Great question, but I would ask them instead of me. I write my articles for all levels of lifters, but I think you also have to understand that certain principles are more applicable to newbies, intermediates, etc.
Now, I would say that MOST people can see continual progress in some sense, but it takes a truly motivated individual to do it. Is that person motivated enough to always train properly? Eat properly? Supplement properly? Recover properly? There’s a lot more to improving than just showing up at the gym and pushing some iron.
As well, perhaps JB and or CW aren’t consistently looking to push their own training bar. Obviously their physiques speak for themselves, but there’s also more to life than our own training. It’s a truly enriching experience to help others achieve their training/physique goals as well.
I hope this answers your question!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]Todd S. wrote:
I have a similar question… Are continual gains possible for anyone? We rarely hear of Berardi or Waterbury packing on new pounds of muscle yet we follow their principles… Does what they preach work for experienced lifters as well as newbies?
I think a good training partner is important, it is just one more part of the motivation to get your butt to the gym and push through the work out.
Hey Mike, you havent taken a look at my post yet but Im patient. What did you to with this guy diet wise? Im asking because my younger brother whos only 23 already suffered a mild heart attack and has high BP issues and is on medicine. Mind letting me in on what main dietary changes you had this guy make? Thanks man
Amir
[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
It could be, but it depends on the severity of his current BP.
Instead of focusing on the iron, I would have him focus on cleaning up his diet and supplementing properly. I had a guy who was on BP meds when he came to me and his BP was consistently 150/110, even in the middle of the night. Once we got him eating correctly, supplementing right, lowered stress, got his exercise in order and got him OFF the meds, he came down to a consistent 120/75. Not too bad, eh?
Get your dad to clean things up so you can have more years with him; it’ll be the best gift you ever give him (and yourself!).
Stay strong
MR
Springcoil wrote:
My dad is a 46 year old man with blood pressure concerns, (due to the american diet and stress) I’m wondering if doing some light strongman stuff or any weightlifting could be bad for his blood pressure. He is fairly strong and has spent many years being a farm hand/ mechanic so has lots of dad strength.
Whats your view?
Why not rotate it? For instance, I’ve heard of people just doing one leg day (sq and pull together), and then two traditional upper body days.
The next cycle you could do a more traditional leg cycle (DE squat, ME lower) and only one day of upper body stuff (whatever your weakness is).
You could try to do the DE days together, I would just make sure to limit the assistance exercise so you aren’t in the gym for 2 or 3 hours.
Stay strong
MR
[quote]JNeves wrote:
here is a question for you:
how to use the conjugate method with with only 3 days a week?
I know I could do a 4 day rotation over 3 days (M:ME lower W:DE upper F:DE lower, M: ME upper etc…) but am trying to find other options as this hasnt always worked the best for me. How F’d up would it be to combine DE lower and RE upper?[/quote]
I have some shoulder problems. I have trained the rhomboids, mid and lower trap and external rotators for over a year. I have laid off presses and pullup. There is still some problems could it be a weak subscapularis?
I have a client that when squatting, squats and her weight (of her legs) shifts towards her left. Kinda like she is trying to sit down on her left cheek. What may this tell us?
[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
Why not rotate it? For instance, I’ve heard of people just doing one leg day (sq and pull together), and then two traditional upper body days.
The next cycle you could do a more traditional leg cycle (DE squat, ME lower) and only one day of upper body stuff (whatever your weakness is).
You could try to do the DE days together, I would just make sure to limit the assistance exercise so you aren’t in the gym for 2 or 3 hours.
Stay strong
MR
JNeves wrote:
here is a question for you:
how to use the conjugate method with with only 3 days a week?
I know I could do a 4 day rotation over 3 days (M:ME lower W:DE upper F:DE lower, M: ME upper etc…) but am trying to find other options as this hasnt always worked the best for me. How F’d up would it be to combine DE lower and RE upper?
[/quote]
the reason I didnt want to rotate is my bench seems to stagnate or gain very slowly if I’m not hitting the benching muscles twice a week. But your idea of focusing on either upper or lower for a cycle while maintaining the other should work, and then go to normal rotation as a meet approaches.
Really we just cleaned his diet up; more lean protein, whole grains, more fruit and veggies, got rid of all the junk food and got him off caffeine. As well, we supplemented with 3g/day EPA/DHA. Keep in mind that diet was just one part of the equation; everything else played a role as well.
Stay strong
MR
[quote]AMIRisSQUAT wrote:
Hey Mike, you havent taken a look at my post yet but Im patient. What did you to with this guy diet wise? Im asking because my younger brother whos only 23 already suffered a mild heart attack and has high BP issues and is on medicine. Mind letting me in on what main dietary changes you had this guy make? Thanks man
I would doubt it; the subscap is typically overactive along with the pecs and lats. If you tell me a little more about the shoulder issues (where you have pain, the type of pain, as well as exacerbating movements/positions) I could help more.
Stay strong
MR
[quote]pete458 wrote:
Mike,
I have some shoulder problems. I have trained the rhomboids, mid and lower trap and external rotators for over a year. I have laid off presses and pullup. There is still some problems could it be a weak subscapularis?
Stronger on the left side? Tight on the right side? Weak left glute medius? Could be any (or all) of the above.
Stay strong
MR
[quote]Dboy wrote:
Mike,
I have a client that when squatting, squats and her weight (of her legs) shifts towards her left. Kinda like she is trying to sit down on her left cheek. What may this tell us?
Spasms typically occur when there’s something out-of-whack in the grand scheme of things. What is your posture like? I would be willing to bet that you have some rounding of the shoulders, stretching your upper traps out.
Am I correct? If not, could you describe your upper body posture a little bit?
Stay strong
MR
[quote]pectacular wrote:
Mike,
I’ve experienced severe spasms in my trapezius muscles. Is there anything I can do, other than stretching to prevent this from happening again?
I got some great answers to the question I posed at the beginning of the thread. Here are my thoughts, for those interested.
I feel like IT IS possible to make consistent gains in a commercial gym, but it will be harder than it would be in a more private setting. This is partially d/t the clientele in each, along with the motivation for training in each. In most health/fitness clubs the people aren’t always there to train; sometimes it’s more of a meat market atmosphere, or they do it simply because they feel like they should. On the other hand, in a more private facility, the goals are typically similar among trainees, and most people there ARE NOT there for the social aspect. They train there to get stronger, build a better physique, etc…
Now, as far as what differentiates the progressing trainee from the typical one, again, there are several issues. First off, I’d be willing to be that someone who is making progress has set definite short and long-term goals, as well as an action plan of some sort. As well, their motivation is probably intrinsic (within themselves, e.g. wanting to achieve a certain goal or outcome), vs. extrinsic (e.g. the hottie in the club wants you to build bigger bi’s). In other words, you are doing this for yourself, and not someone else’s approval.
Now, this leads me to my next question: How many of you are doing these atypical things? This is a somewhat rhetorical question, but feel free to answer “out loud” if you’d like as well. What can you improve upon to see more consistent goals?
Pain in flat pressing to dips. Pain is in rear deltoid.
Thanks
[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
I would doubt it; the subscap is typically overactive along with the pecs and lats. If you tell me a little more about the shoulder issues (where you have pain, the type of pain, as well as exacerbating movements/positions) I could help more.
Stay strong
MR
pete458 wrote:
Mike,
I have some shoulder problems. I have trained the rhomboids, mid and lower trap and external rotators for over a year. I have laid off presses and pullup. There is still some problems could it be a weak subscapularis?
Always read your posts and articles, along with EC, CT, CW, and DJ especially. in response to your atypical q, although I train at home, here’s what I’ve done as a result of the info gleaned here @ T: transformed my routine into one based on heavy, basic movements, mostly 5x5. I had lost considerable weight over the last 2 year period, and started back lifting again after a 10 yr. hiatus. During that time, I used more of a trad. bb schema, 3x8-12 with lotsa assistance movements. During the 4 months I’ve been squatting, deadlifting, and cleaning, I’ve gained 10 lbs of muscle, and my waist measurement is the same. Sooooo, T-Nation been very good to me.
Now, though, I have a quandary. Do I keep trying to build muscle towards my eventual goal of surpassing bodyweight on all the powerlifts, or do I cut calories again and try to lose this stubborn 10-20 lbs.? I’ve always wanted to lean, but what good would lean be if there isn’t any muscle to show?
MR, what’s with your traffic tonight? You must be giving away more free candy than Dr. Lonman!
Hypothetically speaking, if you have a GF who’s leaning too far back when pulling, such that she has to push the Barr out around here knees, how would you correct this?
On a positive note, she’s really digging in with her heels, AND she set a PR 2 days ago!
I’m not really the one to answer your question. It sounds like you’ve made great gains, but what do YOU want to achieve next? Get stronger and more muscular? Or lean out and get shredded?
I always think of things as two steps forward and one step back. It sounds like you’ve made some solid strength/mass gains, so why not mix things up for a while and lean out? It’s really your call, though.
Leaning too far back, like she’s about to fall over? I guess I’m having a hard time envisioning this hypothetical situation. Do fill me in more so I can help!
BTW, tell her congrats on the PR!
Stay strong
MR
[quote]David Barr wrote:
MR, what’s with your traffic tonight? You must be giving away more free candy than Dr. Lonman!
Hypothetically speaking, if you have a GF who’s leaning too far back when pulling, such that she has to push the Barr out around here knees, how would you correct this?
On a positive note, she’s really digging in with her heels, AND she set a PR 2 days ago![/quote]
[quote]Mike Robertson wrote:
Stronger on the left side? Tight on the right side? Weak left glute medius? Could be any (or all) of the above.
Stay strong
MR
Dboy wrote:
Mike,
I have a client that when squatting, squats and her weight (of her legs) shifts towards her left. Kinda like she is trying to sit down on her left cheek. What may this tell us?