finally

[grywlf]

today is the day i waited months for .today i got my weights and bench out of storage and have reclaimed the carport till november 1st. no more driving 3 towns away for a gym running to make it on their hours.i can work out whenever i want besides i pefer my bench to any of golds ones anyways anyone else here workout at home with free weights i do both but i perfer free weights, anyone else got spring fever yet?

[Marco_ukmus]

Good for you grywlf! Now get pumping and build up those muscles...

I do actually have some free weights at home, but prefer working out at the gym. I find if i go to the gym, I don't mess around, I am focused and will put my all into it. If i workout at home, I tend to get distracted too easily and am less disciplined despite the added advantage of being able to workout whenever you want.

I can't wait for summer now! Bring it on!

Marc

[grywlf]

trust me there are no distractions in my car port i do get distracted at a gym though so many machine kind of like a kid in a candy store gotta try everything
plus in the summer i like to work out late not many gym open 12am to 5am i have a olympic bench and a olympic set with extra plates if i had to to do again i would of just bought 2 oly sets to begin with the extra plates cost more then the first set
i gone thru 3 benches before this one i got this last one 3 years ago and love it

[Mdlftr]

Originally Posted by grywlf

today is the day i waited months for .today i got my weights and bench out of storage and have reclaimed the carport till november 1st. no more driving 3 towns away for a gym running to make it on their hours.i can work out whenever i want besides i pefer my bench to any of golds ones anyways

anyone else here workout at home with free weights i do both but i perfer free weights, anyone else got spring fever yet?

Grywlf,

I recently (last 3 weeks) finally got out of my winter doldrums/lingering cold/blahs and got off my butt and made it into the gym (Gold's) I'm delighted to say that my muscle memory seems to be coming back, and my muscles are firming up and (dare I say it?) even getting bigger!

I, too, have a bench and weights at home, and, like Mark_uk, find it really hard to make the best use of them. When I'm in the 'blahs', the fact that they are there in my basement makes little difference to my motivation. The best thing that happens is that I will go down and do the occasional arm exercise, that doesn't require adjusting any bars. For that reason, I keep an EZ curl bar loaded and on the floor at all times, so I can just reach down and pick it up and start doing 7s or whatever catches my fancy. In the same way, I grab a 50-60# db with both hands, lift it over my shoulder, and start doing db triceps behind the neck extensions--- I LOVE those!

I guess part of the reason is that when I'm in "the blahs" I feel dispirited and feel like bodybuilding 'takes too much time and effort for too little results' and the equipment requires too much fiddling to operate.

[Stupid, since we're talking about a flat bench with an adjustable angle of incline here--how hard can it be? ]

But, seriously, since this is a multipurpose bench (designed for inclines as well as leg extensions) it is a bit higher than a typical bench press bench. I find the extra 3-4" of height QUITE annoying and distracting as I don't use the leg extension attachment (the one at the gym is much better) at home, and I find that the bench is just a shade too high for me to comfortably plant my feet solidly on the ground. I've been toying with the idea for YEARS of building a low wooden platform around the base of the bench so I could plant my feet and get stability.

Regardless, I know how it feels to be on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again..

The thing to remember is that you ARE getting bigger, and you ARE building muscle. In the past year and a half to two years, despite my own worst efforts ( ) I've gone from 190-195#, to a solid 205#! My chest is noticably thicker, and my arms and legs are noticably bigger! Course, my self-esteem doesn't allow me to enjoy those gains, since I immediately get down on myself with all the 'buts':

"But you should be bigger!" [I AM, but try telling that to your subconscious!]

"But you don't look like Mr. USA/Universe/America/Olympia" [NEITHER does he, most of the time, but again, that ole' subconscious is relentless!]

"But..whatever!" [No answer to that one! ]

THAT'S WHY I COME HERE AND GET STOKED!

Good luck and get lifting!

Mdlftr

[On occasion I've even gotten up to 210# -- closing in on my goal of being 220#, real-people-ripped, (meaning that my pants still fit and my chest is mucho bigger than my waist, even if I have a keg instead of a six pack!) I find that my weight can fluctuate during the week as much as +/- 5#, but my new baseline seems to be right around 205#! Yeah!]

flexes, smirks into mirror.....

[Marco_ukmus]

Originally Posted by grywlf

at a gym though so many machine kind of like a kid in a candy store gotta try everything

Hehe, I dont have this problem. Well, initally i did, but then i got serious. I'm one of those sad people going around with my worksheets that log what i managed last time. Though, it does help keep me focused and always trying to achieve more than i did last time round.

Originally Posted by Mdlftr

I've gone from 190-195#, to a solid 205#! My chest is noticably thicker, and my arms and legs are noticably bigger!

Sounds like its photo time for you mate! You sound huge! You should take some photos and let us be the judges, not your bigorexic subconscious (the one we all have).

And a member of Golds gym! (assuming there is only one), I have only ever seen it from the inside in some tv shows over here, but thats gyms full of all the big guys! Which is nothing like my gym (mainly average joe's).

Well, keep growing people!

Marc

[grywlf]

i've never had a problem with working out at home i tend to be compusive driving out to the gym in 10 degree weather though is another story i put on about 10 lbs since nov haven't lost much mass but i did go from working out 3 times a week
to once a week during the winter my job is active so another reason i didn't gain too much over the winter over the next month i will keep lifting heavy and i burn it off fast losing weight for me is easy gaining is very hard i'm 6ft5 and tend to lift weights like a demon so if i'm not trying to gain weight i lose it very easy

[Digibacker]

Originally Posted by grywlf

today is the day i waited months for .today i got my weights and bench out of storage and have reclaimed the carport till november 1st.

Excellent stuff! Great to hear you've been bitten by the bug again. How long has it been since that equipment was put away?

Originally Posted by grywlf

anyone else here workout at home with free weights

I do. I'm too self-conscious to go to the gym, and I know I would be too easily distracted by the view. However, I sometimes regret not having other people around to spot for me. (My hubby sometimes does, but he would rather stay in bed as I'm an early morning lifter.)

I prefer free weights as well. I want to make sure I'm maximizing the benefit from the effort I'm putting out. I like knowing that the compound movements are utilizing lots of secondary muscles at the same time.

I tried using the exercise machine in our strata clubhouse, but found that it didn't quite bend in the same places I did. It hurt my joints. The only thing I do use it for is lat pull-downs.

[Digibacker]

Originally Posted by Mdlftr

... I find that the bench is just a shade too high for me to comfortably plant my feet solidly on the ground. I've been toying with the idea for YEARS of building a low wooden platform around the base of the bench so I could plant my feet and get stability.

We must have the same bench. Definitely build that platform...I did, and it makes everything so much better. (Safer, too.)

It's just big enough for me to put both feet on it -- about 11" deep, 2' wide, and 9" high. Rather like one step of a stair. And it easily moves out of the way for the leg extension.

I think that addition alone has helped me make much better gains in my chest. I can bench heavier weights now and feel much more in control of the movement.

[Mdlftr]

Originally Posted by Digibacker

We must have the same bench. Definitely build that platform...I did, and it makes everything so much better. (Safer, too.)

It's just big enough for me to put both feet on it -- about 11" deep, 2' wide, and 9" high. Rather like one step of a stair. And it easily moves out of the way for the leg extension.

I think that addition alone has helped me make much better gains in my chest. I can bench heavier weights now and feel much more in control of the movement.

Digibacker,
Thanks for the dimensions! It sounds like you place your platform right where your feet go when you lean back and bench! I've gone back and forth with what would be good dimensions (particularly height) and good materials to use.

I have a heavy duty rubber interlocking mats covering my concrete floor. My bench sits on top of the mat, and my feet are on the mat when I use the bench. If/when I put a platform on top of the mat, it might slip on the rubber surface, UNLESS, I build the platform so that it can "hook" around the base of the bench when I want it in place. Then I will slide it off to free up the end of the bench.

I'm thinking I'll build a frame of 2 x 4 lumber, then cover it with a piece of 3/8ths plywood for the top. I could nail on some of the same rubber matting I have for the floor to stop any slippage. The height issue has always bugged me. I'm tall (6'3") so I don't want the bench "too close" to the floor. In the local Gold's the benches are at a good height (I need to take a tape measure and check 'em out).

One thing about combination benches-- the ones that have a leg curl attachment, angle incline bench and adjustable bars for dips: they are convenient, but they DO have a bit of wooble to them. I find that the bench seat sometimes shifts slightly from side to side when I am sitting upright and adjusting the weights on my thighs, preparing to lean back. When I'm tired, the side torsional forces are NOT welcome! I think the answer is to not rush, and to get myself planted firmly, including feet on the ground! If I had to do it over again, I'm tninking I would get a separate bench, permanently inclined! (Huge suck-up of space, but more stable).

Another thing I've learned is that I'm definitely one of those people who gets more "feel" and results from inclines and flat bench by using dumbbells. The straight BP barbell makes my shoulders hurt. I find that by religiously doing uneven pushups and rotator cuff exercises I can do inclines and flat bench presses and nothing hurts at the front of my shoulder!

As a result, my DB press weights have been going up! I've used my 60# dbs for presses this week, and I got 7 reps for two sets with good form! Guess I'll have to go shopping for those 70# dbs! [Big Grin! ]

I've always admired /envied those short, stacked Italian/Greek/Mediterranean types who seem to be able to bench 10 times their age in Junior High (you know, 150# at 15, 160 # at 16, 300# at 16 1/2, etc. etc.). Here's to being like them!

Seriously psyched,

Mdlftr

[ethernet_jock]

I workout at home with a combination of my bowflex and some free weights and have been for about 5 or 6 months now. Before that it was gym.... since switching it took me a month or two to really get on track and self-disciplined but lately I think I've been gaining at a fairly steady and positive rate!

Keep it up man! Nothing better than waking up at 4am, walking down to your basement, and kicking your own ass harder than anyone else could.

[brent]

Mdlftr, I'm glad you're lifting again, but we need to find you a winter solution by Nov. 1... I used to have a good free weights set at home in Portland, in addition to my Bowflex, but ironically I got too distracted. They were next to the computers, video-games, and everything else fun in the house. At the gym, I feel like people want the equipment I'm on, so I'd better make the best of every second. I'm far more productive at the gym, so I left that equipment in Portland (although I did bring the bowflex... it was just too expensive to throw out.)

As for building a platform, you need to find your own height. I'm glad Didgi found a good height for him, but he isn't you. I'd get a bunch of phone books, and play around with heights one afternoon. Then build a platform with the rubber nailed to the top & bottom of the platform; you want your new platform to offer total stability, not slippage.

[ethernet_jock]

Originally Posted by brent

I used to have a good free weights set at home in Portland, in addition to my Bowflex, but ironically I got too distracted. They were next to the computers, video-games, and everything else fun in the house.

You know what's funny.... when you say that it reminds me that I do have ONE problem with working out at home.

I do seem to occasionally allow myself too much rest between sets. It's like I'll get distracted into a fantasy, a thought about work, a problem in my life, or just the music that's playing.... and a minute or two will go by before I wake up and go... shit, Chris, get pumpin'!! That's the occasion rather than the norm but it does happen once or twice a week. I've thought about getting a timer or something but that just seems lame.... maybe that's the solution.

Anyhow, just a note of "oh, that's true".

[brent]

Originally Posted by ethernet_jock

...
I've thought about getting a timer or something but that just seems lame.... maybe that's the solution.
...

All I came up with is keeping the room free of computers, drugs, video games, TVs, or any other highly addictive activity. I like your idea much better. I wish they had those at the gyms, for people that sit on a machine forever.

[ethernet_jock]

oh no doubt!!!!!

Dude, there used to be this guy at the gym that I used to go to... he would show up every Wednesday, only Wednesday for lunch (when I used to work out).... he would sit down on the best flat Bench in the free-weight area WITH HIS NEWSPAPER! and sit there the entire 1.5-2 hours I was there.... working set after relentless set of 200lb+ weight over and over and over again.... and nothing else. All I could think was - what the fuck? How is that beneficial? And why won't you get off the damn bench so someone else can use it?



I think I will get myself a little digital timer maybe where you can set the countdown time and don't have to keep resetting it every time... just hit "start" and let it go.

I was better today at self-discipline for my morning workout but there will always be those days when I'm a little tired at 4am and daze off a bit too much between sets.

Kewl.... Nautilus should sell that as an addition to all their machines.... a seat pressure timer/monitor.

[Mdlftr]

I have a wall mounted clock with a sweep second hand. When it goes around more than once, it's time for me to get going!



4:00 a.m.! SHEESH! I'm impressed (and you must have insomnia!) Just kidding.

I usually try to leave for the gym by 5:20 a.m. or so, on days I go to the gym. At home, I like to work out in the evening, or mid-afternoon on weekends. Just my biological clock--before I had kids, I would never be "getting up" at 5 a.m.! ["Still up" -- maybe! ]

Mdlftr

[brent]

I don't think you need to worry about a timer being digital, or real. Just so long as it's easy for you to dial in 30 or 45 seconds, then at the end it goes "Ding", and like Pavlov's dogs, you go right back to work, then I think it's a good timer. Personally, I'd check the dollar stores.