is it useless to work out unless you're lifting heavy?

Fortune_favors_the_bold

Master Don Juan
Joined
Dec 20, 2022
Messages
704
Reaction score
907
Location
EU
What makes those aesthetic muscles? How are they not trained from deadlifts, chin ups, and rows?
Do you feel your biceps working on chin ups as much as biceps curls? side delts with military presses or back delts with rows?

Everyone is made differently but for most people side delts and tris need direct work to get full.

I recall my triceps being on fire when I started bench pressing as a teenager but at some point they simply became a supporting muscle for chest doing all the job there.
 

Stanley

Master Don Juan
Joined
Nov 6, 2022
Messages
1,119
Reaction score
1,325
Yes. Weighted chins put my biceps on fire. Although I never feel back delts directly, I can certainly tell just by looking at someone if they can deadlift heavy or not.
**** yeah, Weighted chins are more bicep then back. My gymnast buddy refers to them as the 'arm cruncher' if you get that reference.
 

PlatoPacks23

Senior Don Juan
Joined
Jan 23, 2023
Messages
338
Reaction score
119
how many pull ups can you all do who are super ripped without it being weighted?? Is there a number to strive for?
 

Stanley

Master Don Juan
Joined
Nov 6, 2022
Messages
1,119
Reaction score
1,325
how many pull ups can you all do who are super ripped without it being weighted?? Is there a number to strive for?
Most people do not do pull ups correctly period.

Start from dead hang, Arms shoulder width apart, Chin over the bar, squeeze your traps/lats at the top and keep your core activated. No rounding and no kipping. If you can do one of those you're already 'relatively' stronger then a lot of people. If you can do ten of those with proper form start adding weight, that is good.

Calisthenics are hard to gauge given the whole relative strength vs absolute strength dynamic. I can do 16 consecutive pulls with a 25 lb plate between my legs, but that is my absolute max and i'm fried after that. Greasing the groove got me there and now i'm working on muscle ups and my planche. That said I am very lean and naturally leaned towards calisthenics training. A guy way bigger then me might not be able to do more than one proper form pull up, but he could pick my a** up and throw me like its nothing. It's all relative to your body composition and weight. Big dude will outlift me everywhere, but in bodyweights lean and mean is king.

What are you benching,squatting, dl? What's your weight and height?
 
Last edited:

thermodynamic

Senior Don Juan
Joined
Aug 21, 2022
Messages
212
Reaction score
128
Bro - workout light if you can;t go heavy. Your body is your most valuable possesion - keep it running.
 
Top