Your Training Philosophies

[Portboy]

Recently in the past month or two of my more serious training (after a year of neglecting legs, realising i had to eat to get bigger, etc.), i've been trying to read as many articles as possible to figure what all this is about. Whether, TBT or split routines would benefit you (or not structured routine at all), maximal effort, dynamic effort or repeated effort is the way to go, what excercises would be most beneficial for me and would rep and set ranges would also help. I personally don't really have a philosophy, yet.

I'd like to ask what everyones individual training philosophies are, in hope that i can gain a better understanding of which route to take (and it may benefit others), because although so far i've been doing what seems to be 'ok', i'd like to know what you are doing personally for results. I know it all comes down to genetics and diet, but i'm still interested.

Thanks.

[Stumprrp]

Very cool thread

i could sit here and write a very long 25 page response but ill keep it short.

putting on mass and strength in general i feel people fall quite short of what they are capable of. you need to train infrequently (3-4 times per week) and literally go all out each one of those sessions, also, they fall short on the diet. to maximize the gains you have to eat way over your maintainace, at least 1000 calories, most say you will get fat but i personally did not when i bulked up 30 lbs, not to mention over 150 lb increase in all 3 lifts.

people also stress to much over routines, and i am one of them, its very fun to start a new lifting routine and do it but it WILL get boring, so you will run out of ideas, however this is why to keep things fresh you should change up your exersizes as much as you can, IMO.

lastly, there is to much fuss over rep ranges for HYPERTROPHY, i always hear studies about 8-12 reps however this IMO is bullcrap. look at any strongman or powerlifter, they dont ALWAYS use 8-12 reps, they use a VARIETY of reps from 1 to 20+, this is how you need to train.

[MeHoW]

I see you put my quote in your sig.
I looked at your stats.

How tall are you?

Your lifts aren't bad.

As far as my philosophy goes:
For major lifts: Lift it till you can do it 12 times, then increase the weight by 20 lbs. (keeps your reps varied)

Then eat.
It really isn't rocket science. People back in Greece hundreds of years ago got big without knowing half as much as we do now. Read articles about nutrition, and make sure your measurements are going up. Thats about it.

[Portboy]

I see you put my quote in your sig.
I looked at your stats.

How tall are you?

Your lifts aren't bad.

As far as my philosophy goes:
For major lifts: Lift it till you can do it 12 times, then increase the weight by 20 lbs. (keeps your reps varied)

Then eat.
It really isn't rocket science. People back in Greece hundreds of years ago got big without knowing half as much as we do now. Read articles about nutrition, and make sure your measurements are going up. Thats about it.

Looks like i'm the one with ya quote in me sig so i guess you're talking to me, and thanks! I'm about 5'8. Me squats are terrible though, i guess thats what i get for going a year without training legs :(

[MeHoW]

Think about it this way, the lower you start the bigger your improvement would be. When I started lifting I was 172 fat, and I was squatting 185 for reps of 5. Now not even a year later I'm doing sets of 10 with 245.

Everything takes time.

[Can'tstopnow]

My philosophy on my training is to make no excuses. I need to get pissed off at the iron like it did me real wrong. I go in with a plan, think about what makes me the most angry and start warming up. This is no lie, I sometimes psyche myself up to the point of tears and butterflies in my stomach. I hate on the iron so I can love outside the gym. I will imagine my daughters well being hanging in the balance on if I can get the rep or not. It may sound like I have some screws loose but it is the mindset I need to clear my slate and start fresh. All the ones who F****d with me while I sat and did nothing will have karma come back to haunt them while I will prosper. I give all I got in what I do and I will get where I am suppost to be, no excuses.

[Built]

To get lean and jacked without injuries.

[BigCorey75]

training. "everybody wanna get big and everybody wanna get strong and everybody wanna be a bodybuilder or powerlifter but no body wanna lift no heavy ass weight"

pretty much just lift very heavy hard and intense...


diet, if the cave men couldnt eat it i dont eat it. except for the occasionalbeer or two or twenty on the weekends....lol

also protein and carbs fine, protein and fat fine, dont cross carbs and fat in the same meal. and im not a carb person, they make me tired, fat gives me energy.


that about sums it up

[Jorge Sanchez]

The best workout is the one that you'll do.

[Questor]

Fire and Wind come from the Sky, from the Gods of the Sky.
But your God is Crom, and he lives in the Earth.
Once Giants lived in the Earth, Conan,
and in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom,
and took from him the enigma of Steel.
Crom was angered and the Earth shook,
and Fire and Wind struck down these giants,
and threw their bodies onto the waters.
But in their rage,
the Gods forgot the secret of Steel
and left it on the battlefield.
And we who found it, are just men,
Not Gods, Not Giants, just men.
The Secret of Steel had always carried with it a mystery,
you must learn its secret Conan, you must learn its discipline,
for no one, on one on this earth can you trust,
not men, not women, not beasts,
*lifts barbell*, this you can trust

[Blood&Iron]

1) Work hard when you're in the gym and don't obsess about things when you're not.
2) Try to keep your workouts to around an hour or so
3) Listen to your body if something hurts.
4) Focus on basic, compound exercises.
5) Work your whole body (I don't mean full-body workouts necessarily but those aren't bad)
6) Get adequate rest.
7) Eat to support your goals (increase things if you're looking to gain muscle, cut your calories if you're trying to lose weight).

Just get those things squared away before you start worrying about DE, ME, HST, Max-OT, or any other acronyms, and you can go pretty damn far.

[Stumprrp]

i also love getting pissed off before a big lift, ill pace the bar looking at it, breath hard, think of rotten stuff, attack it, lift, yell really loud, make the lift, swear, boom.

[the doc]

squat till you puke! (something i have been doing quite a bit lately)
http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/wuerg/vomit-smiley-014.gif

[MrWebb78]

1. just because a routine doesn't work for someone else doesn't mean it won't work for you.

2. eat alot. lift alot. sleep alot.

[IZich]

rofl questor

[accuFLEX]

"Everyone wanna bodybuild, but no one wanna lift no heavy ass weight, but I do though, yyyeeeeaaaa buuudddy!!!" This is the mentality I lift with haha

For diet, its simple - Eat clean

[HahnB]

Your results are a direct reflection of what you put into your body, how much you sleep, and how hard you lift.

[Maki Riddington]

Train hard and be consistent in the process.

[BigCorey75]

The best workout is the one that you'll do.

amen brother, thats my answer when anytime someone ask me what is the best routinefor something...

[Adam]

Your results are a direct reflection of what you put into your body, how much you sleep, and how hard you lift.

Nice and very true!

[Paul Stagg]

Outstanding responses.

As far as philosophy goes, it's pretty simple: Consistently add weight to the bar, provide the nutrition you need to reach your goals, and adjust your lifestyle where needed.

Specifics all depend on the individual. What a beginner should do and what someone who has been training for 20 years and who has reached an elite level should do are not the same.

[Stumprrp]

hard work is the biggest key in training, if you dont feel like your ready to pass out after deadlifts, you didnt go hard enough, if you didnt wobble out of the gym after squats, you didnt go hard enough, if your upper body isnt ready to explode after bench, you didnt go hard enough.

you must add weight as much as you can and get those goals, strive for more, even if you missed a weight, add more the next week and get it anyways!!!

[Clifford Gillmore]

Weight lifting, be it powerlifting or bodybuilding/bodysculpting, is a scientific spance of information and mis-information. I treat any sport as something that has alot more than the face level, I like to think about everthing that goes on behind it - as well as along side it. Without doing research and learning all that we can, and need, we can never meet our potential.

As far as weightlifting for me goes, I like to learn. There is just so much to take in, and when I compete I plan to know everything I need to know - be it injury prevention with prehab, to pre competition diets or how to use my new bench shirt. I, we should all, pride ourselves on knowing enough to answer any question we come across - as well as knowing when we are supposed to listen and understand that we may be wrong.

Towards training I love all aspects of it. I understand I can train 6 days a week and see results, and I understand I can train 3 days a week and see results. I'll see results at differant tempos and I'll need to adjust my diet and rest accordingly, I'm prepared for either situation. I'm a powerlifter, I train fast - and I train heavy. I'm can be as built as I want, and I can get as ripped as I want training in this fashion. I enjoy it knowing I can compete, and I can become very strong without assistance (Or simply train more with assistance).

Diet I feel is always going to be the major role, even for sedentary individuals who have zero interest in training. I know how to manipulate my diet to affect my mind, body and general well being. I like the philosophy of eating only produce that grows and contains lots and lots of chlorophyll - or eats something that grows, or eats something that eats something that grows. I like low GI carbs but I don't believe one should completely base their diet on that particular scale, eat on how you feel - never let diet dictate your performance by sacrificing your macro nutrients. Eat more vegatable than fruit, use fruit for post work nutrition if you have no access to high quality dextrose.

Rest is overlooked. No one takes enough, period. It just happens that you fall ill, take holidays, have other plans, or just burn out before you even consider time off. Your body is much slower than you think, it is much more sensitive than most people can understand. The more we learn about that, the more we understand that our bodies need time away from the activities it is being built to do. The off season for sports is for growth and skills development, and there is allways rest and rehab :).

Rehab, prehab, active recovery and dynamic stretching should be learnt before the word 'creakic' is even mentioned. I want to compete in the masters at some point, you want to be able to walk at a brisk pace when your over 60? Learn about it now, implement in your next session. Perform low impact cardio on a regular basis, as well as play casual sports. Keep on top of everything, and keep healthy.

[RBB]

bust your ass 3-4 times a week, nail your diet down, and get plenty of rest. that's all there is to it.

[Fuzzy]

Have a bloody good time every time!

[Songsangnim]

Short intense sessions, plenty of rest and food and don't obsess about one or two poor days. There will be better ones ahead. Also remember to have a life outside of the gym.

[PowerManDL]

To paraphrase Zatsiorsky (since there's nothing worse than a plagiarist):

"Work as heavy as possible as often as possible while staying as fresh as possible."

Add to that "stay as simple as you can until simple stops working".

[Portboy]

Wow, i must say thankyou very much for all these amazing responses!

Interesting stuff :read:

[bill]

Stick to the hardest exercises, they will usually yield the greatest result.