Bluemoon Fitness Thread

[hilts]

Maybe strip the bar completely and practice good form in the mirror? then slowly add the weight? 5x5's would be my advice.

You need a spotter or a power frame too if not already.

Have a squat rack mate, I think it's a balance thing, I have long limbs and small feet, was doing 5x5 until recently, could get stuck at rep 2 or 24, I think I might get a little loose and trying not to lean forward too much get the weight behind me, hence trying a heeled shoe

 

[ninjamonkey]

This thread is worthy of a bump. Can someone recommend some decent running shoes. I've been told to look at Asic's?

There's really no standout make to recommend. Asic's are often recommended above others because they are strictly a running brand. Fact is, Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Brooks, Mizuno etc etc are all as good as Asics. You need to consider a few things, firstly and most importantly you need to know what foot type you are. You'll either have a neutral stance, overpronate or supinate. neutral is self explanatory, your foot stays in a neutral stance throughout the entire foot cycle. If you overpronate (which most people do) your foot will either start in a neutral position and roll inwards during your running cycle or you'll start in an inwards position and stay that way or continue to roll inwards. If you're an oddball you may be one of the small percentage that supinate which is when you roll outwards. If you do that you'll probably already be aware of it because it can absolutely ruin you and you'll likely have specialist insoles to help.

The reason you need to know your foot type is because most running trainers have a range of levels and at each level there's usually a neutral trainer which is just full of cushioning and an equivalent trainer that contains a medial post on the inner side of the trainer. These are known as stability trainers and are strictly for people that overpronate. They're designed to offer resistance to natural overpronation and encourage the foot into a more neutral cycle. Wearing one of these trainers when you don't need it can seriously screw up your feet in the future. many people make this mistake.

Once you've discovered what foot type you are you've essentially ruled out 50% of the trainers on offer. Then you simply need to weigh up how much you're willing to spend and how often you're going to be running. There's no real cheap tricks or alternatives unless you can find a decent sale, you usually get what you pay for with running trainers. If you're runnign with any kind of regularity it's really not worth paying less than £70/80 on a pair as the lower end trainers offer nothing more than the very basic level of cushioning required to be classed as a running trainer and you'll likely wear them out in no time if you're using them often.

In terms of the make. Most of the trainers are the same throughout the brands until you reach the upper tier levels of trainers they make. Then each makes trademarked technolgies are introduced into the trainer. Asic's do the gel cushioning which is like a silicone feature inserted above the more rigid hard wearing standard cushioning. Adidas to their adiprene and bounce which is probably the softest cushioning around but probably isn't advisable if you're doing long distances. not going to go through every single make but they all have their own technologies it all depends on what you plan on using them for.

if you give me some specifics i could probably narrow it down for you and suggest the best options for you.

 

[Why Always Ste]

Some good advice above for running shoes.... I would also look into your height/weight whilst running for the type of shoe you purchase. if you weigh 7st do you really need bouncy castle shoes as you'll be lightweight and have little/no pressure on the leg joints.
Also - is it even advisable to run if you weigh 50st? wouldn't it be better to alleviate the pressure your leg joints take and instead go cycling or use a Rower machine for your cardio?

As for Squatting... I just wear my running shoes in the gym, but when I do any leg work I take my shoes off, as I like my heels felt firmly on the ground.
Forget the weight completely - take any plates off the barbell and squat slowly, getting used to a proper technique.
Thousands of videos online showing correct technique but yea - don't be afraid to lift light weights - biggest mistake I see many people (including me with injuries to prove) doing in gyms is trying to lift heavy shit with poor form.
Did my sciatica nerve in about 7yrs ago after bending my back whilst doing a back squat - OUCH!!

 

[Dirty Harry]

The Weight doesn't get me as I haven't managed anything remotely decent, I just randomly get stuck at the bottom like a Plonker, I am actually wearing my work shoes and using a bench but still dying on my arse

If You mean you squat to bench height, then lose the bench mate, you do lose that bit of momentum from the deep squat position, sitting/resting/squatting to a bench leaves you fixed in an uncomfortable mid range position with little chance of getting back up, believe me, I've had to launch many a bar with far lighter weight myself than I ever squatted with and ended up ruining the bars by bending them :-S

 

[quiet_riot]

Have a squat rack mate, I think it's a balance thing, I have long limbs and small feet, was doing 5x5 until recently, could get stuck at rep 2 or 24, I think I might get a little loose and trying not to lean forward too much get the weight behind me, hence trying a heeled shoe

Try goblet squats, they improved my back squat immeasurably.

 

[hilts]

If You mean you squat to bench height, then lose the bench mate, you do lose that bit of momentum from the deep squat position, sitting/resting/squatting to a bench leaves you fixed in an uncomfortable mid range position with little chance of getting back up, believe me, I've had to launch many a bar with far lighter weight myself than I ever squatted with and ended up ruining the bars by bending them :-S

It's a pretty low bench, I use it now as a guide to go down to the same spot, I was getting stuck without it, I did 5 reps then 3x8 today and didn't get stuck but really concentrated on staying tight everywhere and added a tad more forward lean with my chest, I think I loose concentration and go straight down too much leaving the weight on the back of my heels, Im treating every rep as a single if that makes sense

 

[hilts]

Try goblet squats, they improved my back squat immeasurably.

Need to buy some Dumbbells and have a go, my gym at the moment consists of a mini rack, bar and weights plus pull up bar

I never realised how expensive buying weights was

 

[quiet_riot]

Need to buy some Dumbbells and have a go, my gym at the moment consists of a mini rack, bar and weights plus pull up bar

I never realised how expensive buying weights was

Ah, didn't realise you were a home gym-er. I recommend a sandbag then!

 

[DruntBlunt]

Shove your ass up...

 

[117 M34]

Saw some absolutely horrific squat form from someone in the gym tonight. He ended up in a good morning position at one point on his way back up.

Nearly as bad as the lad I saw last week doing dumb bell bicep curls wearing gloves and a gym belt!