FRANK LOVERME said:There ar a few breaths of fresh air, on this site. Jason, in his
wisdom, encourages me to learn what I can, and not judge the
courier. It sounds reasonable to me.
The bottom line is that there are a lot of knowledgeable people on
this list. They just tend to be the sort of people that only truly
rise to the occasion when they can /debate/. If you want solid advice
what you really need to do is fish for it.
Instead of asking for a workout routine to try you need to come at the
question from an angle. It's also important to mix in certain *bait*
terms and phrases like "toned not bulky," "kettlebells," "creatine,"
"High Intensity Training," "functional strength," or "low testosterone
levels." References to workouts from celebrities or famous trainers
get bonus points. The trick is to appear well-read without being
well-informed. If you know enough buzzwords you don't even have to
string them together in complete sentences.
For example, you could try something like this:
I was reading the other day on Pavel Tsatsouline's website about a
new workout program that he has designed for Brittney Spears.
According to Pavel the most important thing to do if you want to
achieve a truly toned body is that you have to get inside the
muscle while you lift. Concentration is key. You don't have to
lift very much weight, or lift for a very long time (say 1 set of
10 to failure) as long as you really visualize the muscle growing.
Have any of you tried this method? My buddy says its amazing.
Then after you get a few responses saying that you are crazy simply
spout some more random fitness buzzwords to really stir up the pot.
Next thing you know the thread will be chuck full of evidence that
what you are saying is crazy. There will be PubMed references,
cutting edge fitness and nutrition information, detailed workout
plans, and even an assortment of inspirational videos (that's not
particularly useful to you, but let's just say that quite a few of the
members of MFW really are pretty amazingly strong).
Then, just before you end up on everyone's killfiles you simply write
a quick post summarizing the various viewpoints and stating that you
are going to try out some of the advice you were given and report
back.
You get exceptional training advice, and the regulars at MFW get a
chance to argue in public. Everyone wins.
Quoted message said:Today, I tried the 10 sets of 3 reps and I like the pump. 15
seconds between sets was my resting, and I may have to increase it.
Fifteen seconds is not much rest. Heck, that's essentially the same
thing as doing one long set of 30 reps. Take the full 45 seconds,
that will allow you to use more weight.
Quoted message said:So far, I haven't had to decrease my weights, and I'm wondering,
with this kind of workout, what should be my expectations, in the
short term, and for what will it prepare me?
Chad Waterbury's 10x3 programs are primarily designed to promote
hypertrophy (or muscle growth). The basic idea is that you do a lot
of volume (sets time reps), but since the sets are so short you can
still use a decent amount of weight. The particular variation that I
gave you was specifically designed to allow you to gain muscle mass
(or at least maintain it) while losing fat. The difference between
this variation and the normal 10x3 is that the rest periods are
shorter and there is a lot more "cardio-style" exercises.
Quoted message said:There must be something I'm missing on all these sites as JAWS, my
screen reader software, doesn't read graphics. I accessed Chad
Waterbury's web site and need try it, again, tomorrow, hoping to
find a routine with which I could be comfortable.
Next time I suggest a workout I will make sure to copy the important
text into my post so that you don't have to wade through the site to
get it. I thought Chad's article was pretty clear, but it did have
several images that interrupted the flow. I'm assuming that JAWS has
an easier time with the straight ASCII text of USENET. It's possible
that you missed the part that actually gave you the daily workout.
Quoted message said:What I did, today, is my regular routine, but 10 sets with 3 reps
each. I didn't find a link to a specific routine, but I'm sure it's
there. Peter suggested, rather than decreasing my weights and reps,
to do straight sets. that's a great workout, too, and maybe I can
alternate styles.
Everyone responds differently to weight training. The very best thing
that you can possibly do is to take notes and keep careful track of
your performance over time. If you keep good notes then you'll be
able to find out what sort of stuff your body responds to.
Quoted message said:I know body building is a science, and I'm not well studied in it.
Again, I hope to learn from those, who have benefited from their
knowledge.
To me, that's a huge part of the draw of strength training. It's
hacking my own body.
Quoted message said:Historically, I work out alone, and have had several long term
injuries. When my bench was lifted, several years back, I built my
own, with too little lumber. I didn't want to miss a day's workout,
so I built it as sensibly as possible. Unfortunately, it wasn't
strong enough to take my body weight and the weights I held,
overhead. Because i didn't have enough wood to span the diagonal, I
created straight paralell struts. I landed in such a way every rib
in my back broke away from it's mooring.. So, as you can see, I
haven't always been good to myself. I have an old Joe Wieder 5
station machine, which is about to be retired, and 270lbs. of Hex
dumbbells. Hopefully, I have what I need, as far as equipment.
You might consider joining a gym. Accidents from crappy equipment are
a tragedy that can be avoided. If you don't have a trustworthy bench,
and you can't go to a gym, then don't bench press. There are plenty
of ways to lift weights that don't require putting yourself in
jeopardy.
Jason
