Why do people lift weights... without weights?

[Tom Yum]

I lift light weights with 'explosive' concentric movement (the pushing away of push excercises etc.) and high repetitions. The benefit I am looking to achieve is power-endurance, allthough muscular definition just happens to occur as a result of this routine.

I also do light weight circuit work, where I go from excercise to excercise with no rest until I complete the circuit.

This keeps me explosive and quick as time moves on. I can explode off my feet to snap a punch in the 5th round just as well as the 2nd round.
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Before I started back in the ring, I lifted heavy weights to build my limit strength and add a few additional lbs to move up a weight division.

[Thai Bri]

Originally posted by Turing
Throwing your back when curling is bad. But a somewhat controlled cheat, where you utilize the back a little, allows a lot more weight which will help overload the muscles more, and in turn stimulate growth. The key is moderation.

No, it stimulates the ego more. Using momentum to lift the weight does allow for more weight, but it stimulates the muscles LESS.

[terry]

Originally posted by Thai Bri
No, it stimulates the ego more. Using momentum to lift the weight does allow for more weight, but it stimulates the muscles LESS.

Thai Br, I refuse to get dragged down into the childishness that you seem determined, doggedly, to provoke. Either clean up your act and make a positive contribution or get off this site.

It's not ego, it's training methodology. (That is supposed to be the subject under discussion here.) Whereas bodybuilding methods emphasize muscle isolation, powerlifting methods emphasize neuromuscular coordination of multiple muscle groups into a single explosive effort. The squat, bench press and deadlift all utilize multiple muscle groups simultaneously. That is also why strength athletes, such as powerlifters, like other compound resistance training exercises such as dragging a sled. FYI--the women at my gym do hammer curls with 80-90 lbs.

[Lizard]

Originally posted by terry

Thai Br, I refuse to get dragged down into the childishness that you seem determined, doggedly, to provoke. Either clean up your act and make a positive contribution or get off this site.

I don't think he meant to provoke childishness.

But I agree that his opninion is inaccurate. If you do an action that requires your full effort then it makes you stronger. In a way it is impossible to cheat, as long as you are doing your best, muscles will improve. "Cheating" only means that you are using muscles other than the ones most people would use.

[terry]

Originally posted by Lizard

If you do an action that requires your full effort then it makes you stronger. In a way it is impossible to cheat, as long as you are doing your best, muscles will improve. "Cheating" only means that you are using muscles other than the ones most people would use.

Yep. The objective with that kind of training method is:

1) To mobilize the maximum number of muscle motor units, not just the slow twitch ones.
2) To increase straining ability
3) To increase coordination between muscle groups.

If you do these after you do deadlifts and rows there won't be that much left in your back anyway.

[Lizard]

In fact, "cheating" may be the best thing. You want to get maximum force into the movement.

Person A does bicep curls "properly", person B "cheats"

For some reason there is a life or death situation and they need to lift something useing the same sort of movement that is used for a bicep curl.

Person B is more likely to do it because he has trained for maximum lifting ability regardless of the muscles used, person A has restricted himself during his training and won't lift as well as he could.

[terry]

The way I figure it, throwing an uppercut is an explosive compound motion using many muscle groups. So it might help to do supplemental strength training with an explosive compound motion. That's not a substitute for throwing a bunch of uppercuts on a bag, on focus mitts and also in sparring, but it's probably a good supplement.

The trouble I have is in doing explosive compound strength training specific to the hook. The hook gets thrown when your deltoids are maxed out. I'm a little shy of doing deltoid training for explosiveness. Everybody I talk to is always trying to protect from a shoulder injury.

[Thai Bri]

Originally posted by terry


Thai Br, I refuse to get dragged down into the childishness that you seem determined, doggedly, to provoke. Either clean up your act and make a positive contribution or get off this site.

It's not ego, it's training methodology. (That is supposed to be the subject under discussion here.) Whereas bodybuilding methods emphasize muscle isolation, powerlifting methods emphasize neuromuscular coordination of multiple muscle groups into a single explosive effort. The squat, bench press and deadlift all utilize multiple muscle groups simultaneously. That is also why strength athletes, such as powerlifters, like other compound resistance training exercises such as dragging a sled. FYI--the women at my gym do hammer curls with 80-90 lbs.

Actually I was making a serious point, and it is a positive contribution. You're too far up youre own back-side to see things clearly.

Thanks for educating me about the Squat etc. which I already know about, but the post referred to was about cheating on the barbell curl. Hardly a power lift.

If you're going to ban me, just do it. But don't be so desperate to cry foul because someone dares disagree with the points you put out. You are not infallible, Your Highness.

ps - wasn't it a coincidence that all trace of Bri Thai disapeared from te forum a few weeks ago. A courageous internet Ninja Assasination, or someone with a bit of power on an internet forum taking themselves too seriously and letting it go to their head...............

[terry]

I was talking about doing curls w/ a powerlifting methodology.

Terry

P.S.: I wasn't involved in sitebanning you last time and found out only after the fact.

[Lizard]

I'm suprised that whoever banned Bri Thai didn't ban Thai Bri. Perhaps it was supposed to be a second chance.

[Kilo5518]

I have spent a lot of this year getting pretty much away from weight training. I spent most of my life lifting weights but decided to try something differant this year. I do a ton of body weight exercise now- Hindu Squats, Hindu Pushups, Bear Crawls, Pullups etc. and lot of bag work. I still lift hard one day a week but I seldom rest between sets even though I use heavy weight on some things. I feel a lot better and my joints don't ache like they used to. On the mat, I feel a lot faster and more flexible without any noticable strength loss. I am about fifteen pounds lighter, my bench went down about twenty pounds on max, but I can run a lot longer and a lot faster. My mat endurance was about the same both ways.

I'm not sure I'll do this forever but it is working for now. This is for me, with my body type also. I might think differantly if I had a problem with strength on the mat before.

I would suggest that serious weight lifters take a break once in awhile and push themselves totally with bodyweight training. It is a entirely differant workout when count totally on it to burn yourself out.

I don't know how it would work for someone who was weak and trying to build mass or strength though.

When building a body- everything works, but nothing works for long.