Neighbors Think You're Insane?

Off Topic
82

[quote]Tim K wrote:
If ya’ll really want to train like you’re living on a farm, I’ll happily donate weekends at our place. After throwing around 150 to 200 bales of hay in the loft, stacking the hay, we’ll move on to swapping the widths of the tractor’s rear tires (which are fluid filled). Then there are trees to cut, wood to split, logs to stack, fences to mend, fields to disc, horses to tend, pastures to drag, equipment to repair, land to clear, and the list goes on and on and on.

Maybe I should charge a membership fee?

[/quote]

Was there a coherent point in all that?

83

[quote]Professor X wrote:
The comment about size has to do with what a person should be prioritizing in their training. Are you saying some 130lbs kid needs to start sled dragging before he gets in the gym on a regular basis? How is it weird to point that out? Are you saying everyone not dragging a sled is “hurting muscle gains”?[/quote]

I don’t think it was ever mentioned that someone should train exclusively with sleds, sandbags, tires and other odd implements.

I also don’t think that there is anything wrong with anyone of any size (or age) using these implements in addition to spending time in the gym and focusing on the basic lifts and such.

Just because I’m short and 160lbs doesn’t mean I can’t benefit from using these implements. And I never train exclusively with them. I spend more time focusing on basic lifts for strength and size than I do dragging the sled, pushing cars, etc.

We can go on and on about whether or not you can build the same size/strength/conditioning in the gym or using odd implements. But we can talk about the many positive benefits to using odd implements in addition to weights, rather than weights alone.

Professor, I respect you, and I usually agree with you on most threads. Hell, I even enjoy your straightforward approach, even if some think you’re being mean.

But, in this case, I completely disagree, and I think you’re wrong. But hey, that’s my opinion. You have your methods and recommendations, and I have mine.

Word.

84

My points here are that…

1)This type of training is NOT a waste of time

  1. It can and DOES build muscle

  2. It does improve cardiovascular endurance

  3. It does improve strength endurance

  4. It IS fun (especially when you “compete” w/ friends)

  5. Average people as well as elite athletes do this stuff with great results

  6. Believe it or NOT you CAN get big and strong doing only this type of training if you follow a well thought out program

  7. Saying you work on a farm and think this stuff is the same was funny two years ago (maybe) and Alwyn Cosgrove making fun of it in a recent article was pointless and naive.

  8. Thinking you should only train the “events” if you plan to compete is as rediculous as anything I’ve ever heard (as if sprinting was only good for competitive sprinters etc., etc.)

  9. No matter how many times I ask what kind of job allows Professor X to post so many replies on this site, he never answers.

I’ve read that he’s a “medical professional” on this site (NOT Prof. X’s words) yet no “medical professional” I know has this much free time.

Maybe it’s not important but it piques my curiosity nonetheless.

85

[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
Professor X wrote:
The comment about size has to do with what a person should be prioritizing in their training. Are you saying some 130lbs kid needs to start sled dragging before he gets in the gym on a regular basis? How is it weird to point that out? Are you saying everyone not dragging a sled is “hurting muscle gains”?

I don’t think it was ever mentioned that someone should train exclusively with sleds, sandbags, tires and other odd implements.

I also don’t think that there is anything wrong with anyone of any size (or age) using these implements in addition to spending time in the gym and focusing on the basic lifts and such.

Just because I’m short and 160lbs doesn’t mean I can’t benefit from using these implements. And I never train exclusively with them. I spend more time focusing on basic lifts for strength and size than I do dragging the sled, pushing cars, etc.

We can go on and on about whether or not you can build the same size/strength/conditioning in the gym or using odd implements. But we can talk about the many positive benefits to using odd implements in addition to weights, rather than weights alone.

Professor, I respect you, and I usually agree with you on most threads. Hell, I even enjoy your straightforward approach, even if some think you’re being mean.

But, in this case, I completely disagree, and I think you’re wrong. But hey, that’s my opinion. You have your methods and recommendations, and I have mine.

Word.

[/quote]

Nate, you are shorter than average though. That’s not an insult. You know you buy clothes in the Smurf department. 160lbs on you isn’t like 160lbs on someone closer to 6 feet tall. You already know that I think you could carry more muscle than you do. You train whatever way makes you happiest. However, this thread asked what do people think. I let it be known what I think. If the goal is muscle growth, I can think of better activities.

86

One of the things I learned from Charles Staley and Dan John at the Pheonix seminar is this: do everything. Don’t forgo something in the weight room just bcause it’ not what you normally do. Don’t forget that to balance out WORK you’ve got to add play.

I lift hard, run, do long distance cycling, wrestle, martial arts, and I’m getting ready to incorporate sleds, sandbags, sledgehammers and the like into my weekly workouts.

Why? Because it’s different, it’ll be fun and it GETS ME ACTIVE ONE MORE DAY A WEEK.

I am an easily bored fellow. Seeing the gym 3-4 days a week is enough. Any more and it bcomes a chore instead of fun. So if I can add some GPP that amuses me, maybe I add muscle, maybe I just burn a few calories. Either way it’s certainly not going to be detrimental to my health or strength, and could make a difference somewhere else.

And that’s what it’s all about for a lot of us. Some of you can’t see beyond the addition of one more inch to your biceps. I see it as getting bigger, stronger, healthier, and a whole multitude of other reasons.

87

Tire Flipping = Functional Strength

:wink:

88

One thing that I think people are missing is that sled dragging is only useful if it helps you reach your goals. I can totally see where Prof X is coming from in the sense that all the cardio/aerobic fitness needs of a pure bodybuilder can be met by some standard cardio a few times or even once a week.

Sled dragging or any other implement should just be a means to acheiving your goals. If one finds that he is really hurting in his work capacity in his chosen activity he might consider some “gpp work” or whatever would make sense.

-Fireplug

89

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Haven’t we had some posters even post pics in the past with a claim of only doing these types of movements? I don’t mean just farmer’s walks, but only these “power/strongman” type movements with very little focus on gym work. [/quote]

I don’t know, have we? DieselWeasel is the only one that comes to mind and I think everyone agrees that he’s a Grade-A clown.

90

[quote]fireplug52 wrote:

Sled dragging or any other implement should just be a means to acheiving your goals. If one finds that he is really hurting in his work capacity in his chosen activity he might consider some “gpp work” or whatever would make sense.
[/quote]

I understand where you’re coming from, but don’t you think that an increase in work capacity could provide benefits even if someone isn’t “really hurting” in that department?

91

[quote]RIT Jared wrote:
fireplug52 wrote:

Sled dragging or any other implement should just be a means to acheiving your goals. If one finds that he is really hurting in his work capacity in his chosen activity he might consider some “gpp work” or whatever would make sense.

I understand where you’re coming from, but don’t you think that an increase in work capacity could provide benefits even if someone isn’t “really hurting” in that department?[/quote]

Not necessarily. If someone finds that their work capacity is adequate for their goals, why waste time with improving it? For instance, if a bodybuilder has enough endurance to make it through his workouts just fine, why work on it? If that same bodybuilder gets winded walking to the kitchen, then it might be time to improve his conditioning :).

-Fireplug

92

The fact that this type of GPP would be dismissed out of hand by anyone as a waste of time is obscenely short-sighted.

If you’ve never tried it, why offer an opinion on it’s value?

“I’ve been to many amusement parks. I like them. They entertain me. I have NOT however, been to Disney Land (though I have seen it on TV). Therefore it must be of little value to others.”

Similar line of thinking in this thread

93

When COMBINED with traditional exercises, strongman and alternative training will build mass even better than just a traditional bodybuilding routine. It’s also way more fun.

Getting big is a matter of diet, not the exercises you do (USUALLY). If you do only odd lifts and alternative training however, you will most likely not have the volume needed to induce significant hypertrophy. It will happen, but it will take much longer.

Doing strongman and grip training is a great confidence builder, because there is always going to be something you can do that a bodybuilder can’t. I’m not going to go into that “bodybuilder’s are weak” bullshit, but strength does not necessarily mean a 450 bench; it could be dumbbell snatching over 100, closing a Captain of Crush #2, deadlifting 405+ double overhand, flipping a 500 pound tire several times, the list goes on.

I’m not validating being skinny, or anything like that. If the trainee is making LBM gains every week, he can do whatever the heck he wants, and he should get respect for his strength. If it’s some 120 pound kid that gains 5 pounds a year and thinks he’s strong, that’s a problem. But it’s rare that you see skeletons doing advanced strength feats, because your core must be large and strong enough to support heavy weights.

94

[quote]Big Adam wrote:
Alright, at the risk of sounding unpopular:

I think doing all this crap in your yard and out on the street smacks of trashy. In my neighborhood, we all expect our neighbors to take good care of their homes, their lawns, cars, etc. In other words, our home can only be as beautiful as the neighborhood around it.

With that being said, if you’re a quiet neighbor, who doesn’t really interact with the people in the homes around you, but occasionally busts out the sled in the street, I’m sorry, but that’s just trashy. You have lowered the value of all of that block’s homes.[/quote]

Shit. Too bad I don’t give a fuck, and the neighbors don’t have a legal leg to stand on.

95

[quote]DLboy wrote:

Doing strongman and grip training is a great confidence builder, because there is always going to be something you can do that a bodybuilder can’t. I’m not going to go into that “bodybuilder’s are weak” bullshit, but strength does not necessarily mean a 450 bench; it could be dumbbell snatching over 100, closing a Captain of Crush #2, deadlifting 405+ double overhand, flipping a 500 pound tire several times, the list goes on.

[/quote]

None of those “feats of strength” are even close to being in the same league as a 450 lb bench.

96

You know I don’t care if you guys want to flip tires or pull sleds down the street.
I will stick to working out with weights…you know barbells, dumbells? Those heavy metal things that are made specifically for muscle hypertrophy.
Tires are for tractors so they can move.
Sleds are pulled by huskies but if you guys get your kicks from carrying things up and down your driveway then you should get a job as a mover. You know those huge guys with bulging muscles that helped your grandma move her furniture when she changed homes.
Funny I have rarely seen any movers who have been in shape…with back broblems yes…in shape no.

97

[quote]derek wrote:
Big Adam wrote:
Alright, at the risk of sounding unpopular:

I think doing all this crap in your yard and out on the street smacks of trashy. In my neighborhood, we all expect our neighbors to take good care of their homes, their lawns, cars, etc. In other words, our home can only be as beautiful as the neighborhood around it.

With that being said, if you’re a quiet neighbor, who doesn’t really interact with the people in the homes around you, but occasionally busts out the sled in the street, I’m sorry, but that’s just trashy. You have lowered the value of all of that block’s homes.

That may just be the most moronic thing I have ever read on this site.

[/quote]

I second that

98

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Tire Flipping = Functional Strength

;)[/quote]

WHAT DID YOU SAY??? ALL BODYBUILDERS ARE WEAK??? SARCOPLASM HATER!!! GO DO 100rep CURLS NOW!!!

99

Dumbbells, barbells. Great stuff we all use them.

Did you ever wonder how much fun it’d be lifting something that was not as balanced as a dumbbell or barbell?

Maybe trying to lift something whose sole purpose wasn’t to be lifted in the first place would give you a little kick?

Something awkward that makes you fight just to hold on? Maybe a keg that fights back?

Traditional weights were designed to fit in one’s hand nicely. Shit they even have convenient knurling on the handles so you don’t lose your grip.

If you’re satisfied with lifting traditinal barbells and dumbbels day-in, day-out, good for you. If you want to experience a full-body challenge, I have an entire series of sandbags that wont clean and press themselves.

And look up “finishers” on this site. You know, odd object lifting/pushing to be done after your traditional weights have been lifted. Great way to end your workout.

I believe Charles Poliquin had said he wished his athletes had the drive to push cars on thier off days.

Hmmm, Charles Poliquin, Dave Tate, Louie Simmons, Charlie Francis, Nate Dogg… and the list goes on.

Grey I’m dissapointed in you.

100

You are surely NOT going to see me write that BB’ers are weak.

Not even close.

It’s just that this Strongman/GPP stuff needed a litte defending from we that actually DO it from those that have never tried it yet dismiss it’s worth.

101

[quote]derek wrote:
Dumbbells, barbells. Great stuff we all use them.

Did you ever wonder how much fun it’d be lifting something that was not as balanced as a dumbbell or barbell?[/quote]

Dude, if you consider it “fun”, more power to you. I get called on to help people move whenever someone I know needs to do so. I don’t consider carrying uneven shit up and down stairs “fun”. I call it WORK. Like someone else also pointed out, the people who I see who do move furniture for a living aren’t exactly in shape or very muscular. Most of them are either skinny or simpy fat as hell. Shouldn’t they be seeing some of the amazing FUN benefits?

I think some of you underestimate what you can do if you put your full focus in the gym. If you want to drag sleds, have at it. Enjoy yourself with the fun and the sled and the joy. However, let’s stop pretending that everyone is simply piling on the muscle because of it. Those heavy weights in the gym do just fine for that and always have.