what are your unpopular opinions?

[rfan2020]

Unpopular opinion: (to most)
High volume for bodybuilding is suboptimal and useless for most people. The same with rir/rpe. Volume is not and never has been the primary driver growth. Arnold’s encyclopedia of bodybuilding and the Renaissance periodization and stronger by science guys along with the whole “evidence” based cult are the worst things to happen to people trying to grow muscle. I see pros and competitors train damn near daily at my gym and they train beyond failure on damn near every working set and never stop before failure. The biggest guys are the strongest guys. Progressive over load is king. Reps in reserve is muscle left on the table.
Macros don’t matter besides Protein. Calories in calories out. You can eat snickers bars and drink protein shakes and get as lean or as big as someone who eats clean Whole Foods as long as calories and protein are equal.

agree with this,, id say 8 sets per part is about how high volume should go. can take it up to 12 or so for a lagging part, but not for all parts in a week

agree on the food with one exception,,,if your dieting and starting,,the wholesome food will fill you up better than junk

 

[NLM36]

lets all be honest,,we know im a stay lean don't want to look like a bodybuilder guy,,,I don't give a shit about legs. I work legs but not nearly with the intensity and volume as arms, delts that someone competing would. so for me a program based on lower body work would never happen.

I didn’t say anything about lower body work. In order to get “functional” strength you need to build strength. Nothing more functional than a heavy squat, deadlift, and ohp.
the size comes eating enough calories while getting stronger

 

[rfan2020]

another unpopular opinion,,if you don't need to take a bake-off week at least every 6th week,,your not training hard or just beating yourself up and probably not progressing

 

[NLM36]

agree with this,, id say 8 sets per part is about how high volume should go. can take it up to 12 or so for a lagging part, but not for all parts in a week

agree on the food with one exception,,,if your dieting and starting,,the wholesome food will fill you up better than junk

For lagging body parts I’d get them stronger and add frequency instead of volume

 

[NLM36]

another unpopular opinion,,if you don't need to take a bake-off week at least every 6th week,,your not training hard or just beating yourself up and probably not progressing

I do every 4-6. Ive pushed it to 8-12 but I usually end up destroyed and injured

 

[rfan2020]

For lagging body parts I’d get them stronger and add frequency instead of volume

this would assume that someone is already training to failure, hard, and not slacking in attempts to beat the log book

I agree on frequency, but I would add in volume when I increase frequncy

if someone is doing

chest
arms
back
delts
legs

and they want to bring up delts, start by adding some sets for delts on chest day after chest. so you did increase frequency but also had to add volume (vs taking some sets from existing delt day and putting them on chest day). in which case frequency would increase but volume would stay the same.

 

[NLM36]

this would assume that someone is already training to failure, hard, and not slacking in attempts to beat the log book

I agree on frequency, but I would add in volume when I increase frequncy

if someone is doing

chest
arms
back
delts
legs

and they want to bring up delts, start by adding some sets for delts on chest day after chest. so you did increase frequency but also had to add volume (vs taking some sets from existing delt day and putting them on chest day). in which case frequency would increase but volume would stay the same.

Not supposed to agree this much on an unpopular opinion thread.

 

[adamcarpenter]

I didn’t say anything about lower body work. In order to get “functional” strength you need to build strength. Nothing more functional than a heavy squat, deadlift, and ohp.
the size comes eating enough calories while getting stronger

This functional strength stuff is such bull shit cope. One of my best friends goes on about how he doesn’t want to get big, doesn’t want to lift unnaturally, save his joints, focus on functional strength. We work the same job, and are required to lift heavy awkward things daily up to 100 lb.

One of us can lift a lot more and generally finds work a lot easier, and struggles a lot less. Heavy compound lifts are where it’s at if you want functional strength you can use daily. Low rep high intensity progressive overload.

Life doesn’t give you warm up sets you gotta be able to go and go now. The only way to do that and not get injured is to be able to lift heavy.

 

[adamcarpenter]

Not to pick on anyone but this is one of my top 5 pet peeves. Keep in mind construction is mans oldest profession, we are made to do it. Everything we build revolves around our ability to build it.

Jobsite supervisor vs. Functional strength guy

Supervisor: I need you to build me this thing

Functional guy: I’m sorry sir I can’t lift that

Supervisor: I thought you worked out all the time

Functional guy: Yes sir but I have functional strength. I don’t have what it takes to lift that.

Supervisor: You mean actual strength

Functional guy: Yes I do strictly high volume low intensity lifting

Supervisor: Here’s a shovel. Your perfect for each other

 

[Brandaddy]

Not to pick on anyone but this is one of my top 5 pet peeves. Keep in mind construction is mans oldest profession, we are made to do it. Everything we build revolves around our ability to build it.

Jobsite supervisor vs. Functional strength guy

Supervisor: I need you to build me this thing

Functional guy: I’m sorry sir I can’t lift that

Supervisor: I thought you worked out all the time

Functional guy: Yes sir but I have functional strength. I don’t have what it takes to lift that.

Supervisor: You mean actual strength

Functional guy: Yes I do strictly high volume low intensity lifting

Supervisor: Here’s a shovel. Your perfect for each other

Can't relate to this.. I was the dumb fucker that was known for having more strength than brains. I always got the heavy work. Lol

 

[Worf]

Yup, been doing s/b/d and heavy compound moves my entire adult life. Hen I was in construction I; could always out lift and most of the time out work the guys who did martial arts and used loads of Bw stuff for strength training. Hell some of them I even converted

 

[Silentlemon1011]

Not to pick on anyone but this is one of my top 5 pet peeves. Keep in mind construction is mans oldest profession, we are made to do it. Everything we build revolves around our ability to build it.

Jobsite supervisor vs. Functional strength guy

Supervisor: I need you to build me this thing

Functional guy: I’m sorry sir I can’t lift that

Supervisor: I thought you worked out all the time

Functional guy: Yes sir but I have functional strength. I don’t have what it takes to lift that.

Supervisor: You mean actual strength

Functional guy: Yes I do strictly high volume low intensity lifting

Supervisor: Here’s a shovel. Your perfect for each other

Can't relate to this.. I was the dumb fucker that was known for having more strength than brains. I always got the heavy work. Lol

Slammed enough wheelbarrows of concrete to know exactly where you're coming from.

I guess it was asking too much as a kid... when I asked to either trowel or float... got lucky if I was a shovel bitch on a pour

Yup, been doing s/b/d and heavy compound moves my entire adult life. Hen I was in construction I; could always out lift and most of the time out work the guys who did martial arts and used loads of Bw stuff for strength training. Hell some of them I even converted

Yeah, I see it all the time

I focus on pretty much SBD and these "Functional strength" guys are dying trying to slam 5/8 sheets up flights of stairs.

I'd argue SBD is the most functional shit you can do.
Once you have solid total, lifting 100lbs in ANY awkward situation is just a fucking joke

 

[NLM36]

Yup, been doing s/b/d and heavy compound moves my entire adult life. Hen I was in construction I; could always out lift and most of the time out work the guys who did martial arts and used loads of Bw stuff for strength training. Hell some of them I even converted

Makes think of Jeff Monson the BJJ/MMA fighter. He was strong as a horse. Said strength was his advantage. Often times if his technique wasn’t good enough to get out of something then he could usually muscle his way out.

 

[rfan2020]

Not to pick on anyone but this is one of my top 5 pet peeves. Keep in mind construction is mans oldest profession, we are made to do it. Everything we build revolves around our ability to build it.

Jobsite supervisor vs. Functional strength guy

Supervisor: I need you to build me this thing

Functional guy: I’m sorry sir I can’t lift that

Supervisor: I thought you worked out all the time

Functional guy: Yes sir but I have functional strength. I don’t have what it takes to lift that.

Supervisor: You mean actual strength

Functional guy: Yes I do strictly high volume low intensity lifting

Supervisor: Here’s a shovel. Your perfect for each other

when I think of someone who wants to look good developing functional strength I don't look at it to be able to lift things up etc in work,,my view

- train a different way than just bodybuilding training year round
- use natural functional movements, by getting stronger at pull-ups per say, In theory this should help push higher wights in pull exercises (back, bis)

- help with injury prevention, stiffness, imbalances. how many guys can bench 500 squat 700 but always get hurt, are stiff as hell. weak tendons and joints

- give some more athleticism , no walk around stiff all day with abused joints from heavy training year end

think of a guy who can bench 400 squat 500 but can't do 10 pull-ups, to me thats sad. the only guys I see doing pull-ups at the gym are the leaner guys, id bet the guys lifting shit heavy slag iron can't do many

 

[Brandaddy]

Yeah, I see it all the time

I focus on pretty much SBD and these "Functional strength" guys are dying trying to slam 5/8 sheets up flights of stairs.

I remember one time I wanted to show off to some guys that were working for me. They were buddy lifting 2 4x10 1/2" drywall sheets up the stairs at a time. So I obviously matched them. That wasn't good enough though. Me being me, I had to remind them why I'm the boss. Haha. I ended up carrying 4 sheets up the stairs at a time. Lol. That was almost like a mild core workout.

 

[Worf]

when I think of someone who wants to look good developing functional strength I don't look at it to be able to lift things up etc in work,,my view

- train a different way than just bodybuilding training year round
- use natural functional movements, by getting stronger at pull-ups per say, In theory this should help push higher wights in pull exercises (back, bis)

- help with injury prevention, stiffness, imbalances. how many guys can bench 500 squat 700 but always get hurt, are stiff as hell. weak tendons and joints

- give some more athleticism , no walk around stiff all day with abused joints from heavy training year end

think of a guy who can bench 400 squat 500 but can't do 10 pull-ups, to me thats sad. the only guys I see doing pull-ups at the gym are the leaner guys, id bet the guys lifting shit heavy slag iron can't do many

Bw has a big role in this. Seems like you’re imagining a guy to be 300lbs at 5’9” and 30% bf to squat 5 and bench 4. Of course that dude cant fit in a phone booth or tie his shoes but he can pic up a 250lb spool of wire. There’s plenty of guys who are strong without being slobs. Seen all types in construction

 

[NLM36]

when I think of someone who wants to look good developing functional strength I don't look at it to be able to lift things up etc in work,,my view

- train a different way than just bodybuilding training year round
- use natural functional movements, by getting stronger at pull-ups per say, In theory this should help push higher wights in pull exercises (back, bis)

- help with injury prevention, stiffness, imbalances. how many guys can bench 500 squat 700 but always get hurt, are stiff as hell. weak tendons and joints

- give some more athleticism , no walk around stiff all day with abused joints from heavy training year end

think of a guy who can bench 400 squat 500 but can't do 10 pull-ups, to me thats sad. the only guys I see doing pull-ups at the gym are the leaner guys, id bet the guys lifting shit heavy slag iron can't do many

What ways are bw pull-ups functional? Are you rock climbing?

 

[rfan2020]

maybe using the wrong term, more calisthenics vs functional.

train bodybuilding most of the year, but for periodization, mix something else in at times be it crossfit,,,calisthenics,,,something that makes you more "athletic" because most bodybuilders are not athletic and IMO would benefit from it

 

[Cdave.aol]

Unpopular opinion: (to most)
High volume for bodybuilding is suboptimal and useless for most people. The same with rir/rpe. Volume is not and never has been the primary driver growth. Arnold’s encyclopedia of bodybuilding and the Renaissance periodization and stronger by science guys along with the whole “evidence” based cult are the worst things to happen to people trying to grow muscle. I see pros and competitors train damn near daily at my gym and they train beyond failure on damn near every working set and never stop before failure. The biggest guys are the strongest guys. Progressive over load is king. Reps in reserve is muscle left on the table.
Macros don’t matter besides Protein. Calories in calories out. You can eat snickers bars and drink protein shakes and get as lean or as big as someone who eats clean Whole Foods as long as calories and protein are equal.

Have you tried high volume style training?

And as far as what you do now, what’s your preferred rep range?

 

[NLM36]

maybe using the wrong term, more calisthenics vs functional.

train bodybuilding most of the year, but for periodization, mix something else in at times be it crossfit,,,calisthenics,,,something that makes you more "athletic" because most bodybuilders are not athletic and IMO would benefit from it

This isn’t true for all of them. I’m sure some mass monsters aren’t athletic but there are some big guys that really are. You’re painting things with a broad brush. You’ve got a stereotyped preconceived notion that doesn’t hold up in reality. Is there some hard and fast rule that guys can’t do push ups, pull-ups, dips, and lunges? John Meadows incorporates all of those in his programs