LOOSE FORM (PROS)

[scooped]

Tom Prince -

I have seen him train many times back in the mid 90's as he used to train at my gym in S Florida. I can tell you whenever I saw him training it was super heavy with leg presses and inclines and rows. Not super strict form but not bad enough to lose the feel of the muscle being worked.

I have trained in that manner when I was in my 20's and it did work for me then. Not loose but not super strict either. I am almost 50 now and I work more volume with good form because I have real small joints and if I try to go to heavy or too loose with my form then I get injured. Better to be doing something then nothing and I have been there too.

 

[turbobusa]

It's all about the "feel" at a certain level. Many guys lack the ability to know the feel of stimulating a muscle. The guys you mentioned know very well what works for them. I used a looser form maybe 15 20 yrs ago.
Got big/very strong. My joints and connective tissue would start to give me problems if I did the same today. Remember one guys loose might be another guys strict. T

 

[cal]

Tom Prince -

I have seen him train many times back in the mid 90's as he used to train at my gym in S Florida. I can tell you whenever I saw him training it was super heavy with leg presses and inclines and rows. Not super strict form but not bad enough to lose the feel of the muscle being worked.

I have trained in that manner when I was in my 20's and it did work for me then. Not loose but not super strict either. I am almost 50 now and I work more volume with good form because I have real small joints and if I try to go to heavy or too loose with my form then I get injured. Better to be doing something then nothing and I have been there too.

What kind of weights are we talking...he didn't seem to have a heavy bone structure but hard to tell when so much muscle

 

[scooped]

A fully loaded leg press. Not sure how much poundage that is. 405 on incline for reps. Again not down to bar on chest but prob mid face then back up not locking out.

When I first started training at World's in Deerfield Bch FL Prince although he trained in Boynton mostly. Dillett, Matarazzo, Quinn, Mike Ashley and Darrem Charles to name a few trained there and they all used alot of weight with not super strict form but enough weight to stimulate the muscle and keep the weight moving. Again what works for them and obviously it did since they were all pros not surprising they were also the biggest guys in the gym.

 

[PitbullTank]

wishhhh they still had a worlds in that area...

 

[triathloncoach]

I think it's all about volume and moderate weights. Unless you are training for a sport whats the point of explosive training? You can get strong and big enough for just about anything without doing max low reps lifts. The risk reward isn't there.

 

[jay_dub]

My perspective is loose form is just another "style" of training, sometimes I use looser form, and sometimes I focus on very strict controlled movements and I agree with whats been said about injuries because I have had more serious injuries from small weights with controlled form than heavy with loose form.Honestly I think some movements are better than others for the loose form thing, but each man has to find his own path in that respect.

This surprises the hell out of me...

 

[jp2007]

This surprises the hell out of me...

I tore my pec warming up on chest day with 185.. At that time period I was able to bench 315 for sets of 8-10

 

[jay_dub]

I tore my pec warming up on chest day with 185.. At that time period I was able to bench 315 for sets of 8-10

Chest is on a whole different level as far as injuries go imo though...

Was it benching?

I pulled (almost tore) my pec on my third warmup with 275 on my sixth rep.

If I bench at all anymore (which I rarely do) I do it as my very last exercise.

And I sure as fuck would never attempt to "loosely" bench heavy weight at any point...

 

[big ronster]

I tore my pec warming up on chest day with 185.. At that time period I was able to bench 315 for sets of 8-10

jp what do you think caused that? were u training the same bodypart too soon? Dehydrated? no sleep night before or fight with gf/spouse?

All those things i just listed have caused me pectoral pulls, as well as not stretching out after i train. i do dante style stretches after each bodypart and swear by 'em

btw i train waaay more strict than i did 5-7 years ago ay my biggest/heaviest/strongest. Some of my bodyparts are bigger, such as arms, quads.....some are smaller such as delts, back width, but back is much much more detailed now. go figure!

 

[jp2007]

Chest is on a whole different level as far as injuries go imo though...

Was it benching?

I pulled (almost tore) my pec on my third warmup with 275 on my sixth rep.

If I bench at all anymore (which I rarely do) I do it as my very last exercise.

And I sure as fuck would never attempt to "loosely" bench heavy weight at any point...

Yes it was benching

jp what do you think caused that? were u training the same bodypart too soon? Dehydrated? no sleep night before or fight with gf/spouse?

All those things i just listed have caused me pectoral pulls, as well as not stretching out after i train. i do dante style stretches after each bodypart and swear by 'em

btw i train waaay more strict than i did 5-7 years ago ay my biggest/heaviest/strongest. Some of my bodyparts are bigger, such as arms, quads.....some are smaller such as delts, back width, but back is much much more detailed now. go figure!

It was a partial pec/partial tendon tear

I honestly think it was just getting too strong too fast.. My muscles advanced but my tendons/ligaments didnt... I think I may have been moving the 185 a bit too fast and was jerking it a little since it was a warm up..

I have been using close to the same weight on my lifts for the past 12-15 months, but I am growing great. I have slowed things down and I control things more now. Also working with John Meadows, so that helps

 

[GreyScale36]

Personally. . .no warm-ups just 3 work sets, straight to heavy loose form for 5-7, then moderate loose form for 10-12 & finally light loose form for 15-17. . .I just lift the damn weight as quickly as possible & get out!

 

[Tough Old Man]

Personally. . .no warm-ups just 3 work sets, straight to heavy loose form for 5-7, then moderate loose form for 10-12 & finally light loose form for 15-17. . .I just lift the damn weight as quickly as possible & get out!

So you want us to believe this crap or is heavy considered 10 lb Dumbells on the decline Bench.

L​

 

[tkav1980]

So you want us to believe this crap or is heavy considered 10 lb Dumbells on the decline Bench.

L​

Actually heree is my warm up for decline bench.
135 x 10 , 225 x 5, 315 x 2, 365 x 2.....work set, 405 x 8
Very similar with every bodypart. Fast short warm up then bam heaviest weight first to balls out failure.

 

[brutus]

I tore my pec warming up on chest day with 185.. At that time period I was able to bench 315 for sets of 8-10

this also happened to me. warming up with light weight and moving too fast is just as likely to cause injury as moving the heavier weight. iv'e injured more of my muscles when they were cold than lifting heavy with not so good form.

 

[GreyScale36]

So you want us to believe this crap or is heavy considered 10 lb Dumbells on the decline Bench.

L​

I could care less what you, or any PM member for that matter, believes [afterall, this is just a bodybuilding forum of mixed opinions & ideas]. This 'crap' is simply the way I personally train [I don't conform to the standard]. . .if somehow you find this difficult to comprehend, or even offended - judging by your unwarranted snide comment regarding the use of 10lb dumbbells on the decline bench as heavy, well Mr. T.O.M sir. . .I wholeheartedly apologise for posting such a foolish response to a thread regarding 'loose form'. . .

glad I don't post often!

 

[Simpllyhuge]

this also happened to me. warming up with light weight and moving too fast is just as likely to cause injury as moving the heavier weight. iv'e injured more of my muscles when they were cold than lifting heavy with not so good form.

I usually do like 10-20 with 135, then have to go up 185 for 5, then 225 starts feeling heavy on my joints, so even if I plan on going heavier I need to get used to the weight. I know at like 275 my shoulders and maybe ligaments feel like they are gonna break on the negative.

 

[turbobusa]

I could care less what you, or any PM member for that matter, believes [afterall, this is just a bodybuilding forum of mixed opinions & ideas]. This 'crap' is simply the way I personally train [I don't conform to the standard]. . .if somehow you find this difficult to comprehend, or even offended - judging by your unwarranted snide comment regarding the use of 10lb dumbbells on the decline bench as heavy, well Mr. T.O.M sir. . .I wholeheartedly apologise for posting such a foolish response to a thread regarding 'loose form'. . .

glad I don't post often!

No I am glad you posted. I trained for a while with heavy warm ups.
Here is what a squat day looked like. First warm up set 455 . Then
2-3 rep "feelers" 90 lb jumps til working wt. Working sets 4-6 reps 2 sets maybe 3 . Then I would go To a wt I could "blow out" 12-20 reps. Felt heavy on the way up but feels really light now. I have a pler buddy that still trains that way( not the high rep part though) and with good success. After my squat work I would go into my other leg moves. Secondary moves I would go a higher rep range. 8-15.
The buddy I mentioned does quite a few low rep sets as his goals are not the same. I could not do this today I'm 50 now and my joints and connective tissue just would give me grief. Body becomes it's function..... If it works for you that is what counts. Oh yeah I was late 20's to mid 30's then.
Thanks, T

 

[tornquad201]

tom platz

i was watching a few videos of tom platz training and was shocked of his rep speed , there was no negative at all the reps were very fast both positive and negative but each and every set was done to total failure, its funny that in the first post platz said it was all about tension

 

[n3mo0101]

I can give some insight on this...

I recently switched from loose form to strict form, focusing on 3-4 second negatives on most (not all) exercises and a full contraction on each rep. I have noticed gains in every single muscle in my body. Better development, better shape, better striation...I can't think of one thing that has not benefited from me switching to a strict form focusing more on time under tension than just hurling the weight up.