Introduction to Lifting

#10

Yes @Jacquie, I have also adapted the BBS program to some extent. But it has given me a good grounding and guides my attitude to lifting. I tend to do a bit bigger range of exercises but mostly keep to single set to near failure. My training would not exceed 30 minutes in and out of the gym, usually about twice a week. In my mid 60s I definitely want to build and maintain my strength and all the health advantages that go with that.

(Dave) #11

I love lifting weights… Been doing it for 25 years and I am an addict… Seems to fix a bad day time and time again… If you get up everyday and do something hard, everything else somehow seems easier… My advice would be to don’t get stuck doing the same sort of thing for to long because this will limit your growth… Get out and do something really hard not just the same thing you where doing a year ago… Go to that dark place occasionally and revel in being a bad arse!

#12

Yes @joel.chandler, also agree. Lately I’m really understanding through doing that the aim of the game for me is to use weights to work my muscles rather than to use my muscles to move the maximum weight.
Drew Baye explains it well: http://baye.com/focus-on-your-muscles/

(Jesus Herrera) #13

I’ve been on keto 6 weeks now, and I am beginning with this training of more reps and low weight. I also agree it is the best. Already lost 26 pounds and taking care of my body !!

(joelchandler) #14

Be careful with more reps… slow reps mean you get the same stress but you get to focus on the correct form.

(Rick) #15

Big fan of heavy weight, lower reps and compound movements here. Plus a couple of long endurance runs with a dash of HIIT per week to keep the training multifaceted. It’s worked surprisingly well in my keto journey these last 10 months. YMMV though.

High intensity vs. low intensity cardio for fat loss?
Body by Science - Slow burn
(Jamie Hayes) #16

I’m going to add to Joel’s share, but target my reply to those who wish to do a total-body strength routine in a gym, but don’t have a lot of time or can’t attend more than twice per week.

This weight training method uses very safe super-slow technique. I’m an advanced lifter and do this once a week, and my dear mother (now passed) used this same routine in her 70’s, doubling and tripling her strength with just two 30-minute sessions per week.

Now, in a gym you have a choice of 3 types of strength training equipment and modes:

1. Pin loaded machines - also called “selectorized”. These typically work each group of muscles in a fixed plane of motion and offer safety advantages for new users and allow experienced lifters to exercise safely at high intensity without a “spotter” or personal trainer.
2. Free weights - With free weights it is up to the user to control the plane of motion of the weight. This requires some skill development.
3. Functional exercises - designed to mimic many body movements used in everyday life - typically done in supervised small groups or with personal training.

Unfortunately most gyms today have unbundled their service offering and so if you want any programming advice you pay a personal trainer. However, this can be a good investment to get you started, properly and safely.

I’m now going to narrow my remarks to pin-loaded equipment training.

The first step is exercise selection for a whole body routine. You want a choice of exercises that work as much of your muscle mass, as many of your muscles as possible. (Muscles help in glucose management. Strong toned muscles do a better job.)

Let’s make a point. Just because you do this routine in a gym, it does not mean that you don’t also seize every other opportunity to exercise your body, at home and outdoors.

The choice below are all “compound exercises”. These are 2-joint or 3-joint exercises that use a number of muscles at the same time - for greater efficiency. So here is a world-standard routine.

Lower Body

  1. Leg press - Yep just one exercise that works mainly the big muscles: glutes, quads

Upper Body
2. Pushing: Chest Press - works the muscles in the front of the shoulders, chest and triceps at the back of the arms.
3. Pulling: Seated Row (supported) - works the muscles of the upper back, back of shoulders and biceps at the front of your arms.
4. Pushing: Shoulder Press - works the shoulder muscles and triceps - in a different plane of motion.
5. Pulling: Pull Down - works the back and biceps - in a different plane of motion.

The next question to address is the amount of weight, reps and sets stuff.

Before addressing this question, it’s important to understand what you are trying to do with strength training (also called weight lifting). The goal is to give your muscles an adaptive stimulus to signal them to get stronger. (Ladies, don’t worry about them growing bigger. Most males struggle, despite having more growth hormone testosterone.)

The adaptive stimulus comes from asking each set of muscles to do a little more than you feel they are capable of - one to two times per week on every exercise. Muscles don’t actually get stronger whilst you are in the gym lifting weights, but as a direct result of the overload stimulus you’ve given them, from the effort you made on the last rep of each exercise. No effort = no adaptation. You have to constantly aim for a “PB” Personal Best.

Back to the routine. Muscles can’t count reps and sets. All they understand is the amount of tension (weight), the duration under which they have been kept under tension and the degree of effort (also called overload) you choose at the end of each exercise. Many trainers use a term “time under tension”. The correct term should be “time until fatigue”.

For each exercise, I’d suggest you choose a weight that is light enough that you can keep it moving with good controlled form for at least 60 seconds. Do as many slow controlled repetitions as possible. If you can keep it going for 90 seconds or longer, use a slightly heavier weight (around 5% more) when you next come to the gym.

For most people, the ideal Strength Adaptation Stimulus comes from getting your muscles to fatigue in the sweet spot between 60 and 90 seconds. (For advanced trainers, fatigue will mean failure to being able to complete the last repetition.)

With this routine, where a “set” lasts much longer than the traditional fast-moving 10-rep set (around 20 seconds), you’ll actually be using a lighter weight. Therefore, the first few reps act as warm up reps and there’s no requirement to do a “warm up set”. (Saves time)

The next concept is learning how to do strength exercises with controlled super-slow methodology. This is where you aim for each rep to last 10 seconds, lifting for 5 seconds and lowering for 5 seconds, never resting, never stabbing or jerking, and never locking out the joints. Just breath naturally without holding your breath. I use an alternative super-super-slow routine lifting for 10 seconds and lowering for 10 seconds, using an even lighter weight.

On each exercise, do as many reps as you can tolerate. As you get more accustomed to training your tolerance will improve.

I’d strongly recommend that you keep a record of every session showing the weights used and the total time until fatigue (or number of controlled reps).

You can certainly replicate the routine above with free weights (dumbells, barbells etc) and body weight (push up and pull ups), but these require a higher skill level.

Finally, what about abdominal muscles? With all the exercises above you should be using your abdominal torso muscles for core stability to maintain good form and posture. The most common question I get asked in the gym is “What’s a good exercise for my tummy/gut?” to which I respond “Do you want to strengthen the muscles underneath the fat, or get the fat off the existing tummy muscles that you can’t see?” The answer is usually the latter, to which I respond “That you will achieve with the right food choices for your body.” But feel free to add core activities.

The combination of a keto lifestyle and regular resistance training can really lead to long term quality of life. Dentists get asked “Which teeth should I floss?” They answer “Only the ones you wish to keep!” It’s the same with strength training and maintaining good muscular-skeletal strength for life.

Happy training!

(betsy.rome) #17

@JamieHayes thanks for the in-depth info.
Do you have any leg training advice for a 60-ish female with one knee replacement & the other knee needs replacing? I want to start in at the gym building my quads but don’t want to hurt myself. 2 years since my knee replacement, still have limited range of motion & some pain & swelling. Am I better off just on the stationary bike?

(Jamie Hayes) #18

Betsy,

It’s hard to give specific advice without being face to face to witness your abilities and limitations. For instance it would be good to know if you can walk up and down stairs unassisted without holding onto a hand rail.

But generally speaking, any lower body activities that you do daily from home or regularly at the gym should help. From home you should walk, take stairs and hills, if you can. If you have a pool, lap walking can be good. Look for small challenges that require some effort, and increase as you get stronger.

In the gym, it would be great to pay for some sessions with a certified personal trainer. There are many versions of the leg press and squat that can be done with a limited range, which you have. This is somewhat equipment-dependent.

In regards to your limited range of motion, this is where post-operative physical therapy comes into play. You may want to investigate this. Physical therapy can use assisted range-of-motion stretching to help loosen tight joints.

I assume that you have good walking/athletic shoes, for your gait. I replace mine regularly and get a video gait-analysis to ensure that the shoes I choose compensate for any pronation or supination of my feet. The wrong shoes, or shoes whose support is worn out, can be a cause/contributor to knee pain. Check this out!

It’s a pity that you have pain and swelling 2 years later. If you’re considering the other knee, you may want to get the surgeon to investigate the pain and swelling first.

As you’re on the keto forum, I’m assuming that you’re on a ketogenic diet, avoiding manufactured polyunsaturated seed oils that may be inflammatory, and you’re well hydrated. You’d be gluten free of course. Whether supplemental high-dose fish oil and/or tumeric make a difference to your inflammation might be worth an N=1 experiment.

I realise that visits with personal trainers, physical therapists and doctors cost money. But your body and health are your most important assets.

When doing any new exercise or increasing the volume, weights or intensity, you must listen to your body and be sensible. Be aware that the exercise dose-response process can incur some delayed muscle soreness a day or two later. That’s OK and part of the process as long as it is not too much. Be sensible of course, by making increases gradual.

Good luck Betsy.

(betsy.rome) #19

No, I need the rail. I can go upstairs leg-over-leg, downstairs one at a time. Almost enough ROM, I can do it with 2 hand rails.[quote=“JamieHayes, post:18, topic:449”]
It’s a pity that you have pain and swelling 2 years later. If you’re considering the other knee, you may want to get the surgeon to investigate the pain and swelling first.
[/quote]

Yeah, I’m one the the few who are not happy with their TKR. I have a hereditary low pain tolerance, which did not allow post-op PT to be productive enough; they threw me back in the hospital for a manipulation under anesthesia which did not help my bend, which remains 90-105°. I’m currently is starting up on the bike again and swimming when I can fit it in. 2nd opinion surgeon said, that’s the breaks. [quote=“JamieHayes, post:18, topic:449”]
I’m assuming that you’re on a ketogenic diet
[/quote]

Correctuamundo! Keto has allowed me to lose 30 lbs which has helped my knees immensely. 20 to go. All good advice, and I will check out the gait analysis, good idea. You sound like a good trainer! I’ll try to find a local one before I start lifting.

(Jamie Hayes) #20

Continued weight loss to an optimum weight will make life and all physical activities easier.

(Keto Krazy) #21

@joel.chandler I was fortunate enough to be able to attend this seminar in person and meet Doug. I used Nautilus machines many years ago and have been trying to get back to weight lifting and Body by Science has been of major interest to me. Your explanations above and below are fabulous, and actually clarified a couple of things for me. I thank you so much for taking the time to write all this out.:gift_heart:

(Jamie Hayes) #22

The pleasure is all mine Joel. Let me know if you have an specific questions. I’m sure you’ll write something on a topic that I’ll enjoy as well. Happy training.

PS I train on MedX equipment created by Arthor Jones, inventor of Nautilus.

(Connor L) #23

I do Stronglifts 5x5. Anything wrong with that?

(Chris Bair) #24

Nope, that’s what I’m doing (again). Nice and simple, the mobile app is freaking awesome.

#25

love it and will be starting my 4th round in a couple of weeks.

(Jo Lo) #26

Lifting is a sore point with me, pun intended. I’ve done Crossfit for two years, but last month wrecked my lower back doing multiple heavy deadlifts as part of a 25 minute WOD. I did about 50 70% deadlifts in 25 minutes. The trainer was screaming “Go Go Go Lift Heavy!”, and I thought I could do it, but it was clearly too much. The next day was painful and I still can’t quite turn around, nearly 4 weeks later. When I mentioned it to a trainer they tried to blame me for “poor form” (not the workout for being frigging nuts).

At the same time I had been doing the Big 5 once a week after reading BBS with great interest, and listening to Doug’s videos. I had just listened to one in which Doug said that “Olympic lifts were never designed to be done in high reps, as they do in Crossfit”. Ah men Doug.

I plan to keep doing the BBS Big 5 because there’s little or no chance of injury and I’m seeing good improvement. However, I have become skeptical of doing multiple heavy Olympic lifts for time, regardless of who is yelling at me…

(Jeff Ryan) #27

The thing about Crossfit is that you’re aim is to do as much reps possible in a given time. Now once fatigue your body will start losing form and if you keep going could injury yourself. So it’s a sport you really need to be careful of knowing when to stop. I see alot of people injure themselves due to poor form in Cross fit.

(Jamie Hayes) #28

I’d never do fast lifts.

I like safety and effectiveness of super slow technique. You actually use about 25-30% lower weight too.

Remember that “Muscles can’t count reps!” They only respond to the tension you place them under and the degree of overload/effort from the very last rep.

In my humble view, muscles can’t count sets either. I like doing one “full set” that takes around 90 seconds to get to total muscular failure to create safe inroad. I’d be interested to know what is the duration of your average set.

(Jo Lo) #29

Good comments, Jamie. I agree completely.

The crossfit workouts are one hour, with often about 15-20 minutes spent lifting either working up to a one rep max, or as part of other things in a WOD.

The BBS workouts are 10-15 minutes, as explained by Dr. McGuff, and adequate to reach complete failure.