Pardon any typos in advance, I’m currently in the middle of the most ridiculous post-lift euphoria I’ve experienced.
I think I just discovered my personal key to ridiculous workouts: being warm. Normally I lift in shorts and a t-shirt (short sleeve) - today, I lifted in sweatpants and a hoodie and I’ve never had a better lift. Do you guys find you lift better when you’re hot/cold? I was sweating so much it got into my eyes and dripped from my goatee - and I fucking loved it. Weights I normally don’t mess with I repped, and it hurt like hell and my forearms still want to explode. I’m surprised I haven’t typo’d yet but my forearms are cramping from this keyboard.
Well that’s about what you would expect to see. Muscles work optimally at higher temps, gotta love physiology. Increased blood flow, increased oxygenation, increased removal of metabolic waste, just be careful. I heard on the news that if you work out, you may get duh compartmentz syndromes.
Yeah, lifting in a cold environment also leaves more risk of getting injured, the joints are nice and lubricated, muscles are loose etc. when warm.
I have to say though, nothing like having a heavy squat session and opening up the windows in the winter and being cooled down by that frosty air, feels so good.
Thinking about it though, once warmed up, as long as the temperature is not at any extreme, I can lift in whatever.
I finished lifting about an hour and a half ago, for the record, and I still feel euphoric. I think there may be a drug interaction I’m forgetting about at play - but I can’t recall taking anything. I really want to adopt an african baby or something right now, this is too awesome. Speaking of temperature, cold shower or hot shower after lifting?
I usually take a shower on the cooler side, but it depends on the seasons too. If I am all hot and sweaty, a nice cool shower does the trick. I was feeling a little euphoric yesterday after using some ephedra.
I have worked out before in a hoodie, and was not able to sustain very much intensity for long and it eventually came off, got seriously hot. It may have been a hot day (no A/C at my gym), it was way too long ago to remember. I do see some relatively big guys doing what you’re saying, but in my 5 minutes of research haven’t found anything to shed any light on this. I’d be curious to hear a professional opinion (or proof).
I think I read on the label of a supplement that having an elevated body temperature helped during lifting, that’s probably what led me to try wearing a hoodie.
Personally I prefer light clothing with no sleeves. Good post!
[quote]slave2iron wrote:
I have worked out before in a hoodie, and was not able to sustain very much intensity for long and it eventually came off, got seriously hot. It may have been a hot day (no A/C at my gym), it was way too long ago to remember. I do see some relatively big guys doing what you’re saying, but in my 5 minutes of research haven’t found anything to shed any light on this. I’d be curious to hear a professional opinion (or proof).
I think I read on the label of a supplement that having an elevated body temperature helped during lifting, that’s probably what led me to try wearing a hoodie.
Personally I prefer light clothing with no sleeves. Good post![/quote]
I got the idea from Dave Tate, because despite how big of a guy he is in almost all of his videos he’s clad in a hoodie (often with the hood on). I am FAR more comfortable when warm than cold - I’m a lean guy and drafts seriously throw my stomach off. I also noticed that when I was done lifting I was able to kick back a tall 20oz post shake with ease, normally i do the first half or so, shower, and dust it off.
I like wearing a hooded sweatshirt because it gets me in the zone early in warm ups…no peripheral vision of dumb ass douche bags doing bicep curls on bosu balls, etc, etc, etc. It promotes a kind of tunnel vision and forces you to retreat within yourself to focus on why you came in the front doors to begin with and get the job done and get out.
It’s a battle of one for me when I go to the gym…it’s me looking back at me in the mirror and only I truly know if I’m giving it everything I have. No outside presence can make or break my workout…only I can.
I’ll shut off the lights sometimes and do prowler pushes in the dark…primal environment = primal workouts
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
I like wearing a hooded sweatshirt because it gets me in the zone early in warm ups…no peripheral vision of dumb ass douche bags doing bicep curls on bosu balls, etc, etc, etc. It promotes a kind of tunnel vision and forces you to retreat within yourself to focus on why you came in the front doors to begin with and get the job done and get out.
It’s a battle of one for me when I go to the gym…it’s me looking back at me in the mirror and only I truly know if I’m giving it everything I have. No outside presence can make or break my workout…only I can.
I’ll shut off the lights sometimes and do prowler pushes in the dark…primal environment = primal workouts :)[/quote]
Amen to that! Tunnel vision hoodie is the way to go, For me especially on squats and hack squats.
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
I like wearing a hooded sweatshirt because it gets me in the zone early in warm ups…no peripheral vision of dumb ass douche bags doing bicep curls on bosu balls, etc, etc, etc. It promotes a kind of tunnel vision and forces you to retreat within yourself to focus on why you came in the front doors to begin with and get the job done and get out.
It’s a battle of one for me when I go to the gym…it’s me looking back at me in the mirror and only I truly know if I’m giving it everything I have. No outside presence can make or break my workout…only I can.
I’ll shut off the lights sometimes and do prowler pushes in the dark…primal environment = primal workouts :)[/quote]
x 2 with the tunnel vision. For some reason it just gets me more in the zone and gets me more amped up. I almost always go to the gym with a sweat shirt and sweat pants on (along with shorts and shirt under it). For some reason, I always need to be very warm and only take off the sweats once I am fully arm (about 25 min or so into the workout). Even in the summer when the gym is hot as balls (no AC), I still start my workouts in full sweats at least a good 3/4 of the time.
I sweat like a pig (in eyes, down into beard, etc) no matter that I wear shorts and tanktop or cut off t-shirt. I train in my finished basement and it’s usually on the cool side.
I agree with Austin… opening the window in winter after a grueling workout feels SO damned refreshing.
[quote]synergy93 wrote:
I like wearing a hooded sweatshirt because it gets me in the zone early in warm ups…no peripheral vision of dumb ass douche bags doing bicep curls on bosu balls, etc, etc, etc. It promotes a kind of tunnel vision and forces you to retreat within yourself to focus on why you came in the front doors to begin with and get the job done and get out.
It’s a battle of one for me when I go to the gym…it’s me looking back at me in the mirror and only I truly know if I’m giving it everything I have. No outside presence can make or break my workout…only I can.
I’ll shut off the lights sometimes and do prowler pushes in the dark…primal environment = primal workouts :)[/quote]
x 2 with the tunnel vision. For some reason it just gets me more in the zone and gets me more amped up. I almost always go to the gym with a sweat shirt and sweat pants on (along with shorts and shirt under it). For some reason, I always need to be very warm and only take off the sweats once I am fully arm (about 25 min or so into the workout). Even in the summer when the gym is hot as balls (no AC), I still start my workouts in full sweats at least a good 3/4 of the time. [/quote]
I lifted in a sweatshirt one time and it was awesome. I am always hot and sweat my balls off even if I’m wearing just shorts and a t-shirt. I get warmed up and stay warmed up easily (obviously because I run so hot all the time)
But I do always wear a hat to the gym. I’ll pull it down low and turn up my headphones to get ‘in the zone’ when I need to.
[quote]A Ninny Mouse wrote:
Oh, awesome. An excuse for me to go full sweatpants-sweatshirt and put my hood on so I can feel maximum HARDxCORE!!
I’ll give this a try later on today. I’ll update and stuff. [/quote]
You could take it HARDCORE in the other direction and just wear really tight underarmor and cycling shorts, lol… a hoodie and a sweatpants is attire I see people at the grocery store in, not exactly immodest or crazy or anything.
Then again, you’re probably kidding. I can’t wait to lift again though lol
