so how’d it go OP
I’m using chalk, and when my grip fails on deads, I’m adding in straps. Then I’m going without them for the rest of the workout. So far, that results in my forearms being sore at the end, and the next day, but they’re not failing on me as early. So that’s working out. It let me start using 255 for reps on deadlifts instead of 225 too, which is good. I didn’t finish them that time, but I’d been sick that night/morning, so it was a shit workout. I only did standard deads once that week, so I’ll see how next week (when I dead on Monday and Friday) goes. The deadlift workout was the one that really blasted through my forearms.
I’m not using them on my farmer’s walk as that seems to REALLY defeat the point.
Thanks for the advice ya’ll, it’s been helpful.
cool. keep at it for a year and watch your forearms grow.
fyi, you might have to change your split a bit depending on how your grip strength recovers. or at the very least, just take notes so you know that it was your grip that was the reason for a suboptimal workout.
some good news: after a while you’ll notice that your forearms don’t get so sore anymore.
yeah, my squat rack gets in MOnday or Tuesday, so I’ll be altering my splits a little bit to accomdate the ability to squat and do traditional bench.
I’m also thinking I may have to re-evaluate barbell rows in my routine. I can straight leg dead just fine (repping 170) but holding position for barbell rows makes my lower back get crampy pretty quick. I’m going ot give it 2-3 more weeks and see if it gets better or worse or stays the same.
Wondering about tricep extensions–my dumbbells don’t work for them doing them traditionally, since the plates smack my head on the way up. I’m winding up doing something like a skullcrusher with them instead. Don’t know if that’s as good or not, but oh well.
what is your back angle for BB rows? strictly IMO, I think you are possibly doing yourself a disservice going much lower than 45*. IMO going lower just limits the weight you can use and still hit your lats, and if you want to hit your lats with a more horizontal back angle then you should go lighter, use a supported row or a DB row. I could show you Hungry4more rowing 405x20 but I don’t have the link.
re: tricep extensions, working within your limitations with equipment is fine as long as you can hit the target muscle and progress with the movement.
I thought you were supposed to hold your torso parallel to the floor with them so that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ll try some of the other ideas (a supported row sounds…different but hey, why not?).
I don’t want to tweak too much, because I know you’re supposed to stick with a program for a while (2-3 months) before really judging it, so I’m trying to not change it up a ton. But I don’t want to stick with stuff that actually does harm either.
[quote]paulwhite959 wrote:
I thought you were supposed to hold your torso parallel to the floor with them so that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ll try some of the other ideas (a supported row sounds…different but hey, why not?).
I don’t want to tweak too much, because I know you’re supposed to stick with a program for a while (2-3 months) before really judging it, so I’m trying to not change it up a ton. But I don’t want to stick with stuff that actually does harm either.[/quote]
tomato, tomahto. if you want to go really heavy, then a parallel torso will just hold you back.
IMO a parallel torso can be better reached with some sort of supported row (like here: EliteFTS.com - Chest Supported Row - YouTube ), a DB row/one-arm BB row a la John Meadows, or just going light enough on your BB rows so that you can maintain a parallel torso or close to it.
IMO, a BB row, V-bar row or T-bar row should be your heaviest rowing exercise, and you should be allowed a bit of leeway with torso angles so you can pile on the weight, provided you can actually fully engage your lats while rowing the weight. if you want to go lighter than that to get a better stretch and contraction while rowing, i think the options i mentioned before are better for that purpose.
I am having a hard time really feeling it in my lats–I feel the rows in my shoulders, a bit in the upper part of the bicep, and of course lower back, glutes and hamstrings (just from holding position). My lats just don’t feel it much. I’m trying to row right to the nipple line (fighting the tendency to drift towards my abs). I’m trying to lift it with my elbows (if that makes sense) because if I try to pull from my hands like my natural tendency is, it becomes a bicep lift really quick.
I’m assuming that you’re gripping at about shoulder width? try going underhand and close to your body with just the bar, row to your stomach and squeeze your lats hard at the top, then duplicate that feeling with heavier weight. or you can stay with a wider grip if you want, but that will likely activate more of your upper back.
if you still can’t feel your lats working, try a V-bar row. I had trouble feeling all grip variations of BB rows in my lats, but with V-bar rows I can feel them even when I go pretty heavy (pretty heavy for me, anyway). or you can do a little pre-exhaust with DB/standing cable/machine pullovers and pump your lats up so you can feel them better. your poundages might suffer a bit though.
again, IMO a DB row/one-armed BB row or machine row would be better just in terms of feel for the lats.
I dont’ have a machine. so that’s not an option. My squat rack go delivered today, so total equipment is a cage (with pull up bar, but I don’t know if I can do a pullup–gonna find tongight or tomorrow after building it) about 420 lbs of plates, a 7’ bar, and 2 dumbbell handles, and an incline to flat bench. Plenty to do basics with, but I don’t have cables or anything like that handy. V bar is an option in the intermediate term (since it just requires a corner and an adapter for the bar if google got it right).
I’m leaning towards those supported rows I think. I could just do standard DB rows but I don’t like only using one lift to work a muscle, seems like it wouldn’t be as effective as alternating what lifts you use. So one day support row, other day normal DB row. Eventually I’d like to do weighted pull ups–but that’s probably a long time off.
you don’t need an adapter, just take a V-handle, stick it under the bar, stick the end of the bar in a corner of the cage, stack a DB handle with like 40 lb on top and you’re good to go.
although your setup might limit your choice of movements, there is more than one way to do a movement. for instance with the DB row, you could go really heavy and Kroc row, go a bit lighter but still heavy and squeeze at the top/stretch at the bottom, go a bit lighter and do 1.5 reps, and try different back angles and elbow angles to hit different parts of your back.
awesome.
yeah, it’s not exactly a fully equipped gym, but my set up certainly covers the basics well enough for agood, effective workout, and I don’t have to jack around at the local gyms and deal with all the shit that goes with it. Worth it for me.
I’ll be ordering some more accessory stuff the next two paychecks–a weight tree, maybe a preacher bar (for skull crushers and farmers walks) and a v-attachment and maybe some ab straps so I can do knee raises off the chin up bar.
I’ll try the row suggestions and see how they work out, thanks 
It may be a couple weeks (I like to give it several workouts before deciding how I feel about a specific lift).
there’s nothing wrong with that.
Chalk helps my grip a lot , especially since I sweat like a whore in church, but if its grip strength you want I wouldn’t use straps
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
Kroc rows [/quote]
I second that
What exactly is the difference between regular DB rows and kroc rows? Is it just that you do them with a heavy assed weight till failure, with some body english being acceptable? I read the article on this site about them that he wrote but I wasnt’ sure if there were more differences than that…
that’s pretty much it
Get some Fat Gripz or Grip4orce things. Since i started using them on all my warm up sets,and the first few working sets on back day my grip strength has improved very quickly. Chuck on some hammer curls and reverse cable curls at the end to make sure you’re forearms and grip are fried!
I make sure when using them that i really squeeze hard the whole time, and go till the bar is about to slip out my finger. When my grip is too fried to use the fat gripz i just take them off and hold the bar normally. I’ll only use straps on sets to failure, and only if they’re needed.
awesome, I’ll gladly do them kroc style then. That’s more fun than multiple sets anyway. Only hard part is choosing the right weight…I think I’ll start at 50-60 and see how it goes.
I plan to buy some fat gripz or tyler grips in the next month or so–there’s a fair amount of small accessories I want to buy. Weight tree, preacher bar for skull crushers and loaded carries, ab straps for knee raises off my chin bar, a band to help with chins and pull ups since I can’t do a real one, a chalk bag to keep chalk from getting everywhere, stuff like that.
Grip used to be an issue for me too. Then I got a job where I had to grip and squeeze tools all day. At first it was worse in the gym, but now my other muscles fail before my grip even starts to.
Get one of those hand strengtheners and squeeze the crap out of it every day after your workout.
Dont use straps unless u cant move the weight without it.
Takes time.