Bodybuilding is a two edged sword.
Bodybuilding brought strength training to the fore front and made working out popular.
However, today we have pencil necks with big ole beer bellies, worried about the best way to hit their bicep peak arm day. I had a 50-plus beginner asking me how to do cable-cross-overs and what muscles it works after watching the 20-something wanna-be’s do them after their 20-plus sets of bench, inclines, declines, etc.
In the immortal words of Dan John: (and I paraphrase) ‘pick up heavy stuff off the floor and put heavy stuff over your head.’ Then get your heart rate up for awhile.
It is not that complicated.
Arm day, chest day, (well that’s about all there is for most of the posers in my gym), shouler day, etc. is OK if you are actually a bodybuilder, but for the remainder of the real world, get in the real world.
Comments?
Stuffing feathers up your ass does not make you a chicken. Those pencil necks doing curls and bench all day long have no goddamn clue what bodybuilding is about.
You’re absolutely right.
Unfortunately the longer you spend in the fitness industry (from the tone of your post I assume you are) the more exacerbated you get.
Overall I’m really lucky in that I run a gym with a small membership; a very high percentage of them squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, chin, dip, etc because that’s the way we train people and it works.
Because we’re connected to a hotel we also have guests using the gym and it makes you want to cry; men with 10 inch arms doing 4 bicep exercises but avoiding any multi joint movements; women asking where the hip machine is and then vanishing into the stretch area where the dumbbells from 1kg -10kg are located.
All you can do is help those who want to be helped and make yourself available to the others when the time is right.
I feel your pain.
Chris
True bodybuilders are strong. I was into bodybuilding, and I squatted, deadlifted, chinned. Hell, I had a double bodyweight bench. Could seated military press my weight a few times and chin full range with 25-30% of my bodyweight for 3x8-10 reps. Not bad for someone who was not on a strength training regimen. Mostly what you see today are posers would act just as you described.
Please don’t use the sport/hobby/art of Bodybuilding as a scapegoat for dumb trainees.
Also, nothing wrong with isolation exercises in conjuction with heavy compounds. But you knew that already.
Why do you care so much about what others do?
At least these people are being active, instead of sitting at home on the couch eating a bag of potato ships like most North Americans do.
Besides, power training and lifting heavy weights isn’t exactly too healthy for most people through the long run. It has it’s definite health riskes in itself. The average trainer, who may not be genetically gifted in lifting heavy weights, probably doesn’t see much reward for even attempting to do so, as their lifts at max would never be even close to high caliber trainers in the field so why even bother to try, as the trainee will be less sore, and suffer less joint ailments undoubtedly down the road
Not everyone who lifts weights is a “bodybuilder”. Much the same as why I wouldn’t call every man that shoots hoops a “basketball player”.
[quote]mica617 wrote:
Not everyone who lifts weights is a “bodybuilder”. Much the same as why I wouldn’t call every man that shoots hoops a “basketball player”.[/quote]
There’s a saying called “hitting the nail on the head” that I believe applies here.
Body building, another ambiguous term.
[quote]Prisoner#22 wrote:
Why do you care so much about what others do?
At least these people are being active, instead of sitting at home on the couch eating a bag of potato ships like most North Americans do.
Besides, power training and lifting heavy weights isn’t exactly too healthy for most people through the long run. It has it’s definite health riskes in itself. The average trainer, who may not be genetically gifted in lifting heavy weights, probably doesn’t see much reward for even attempting to do so, as their lifts at max would never be even close to high caliber trainers in the field so why even bother to try, as the trainee will be less sore, and suffer less joint ailments undoubtedly down the road[/quote]
Excellent point, P22.
There is, on occasion, a nasty undercurrent of fascistic groupthink on this site where if someone does not share the goals of “getting HUUUUUGE”, then he/she is a waste of space.
Not everyone wants to squat 3X bodyweight. Or pull a thousand pounds. Or obsess over their diets as to bring their body fat down to 4%.
And guess what: that’s okay.
A couple of days ago in my gym, I saw this fat guy. Reeeeeeal fat. So, of course, I mocked him in my head until I realized that he was doing something about his weight. He was trying, and instead of being mocked, he should be cheered on. Same goes with skinny guys or old ladies: next time you make fun of them, just ask yourself, “Is it possible that I’M being the asshole?”
[quote]harris447 wrote:
Prisoner#22 wrote:
Why do you care so much about what others do?
At least these people are being active, instead of sitting at home on the couch eating a bag of potato ships like most North Americans do.
Besides, power training and lifting heavy weights isn’t exactly too healthy for most people through the long run. It has it’s definite health riskes in itself. The average trainer, who may not be genetically gifted in lifting heavy weights, probably doesn’t see much reward for even attempting to do so, as their lifts at max would never be even close to high caliber trainers in the field so why even bother to try, as the trainee will be less sore, and suffer less joint ailments undoubtedly down the road
Excellent point, P22.
There is, on occasion, a nasty undercurrent of fascistic groupthink on this site where if someone does not share the goals of “getting HUUUUUGE”, then he/she is a waste of space.
Not everyone wants to squat 3X bodyweight. Or pull a thousand pounds. Or obsess over their diets as to bring their body fat down to 4%.
And guess what: that’s okay.
A couple of days ago in my gym, I saw this fat guy. Reeeeeeal fat. So, of course, I mocked him in my head until I realized that he was doing something about his weight. He was trying, and instead of being mocked, he should be cheered on. Same goes with skinny guys or old ladies: next time you make fun of them, just ask yourself, “Is it possible that I’M being the asshole?”
[/quote]
Preach it brother Harris
[quote]harris447 wrote:
Excellent point, P22.
There is, on occasion, a nasty undercurrent of fascistic groupthink on this site where if someone does not share the goals of “getting HUUUUUGE”, then he/she is a waste of space.
Not everyone wants to squat 3X bodyweight. Or pull a thousand pounds. Or obsess over their diets as to bring their body fat down to 4%.
And guess what: that’s okay.
A couple of days ago in my gym, I saw this fat guy. Reeeeeeal fat. So, of course, I mocked him in my head until I realized that he was doing something about his weight. He was trying, and instead of being mocked, he should be cheered on. Same goes with skinny guys or old ladies: next time you make fun of them, just ask yourself, “Is it possible that I’M being the asshole?”
[/quote]
Holy Shit, I finally agree with you.
[quote]harris447 wrote:
Prisoner#22 wrote:
Why do you care so much about what others do?
At least these people are being active, instead of sitting at home on the couch eating a bag of potato ships like most North Americans do.
Besides, power training and lifting heavy weights isn’t exactly too healthy for most people through the long run. It has it’s definite health riskes in itself. The average trainer, who may not be genetically gifted in lifting heavy weights, probably doesn’t see much reward for even attempting to do so, as their lifts at max would never be even close to high caliber trainers in the field so why even bother to try, as the trainee will be less sore, and suffer less joint ailments undoubtedly down the road
Excellent point, P22.
There is, on occasion, a nasty undercurrent of fascistic groupthink on this site where if someone does not share the goals of “getting HUUUUUGE”, then he/she is a waste of space.
Not everyone wants to squat 3X bodyweight. Or pull a thousand pounds. Or obsess over their diets as to bring their body fat down to 4%.
And guess what: that’s okay.
A couple of days ago in my gym, I saw this fat guy. Reeeeeeal fat. So, of course, I mocked him in my head until I realized that he was doing something about his weight. He was trying, and instead of being mocked, he should be cheered on. Same goes with skinny guys or old ladies: next time you make fun of them, just ask yourself, “Is it possible that I’M being the asshole?”
[/quote]
And then look at them and say “Hey, how are you doing today?” as you pass by.
Cause nothing keeps the overweight/underweight coming to the gym better than some guy who lifts smiling and saying “hello” as he passes by.
[quote]TDog305 wrote:
harris447 wrote:
Excellent point, P22.
There is, on occasion, a nasty undercurrent of fascistic groupthink on this site where if someone does not share the goals of “getting HUUUUUGE”, then he/she is a waste of space.
Not everyone wants to squat 3X bodyweight. Or pull a thousand pounds. Or obsess over their diets as to bring their body fat down to 4%.
And guess what: that’s okay.
A couple of days ago in my gym, I saw this fat guy. Reeeeeeal fat. So, of course, I mocked him in my head until I realized that he was doing something about his weight. He was trying, and instead of being mocked, he should be cheered on. Same goes with skinny guys or old ladies: next time you make fun of them, just ask yourself, “Is it possible that I’M being the asshole?”
Holy Shit, I finally agree with you.[/quote]
I finally agree with the both of you. 
I agree and I disagree with all of you. Let me restate my points.
A. Yes, at least they are there doing something, and that is good. But if I am doing my job as a personal trainer I am trying to teach them to be more efficient about it.
B. I never said these people or anyone for that matter should start powerlifting. I said they should lift enough weight to at least get the big muscles working. Hell, getting up out of a chair is at least a bodyweight squat. This is not unhealthy as some of you have stated. But 5 lb. d/b curls aren’t going to get the job done (increasing metabolism to lose weight, getting stronger to increase bone mass or maintain some muscle as they age).
C. My problem with bodybuilding is that most newbies only associate lifting weights (I didn’t say weight lifting) with bodybuilding and are immediately convinced that some pro’s split program from Flex Magazine is going to work for them. For your average overweight, weekend warrior who hasn’t the energy to jog around the block let alone walk from the couch to the fridge, doing arms one day a week is like putting a $2000.00 sound system in a '79 Pinto, orange with a black right front quarter panel, mismatched tires and a duct tape and garbage bag rear window.
[quote]theirondoc wrote:
I agree and I disagree with all of you. Let me restate my points.
A. Yes, at least they are there doing something, and that is good. But if I am doing my job as a personal trainer I am trying to teach them to be more efficient about it.
B. I never said these people or anyone for that matter should start powerlifting. I said they should lift enough weight to at least get the big muscles working. Hell, getting up out of a chair is at least a bodyweight squat. This is not unhealthy as some of you have stated. But 5 lb. d/b curls aren’t going to get the job done (increasing metabolism to lose weight, getting stronger to increase bone mass or maintain some muscle as they age).
C. My problem with bodybuilding is that most newbies only associate lifting weights (I didn’t say weight lifting) with bodybuilding and are immediately convinced that some pro’s split program from Flex Magazine is going to work for them. For your average overweight, weekend warrior who hasn’t the energy to jog around the block let alone walk from the couch to the fridge, doing arms one day a week is like putting a $2000.00 sound system in a '79 Pinto, orange with a black right front quarter panel, mismatched tires and a duct tape and garbage bag rear window.
[/quote]
The majority of the people in gyms lately never make any progress at all. How does anyone relate that to bodybuilding? Most of those people would also claim they “don’t want to get that big”. They may be at the gym, but that doesn’t mean they are bodybuilding or that doing any other program would cause them to make progress if they barely break a sweat and think that biceps over 15" are “icky”. How do you blame BODYBUILDING for the fluff that is filling up gyms lately?
You should blame fitness models not body builders.
There in lies the dichotomy. On the one hand you want to praise those who make an effort to be healthy and active.
On the other hand you want to back hand those who have no clue as to how to be successful in this arena and really don’t want to take any advice that points them in the right direction and then make silly excuses as to why they don’t progress.
D
The love I feel on this thread has gotten me moist. Er, I mean damp… See, we all love you harris447.
Bodybuilding isn’t the problem with the average gym-goer today. It’s the mass market media and the portrayal of muscleheads hopped up on 'roids or training tips for no one other than advanced lifters being used by novices. Why should we fault them for not knowing anything re: training. Hell, I’m still learning.
[quote]harris447 wrote:
Prisoner#22 wrote:
Why do you care so much about what others do?
At least these people are being active, instead of sitting at home on the couch eating a bag of potato ships like most North Americans do.
Besides, power training and lifting heavy weights isn’t exactly too healthy for most people through the long run. It has it’s definite health riskes in itself. The average trainer, who may not be genetically gifted in lifting heavy weights, probably doesn’t see much reward for even attempting to do so, as their lifts at max would never be even close to high caliber trainers in the field so why even bother to try, as the trainee will be less sore, and suffer less joint ailments undoubtedly down the road
Excellent point, P22.
There is, on occasion, a nasty undercurrent of fascistic groupthink on this site where if someone does not share the goals of “getting HUUUUUGE”, then he/she is a waste of space.
Not everyone wants to squat 3X bodyweight. Or pull a thousand pounds. Or obsess over their diets as to bring their body fat down to 4%.
And guess what: that’s okay.
A couple of days ago in my gym, I saw this fat guy. Reeeeeeal fat. So, of course, I mocked him in my head until I realized that he was doing something about his weight. He was trying, and instead of being mocked, he should be cheered on. Same goes with skinny guys or old ladies: next time you make fun of them, just ask yourself, “Is it possible that I’M being the asshole?”
[/quote]
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Harris.