seanality wrote:That pretty much sums up my routines.
As lame as this might sound when I lift I focus on 2 things;
1. How my muscles look once warmed-up- If they are big and bulky then I try and slow things down, do higher reps and lower weight. If they are toned and look pretty good then I throw some additional weight on the bar and try to make them bigger with quicker lower reps.
2. How has the weight I am repping increased from last week or last month depending on where I am in my training program and what muscle group it is.
This back-and-forth has done me pretty well. I have been lifting off-and-on since I 2004 and last year is when I really started to notice this mind set working. Last fall semester there were 2 skinny-fats (double-dragon) that were going to the gym at the same time everyday and always together. I watched them progressively get stronger, their muscles were getting bigger and on top of that they were getting more definition, put simply; I was jealous. Being the big guy I am (as far as fat content) I never really wore anything more revealing than a sleeveless-T at the gym but one day my training partner (who is a pretty tiny guy but a good friend and who was their to work hard and push me) said I should wear my tank tops so I could at least see my back and shoulders. After a few days of wearing them at the gym I had at least 6 people stop and tell me how fucking big I was, including the 2 kids who I was jealous of, who told me they were jealous.
Maybe I don't know the backstory here. Did you use to be a fat, lazy, super-geek or something? Because this whole diatribe displays some rather remarkable and deep-rooted existential insecurity.
In my opinion as an athlete (and one with an unfair genetic advantage, sorry bros), the means in how you train are always more important than the ends (results).
What I mean by that, is that you should be training in a way that is fostered by, and for the sake of challenging yourself physically and mentally. Not for the sake of fulfilling some vapid hole in your existential psyche.
I moonlight as a personal trainer, and most of the time I advocate my clients (most of whom are women, and working professionals) search for a system that works for them. But, in this case I would want to train
with you in a more one-on-one situation as to help you to develop a healthier mindset towards your personal goals.
As a man, as an athlete. When you step into the gym, all of that superficial shit; like what you look like in your sleeveless tank, or how many bros come up to you to tell you how jacked you are, should instantly disappear. The physical and mental challenge of what you are trying to attempt should be all that lies in front of you.
If you aren't approaching your training in this way, you are limiting your capability to make yourself a bigger, faster, stronger athlete. You are chasing an empty vessel. When you hit a road block, and that superficial reinforcement stops ("how your muscles look when they are warmed up", adjusting your reps/weight for "pump", etc). You'll find yourself stuck in a plateau with no means to get out of it.
I get the notion that your intentions probably have been good, and that your goal has been to improve yourself, but from the outside looking in, this whole story just makes you come off as a massively insecure tool/douchebag.
*Disclaimer: Not trolling you, never had any e-opinion of you one way or the other, just some observations/concerns.
