkage). Neoprene in general is fairly heat resistant so it would have to be at higher temperatures than you'd probably wash typical laundry with.

Huh, so it may actually be because my legs are getting bigger...

[AlanMackey]

Huh, so it may actually be because my legs are getting bigger...

Are you washing your legs at high temperatures?

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

@alek I have the same problem with door frames, they keep getting narrower and narrower. Can't figure out why and it's bugging me.

[houzi]

For those that often use Floor Press to aid their bench press, do you find that you can use more or less than you can usually bench press? Ive been looking online and im seeing some conflicting info. Its not really important, but Im just curious to know others experiences.

[5hout]

For those that often use Floor Press to aid their bench press, do you find that you can use more or less than you can usually bench press? Ive been looking online and im seeing some conflicting info. Its not really important, but Im just curious to know others experiences.

I think it's going to depend on what you mean by floor press. If you're doing a flat back, no arch, pure accessory work floor press I'd expect it to be less than your arched bench (plus you lose out on easy stretch/bounce at the bottom on the first rep). But, the reduced ROM does mean you can push some decent weights. I found that I could floor press less, but I only do it on occasion so idk if I focused it/developed some skill at getting tighter on the floor I might be able to do even more than my bench.

[Hardartery]

For those that often use Floor Press to aid their bench press, do you find that you can use more or less than you can usually bench press? Ive been looking online and im seeing some conflicting info. Its not really important, but Im just curious to know others experiences.

Less. Sometimes it's close, but less, form dependent. If you are narrow grip it's less, if you tuck the elbows versus elbows out, probably more.

[alek]

Huh, so it may actually be because my legs are getting bigger...

Are you washing your legs at high temperatures?

I guess; I don’t take cold showers…

alek I have the same problem with door frames, they keep getting narrower and narrower. Can't figure out why and it's bugging me.

[AuthenticWacky]

Hi everyone, dumb question re: 12 week general strength template. I did W1D1 today and got no discernible velocity decay across my sets (using iOS app). In fact my fastest reps were in sets 4 and 5. I noticed a number of comments stating one should be hitting 20% loss intraset and 15% interset for optimal training effect. Should I be doing more sets until I hit this landmark or what? Im erring on the low side of the total reps so I don’t get crushed.

And I don’t think I’m sandbagging my e1RMs as the single @8 tracks with my numbers.

[Hardartery]

Hi everyone, dumb question re: 12 week general strength template. I did W1D1 today and got no discernible velocity decay across my sets (using iOS app). In fact my fastest reps were in sets 4 and 5. I noticed a number of comments stating one should be hitting 20% loss intraset and 15% interset for optimal training effect. Should I be doing more sets until I hit this landmark or what? Im erring on the low side of the total reps so I don’t get crushed.

And I don’t think I’m sandbagging my e1RMs as the single @8 tracks with my numbers.

Don't worry about it. Optimal is a unicorn with a rainbow tail and mane, not a real thing you are actually shooting for. If you make progress you make progress, if not, you consider changes for the next block. You and whatever app you are using are not likely reliable judges of you velocity, they sell devices for that if it's important to you but it is not likely to matter. Seriously.

[AlanMackey]

Okay, stupid question time.

Most people tend to struggle with knee valgus (caving in) during squats, but my problem is the opposite: knee varus (bowing out). And I strongly suspect it has to do with, maybe, my toes angling out excessively (close to 45ª).

I've tried a feet pointing forward stance and, apparently, the problem self-corrects. But I'm not sure if my humerus head like it or not. Am I doing the right thing?

[OverheadDeadlifts]

Okay, stupid question time.

Most people tend to struggle with knee valgus (caving in) during squats, but my problem is the opposite: knee varus (bowing out). And I strongly suspect it has to do with, maybe, my toes angling out excessively (close to 45ª).

I've tried a feet pointing forward stance and, apparently, the problem self-corrects. But I'm not sure if my humerus head like it or not. Am I doing the right thing?

Did you try cues to fix it like not shoving knees out so hard or keeping foot pressure more even? If you can squat toes forward you most certainly don’t lack the internal rotation required.

[DCR]

Okay, stupid question time.

Most people tend to struggle with knee valgus (caving in) during squats, but my problem is the opposite: knee varus (bowing out). And I strongly suspect it has to do with, maybe, my toes angling out excessively (close to 45ª).

I've tried a feet pointing forward stance and, apparently, the problem self-corrects. But I'm not sure if my humerus head like it or not. Am I doing the right thing?

Did you try cues to fix it like not shoving knees out so hard or keeping foot pressure more even? If you can squat toes forward you most certainly don’t lack the internal rotation required.

@AlanMackey, this is the answer. Yes I would bring your foot angle in, to more like 15-20 degrees, but, regardless of foot angle, if you absolutely refuse to let any part of the tripods of your feet come up, it would be very difficult (not impossible if you’re extremely flexible but very difficult) for your knees to bow out or cave in.

[AlanMackey]

Did you try cues to fix it like not shoving knees out so hard or keeping foot pressure more even? If you can squat toes forward you most certainly don’t lack the internal rotation required.

@AlanMackey, this is the answer. Yes I would bring your foot angle in, to more like 15-20 degrees, but, regardless of foot angle, if you absolutely refuse to let any part of the tripods of your feet come up, it would be very difficult (not impossible if you’re extremely flexible but very difficult) for your knees to bow out or cave in.

I will try this ("glueing" my soles to the floor) and report back. Thanks!

[TurtleBear]

Hi everyone, dumb question re: 12 week general strength template. I did W1D1 today and got no discernible velocity decay across my sets (using iOS app). In fact my fastest reps were in sets 4 and 5. I noticed a number of comments stating one should be hitting 20% loss intraset and 15% interset for optimal training effect. Should I be doing more sets until I hit this landmark or what? Im erring on the low side of the total reps so I don’t get crushed.

And I don’t think I’m sandbagging my e1RMs as the single @8 tracks with my numbers.

Hey man, small additional detail to add to what others have said.
Notice on the spreadsheet that it gives you +/- 2% on all the lifts. So you have the range to bump the load a bit if need be. I don't know if 2% will make or break that, just an observation