View Full Version : a few questions
intoodeep25
05-19-10, 4:52 pm
i have a few questions about my training, thought id get your perspective to help round out some of the smaller aspects of my sessions.
*im doing 5/3/1 and love it, but there isnt any direct arm work it seems. am i missing something? if i wanted to add in tri's and bi's, where would they fit into the program? for example, ive been doing hammer curls after my deads/back day and 1 excercise for tri's after my chest on bench day. does this seem legit or do i need to make a change?
*i just recently bought a neck harness to help get my yoke up to par. when should i be adding in neck exercises? frequency and after which sessions (back, chest, legs, delts?)
*im looking to add size to my forearms. again, im on 5/3/1 so there isnt any direct forearm work provided in the plan. should i hit them on the tail end of my deadlifting session, or pick another day to do my wrist curls
*my flat bench numbers are finally getting up to par. i feel like as a result of the heavy training ive had to do to get them there my shoulders are more achy. what are some good rotator cuff exercises i can do to balance my delts out and when should they be incorporated into the program?
*are their any benefits to stretching before bed or at a seperate time away from my training sessions. if so, what types and when?
thanks guys, i know its alot but i appreciate it
prowrestler
05-19-10, 6:41 pm
1. your doing the arm work on the right days.
2. 3x's a week, 50 total reps per workout
3. on your deads, hold the bar as hard as possible. last set of all pulling lifts, hold the bar till your grip fails you.
4. any rotator cuff exercise. internal and external should be done. internal after bench day, external after over head day
5. yes there are many reasons to stretch. do it at any time when you are bored. stretch the entire body. emphasise the hip/midsection and hamstrings.
intoodeep25
05-19-10, 9:43 pm
thanks man. good info
2. Train your neck on delt day. I train delts, trap, and neck on the same day. Reason being delts encompass your front, side, and rear; your neck is in the middle of it all so I do it at the end of my workout when everything is all warmed up. Nothin worse than a strained neck.
3. Forearms I hit twice per week, usually at the end of back workout and with my arm day. Usually do about 5 sets superset of wrist curls and reverse curls.
4. For delts I use this rotator cuff program. I usually use a 5 lb weight and do 10 front raises, 10 45 degree raises (halfway between a front raise and side raise), 10 side raises, 10 bent over raises. Throughout all raises make sure your scapulas are retracted. Reset them for every rep.
5. Like prowrestler said, stretch whenever you can and don't worry about timing. Try a stretch class at your gym if they offer it, if not just take yoga or pilates.
intoodeep25
05-20-10, 9:15 am
thanks man, some more quality info there. on a side note, just bought a big ol foam roller from elitefts. pretty geeked about it cant wait to get it in. gotta find me a good routine and ways to use it to reap its max benefits
Foam rollers are great! EFS has a few articles on it that you'd like. They explain how to use the roller for warm-ups and recovery, as they have different tempos and lengths of rolling.
intoodeep25
05-20-10, 9:38 am
ya thatd help alot im gonna go look for em now. thanks brother.
thanks man, some more quality info there. on a side note, just bought a big ol foam roller from elitefts. pretty geeked about it cant wait to get it in. gotta find me a good routine and ways to use it to reap its max benefits
Good investment. Foam rollers work wonders, understand though it will be painful the first few weeks using them if you've never used them before and you do it right. Legs kill me all the time, especially quads
I also do the 5/3/1 and the accessory lifts are for hitting the other muscle groups. I put in 2 exercises of triceps with chest. 2 exercises for biceps on back day. I hit neck on a machine on shoulder day. The 5/3/1 works the mains then you are supposed to add the accessories you need to finish it off!
ya thatd help alot im gonna go look for em now. thanks brother.
Did you manage to find them? I know they also have a few videos.
intoodeep25
05-20-10, 11:56 pm
Did you manage to find them? I know they also have a few videos.
im actually about to search for em right now. ill let you know what im able to dig up
intoodeep25
05-21-10, 11:40 am
i found the article im sure u were refering to, it was pretty good and helpful for ways to use it on the back and lower extremeties. id really like to be able to use it on my triceps but im a little apprehensive on how to do it. seems a little dicey
i found the article im sure u were refering to, it was pretty good and helpful for ways to use it on the back and lower extremeties. id really like to be able to use it on my triceps but im a little apprehensive on how to do it. seems a little dicey
Triceps are a bit tricky I've discovered. Two ways I have figured how to do them you either lay on the roller on your side, hold your arm in place and put most of your weight on your tricep. Or put the roller on a bench, sit next to the bench, and press your tricep down on the roller. If you cant get enough pressure, use your other arm to press down on the elbow.
I hope you can understand this, or at least have a place to start. I cant seem to find a picture or video.
Aggression
05-21-10, 3:02 pm
*im doing 5/3/1 and love it, but there isnt any direct arm work it seems. am i missing something? if i wanted to add in tri's and bi's, where would they fit into the program? for example, ive been doing hammer curls after my deads/back day and 1 excercise for tri's after my chest on bench day. does this seem legit or do i need to make a change?
Your triceps will be involved in benching, and military pressing. I have been doing weighted dips after military presses, which also target your triceps. As for biceps, they are involved in deadlifting and also a little bit on the bench press. I tend to hit ~5 sets on bench press day, 3 sets of a curl and 2 sets of a hammer movement
*i just recently bought a neck harness to help get my yoke up to par. when should i be adding in neck exercises? frequency and after which sessions (back, chest, legs, delts?)
I don't think it matters that much. I would try to do it before a 'rest day' so that it has time to recover before your next training session. The neck is a very important piece of the puzzle bro. You don't want to risk it too much.
*im looking to add size to my forearms. again, im on 5/3/1 so there isnt any direct forearm work provided in the plan. should i hit them on the tail end of my deadlifting session, or pick another day to do my wrist curls
If you're not using straps (as directed), your forearms should gain some solid size from the deadlifting. As said above, I throw in a hammer movement on bench day for a bit extra
*are their any benefits to stretching before bed or at a seperate time away from my training sessions. if so, what types and when?
I just stretch each bodypart out once I'm done with them. I do DC-training stretches; extreme stretching.
My answers are bolded for ya, bro.
intoodeep25
05-21-10, 5:31 pm
Triceps are a bit tricky I've discovered. Two ways I have figured how to do them you either lay on the roller on your side, hold your arm in place and put most of your weight on your tricep. Or put the roller on a bench, sit next to the bench, and press your tricep down on the roller. If you cant get enough pressure, use your other arm to press down on the elbow.
I hope you can understand this, or at least have a place to start. I cant seem to find a picture or video.
ya i got you, makes sense. just like anything else im just gonna have to play with it
intoodeep25
05-21-10, 5:32 pm
My answers are bolded for ya, bro.
thanks for takin the time man. good stuff