AGREE OR DISAGREE

[rl3355]

From an old Flex mag Dec 91:

Tim Belknap: "Andreas Cahling and Serge Nubret both told me at one point that the only way to continually improve and maintain longevity in bodybuilding is to train with high intensity and not necessarily with ultrapoundages. Because I'm a competitive bodybuilder I have a desire to train to the upper limits of my capacity but I have to force myself to pull back a bit on the weight and increase intensity."

What's your take?

 

[thenatural3456]

Well id say i have to agree, alot of the weights those guys use continuously over and over can really imo take a toll on your body, but then at the same time sometimes i think that the body adapts so i guess im torn, i mean this in a respectful way maybe some of the older guys can comment having experience Bb'ing for a while

 

[thebrick]

From my own experience, I agree 100%. The ultra heavy weight takes a toll on the joints over time. I concentrate more on intensity as I have put the years behind me.

 

[km2000]

ya agree

theres a differance between lifting the weight and feeling the muscle lift the weight.....

 

[Big Danny]

Depend on somone's goals. I agree that is very healthy this way,is in a way like an aerobic session, but I'm not sure if is the best way to develop muscle on the long run.

 

[Boo]

Years ago I read/looked at a formula for intensity. It went something like . . .


" Mass X Volume / Time = Intensity." It stated if you alter any variable in that equation, you alter intensity.

I have always chosen to alter time . . . the less rest between sets and my intensity goes up. As a younger bodybuilder, I'd increase weight, but age makes one cautious about that. I have a specific range of poundages I use ( eg: 30's to 110's on DBell inclines) depending on where I am in the range the rest time could be as low as 15 seconds, but never longer than 30 sec's. Once or twice a year, I might use go to 120's for 10 or so, but I gotta be feeling good with no stiffness what so ever.

I guess in short I agree.

Boo

 

[Magnum]

" Mass X Volume / Time = Intensity." Boo

Wrong.

 

[shuntzu]

Agree. Going very heavy all the time is hard on the joints. Less rest between sets, higher volume and good form for all the reps is the way I take at present. And absolutely no forced reps. It seems to be working, cause I have had less injuries this past year, and the old ones are not hurting so often.

 

[Shelby]

I watched an IFBB pro at my gym train chest last night. He's over 40 (42 maybe? Did the Master's Olympia last year) and he's doing the Europa this year, maybe the NY Pro too. Anyways, he was training chest on a machine (I've seen him train chest before, on a different machine - Hammer Strength- but he trained the same way as last night) ... what he does is either a regular drop set or a triple drop set.. starts at 15-20 reps with a heavy (relative) weight, then drops it and maybe 5 seconds later cranks out another 15 or so reps. He did at least 3 of these drop sets, taking turns with his partner. Seems like a lot of reps to me, not enough stimulation.. but obviously it's working for him.. not sure how he trained when he was younger either..

 

[leegee38]

When I trained with Tim Belknap (just once) he used pretty doggone heavy weights with a fairly ballistic rep style. Maybe he altered his style to try to achieve that longevity, but that is definitely NOT how he built his body.

 

[JohnnyPro]

When you're young you can get away with using heavy weights all the time, and if you get injured you can recover quickly. As you get older injuries take a lot longer to heal. Serge Nubret rested very short time between sets and did not use heavy weights. I think using lighter weights will work as long as the intensity is there. Intensity can be increased in many different ways, such as rest time between sets, drop sets, super sets, higher reps, etc.

 

[skookum]

I would have to agree with this - as long as the trainee has had several years of heavy mass building behind them & the "foundation" has been placed.

 

[LATS]

i have written here before that i have seen belknap train.. he trains very heavy and with a very ballistic / cheating approach.. think branch warren.. that was belknap.. now he may have switched later to a different style but, that is what i saw..

 

[IronMike]

...

I've used and trained people with all these kind of ideas - raising "intensity" through keeping form more and more strict while the weights stay relatively moderate might work somewhat, but for mine your weights need to be going up if you want your body to keep adding mass. When you're at a weight where you don't want any more size, I dunno, but for the vast majority of people the best route to muscle gains is to progressively increase their weights. IronMike

 

[Ashop]

From my own experience, I agree 100%. The ultra heavy weight takes a toll on the joints over time. I concentrate more on intensity as I have put the years behind me.

I agree and I think as the athlete advances in age he/she realizes this.

 

[RazorCuts]

I've used and trained people with all these kind of ideas - raising "intensity" through keeping form more and more strict while the weights stay relatively moderate might work somewhat, but for mine your weights need to be going up if you want your body to keep adding mass. When you're at a weight where you don't want any more size, I dunno, but for the vast majority of people the best route to muscle gains is to progressively increase their weights. IronMike

Mike i agree with you. Its still about progression. In one way or the other weights or reps. After training for many years and the older lifter i think can benefit from the other methods as stated above.

 

[Golgo13]

I agree that at some point you can't go heavier, but thats where growth stops.

 

[oldfella]

At present I'm 48. Been training most of my life. I still train heavy. I am currently pushing weights up every week on every bodypart. I am almost back to a strength level I was some years ago and feeling really good. In some litfs I am passing some of my old marks and I'm at BW that is heavier than I have ever been leading in to a contest prep. My BF levels are not as high now as they have been in the past, don't know what they are at present and don't care. I think I'm a fat prick but others tell me different. So I agree with IRONMIKE, if it is progression you want you need to lift heavier to achieve this. I will say this, I seem to be putting more focus on my form and feeling this time around so if this means intensity then ok, but it is working well for me right now and I'm going to keep pushing till I get to the comps.

 

[allbeef]

Disagree; Still Big over 50

Still lookin to find my sweet spot of 8-10 reps on most exercises. Have had only one serious injury 4 years ago which was a torn calf muscle. I workout 5days a week and generally only one body part and rarely over 40 minutes. I am not always maxing for sure, but I have not enjoyed the few times I have increased reps, decreased weights, and shortened times between sets. I do use more machines than I ever did when I was younger. I will take a week off if I truly get burned out with lifting. I am more apt to try a new machine/exercise to reduce boredom than to lighten up for an extended period of time.


And at my Golds there are some guys in their 40's that do high rep stuff, but in my opinion they also have less mass. I haven't found a big guy doing high rep sets. I will keep looking. Obviously the years ahead will force me to surrender this style of lifting. I am just not ready to change now.

Allbeef

 

[Boo]

Wrong.

I said " something like " . . . do you know what the formula is? And keep in mind, this was not in a physics book, it was a formula in an article written by Tom Platz.

Boo