Or so says a personal trainer at 24 hr fitness. I saw 2 girls working on calves the other night on one of those seated calve raise machines. One girl was on the machine while the other one was standing behind pressing down on the seat to give more resistance. I turn to them and said,
“you know, you could just add more weight.” They turn to me and said,
“but we don’t want to get big. If we add weight, we’ll get big. So we just add resistance.” They must have seen the look on my face because then they added, “That’s what Matt told us and Matt’s our god.”
“Who’s matt?”
“He’s our personal trainer.”
let it go. your chances of convincing them otherwise are slim to none, and your chances of gettign this matt to admit his lack of brilliance are even less.
just avoid gym bunnies and ignore any PT about whom you get a negative gut feeling.
I’m currently helping a friend in my platoon train for airborne school(that’s the Army school that teaches you to throw yourself out of a plane and live). She has to be able to do 5 pull ups( I think) and she currently can’t do one all the way…but she’s close. Anecdote and question… we were coming out of the gym with another girl we went with, who asked us what we had done and I explained we did bench and deads for 3x5 at heavy weight to build strength but not size. She seems to think that heavy weight of any kind will build size and strength and not just strength. I didn’t feel like arguing over it but shook my head to myself. Anyway, the discussion did make me contmplate just how good the advice I was giving my friend was so if you don’t mind, a little feedback on the following routine would be appreciated. The goals are to build strength and bodyweight endurance without size(although slimming and toning would be appreciated) and to build pull up ability(primary emphasis) with core strength so as to enable her to carry a rucksack(60lbs or so) and land without breaking her back.
Mon
squats 3x5 at increasing weight
walking lunges
horse stance
Tues
Bench, deads 3x5 at increasing weight
abs(with and without weight)
it just alternates like that six days a week or so(when we have time) with morning PT (mon, wed. fri-run tues/wed-push ups and sit ups)
Originally posted by zen_celt She seems to think that heavy weight of any kind will build size and strength and not just strength. I didn’t feel like arguing over it but shook my head to myself.
Ask her then, how do they have 130 lbs powerlifters who can DL a lot more than most bodybuilders.
Size is dependent upon volume, intensity, and diet. 2 or 3 sets of 5 with lots of rest will not build size (unless you got some crazy genes)
Tell her the guy that was the wind dummy on the flight the first female to graduate airborne school jumped from says your plan is a good one and she should do it. (that would be me) Her response should be “Yes Sergeant, Airborne!”
I make it a personal point not to take advice from someone unless they have proven in some way to be a bad @$$ in some area they are giving advice. When i can bench press 325 at 18 and a 25 year that can only get 250 and ive seen him in the gym for the last year, and we are of the same build tells me im doing the bench wrong. Its a pretty good chance hes a moron or has the worst genetics in the universe and im not going to listen to him? oh by the way that was a true story, its hard not to laugh in peoples faces sometimes.
zen_celt,
Your program is lacking. She needs to build core strength if she wants to be all around strong.
For abs, I’m assuming you’re doing basic crunch and twist with and without weight.
Try having her do hanging leg raises, without swinging her body. Work up to 3 or 4 X 12. This will also improve her grip. And, no, she won’t get “man hands” by doing it–she’ll just be stronger.
Try pushups with going off to one side (so go down, push up and rotate one side up lifting that arm off the floor into the air). Go both ways.
Try bench single arm–with dumbells. She’ll feel her abs work–if she doesn’t have her take her feet off the floor.
Do you have her walking lunge sideways and backwards–and not just forward? How about turning lunges?
Are you assisting her in doing chins so that her body at least is used to the motion?
I am matt, good to see my namesake pimpin the gym bunnies with his ass backwards advice.
Any workout you half ass isnt going to work. Gaining size depends on diet, and your training, but along with diet:
Heavy weight, lower reps = Mass building
Lighter weigh, higher reps = toning muscle
I dont think so… I been doing heavy weights to build mass, works great thus far.
Tried doing little weights lots of reps to tone, didnt work. Even look at it from the cardio stand point or what have you, its more of a fat burning exercise to do more reps. thats why high reps, low weights leans you out nice like. My room mate was doing high weights, low reps, and was gaining weight. Didnt want that, he switched it up and has been cuttin up quite nice like since.
Both you and ewallace are right depnding on your perspective. Could you provide an example of sets and reps by what you mean when you say “heavy weights/low reps” and the same for when you say “light weights/high rep”.
I can tell you right off the bat the the 15+ rep toning myth is just that: a myth. It’s a pretty common one here in America though.
Originally posted by Shaolin-Do Gaining size depends on diet, and your training,
Yes.
Heavy weight, lower reps = Mass building
Depends on what you mean by “heavy weight” and “low reps.” Look at the following:
10 sets of 1 or 2 reps with 5 minutes rest with 90% or 1RM (very “heavy weight”) will not build size.
Lighter weigh, higher reps = toning muscle
Nope. Not at all. Muscle tone means a) having the muscle developed in the first place and b) having low enough bodyfat to be able to see the muscle. High reps doesn’t burn enough calories to really do anything when it comes to lowering bodyfat, and therefore won’t help you “tone” at all.
When i can bench press 325 at 18 and a 25 year that can only get 250 and ive seen him in the gym for the last year, and we are of the same build tells me im doing the bench wrong. Its a pretty good chance hes a moron or has the worst genetics in the universe
325 at 18 is a LOT. It is even more if you are smaller, but you have not told us your build. That is still quite impressive at any age.
250 lbs bench at any age is strong. If he weighs 265 lbs. and is muscular, then maybe that is not so great, but it is still 250 lbs. of steel that is manipulated by a person. Not bad at all.
He may not be a moron just because he does not bench as well as somebody else. Bench press strength has a lot to do with genetic structural build and natural leverage of the joints. Some guys are never getting to 300 on a bench. Most guys in fact. They may however, be doing the bench correctly. I have seen guys ‘bouncing’ 315 off their chests and rocking. This is the wrong way to do bench and they are morons.
My last point is that Emmanual Stuard, the great boxing trainer, knows how to box correctly, better than any boxer still boxing. However, he cannot beat any top 50 fighters today.
Yes i understand thats why i think i put either he is a moron or has pretty bad genetics.
I have a huge build but im slightly overweight to, i dont quite get it cause im active and have a near right diet. I have great genetics for strength cause im like a 3rd generation power lifter.
oh by the way it also accounts that i have been lifting weight since the 7th grade at 14 and im 5"11 but it counters bad cause i have a little longer arms than normal.
Matt’s a pimp…