what exercises are considered strength training?

sijomial

show previous quotes

bumping for more info on muscle strength vs muscle endurance

If you want a couple of example of strength endurance....
1)
Racing a motorbike around a circuit with five corners and a lap time of 60 seconds. For every corner you hit the brakes and have to brace yourself against the deceleration force. So every minute you are having to do this five times. In a 30 minute race you are up to 150 reps. So bench press training for ultimate muscle strength of one rep isn't as appropriate training as doing 100 push ups.
2)
Cycling up a long steep hill. Turning the pedals once turning a huge gear (strength) isn't as useful as being able to grind up the hill turning a low gear for five minutes (strength endurance). So training for a big 1RM max on squats wouldn't be as useful as lots of bodyweight squats.

Hope this makes sense!

Yes, but at some point wouldn't the endurance athlete need strength so that the amount of force they have to apply in these situations is much less than the maximum force they're able to apply, thus making it easier?

In example 1) not really - the braking force is about 1g so the ability to repeatedly do the same action is far more important than to be able to resist a 2g force as you will never encounter that.

In example 2) yes absolutely strength helps, the difference between an average climber and a good climber can come down to strength if it gives them the ability to turn the same gear faster or turn a higher gear.

rybo

show previous quotes

bumping for more info on muscle strength vs muscle endurance

If you want a couple of example of strength endurance....
1)
Racing a motorbike around a circuit with five corners and a lap time of 60 seconds. For every corner you hit the brakes and have to brace yourself against the deceleration force. So every minute you are having to do this five times. In a 30 minute race you are up to 150 reps. So bench press training for ultimate muscle strength of one rep isn't as appropriate training as doing 100 push ups.
2)
Cycling up a long steep hill. Turning the pedals once turning a huge gear (strength) isn't as useful as being able to grind up the hill turning a low gear for five minutes (strength endurance). So training for a big 1RM max on squats wouldn't be as useful as lots of bodyweight squats.

Hope this makes sense!

Yes, but at some point wouldn't the endurance athlete need strength so that the amount of force they have to apply in these situations is much less than the maximum force they're able to apply, thus making it easier?

Good question and I'm only offering a theory here, so it's just my guess, but I would think that it depends on the individual and whether they were a predominantly fast twitch or slow twitch muscle build.
Someone who had more slow twitch muscles would be better served from muscle endurance training, because they are just never going to be able to develope a super hi top end strength.
Where as a fast twitch person can "get away with" doing lots of reps of something if their top end strength greatly compensates for their lack of muscle endurance.

I've had lifting partners that could do more reps of a medium weight than me, even though my top end max was WELL beyond theirs. Occasionally we'd swap out a chest workout for 500 push ups. Both of us completing it, but I feel I was able to do so just being very strong, where as my partner wasn't as strong but could still do the workout because he had better muscle endurance. I think if I tried to do the 500 push up workout now, having lost a good bit of my top end strength, I would struggle, no matter how much I tried working on my endurance.

sjohnny

show previous quotes

I don't really agree with the definitions here.
...

Shocking

it tends to happen to people who like their definitions to be definitive.

I got my definition from Mark Rippetoe. I think he's right. What do you think, or are you only commenting on who, in your opinion, fits in to the prevailing social structure better than others?

good definitions are awesome. they help you organize your thoughts and get better at doin' stuff.


for instance if I ask you for the difference between strength and power, what say ye? of course, if the subject doesn't actually interest you, feel free to let the grownups discuss it.

No one asked the difference between strength and power. The OP asked for some exercises. But being the smartest person in whatever room you happen to visit maybe you decided that question wasn't good enough and that you should show everybody your big brain.

pcastagner

show previous quotes

bumping for more info on muscle strength vs muscle endurance

If you want a couple of example of strength endurance....
1)
Racing a motorbike around a circuit with five corners and a lap time of 60 seconds. For every corner you hit the brakes and have to brace yourself against the deceleration force. So every minute you are having to do this five times. In a 30 minute race you are up to 150 reps. So bench press training for ultimate muscle strength of one rep isn't as appropriate training as doing 100 push ups.
2)
Cycling up a long steep hill. Turning the pedals once turning a huge gear (strength) isn't as useful as being able to grind up the hill turning a low gear for five minutes (strength endurance). So training for a big 1RM max on squats wouldn't be as useful as lots of bodyweight squats.

Hope this makes sense!

Yes, but at some point wouldn't the endurance athlete need strength so that the amount of force they have to apply in these situations is much less than the maximum force they're able to apply, thus making it easier?

In example 1) not really - the braking force is about 1g so the ability to repeatedly do the same action is far more important than to be able to resist a 2g force as you will never encounter that.

In example 2) yes absolutely strength helps, the difference between an average climber and a good climber can come down to strength if it gives them the ability to turn the same gear faster or turn a higher gear.

Postural stability acquired from the squat pretty much improves performance in almost any sport and in many art forms. It's huge. I don't ride, but I can take a pretty good guess that if strength training helps me sing better, it will help someone ride better. That probably explains why all the pro riders look like the athletes they are.

This whole discussion is pretty sophomoric though. A serious person, after studying this subject, will conclude that strength training makes people pretty much better at everything by returning people to a more natural state. It makes you better at EVERYTHING.

Huffdogg

/threadjack

pcastagner

show previous quotes

I don't really agree with the definitions here.
...

Shocking

it tends to happen to people who like their definitions to be definitive.

I got my definition from Mark Rippetoe. I think he's right. What do you think, or are you only commenting on who, in your opinion, fits in to the prevailing social structure better than others?

good definitions are awesome. they help you organize your thoughts and get better at doin' stuff.


for instance if I ask you for the difference between strength and power, what say ye? of course, if the subject doesn't actually interest you, feel free to let the grownups discuss it.

No one asked the difference between strength and power. The OP asked for some exercises. But being the smartest person in whatever room you happen to visit maybe you decided that question wasn't good enough and that you should show everybody your big brain.

better call the cops. a conversation evolved based on the input of the participants.

if only I had a nickel for every time somebody stupid and insecure about it accused me of showing off by just saying what's on my mind! I'd have, like, at least twenty bucks. Not that it happens here or anything, since everyone here is so awesome and intellectually open. But it does happen.


the core of this thread is finding out what is strength training , and why do people WHO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT (caps for emphasis) recommend strength training, and why is it not the same as saying "resistance training".

The motorcycle discussion is a perfect example of a skill that can be executed BETTER when you have a strong posterior chain. There are numerous other examples of events in our everyday lives that are better experiences when we are stronger. These SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS are the reason a thread asking the question "what is strength training" deserves a specific and inclusive discussion exploring what strength training really means, what it doesn't mean, and why one would pursue it.

it makes absolutely perfect sense to steer the OP towards pondering programming for strength vs hypertrohy or conditioning.

Huffdogg

reason i ask is cause ive been told i need to strength train for a leaner flatter belly and figure

She already said what she is training for.

geebusuk

In example 1) not really - the braking force is about 1g so the ability to repeatedly do the same action is far more important than to be able to resist a 2g force as you will never encounter that.

But, as suggested above - the person that trains to resist 2g will probably feel less strained any time they encounter 1g.

These days I warm up with the sort of weight I started lifting as a 5rm. I could do a lot of squats with that weight on my back I suspect.
I thought it was generally accepted that in many cases it was worth people looking for endurance to go for strength too. The exception of course being when extra weight is detrimental - the motorcycle racing might be an example, but more where you have to move the body under your own steal.

And yes, you should be gripping the tank with your knees! When people complain about wrist pain on sports bikes I point out they should be complaining about BACK pain - wrist pain means pressure through the wrists which restricts and slows steering control.