How to lift weights. What beginners don't know or forget

[TG1]

As basic as it sounds. These are some fundamentals that I see new people and some old ones forgetting from time to time. And something to think about before trying that next new routine.

1. Time. Make sure you alot enough time for your workout so you aren’t in a rush. If your rushing then you can make mistakes or “cheat” on exercises.
2. Set the equipment. This is really important when working out alone. For example on the Smith machine, start with the bar only, no weights and adjust the stoppers where you need them so if something happens you don’t crush or injure yourself.
3. Start a new exercise very light. In fact if it’s completely new don’t go heavy. Stay light. Make sure your form is correct and your body feels right in the range of motion. Don’t sacrifice form over ego.
4. Range of Motion. Make sure your getting the full range of motion. An example of this is those idiots that stack the leg press and then only move the plate 2 inches and call that a rep. I was listening to this guy brag about how much he could leg press and then saw him… It was pathetic. After he finishes a set I asked him when he was going to start. He didn’t complete a single press. Not even halfway.
5. Don’t trust YouTube. This is important cause theres so much bullshit on YouTube and Instagram with people showing exercises incorrectly. If you must look to that then look up many people and I will say this, be careful who you take advice from. Even I’ve had an idiot try to approach me in the gym claiming I’m doing an exercise wrong lol. Guy was half my size… After I showed him the advanced way and how his way was shit, he wanted to follow me around the whole workout asking questions. While I didn’t want to deal with it I still helped him thru it so he could understand it and learn.
6. Don’t always be a dick. And yeah before you guys say it, I’m often a dick. But not always

 

[Bigmurph6]

Solid post its so true about the machines also you never know if its broken or working right and no one wants to deal with injuries

 

[SpencerCortez]

I’m gonna add this. Make sure you are starting with full body, multiple joint, compound movements. Bench press is great but squats and deadlifts are king. Folks seem to want to jump to some fancy program with lots of neat accessory movements when size and strength are build on foundational lifts- Squat, Deadlift, Pull Up, Dips, Bench Press.

And too add to your post the other day, have patience and a goal. Additionally, if you are not warming up and cooling down with the same focus as your training session you are not only setting yourself up for injury you are missing half the workout. Recovery is training!

Great info!!!

 

[01dragonslayer]

Great tips for the newbs and a you also provide a some gym etiquette as well. Thanks.

 

[Raphael3636]

Great post brotha! Fundamentals in the gym are paramount even for the vets of iron.

 

[VictoryKnocks]

Older post and I’m a novice but I’ve done a lot of research, so I have something to add here.

EVERYONE look up MIKE ISRAETEL!!! He is a PHD in exercise science I believe and has developed and researched concepts such as Maximum Recoverable Volume, Minimum Effective Dose, and has many videos summarizing the key drivers of Hypertrophy, periodization, how much going for pump effects muscle vs full ROM and much more. Also he’s jacked, strong and a BJJ practitioner.

Really interesting concepts that can change the way you look at training.

 

[Bigmurph6]

You should be able to post links if you would like as long as they are just for reference so that you can show a couple that are really good.

 

[TG1]

Videos are fine. I don’t want his other links to purchasing his shit here. He seems to be a lot of self promotion selling his brand and some of what he says is basic and other stuff I call bullshit. Especially regarding his drug usage.

 

[VictoryKnocks]

Thank you I’ll dig some up when I can. Israetel used to be a little more unknown but now so many fitness youtubers have done videos with him summarizing some of his more widely applicable info that if you just type Mike Israetel into YouTube you’ll get a lot of really good results. Plus he has lots of his own videos going into more detail.

Some of the info would really only be interesting to the fitness obsessed or someone with a science background, but concepts like MRV I think almost everyone would benefit from.

 

[VictoryKnocks]

I haven’t seen him talking about his personal drug usage directly, just alluding to it, or him pushing his personal products, definitely be interested to see what he’s saying about his use of AAS.

I’ll certainly refrain from posting any links where anyone is pushing a product, I just think some of his info seems to really sum up a lot of heavily debated topics about Hypertrophy, volume, etc.

 

[TG1]

Hes claimed a lot of powerlifting lifts when he was younger and trying to say he was all natural. The numbers are bullshit. No way in hell was he lifting that much at such a young age naturally. Reminds me of the kid in high school making up shit to impress people.

He’s definitely been about promoting himself all over the place selling his books and programs. That part I don’t see a problem with but his aas claims are bullshit and that I do have an issue with. Don’t fucking lie about lifts trying to impress others. He’s the Mike Ohearn of the crossfit movement at the moment. Apparently that’s where he’s found the most success in selling his shit too.

 

[TG1]

For reference if you don’t know, back in the 90s-2000s mike “natty” ohearn was claiming same shit and always claimed to be natural. Later he posted a photo of himself in his bathroom with a vial of British Dragon behind him. People called him out an he quickly deleted the photo and refused to admit he took anything and was claiming he was all natural still. I don’t know what he claims today but do know how he was trying to bullshit people back then. Then that stupid frog machine he was trying to sell along with whatever gimmick of the month he was doing.

 

[anabolic_geek]

I mean, do people actually believe these types of personalities when they say they’re natty? I take that as a given in this industry. Like, the dude has a doctorate ffs… do you honestly expect him to admit his drug use? He’d be ejected from the academic community which he takes part in.

Regardless of how he promotes himself or what he says, it doesn’t change the science behind what they’re saying. Which is what this thread is all about – lifting weights and getting bigger. There’s way too much broscience in this industry and tbh we should be celebrating the people who actually have some evidence to back up what they’re saying instead of likes on instagram

 

[TG1]

You think this guy figured out the “secret” to getting bigger lol? Actually most people in the industry either admit it or just avoid the question. Lying about an obvious situation to people who are too niave and believe the bullshit is just flat out wrong. He’s doing it for sales.

This won’t be the first and won’t be the last but from what I’ve seen of his stuff it’s not any secret or groundbreaking way of building muscle.

 

[anabolic_geek]

i mean, it isn’t really a secret. he just does a good job of organizing the information imho

 

[TG1]

I don’t know about organizing the info. I don’t mind his videos being posted or info but not links to where he’s selling his shit.

 

[VictoryKnocks]

Maybe I’m not seeing some of the content you’re seeing from Israetel, but I’ve seen hours of his content where he’s giving away his training methodologies for free in YouTube videos and barely mentioning his personal endeavors, if at all.

Also never heard him claim natty. I’ve heard him say Hes got a lot of people asking outright what he uses and he said, more or less, ‘I would never admit to doing anything illegal, but these are my stats and this is where I fall on the Fat Free Mass Index, so you do the math’. Also, in a podcast with Omar Isuf, Eric Helms, and John meadows, Mike alludes to his gear usage, almost directly admits it.

I certainly wouldn’t compare him to Mike Ohearn. Israetel has probably hundreds of hours of free, science based information available, and from what I’ve seen is at worst not transparent about his gear usage. Ohearn is an outright liar and seems to not know much of the science behind training and diet.

 

[TG1]

I don’t watch his videos and never will. I’ve only read his interviews and Q&A sessions he did online promoting his book or system whatever for sale. So that’s where I get my judgements from.