The British Thread.

Hmm, well I heard about one in London but never got any dates for it. Keep us informed

I won't have the money for a meet this year I don't think, which sucks, but maybe we should organise something, come up with a few dates as possibilities and a park to meet at (I'm guessing Primrose?) and give people something to save for and also train for to be at their best?

I'd like to do something early next year, maybe February time?

I'd get lost going to London but I'd love to come lol. My biggest worry is not being able to find my way back to a train station etc.

As far as Lee told me on FB, it's at the end of October in Manchester. That's closer than London for me but still quite far

I wouldn't worry about getting lost, there'll be plenty of people there willing to help. I just get the train from Norwich to London Liverpool Street, but get on at Diss rather than Norwich, and then hop on the underground so it's fairly simple for me.

Finding the park from the underground is a different story though :p But I'm sure if others were coming in by train to the same station we could meet before getting the tube, then get someone to meet us at the station by the park too.

I've done it from Camden tube station before and its not too bad. :-)

Tim wrote:

I've done it from Camden tube station before and its not too bad. :-)

Exactly. Bring a Google Maps print-out, your phone or just buy an A-Z

Or memorize the land marks between the two ;-)

Don't worry about getting lost just ask people. I would reccomend tying a string to something at the train station when you get off and trailing it across London to your destination then simply reel yourself in to get back home. Always works

If im not in a running race I would make a trip to manchester yes! I've got a couple of 50 milers in october but if I can I will. Know where there might be a date and location published?

As for the muscle ups.. I could do 21 pull ups and between 40-45 dips when fresh but learnt them on rings first (just what I had available not for any reason) I did 6 sets of 5 using legs to assist me about 4 sessions and then I tried and could do individual mu's. Recently I've done 6 in a row although I've not worked to build numbers of them just done them here and there during a session.

Messing about at the gym yesterday managed to pull 60kg for 1arm pull downs which has motivated me to look at one arm chins, although i am not expecting that to be a quick process. Anybody got any tips there?

Negative one arm-chins from top of the bar would probably be the start of the progression I think

Freddy wrote:

Negative one arm-chins from top of the bar would probably be the start of the progression I think

Agreed. That seems to be what the guys at Primrose did to get theirs anyway! Just lower yourself down as slow as possible.

Did my max reps test - 11. You can see the video here. Form goes towards the end - not locked out. Also feet weren't together. Gonna re-shoot it and aim to hit dead-hang at the bottom and make it look a bit neater. On the up-side I'd never seen my back before and it's f-ing ripped hehe!

Might carry on with the 50PU program for a bit longer. Was thinking about repeating the 9-11 cycle but adding in a 1 second dead-hang at the bottom. Need to move onto a higher bar, but the one at Primrose is a bit too high and slightly freaks me out!

Thats pretty decent form if you ask me, great set

Nicely done Fi! I'm trying to come up with a plan for the program. I'd love to carry on with it for a while and try to hit 30 pull ups to be honest, but I think I'd get bored and want more power, so I'm thinking about sticking with it to 15 and then getting a weight vest.

I'm probably going to do a max test with the vest and then try the program with that and see how I get on.

Just like you Fi, I'm concentrating a lot more on form now I've been set back a little. It was never terrible doing this routine, but I want to make sure it's spot on as much as possible.

CTurner wrote:

I'd love to carry on with it for a while and try to hit 30 pull ups to be honest, but I think I'd get bored and want more power

Same problem with me lol

Regarding focusing on form, I always find new ways of perfecting my form even though to a viewer it'd look good anyway.

I'm a bit OCD on form, and have realised if I keep my feet together yet let my toes point outwards while pulling up (mainly when tired), it's actually easier than if I keep my toes touching at all times.

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I think the best way is to cycle the program with different weights each month.

For example, all of September I'm going to do just bodyweight to make sure I can do 20 good reps (was able to in the past but I think it slipped down). Then in October I'll use 10kg and try to get back up to 20 reps. After a month of following the program properly I'll switch back to bodyweight

Ordered my Fitstream weighted vest @ 30kg, can't wait till it arrives I'll let everyone know what its like - like a little review

Also managed to half-press(arms bent) into a handstand today learnt something new

Getting a pair of Nike pushup handles to act as parallettes and they are cheap which is good thing

September will be a good month

I'll be looking for a weighted vest after Christmas I think, be good to get some reviews.

Completely reworked my workout schedule to hopefully fit in easier with work, going to take some determination to stick to it but after a few weeks it'll be second nature again. Gone back a few stages to reduce the risk of injury as I come back into it but psyched for tomorrow's session which is a good sign!

I'll be working on my dead hang time too, I end up dropping off the bar during leg raises as my grip/arms go which is a bit annoying.

Your grip will get stronger eventually, keep going. I had to re work my sessions too because of work (electrician apprentice)

A weighted vest will be a good addition and take training to the next level and progress faster, get stronger and chisel you a great body

I got my pushup handles today and I can see they are going to take me to another level with my handstands, planches, L-sits been messing around with them having alot of fun!

Yeah I'll definitely get a vest eventually, but I'm basically going back to square one from tomorrow.

I'm starting the 50 pull ups program from the third cycle again (first one where you do pull ups and not negatives) to ease back into it, and I'm winding back with dips and push ups too. Within a month I'll be back up to scratch and training properly again. Then I want to hit the basics hard til Christmas and increase my reps as much as possible before adding weight.

Plus I'm saving for a new bike and basically only have fuel money at the minute (just done insurance etc) and first year apprentice wage sucks, so it'll give me time to save a little up so the vest won't make too much of a dent.

Might switch up my routine need thoughts

Currently push and pull days so 4 workouts a week with handstands daily and legs on a wednesday generally.

Might switch up to weighted pullups, chins, pushups and dips twice a week routine style and with sets. Then the other 2 days do what ever I feel like and just have more fun with the session these days will be without a weighted vest too, still make lots of progress though this way too.

I think I will probably switch to this, what is everyone else's routine looking like? I know lots of people just train what ever they feel like, I always feel I need a routine to keep me on a progression track.

Do you train routine like certain amount of sets and reps or do you train spontaneously and do what ever you feel like needs doing with as many reps and sets as you want.

Thoughts?


Edit; with the weighted vest I want to get up to 15 inch arms so I need to add a little bit more mass, do you reckon weighted once a week or twice? Twice because I'm young? Or once because its the bodybuilding way?

To be honest mate I can't help much as I'm still early on in my training, although I'd love to get to the stage where I can free style it and have fun, but I'm on a progression drive for now.

I do have a question of my own though. My chest is really pissing me off, everything else is developing nicely but as I've been concentrating on pull ups and dips mainly, I've been neglecting push ups a little as they always come at the end of my workout and I'm always fucked from the dips.

Apart from push up variations, what other exercises will help develop my chest more? I'm not one to base my training on looks, but looking out of proportion is horrible haha.

Also, I'm thinking about doing pull ups, dips, leg raise progressions etc as usual, but either doing my push ups in the morning rather than after work with the rest, or even on a different day just to make sure I get them in. Would this be smart?

Id suggest different day from dips if it tires you too much, or just take longer breaks between sets when you switch exercise dips to pushups say 10 - 15 minute break. The better you get you decrease the time and up intensity

Freddy wrote:

Negative one arm-chins from top of the bar would probably be the start of the progression I think

no i don't think so.start with one arm hang-get 60s oah.then maybe some assited negative one arm chin.weight pull/chin up and static hold pull/chin up are good too:D

and you guys have a awesome thread :D:D

nguyenquanghung wrote:

and you guys have a awesome thread :D:D

Yeah we totally do

Think I'm gonna buy my weighted vest this week... Just need to decide which of the cheap ones is going to be least crappy!

nguyenquanghung wrote:

and you guys have a awesome thread :D:D

Too right we do! I love this thread, get all my advice here Hopefully it stays active.

Fi wrote:

nguyenquanghung wrote:

and you guys have a awesome thread :D:D

Yeah we totally do

Think I'm gonna buy my weighted vest this week... Just need to decide which of the cheap ones is going to be least crappy!

FITSTREAM VEST, you won't regret it at all! I got mine yesterday 30kg, its very heavy duty and well made. Fits great and is not big and bulky at all, I can do handstands with 10kg no problem at all.

I really recommend getting a quality one because countless people have said how bad the bad vests really are!

I'd give 9/10 to Fitstream for their vest hands down best in UK

Actually I did look at the site today, and thought about it. It's nearly double though, at £60... The one I'm looking at was recommended by Sai who got the same one (and that I used).

Freddy how tall are you and what do you weigh? Trying to figure out whether it would fit a girl well, or just as badly as all the others are likely too!