Training Beliefs and Philosophies

[brock8282]

Hey guys just wanted to start a thread here about how everyone trains. I would love to hear who shaped your philosophies and beliefs around training. Who have you learned the most from.
Also what are your philosophies and beliefs around training? What have you come to believe works and does not work for you? What lead you to that conclusion? What do you enjoy the most in the gym? Anything you plan to experiment with? I know that’s a lot of questions but feel free to touch on as many as you wish.

ill post mine in the morning. Though plenty that read my posts probably have a good idea on my answers but I’ll go more in depth on my own

 

[Sicwun88]

What ever it takes to keep the muscle confused! Squat, deadlift, bench.
Always a must!
There some exercises I don't do, because of injuries or just because they don't work for me!
More incline than flat bench,only skull crushers w dumbbells!
Too big & long for most machines!
Routines always consist of push/pull, pyramiding! Sometimes doing negitves & 1 rep max!
Always w intensity, good form, making every rep count!

 

[Gibsonator]

I've definately cherry picked from various pros to get to where my routine is(was) now.
I'd say the 2 that have had the most influence on my training style are Dusty Hanshaw and Seth Feroce.
Also, I'm a firm believer in warming up properly, pumping as much blood in the muscle/pre-exhausting with accessory work prior to heavier compound lifts.
Always start off each exercise high volume/low weight and pyramid up to lower volume heavier weight working sets usually dropset on final set and/or pushing it beyond failure with partials.
Besides a few nagging pains here and there this has kept me injury free while still pushing myself consistently.(knocking on wood)
I get inspiration watching bodybuilding, powerlifting and strongman. love it all.

 

[Bro Bundy]

I always wanted to look like ravishing rick rude

 

[DEADlifter]

I always wanted to look like ravishing rick rude

Before the parasailing accident I assume

 

[BigSwolePump]

I don't know that I ever really followed a specific workout program when I first started.

I started lifting long before the internet and bought every muscle magazine that I could find. If I saw a big dude promoting a workout, I used it...until another big dude told me to do something else.

When I first started, any time that I saw a guy with big arms or legs or chest or back, I would always talk to them and ask them what they were doing so I could mimic their workout.

What I found out over decades of lifting, is that what works for you may not work for me. I also discovered that it takes years and by years I don't mean 3 or 4 years, to discover the best exercises and programs that work for you. There is no way and know one will ever convince me otherwise that a guy who has lifted for a couple of years has found the best program for themselves. You just can't figure out your complex body that quickly.

I can agree with someone who says that using basic compound movements should be the foundation of the majority of lifters, especially for your first decade of training. I think that over time, or at least for me, there comes a time that exercises like a barbell flat bench becomes more counterproductive, especially if you develop injuries in areas like the shoulders for example. This doesn't mean that you can't do a form of it using a machine or dumbbells but at some point, the injury potential or pain may make using a barbell more harmful than productive.

I use the above as an example and not necessarily the rule. I know lifters who can't squat anymore due to knee or hip issues but are using flat bench as a staple of their chest workout and vise versa.

If I could give a new lifter a few pieces of advice, it would be this: WARM UP(you always have time for this, trust me), stretch your WARM muscles, use proper form, throwing weight around quickly is only cool to you because being a hero today can make you a victim tomorrow. Tomorrow and 30 years later, you will look back on what you did now and think about how you wish you did this differently. Listen to the old timers, some of them live through you.

 

[tinymk]

My training routine has been pieced together from probably 5-6 training systems handpicked by me that worked the best for my sport and body type. But the lions share of it is Westside principles. My training philosophy is simple Train heavy and train intense. Outwork my competition. It is the same principle I utilized when I was just an open lifter now I ama masters athlete and recently one up’d that by becoming a 50plus powerlifters. I know I outwork my competition even on a bad day Just push forward, eat big and eat 45’s on the big 3.

 

[snake]

You ask more questions than a woman on a first date. lol But I'm in!

I would love to hear who shaped your philosophies and beliefs around training. Who have you learned the most from.

Time shaped my beliefs and as for my best teacher, my body. Listen more to your body and less to those YouTubers.

Also what are your philosophies and beliefs around training? What have you come to believe works and does not work for you? What lead you to that conclusion?

This is a spin off from my first answer. What works; hitting one body part direct once a week. What doesn't work, skull crushers; they are my fast tract to elbow pain.

What do you enjoy the most in the gym?

Being left alone. Just me and the gym, no outside interference. It's my sanctuary.

Anything you plan to experiment with?

My experimenting days are over. I have tweaked things here and there but my workouts are set in stone now.

 

[NbleSavage]

I've definately cherry picked from various pros to get to where my routine is(was) now.
I'd say the 2 that have had the most influence on my training style are Dusty Hanshaw and Seth Feroce.
Also, I'm a firm believer in warming up properly, pumping as much blood in the muscle/pre-exhausting with accessory work prior to heavier compound lifts.
Always start off each exercise high volume/low weight and pyramid up to lower volume heavier weight working sets usually dropset on final set and/or pushing it beyond failure with partials.
Besides a few nagging pains here and there this has kept me injury free while still pushing myself consistently.(knocking on wood)
I get inspiration watching bodybuilding, powerlifting and strongman. love it all.

Cheers, Mate. I've taken a very similar approach as I've added a few grey hairs over the years (more time spent warming up) and knock wood its helped me to stay largely injury free.

Generally speaking, I focus on progressive resistance with the core lifts (deads, squats, OHP and now DB pressing) and will tikner with volume during isolation work. Hit the compounds at least once per week and then addtl volume depending on what I might be focused on during that training block (eg. maybe a day focused on heavy leg press work, might be some addtl shoulder work, good mornings, etc).

Before the quarantine, my training looked like (each workout starts with 20 mins of cardio):

Sat: Squats, glute bridges, leg iso work, calves
Sun: Heavy DB press, chest flies, shoulder iso work, triceps
Tues: Deads, lat pulls, supported rows, biceps
Weds: Good Mornings, leg press, leg / glute iso work (extensions, curls, adductors / abductors), calves
Thurs: OHP, volume chest (cable flies, decline bench, incline hammer strength press)

 

[BrotherIron]

Who influenced my training principles? My training was shaped by past greats who anyone in my sport looked up to starting their path and I'd wager still look up to. I was lucky that I not only looked up to them... I trained with them, was coached by them, and had the pleasure of befriending some of them too. My training is a hodgepodge but my philosophy is simple...

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF... Believe in yourself. That's the one thing that NO ONE can teach you. Your coaches can't teach you, your training partners can't teach you, you have to do it YOURSELF.

WORK LIKE THE BEST... work like the best and you'll be amazed, I can attest to this. If you work hard enough, you'll shape yourself in ways you can only imagine.

​

 

[dk8594]

Hey guys just wanted to start a thread here about how everyone trains. I would love to hear who shaped your philosophies and beliefs around training. Who have you learned the most from.
Also what are your philosophies and beliefs around training? What have you come to believe works and does not work for you? What lead you to that conclusion? What do you enjoy the most in the gym? Anything you plan to experiment with? I know that’s a lot of questions but feel free to touch on as many as you wish.

ill post mine in the morning. Though plenty that read my posts probably have a good idea on my answers but I’ll go more in depth on my own

What are your training philosophies:
That there isn't one best program. I'm instantly skeptical of someone who wants to sell cookie-cutter program or someone who wants to design custom programs for someone they don't know extremely well . Just too many variables to account for. The only best program is the program that is best for you...and it takes being extremely disciplined to change just one variable, evaluate, and adjust. The idea that this is what someone does, I want to be like that person, there fore I will do the same is BS.

Who have you learned the most from:
I think Mentzer came to a lot of wrong conclusions, but I liked the way he approached problems. He didn't teach me how to train, but he taught me how to think for myself.

What works/what doesn't work for me:
My thighs didn't really start growing until I gave up squats. Not saying that squats can't build thighs, but they didn't build mine.

What do I enjoy most in the gym:
The 90 mins of putting my ear buds in, shutting out the world, and feeling f-ing phenomenal.

What do I plan to experiment with:
My gym is closed and am being forced into a 1+month layoff. I'll need to experiment with volume when I get back.

 

[Rhino99]

2 words - pop tarts

 

[German89]

2 words - pop tarts

Lucky Charms

I'm a Basic B!tch so. That's what I stick to.

I do basically what Gibs does. I'm more of a push as much as I can at as many reps as possible kind of person. 12 reps is minimum for me. If I want to go heavier then I stick between 6 to 8.
Even during a bulking phase. I'll warm up really well. Pick 2 movements I want to focus on with 2 lighter sets. 2 to 3 heavier sets, hitting the 6 to 8 and then, drop back down for 1 to 2 sets of TUT higher reps. and then 2 other excercise with higher reps.

Lots of trial and error too. And doing things I enjoy doing.

Diet is Key. And cardio is a ritual.

Oh! And I forgot to mention. I am a firm believer in less is more when it comes to a cycle. Maybe because I am a girl but... I think running high doses of gear is moronic. Unless you're a pro or a powerlifter.

 

[Joliver]

Frequency > volume. Training with less volume more often is better.

Under eating and under recovering masquerades as overtraining.

You'll eventually have to do singles if you want to be optimized for singles.

Percentage training > RPE for almost all lifters.