8 Reasons your Weight Training Results SUCK.

Bumping to read when I get home!

The amount of muscle gained after the first year or so of weight training is drastically reduced. As is the ability to add weight to the program. After a few years, gain is negligible, both in progress and mass. So, its not like someone is going to just keep getting stronger and stronger and hulk up... or we'd have dudes squatting school buses.

I would have to disagree with results from heavy lifting to begin with. I used to lift way over most people in my gym class, yet there were people lifting half as much with more muscle. I think endurance has a lot to do with gain.

I enjoyed this article, but I'd like to point out that the reason women use those little, light dumbbells is not because we don't want to look like men, but because we're TOLD to, repeatedly. OK, I can't speak for everybody else, but that's certainly my experience. I've heard over and over that small weights are best. In fact somebody told me that last week. I had a trainer at a gym a few years ago and I was told to do 20 set reps of small weights. In fact, I can't remember anyone ever telling me (in real life) that I should be lifting heavier and heavier weights. I'm only doing that because of the internet.

I would have to agree with results from heavy lifting to begin with. I used to lift way over most people in my gym class, yet there were people lifting half as much with more muscle. I think endurance has a lot to do with gain.

When you're just talking mass gain it's largely due to diet and eating an excessive amount of calories.

bumping for later... good points so far though! :drinker:

I would have to agree with results from heavy lifting to begin with. I used to lift way over most people in my gym class, yet there were people lifting half as much with more muscle. I think endurance has a lot to do with gain.

When you're just talking mass gain it's largely due to diet and eating an excessive amount of calories.

Well I know diet is a big part of anything, but I still feel that after a certain point of plateau-ing on heavy weights, endurance is the better route to choose. I have been doing sets to failure for a month and have gained as much muscle as I did in the 4 years I weight lifted in highschool.

bump

I would have to agree with results from heavy lifting to begin with. I used to lift way over most people in my gym class, yet there were people lifting half as much with more muscle. I think endurance has a lot to do with gain.

When you're just talking mass gain it's largely due to diet and eating an excessive amount of calories.

Well I know diet is a big part of anything, but I still feel that after a certain point of plateau-ing on heavy weights, endurance is the better route to choose. I have been doing sets to failure for a month and have gained as much muscle as I did in the 4 years I weight lifted in highschool.

Yeah, conditioning is actually very important in powerlifting. Guys like Jim Wendler, Dave Tate, and Louie Simmons are all big proponents of conditioning.

Thanks for the info.

Wow, that's really long............

And if they continually get bigger, then at some point you would reach "bulky". If they don't continually get bigger, then wouldn't you be back to "sucky results" (maintaining)?

Not at all. It's a misconception that muscle size and muscle strength go hand-in-hand, they really don't. Actually, most of your female/male bodybuilder types are not remotely as strong as a professional athlete or an intermediate to advanced powerlifter. You can very much get stronger without significantly increasing muscle mass.

So "creating muscle tissue" would not mean more muscle mass? Where does the new tissue go if it doesn't become part of the previous mass?

love this!!! bump for later

I'm interested in knowing why they recommend 8 reps. That's a rep range that a body builder or strength training individual would lift in. If a person's goal is to "tone" or even build endurance and burn more calories, they would be lifting in the 12-15 rep or 20-25 rep range respectively.

12 to 15 Rep Sets
Training in the 12 to 15 rep range offers, in theory, an opportunity to both build greater energy stores and strengthen muscle fibers. By performing a standard overload set in this rep range; energy depletion and fiber damage are occurring equally. However, by performing the reps with continuous tension, eliminating relaxation, more energy is depleted (energy depletes in
proportion to the duration of muscle tension), thus resulting in super-compensation (increase) of energy storage (new mitochondria), during recovery. On the other hand, by incorporating a pause in every rep (in a position of relaxation), the working muscle can take up oxygen and release wastes, to some degree, allowing for the offset of failure. This translates into the performance of more fiber damaging repetitions. This type of stress on the structural fibers in the 12-15 rep range induces adaptation through the production of more new myofibrils. Relaxation during heavy, 4 to 6 rep training is NOT recommended as significant damage can result in the joints and surrounding tissue when they are called upon to support extremely heavy weights while soft tissue is relaxed.


20 to 25 Rep Sets
It is important to realize that the reason for the performance of 20 to 25 rep sets is to 1) At high intensity-build new mitochondria; improving the endurance capability of the working muscles by increasing energy storage capacity; 2) At low intensity-purposely expend as much stored glycogen as possible; in order to maximize fat mobilization during recovery glycogen replacement. Glycogen is rapidly depleting during a continuous tension set, and this is the purpose of this high rep range. It then makes perfect sense to always use continuous tension in this rep range. As a reminder, this rep range is not recommended for significant growth stimulation. It offers adaptation of the muscle by increasing muscle endurance, adding
to future energy stores by building new mitochondria, and increasing recovery fat release. The performance of 20-25 rep sets is of tremendous value for everyone from the beginner to the competitive athlete. Increased muscle energy is good for everyone.

I omitted the section related to body building as I doubt anyone has joined MFP for strength training purposes.

NFPT

#1: Your progression sucks.
Pay attention to this one. While this list isn't in any specific order, I still put this one on top for a reason. Above all else, the key to increasing muscle, strength, endurance, or just improving your overall fitness level is quite simply progression. There must be some type of progression, and all focus should be placed on making this progression occur as often as it possibly can.

If you consistently work out in any typical gym for a certain period of time, one thing you are sure to see are the same people, doing the same exercises, with the same weight, for the same number of reps, for weeks, months and years... and continuing to get the same sucky results. And, rightfully so.

Without making an effort to progress, you will do nothing but maintain your current state. It's the progressive overload principle. Basically, you need to convince your body that results (be it muscle, strength, whatever) NEED to happen, and the only way to do this convincing is by progressively increasing the demands being placed on your body.

The human body is smart. If you put it in a certain situation consistently, it will adapt. In this case the "consistent situation" is progressive weight training. The adaptation? Making you stronger, creating new muscle tissue, etc.. This is the real goal here... gradually increasing what your body is capable of doing so that it is constantly adapting to these new demands. This constant adapting leads to constant results.

I realize that this section is about progression, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Why is getting good results and then maintaining them "sucky results"? If you get to where you want to be, then maintenance doesn't seem "sucky" to me. If the results were good why aren't they still good?

And it seems to make even less sense when it comes to women. Either women can build big bulky muscles or they can't. If continually increasing weight means constantly creating new muscle tissue then surely muscles would continually get bigger. And if they continually get bigger, then at some point you would reach "bulky". If they don't continually get bigger, then wouldn't you be back to "sucky results" (maintaining)?

The amount of muscle gained after the first year or so of weight training is drastically reduced. As is the ability to add weight to the program. After a few years, gain is negligible, both in progress and mass. So, its not like someone is going to just keep getting stronger and stronger and hulk up... or we'd have dudes squatting school buses.

So then, "sucky results" (maintaining what you have) are inevitable no matter what you do?

Great info