Strength Training
It's the number one driver behind great physiques. Consistently getting stronger is the most important thing you need to focus on in your training. If not, you're not moving forward. You must train effectively.
If you're not strength training, you're not improving.
It doesn't matter if you go into the gym and pump out tons of volume with drop sets or super sets. When you begin adding more and more exercises for a particular muscle group, how can you possible continue getting stronger on the rest of them?
Pump training is the most emphasized style of training by bodybuilders and consists of the use of light weights at high volume with short rest periods. This type of training induces Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy which is basically a fluid that fills up a muscle fiber and is known as Sarcoplasm. It consists of only 25% of a muscle fiber.
Bodybuilders may look bigger, but since Sarcoplasm is not actual muscle fiber, and instead fluid, their muscles are prone to fluctuating on a daily basis. If they didn't work out as often as they do, which is usually 6 days a week, their muscles would start to look soft and flabby.
Despite this flaw of contemporary bodybuilding training, sarcoplasm can still be effectively utilized with the myofibrils; the 75% remaining growth inside a muscle fiber that is induced through lifting heavy weights at low reps with long rest periods. Using both of these aspects in a training program will give your muscles a better chance to become bigger and strong.
So how can you start?
Strip down your training to the most effective exercises
Ideally, you want to work with compound exercises such as the OverHead Press, Incline Bench Press, Flat Bench Press, Pullups, etc. Performing these exercises spark enough androgen receptors that when you feed your body post workout it will have a powerful anabolic effect to its food. That's only if you provide a high enough insulin spike, which is why it's recommended to eat a banana or an electrolyte drink such as gatorade post work out. Yet what these recommendations forget to mention is the need of whole foods to replenish glycogen stores post workout.
I'm rambling on, if you want to read more about post workout nutrition go to my website: Alphasthetics
Muscle is a byproduct of strength
Getting insanely strong on your bench press, weighted pull ups, and overhead press, for example, is going to give your chest, back, and shoulders the development they need to pop out and look awesome.
Combine that with a low body fat and you've cracked the code to building an awe inspiring physique.
To sum it all up
- Implement a Strength Program
- Reduce the amount of exercises you perform, to just a few effective ones.
- Train heavy at the beginning of your workout, and then do 'pump training' at the end.
My next post tomorrow: The top 3 "NOT TO Dos" in Training.
For more specifics, or for those who don't have a workout program nor a proper nutrition program refer to the Alphasthetics’ workout program which is designed to improve strength and power by activating maximum muscle fiber using eight extremely effective ‘dominant’ exercises that ensure hard and conditioned muscle growth.
LordThunderbolt 7y ago
You want people to give up their pump up workouts that they follow with 40mn of self miring in the gym and istead lift a bunch of plates that can "hurt their backs" or "snap their knees"?
Are u kidding? How's his chest gonna pop if he doesn't do his routine 9 exercise isolation work with 15lbs resistance and a grimace on his face paired with some exaggerated grunting?
CosmicParadigm 7y ago
If you refer to strength training as in:
I need say no more.
LordThunderbolt 7y ago
Im talking about guys doing bodybuilding workouts who bring for no reason when powerlifters are actually moving heavy weights in silence.
Wilreadit 7y ago
If only you hadn't peddled your shit, we would have forgiven you for your ignorance.
rpredneck 7y ago
Oh look, another motherfucker saying the same shit with a book and a blog with alpha in the title
aanarchist 7y ago
good post. i also made the mistake of trying to make my routine all fancy and shit, and tried to see how much i could pump up the volume. the best gains i ever made was doing a few exercises a few times a week and consistently increasing the load.
can you talk a bit more about diet? i didn't know that eating bananas post workout was good or even why. one of my issues in particular has been proper diet and the timing, i just ate my square meals each day and 2 shakes.
BreathOfDick 7y ago
For post workout some sugar is good since your muscle glycogen is mostly depleted. I'm cutting and still get 20-30 grams simple carbs in after an exhausting workout. You'll feel waaaaaay better.
If you're going for fat loss, intermittent fasting is king. If you can also do keto then you'll melt it off.
Specific foods: just stick with as natural as possible. Paleo diet is what it's generally called. And if you don't like it don't eat it. I hate vegetables. I don't eat them. I'm still feeling great and losing fat.
aanarchist 7y ago
Yea I'm permanent bulking cuz thanks ectomorph genes. I stuff my face for gains, hate it.
[deleted] 7y ago
My go to preworkout is banana and coffee with protein powder.
Some ppl train fasted, some eat carbs and protein. 1-2 hours prior... So it's all depends on you!
To gain muscle:
Simply put. All in Pounds
Calculate your TDEE and eat 300 calories above that Count calories ( not needed)
Eat (macros) .8g protein per body weight .4g fat per body weight. Rest in carbs, more protein or fat. As long you reach your TDEE and your macro you're good to good.
Of course, fruits and greens are important
aanarchist 7y ago
i felt like taking coffee pre workout was dishonest, i should be able to pump myself up on my own but tbh after 2 years of lifting i got into that rut where your gains have stopped and it just doesn't have the magic it used to and started to feel like work rather than fun. some sort of stimulant to get hyped sounds like just what i need these days.
so you eat the banana pre and post workout?
FractalFactorial 7y ago
I think its mainly in diet tbh. I've been going at it 1.5 years and hit more plateaus now than before ofc: its really just being able to hit your TDEE with lean good quality nutrition. Only problem is that that kind of food is hard to afford on a budget and hard to cook daily on a tight schedule.
[deleted] 7y ago
I just like eating banana. As long as you eat your macros, you will get gains. There's no miracle food that you must eat.
Bodybuilding forum is a great read.
aanarchist 7y ago
I meant like timing for the meals
[deleted] 7y ago
There was a recent study that meal timing plays a role on muscle growth. However it was very minimal so it does not matter in the greater scheme of things.
Workout consistently, eat your macro and micro and get enough sleep.
FrozenHearth 7y ago
The reason bodybuilders grow bigger is because of steroids. With steroids, pump training will help you grow bigger. Naturals should incorporate a mix of strength and hypertrophic training. Metallicadpa's PPL(on mobile rn) has worked wonders for me. You basically limit the reps to 5 on big compound movements, while hitting the 8-10 rep range for isolations, which seems perfect. However, one should try pyramid and reverse pyramid training once in a while to push through plateaus.
Mckallidon 7y ago
Many people either under or overtrain. Either they don't trigger adaptation and are mainly training endurance, or they keep going once they have and wind up killing hypertrophy in favor of endurance. Many people don't rest enough and cannot work their hardest and hit more adaptation.
The best programming is that which does the essential, no more, no less. You have clarity of intended outcome and the oath to hit that and you stay on that course consistently over extended periods of time.
People often have too many exercises for the same group they half ass when they would get better results from one move worked HAM.
People also apply programming to all parts of their body the same which is dumb. Legs often recover faster than arms. But people wind up either overtraining arms or under training legs by using the same mold for both. Once you know your body and programming a routine, you can always hit that sweet spot and maximize gains as well as not waste time.
I don't lift. I'm a calisthenics guy. But firing muscle fibers is the all the same to your cells and the same principles apply. Training bodyweight vs weights for hypertrophy or strength are slightly different, but based on the same principles. In my experience 3 days of leg and two day of arms works best. I actually learned this from a weight lifter. And it gave me better results with what I do. Working that larger muscle group that recovers faster more Spurs more overall hypertrophy than overtraining arms. You grow in your sleep and when you rest, not when you work out. One thing that kills strength and mass, not sleeping right. Right amount and at right time. A shitty program with right food and sleep trumps a better program with bad food/sleep.
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Air4ce1 7y ago
Not really interested in the science. Just go in lift heavy weight, get a good pump and leave. repeat with rest, meat and potatoes, and heavier weight.
I like to keep things pretty simple.
CosmicParadigm 7y ago
Simplicity. It's just that. Well said.
prodigy2throw 7y ago
Can someone confirm if this is broscience or legit? I don't know enough to dispute this.
[deleted] 7y ago
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[deleted] 7y ago
Don't forget its also in the way they eat - bodybuilders make their living off literally counting every calorie and macronutrient that goes into their body; whereas a strongman/powerlifter doesn't necessarily care as much and just wants to eat as much food and protein as he can to get as strong as he can. There's no 'cutting' phase in powerlifting.
of course if you aren't making a living off powerlifting and constantly getting stronger in between each tournament, then you can definitely get a decently aesthetic physique from it if you eat like it.
CosmicParadigm 7y ago
This post is definitely not about powerlifters, nor is it about bodybuilders. It's about showing you why you don't have to spend 6 days at the gym, and can instead, pack on more solid, conditioned muscle at a much faster rate so you in turn, have more time to go out and pick up bitches, get numbers, eat, and fuck them. It's about freedom through short, strategic, and effective training that you can implement into your program.
Regular people can get huge and ripped from pure sarocplasmic training (i.e. super-sets and drop sets)! It's only when this happens to be your only training style, which focuses on fluid growth (i.e. the pump) requires you to constantly maintain it because this type of muscle is extremely prone to fluctuating being that it's not actual muscle fiber and instead fluid, this requires you going 6 days a week to maintain such physique.
On the other hand.
Myofibrils and Sarocplasms are not bro science, I don't know where the fuck you got that from. Even if you take a look at these so called bodybuilders and powerlifters they talk about it themselves, it's a real thing. Yet, what it seems that you didn't understand was that they are extremely dependent on each other. So, by effectively utilizing both of these in your workout routine I'd recommend strength training at the beginning of your workout, and pump training at the end. This simple change will allow your muscles to have a better chance in becoming bigger and stronger.
[deleted] 7y ago
Bro splits arent good for non-steroid users as protein synthesis (up to 48 hrs post WO) only gets put towards the worked muscles. A full body or upper/lower split, hitting the same muscles multiple times per week, leads to better growth for naturals.
Keep in mind the majority of differentiation in aesthetics between powerlifters and body builders, besides powerlifters being comfortable with more fat, is due to the different drugs used in different amounts.
Fitness models != natural
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[deleted] 7y ago
The optimal statement is fair, good points.
nananaNate8 7y ago
Agreed, if you can do a 6 on 1 off push/pull/leg split, that's the best routine for mass.
NakedAndBehindYou 7y ago
Powerlifters rarely look aesthetic because they are usually in permanent bulk mode. They might look like bodybuilders if they actually cut down to 10% bodyfat, but I suppose we'll never know.
That being said, for the purposes of getting laid, you only need to look strong, not be strong. No girl is going to be naked on your bed and then say "Wait a second, I'm not spreading these legs unless you can bench three plates."
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
Dan Green is a good example of what a shredded power lifter looks like
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walnut_of_doom 7y ago
Short arms and legs are good for the squat and bench, which is why he was a world record holding powerlifter for a while. Despite the short-ish arms he could still pull 800lbs+ on deads.
Katavasis 7y ago
Your overall message is great,you are doing it a miservice with some broscience.
The major contributor to hypertrophy is volume. Volume doesn't mean 3x10.It means 5x5,or 10x3 etc etc. But most people choose the 3x10 because it's more time efficient.
The Sarcoplasmic Versus Myofibrillar Hypertrophy is a myth.Studies have shown(Brad Schoenfeld most recent) that if you put an average person to a 'powerlifting' or 'bodybuilding' program,there is no deviation both in strength or hypertrophy,but only a slight difference in the 1 rep max,due to the first individual being trained more in the 1 rep style of training. Also,it is argued that the group that ran the bbing program,could out-perform the other group in a 10 rep max by far.
To conclude,if you want to generally increase your strength or hypertrophy,do a training style that fits you and your needs.There are some genetic factors that determine in which rep range you respond better,but unless you are a genetic freak,it won't matter.
Progressive overload is the word.End of story. The more data that comes out the more it boils down to consistency and PO,regardless of frequency,intensity,rep ranges etc.
Teleswagz 7y ago
i have my genetics from a test that i did. would you happen to know what to look for in the report as far as tailoring training style for my genetic factors?
Katavasis 7y ago
Not really. If i remember correctly,they did some tests at elite athletes,were they took actual muscle tissue and examined the distribution of fast and slow twich fibers. If you just want to build muscle,just follow what the op says here.I agree with him,i was just pointing out some science.
CosmicParadigm 7y ago
Volume is definitely the main factor in inducing both types of hypertrophy. This study is absolutely true, but you must have not understood the overall message. It's not whether if one hypertrophy is better than the other, they both need each other. Like I said in the post and in a comment below, using both hypertrophy trainings in one training session can allow for explosive gains. Doing this will allow you to have a great pump while activating maximum muscle fiber contraction through your heavy lifts.
To do this, i'd recommend a powerful strength program such as Reverse Pyramid Training, which I highly emphasis in my website, while incorporating a few pump exercises at the end of the workout.
This is the best scenario.
Wilreadit 7y ago
Bruh, it is showing. Do not try too hard
Katavasis 7y ago
No i get you.But there is not a 'hypertrophy' or 'strength' style of training,that's my main point.
asktrpthrow123 7y ago
I just try to chase strength on my compound movements, but do volume after those movements.
i.e. leg day, do heavy squats 3-6 reps... the rest will be leg press high volume and other accessory exercises high volume.
Might be bro-science, just seems to work for me.
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
It's called power-building, and it does work great. It works because you get the best of both worlds. You get the strength gains from the heavy compounds which allow you to lift heavier for your high volume, thus faster progress in developing muscle.
Eastuss 7y ago
I've read that it was not good because it would induce counter reactions and result in reduced effectiveness. That we should do one at a time on a long period (1month)
I just don't know what I should do anymore as a beginner... :(
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
I'd suggest you do both, and I have a bachelors in health and human performance for reference. Get strong so you can use heavier weights for your volume work.
Eastuss 7y ago
I'll try sir! Should I do both in the same session?
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
That's what I do.
My typical bench workout while prepping for a PL comp looks like this:
Bench 1x10(135,185,205,225) 1x5(245) 10x3(275-315 depending on my starting point due to injuries or strength loss from dieting) Always adding 5lbs a week to my top sets
OHP 3x10(135)
Face pulls 5x15-20
Cable Tricep extentions 5x15-20
Cable curls 5x15-20(My tendinitis flairs up from DB curls, whereas cable curls have practically eliminated my elbow pain)
Lateral raises 5x15-20
Cable chest flies 5x15-20
Planks 3x1:30-2:00
As you can see I lift very heavy to start off, when I have the energy to do so, then I work into high volume stuff to individually target all the muscles to stimulate growth, because bigger muscles mean better leverages, meaning a bigger bench. This program has gotten me ridiculous strength and size gains in short periods of time. This program can also be ran by trained novices, just with less weight obviously. I took one kid I was training from 155lb bench to a 215lbs bench in a month doing this.
Fair warning, this workout takes forever compared to most programs, but it works.
Eastuss 7y ago
So, basically what you do is start by lifting as heavy as possible (with a lighter warm up before) for 10 sets of 3 reps with a movement stimulating many groups of muscles. Then you do high volume lighter weight on each muscle individually?
I've always been told that high reps would be contradictory with muscle growth because it trains endurance, especially if you did a different work out just before.
Also people usually never tell at which pace they do the reps. :(
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
Yup, warm up and work my way up to heavy weight, then go into higher volume exercises to target individual muscles.
It may depend on the person, but I grow just fine with the 15-20 rep range on those accessories. It may have to do with focusing on the controlled concentric and eccentric portions of the movement.
I do a 2:0:2 tempo for all my accessories, so for a curl it would be 2 seconds curling up followed by lowering it for 2 seconds, with no pause, if that makes sense. This requires that I focus on the muscle, and not swing or cheat the weight up.
The bench temp is controlled decent, pause on the chest(I have to pause bench otherwise I get pec strains really easily), and an explosive ascent. So the tempo is something like 1-2:1:1.
Eastuss 7y ago
That's more clear in my mind now! Thanjs for your explanations and effort!
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
No problem man. PM me if you have any questions or concerns when ever. I'm always happy to help.
LidlKwark 7y ago
Your website doesn't look too bad. The cover of your book is extremely overused, but that's OK I guess. Would you mind sharing what you look like? Just curiosity, I know very well that you don't have to look like Zyzz to know stuff about bodybuilding.
CosmicParadigm 7y ago
Sure. http://imgur.com/a/Yn2Ht
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LidlKwark 7y ago
The tall and confident ones who aren't passive aggressive towards guys with different goals are usually the ones slaying pussy.
That being said. I have indeed never seen one single aesthetic natty who was on a strength-based program.
IME the best routine is a bro-split that contains the big three and lets you work HARD on those big three.
MyTrapsCauterize 7y ago
The ones doing steroid splits are obviously going to do better. The SL/SS 5x5 guys are either natty or don't manage their diets. The program they are following is probably not even 1% of the difference between the two groups (with the caveat that natty lifters shouldn't do bro splits for obvious reasons).
[deleted] 7y ago
Is it here or MRP, where the 5x5 program is drilled into every new guys head.
If it's not here, it behooves every person just starting to try it.
Kenny_Twenty 7y ago
If you do 5x5 you will not progress as fast as if you do 3x5. 5x5 will require more rest time to progress which will ultimTely prevent you from lifting heavier weights as soon as you would if doing 3x5.
3x5 literally makes you stronger than 5x5.
bigcitytruth 7y ago
The Power Clean in SS 3x5 is way too complex for many newbies to pull off with ideal form. And the 5 sets in 5x5 SL takes a lot longer than SS and is slower for a newbie to gain strength with SL than with SS. I recommend a hybrid: doing 3x5 SS volume with the 5x5 SL exercises, plus pullups and dips.
CasperTFG_808 7y ago
Is that the weider program?
jupc 7y ago
Weider's best known program is 5-3-1. Different in several ways.
dudeguymanthesecond 7y ago
Any linear program will make you strong at about the same pace (incredibly quickly,) they just stop working by the time you're an intermediate.
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theONE843663 7y ago
To add to this, you aren't an intermediate unless you squat 405, DL 435, and bench 275.
Personally, I like doing 3x6 I dunno why I have OCD so my reps must be even numbers and my sets odd numbers. Nothing else works better for me.
FieldLine 7y ago
Linear progression till 4 plates? What planet are you on
This reeks of someone who's done the theory reading but hasn't actually run the program themselves.
theONE843663 7y ago
Bruh... Just cuz you have ended linear progression doesn't mean you're an intermediate. Those lifts aren't my numbers. My 1rm is: 315, 225, 305 (yeh deadlift lower than squat) and my linear progression has ended. I still think I'm noob.
dudeguymanthesecond 7y ago
Very few people are going to be able to hit a four plate squat just using a linear program unless they're doing quarter squats or weight 250lbs.
Edit: redundancy
theONE843663 7y ago
Very few people "actually" become intermediates after linear progression ends tho...
dudeguymanthesecond 7y ago
Very people actually put the effort into the lifts, eating, and recovery necessary to see the actual end of linear progression gains.
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walnut_of_doom 7y ago
5x5 is higher total volume than 3x5, so it will produce faster progress, even if the 3x5 can be performed with marginally higher weights.
5x5 is hardly any volume, and shouldn't slow anyone's recovery unless they are a total novice or dying of some strange disease. I personally recover just fine doing ten sets of triples at 90% of my max, and can add 5lbs to my working sets every week while benching weights considered advanced for my weight class.
The hordes of starting strength users in the fitness sub beg to differ.
Kenny_Twenty 7y ago
This is the worst logic ever. Following that line of thinking, you should just do 10x5 or why not 20x5? The reason is because of diminishing returns. Your muscles will be in recovery for a longer amount of time, limiting your progress.
That's why 5x5 is inferior to 3x5. It has been found that 3x5 allows you to progress quicker and therefore, get stronger faster.
This is so foolish. You think 5x5 is hardly any volume at what weight? It's relative. If you were benching your max, 5x5 would be a lot. You're saying really illogical things. Nonsensical even.
What are you saying? 3x5 IS Starting Strength.
jupc 7y ago
Comparing 3x5 to 5x5. Suppose you lift 85% of your 1RM capacity in a lift in 3x5, but at 5 sets you:
-- Will be doing less weight. You cannot sustain 85% of 1RM over 5 sets. Maybe you can lift 75-80% instead. You're lifting less weight, by definition you're less strong.
-- You're doing more volume, you're going to have greater recovery problems, you'll have more DOMS, you'll have greater chance of injury, you'll need to eat more food and sleep more compared to 3x5 volume. But you won't gain any additional strength benefit from all this volume. You will in fact be measurably (not marginally) weaker.
5x5 is a lot of volume, as anyone who has used this volume to drive a weekly, intermediate progression can attest to.
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
You don't know this. And even if this was true, you could still do 85% for the first 3 sets, then 82.5% for the 4th, then 80% for the fifth. This still leads to a higher total volume.
If two extra sets of bench lead to recovery problems, you may need to see a doctor.
Not necessarily. Most people with more than a year of consistent training no longer suffer from DOMS, unless they do a totally new exercise and hit a muscle group they have neglected in the past.
Only if allow your form to slip too much. Take adequate time to recover between sets and this shouldn't be too much of an issue.
I seriously doubt the amount of food and sleep would go up much by performing an extra ten bench press reps.
I've encountered the opposite, considering that the marginal weight difference between sets is off set by the higher total volume at a similar % of 1RM used.
I disagree. 5x5 is a lot of volume for novices, but intermediate trainees should have no issue with that so long as they keep their diet, sleep, and injuries in check.
MyTrapsCauterize 7y ago
If you're adding 5 lbs to your work sets every week you're a beginner, and the rules for intermediate lifters don't really apply to you.
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
Or you are running an advanced bench program. I know this because I ran such a program and lost 30lbs of body weight and added 80lbs to my bench in 4 months. Granted my bench started at 275lbs due to being injured, but still.
MyTrapsCauterize 7y ago
So you went from 275 to 355 in 8 months as a natural lifter WHILE losing 30 lbs of body weight? Sure man :)
Jesus christ the bullshit on the internet is so thick sometimes.
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
4 months, but it happened. A lot of that 30 lbs was water weight as well, so take that into account. I went from 295 to 272 in 5 days manipulating water weight for competition before, so I'm guessing at least half of the weight loss was water, which would put me at just under a pound of fat loss per week for those 4 months.
MyTrapsCauterize 7y ago
Calling bullshit on everything, obviously. Unless you're on gear, which you'd have to be for that to be true.
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
Believe what you like, but it happened. Recovering from an injury and running a good program will do that for ya.
MyTrapsCauterize 7y ago
Yeah man, good programs routinely get natural lifters to 355 lbs bench in 4 month while cutting. Totally legit. We believe you :)
Hillarysdilddo_2016 7y ago
This is my opinion. When going for reps 8-12 range, the weight is manageable, and form and focus is better. When going for strength 3-6 rep range weight is heavy and form and focus suffers.
On lower weight sets you can focus on muscle contraction and stinulation. You can squeeze and hold the contraction and you can play with tempo to vary the resistance profile, longer upstroke, longer backstroke.
Personally, I like to do both (strength and hypertrophy) with phases... That is a month or so of hypertrophy followed by a few weeks of strength training.
My strength has increased dramatically from doing mostly hypertrophy exercise (going for reps).
I believe bulking is mainly diet driven.
Again, just like, my opinion, man.
jupc 7y ago
The strength training community maintains there should not be any difference (visual or mechanical) between form on a set of 8-12 reps or 3-6 reps. That form breaks down at any rep range (competition singles excluded), indicates that you should fix the form as a top priority, de-loading if required to do so.
Kenny_Twenty 7y ago
I don't understand how you draw a distinction between strength and hyper-trophy.
You cannot increase strength without building muscle and you cannot build muscle without adding strength.
Purecorrupt 7y ago
You can get stronger without increasing muscle. Central nervous system mind/body connection can get better.
Otherwise it wouldn't make sense that I can deadlift twice as much as I did 2 years ago and weigh a few lbs less. My body composition is definitely better than 2 years ago, but not enough to visually show I'm 50-100% stronger.
Kenny_Twenty 7y ago
You can make very small increases in your muscle's efficiency. But generally, more strength equals more muscle. That's just physiology.
I think you just don't know what 50-100% visually stronger looks like. You also have no frame of reference since your body composition is different. This is the most anecdoty of all anecdotes.
Hillarysdilddo_2016 7y ago
I'm using the terms in relation to the regimen moderate weight, high reps vs high weight, low reps.
Bodybuilding is not the same as strength training. Have you not seen strong guys that don't have good muscle definition? One is going for volume (aesthetics) while the other is going for strength.
My comment is saying I'm going for aesthetics first, strength second. And my previous comment highlighted the fact that, yes, indeed you gain strength while going for hypertrophy as you mentioned.
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
That's just differences in body fat. Dan Green is a good example of a strength athlete who is ridiculously shredded.
Kenny_Twenty 7y ago
That's not a complete way to make a distinction. If you are putting enouh of a demand on your muscles, rep count doesn't matter. If you increase either the weight, volume, or both; strength and muscle will both increase.
Yes, that is because body builders target particular muscles and muscle groups that are more aesthetic. They are still making those muscles bigger by making them stronger. That, and they cut weight to show definition while power lifters do not.
But it's not because they are lifting the same weights in a different way that doesn't increase strength and only increases size.
I get it. Just from my understanding, you're always increasing strength when you add muscle and vice versa.
Hillarysdilddo_2016 7y ago
Perhaps it isn't but that is generally how I've seen it used here and in the gym.
Further, I'm not sure the issue is so settled or we'd not be having this debate. But let's do a mental experiment.
You often see females doing ultra low weight 5-10 lbs biceps curls but like 50 of them. Their biceps simply do not respond the same even though that might be equivalent to 20-40 lbs for 12 reps.
Clearly, there is a difference there of reps vs weight.
Other than that I agree with your points.
Kenny_Twenty 7y ago
Females' bodies do not build muscle ANY where nearly as efficiently as men's do.
Bad comparison.
cashmoney_x 7y ago
Haven't heard this before a million times.
tryinreddit 7y ago
And yet having a six pack and proper squat form put you in the top 5% of fitness in the US...
yomo86 7y ago
So true. After college when people get married and the social need and proof for doing a sport or any kind of physical activity is gone the people become inhabitants of Walmart with the gut to proof it.
[deleted] 7y ago
Women are the bane of any fitness program. Most of them are lazy and only look good when they absolutely have to. Once you get into a relationship, they'll stop going to the gym and whine if you are dedicated to your fitness.
[deleted] 7y ago
I do just Pull ups, push ups, curls and planks. Is this good?
Auvergnat 7y ago
Anything is better than nothing, but you'd be better off picking up a more efficient, proven plan. If you want to keep doing bodyweight training rather than going to the gym, try out the recommended routine on the bodyweightfitness subreddit, or the startbodyweight one
SetConsumes 7y ago
Look at the bodyweightfitness subreddit for a great progression and routine in their faq.
[deleted] 7y ago
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[deleted] 7y ago
Ive got a 25lb dumbbell that I can do 4 curls right arm, 3 curls left arm
Is that a good start? Boss at work was like 'you look weak, have a dumbbell kid'
I don't feel comfortable going to the gym yet as I'm still pretty weak and I feel these simple exercises test my strength enough. Even when I started I was doing just push-ups, and while the amount I could do increased slightly, my form improved by a lot and most of my gains probably came from that alone
When I look in the mirror and examine my arms, I see definite improvement, even over the course of 2 months
Also full 'routine' is like 5 minutes
[deleted] 7y ago
[deleted]
[deleted] 7y ago
Im trying to do intermittent fasting to cut right now
My diet is well managed and full of delicious proteins
greatslyfer 7y ago
"I don't feel comfortable going to the gym yet as I'm still pretty weak"
Mate, no one at the gym gives a fuck about you.
No, seriously, 99% of people are focused on themselves, as should you.
When I see skinny guys come in, the most amount of time I spend focusing on them is 2 seconds.
And btw I would go for lower weight dumbbells so you can do more volume, that's what I think drives hypertrophy.
Aim for a weight that you can do 3/4 sets of 8-12 reps.
walnut_of_doom 7y ago
Agreed. Unless you are lifting an absurd amount of weight, are fucking jacked, or doing something stupid as shit, you may as well be invisible. Gym novices are a dime a dozen, especially with the holidays coming up.
[deleted] 7y ago
I could probably do more (last time i tested I had some fucked up arm injury) and the most strength is gained at the start anyway
It's just hard because not being socially anxious is like a new thing to me
Also
Tsk m8 I think rubbing peanut butter over ur skin causes hypertrophy
greatslyfer 7y ago
No no no, you got it wrong.
You gotta INJECT the peanut butter to cause skin hypertrophy
[deleted] 7y ago
Who cares if you're still pretty weak. I see guys in the gym doing light weight as their main sets all the time and I don't judge them. The gym isn't about how much weight you're lifting, it's about the pure fact that you're there working to improve yourself. Anyone who would judge that is an idiot. Look up some workout programs and start hitting the gym and doing them. For now, don't worry about what the best workout program is or what the scientific argument is behind each one. If you're just starting out, any general workout program will be beneficial for you. You got this man.
[deleted] 7y ago
This is true
Id prefer doing cardio in the gym to running, as its cold as all fucking hell
What do I wear in the gym
[deleted] 7y ago
I just do shorts and a tshirt. Some guys like having all these workout clothes, seems like a waste of money to me. But to each their own.
Mckallidon 7y ago
The Greeks used to workout naked.
[deleted] 7y ago
Thanks for the advice sir
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Is lean a good preworkout
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