OT: My Gym

To elaborate on strength being relative,

As long as you're gaining strength, that's what is important.

My 85 pound overhead press won't win me any StrongMan competitions, but I'll tell you that I couldn't imagine doing that with the same sandbag just a very short time ago.

And next year I'll look back and say "wow, that 85 was heavy to me but now it is a warm-up weight"

And that's how it goes.

As long as you're getting stronger, you're doing it right, it doesn't really matter what the poundages are.

It's about YOU, about each person gaining strength and health.

Sandbag aren't the best tool to "hit" all those components. 100% False. Do more research, and experiment with other tools before you go crazy on a forum about a topic you're amateur in. Please stop bragging so much about what you do, it's become trollish.

For endurance, it still won't be efficient because elite endurance training exceeds 2-4 hours of training. Olympic athletes train 2-3 times a day, and even experienced exercisers go in for 2-3 hours a day. You will be doing more endurance related exercises, and a sandbag slows you down. It's a gain in strength, not speed, flexibility, agility, or anything in relation to those components. You can practice your breathing but then once again pilates and yoga would isolate more muscles and is a smarter work out.

There are caveman workouts that don't require much of the CNS. That's why call dumbells DUMB-BELLS, it makes your muscles stupid. The movements aren't challenging or complex, there isn't much growth. Who wants big and stupid muscles? Think about this. This is what separates athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Maybe do 1-5 repetitions??? Of what? Of your 100% Max? 80% Max? Why 1-5 reps? I don't know where you get your information from. Your body is in **** condition, you shouldn't be giving anyone advice just because you're learning these amateur movements. You actually need a logical program and you need to understand the person's attributes. Not all programs fit everyone.

Some mechanical adjustment? It's actually a lot of mechanical adjustment especially for someone at your level. You obviously ignore form, posture, concentric and eccentric movements. Have you ever practice breathing exercises?

OBM, you may go ahead and ELABORATE the fundamentals of lifting...give the forum a lesson and break it down for us.

How many people in their everyday lives pick up an 80-100lb sandbag? Everyday fitness components include stress management and relaxation methods, core stability, posture, energy output, BREATHING...especially in New York City; the city is fast paced and it requires a lot of energy to battle the stress in the city. There are other exercise methods that would be more beneficial to the average person than just lifting a sandbag.

Strength is important.
But isn't the only thing.
Stop giving bad advice and isolating strength as the most important component, they all serve their purpose. You won't go anywhere with that kind of thinking except in a isolation state.

People are weak, and you're supposedly strong? I know about 8 guys my weight who would make your strength look like on the novice level.

People are MEANT to be WEAK. We're not bears, gorillas, bulls, or even ants. Those animals are built for strength for survival.

Guess what fitness component the human anatomy favors?

FLEXIBILITY.

Humans are monkeys, all our joints are made for movements at a certain range. The ball and socket joint is a great example.

Guess how many average people train on their flexibility? Very few.

Why?
Because the gym and fitness world is infested with these *******s who think strength is the ultimate factor in fitness. They bulk up, gain a lot of belly fat in the waist area, have an unapportioned strength ratio between the upper extremity and lower extremity where the upper body is stronger than the lower, and the worse thing is how stiff and tight their bodies are with unhealthy posture. These guys who obsess with strength add to the overweight population in this country. It's not a good look and that trend will die out soon when more people acquire more information on fitness and the benefits of training all fitness components. Trust me, your kind will be extinct soon, so you better start practicing Power Yoga or something that can improve on the components you ignore completely.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by orangeblobman

Sandbags are a great tool to hit all those components. It's all in how you use it. For endurance you will maybe use a lighter weight and do a series of exercises without stopping, so you will form a circuit. For raw strength, you will load even more weight and maybe do only 1 to 5 repetitions. It depends what you want to hit.

While barbells, sandbags, dumbells are all different and require some mechanical adjustment, the fundamentals of all lifting are pretty much the same. The thing about the sandbag, the greatest advantage, is that its an awkward object, so naturally you have to adapt your lift to the object, and this is what blasts you out of your comfort zone. We need to be able to pick all sorts of things up in real-life, so this translates well.

Nothing I said in any post here is bad advice.

Strength is relative. Everyone should try to increase their strength. To say that is not to say that things like endurance are thrown to the side of the highway.

I think a majority of people walking around today can benefit from strength training. People are weak. You always want to be gaining strength because, as Rippetoe tells us, "strong people are just more useful."

Also, the form on the press is very good, in my estimation. If there is something specific you think I can improve, please let me know what you see. My back is straight on the lift from the ground and I lock out elbows at the top. My head moves under the weight at the top position, as is the proper form for an overhead press. The press starts from the chest, as it should, and I do not use any legs, making it strictly an upper-body lift.

***
To elaborate on strength being relative,

As long as you're gaining strength, that's what is important.

My 85 pound overhead press won't win me any StrongMan competitions, but I'll tell you that I couldn't imagine doing that with the same sandbag just a very short time ago.

And next year I'll look back and say "wow, that 85 was heavy to me but now it is a warm-up weight"

And that's how it goes.

As long as you're getting stronger, you're doing it right, it doesn't really matter what the poundages are.

It's about YOU, about each person gaining strength and health.

---

this has turned into an interesting discussion, i say we leave it in NYK forum
for now, as loco ochos suggests, and move it to hangout after pre-season starts.
we need more and more threads to keep us enertained! OBM rocks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by metrocard

Sandbag aren't the best tool to "hit" all those components. 100% False. Do more research, and experiment with other tools before you go crazy on a forum about a topic you're amateur in. Please stop bragging so much about what you do, it's become trollish.

For endurance, it still won't be efficient because elite endurance training exceeds 2-4 hours of training. Olympic athletes train 2-3 times a day, and even experienced exercisers go in for 2-3 hours a day. You will be doing more endurance related exercises, and a sandbag slows you down. It's a gain in strength, not speed, flexibility, agility, or anything in relation to those components. You can practice your breathing but then once again pilates and yoga would isolate more muscles and is a smarter work out.

There are caveman workouts that don't require much of the CNS. That's why call dumbells DUMB-BELLS, it makes your muscles stupid. The movements aren't challenging or complex, there isn't much growth. Who wants big and stupid muscles? Think about this. This is what separates athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Maybe do 1-5 repetitions??? Of what? Of your 100% Max? 80% Max? Why 1-5 reps? I don't know where you get your information from. Your body is in **** condition, you shouldn't be giving anyone advice just because you're learning these amateur movements. You actually need a logical program and you need to understand the person's attributes. Not all programs fit everyone.

Some mechanical adjustment? It's actually a lot of mechanical adjustment especially for someone at your level. You obviously ignore form, posture, concentric and eccentric movements. Have you ever practice breathing exercises?

OBM, you may go ahead and ELABORATE the fundamentals of lifting...give the forum a lesson and break it down for us.

How many people in their everyday lives pick up an 80-100lb sandbag? Everyday fitness components include stress management and relaxation methods, core stability, posture, energy output, BREATHING...especially in New York City; the city is fast paced and it requires a lot of energy to battle the stress in the city. There are other exercise methods that would be more beneficial to the average person than just lifting a sandbag.

Strength is important.
But isn't the only thing.
Stop giving bad advice and isolating strength as the most important component, they all serve their purpose. You won't go anywhere with that kind of thinking except in a isolation state.

People are weak, and you're supposedly strong? I know about 8 guys my weight who would make your strength look like on the novice level.

People are MEANT to be WEAK. We're not bears, gorillas, bulls, or even ants. Those animals are built for strength for survival.

Guess what fitness component the human anatomy favors?

FLEXIBILITY.

Humans are monkeys, all our joints are made for movements at a certain range. The ball and socket joint is a great example.

Guess how many average people train on their flexibility? Very few.

Why?
Because the gym and fitness world is infested with these *******s who think strength is the ultimate factor in fitness. They bulk up, gain a lot of belly fat in the waist area, have an unapportioned strength ratio between the upper extremity and lower extremity where the upper body is stronger than the lower, and the worse thing is how stiff and tight their bodies are with unhealthy posture. These guys who obsess with strength add to the overweight population in this country. It's not a good look and that trend will die out soon when more people acquire more information on fitness and the benefits of training all fitness components. Trust me, your kind will be extinct soon, so you better start practicing Power Yoga or something that can improve on the components you ignore completely.

---

I've noticed as well that a lot of the people that I discuss weight training with focus on the upperbody wayyy too much. Their size and strength in the upperbody makes them look foolish in comparison with their chicken legs. these guys may be benching 250+ but can't even squat that amount. Even if you are just working on being a body builder / power lifter competitor you need to incorporate a good healthy balance in your routines.

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Strength training is important to fitness, athletics and functionality. It's also recommended for fat loss and can assist perhaps even more so then cardio training for that purpose. However the best fitness plans are balanced between cardio, flexibility, range of motion, and strength training along with sport specific movements and drills for athletes.

I'm not an expert on the topic of fitness just a weekend warrior with a gym membership. I've been lifting since august and taken it very seriously since January but also incorporated running, swimming, cycling, yoga and plyometrics along with the strength and basketball training. My success with this program has been real, I've dropped over 50 lbs and a number of body fat % points along with increasing my strength by ~300%.

Even after a year solid of training, reading, researching, putting in work at the gym, track and court I realize I'm still a total n00b in the area of fitness. Guys like metro have made a living out of fitness, athletics and body aesthetics. I think most people would be well served to listen to what metro has to say, especially concerning the "functional" strength increases. Sure lifting heavy things may give you the "look" you want (if you want to be a hyuge dude with teh biceps and teh pecs) but a balance needs to be achieved to lead a healthy lifestyle.

In the end it's really about a persons specific goals and needs. If you're the kind of guy that needs to lift awkward heavy **** on a regular basis (maybe a construction laborer?) then perhaps sandbag lifting is the best option for you. But for the average person there are better ways to achieve a healthy body and fitness level that is more functional.

Just as a note I've listened to metro regarding a cardio program he gave me and it was the difference from running a mile in 10 minutes to running a mile in 7 minutes. Listen to this dude!

Woah, I feel like **** got real here.

In all honesty, fitness and strength are very simple.

If you know 8 people that can press 85 sandabag, then I know 20 that can do it.

That's why strength is relative.

This thread was meant to inspire.

Workouts are hard work, but the topic of strength and fitness is easy.

And honestly, you can't call my form out and then not tell me what's wrong with my form. That's just not how it's done.

And in all honesty, people are not meant to be weak. It's only in modern times that we became weak. For 99% of human existence, everyone was strong.

Strength is the human's NATURAL state.

If you are some serious athlete, then that's cool.

But general strength, gaining strength, is the best thing an average guy can do to improve his overall health. And I stand by that 150%. And it doesn't have to be complicated. LIFT HEAVY AND HARD relative to your own station, and keep adding poundages. That's it.

What he chooses to specialize in after gaining some fundamental level of strength, that's a different topic.

The take away is that, a little over a year ago I was 6'3" and 160 lbs, skinny and weak. If you told me to lift that sand bag, I would run away.

Today I have some modest level of strength. And that feels good.

The Johnny Bravo epidemic has been a cancer amongst gyms especially in NYC. The bench press is damaging to the body, especially with how hard these Johnny Bravo clones go in. The basic push up facilitates shoulder health with the scapulae moving freely instead of being locked in retraction against a bench, scapular mobility is enhanced within a pushup. Also the muscle activation of the serratus anterior muscle is increased in comparison to the bench press. This helps enhance scapular stability, which aids shoulder health and won't damage your joints and flexibility like how benching does.

The same guys you speak of are the first guys to leave the gym with some bogus injury they could of easily avoided if they focus on overall fitness instead of one target goal.

Congrats to you for losing 50 lbs, it's not easy going through that physically and mentality. Those two realms have kept many people away from achieving their goals.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p0nder

I've noticed as well that a lot of the people that I discuss weight training with focus on the upperbody wayyy too much. Their size and strength in the upperbody makes them look foolish in comparison with their chicken legs. these guys may be benching 250+ but can't even squat that amount. Even if you are just working on being a body builder / power lifter competitor you need to incorporate a good healthy balance in your routines.

[Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...]

Strength training is important to fitness, athletics and functionality. It's also recommended for fat loss and can assist perhaps even more so then cardio training for that purpose. However the best fitness plans are balanced between cardio, flexibility, range of motion, and strength training along with sport specific movements and drills for athletes.

I'm not an expert on the topic of fitness just a weekend warrior with a gym membership. I've been lifting since august and taken it very seriously since January but also incorporated running, swimming, cycling, yoga and plyometrics along with the strength and basketball training. My success with this program has been real, I've dropped over 50 lbs and a number of body fat % points along with increasing my strength by ~300%.

Even after a year solid of training, reading, researching, putting in work at the gym, track and court I realize I'm still a total n00b in the area of fitness. Guys like metro have made a living out of fitness, athletics and body aesthetics. I think most people would be well served to listen to what metro has to say, especially concerning the "functional" strength increases. Sure lifting heavy things may give you the "look" you want (if you want to be a hyuge dude with teh biceps and teh pecs) but a balance needs to be achieved to lead a healthy lifestyle.

In the end it's really about a persons specific goals and needs. If you're the kind of guy that needs to lift awkward heavy **** on a regular basis (maybe a construction laborer?) then perhaps sandbag lifting is the best option for you. But for the average person there are better ways to achieve a healthy body and fitness level that is more functional.

Just as a note I've listened to metro regarding a cardio program he gave me and it was the difference from running a mile in 10 minutes to running a mile in 7 minutes. Listen to this dude!

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by orangeblobman

woah, i feel like **** got real here.

In all honesty, fitness and strength are very simple.

If you know 8 people that can press 85 sandabag, then i know 20 that can do it.

That's why strength is relative.

This thread was meant to inspire.

Workouts are hard work, but the topic of strength and fitness is easy.

And honestly, you can't call my form out and then not tell me what's wrong with my form. That's just not how it's done.

And in all honesty, people are not meant to be weak. It's only in modern times that we became weak. For 99% of human existence, everyone was strong.

Strength is the human's natural state.

---

whaaaaaat????????

Quote:

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Originally Posted by metrocard

whaaaaaat????????

---

Whaaaat???

Lol, we're not all olympians like you, metro.

For us regular humans, strength training is simple, effective, and FUN!!!

Lift heavy ****, period! :)

This is how Sisson outlines it:

1. move slowly often

2. lift heavy things 2 - 3 times a week

3. sprint once ever 7-10 days

If you do those 3 and you aren't in the best shape of your life, I'll give you my nut sack.

Also, abs and stuff, that's all made in the kitchen.

Whole foods, very little sugars.

Period!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by metrocard

The Johnny Bravo epidemic has been a cancer amongst gyms especially in NYC. The bench press is damaging to the body, especially with how hard these Johnny Bravo clones go in. The basic push up facilitates shoulder health with the scapulae moving freely instead of being locked in retraction against a bench, scapular mobility is enhanced within a pushup. Also the muscle activation of the serratus anterior muscle is increased in comparison to the bench press. This helps enhance scapular stability, which aids shoulder health and won't damage your joints and flexibility like how benching does.

The same guys you speak of are the first guys to leave the gym with some bogus injury they could of easily avoided if they focus on overall fitness instead of one target goal.

Congrats to you for losing 50 lbs, it's not easy going through that physically and mentality. Those two realms have kept many people away from achieving their goals.

---

Yea, what's funny is those guys that jack up the top, but then they have the skinny little legs. I don't get it, man.

Women don't want to see that, I don't think, lol.

False. In that case offensive tackles in American football are in the best shape of their lives because they can bench press over 300 lb. They are underrated as athletes but their risk for diabetes, sleep apnea (Reggie White), high blood pressure, and everything else that comes with a giant waist size are still high.

And stretching isn't just for olympians. If you truly want to be in good shape, flexibility is a must, especially if you play sports. Also, you can't lump together everyone under your (Sisson's) workout plan. Everyone is different. Would you tell someone who has a history of knee injuries to sprint every 7-10 days? The human body is an intricate machine and to try to put together a maintenance plan together in 3 bullet points is lazy. It's like saying all you need to do to maintain your car is fill it up with gas and do an oil change and you're good.

Bottom line, stop simplifying everything, life doesn't work like that.

I don't have the extensive knowledge in human physiology that metro does but I know that much.

Also, props to p0nder, takes a lot of dedication to stick it out and drop that weight.

PS your statement about humans having great strength in the past is also incorrect. If that were the case famine and disease would not have wiped so many people out.

You gotta be able to shoulder your woman, that's it. Unless you like the big ones, then you just have to be able to hold her down.

Modern I mean before agriculture.

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After* I mean. 99% of our history was before the agriculture

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In the words of the Great Mark Rippetoe:

"PHYSICAL STRENGTH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE...A WEAK MAN IS NOT AS HAPPY AS THAT SAME MAN WOULD BE IF HE WERE STRONG...THIS REALITY IS OFFENSIVE TO SOME PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE THE INTELLECTUAL OR SPIRITUAL TO TAKE PRECEDENCE. IT IS INSTRUCTIVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE VERY PEOPLE AS THEIR SQUAT STRENGTH GOES UP."