Raynor,

What type of literature do you read to keep up with exercise discoveries? Peer reviewed journals? Textbooks?

I want to find some different sources, outside of bodybuilding.com, and other similar sites for readings.

Curious if you have any suggestions of exercises to target lower abs. Also for obliques?

How often should I hit obliques? Should it be intensive or just an exercise or two?

Thanks once again m8

Excellent question!


I have access to the UM database which has thousands of medical journals, studies, newsletters, etc. Textbooks I rarely cite, as they tend to be horribly biased.

Besides using the UM database, I also have developed quite a taste for:

http://scholar.google.com/


Google scholar is unbelievably helpful.

Absolutely.

Roman chair situps, hanging leg raises, decline situps, decline leg raises.


For obliques you can do: alternating crunches (crunches alternating to either side, not the middle), cable or dumbbell side bends, and side planks.


I would train abs with obliques at least 3x per week. I also encourage 3 very BRUTAL sessions per week...not just 5-10 sets at the end of a workout....but a good 30-45 minute session with maximum intensity.

Hey Raynor,

Still have pain in my knee, don't really have time to do PT atm due to school and stuff.

What stretches would be best, and how do you know if your over stretching?

And I'm guessing it would be bad to squat, even though it doesn't bother me when I squat?

Trying to get this healed as soon as possible so I can get back to training my legs.

Any movement in the left knee making an acute angle of about 45 degrees or less is a little painful.

For stretches, let your body be your guide. Stretch in the direction that you feel relief and comfort, without feeling pain. If you should feel pain, immediately cease that particular stretch. Focus on stretching all the major muscle groups, even in the upper body. Go slow, and perform each stretch for at least 10-15 seconds.

Do NOT squat!!!

do you mind helping me create a program? i can train only mon - fri. so i dunno what would suit me best, 5 on 2 off or something

Mon - Swimming Only (1 hour, medium intensity)

Tues - Chest/Bis (Flat Bench, Incline DB, Cable Flies, EZ Curls, DB Curls, Cable Curls)

Weds - Back/Tris (Lat Pulldowns, Bent Over Rows, Cable Rows, Tricep Kickbacks, Rope Pulldowns, Skullcrushers)

Thurs - Shoulders/Traps (Military Press, Arnold Press, DB Raises, DB Shrugs, BB Shrugs)

Fri - Swimming Only (1 hour, medium intensity)

Raynor, is your 5x5 strength training program the primary strength training program you would recommend?

I'm back to strength training, but for example I always end up not following the program exactly... and wondering if I'm cheating myself on my gains... ex. I will go to do barbell curls 5x5, and I will instead do about 7 sets, and the last 4 of those will be to failure, 3 first ones will be working up in weight, each will be 5 reps though. Example might be 45 x 10 warmup, 65 x 5, 75 x 5, 105 x 5, 105 x 5, 95 x 5.

Also, for strength training, what's your opinion on superior form throughout the positive and into the negative vs. heavier weight & getting out a slow negative (but with a self-assisted positive).

This post was edited by Canadian_Man on Nov 10 2012 06:49pm