E-mails from Mehdi...
jennicole4
Posts: 90 Member
Hey ladies! I have a few questions about these e-mails from Mehdi. I know I could opt out if I wanted, but I do glean useful information from them, so I have chosen to continue receiving them for the time being.
Anyway, the most recent one was talking about accessory lifts, etc. He said that those are only for body builders and *rolled his eyes*. He said they're only useful for targeting muscles and looking pumped for the clubs. SL is about building strength. Okay, I get that, but what is so wrong with wanting to sculpt your muscles? Is muscle sculpting even possible, or should you only do SL and eat at a deficit? Do both approaches make you reach the same goal? Because honestly, I LOVE gaining strength in the gym and feeling awesome about myself when I up my weights, but my ultimate goal is to look great! I want a firm, sculpted body. I don't intend to do bodybuilding or lifting competitions. I just wanna look better on the beach and in the bedroom with the hubby - lol. Maybe someday, that will change, but for now, my reasons are mostly for vanity and overall health. I'm not saying I want to quit SL. I'm just wondering if it is the fastest route to reach my goals as quickly as possible or if accessory lifts might move things along.
What are your thoughts/opinions?
Anyway, the most recent one was talking about accessory lifts, etc. He said that those are only for body builders and *rolled his eyes*. He said they're only useful for targeting muscles and looking pumped for the clubs. SL is about building strength. Okay, I get that, but what is so wrong with wanting to sculpt your muscles? Is muscle sculpting even possible, or should you only do SL and eat at a deficit? Do both approaches make you reach the same goal? Because honestly, I LOVE gaining strength in the gym and feeling awesome about myself when I up my weights, but my ultimate goal is to look great! I want a firm, sculpted body. I don't intend to do bodybuilding or lifting competitions. I just wanna look better on the beach and in the bedroom with the hubby - lol. Maybe someday, that will change, but for now, my reasons are mostly for vanity and overall health. I'm not saying I want to quit SL. I'm just wondering if it is the fastest route to reach my goals as quickly as possible or if accessory lifts might move things along.
What are your thoughts/opinions?
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Replies
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Emkay. Accessory lifts, as the name says, are accessory. They're in NO WAY mandatory.
HOWEVER! They are not useless either! (well, some ridiculous moves out there are, but that's a whole other topic).
You can and probably will keep on gaining strenght following *just* the program. Your progress will eventually slow. As a female lifter, probably a lot faster than the guys, too.
The smarter approach to getting stronger, and maybe to a point leaner, may be to add a bit of extra butter to that dry toast. It's still a calories in vs calories out math thing here, so more lifting = more muscles = more fat loss. AS A GENERAL, VERY BASIC, ABSTRACTED FORMULA) - Sorry for the caps, I'm too lazy to type the bold code, apparently xD
There are a few moves out there that WILL benefit you a good bit, though.
- Close grip bench press is great for triceps strength because it still is a compound movement. It's an assist for both the OHP and Bench Press!
- Chin/Pull ups (or even pulldowns) are awesome for back strenght. YOU CAN'T ARGUE THAT! And they work a different plane of movement from the good old row, too!
- Core work is important. If you're anything like me and have a weak, injury prone lower back, the main lifts alone are not going to be enough. Not for a while.
- Shoulder work for certain is also a huge plus. Especially those rear delts. If you never give your shoulders that etra strength and stability, you're much more prone to injuries doing the presses.
- Lunges or unilateral leg work can be great if you're lifting for a sport. That balance and stability is kind of important, too. Your 2 legs aren't on the ground at the same time a lot when you're running, right?
Bottomline is: because it works well for him doesn't mean it works for everyone. And because he says one thing doesn,t mean he's right. Accessory work is definitely not a bodybuilder-specific thing, though. Doing 20 sets of incline, decline, flat, dumbbell cable flyes and presse for chest is. Sticking to the basic when in doubt is good. But scoffing at the less glorified lifts is kind of dumb, too.
So if you wanna do accessory, go right ahead. They're called that because they help you progress on the main lifts. If your OHP stalls for a while, add a dumbbell push press in. While muscle confusion is a pretty stupid concept, switching it up once in a while WILL help break through plateaus. Just be smart and conservative about it, yanow?
tl;dr
Take the good info, dump the crap. Accessory lifts are far from being the devil, so do them if you like 'em.
(I typed this while at work so uh, might be a bit confusing)0 -
Mehdi is such a tool. I finally unsubscribed to his emails when he was both super racist and super sexist in the same post. Ugh.
Pretty much what Krok said though.0 -
I just read the stickies on here. Hence, no emails from Mehdi! lol..0
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I have tried numerous times to sign up for the 'starter pack' and e-mails but don't ever seem to get the e-mail through (yes i've checked my junk/spam folder!!).
After reading this thread I'm now kinda glad I can't get them!!!
First night tonight trying SL5x5 - wish me luck! xxx0 -
Mehdi is such a tool. I finally unsubscribed to his emails when he was both super racist and super sexist in the same post. Ugh.
Pretty much what Krok said though.
me too, the guy is a bit of a douche!
Exactly what Krok said... :bigsmile:0 -
He is a total douche.
I like how Wendler explains assistance work, It IS for bodybuilders, because they are working on achieving symmetry in their strength, this is a GOOD thing. Accessory lifts can help weak points and increase your main lifts.0 -
me too, the guy is a bit of a douche!He is a total douche.
Yes and yes!0 -
me too, the guy is a bit of a douche!He is a total douche.
Yes and yes!
Yes Yes and Yes
I opted out of the emails ages ago.0 -
My emails from him go straight to the SPAM folder. :laugh:0
