Posted: 8/10/2015 2:42:26 PM EDT
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If there’s any one thing I've learned from 50+ years of lifting, it’s that your worst enemy is burnout. Burnout happens when you’re doing too much, too often and your brain starts inventing reasons for skipping workouts. Pretty soon, it’s been weeks since you went to the gym and you’ve gotten out of the routine and you’re looking at a month just to get back to where you were.
Now, those of you who are hard-core gym rats and love working out more than sex, that’s not a problem. For the rest of us who want to be strong and fit and look good, burnout is a serious issue. I’m going to be 70 in about 6 months. I’m 5’9” and weigh 145. I have a 31” waist and a 44” chest. I can do 80+ pushups in a minute, 90-100 in one set and 16 dead-hang pullups. I work out 3 times a week and do 4-5 exercises per workout. I can do anything I could do 35 years ago and often much more. Factor #1: I eat half to three-quarters of what I want. I eat what I want, just not as much as I what. Factor #2: I don’t drink soda. At all. Ever. Empty calories and there’s no telling what’s actually in that crap. Factor #3: Rest. Three workouts per week is plenty to stimulate muscle growth. More isn’t necessarily better. Factor #4: Strip sets. Instead of doing several sets with increasing weight, I do one set starting with max weight, do as many reps as I can (at least 12), drop to the next lower weight, do as many as I can and so on, usually doing 4 “strips”. By the time I’m finished, my muscles are screaming. Factor #5: Four or five exercises per workout, a half hour on the treadmill, pushing hard and I’m out of the gym. I look forward to every workout. My enthusiasm stays high. Factor #6: I don’t warm up. I know, all the books say to warm up, but I don’t. Why? Because one of the reasons I stay in shape is so that I can perform in an emergency. When it hits the fan, or when your buddy tells you to pick up one end of a heavy sofa that’s going into the truck, there’s no time to warm up. You have to be ready. So, that’s my formula for success. It’s not for everyone, but it’s based on decades of screwing up and following many wrong paths. Have fun. |
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Nice work and way to stay after it.
Quoted:
Factor #6: I don’t warm up. I know, all the books say to warm up, but I don’t. Why? Because one of the reasons I stay in shape is so that I can perform in an emergency. When it hits the fan, or when your buddy tells you to pick up one end of a heavy sofa that’s going into the truck, there’s no time to warm up. You have to be ready. I don't really agree with this part. You should always warmup when lifting heavy. Lifting a back pack when it hits the fan or a one end of a 100# sofa is one thing but not warming up to do a 500# deadlift or a 300# bench is not smart. Also not warming up and lifting one end of a sofa on a weekend is how a lot of people get hurt. |
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Quoted:
Nice work and way to stay after it. I don't really agree with this part. You should always warmup when lifting heavy. Lifting a back pack when it hits the fan or a one end of a 100# sofa is one thing but not warming up to do a 500# deadlift or a 300# bench is not smart. Also not warming up and lifting one end of a sofa on a weekend is how a lot of people get hurt. Quoted:
Nice work and way to stay after it. Quoted:
Factor #6: I don’t warm up. I know, all the books say to warm up, but I don’t. Why? Because one of the reasons I stay in shape is so that I can perform in an emergency. When it hits the fan, or when your buddy tells you to pick up one end of a heavy sofa that’s going into the truck, there’s no time to warm up. You have to be ready. I don't really agree with this part. You should always warmup when lifting heavy. Lifting a back pack when it hits the fan or a one end of a 100# sofa is one thing but not warming up to do a 500# deadlift or a 300# bench is not smart. Also not warming up and lifting one end of a sofa on a weekend is how a lot of people get hurt. Agreed. I spend a long time warming up to lift heavy. That doesn't mean I'm not capable of doing something right fucking now if the SHTF. I carried my buddy back to the Stryker when he got shot in Mosul. I assure you I didn't stretch beforehand. Still a good post, Japle. |
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As to warming up, if I was into “heavy” lifting by my definition – 4, 6 or 8 reps with max weight – I would warm up. But that’s not what I’m doing.
I use the heaviest weight I can handle for 12-15+ reps and then strip off 10-15 lbs and do another 8-? reps, strip again and do it again, then again. I’m not as interested in raw power as I am in performance-on-demand and endurance. The weight I use depends on the exercise, of course. For instance, I used to start with 260 lbs for 12-15 reps on seated low rows. I thought I could do it, but the weight was too much and I damaged my left biceps tendon. Too much weight without a warmup. I got overconfident and hurt myself. Result: eight weeks of physical therapy. Live and learn. Now, I use 160, 140, 120 and 100 lbs. With 160, I can do 20-24 reps and the total for the strip set is about 65-70 reps in around 2 ½ minutes. I use the same weight for pulldowns, then do BD curls, DB shrugs and abs, then on to the treadmill. I have four routines, two push and two pull, so I don’t get bored doing the same thing too often. As I said, this isn’t for everyone. I want to stay hard and fit so I can enjoy my retirement and live long enough that medical science can make me immortal ;). I plan to live forever and so far I’m right on schedule! |