[quote]jblues85 wrote:
I like your approach to working out. You said you wanted to get better at pull-ups and that’s exactly what you are doing and making some great progress. I get so caught up in thinking if I’m not squatting a heavy weight that the weight lifting Grim Reaper will take my soul for not squatting.
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I trained hard and heavy with compound lifts from childhood through the end of college because 1) I liked it and 2) it seemed like that was the best way to physically train for football. Most of my workouts followed the same structure: a heavy compound lift (squat or bench variant) followed by a secondary compound lift (deadlift/clean or overhead press variant), and then finishing off with a few sets of isolation exercises (i.e. leg press, hamstring curl, leg extension or barbell curl, dumbbell curl, shoulder raises). It was extremely basic and unscientific, but I got really strong (by regular-guy standards, not powerlifting standards) and felt prepared to play football.
As I’ve grown/matured, I have come to appreciate all different strength and physique sports - PL, OL, strongmen, bodybuilders, physique competitors - and admire anyone that works hard, regardless of their goals and approach. I’ve come to understand that there are different ways to catch the proverbial fish. People have gotten big, lean, and jacked using many different approaches. Serge A. Storms trains in a way that I totally would have scoffed at when I was 17…and the dude is absolutely shredded. EyeDentist, too, trains in a fashion that I’d never have dreamed could build such a physique, but damned if he isn’t shredded to hell.
Sure, I still sometimes wonder “Have I abandoned my roots as a power-lifting football player? What if someone walks up to me and says DO YOU EVEN LIFT, BRO? WHAT HAVE I DONE?”
…but that’s easily dismissed. I work out for enjoyment, longevity/health, to look good (or at least respectable) with my shirt off at the beach, and I’m free to pursue that however I’d like. We’ll see what happens over the next year, but I’m betting that becoming really good at pull-ups (mixing in kettlebell workouts for some conditioning and yoga for balance, core strength, joint health) works to that end. Most dudes that can do a lot of pull-ups are going to be pretty lean. If I get to cranking out 10 sets of 10 pull-ups weighing somewhere in the 190-200 range and I’m displeased with my appearance, I probably did it wrong.
If that doesn’t fit into someone else’s idea of manly fitness, whatever.
**General Note: in the month of October, I’ve done 2460 pull-ups plus an a smattering of yoga, kettlebell, and dumbbell workouts. Not going to obsess over monthly numbers, just thought it was interesting to tally up and see.