bcetiger24

Unless you are powerlifting, there really is no reason to rest more than two minutes. There is no doubt about it that less rest will decrease your ability to handle weight and reps in your next set. Rest, like weights, reps, angle, etc., should be varied to attack the muscles with different types of resistance. I have done programs where I did less weight but rested only 30 seconds between sets, and I have done powerlifting routines with heavy weights and long rests between. All have their place, but assuming that most people here are more interested in being lean and fit than in being massive or uber-strong, I would probably err on the side of using shorter rests and keeping the heart rate up.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone... Offense74, I played fullback in college...

I would argue that there is true substitute for the squat in its pure form, but there are some alternatives if your form is lacking. One is to do deadlifts (not stiff legged). While mostly considered a back exercise, its tremendous for leg development and overall body development. This is the only exercise that equals or exceeds the muscle building effect of the squat as a total body exercise. The other is the split squat on the smith machine, which you may find easier. Its a one legged squat with one foot elevated on a bench. Yes its one leg but its a little bit more stable exercise. With squatting, I would have you start with sissy Squats (or if that name bothers you, the bodyweight squat) with no bar. Really work on going slow and going low. Then add the bar with no weight and add 5 pounds a workout. Keep the bar lower down on your back, eventually you will almost develop a "pocket" back there and you won't feel any discomfort carrying the bar and it will result in you squatting with a more natural motion (carrying the bat high on the shoulders or on the lats is a common mistake). Experiment with your stance as well.... I use a very wide powerlifting stance and it provides more stability and a better base. I see many trainers having their clients sticking to a shoulder width or narrower stance, there is no real benefit to this except in how you target the muscle. Hopefully something from what I say above helps a little. It could be just a mental block that is stopping you from doing a perfect squat.

My stepfather got me into weight training at 14 and he was a powerlifter... I dominated a few teenage contests but never competed after that (a regret). Powerlifting became my main staple for training for football and for bodybuilding. In college, I was squatting in the mid to high 600s and was benching around 420. My lifts are probably 60% of what they once were now. I think some is the result of the diet and some is the result of my general laziness recently. I would like to get some of my strength back although I know I will never be where I was in college, nor would I want to be because of the pressure on my joints. Not sure doing a 600 pound squat will have any health benefits for me whatsoever.

I played 4 years at Princeton.

Yeah, drinking a bottle of maple Syrup falls in the "What? You pooped in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole... wheel of cheese? How'd you do that? Heck, I'm not even mad; that's amazing" category. I became addicted to these Amy's organic macaroni and soy cheese dinners... not incredibly bad for you (I think 16 grams of protein and 15 grams of far per serving) but I was knocking back at least two a night. I finally had to cut myself off.

The diet had the opposite impact on me, I had mild to moderate acne most of my life and the diet helped immensely. The other thing that has helped is that I stopped using any harsh products and use only organic gentle products. The topical use of organic jojoba oil also has been a godsend for me. I am convinced that almost all ailments, including skin problems, are the result of some kind of food allergy or nutritional defeciency. If it is in fact zinc defeciency, I would probably anticipate that it would take 4-6 weeks of consistent zinc use to see a difference. If that doesn't work, I would cut out the different staples of your diet for 1-2 weeks at a time to try and pinpoint which of the foods may be causing the breakouts.

Hi all- I am an ex college football player and powerlifter that has adopted a quasi-vegan/vegeterian lifestyle over the last 15 months or so. I used to be about 215 pounds with very low bodyfat, but I was eating tons of meat and dairy and really felt unbalanced physically and emotionally. Over the last year +, I have cut out all red meat and poultry (eat fish occasionally), almost never have dairy (tough to kick it fully), only eat organic, etc... and the impacts on my life have been extremely positive. However, ror whatever reason (probably more to do with lifestyle than the diet) I haven't been working out as consistently and I have gained some weight and fat and am not nearly as strong as I used to be. Anyway, this is a great website and I am looking forward to perusing the forum for nutritional tips, namely getting bodybuilding type nutrition without eating meat and dairy... and as far as the working out side, I just need to get my but in gear. I hope I can add some insight for everyone on the weight lifting side.