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OP, there are so many benefits to lifting weights that it is almost a "magic bullet" type of activity. I won't list those here because most people already have talked about most of the benefits and you can look them up.
It sounds like your main goal is hypertrophy (building muscle). I haven't followed your posts, but I have to wonder if you have ever posted the routines you are doing and how long you have been doing them. If you would do that, I'm sure people could give you good advice in terms of making your current routines more effective. More than likely, you either haven't been lifting long enough and/or your routines aren't very effective for developing hypertrophy.
You need to get back to Colorado, spending more $ on the toys than the vehicle is more a Colorado thing than an East Coast thing.
And I agree on the posture improvement from weights!
First chance I get I'm moving back. While I don't dislike living here on the East Coast there is a lot about me that screams "Colorado!" One of these days...
Why would you subject yourself to two hours of misery every other day "for yourself" when you could be doing something that is more self-serving?
Some people probably do somewhat enjoy lifting weights but that is a very small minority with twisted interests and even this enjoyment is just a by-product of the primary benefit that lifting weights will offer you(more attention). Overall lifting weights is monotonous, boring and simply a necessary chore that must be done in order to harness the best of what your genetics has to offer. I don't see how anyone can pick lifting weights monotonously in a sterile, cold gym over taking a hike through nature where all your senses are actively engaged and enriched by lush greenery, salt-tinged oceans or any other natural beauty that was meant for us to actually enjoy.
Lifting weights is a self-consuming activity with a primary goal of increasing your stock value, plain and simple. If you didn't care about what other people thought then there are millions of other activities to engage in that would give you PRIMARILY pleasure AND a nice exercise all at the same time...playing with your dog, kayaking, rock climbing, surfing, basketball, soccer, swimming, etc.
Let's not even get into the amount of stress that people go through to calculate their meals and amount of nutrition that they need to consume for "gains." Nobody enjoys this crap and if you do then you are a masochistic fool.
I get what the OP is saying. There is a "primal" satisfaction that comes from engaging in combat sports. There is a mental release when one completes a complex intellectual pursuit like chess.
Weightlifting doesn't really have any of that. You aren't eve competing against another person. Not to mention most people in the gym work in the 8-10 rep range, which happens to be the hypertrophic range, what a coincidence.
This is why my favorite people at the gym are the ones that just come right out and say they want to "fill out their t-shirt."
I get what the OP is saying. There is a "primal" satisfaction that comes from engaging in combat sports. There is a mental release when one completes a complex intellectual pursuit like chess.
Weightlifting doesn't really have any of that. You aren't eve competing against another person. Not to mention most people in the gym work in the 8-10 rep range, which happens to be the hypertrophic range, what a coincidence.
This is why my favorite people at the gym are the ones that just come right out and say they want to "fill out their t-shirt."
Perhaps not to you or the OP, but many would disagree. And one need not compete against another person to compete. The most ferocious competitor I've ever faced was myself. Furthermore a lot of people work in that 8-10 rep range out of a comfort-based routine. That was me for a long time: religiously performing 3x8,10,12 because I was hesitant to try heavier weight levels. This is not to say everyone who uses that range is doing so for that reason, but (and this would be hard to quantify, I acknowledge) my guess is many of them are.
Let's not even get into the amount of stress that people go through to calculate their meals and amount of nutrition that they need to consume for "gains." Nobody enjoys this crap and if you do then you are a masochistic fool.
Perhaps not to you or the OP, but many would disagree. And one need not compete against another person to compete. The most ferocious competitor I've ever faced was myself. Furthermore a lot of people work in that 8-10 rep range out of a comfort-based routine. That was me for a long time: religiously performing 3x8,10,12 because I was hesitant to try heavier weight levels. This is not to say everyone who uses that range is doing so for that reason, but (and this would be hard to quantify, I acknowledge) my guess is many of them are.
I admit I may have been way too extreme with my previous post, but I would be willing to bet that if 5x5 made people swole instead of these 8,10,12 sets, the entire gym would be doing them.
You are the exception and the gym could use more people like you, most people only think about hypertrophy when they work out.
Next time you go to the gym, tell me how many people you see deadlift 5x5 or something similar.
5x5 is 87-90% of 1RM. You are not going to see folks doing 87-90% of their 1rm at 8-12. Besides what you see at gym has no bearing on self as goals are different. Then there is knowledge. In another post here folks were promoting light cable work but for Appearance which is immaterial to those with different goals.
A gym is a place to train or exercise or screw around. If I go to a gym and 99 other people are screwing around it does not equate to my reason for being there.
Many will argue, well, I lift weights for health, WRONG, you don't have to lift heavy weights to improve your health and physical stamina/endurance/cardiovascular health. There are many other of activities and exercises, which will keep you at top health for years to come, that don't involve lifting weights.
If you do a lot of physical labor (either for work or play) strength training gives you the ability to lift properly. If you have adequate strength in your shoulders and legs, you can properly pick up heavy things from a squatting position rather than trying to use your back as a lever, which will eventually end in injury. I heat my home primarily with wood and get a great workout from splitting, stacking, and moving wood, but often when I'm trying to buck large logs and move the rounds afterwards I wish that I had more strength in my legs. The same goes for when snow season comes and I'm trying to maneuver loaded tires and wheel weights into position on my tractor.
I admit I may have been way too extreme with my previous post, but I would be willing to bet that if 5x5 made people swole instead of these 8,10,12 sets, the entire gym would be doing them.
Why is this a problem? Both approaches can lead to big gains in strength and health.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MickeyDickey
You are the exception and the gym could use more people like you, most people only think about hypertrophy when they work out.
Flattered as I am, I'm also a bit confused why this is a problem. Why does the gym need more people like me just because my training approach? What's wrong with hypertrophy? Oh, and would it change your mind about me if I told you I also still use a lot of hypertrophy on most of my accessory exercises? I do a high weight/low rep program for my main lifts (bench press, squat, deadlift, barbell row and OH press) and 3x8,10,12 on other exercises.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MickeyDickey
Next time you go to the gym, tell me how many people you see deadlift 5x5 or something similar.
Honestly it's about half and half. But that's irrelevant to me because I honestly don't think someone is wrong just because their approach is oriented toward hypertrophy. I moved away from that and found something better for me. But that doesn't mean my approach is better for everyone.
I'm fine with people working out however they want. I'm just saying that the OP is on to something. If people really lifted for health, the squat rack would never be available. There's no debating that if our society valued the "figure skater" build, men would be on the elliptical or some other cardio machine in no time.
I'm not hating. In fact, I still commend these people for doing some form of strength training, but it's tough to debate people lift to look good, it shows in their choice of lifts and their set/rep combo.
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