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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

#21

Post by krakensden »

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…

> every single small'ish gym believes that they are somehow safer than regular squat racks

They're worried about a different kind of injury than you are.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#22

Post by rhizome »

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…

Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed in on 5x5 a little in his Reddit AMA yesterday:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1brg0z/im_back_ama_...

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#23

Post by rayiner »

rhizome wrote: post #22
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…

Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed in on 5x5 a little in his Reddit AMA yesterday: http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1brg0z/im_back_ama_...

"GovSchwarzenegger The Real Arnold[S] 1946 points 21 hours ago

You probably won't like this... When I was gaining strength, I liked to warm up with 10,8,6,4 and then stay at 2 reps for five sets, and then back to 4, then 6, and then use the stripping method and just drop plates and keep doing 4 reps until I couldn't."

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#24

Post by tensor »

gdubs wrote: post #19
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 subj…

I would also add that there are plenty of compound dumbbell exercises. A compound lift is simply one that uses more than one joint.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#25

Post by larsberg »

diminoten wrote: post #2

Doing basically anything will show improvement over not doing anything. Very frequently you find various fad exercises gaining momentum because of this fact - these people go from doing nothing to doing something , and when it does work they become huge proponents of a system that basically works solely on the fact that it's not nothing.

Strength coaches call this the "novice effect." It's why you can see an untrained person's squat increase if they ride the exercise bike a few times a week.

If your goal is optimality, the question is: is your training program the most effective use of your time?

On the other hand, not everybody cares about optimality, but more whether they can actually show up regularly. It takes a certain craziness to follow linear progressions, especially since it can take a mental toll (fuzzy headed all day) if you push too hard, which is sub-optimal in this field.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#26

Post by agilescale »

krakensden wrote: post #21
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…

> every single small'ish gym believes that they are somehow safer than regular squat racks They're worried about a different kind of injury than you are.

As a non-gym goer (if I had the money...), what injuries are you talking about? I can guess that gyms want to protect people who try to lift more weight than they can, rather than straining from posture.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#28

Post by cgag »

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…

Getting in shape is vague, but I don't think playing any sport is going to make you strong the way a real lifting routine will.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#29

Post by ams6110 »

My problem is I just do not enjoy exercise. I grant that some level of exercise is probably healthy, but I just don't enjoy it. At all. Not long ago I made myself run 3 or 4 days a week, for about 4 months. I did build up my ability to go longer distances but it never made me feel any better. After running I never felt energized or more productive; I felt tired and wanted to go to bed. I had similar experiences with strength training, tennis, raquetball, cycling... I don't think you can form a habit out of something if you don't enjoy it. You can keep doing it out of sheer willpower, but it will never become a habit.

Re: Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance

#30

Post by dmatlack »

Congratulations on your success. There so many comments here on what you could or should have done differently. I know you'll read it and maybe you'll give some of it a try. But if what you are doing works for you, then keep at it. When you stop making gains or want to switch up your program, you know what to do. Thanks for documenting all your tips and what you have learned. Keep lifting.
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