Was recommended not to do Stronglifts..
Replies
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This is one of those rare times when @stanmann571 and I get to straight-up agree on something right off the bat.stanmann571 wrote: »OP, one more suggestion... if you want to figure out what to do, go read a few books like Starting Strength by Mark Ripptoe, The Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid by Eric Helms, The lean muscle diet by the Lean Muscle Diet by Lou Schuler and Alan Aragon or StrongCurves by Bret Contrereas. The nice thing about many of these books is the are full of information but also discuss how to do moves properly
Starting strength does a good, accessible, readable, comprehensive look at the basic theory behind programming. I really enjoyed it.
Do you know what people like Jim Wendler (5/3/1), Mike Matthews (TLS/BLS) and Mehdi (StrongLifts variant of 5x5) all have in common, aside from sensible training routines?
They all recommend you read Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition, commonly abbreviated as "SS"
We don't actually disagree in principle ... most of the time... its more practical, experiential or philosophical differences..1 -
That is absolutely true. I think we butt heads for a while sometimes before realizing it though.stanmann571 wrote: »We don't actually disagree in principle ... most of the time... its more practical, experiential or philosophical differences..
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stanmann571 wrote: »Have to disagree here, most bros doing brotines and brosplits get consistently good results with a bad routine.
They get them slower than if they were doing a good routine, but they still get good results.
Guess it depends how "bad routine" is defined.
If it means, "inefficient" as you seem to be suggesting, then, yes, you can still achieve "good results" with a "bad routine;" it'll just take longer.
But if "bad" means a routine that cannot achieve the desired results (like trying to gain mass w/o eating at a sufficent surplus) or doing upper body to the exclusion of the lower body, then a "bad routine will just end up with bad results.
I meant the latter, more than the former, but still think that an inefficient effort in trying to achieve a desired result by means of a" bad routine" is still a bad result.0 -
Good results and good routines and bad results- all arbitrary.
define a "bad result"
there are tons of mediocre programs that don't get you very far very fast- but it doesn't mean the results are bad.
bad = injury or over training IMHO.
It's not black and white- there is a TON of gray space between.3 -
So he had me do the following workout:
Barbell Bench Press - 5x5 at 55lbs (last set being 65lbs)
Chest Flys - 3x10 at 20lbs (I wasn't putting as much effort in as I should have)
Rope Pulldown Tricep Extensions - 3x10 at 40lbs
I also then went and walk/ran a mile.
Now this is my first time back to working out in a month and first time ever lifting so yes, I didn't go as hard as I could of. Thursday he said we will be doing Deadlifts, and Back/Leg Accessory Workouts, along with me doing a 30 min walk/run warm-up.
But how do you feel about his recommendation not to do Strong-lifts due to working too many muscle groups in one day? Would just like to hear everyone's opinions.
A little late to the party and didn't read all the responses, but here's my $.02.
The big thing on MFP is Stronglifts. I'm not knocking the program but you would think it's the only program on the planet that a beginner must use, which is false. It sounds like what your BF is having you do is a Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)/Pull (back, legs, Biceps) split, which is very popular everywhere but here, and is fine if done x2/week. I would like to hear your BF's logic for only working a muscle group x1/week. The reason why you want to work a muscle group x2/week is because Protein Synthesis/"muscle building" (loosely put) only takes approximately 48 hours. So if you work a muscle group x1/week, you're wasting a week doing nothing for the muscle group when it's in reality ready to be worked again in approximately 2 days. The only reason I can think of why working a muscle group x1/week would be effective is if someone has a really slow recovery rate, or is taking "assistance drugs" which is a whole other subject/thread.
Personally, I think any program where a muscle group is worked x2/week and the compounds lifts are including (Deadlift, Squats, Rows, Overhead Press, Bench etc.) is perfectly fine. I'm a fan of including some accessory work (bicep curls, tricep extensions, etc.). A 80%/20% Compounds/Accessories ratio is perfect IMO.
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When I started lifting again I used the Stronglifts program. It's a great beginner program utilizing compound movements over isolation. It's quick, easy, and nearly anyone can budget their time around this.
I also hired a personal trainer who reviewed and stressed my form. We did several initial sessions with a broomstick to hightlight my errors, which are often hidden with moving weights. Since then I'm lifting heavier than ever before and experienced no injuries along the way.1 -
Started back in the gym last night, and was planning to begin Strong-lifts. But when I got there, someone I trust greatly, and who has a decent amount of knowledge/success with lifting recommended I don't do that program. Once I showed him the app and told him the routine, he recommended against it. He recommended I only work out on one muscle group at a time, especially being that I had never lifted before. He said he use to do a program similar to Strong-lifts, but it only ever helped him maintain, and he didn't see the gains that he does while doing this workout. He does the Wendler's 5/3/1 but he also has been lifting for 10+ years. The 5/3/1 is not what he is having me do, he's having me do 5x5's with focus on one muscle group a session.
So he had me do the following workout:
Barbell Bench Press - 5x5 at 55lbs (last set being 65lbs)
Chest Flys - 3x10 at 20lbs (I wasn't putting as much effort in as I should have)
Rope Pulldown Tricep Extensions - 3x10 at 40lbs
I also then went and walk/ran a mile.
Now this is my first time back to working out in a month and first time ever lifting so yes, I didn't go as hard as I could of. Thursday he said we will be doing Deadlifts, and Back/Leg Accessory Workouts, along with me doing a 30 min walk/run warm-up.
But how do you feel about his recommendation not to do Strong-lifts due to working too many muscle groups in one day? Would just like to hear everyone's opinions.
your friend is obviously some gym "bro" who thinks that everyone should be doing single body splits and did not take into account that you are new to lifting.
strong lifts is a great beginner program that will introduce you to compound movements, build a foundation of strength, and will prepare you to move on to a more intermediate program in three to four months.0 -
Good results and good routines and bad results- all arbitrary.
define a "bad result"
there are tons of mediocre programs that don't get you very far very fast- but it doesn't mean the results are bad.
bad = injury or over training IMHO.
It's not black and white- there is a TON of gray space between.
I'd agree... it also depends on what results you are looking for. I know Mike Mathews and Layne Norton complained about their results because they spend too much time following bodybuilding routines to failure. Not until they got away from pure hypertrophy work and incorporated low rep/high weight powerlifting work did they get the results they wanted. For Layne that was growing his small *kitten* legs; for MM, it was a very lean and muscular physique. I do think there are more effective program and that will "better" results than many of these inefficient programs.
Lets face it, this plan would be better than nothing, but it certainly won't be as effective as a StartingStrength, StrongLift, Strong Curves or any other proven structured program4 -
truth.
I think that's something most people who are just staring out wouldn't necessarily know- (what do I want exactly)
BUT- I believe any program is better than no program- I certainly believe building a really true strong base and learning the fundamentals of lifting is SUPER important.
Everything else is semantics and goals after that.0 -
Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »So he had me do the following workout:
Barbell Bench Press - 5x5 at 55lbs (last set being 65lbs)
Chest Flys - 3x10 at 20lbs (I wasn't putting as much effort in as I should have)
Rope Pulldown Tricep Extensions - 3x10 at 40lbs
I also then went and walk/ran a mile.
Now this is my first time back to working out in a month and first time ever lifting so yes, I didn't go as hard as I could of. Thursday he said we will be doing Deadlifts, and Back/Leg Accessory Workouts, along with me doing a 30 min walk/run warm-up.
But how do you feel about his recommendation not to do Strong-lifts due to working too many muscle groups in one day? Would just like to hear everyone's opinions.
A little late to the party and didn't read all the responses, but here's my $.02.
The big thing on MFP is Stronglifts. I'm not knocking the program but you would think it's the only program on the planet that a beginner must use, which is false. It sounds like what your BF is having you do is a Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)/Pull (back, legs, Biceps) split, which is very popular everywhere but here, and is fine if done x2/week. I would like to hear your BF's logic for only working a muscle group x1/week. The reason why you want to work a muscle group x2/week is because Protein Synthesis/"muscle building" (loosely put) only takes approximately 48 hours. So if you work a muscle group x1/week, you're wasting a week doing nothing for the muscle group when it's in reality ready to be worked again in approximately 2 days. The only reason I can think of why working a muscle group x1/week would be effective is if someone has a really slow recovery rate, or is taking "assistance drugs" which is a whole other subject/thread.
Personally, I think any program where a muscle group is worked x2/week and the compounds lifts are including (Deadlift, Squats, Rows, Overhead Press, Bench etc.) is perfectly fine. I'm a fan of including some accessory work (bicep curls, tricep extensions, etc.). A 80%/20% Compounds/Accessories ratio is perfect IMO.
You are correct on the Push/Pull split.
The only reason it is working one muscle group 1x a week is because we only have a limited amount of time to hit the gym. Right now we can only squeeze in two days a week. So Tuesday's are Push muscles, Thursdays are Pull muscles, and the rest of the days are spent busy as heck trying to remodel our house/property (which now has a deadline, whomp!) It doesn't help that we cant get to the gym before 6pm either.
The (not really) HIIT program I was on was Push muscles Mondays and Thursdays, and Pull muscles Tuesdays and Fridays. So I understand what you are saying there about them being able to be ready.
For a bit I am just going to stick with this so I can learn. Once I have a handle on things, I will move in a different direction more suited towards me.
Thank you for your kind reply.1 -
Don't let people in the gym tell you what to do. There's a lot of bro-science and myths floating around, and every meathead thinks they're an expert. Do your research, listen to your body, and ignore bro experts giving out free advice.1
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stanmann571 wrote: »broseidonkingofbrocean wrote: »Do what feels best to you. The key component in this is consistency. You see it all the time someone who has a very bad training routine but looks good cause they are consistent. If you enjoy doing stronglifts do that but if you enjoy your friends method do that. No one routine is the best route and im a firm believe in doing what YOU enjoy.
Yes, no and maybe to this.
Consistency, yes. You need consistency to achieve results because it's a long process.
No, I haven't seen anyone who does a "bad routine" who looks good because s/he does it consistently. Just the opposite.
Doing a "bad routine" consistently will simply achieve consistently bad results.
Have to disagree here, most bros doing brotines and brosplits get consistently good results with a bad routine.
They get them slower than if they were doing a good routine, but they still get good results. Now, they're not getting the great results they would get from a good routine, and they'll still get smoked on the big 3 by a 55kg female who lifts smart and heavy, but they're happily swole.
What if their goal is to be happily swole rather than maxing out on the Big 3 lifts?
[ETA:] I don't disagree that one will get better results on a soundly designed program, that's certainly true. But I don't agree with the frequently expressed sentiment that SS/SL5x5 is the One True Answer for everybody who wants to lift.2 -
As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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chiltonenator wrote: »Don't let people in the gym tell you what to do. There's a lot of bro-science and myths floating around, and every meathead thinks they're an expert. Do your research, listen to your body, and ignore bro experts giving out free advice.
This made me laugh cause meathead in question is her life partner. We all know things, we're all meatheads!
@ninerbuff I agree as that echos what I said few pages back.
Like brocean said if it makes you feel good go for it! Personally, I'd find the most efficient workout for myself and that's the push/pull routine 3 times in the gym a week...for now.
Good luck OP and anybody else looking to do SL, or not.
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As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So as a person with average goals, not looking to get "Swole"/muscular/compete, just looking for a workout with weights that I enjoy, you are saying the Push/Pull workouts he is helping me with are totally not beneficial to me?
After both workouts session with him, I feel great. Sore in all the right areas. I really feel like I accomplished a lot.
I know I will get bashed for this, but like I said. I plan on staying with his routine for atleast a month. I actually really enjoyed this past week. More than I ever have a workout. After I get a handle on the workouts, muscle groups, etc, I will move on. But I just fail to see his method right now as detrimental in any way. Isn't lifting anything (given its in correct form), better than not lifting at all?
Last night we did a bunch of things.
I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5, lat pull downs, military press, cable rows, bicep curls, and even ran a half a mile, walked half a mile (easing back into the running slowly since I havent ran in so long). I felt GREAT after my workout. He spent a lot of time ensuring I had good form while deadlifting, also.2 -
yoherbs421 wrote: »chiltonenator wrote: »Don't let people in the gym tell you what to do. There's a lot of bro-science and myths floating around, and every meathead thinks they're an expert. Do your research, listen to your body, and ignore bro experts giving out free advice.
This made me laugh cause meathead in question is her life partner. We all know things, we're all meatheads!
@ninerbuff I agree as that echos what I said few pages back.
Like brocean said if it makes you feel good go for it! Personally, I'd find the most efficient workout for myself and that's the push/pull routine 3 times in the gym a week...for now.
Good luck OP and anybody else looking to do SL, or not.
It kinda makes me laugh too. I have dealt with PLENTY of meatheads in my past experiences at the gym, and my boyfriend doesnt fall into that category to me lol. Hes very quiet at the gym, does his routine and keeps to himself. He even offered me to meet a girl he's friends with so she can help me build a program fitted to me, if I was hesitant on what he had me doing. He's never claimed to be an expert, he just says hes learned through trial and error. He's definitely confident in what he knows, but he has said many times thats what works for HIM, may not be best for me.
But he said the same as most people here. We will try it for a few months, and adjust from there.1 -
As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So as a person with average goals, not looking to get "Swole"/muscular/compete, just looking for a workout with weights that I enjoy, you are saying the Push/Pull workouts he is helping me with are totally not beneficial to me?
After both workouts session with him, I feel great. Sore in all the right areas. I really feel like I accomplished a lot.
I know I will get bashed for this, but like I said. I plan on staying with his routine for atleast a month. I actually really enjoyed this past week. More than I ever have a workout. After I get a handle on the workouts, muscle groups, etc, I will move on. But I just fail to see his method right now as detrimental in any way. Isn't lifting anything (given its in correct form), better than not lifting at all?
Last night we did a bunch of things.
I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5, lat pull downs, military press, cable rows, bicep curls, and even ran a half a mile, walked half a mile (easing back into the running slowly since I havent ran in so long). I felt GREAT after my workout. He spent a lot of time ensuring I had good form while deadlifting, also.
Sounds like you got bit by the bug! Correct form is huge you're fortunate to have your man check it! And I like the choice of exercises, deadlifting 115 and just starting out...your trainer will have you double that on a very short time! Congrats!
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As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So as a person with average goals, not looking to get "Swole"/muscular/compete, just looking for a workout with weights that I enjoy, you are saying the Push/Pull workouts he is helping me with are totally not beneficial to me?
After both workouts session with him, I feel great. Sore in all the right areas. I really feel like I accomplished a lot.
I know I will get bashed for this, but like I said. I plan on staying with his routine for atleast a month. I actually really enjoyed this past week. More than I ever have a workout. After I get a handle on the workouts, muscle groups, etc, I will move on. But I just fail to see his method right now as detrimental in any way. Isn't lifting anything (given its in correct form), better than not lifting at all?
Last night we did a bunch of things.
I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5, lat pull downs, military press, cable rows, bicep curls, and even ran a half a mile, walked half a mile (easing back into the running slowly since I havent ran in so long). I felt GREAT after my workout. He spent a lot of time ensuring I had good form while deadlifting, also.
Looks like you've made up your mind and like the work out provided by your friend. Why are you still looking for validation here? You like the work out, you like the company, you like your results, you can see yourself continuing with the plan, What's the problem?
"I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5"... "military press" (any real difference from SL's overhead press?)... "cable rows" (any real difference from bent over rows?) Looks similar to SL 5x5.
I ascribe to the school of compound lifts using free weights (barbells, dumbbells, kettle bells). You'll get as many opinions of what a "good" workout should be as there are those giving opinions. Do what you like that works for you and be happy.3 -
If you're intention is NOT to get "swole", then you SHOULDN'T be doing individual body parts. That's what a split system is usually for. The idea behind splitting is that you can focus more on VOLUME TRAINING an area to encourage hypertrophy (muscle gain).As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So as a person with average goals, not looking to get "Swole"/muscular/compete, just looking for a workout with weights that I enjoy, you are saying the Push/Pull workouts he is helping me with are totally not beneficial to me?
After both workouts session with him, I feel great. Sore in all the right areas. I really feel like I accomplished a lot.
I know I will get bashed for this, but like I said. I plan on staying with his routine for atleast a month. I actually really enjoyed this past week. More than I ever have a workout. After I get a handle on the workouts, muscle groups, etc, I will move on. But I just fail to see his method right now as detrimental in any way. Isn't lifting anything (given its in correct form), better than not lifting at all?
Last night we did a bunch of things.
I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5, lat pull downs, military press, cable rows, bicep curls, and even ran a half a mile, walked half a mile (easing back into the running slowly since I havent ran in so long). I felt GREAT after my workout. He spent a lot of time ensuring I had good form while deadlifting, also.
Feeling great and sore is just means you broke down the muscle to rebuild. The same can EASILY happen with a full body program with the right resistance.
The easiest way I can put it is that if you're a beginner to lifting, why bother doing an advanced method? If you were to take up swimming or gymnastics, you start with the basics not automatically go into training like a competitor.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So as a person with average goals, not looking to get "Swole"/muscular/compete, just looking for a workout with weights that I enjoy, you are saying the Push/Pull workouts he is helping me with are totally not beneficial to me?
After both workouts session with him, I feel great. Sore in all the right areas. I really feel like I accomplished a lot.
I know I will get bashed for this, but like I said. I plan on staying with his routine for atleast a month. I actually really enjoyed this past week. More than I ever have a workout. After I get a handle on the workouts, muscle groups, etc, I will move on. But I just fail to see his method right now as detrimental in any way. Isn't lifting anything (given its in correct form), better than not lifting at all?
Last night we did a bunch of things.
I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5, lat pull downs, military press, cable rows, bicep curls, and even ran a half a mile, walked half a mile (easing back into the running slowly since I havent ran in so long). I felt GREAT after my workout. He spent a lot of time ensuring I had good form while deadlifting, also.
Looks like you've made up your mind and like the work out provided by your friend. Why are you still looking for validation here? You like the work out, you like the company, you like your results, you can see yourself continuing with the plan, What's the problem?
"I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5"... "military press" (any real difference from SL's overhead press?)... "cable rows" (any real difference from bent over rows?) Looks similar to SL 5x5.
I ascribe to the school of compound lifts using free weights (barbells, dumbbells, kettle bells). You'll get as many opinions of what a "good" workout should be as there are those giving opinions. Do what you like that works for you and be happy.
I didnt know replying to comments directed at me was looking for validation. I thought I was conversating. My bad?
Yes it is very similar to SL 5x5, but it has taken squats out. I will add in leg presses probably next week, but weighted squats are not on the agenda. you will have to look through the thread on my reasonings why, as I have already mentioned.yoherbs421 wrote: »As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So as a person with average goals, not looking to get "Swole"/muscular/compete, just looking for a workout with weights that I enjoy, you are saying the Push/Pull workouts he is helping me with are totally not beneficial to me?
After both workouts session with him, I feel great. Sore in all the right areas. I really feel like I accomplished a lot.
I know I will get bashed for this, but like I said. I plan on staying with his routine for atleast a month. I actually really enjoyed this past week. More than I ever have a workout. After I get a handle on the workouts, muscle groups, etc, I will move on. But I just fail to see his method right now as detrimental in any way. Isn't lifting anything (given its in correct form), better than not lifting at all?
Last night we did a bunch of things.
I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5, lat pull downs, military press, cable rows, bicep curls, and even ran a half a mile, walked half a mile (easing back into the running slowly since I havent ran in so long). I felt GREAT after my workout. He spent a lot of time ensuring I had good form while deadlifting, also.
Sounds like you got bit by the bug! Correct form is huge you're fortunate to have your man check it! And I like the choice of exercises, deadlifting 115 and just starting out...your trainer will have you double that on a very short time! Congrats!
They started me with the 45lb bar for deadlifts and I knew it was entirely too light. I did 95lbs a few times and wasnt going to push myself farther but they upped it once more to the 115lbs and I realized that it wasnt much of a struggle either. The numbers are so intimidating, but also kind of exciting. I never knew I could lift that much! Whenever they add more weight I immediately think "I cant do that!", but once I try it, I have surprised myself.2 -
I tried to read as many of the posts in this thread as I could. So if I repeat what anyone else has said, I'm sorry.
First off, I wanted to let you know that my biggest regret with weight lifting was that I didn't follow a structured program from the start. One of the ones written by knowledgeable and experienced trainers and utilized by many people and proven through time to be effective. I spent the first year doing bro splits and when I tried for strength it was really hard for me to move up in weight so I feel like my lifts are lacking for how long I've been lifting.
If you trust your bf and want to do his program then by all means, do it. I do agree with other posters that you should read up on some of the books written by the experienced people in the game just to educate yourself and get an idea of what you want out of a program. A previous poster mentioned reading Mark Rippetoe's starting strength. I think that's a great idea. You don't have to follow the program right away, or ever if you don't want to, but getting that knowledge early in the game will provide extremely useful for your weight lifting journey.
Also, with a torn meniscus I can understand not wanting to do squats at this time. Squats are great, but if you're worried about your knee through your sets that's going to take a lot of the fun out of doing the workout. You say your going to do leg presses, that's great, it works your quads really well but it doesn't work your glutes and hammies like a squat would. I would suggest adding some hip thrusts in there to balance out your lower body work. Plus, hip thrusts are fun! If you can get over the whole looking-like-your-humping-the-air thing.
I hope you continue to enjoy weightlifting, and I wish you luck!6 -
As a person who TRAINS many a newbie to lifting every month, there is NO VALID REASON for you to go with his recommendation. I would have went with Stronglifts and if he's as good as you think, he should be able to correctly give feedback on form of the exercises.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So as a person with average goals, not looking to get "Swole"/muscular/compete, just looking for a workout with weights that I enjoy, you are saying the Push/Pull workouts he is helping me with are totally not beneficial to me?
After both workouts session with him, I feel great. Sore in all the right areas. I really feel like I accomplished a lot.
I know I will get bashed for this, but like I said. I plan on staying with his routine for atleast a month. I actually really enjoyed this past week. More than I ever have a workout. After I get a handle on the workouts, muscle groups, etc, I will move on. But I just fail to see his method right now as detrimental in any way. Isn't lifting anything (given its in correct form), better than not lifting at all?
Last night we did a bunch of things.
I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5, lat pull downs, military press, cable rows, bicep curls, and even ran a half a mile, walked half a mile (easing back into the running slowly since I havent ran in so long). I felt GREAT after my workout. He spent a lot of time ensuring I had good form while deadlifting, also.
That's great. If the program fit's nicely in your life, you enjoy it, means you spend quality time with your boyfriend and you get the required results then ignore the naysayers and stick with it.
Good luck.2 -
"...how do you feel about his recommendation not to do Strong-lifts due to working too many muscle groups in one day?"
I've only skimmed through some of the responses to try to avoid being redundant. My 2 cents: When I told my friends who lift that I was starting Strong Lifts, they all said that it was awesome for a beginner because of the structure (3x/wk & multiple groups), but also because they know I am more focused on getting stronger. I mean my boyfriend thought I was crazy, but then he realized it was right for me. The weight loss will come, but more muscle now would make me happy. I don't know what your goals are or what was posted in your other thread.
As someone with a crappy knee, I will say that doing sumo squats and Romanian deadlifts helped me a lot. Like a whole lot. Like to the point where even though I've fallen off the lifting wagon, I'm still able to do things my one knee wouldn't let me do before. So hopefully that helps you a bit. The one thing I will say is that SL gets boring after a while and that's part of how I fell off the wagon. So maybe you'll have better success with his recommendation. Either way, have fun!2 -
stanmann571 wrote: »
Have to disagree here, most bros doing brotines and brosplits get consistently good results with a bad routine.
They get them slower than if they were doing a good routine, but they still get good results. Now, they're not getting the great results they would get from a good routine, and they'll still get smoked on the big 3 by a 55kg female who lifts smart and heavy, but they're happily swole.
LMFAO yes. I have a friend who looks great but the man is weak tbh. He should be way stronger with the amount of time he spends in the gym. It's all brotines for show to get the ladies lol
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I didn't read every reply so I'm possibly repeating what's been said, but I'll give my opinion as professionally as possible.
Can you still make progress with body-part splits? Yes.
Is it optimal? Very much no, and it's likely not even close.
I will try to explain why:
Every time you train you are causing adaptations which give you the opportunity to get better at the exercises you are doing. When you bench press, you are providing a training stimulus to the muscles used in benching. You are learning and improving technique involved in lifting the weight. You are improving the rate at which signals are sent causing muscles to fire. You are causing short term increases to muscle protein synthesis which allows you the opportunity to grow bigger muscles.
Basically, training is the thing that causes cool stuff to happen which makes you awesome.
If you only have 2 days in the week to train, which is something you mentioned earlier in this thread I believe -- and you had to choose what to do during those sessions, you're substantially better off choosing methods of training which allow the previously mentioned awesomeness to occur in as many places in your body as you can, precisely because you are only going to be able to cause these things to happen twice in a week.
Up to a point, the more often you can cause all this awesome stuff to happen, the more opportunity you have to be awesome.
If you did something like biceps on day 1 week 1 and legs on day 2 week 2, then back in week 2 day 1 and chest in week 2 day 2, you'll have barely trained your entire body once in 2 weeks.
If you train with a full body routine, you'll have trained your body 4 times in that two week period.
This applies to all of those adaptations I mentioned and it also applies to the skill component of lifting. Lifting weights is not exclusively about applying a stimulus to cause muscle growth, it's a skill. Being good at a particular lift allows you to move more weight which then allows you to apply a greater training stimulus and make faster progress.
All of the above are valid reasons why you should probably NOT do a body-part focused routine ESPECIALLY in a situation where you have limited time to train.
I'm afraid the advice you were given was exactly opposite of what you should be doing, and I don't say this to insult your boyfriend.
Someone having an impressive physique does not necessarily indicate that they have the background knowledge to provide accurate advice. Much in the same way that someone who does NOT have an impressive physique would be unable to provide good advice.
There are people on this board who aren't in amazing shape who are incredibly well read, who absolutely give great advice. Likewise there are people who are in phenomenal shape who routinely post information that the current body of evidence largely disagrees with.
Finally, you CAN still make progress doing a body-part split. If you enjoy it, and that's what you WANT to do, great! Do it and have fun, there's nothing wrong with that.
Best of luck.9 -
"I deadlifted 115lbs 5x5"... "military press" (any real difference from SL's overhead press?)... "cable rows" (any real difference from bent over rows?) Looks similar to SL 5x5.
I ascribe to the school of compound lifts using free weights (barbells, dumbbells, kettle bells). You'll get as many opinions of what a "good" workout should be as there are those giving opinions. Do what you like that works for you and be happy.
I would say the main benefit of overhead press and barbell rows compared to those is that you need to stabilize yourself (so you are using extra muscles in your core and legs than if you are are sitting on a bench).
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In addition to my previous reply, this does not necessarily mean that I think StrongLifts is the answer for you, I just wanted to lay out why I think a full body type of setup will be far superior for you. There are plenty of ways to program a full body routine without doing SL.3
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It sounds like you were going to listen to your boyfriend regardless of what anyone said, so...
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Depending on what time you go the gym, you might also want to take into consideration which pieces of equipment are more utilized as a deciding factor (ie will you have to wait longer for the barbell or the dumbbells or the cables or the bench,...)1
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