Hey, just came over from BB.com. Just reading “The Intelligent and Relentless Pursuit of Muscle” gave me motivation to join T-Nation.
My wife and I live in Colorado, and workout together 4 days a week (she had never touched free weights before she met me, now she’s addicted). I’ve got a few years of lifting under my belt, but had to have shoulder surgery so I pretty much started over this year.
I’m 6 feet tall, and this year I’ve gone from 235lbs. at 22% body fat, to 230lbs. at 18% body fat. Since the holidays are close, I decided to do a clean bulk for the rest of the year to build a solid foundation.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to the forums, and learning more about getting stronger and looking better.
Thanks guys. I meant to type 18% body fat, it’s still early here.
I have a pretty good base, but put on a lot of fat rehabbing both shoulders for almost a year. The last 5-6 months, I’ve been focusing on compound movements, and forcing myself to love squats, and dead lifts.
Since I switched to 90% compound lifts, the muscle gains have been great. I workout at a rec. center, so it’s funny to see the weekend warriors grab a pair of 5’s and do what I call “Full body dry heaves” in front of the mirror. Oh well, at least the squat rack is always open!!
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
In my own experience, everytime I suffer an injury, and have to find ways around it, I learn more about training.
S
[/quote]
So true, I do rotator-cuff warm-ups now and they’ve helped a ton. I’ve learned to focus on weak points, building the muscle around the joint provides more support. I rarely have pain in my shoulders anymore, just have to warm up properly.
Makes me cringe when I see people do chest/arms 5 days a week, especially without a warm up!
[quote]jermag27 wrote:
The Mighty Stu wrote:
In my own experience, everytime I suffer an injury, and have to find ways around it, I learn more about training.
S
So true, I do rotator-cuff warm-ups now and they’ve helped a ton. I’ve learned to focus on weak points, building the muscle around the joint provides more support. I rarely have pain in my shoulders anymore, just have to warm up properly.
Makes me cringe when I see people do chest/arms 5 days a week, especially without a warm up!
[/quote]
I’m impressed by the kind of philosophy you have about training. I hovered around the BB boards for a while but wasn’t really feeling the vibe around there. There’s generally a LOT more interesting and intelligent discussion than I encountered over there, too.
[quote]SSC wrote:
jermag27 wrote:
The Mighty Stu wrote:
In my own experience, everytime I suffer an injury, and have to find ways around it, I learn more about training.
S
So true, I do rotator-cuff warm-ups now and they’ve helped a ton. I’ve learned to focus on weak points, building the muscle around the joint provides more support. I rarely have pain in my shoulders anymore, just have to warm up properly.
Makes me cringe when I see people do chest/arms 5 days a week, especially without a warm up!
I’m impressed by the kind of philosophy you have about training. I hovered around the BB boards for a while but wasn’t really feeling the vibe around there. There’s generally a LOT more interesting and intelligent discussion than I encountered over there, too.
Oh yeah, and welcome to the boards.[/quote]
Thanks, I used to be that guy that thought a max bench was all that mattered. I never built up to impressive numbers, but ruined my shoulders trying. I’m the type of person that has to know how everything works, so I spend a lot of time on sites like this getting educated. In the last 5-6 months, I’ve made big improvements, while seeing other guys who “know it all” remain in the same shape year round.
I won’t take advice from someone who doesn’t look like they know what they’re talking about. The proof is in the pudding, you know?
The BB boards are alright, they just really attract these “know it all” types.
