I would too, but I’m too lazy generally to set up chains for the squat bench or deadlifts. I just can’t see myself doing it for curls.
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We had 20” bands for deadlifts, but it was just too brutal on the CNS.
But bands + chains on squats is a real hoot. We did these out of a monolift mechanism that Charles Bailey designed to mount on a power rack. You just can’t walk out a bar with 235lbs + two sets of blue bands + 230 to 270lbs of chains. It was freaky at the top.
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Why though?
Outside of the combine it’s not very useful, and there are plenty of pro players who don’t get many reps. CMac got 10 reps of 225 - the second lowest of any RB - and he’s arguably the best RB in the league. Top 3, without question.
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Blue bands are intense! I put blue bands on the bench pad for grip. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to even use the blue bands for a deadlift. Maybe if I did under 315 in plate weight?
I prefer chains though. Thinking now, I was supposed to do tonight’s bench with chains. Trying to give the delts a little break. They’ve been beat up.
I’ve done squats with both bands and chains. I liked the ssb bar with chains a lot. The bottom sucks with the ssb, so the accommodating resistance was really nice.
I went through a period of doing deadlifts with reverse bands. Now those are easy on the CNS. I think I used a blue and a green and it took about 300lbs to reach the floor, so my initial bar weight was 315lbs, which barely settled to the ground.
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Underrated - competing in something. Whether it’s sport, combat or a weight lifting related comp. Training to get on the platform, in the ring or on the field is a great way to focus your efforts and achieve results.
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This ties in so well with my “under rated” post, which is appropriate goal setting. Competing helps you set appropriate goals by providing a very clear, objective measurable goal and timeline to work towards that most people lack in their training. Helps cut out all the distractions and vagueness in training that so many of us suffer from.
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Underrated :
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Train like a bodybuilder if your goal is to build muscle. Sure 5/3/1, and other strenght training will put muscle but not as much as a proper bodybuilding training. You don’t train as a tennisman if you want to be the best at baseball.
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Be conscious of your own anatomy when choosing exercise (bones lenght, muscle attachment, lever,…)
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Sticking to the plan long enough to see results. (And your plan don’t need to be 6 or 12 weeks, You can do the same training for years if you/and still progress)
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Just giving my feedback, my all-time favorite bicep exercise with DBs is the incline DB bicep curl keep your lying back on the bench and doing a slow negative on each rep. I get sore every time from this exercise. Amazing stretch at the bottom too.
This is spot on. I’m just finishing up a youtube video on the how to train for aesthetics vs. performance and I agree with you 100%
If your sole goal is build muscle, train like a bodybuilder, elite bodybuilders know exactly what they’re doing. I also, agree anytime you’re getting stronger, you will build some muscle too, but not as much as if you’re bodybuilding.
And again you are spot on regarding choosing exercises appropriate for your anatomy/bone structure. There’s never any exercises that are 1-size fits all.
And for a third time, you are spot on regarding the training plan…I’ve trained the same way for YEARS and I generally do not change up the main lifts cause I’m still getting stronger at them! Very nice input bro
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I love the overhead press even though it’s my weakest lift. And yes Circuits with the sole pupose of getting tired really upset. Strength circuits are the best though and if you do them correctly, there’s an inherent conditioning effect.
Think about the context of bench press for linemen and or linebackers. And I’ve seen some incredible stiff-arms from RBs too. That’s why I think the bench press makes sense. Of course you’re going to have outliers that arent strong but still great players. But in a general sense and for training an entire football team, I would still include the bench press to train horizontal pushing strength.
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dips can certainly be hard on shoulders and you definitely need to develop the requisite mobility. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do dips pain free. I’ve had elbow issues in the past as well…a lot of times if you’re carrying around extra weight, it can be too much for the elbows.
I love RDLs and stiff leg deadlifts. I do them in my own training regularly.
Personally I also love the 45 degree back extension too holding DBs or a plate with straight arms and going for a big stretch in the hamstrings at the bottom of each rep. This lights up your hamstrings big time…at least for me. Could be an anatomical thing in your case.
Underrated:
Hard work
Consistency
Grit
Training through and around injury (there is no spoon)
Meditation (new one for me but unreal results)
Overrated:
The opinions of sheep
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That is one I use frequently too.
When a topic for meditation opened up, I thought of yoga. Some time ago I started doing yoga poses and noticed that the strength of many exercises deteriorated significantly. And I have not lost weight or had any health problems. I started doing it several times after I stopped, but each time after yoga practices my strength was worse. I even went to the gym 2 days after yoga practice and it’s still the same. And the practice itself was not more than 20 minutes. I recently read an article that static stretching can cause muscle weakness. So if I ever try to do yoga again, I would perform Ashtanga style or similar, which is more dynamic and the transition between poses is much faster.
As for the specific topic, I think that the professional bodybuilding programs are quite underestimated, saying that they do not work for natural trainers. You just have to train at a lower volume, but from the point of view of the training scheme I think they work perfectly.
When I was a child and then a teenager, everyone in my country who knew or was from my neighborhood trained on programs they saw in American magazines. And they all made great progress without taking banned substances. From the beginning, they started with the division of muscle groups, they did not train for the whole body or double splits. One day for the chest and back, one day for the legs and shoulders and one day for the arms. This was one of the most common training programs. And a total of 2-3 muscle exercises in sets and repetitions 3-4x8-10. He often trained in one or two sets to failure.
Sometimes I think of something, but I don’t want to open a topic that I will be attacked immediately.
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If you have something to say or questions to ask the just jump in and start a thread. Just be prepared that not everyone will agree with you and you may not like every answer. If you are open to ideas and answers then most people on here are good guys n gals.
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Ok, I’ll say what I think. I may be wrong, but this is in the direction I have already mentioned, which refers to the fact that training programs for professional bodybuilders are underestimated and rejected. Where did this idea come from that the building (not necessarily with the same volume) of these programs does not work for the normal training person. I am talking only for aesthetic purposes, not for power lifts. As I have already mentioned, years ago many people (probably most people) trained in a way that is close to that of bodybuilders and made very good progress. Ok, but in this case, what will you need a coach for, since you can choose a ready-made program and with a trial and error to determine which will work best for you. Suddenly it was said that the division of muscle groups does not work for natural trainees, that without squats and deadlifts you can not become a bodybuilder, that doing heavy exercises in 10-12-15 repetitions did not make sense and was stupid. And here’s what happens: if you want to grow a business, you have to put together a program for the client, right? Convincing him that the professional programs he can read for himself in thousands of articles on the Internet will not work for him and he will need another approach that only a professional coach can handle. Slowly, step by step, to convince the natural trainer that in order to look like a bodybuilder you need to make a program. Or just massively start imposing your own ideas to convince the trainees that for the aesthetic purposes they have, the approach you offer is better. And there is no way to impose your approach if you do not reject the other as not working for the purposes of bodybuilding in natural trainers … or say that it works worse. Because all these gurus who appeared on the Internet will not earn a dollar if they offer something that has been known for decades.
I just want to clarify: I’m not talking about coaches whose programs are focused mainly on developing strength, fitness, endurance. I’m talking about those who, even for the purposes of bodybuilding, claim that the programs of professional bodybuilders or similar do not work and if you want to build muscle you have to train according to their methods. And the only way to make them believe you is to convince natural trainers that the other will not work for them. Well, I’ve seen and I see that it works. Otherwise, there is no doubt that the principles of mechanical tension, metabolic stress and muscle damage should be observed, as well as to seek progression in the weights that are lifted.
You don’t have to agree with me, this is my personal opinion.
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Underrated: disagreement
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