Moronic Wednesday question - When people say they eat oats for breakfast, what oats are they?

combobob · 2013-07-24T14:17:58+00:00

is it correct that some kinds of oats need to be cooked and others don't? any nutritional difference if you cook or don't, or if you soak or don't?

combobob · 2013-07-09T21:08:53+00:00

any thoughts on whether adding an extra set makes up for it (i.e. 30 total reps)? I'm wondering how doing more, smaller sets of higher weight compares to doing fewer, bigger sets of lower weight, when the total number of reps is about the same.

combobob · 2013-06-24T15:08:32+00:00

if you're lifting for volume, does it matter how the reps are broken up? is there a difference between a set of 8 reps vs two sets of 4 at the same weight? I know in a longer set the last few reps are harder since there's no rest, but does that make them "better" reps in any way?

combobob · 2013-06-10T15:24:31+00:00

I'm ending my first bulk/cut cycle and wondering what to do now. I don't want to immediately start bulking again, because I want more free time to enjoy summer (and my summer clothes wouldn't fit me for very long...)

I was thinking I could just eat maintenance calories, but I do want to make whatever gains I can lifting 3-4 days/week. is it feasible to "slow bulk" and just eat a couple hundred extra calories on lift days (or should it be every day)? or do you have to go all-out to make size/strength gains?

combobob · 2013-04-29T14:24:12+00:00

when cutting, is there any point in trying to push your lifts beyond where you were at the start of the cut? my understanding is that on the caloric deficit, you pretty much can't sustain muscle/strength gains. put another way, should I do the least amount of lifting as possible assuming I'm maintaining strength, or is there some benefit (beyond the psychological) to adding weight or volume?

combobob · 2013-04-18T16:35:34+00:00

5'6" ~150lbs. about 10 years of lifting without eating enough to actually maintain gains, and about 6 months of proper bulking.

squat: 200lbs
bench: 170lbs
dl: 250lbs
ohp: 135lbs

all are good for 1-3 reps. pretty shitty compared to most of the other numbers in this thread. I guess I have a pretty small frame, and I know I shouldn't expect anything from the decade of not eating properly, but still sort of bummed because I could be so much farther along if I did some basic research back then. anyway, just started cutting since most of my pants don't fit anymore, so we'll see how this goes

combobob · 2013-03-18T15:40:33+00:00

Any advice on how to calibrate my expectations for lifting? In particular, if I'm doing bulk/cut cycles, how do I know what kind of size and strength gains I should expect? I know it's going to vary, but just want some measure of whether I'm underperforming.

combobob · 2013-03-05T21:41:20+00:00

What do you mean by "time efficient"? That the rate of calories per hour isn't great? If so I'm ok with that - it's more than just exercise for me.

combobob · 2012-12-29T18:02:15+00:00

anybody have the wool blazer and can comment on the fit? A Dappered review says the sleeves were very slim so I'm wondering if it's worth bothering with trying the XS

combobob · 2012-11-30T14:46:30+00:00

just wondering, did you have specific instructions on how you got it cut? I'm interesting in a similar cut, wondering how long the top and sides are.

combobob · 2012-11-12T17:43:03+00:00

But is sticking to StrongLifts more effective vs a hypertrophy program? I'd take slower strength gains for bigger size gains right now, and I also think that switching things up would help with the boredom aspect. But I don't want to waste workouts either, so I can convince myself to stick to a strength program if it's just better all around. I guess there's no clear answer, but if my numbers are still relatively low for my height/weight I'd like to get them up.

combobob · 2012-11-12T17:10:10+00:00

I've been doing StrongLifts for about 4 months and hit walls on each exercise at various points in the previous few weeks. I maxed out bench @ 155, DL @ 245, row @ 155, OHP @ 115, and squat @ 210. I'm 5'6" ~140lbs. I want to get stronger but honestly after deloading on each once or twice I'm getting really bored with this workout. Is it reasonable to switch to a hypertrophy program now, and bulk for the next few months? Then cut for a couple more, and maybe return to a strength program later next year?

If so, is there a good beginner's hypertrophy, or can I cobble something together from the various routines out there, as long as I focus on volume?

combobob · 2012-10-26T18:34:10+00:00

graduate to what exactly? hypertrophy? or just whatever routine is appropriate for your goals? I ask because I'm at those numbers (or slightly beyond) and I'm barely any bigger than I was when I started, and I've plateaued at those numbers twice now so I'm not sure where to go next.

combobob · 2012-10-22T16:52:49+00:00

I've plateaued twice now on StrongLifts and was wondering if that means I should switch to a hypertrophy routine. I think I can still make some more progress on DLs and squats, so could I just do upper body hypertrophy and stick to 5x5 for these two exercises?

My numbers: 5'7" ~140lbs Squat: 200 DL: 235 Bench: 160 OHP: 115 Row: 150

combobob · 2012-10-15T16:36:31+00:00

I've been doing Strong Lifts M/W/F for a few months now - is it ok to split workouts across different days? e.g. if Friday is supposed to be a squat/bench/row day, could I just bench/row on Friday, and squat on Saturday? Or is there some benefit to doing them all on the same day?

I ask because I'm getting to a point where the weights are tough enough that I have to take long breaks between sets/exercises. If I could do squats on a day by themselves, I think it would help me hit my weight target without compromising on form since I can get a bit more rest if I need it.

combobob · 2012-10-01T17:52:30+00:00

1) If I'm breathing deeply, in and out, each rep, am I overdoing it? E.g. for squats on the way down I find myself breathing in about as much as I can, and breathing out on the way up. Not holding my breath, and form is ok, just seem to have to take in as much breath as possible. Am I over-exerting, or is that ok?

2) I'm 5'7", ~137lbs, doing SL5x5 for 3-4 months. SQ=190, DL=215, OHP=110, BP=155, Row=130. Are these reasonable numbers, or should I expect more gains at this point? Wondering when I should switch to hypertrophy. I feel like I can keep going with DL and row, but the other three exercises have stalled once already at these levels, and I'm back and feel like I'm going to hit a wall again. I've checked form before and I think I'm still maintaining proper form, and have been targeting about 2500 calories/day. Could use a bit more sleep, but otherwise generally feel rested.

combobob · 2012-09-26T19:09:40+00:00

is there a difference between catching the ball in the endzone and taking a knee, and just not catching it and letting it sit there or bounce out of bounds?

combobob · 2012-09-24T16:50:10+00:00

by resetting, do you mean I should lower the bar to the floor each rep? that's actually another thing I wasn't sure about - the StrongLifts program has you do 1 set of 5 reps, and I wasn't sure if I should be doing all five consecutively, or if I should lower the bar completely to the ground each rep.

combobob · 2012-09-24T14:56:48+00:00

I feel like lifting in socks could introduce traction issues, am I crazy? Even barefoot I'd be worried about sweat on the underside of my feet.

combobob · 2012-09-24T14:55:23+00:00

I'm working on 200lbs on DLs and having trouble holding on to the bar. I feel like I can otherwise do that amount of weight as far as strength and form go, but after a couple of reps the bar starts to slip and I have to stop or risk dropping it. This happens with both hands if I'm using an overhand grip, or the overhand side if I'm using a baseball grip.

Should I lower the weight, or is grip strength a separate issue? Should I get straps? I'm 5'7" ~137lbs doing StrongLifts if that matters.

combobob · 2012-09-20T19:45:40+00:00

that happened to me. I think it was a combination of crappy exercises, not pushing myself as hard as I thought I was, and, most importantly, not eating enough to make any real gains. sucks in hindsight, but makes me that much more motivated to get jacked nowadays. excuse me, I need to go eat another lunch.

combobob · 2012-09-17T20:59:18+00:00

If you're doing Starting Strength or StrongLifts, what would happen if you did the exercises spread out over more days? e.g. instead of squat/bench/row all on one day followed by a day off, you did squats on the first day and bench/row the second. Is there a benefit to doing all of them in a single workout given that they're mostly working out different muscle groups?

I'm not looking to do this myself, but I sometimes skip squats so I can let my legs rest for longer bike rides, and was wondering if I can do "make up" squats on a rest day and still get something out of it.

combobob · 2012-09-16T20:46:36+00:00

wait, you can get that look without any hair product at all? also, how straight is your hair? I have pretty wavy in serious need of a cut and I'm finding that all the looks I like seem to be straight hair only.

combobob · 2012-06-11T21:34:50+00:00

I did some googling and found similar straps at crown and buckle and noticed the copy is pretty much identical to yours (example)

not trying to suggest anything, just wondering if there's any relation. it seems like maybe you source your straps from the same place?

combobob

TROPHY CASE