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Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

matt.might.net

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Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#11

Post by DenisM »

lutze wrote: post #5

Some of this is terrible advice. You want strength, you do high weight, low rep sets of compound barbell lifts. Dumbbells are a body-building tool, not a strength building one. Press machines are horrid horrid horrid. At best they don't target the important stabilizing muscles that compound lifts are supposed to. At worst they can pull your movements into unnatural ranges of motion, causing lasting damage to your joi…

Also, yoga. It's ubiquitous, you can start small, and although you may, you don't have to interact with people so it's a great stepping stone for a shy person.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#13

Post by Almaviva »

aliston wrote: post #10

> I hit 90 pounds per hand on the flat bench press (up from 25 per hand at the start). I call BS unless he's tinkering with terminology. 50 lbs max bench press to 180 lbs max in 5 months is impossible.

It's very possible his strength max in the beginning was much higher (100+) but a big part of learning to bench press with dumbbells is the balance and coordination.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#14

Post by crusso »

You can quibble with some of his techniques or equipment. I found that they weren't objectionable and not far from what I've put together over the years.

The main takeaway from the whole article is to minimize the difficulty in getting your workout done. Easy equipment to setup, adjust, and maintain in a convenient environment are critical factors.

I set up a DVR with some news/interest shows that record for me every day. I used to sit on my butt in the evenings and watch them. At some point, I figured... why am I not lifting weights while I watch these shows? A few trips to the sporting goods store later, and I was rocking and rolling.

My favorite pieces of equipment:

1. A good, versatile bench. 2. A bar for pullups (with some extra weights that I hook my feet under for extra resistance) 3. My dumbells 4. A multi-angle-grip curl bar.

With minimal equipment and an entertaining setup, working out can be easy to accomplish without feeling like you have to drag your ass to the gym for interminable hours every week.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#15

Post by seles »

rayiner wrote: post #8

I've plugged this here before, but so what: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra... . The key observation here is that your average person doesn't need a particularly sophisticated routine to get "average in shape" (if that makes sense). I think the conventional wisdom that you need to be eating health food all the time and running an hour a day makes people feel like it's just not worth the e…

I started with stronglifts 5x5, but switched to Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength.

Starting Strength is a little harder to get into because it is based off of a paid book instead of a free pdf. But it is a better program in my opinion. Stronglifts is basically a ripoff of it but with better search engine optimization, hence its popularity.

Differences:

-Stronglifts starts with minimal weight. Starting Strength starts with weight that is hard. I think it is advantageous to do lower weight if you need to figure out form, but if you can get proper instruction there is no reason to start so low, you are just wasting time.

-Starting strength does 3x5 instead of 5x5. 5x5 is too many if the weight is truly difficult (Stronglift agrees and goes down to 3x5 when you get failures)

-Stronglifts has a bunch of instructions and rules to follow, but there really is no explanation as to why, for form or the program. Starting Strength's book is extremely thorough (almost too verbose).

-Starting Strength does power cleans instead of barbell row. Power cleans are essential because they develop speed, while all other exercises in both programs only develop strength. Work the lats with Chin-ups.

-The author of Starting Strength seems more credible since the programs are so similar yet his came earlier, he has been around a long time coaching, and has lift much higher weights than the author of Stronglifts).

Both programs will be a million times better than nothing, but I think if you are serious about getting strong Starting Strength will serve you better.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#16

Post by PhilandTim »

A lot of what he advocates still displays that he's largely a novice, just one with more knowledge than your average programmer. But still a novice.

Research (I'm not finding the studies, sorry) has indeed shown that protein intake is minimally correlated to muscle growth. He was on the mark by mentioning that only certain amounts of protein can be used in one setting, while the rest is wasted by the body. It's not one hard and fast number; individuals bodies vary greatly according to metabolic rates, capacity to grow, and ability to gain strength.

After going from zero resistance training to 90 minutes a week, as was his case, anybody is obviously going to get much stronger. In the strength community these are just referred to as beginner gains.

When you've been lifting for a few years, 90 minutes of strenuous resistance training a week is only going to help you maintain your current body, at best, even at maximal resistance levels and training until failure. This is why it's so common to see guys who go to the same gym for years and never look any different. Over time, your body acclimates and it takes more resistance AND more volume to continue growing. Genetics and the aforementioned variability between individuals does play a large difference, but for nearly anyone, doing three 30 minute workouts a week (at maximum intensity) for more than a couple years won't result in any noticeable difference.

If you're focusing time efficiency, go for it, else there are far more reputable sources for how to gain strength and muscle mass than one guy's anecdote of how he did half a year of strength training.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#17

Post by xaritas »

shawn-butler wrote: post #9
ahelwer wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problem with buying your own equipment: I'm in my early 20's, so haven't settled into a permanent residence yet. I move around fairly often; I doubt this is uncommon. Exercise equipment is difficult to move (often by intention!) so buying it is just cause for headache. I do own one 15 lb sandbell, which is basically just a more versatile medicine ball. I can do enough exercises with it to avoid not being able to move…

I have found kettle bells to be both effective and mobile.

Seconded, they are extremely versatile, but make sure you do some research on how to use them effectively (books, videos, or trainers). Their unconventional shape, which makes them so effective, also makes it easy to lift in a way that is bio-mechanically unsound. Also, there are a huge number of compound lifts that you would never think of on your own (e.g., the Turkish Get Up—not a beginners' move for sure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRBvom4Zrw)

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#18

Post by rayiner »

seles wrote: post #15
rayiner wrote: post #8

I've plugged this here before, but so what: http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra... . The key observation here is that your average person doesn't need a particularly sophisticated routine to get "average in shape" (if that makes sense). I think the conventional wisdom that you need to be eating health food all the time and running an hour a day makes people feel like it's just not worth the e…

I started with stronglifts 5x5, but switched to Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. Starting Strength is a little harder to get into because it is based off of a paid book instead of a free pdf. But it is a better program in my opinion. Stronglifts is basically a ripoff of it but with better search engine optimization, hence its popularity. Differences: -Stronglifts starts with minimal weight. Starting Strength starts…

Fair enough. I haven't looked at Starting Strength. I do think Stronglifts is "good enough" for people just looking to get in reasonable shape, and I think there are "transaction costs" benefits to having a short free PDF and a routine that starts with low weights to learn form as opposed to a thorough book and getting professional instruction.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#19

Post by gdubs »

hkmurakami wrote: post #3

I don't disagree with the overal theme of the article, but I have to disagree on some particulars. Some thoughts: >Habit First Absolutely agree, especially when you're trying to get out of morbid out-of-shapeness. I personally find that mixing it into a pre-existing daily routine works well. I personally do core work and pullups/chinups before my morning and evening showers, and stretch exercises while I'm in the sho…

"That' because dumbell lifts don't engage the stabilizer muscles. As a result, those support muscles are going to be underdeveloped and you won't have developed the coordination to engage them when you need them."

Untrue. Dumbbells offer a completely free range of motion, which is what activates the stabilizer muscles.

(source: google for "stabilizer muscles dumbbells" and you'll find a ton of information on the subject.)

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#20

Post by gdubs »

lutze wrote: post #5

Some of this is terrible advice. You want strength, you do high weight, low rep sets of compound barbell lifts. Dumbbells are a body-building tool, not a strength building one. Press machines are horrid horrid horrid. At best they don't target the important stabilizing muscles that compound lifts are supposed to. At worst they can pull your movements into unnatural ranges of motion, causing lasting damage to your joi…

Isn't the point that dumbbells can be a strength trainer for someone just starting out? If its heavy enough for someone to only comfortably get 6-8 reps,then they're in the strength training target. Once they're capable of handling more weight, they can graduate to a bar. The OP's point was to lower the barrier of entry, right?
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