Trainer says to workout... Less?!

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  • iorahkwano
    iorahkwano Posts: 709 Member
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    If you lift heavy, you will break down your muscles. If your muscles break down, you will be sore. This is how building muscle works.

    But your right, somebody who's gained 50lbs of muscle over the last 6 years staying in single digit body fat the entire time must know nothing about training. Many people don't hurt because many people aren't willing to go the extra mile (without over training).

    Relax, I'm not doubting your training knowledge. I was just explaining that I am using the heaviest weights I can (With no one assisting me during lifts) & I'm still not feeling soreness or "the breakdown of the muscles" the next day. I feel like I'm working hard, my legs almost gave out during the weighted lunges. I definitely look like I'm suffering during the workouts, I'm not breezing through it at all. I always try really hard, I'm not a girl that chooses the easier options the class gives. You can tell me to go heavier so I hurt more, but the transfer from 45lbs bar to 55lbs bar can't be done that easily for me. When given the 55lbs bar, I just can't get back up if I squat with it. Same if I use the 45lbs bar for presses or thrusters.

    Do you have any advice on mental or physical tricks to lift weights that feel like you can barely do 1 rep? Because that's how it feels for me to move up to the next bar :/ Should I be asking someone to help me lift it in the beginning?
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    .
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    You're doing too much cardio, that much is not needed for general fitness. Cut out a few days of cardio completely and lift weights that challenge you (if you can do 12 reps it's too light). As someone who was once a cardio junkie I know this is a scary notion!!!! But now that I've changed up my routine, cut back on cardio and do more strength training and body weight exercises I am seeing a big difference in how I look!
  • bgelliott
    bgelliott Posts: 610 Member
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    Your trainer is right! :-)
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Relax, I'm not doubting your training knowledge. I was just explaining that I am using the heaviest weights I can (With no one assisting me during lifts) & I'm still not feeling soreness or "the breakdown of the muscles" the next day. I feel like I'm working hard, my legs almost gave out during the weighted lunges. I definitely look like I'm suffering during the workouts, I'm not breezing through it at all. I always try really hard, I'm not a girl that chooses the easier options the class gives. You can tell me to go heavier so I hurt more, but the transfer from 45lbs bar to 55lbs bar can't be done that easily for me. When given the 55lbs bar, I just can't get back up if I squat with it. Same if I use the 45lbs bar for presses or thrusters.

    Do you have any advice on mental or physical tricks to lift weights that feel like you can barely do 1 rep? Because that's how it feels for me to move up to the next bar :/ Should I be asking someone to help me lift it in the beginning?

    Just stick to the routine and keep progressing.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNEf2CGXjf0
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uuDMu0EZGM
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
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    If you lift heavy, you will break down your muscles. If your muscles break down, you will be sore. This is how building muscle works.

    But your right, somebody who's gained 50lbs of muscle over the last 6 years staying in single digit body fat the entire time must know nothing about training. Many people don't hurt because many people aren't willing to go the extra mile (without over training).

    Relax, I'm not doubting your training knowledge. I was just explaining that I am using the heaviest weights I can (With no one assisting me during lifts) & I'm still not feeling soreness or "the breakdown of the muscles" the next day. I feel like I'm working hard, my legs almost gave out during the weighted lunges. I definitely look like I'm suffering during the workouts, I'm not breezing through it at all. I always try really hard, I'm not a girl that chooses the easier options the class gives. You can tell me to go heavier so I hurt more, but the transfer from 45lbs bar to 55lbs bar can't be done that easily for me. When given the 55lbs bar, I just can't get back up if I squat with it. Same if I use the 45lbs bar for presses or thrusters.

    Do you have any advice on mental or physical tricks to lift weights that feel like you can barely do 1 rep? Because that's how it feels for me to move up to the next bar :/ Should I be asking someone to help me lift it in the beginning?

    As other's have said, back off the cardio some. Lifting heavy you'll burn calories both while lifting and while recovering, and will allow your body to use what food you do it to repair itself rather than burn it through cardio.

    The thing with lifting heavy that is hard to learn and can only be learned by learning your body is how much volume you do. Sure 2-3 sets of a really heavy weighted exercise will be hard to do, but sometimes it's that push into the 4th or 5th set that really makes the difference. I've noticed in myself that over the years even if I go heavy but don't get in enough sets, I won't be sore despite being completely wiped out after my workout. It's a learning curve for sure, unique to everyone and the only way to get there is to have that drive to push yourself. As Mohammed Ali said (albeit about sit ups but it goes for everything); "I don't count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. When I feel pain, that's when I start counting, because that's when it really counts."

    Also, I'm not really a fan of crossfit type stuff to build strength. Going heavy demands 2-5 minutes between sets sometimes. A few other things you can do to build strength would be drop sets or alternating weekly between higher reps/lower weight and lower reps/heavier weight. Heavier stuff should be 3-6 reps, volume 8-12, as a general ballpark.

    With squats focus on driving through the motion with your legs, exploding up. Get your mind in a place where all you want to do is literally explode up, weight be damned. Grunt, scream, **** yourself...whatever it takes to get that weight moving.
  • Bigwein5
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    Find yourself a good Kettle bell class and you will build muscle and burn calories without straining to much in 6 weeks one time per week.
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
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    So common knowledge in the powerlifting and bodybuilding communities over the last 50+ years is wrong? You mean the guys that I've learned from that have won national titles don't know what they're doing? Must be because they don't make youtube videos. Seriously, where do people get this from?

    You don't get sore when your body adapts to what you're doing. Which gives you 3 choices to get stronger. Different exercises working the same muscles, more volume (reps or sets), or more weight. Doing the same thing over and over and not getting sore means you're not making progress because your body isn't doing anything new that it has to adapt to. This isn't rocket science.
  • jess7386
    jess7386 Posts: 477 Member
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    Let me repeat, if you are truly going as heavy as you can, you will hurt for days. I'm not talking lifting "heavy" 3-6 reps, I'm not talking about hitting your PR and calling it a day. I'm talking about balls to the walls do or die lifting. Fainting after a set and puking in the parking lot hard. No matter how long you've been training, if you go that hard, you will hurt, I promise. If you've never gone that far (or don't care too) I can't describe how amazing it is.

    Please tell me this isn't serious advice.... to work so hard you faint and throw up? Good lord.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    So common knowledge in the powerlifting and bodybuilding communities over the last 50+ years is wrong? You mean the guys that I've learned from that have won national titles don't know what they're doing? Must be because they don't make youtube videos. Seriously, where do people get this from?

    You don't get sore when your body adapts to what you're doing. Which gives you 3 choices to get stronger. Different exercises working the same muscles, more volume (reps or sets), or more weight. Doing the same thing over and over and not getting sore means you're not making progress because your body isn't doing anything new that it has to adapt to. This isn't rocket science.

    Yes much of the "common knowledge" from the last 50 years is wrong. I completely agree with the bolded section though. Progressively getting stronger is what increases muscle. The presence of or lack of soreness or pushing to failure is not the determining factor.
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
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    Yes much of the "common knowledge" from the last 50 years is wrong. I completely agree with the bolded section though. Progressively getting stronger is what increases muscle. The presence of or lack of soreness or pushing to failure is not the determining factor.

    I find it hard to believe much of it is wrong considering that knowledge is the foundation of every program out there today. Nobody is talking about every set to absolute failure. At most 1 set per exercise can/should be done till failure. Any more than that you're talking negative returns for sure.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    "Chasing the pump" "meal frequency" "meal timing", "going until failure"..just a few examples. Just because a person does not get sore does not mean the did not sufficiently work the muscles.
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
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    Let me repeat, if you are truly going as heavy as you can, you will hurt for days. I'm not talking lifting "heavy" 3-6 reps, I'm not talking about hitting your PR and calling it a day. I'm talking about balls to the walls do or die lifting. Fainting after a set and puking in the parking lot hard. No matter how long you've been training, if you go that hard, you will hurt, I promise. If you've never gone that far (or don't care too) I can't describe how amazing it is.

    Please tell me this isn't serious advice.... to work so hard you faint and throw up? Good lord.

    Ever wonder why you see the biggest guys in the gym sit down taking slow deep breathes between sets? It's cuz they can't stand up and might lose whatever is in their stomach, literally. And I know 99% of people find puking after a set or workout to be abhorrent or fainting/getting real light headed to be excessive. But again, until you've pushed that hard you can't say you've put in 100%. I'm not advocating this as a daily habit by any means, but I hate hearing people say they've given it their "all" when I know there is more they could do. That was my point with the post in question.
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
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    "Chasing the pump" "meal frequency" "meal timing", "going until failure"..just a few examples. Just because a person does not get sore does not mean the did not sufficiently work the muscles.

    Meal timing...proven to work. See any form of carb cycling/timing for proof, as well as protein absorbtion.

    Meal frequency, debatable and entirely goal dependent. If you want to be a 250+ lb bodybuilder, the only way you can get the amount of calories required to do that is eating every 2-3 hours. If you want to be a buck fifty and shredded, then ya, you can get away with 2 big meals a day.

    Failure, again, depends on how that style of training is employed.

    Chasing the pump, entirely a bodybuilding oriented form of training.

    Muscle soreness, goal dependent. Absolute strength or developement, you're gonna hurt. Being "fit" or "in shape", not required.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Let me repeat, if you are truly going as heavy as you can, you will hurt for days. I'm not talking lifting "heavy" 3-6 reps, I'm not talking about hitting your PR and calling it a day. I'm talking about balls to the walls do or die lifting. Fainting after a set and puking in the parking lot hard. No matter how long you've been training, if you go that hard, you will hurt, I promise. If you've never gone that far (or don't care too) I can't describe how amazing it is.

    Please tell me this isn't serious advice.... to work so hard you faint and throw up? Good lord.

    He sounds very serious but it is absolutely not necessary for us mere humans!
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
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    Let me repeat, if you are truly going as heavy as you can, you will hurt for days. I'm not talking lifting "heavy" 3-6 reps, I'm not talking about hitting your PR and calling it a day. I'm talking about balls to the walls do or die lifting. Fainting after a set and puking in the parking lot hard. No matter how long you've been training, if you go that hard, you will hurt, I promise. If you've never gone that far (or don't care too) I can't describe how amazing it is.

    Please tell me this isn't serious advice.... to work so hard you faint and throw up? Good lord.

    He sounds very serious but it is absolutely not necessary for us mere humans!

    Yeah and dont forget about the injuring yourself cause of poor technique and Im not talking about nailing your balls to the wall or whatever!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    "Chasing the pump" "meal frequency" "meal timing", "going until failure"..just a few examples. Just because a person does not get sore does not mean the did not sufficiently work the muscles.

    Meal timing...proven to work. See any form of carb cycling/timing for proof, as well as protein absorbtion.

    Meal frequency, debatable and entirely goal dependent. If you want to be a 250+ lb bodybuilder, the only way you can get the amount of calories required to do that is eating every 2-3 hours. If you want to be a buck fifty and shredded, then ya, you can get away with 2 big meals a day.

    Failure, again, depends on how that style of training is employed.

    Chasing the pump, entirely a bodybuilding oriented form of training.

    Muscle soreness, goal dependent. Absolute strength or developement, you're gonna hurt. Being "fit" or "in shape", not required.

    Can you explain more about protein absorption? Also, are you talking about carb/calorie cycling for gym performance or weight loss?
  • runfreddyrun
    runfreddyrun Posts: 137 Member
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    Why wouldn't you just go to a real crossfit box instead of a trainer who just took a one day class and wasn't good enough to start his own place?

    you mean a 'real crossfit box' where the coach got certified in a two day class? and you don't have to be 'good enough' to start a crossfit box. anyone can as long as you get certified, which you do by attending a two day training class. that's why there are a jillion crossfit places.
  • runfreddyrun
    runfreddyrun Posts: 137 Member
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    i lift as heavy as i can and with the exception of the first week where i was so sore i had trouble performing basic tasks, im typically not sore the next day. sometimes if i increase weight i am a tiny tiny bit sore in my upper body, but it doesn't bother me.

    until today. i hadn't worked out in two weeks and yesterday was my first day back. i didn't even go as hard as i normally do and i really feel it today.
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
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    Why wouldn't you just go to a real crossfit box instead of a trainer who just took a one day class and wasn't good enough to start his own place?

    you mean a 'real crossfit box' where the coach got certified in a two day class? and you don't have to be 'good enough' to start a crossfit box. anyone can as long as you get certified, which you do by attending a two day training class. that's why there are a jillion crossfit places.

    No I mean one where you do your research and your trainer knows his stuff. Its the same for anything else. You could join a crappy mma gym just like you can find a crappy gym trainer or a crappy box. all those fitness "certifications" are pretty much meaningless.

    When I say good enough you need to be good enough to keep it going. You'll know when you're in a good box when the majority of the members and coaches are all fit and making serious gains and progress. you also need a place who does their own programming as well. At my box we dont just do random nonsence metcons all day. We have strength training, with sufficient rest between sets to allow you to lift heavy enough. Those portions follow low rep shemes typically so it isnt cardio masked as heavy lifting. When we do a metcon at the end they're usually under 15min.

    It seems like people have googled a 5min metcon and think thats all people do at crossfit. Or you have trainers doing stupid things and calling it "crossfit style" when theres no such thing.


    Another example is there are a jillion equinox fitness clubs in nyc around here but all of them arent the same. In nyc only one location actually has bumper plates and olympic platforms. So someone couldnt say "omg its stupid to work on olympic lifts at equinox" when you have no idea which one they go to, you're just assuming theyre all the same