That part of the gym, I avoid like the plague. Too many cheese balls (is that one or two words?) in parachute pants wearing tank tops strutting around in personalized leather lifting belts with lots and lots of bling. I've really enjoyed adding weights to my routine the past two years and I can tell a difference in both appearance (mainly definition) and pool strength.
There is a huge difference between strength training and body building. The similarity is that they both use resistance training as the key method of training but it's HOW they use it that is the major difference.
Why let someone else dictate what you will or will not do? So they're morons, who cares? Sure, there are idiots out there. The bounce the bar off the chest bench press guy, the 2 inch squat guy, the screamer, etc.. but what's the point of letting others decide your routine for you.
Also, the human body has such an amazing capability to adapt that if you don't keep throwing different things at it, then you are really just spinning your wheels. Sure, you can spend your hours in the gym (not saying you do but..) and get results, but seriously, who has that kind of time? Even when I was powerlifting, I spent no more than 1.5 hours in the gym in any session and was closer to an hour. I also trained with quite a few folks who said they _had_ to train for at least 2 hours a day. Where they wrong? Maybe. Could they have gotten the same results in less time? Most definately.
It's about working smarter, not harder. And the fact is the best overall strength building exercise that exists is the deadlift. It requires strong calves, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, abs, low back, upper back and shoulders. That's pretty much every major muscle group that you have. Yes, you can achieve close (note: CLOSE) to the same results with other exercises but it will take much longer.
The fact is people are afraid of deadlifts because it is a very intimidating and technical lift. And yes, done poorly, it can cause issues but so can a lot of other exercises. And it is a lift that can be learned and mastered.
Paul
That part of the gym, I avoid like the plague. Too many cheese balls (is that one or two words?) in parachute pants wearing tank tops strutting around in personalized leather lifting belts with lots and lots of bling. I've really enjoyed adding weights to my routine the past two years and I can tell a difference in both appearance (mainly definition) and pool strength.
There is a huge difference between strength training and body building. The similarity is that they both use resistance training as the key method of training but it's HOW they use it that is the major difference.
Why let someone else dictate what you will or will not do? So they're morons, who cares? Sure, there are idiots out there. The bounce the bar off the chest bench press guy, the 2 inch squat guy, the screamer, etc.. but what's the point of letting others decide your routine for you.
Also, the human body has such an amazing capability to adapt that if you don't keep throwing different things at it, then you are really just spinning your wheels. Sure, you can spend your hours in the gym (not saying you do but..) and get results, but seriously, who has that kind of time? Even when I was powerlifting, I spent no more than 1.5 hours in the gym in any session and was closer to an hour. I also trained with quite a few folks who said they _had_ to train for at least 2 hours a day. Where they wrong? Maybe. Could they have gotten the same results in less time? Most definately.
It's about working smarter, not harder. And the fact is the best overall strength building exercise that exists is the deadlift. It requires strong calves, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, abs, low back, upper back and shoulders. That's pretty much every major muscle group that you have. Yes, you can achieve close (note: CLOSE) to the same results with other exercises but it will take much longer.
The fact is people are afraid of deadlifts because it is a very intimidating and technical lift. And yes, done poorly, it can cause issues but so can a lot of other exercises. And it is a lift that can be learned and mastered.
Paul
