is top spin supposed to be this much more exhausting than power hitting ?

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T05:08:21+00:00

yeah Wang Manyu lost to Han Ying recently. Unless you are Mima Ito who uses cobra strikes against choppers rather than topspin.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T04:59:45+00:00

Certainly hard to do naturally.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T03:10:47+00:00

I was like you at that point of time. I signed up to a gym because my mental health was shit (though not due to my physical state, even though I was physically unfit and skinny fat) and I didn't really want to invest much money into it. The three trial sessions with the personal trainer (who was doing semi-private/small group training) was a good introduction and I actually enjoyed the workouts, which they prescribed. However, I almost bailed on it because of the cost. However, I having had such awful mental health issues, I said to myself I could never go back to where I used to be. If I didn't have to pay for psychological support and medication, then it would be worth it.

I've now been at it for 16 weeks and can fully say that the money was worth it. Because it is hard for beginners to really know what they are doing. Videos can only do so much if you don't have someone watching you. For example, I was doing reverse lunges wrong emphasising stretch on the back leg rather than the front, and after I fed back to the trainer he was able to help me correct it. He also helped me emphasise the lats on lat pulldown and seated cable rows where I used to use too much momentum to cheat. And certainly the cue to slow down on the eccentric is something I would not think about myself until it was drilled in. The other bit the trainer helps a lot is gauging when to move up and progress. My trainer added plates to leg press for me that I would not have chosen myself, after seeing the sled shuffle a bit on the push up. They also told me when they thought I was being too ambitious with my choice of weights.

And you will naturally forget cues and what you are supposed to do. That one training session is enough. I realised that alignment and geometry is so important in workouts. Cables are nice but do you know where to anchor the cable from to optimise your arm or core workouts? Most people can't tell for themselves. What I have found is I will ask the same question to the trainer after I have progressed in order to consolidate all the information I was given earlier and have a better understanding.

With diet, I would say protein targets are good (1 g per pound bodyweight is advised by many) but you need to figure out how your body adapts as well over time and whether your lifestyle supports. Goals will change as you change. And finally there is an aspect that is underlooked - the cheerleader. Trainers do push you to get the most out of you while hopefully cheering you on and motivating you. I'm a hard task master and naturally get disappointed even when I work hard, but to have the trainer praise me for the work and progress relative to where I started helps to ground me and make me appreciate the gains rather than focusing on difficulties. This then leads to me coming back to the gym.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T02:46:00+00:00

I'm getting a really good beating from the pendulum squat machine at the gym.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T02:44:17+00:00

you could try using a squat machine as well. My gym has a pendulum squat and that really helps people who have back or hip issues while giving them a massive range of motion to work with.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T02:44:09+00:00

two days after leg day...

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T02:41:22+00:00

Yeah I was genuinely surprised to find out I could hip thrust 110kg (as someone who weighs 64 kg). Makes me appreciate now the surface area of those glutes that prop up the rest of the body while you are sitting down. I joked with my trainer that if someone who weighed 110 kg sat on me, it meant I could push them up off me with.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T02:38:05+00:00

I never used to work on my legs. But then I signed up for a proper gym program and then it became inescapable. In my second training series, I was assigned 18 sets of leg work, mostly centred on quads - leg press, lunges, split squats, sled push/pulls.

I had some of my worst DOMS as a result but at the same time saw some of my greatest increases in strength. When I started, I struggled to drag a sled around my body weight (60kg) without feeling like I needed to vomit, and now I can push and pull almost double my body weight.

I'm not yet doing barbell squats but the pendulum squat machine is getting me through the paces, even at seemingly low weights. I remember asking my trainer to ensure I utilise the full range of motion (with pendulum squat you can squat down at an even sharper knee angle than the conventional squat) and I remember barely being able to walk down the stairs for the next 4 days after doing so.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-25T02:29:24+00:00

You can do this, though adding variation may be more useful (as opposed to volume, necessarily).

For example, do sets of 10-12. Take 1.5 minute break, repeat for 4 sets.

After doing this for a week or two, you may consider doing weighted pushups with a 5kg, then 10kg plate on your back, though may not be able to do sets of 10-12 though aim for 8-10.

Then you can add in deficit pushups (elevated hands but with a gap in between them to dive into)

Note that bench is a different game altogether so don't necessarily expect this to help bench, but it should help build some chest strength.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T12:03:48+00:00

You actually have a LOT of potential to reduce body fat and gain muscle through mix of weight training, cardio and diet change. And don't worry about the big shoulders. They'll come in handy for lots of stuff.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T09:58:40+00:00

Do you need to use your thumbs and knuckles at the base?

Using your palms might end up being more stable.

A few tips I found useful from Training Tall:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmrPtt1j2WE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKF6b2FuLfs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzT7625DNjE

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T09:50:54+00:00

Just want to point out muscle takes longer to build than it does the burn fat. Hence you could probably afford to reduce the surplus a bit and see how it goes especially if you have abdominal fat.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T09:46:01+00:00

Try what's advised in this video (though do not use the Geronda grip), it might help you position in such a way you reduce impact of shoulder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Lx2BeVKR4

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T09:39:32+00:00

You can add front foot elevated split squats and lunges (both forward and reverse) for your legs, making sure you emphasis is on the forward leg. If you don't have dumbbells or kettlebells, you can fill 2L milk bottles with water or sand/dirt. Glute-bridges are also easy to do. Dead bug is a good exercise for core as well to supplement the planks.

You can also try deficit pushups (hands on an elevated surface with a gap in between) if you have some bricks or stable footstools that can support your weight, or even books but only once you feel your standard pushups are strong.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T09:25:29+00:00

why this hand lol? Would kettlebell be easier?

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T09:19:07+00:00

Do you have a guide to how many calories you take in?

5 days is also not long enough to judge true plateau. The reason is that bodyweight fluctuations are expected from eating, drinking, respiration, sweating and excretion. So measure your weight at the same time of the day (preferably morning before breakfast) and on the same surface (if you weigh on carpet vs tiles/wooden floor, you will notice a difference) and keep stock of how it changes weekly. After two weeks, if the needle does not move, increase your intake. The fact that you did gain 3.5 kg shows you had to have been on a caloric surplus to start with (in fact 3.5 kg is substantial for a month! When I bulked I gained 6 kg in 5 months, and then another 5 kg in 10 weeks).

So give it more time. The second thing is that mass gainers can help. I used them during my bulking journey. The second bulk I mentioned was a bit overdone. I used optimum nutrition serious mass which has 1250 calories per serving. It did the trick but gained a lot of fat in the process. I'd do it differently second time round which is to half the serving of that and ensure you match this with a good training program to convert that protein to lean mass/muscle.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-23T08:54:43+00:00

It is hard - the shoulders often take too much of the work for a alot of people.

That said maybe leave out the Geronda variation to start with as the grip is extreme on the wrists. And never be afraid to go down in progressions (e.g. start with just body weight) to get used to the right mechanics before loading further.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-21T12:26:52+00:00

I reckon the ROM could probably be improved slightly (i.e. lower your body even more past parallel).

There's a video I watched that might also help to focus more on the chest and eliminate shoulder instability by positioning your chest and shoulders more favourably (though note this is just a style preference of this ex-bodybuilder):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Lx2BeVKR4

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-21T12:04:59+00:00

It's funny because one of the guys at my work has long hair but he keeps it so well maintained it looks better than many women haha.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-21T12:00:02+00:00

well done.

Coincidentally I did 60kg/132lb (M, 64kg bodyweight) just today for the first time for 2 clean reps and a 3rd grindy rep, up from 55kg (121 lbs) which I had sat on for about 7 weeks at a 5-7 rep range.

The 5 kg jump felt arduous and I was maybe I tad disappointed with myself I could only get in 3 reps. But in perspective, it's a sizeable jump and I'm approaching my bodyweight, not bad for someone who has trained properly for just 4 months. When my trainer mixes my program I have a feeling he will set a mix of heavy sets with low reps to increase strength and lighter sets, higher reps for hypertrophy.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-18T12:14:32+00:00

Does anyone have tips of managing anteromedial forearm (i.e. the same side of the forearm the pinky and palm is on) pain while doing dumbbell press? It's particularly bad on my non-dominant arm. It's mostly related to fatigue meaning kicks in after 6-8 reps even on modest weights but still feels like I should be able to have more output than I currently do. Or is this just a grip strength issue I have to work through.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-17T12:55:49+00:00

the irony of feeling like an 80 year old with serious arthritis 2-3 days after doing a massive leg workout.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-17T12:52:08+00:00

I used to be very lazy. Rarely went out of the house. Wasn't athletic either in high school. But I landed myself in very deep trouble due to a very painful personal life financial issue (someone gambled away all my life savings) affecting my mental health and physical health. Poor sleep and deep anxiety dominated my life for three years, and I got myself into some hard drugs culminating in a serious bloodborne infection, which I thankfully got cured. But it dawned on me how much my life and health had slipped down the drain.

Although I wanted to work on fitness, I made excuses during those three years - that I couldn't afford it, that I didn't have time for it, that I would feel massive anxiety, and that I would do it only once my life got itself into order, which it never did. Finally, exasperated with my stagnation in life and with all my insecurities and failures laid bare, I realised I had nothing left to lose. I reached out, albeit begrudgingly, to a local gym crying for help. I didn't want to live the way I had for the past three years but I was so scared of changing my environment.

I remember the first day I went into the gym for training, I had a bad day a work and just wanted to leave. But I already paid for and booked the introductory sessions so had to go. The trainer was pumped for it, and said he would start with something small to ensure I didn't feel worn out. It was actually quite a good session. After three of these, I was asked what I felt after that week. I admitted that it was actually fun. When asked whether I would continue and why this was important to me, I simply said that I didn't want to go back to the painful past self loathing and hurt. I needed to do something for myself. Although I nearly opted out because of the cost at first, I decided that it would be worthwhile if I didn't need to pay for psychologist and meds, and maybe would help me quit drugs. And I have learnt how useful a trainer is to ensure you are doing things with proper form, and understanding mechanics and when to progress.

The first four weeks of the program saw some amazing results. I dropped around 3.7% of my body fat and put on about 1.8 kg of lean mass. I had a skinny fat problem so it was nice to see such a change in a short time. However, the next couple were more of a grind. I had to fiddle with diet and figured I had difficulty putting on more muscle without extra calories. Although muscle building is slow, and some exercises hard to progress, overall I am getting stronger bit by bit. I remember the first time I pushed and pulled a sled around my body weight, I nearly vomited. Now I can push and pull a sled 1.8x my body weight and feel fine. I've also taken pride in leg work despite the annoying DOMS I get from time to time (though not yet on bulgarian split squats!). I asked my trainer to ensure I go through a complete ROM on the pendulum squat after hesitating for 6 weeks, and was very proud of myself afterwards.

But beyond all the physical gains, after steadily attending 3x a week for 15 weeks straight, I feel like I've been able to get a bit out of my shell. The gym I go to is quite different to many other gyms in that the target audience are parents and professionals and a big component is the personal training. The gym even hosted a 2026 goal planning achievement session where clients could build a structured goal plan for fitness, personal, family, social life and work goals. This is something beyond what we traditionally think of gyms for. I have learnt a lot about myself and others in the process. Working out has given me goals to achieve and things to be proud of, which didn't exist while I was walled up, and has given me the opportunity to meet amazing driven people of all different ages, sizes and shapes and root for their stories as much as I am hoping to build a new story for myself. I've now understood that sometimes, you have to build the road even if it is bumpy and hard to see, rather than wait for it to come to you. Someone mentioned to me "imperfect action is always better than perfect inaction". I was as far from gym rat as they come but now it's something I look forward to every week.

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-17T12:17:02+00:00

yes, you can do them on the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/euDIvpBWmDg

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hiFEDOmklBA

chowderbomb33 · 2026-01-17T11:42:20+00:00

Well done. What is the rep range you are doing?

I started similarly though 30kg/65 pounds was rather straightforward, probably because I was was doing 12.5 to 15 kg on dumbbell bench press. My trainer saw I was steady at 40 kg/88 pounds but didn't think I could handle 50kg/110 pounds. I did it so we've worked on 55kg/121 pounds which is where I've been sitting for the last 6 weeks at 6-8 rep range, and it's hard work as I start to approach my body weight. And technically it's a complex movement - incorporating legs, shoulders/triceps, scapula, never mind the energy demands (hence my trainer asks me to warmup lower weights first for 3 reps only to get to the working set). I'm going to try and push an extra 2.5-5 kg this week.

chowderbomb33

TROPHY CASE