When I train I want science to be completely out of the equation.
I don’t want to hear ANYTHING to do with the limits that science says. The science that others abide by, I DO NOT PARTAKE IN THAT!
I figured out early on that science as applied by most to their gym effort, to be naught but an excuse for laziness, lackluster effort, and a shrine to sucking.
Of course I don’t want a part of that.
I’m okay with being perceived as a “dumb jock” throwing more at the problem. Idiot savant style is still genius. A college age kid I train with from time to time likened my mentality to “full send, send, then send, then send some more”.
I don’t care what some high level athlete does…when it doesn’t apply to me, nor inspire me.
Be like Bruce Lee – apply what is useful, discard what is not.
That’s my scientific approach.
Apply what is useful, disregard what is not.
I’ll gladly listen to what worked for you. I’ll shut out your voice if you speak limits at me.
Be like water. I’ve learned from a whole lot of sources you wouldn’t expect, being I look something like a powerlifter.
A limit on hours spent working out at the gym? At 19/20 I witnessed this tatted up single mother (an asian girl probably 25-27yo at the time) do an hour or more on the stairs EVERY DAY at a steps per minute pace BETTER than most would manage 15 minutes on the thing.
She did massive db pressing, back, and walking lunge (weighted or unweighted) volume to the tune of two hours each day in the weight room at basically a circuit pace. She used pretty heavy weights factoring in her size, and her being a girl. It was impressive, and the first real example I had of someone throwing all the rules on gym training out the window and thriving on it.
Probably the strongest shoulders I’ve ever seen on a woman, and p4p probably the strongest shoulders I’ve ever seen period. I’m fairly certain I saw her seated db press nearly her bodyweight for a handful of reps unassisted.
It was a lesson.
(She also would take 70-80lb dumbells for sets of 8-12 each side walking lunges.)
I’ll throw another example out that most don’t consider :
The college girls tend to do ass, abs, & cardio – the trademarked “college girl split™” six days a week, and tend to develop glutes, regularly enough to the point of ridiculousness.
I’ve only made note of one person other than myself rep the “bad girl machine” at the planet fitness I go to, and though any of the other large strong guys too could do it, I once got quite the shock realizing this 5′ nothing, maybe 105lb, late college/slightly out of college chick, all skin and bones, not a curvy petite build, just small, a twig, straight up and down…but with massive glutes, repped the stack for some reps right before I took over the machine. She had walked away LEAVING IT AT THE STACK.
The same chick would have total body spasms carrying weights to/from weight storage whether it was a db or a preload barbell. She’d not even be challenged by it while hip thrusting, but would barely manage to take it out/put it away, looking like a shuffling seizure while doing so. She was not built for farmer’s walks, though as far as booty building on her frame likely had maxed out planet fitness. She’d only be able to overload by hogging plates to really load up hip thrusts in the smith machine.
There is some serious effort done on the “college girl split™”, a whole lot of mad intensity worth giving props to.
An old timer, early 70s, fairly new to the gym, he’s like an exited kid when he gets to talking about working out, and will be all excited to show you how he improvises on equipment.
Going to planet fitness has been a huge lesson for me on improvising on equipment, making it work, and keeping an open mind.
I learn from that old timer. I hadn’t thought to stand at the machine lat pulldown, standing sideways makes a far higher mind-muscle connection, and realized he’s right – don’t sit on the pec deck, stand or high angle wall sit, grasp the movement arm higher than the hand hold spot, and from there I realized one arm at a time would be a way for me to push my chest size up even further.
I watch what the “regulars”, the fit people in their 40s, 50s, 60s do at pf, then apply it.
Keep the open mind.
If all these 40 something women, and 50 something men manage to train a bunch of volume regularly, what excuse do youth have again?
Sure, you have your favorite manners of training, but sometimes mixing it up too will work.
Despite constantly preaching high frequency, I’ve done periods of lifting twice a week, and done well on them.
I make a mental distinguishment between activity, strength stimulus (often light), and heavy lifting.
This subject to go up tomorrow.