Who here lifts weights?

[Veezel]

Any weightlifters and bodybuilders around?

 

Holler!

[Kar3n]

I would not call myself a bodybuilder, my family and I spend a fair amount of time in the gym.

[Veezel]

I would not call myself a bodybuilder, my family and I spend a fair amount of time in the gym.

 

 

Cool. What do you do mostly? Cardio?

[Kar3n]

Cool. What do you do mostly? Cardio?

I do about 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical and weight training.

 

My new favorite is the rowing machine.

[Veezel]

I do about 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical and weight training.

 

My new favorite is the rowing machine.

 

Do you do squats?

 

I believe that every human being in the world should squat. It's healthy for the mind and body.

[Kar3n]

Do you do squats?

 

I believe that every human being in the world should squat. It's healthy for the mind and body.

I do. I alternate workouts, upper body and lower...

[Veezel]

I do. I alternate workouts, upper body and lower...

 

I'm very unconventional.

 

I squat 5 days a week with a few upper-body exercises thrown here and there.

 

Pretty soon I'll be adding a 6th day of squatting.

[Jonesboy]

I would say you are going to over train.

 

The peak for muscle growth is every 48hrs. Squats are a great exercise but it also puts a lots of stress on the CNS. That is a positive and why squats are recommended because it works more than just the legs. Yet, working your legs with squats so often seems a bit extreme and can put to much stress on your CNS.

 

I know professional bodybuilders who use this program. I have really liked it and found amazing results. HST is based on the science of how muscles grow. http://www.hypertrophyspecific.com/hst_index.html

 

If you don't like that then you should study up on Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones. Two people who really started the training to failure and the science behind that. Even with this type of method it is get in, get out, do a warm up, hit failure and done.

 

Another option that I like along with the diet is lean gains. Here is a great article on lifting. http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Training

 

All the best,

 

Tom

Edited April 15, 2016 by Jonesboy

[Michael Sternbach]

I am doing weight training mostly as a supplement to my martial arts training. I used to do two regular session and one session of Tabata exercises for the core weekly, but I had to ease off a little. Especially on squats. They are a great exercise but can be tough on the knee joints. Besides that, I'm a strong believer in variability. It's the best way in order to keep making progress.

[dust]

I squat 5 days a week with a few upper-body exercises thrown here and there.

 

Pretty soon I'll be adding a 6th day of squatting.

 

I would say you are going to over train.

 

The peak for muscle growth is every 48hrs. Squats are a great exercise but it also puts a lots of stress on the CNS.

 

 

It entirely depends on what kind of squatting we're talking about, but yeah, if we're talking about bodybuilding 6x week is definitely too much.

 

Heavy squats every day is certainly going to do more harm than good, especially without any supportive mobility and recovery work.

 

But the deep squat itself is the basic human resting position. Integrating this (the "Asian squat" or the "3rd World Squat" as I've seen it called) into your every day life is a great idea.

 

I'd suggest a heavy weighted squat session no more than 2-3 times per week.

 

Veezel, how much are you squatting?

[Aetherous]

I LOVED to moderately weight lift, until I hurt my knee doing it...I think my hip muscles weren't lengthened enough to support heavy weights with squatting.

It seems great for wellbeing, to just get to the point where you're reaching a really challenging plateau to surpass, and then take some time off to do other forms of activity.

[Marblehead]

One of my bedrooms has become an exercise room mostly with dead weights.  It's a very dusty place right now.

[Veezel]

It entirely depends on what kind of squatting we're talking about, but yeah, if we're talking about bodybuilding 6x week is definitely too much.

 

Heavy squats every day is certainly going to do more harm than good, especially without any supportive mobility and recovery work.

 

But the deep squat itself is the basic human resting position. Integrating this (the "Asian squat" or the "3rd World Squat" as I've seen it called) into your every day life is a great idea.

 

I'd suggest a heavy weighted squat session no more than 2-3 times per week.

 

Veezel, how much are you squatting?

 

Best I've ever done with a full squat with a pause at the bottom was 345 pounds.

 

With the powerlifting style of wide stance and low bar, 405 pounds.

 

 

 

Right now, I'm weak though. I gained weight and lost muscle. I'm just lifting light weights for high reps for the fat burn.

[Veezel]

I would say you are going to over train.

 

The peak for muscle growth is every 48hrs. Squats are a great exercise but it also puts a lots of stress on the CNS. That is a positive and why squats are recommended because it works more than just the legs. Yet, working your legs with squats so often seems a bit extreme and can put to much stress on your CNS.

 

I know professional bodybuilders who use this program. I have really liked it and found amazing results. HST is based on the science of how muscles grow. http://www.hypertrophyspecific.com/hst_index.html

 

If you don't like that then you should study up on Mike Mentzer and Arthur Jones. Two people who really started the training to failure and the science behind that. Even with this type of method it is get in, get out, do a warm up, hit failure and done.

 

Another option that I like along with the diet is lean gains. Here is a great article on lifting. http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Training

 

All the best,

 

Tom

 

 

 

The great weightlifting coach Ivan Abadjiev had his athletes do 20 training sessions a week, or more.

 

It's definitely unconventional but it works. In my experience and my personal philosophy with training, the more you do, the better, just as long as you get lots of good food and long rest.

[Marblehead]

Yeah, it depends on what our goals are.

 

If a person wants bulk then it will have to be a few hours daily.

 

When I do work out my goal is strength, endurance, and flexibility.  (I'm too old to be trying to impress the ladies.)

 

But even this requires a session every other day until I reach my goal.

[liminal_luke]

  (I'm too old to be trying to impress the ladies.)

 

Ah, I dunno.  I´ll bet this depends a great deal on the age of the ladies you´d like to impress.

Edited April 15, 2016 by liminal_luke

[Marblehead]

Ah, I dunno.  I´ll bet this depends a great deal on the age of the ladies you´d like to impress.

Thanks for the encouragement but I'm not taking any chances.

 

I spoke to a middle-aged lady in the Wal-Mart parking lot yesterday and she seemed so excited that someone actually talked with her.  Then I ran away.

[dust]

Best I've ever done with a full squat with a pause at the bottom was 345 pounds.

 

With the powerlifting style of wide stance and low bar, 405 pounds.

 

That's impressive! (to me anyway...)

 

I was always the opposite to you, working upper body and neglecting lower, so I never got that high. I used to work with 100kg (220lbs) for sets of 10. Max was around 120kg. Not great.

 

Haven't been to a gym in over 2 years but currently doing 5x5 single-leg squats with a 20kg weight.

 

(I figured yesterday that, for my weight, +20kg for a single-leg squat is roughly equivalent to a +120kg squat on both legs. So..that's not bad..)

 

 

The great weightlifting coach Ivan Abadjiev had his athletes do 20 training sessions a week, or more.

 

It's definitely unconventional but it works. In my experience and my personal philosophy with training, the more you do, the better, just as long as you get lots of good food and long rest.

 

Of course, Jonesboy was talking about bodybuilding -- relatively high reps, high intensity, minimum rest between sets.

 

If we're talking about Oly and power lifting, training for strength/power over mass, we're talking fewer reps, longer rest between sets, etc, right? So... I agree higher frequency is necessary.

 

But also note that the Bulgarians -- along with most other weightlifters, bodybuilders, other athletes of the time -- were on massive amounts of PEDs. I mean, most current world-class athletes are on something, but probably not that much...

 

I guess since you're previous squat PR is much better than mine I'm not really qualified to give you advice on squats, but I'd still caution against heavy lifting 6 days every week.

Edited April 15, 2016 by dustybeijing

[Veezel]

That's impressive! (to me anyway...)

 

I was always the opposite to you, working upper body and neglecting lower, so I never got that high. I used to work with 100kg (220lbs) for sets of 10. Max was around 120kg. Not great.

 

Haven't been to a gym in over 2 years but currently doing 5x5 single-leg squats with a 20kg weight.

 

(I figured yesterday that, for my weight, +20kg for a single-leg squat is roughly equivalent to a +120kg squat on both legs. So..that's not bad..)

 

 

 

Of course, Jonesboy was talking about bodybuilding -- relatively high reps, high intensity, minimum rest between sets.

 

If we're talking about Oly and power lifting, training for strength/power over mass, we're talking fewer reps, longer rest between sets, etc, right? So... I agree higher frequency is necessary.

 

But also note that the Bulgarians -- along with most other weightlifters, bodybuilders, other athletes of the time -- were on massive amounts of PEDs. I mean, most current world-class athletes are on something, but probably not that much...

 

I guess since you're previous squat PR is much better than mine I'm not really qualified to give you advice on squats, but I'd still caution against heavy lifting 6 days every week.

 

Sets of 10 with 220 pounds is not pathetic. It's decent to say the least and a sign that you're on the right path.

[dust]

.

Edited July 18, 2016 by dustybeijing

[dust]

I just saw your Diary of a novice Taoist topic. It seems slightly ironic that you are looking for the path of least resistance and putting time into resistance training

Edited July 18, 2016 by dustybeijing

[Orion]

I would say you are going to over train.

 

The peak for muscle growth is every 48hrs. Squats are a great exercise but it also puts a lots of stress on the CNS. That is a positive and why squats are recommended because it works more than just the legs. Yet, working your legs with squats so often seems a bit extreme and can put to much stress on your CNS.

 

Is there something about squats that strains the CNS more than other leg exercises? I thought maybe it was because it challenges the whole body. I always feel more wrecked after leg day than upper body day and I can only manage leg workouts 1-2x weekly max or I start getting run down. Upper body seems to be less strenuous.

[Jonesboy]

Hi Orion,

 

I think you already nailed it. Squats don't just work the legs they work the entire body. Deadlifts are the same way, they work the back ,legs, core and put a lot of stress over the entire body. Other leg excercise tend to be more isolated in nature.

 

This is really one of the best articles on lifting I have ever read.

 

Fuckarounditis

 

http://www.leangains.com/2011/09/fuckarounditis.html?m=1

Edited April 16, 2016 by Jonesboy

[Veezel]

Is there something about squats that strains the CNS more than other leg exercises? I thought maybe it was because it challenges the whole body. I always feel more wrecked after leg day than upper body day and I can only manage leg workouts 1-2x weekly max or I start getting run down. Upper body seems to be less strenuous.

 

Lower body consumes more energy than upper body. That's why we feel more exhausted when doing it.

[Flolfolil]

...

Edited July 3, 2016 by Flolfolil