Strange results with endurance work

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Kung Fu Training and Health
1

I don’t know what it is about high rep stuff, but I always feel so much better and healthier when I am just doing endurance work like with KB’s, BWE’s, and cardio. I’ve been doing this expirment for 4 weeks or so now to see how I’d function without a commercial gym, and I’ve had some interesting results. Not only do I feel so much better than I do when I focus on maximal weight, but oddly enough I’ve gained a little muscle and lost a little fat.

That 30 hour shift at work with little food that caused me to lose weight definately has something to do with gaining it again, but I didn’t think I could with the protocols I’ve been following. I’ve gained a few pounds in muscle and even shed a little bit of fat. I haven’t measured with calipers yet, but since I’m so low bf%, it’s visible when I just lose a little.

Here is a sample of what I’ve done this week:

Monday
24 kg KB clean and press x 10:00 (31)

Superset x5:
-Ab wheel x5
-Powerwheel x10

Superset x5:
-Pull-ups x10
-24 kg KB front squats x5

24 kg KB Snatches 4x10

Mountain Bike x30:00

Tuesday
Run 2 miles
Swim 1000m
Run 2 miles

Rucksack hike in evening (36 lbs for 1:30:00)

Wednesday - OFF

Thursday
BWE Pyramid 1-10-1:
-Pull-ups x1 (100 total in pyramid)
-Push-ups x2 (200 total)
-Sit-ups x3 (300 total)
-Bar Dips x1 (100 total)
in 25:00

Run x 3 miles
-1 mile in 7:00
-2 x 1/4 mile sprint followed by 1/4 mile jog (2:00 pace)
-4 x 1/8 mile sprint/jog (1:00)

Tomorrow I plan on doing do KB leg stuff and swim. Maybe Run or bike again.

Nothing that would make you think I’d gain muscle. Especially considering that I’m an ectomorph and I was fully prepared to shed more than a few pounds when I started this. All in all I’m pretty pumped about my progress. I have lost a bit of maximal strength in the bench though. I tested myself last week and my 1RM is down 15 lbs already. I haven’t tested the squat, deadlift, snatch, or clean yet. Oh well. I’m happy with the way I feel, so I’ll take a hit in maximal strength for a little quality of life. :wink: I still plan on doing a cycle of maximal work every so often to give my joints time to recover from the high-rep stuff.

2

Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy?

Maybe you have a long term pump from the endurance stuff?

You feel healthier from doing it? Maybe you feel healthier from not eating as much. I dunno.

3

like I’ve been trying to say, because you’re now focussing on training your fb (endurance fibres) you are experiencing hypertrphy in those, accounting for the extra weight loss. this is the kind of suggestion I was making ( or ah..trying ) in earlier threads…but you told me it wouldn’t work right?

I guess your probably feeling better because A. it’s a different release of “happy chemicals” and b. you’re giving yourself deserved variety

cheers and enjoy the chop up in routine

4

so 300 pushups is crazy ha??? lol…I’m not so big on resistence but in stead I do up to 500 push-ups…feels good right ?? :wink: :smiley:

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Originally posted by blooming lotus
so 300 pushups is crazy ha??? lol…I’m not so big on resistence but in stead I do up to 500 push-ups…feels good right ?? :wink: :smiley:

Ps.bodyweight -training is waaay under-rated!!!

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Blooming Lotus:

Why is Body Weight Exercises is under rated?

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I believe it’;s cause so many folks have their heads too far up their own a*ses to see the new data Jim…

resistence wrk has received so much poopularity in conjunction to strength training that it’s really hard to give die-hards new information…it works…it’s just other things work better …like body weight training and endurance body weight traing;)

Ibf??

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I’ve never seen anyone saying bodyweight exercises don’t work. A nidan at my school does nothing but bodyweight work. Hits like a mule kicks. Can do a solid 20-30 chinups. He’s at 185. But, I can lift more in all the core lifts than he can.

Bodyweight exercises kick arse. Every couple of cycles I would switch over to a bodyweight routine. I lost a little bit of strength, but my muscular endurance shot up some.

Try both in your routine. You have to tailor your training, though, to your goals.

9

which on these boards is ma performance right??..

and just so we’re clear…all our “experts” have been on back like a painful heameroid up a butt over every argument I made in this regard…whatever and only long as it suits what everyone is saying ha…strength in numbers and all that jazz :rolleyes:

still standing on my laurels

bl

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You just don’t get it, do you, bl.

I thought you were a genius.

:rolleyes:

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Quality Routine,Definately noting down that one.
Interesting to see how you feel and perform when back into Max Strength routine?

Ford
How have you found Club Bells?Any routines that you could see fitting into the above format?Any comparasions to KB,simularities differences?Question open to anyone exposed to CB & KB.
Reason : have opportunity of getting second hand well priced 20 pounders.Still uncertin as to whether they will be of benefit to my training(re Climbing).Particularly interested in feedback relating to ROM of shoulder/rotator cuff strengthening/stretching(improvement, advantages etc).

BL good to see you haven’t changed:rolleyes:

Originally posted by blooming lotus
b. you’re giving yourself deserved variety
cheers and enjoy the chop up in routine

Since your so into variety and diversity then your traininng would include strength& power periodisation correct?

12

That’s why professional bodybuilders and powerlifters do bodyweight exercises.

Oh wait a sec… :eek:

13

I believe Iron is right in that it is sarcoplasmic hypertrophy due to the fact that during the KB exercises I’m doing numerous sets of 8-12 of exercises like shoulder presses, squats, weighted pull-ups, dips. Even more so than when I normally do a “bulking” routine.

I didn’t think that sarcoplasmic hypertrophy under those conditions was strange. What I found strange was still undergoing it when I had increased my aerobic activity by quite a bit with jogging, swimming, biking, bwe’s, and kb’s, which would normally prevent my muscles from undergoing any hypertrophy gains at all. When I’m trying to bulk, normally I have to cut out all cardio or else I’ll be SOL. I just found it strange to gain mass with as much as I’m doing.

I even tested my 1RM for squat today and it too was 15 lbs less, but I felt I could have gone another 10-15 lbs if I wanted to push. I even did my old 1rm of goodmornings for 3 reps. That was good news.

Iron,

I always feel healthier when I do cardio-vascularly demanding work. I’m eating the same if not a little more than I have in the past few months. I don’t know what it is. Just a personal thing because I know guys that feel great after doing a heavy power session.

Ka,

The clubbells have been relegated to warm-up duties for the most part and acessory work when I’m bored at night. They are great grip builders and shoulder girdle strengtheners.

BL,

See above. You’re still wrong. :wink:

14

you know…you guys just aren’t even worth talking to anymore

goodluck with your non-martial pretty boy persuits

peace

15

Originally posted by blooming lotus
you know…you guys just aren’t even worth talking to anymore

Do you think this means she’ll finally shut up and leave us alone?

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That’s exactly what it means

cheers

17

Originally posted by blooming lotus
goodluck with your non-martial pretty boy persuits

BL dont be saying that in a dissing maner… you see, some of us are fat and stuff and we wanna look good… for the ladies… cos they ladies ignore us and call us fat pigs behind our backs if we dont work out towards pretty boy persuitings…
im not just saying this, ive tested this in real life.
and then as a dude i had to think: how important is it for me to say i can hit oooooh so hard and oooooh so fast but i cant make out with the ladies, wheres my priorities? punching dont produce love, punching destroys. Yoda says wars dont make great warriors.
oh well, thats all im saying.

18

Originally posted by Xebsball
[B]

Yoda says wars dont make great warriors.
[/B]

exactly!! so I’m just going to stfu, training, studying …talk to the martial artists on some other threads and let these dudes speak sh*t for all their worth :smiley: :cool:

19

Originally posted by Xebsball
how important is it for me to say i can hit oooooh so hard and oooooh so fast but i cant make out with the ladies

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

20

Originally posted by blooming lotus
[B]That’s exactly what it means

cheers [/B]

Woohoo!

(I’ll believe it when I see it!)