Bullshido weightlifting semantics?

**daishi** · Posted On: 1/12/2012 10:21pm

I'm bad at math, so when I bench I literally say what I'm benching....ie "yeah, doing 45's, 25's, and 10's today, bro." I think its laziness as much as bad math. But I actually have wondered if people count their lift other than by totaling the weight. And now I know. Guten.

**driver** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 1:45am

To tell you the truth, I DO NOT count the total weight when I'm lifting at my home gym, but I count only the weight in each side of the barbell, and that's why I have a small personal best increment every single time(no matter what bodypart I exercise) . That's MY way of overcoming my mind's "fear" of... going too heavy :lol:

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 1:55am

Maybe an additional question.

I have been, especially lately, been told pretty often that I should use the same weight on the barbell while I exercise EVERYTHING, and simply max out reps. Seems sort of logical to me, to fight imbalances.

What would you have to say to that?

**Lindz** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 2:10am

I would say lol wut?

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 2:18am

Well, there are those circuit programs that are based on it...

**Lindz** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 2:26am

What are your goals?

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 2:28am

Being strong, and staying healthy.
I am not particularly ambitious, apart from that.

**driver** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 2:29am

A few questions:
How long are you lifting, what experience do you have?
Who exactly told you to exercise everything with the same weight?
Are you lifting in a "bodybuliding type" gym? (When I started out, I used to hear all kind of crazy stuff-myths)
What are your goals?
Are you still devoting a separate training day doing only biceps/triceps?

It's DEFINETLY bullshido, what you've been told, mate. I do not train to "look-like-x/impress" or to do bodybuliding-type routines(I WASTED some years doing that, unfortunately) . I do train for strength and power, nowdays, breaking my personal best's every couple of weeks(with small increments, but still... )

There's some nice programs like 5/3/1 and other like that(just search it and read them), and you can experiment with them(at some point later, you might adjust such a program a bit, to your own personal goals, but you should definetly try one) .

As for imbalances, it goes well to add a pull after each push (e.g.: do a bench set, followed by a pull-up/chin-up/row) .
You should also work your extensors with small bands(it helps dealing with tendonitis/tennis elbow or keep them strong to avoid it), do a bit grip sometimes(if you don't do something like Judo/wrestling/bjj ) .

Anyway, there're people here that can offer much better advice than me.

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 4:49am

Thanks, man.

I should clarify, I go to the gym since 2002.

The thing is, I literally started in a "McFit", and never got any sort of formal instruction. So far, I am doing well, though I obviously miss some stuff. I am a huge Ross-Emanait-whore, though, and try to replicate his programs (kind of a proto-crossfit). But, of course, I am not into it like a pro.

As to the rep-thing, I was really just curious. Personally, I wouldn't do that, and I don't think the guy who wanted to convince me has much of an idea.

**Diesel_tke** · Posted On: 1/13/2012 8:13am

Let me explain why that is a bad idea. All of our muscles are different size, different motions, and have different strength capabilities. Say you wanted to do bicep curls and rows. First the lats are the largest muscles in the body. The biceps are about the size of a tennis ball. Why would anyone think that these two muscle groups would get an equal workout with the same amount of weight? Also they are complimenting muscle groups. So the biceps are going to get a workout when you do the rows.

But keeping that as a separate issue, do some rows with an amount of weigh that gives you a good workout, you should not be able to curl that amount.

Using chest and tris is the same argument. Now a push pull as in chest vs lats will be closer, and opposing. But each one should be pushed to its limit. Not held back by the other. Otherwise, what is the point of even using weights?

Can you do the same amount of pullups as you can pushups? Say you can only do 10 pullups. If you only did a pushup workout with 10 pushups are you going to get a good workout?