The Benefits of Weight Training

[EmptyneSs]

way off track buddy.



wanderlei does NOT look like a bodybuilder.

way off track buddy.



wanderlei does NOT look like a bodybuilder.

actually the real difference in the two is steroids. the guy on top is extremely roided out and oiled up, while silva looks natural the way someone would if they did bodybuilding without the steroids.silva is like 5'11 200 lbs, it takes some serious lifting and working out to get as built as he is man.just look at his trapz, they are huge. also just because someone does bodybuilding doesnt mean they have to look all roided out and nasty. i do bodybuilding, but i dont take roids, and im naturally slender, so i dont look that way, even though i do bodybuilding.


also personally i do many different things when it comes to working out. i like to mix it up alot. i dont do only isolation exersises the way u keep insisting for some reason. i used to do cardio for 30 min and then lift hard everytime i went to the gym, but now i usually do my cardio at the place i train at.the stuff i do at the health club is in addition to all the conditioning and weightless workouts my muay thai and boxing instructors make me do when i train. now i usually go to the health club 3 days a week, and train in martial arts 3 days. some days i do both.

i do all kinds of things man. pullups, dips, squats, deadlifts, bench press, military press, chinups, pullovers, pulldowns, rows, upright rows and so on......i mix it up alot and do lots of compound exersises. and thats in addition to exersises i have to do for muay thai and boxing man, like all the pushups, ab work, skipping, and weightless squats and conditioning drills.. also, im pretty damn flexible because i have to do tons of stretching for muay thai. my training reginmen is pretty rigorous man, and the results have been great so far.

[Infinite1]

Hey emptyness,

Ah...I see you do a lot of weightless exercise as well. Question about your stretching exercise. What types of stetching do you perform and how long do you stretch? I usually stretch about 15mins no more no less for quite sometime now and i can't seem to get passed my peak. Do you think that i should stretch longer? You're advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[GeorgeK]

Emptyness,

I actually just read that article. Sorry, I didn't take to read it before but based my opinion on your post. Yea, it's a good artlicle for someone to gain general knowledge on lifting. There is a part on circuit training and this is exactly what my strength and conditioning program is. Yor workout regimen is great. I didn't realize you do all that. However, you keep calling it bodybuilding. What this is is a strength and conditioning or crosstraining program. You do it to become stronger and more conditioned in addition to your sport. And I am all for that. Bodybuilding by definition is different. It's building your body to become bigger and to look better. The guys who get hooked on bodybuilding don't usually do any other sports and some ignore cardio, flexibility, etc. All they want is to get bigger and to look according to certain standards. And I don't like that. I beleive function (being able to throw a good punch or a roundhouse) is a lot better than form (having the V-shape and huge pecs). Emptyness, you are not a bodybuilder, you're an athlete who happens to lift hard in addition to his sport.


To answer Infinite's question about isolation moves. Your body is one unit. It moves as one unit. So it must be trained as a unit. Compound movements in which you use your whole body to do some work will do just that. Compound moves will also work other fitness attributess that we need for everyday life, longevity, and sports such as quickness, flexibility, accuracy, coordination, strength, stamina, etc. And those smaller muscles that people at gyms like to isolate will also get worked when you do compound ones. By compound moves I mean clean and jerks, snatches, squats, deadlift, pull-ups. chin-ups, push-ups, burpees, push-presses, push jerks, overhead squats, etc. The isolation moves that I think are totally useless are becep and leg curls, tricep and leg extensions, traps, foraram curls, lat pull-downs, calf raises, shoulder lateral raises in different directions. Basically, what you see bodybuilders and people at the gym do all the time. Time doing them could be spent developing sport skills or practicing more important, compound moves. Get a qualified coach to learn these if you have to. Once you get a hang of them, you will love them. You will feel your body working as one unit when you're cleaning or jerking that weight overhead.

Check out Crossfit.com. People who have tried it, report amazing results. It's a s&c program that combines Olympic lifts, some gymnastics, running, medicine balls, kettlebell lifting, etc. The message board has some really smart people. It will answer many of the questions you might have when it comes to working out, sports, etc. Some famous MMA gus like BJ Penn made it their program.

[EmptyneSs]

yeah i guess i shouldnt call it bodybuilding, but the reason i do is because i do want to build myself a better body for the sake of appearance, but that isnt my only goal. i mean, i wanna look nice for the ladies no doubt, but i also want to be a good athlete.

as for the stretching, i do about 15 min of stretching in my muay thai classes. 15 min is fine as long as u are really trying to hold the stretches and u stretch ur whole body.the stretches we do are lead by one of the instructors, and it covers everything. u just have to try and stretch further each time. if it hurts, fine, just try to hold the stretch as long as possible before the pain is too much. little by little you will get better and better at it.