New Exercise: Everything Makes You Bigger

I know my title is not 100% true, but yesterday, I observed something I have known to be true and I want to share with you.

I was working out at the local gym and I saw a lady maybe 55-58 years old. she had a body of a well put together 35 year old, good enough to take a second look. I watched her perform 5-6 exercises at least. She literally did everything wrong. Her range of motion was maybe 20% of the proper method and her form was terrible. It was almost funny. But guess what, it was working.

People ask me what I do to stay in shape and I say, I get in my car and go to the gym. If I go 3 days a week I look good and if I consistently get there 4-5 days a week I look better. I have changed my workout so many times, but that is the one factor that holds true.

Now you can apply this to PE exercises. It seems most everything if done consistently will make you bigger. So find something you like and stick to it. Make it something that keeps you coming back. It you get bored or stagnate change it up a bit.

The one thing that does not work in the gym and I did this probably the first 5 years I worked out: Over-training. I think this applies to PE as well.

Good luck

Good post, gives us all something to think about.

I think genetics may have a role in P.E. as well.

Considering body-types like ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs I’m sure there are different body-types more suited towards P.E.

OOOO Maybe I can do research on this.

I agree with you All4show. Its really consistency, even if the routine is not consistent, as long you consistently train. Since I am starting with the newbie routine I am going to make sure I learn the nuances of everything about that routine.

I think that people who look good in the gym but seem to have a not so good routine probably use weights as a secondary form of exercise and are runners, tennis players, hikers, bikers, or whatever, which gives them their fitness primarily. It could be genetics as well.

But you make a good point. It is way better to do something than to do nothing.

When it comes to exercising, there is a fine line between “wrong form”, and “one’s own ability”.

Using a wrong form will result in that person getting hurt, where as sometimes a person’s body may only allow for certain range of motion or positions which is perfectly fine for that person, but not what the other person considers good form.

For example: I can only squat with a wide stance. I have very high arches. This is not the form you’ll see on a cover of Muscle & Fitness, but hey- it works for me fine. What happened when I tried squatting with my feet closer together as “good form” suggests? I cracked my back and ended up unable to walk for a few days. So using “correct” form was acutally “wrong” form for me.

Another example is people who think touching your chest with the barbell during a bench press is “correct form”. It’s correct alright- correct “BS”. What if you have longer arms in relation to your body and a very flat chest? You would be unable to touch your chest with the bar- in fact touching your chest may lead to injury. As opposed to someone with stubby arms, and a fat barrel chest. Not only will they be able to touch their chest easier than the other person (since the weight will be lowered less distance), but their stubby arms will allow the muscle fibers to stay in a more ideal position for strength (do a google for : Length Tension Relationship).

Now then, if someone is taking say a 100lb barbell and jerking their arms up and swining their head and upper body back as almost doing a backflip to just get that barbell up- THAT is something that is using wrong form- but rather it’s generally referred to “cheating”. What that person is doing- is manipulating the moment arm (to shorten it) to better accommodate the lifting of the weight- and also causing potential injury to their back, and other areas of the body.

I used to scour the gym looking for people not doing full reps, etc. however, now I deduce wrong form by looking for potential injuries on the lifter.

You say she was an older woman, but yet built like a 30 year old? Hmmm I’d give her a second look… and a third… and a fourth… but I wouldn’t be checking out her technique if she sounds as milfish as you make her out to be ;)

all4show,

Great observations. I totally agree. Even a shotgun approach to PE coupled with consistency will yield some decent long term gains. I especially agree with your note on avoiding overtraining. My measure of overtraining has been the level of morning erection. I am woke up every hour starting around 2 AM because my erection is so strong. When that starts to waiver I add more rest between workouts. For a man of 52 years I feel that I am a million miles from ED.

sheLovesIt

What if she was really 35, but looked ragged enough to be 55?

That’s the spirit cro-magnum. Same with that 50 year old Blowflex model.

Oh, hell yeah she was a babe.

Looked like she may have had some work done but she was a hot grandma.

Yikes!

I read in a magazine once that talked about why so many people are gung ho for a month or two working out and then they quit. They mentioned that people become so motivated that they overdo it and when they are not able to continue at that level, they get bored, frustrated, or upset. After interviewing long time gym members on why they workout, the number one answer was “because I enjoy it”. The magazine suggested that instead of being on a strict workout routine, just workout to how you are feeling that day. For example, if you have extra energy, intensify your routine and if you are feeling a little tired, go easy. The key is to have fun and enjoy yourself.

It looks like all4show nailed that on the head.

My technique is a workout buddy who is one of my best friends. We go to the gym to hang out with each other on work nights. It’s cool. We may walk on the tread a little bit and talk about what our wives bitched at us about today or maybe plans for the weekend. Then we go hit some weights and continue to shoot the shit. We usually go to the gym after 9pm so it’s very dead and we sometimes turn on Southpark or something. It’s funny because the weights and workout equipment are just secondary and part of the environment. If we went to a bar to shoot the shit, we would be drinking booze. If we went to library, we would be reading magazines.

Seriously, I could be a weight and age guesser at the state fair and give away very few prizes, so I doubt it. Good point though I like the way you think.

Gut,

This is a great point. It is one reason that I suggest pumping. You can argue all day long whether the gains are permanent, but you see the fruits of your labor immediately - enjoy it. I work other exercises into the mix to make sure I get a long term benefit either way.

This is my theory about why so many people are out of shape and fat.

Most people procrastinate. Some people, myself included, can be terrible procrastinators and still be very successful in a lot of things.

Compare:
That report you have not touched for two weeks is due tomorrow - spend 6 hours on it over the weekend and you are a star on Monday.

Contrast:
I did not work out all week I will do 6 hours of running, biking and weight lifting on Saturday. It just does work. No couple that with dieting procrastinating and you are not looking too good.