Funky-ass råd fra Mr. O

[jsc]

Ja, jeg ved ikke hvad jeg skal sige. Lidt grineren, og samtidig lidt skræmmende..

Ask Mr. O: How Heavy is Too Heavy?

Written by: Ronnie Coleman, Five-time Mr. Olympia

Q: You constantly warn against using too much weight, but aren't heavy weights necessary to develop big muscles?

A: The most formidable challenge in bodybuilding is developing the ability to tell the difference between "too much" weight and "not enough" weight. There is no objective measure of what's too heavy or too light, and even our subjective determinations can deceive us. Having said that, there are ways to figure out if your target muscle for any given workout is being attacked with the correct amount of weight to stimulate new growth.

Here are some procedures for testing the effectiveness, or fatigue level, of the most important exercises for each bodypart. The best method to gauge whether a target muscle has been trained to the limit is to follow a core exercise with a movement that isolates the target muscle.

Note that none of this "testing" is quantitative, in that I'm not suggesting a limit for the maximum weight you put on a bar or on a low-rep limit for each set (those vary, depending upon the bodypart and the exercise). My only concern is that you find the ideal weight/rep combination that allows you to optimally fatigue the target muscle in the shortest time.

THE RONNIE COLEMAN TEST

Squats

This is the classic compound exercise for legs, but it's also the most resistant to cheating: No matter how many other muscle groups you try to incorporate into good old-fashioned barbell squats, your thigh muscles are going to get the best workout. Nonetheless, you should test those muscles by following your last set of barbell squats with bodyweight squats - no weight on your shoulders, but going below parallel. If you cannot do more than 10 reps of these, then you had a good squat workout; otherwise, use more weight for squats.

Barbell rows

When you've finished with these, try seated cable rows with the weight you would normally use for 10-12 reps. If you cannot do more than six reps of strict seated rows, then you had a good barbell-row workout. If you can do more than six, you need to increase your poundages for barbell rows.

Bench presses

Test the effectiveness of your flat-bench presses by going to cable crossovers without rest - as if supersetting. If you can do more than half of your normal reps, then you need to pay a penalty: Return to the bench press for two more sets, this time going to serious failure.

Military presses

After your last set, go immediately to dumbbell lateral raises. Grab your heaviest weight. If you max out at three strict reps, you get a star pasted on each delt. If you can do more than three reps, then it's back to the drawing board for more militaries.

Barbell curls

If you think you've gone to failure on these, move immediately, as if supersetting, to a preacher bench and try another very strict set with the same weight. If you can do only two reps, you pass.

Lying triceps extensions

To make sure you got everything possible out of your lying triceps extensions (cambered bar or barbell), rest for your normal interval, then try another set with the same weight, this time upright and extending above your head. You should not be able to do more than two reps, and even those should be a struggle.

[Dr. Boris]

Ja, jeg ved ikke hvad jeg skal sige. Lidt grineren, og samtidig lidt skræmmende..

Manden er jo syg! :)

[MaxPower]

:o Den ONDE omgang lommefilosofi...

Med mindre Ronnie-drengen driver gæk med folk, så må det med alt tydelighed illustrere at super-gener kombineret med HEAVY drugs (and lots of it) er vigtigere end dit træningsprogram, hvis størrelse er det eneste mål med træningen. ;)

[MaxPower]

Cool kommentarer fra T-mag: link

And here's another question and answer from the same issue of Flex, this one answered by the more recent Mr. O, Ronnie Coleman:

Q: You constantly warn against using too much weight, but aren't heavy weights necessary to develop big muscle?

Coleman, despite his warnings about using too much weight, gives a seemingly paradoxical bit of advice. He recommends doing a little test after a squat workout. If, after the workout, you can still do 10 bodyweight squats, you didn't have a good workout and you need to use more weight.

Take a minute to consider Ronnie's answer for a minute: if you can't do just ten bodyweight-only squats, you didn't use enough weight. I don't know about you, but I could work quads for three hours straight, throw up five times, and still be able to do ten bodyweight-only squats.

Imagine the angst a typical reader might feel if he used this test to determine his weights or workout intensity in general.

Granted, this formula might work for someone who's superbly fast-twitch. That person might easily fatigue his quads to the point of functional exhaustion. However, for those who are predominantly slow-twitch or for those who are a mix of fast and slow twitch, they'd have to blow out their valiant little hearts to meet Ronnie's criteria.

Balls Answer

Yes, yes, by all means, use heavy weight for pre-determined high-intensity periods. How heavy a weight you use should be determined by your desired rep range and your ability to both keep good form while doing all your reps, and to maintain the pre-determined tempo during all your reps.

As an example, say you're doing 5 set of 5 on the bench press. The weight you choose should allow you do to five quality reps each time, without too much deviation from the tempo you chose (i.e., 3 seconds down, a 1 second pause, and 1 second up).

If you can't do that, you're using too much weight (bonehead).

Nutsack Rating: 3 empty nutsacks for causing hundreds of dumb kids to puke on their shoes for no reason.

[cilius]

:o Den ONDE omgang lommefilosofi...

Med mindre Ronnie-drengen driver gæk med folk, så må det med alt tydelighed illustrere at super-gener kombineret med HEAVY drugs (and lots of it) er vigtigere end dit træningsprogram, hvis størrelse er det eneste mål med træningen. ;)

Lige i øjet :lol:

Med smid 4-5 gram test, tren og eq samt store mængder insulin og GH oven i hatten, så skal du se vækst ;)

Dejlig kommentar fra T-mag...

[MNC]

Lige i øjet :lol:

Med smid 4-5 gram test, tren og eq samt store mængder insulin og GH oven i hatten, så skal du se vækst ;)

Dejlig kommentar fra T-mag...

Ja de må sku egentlgi leve dyrt sådan nogle prof BB's..

Man kan bare se hvad alle de drugs har gjort ved den ellers så pæne flex wheeler..

[Fistandantilus]

If you can do more than half of your normal reps, then you need to pay a penalty

Husk det nu drenge; hvis i kører for let i første sæt, så skal i straffe jer selv HÅRDT! ;)

Det kunne udover nævnte eksempel være, ikke at måtte spise resten af dagen, eller slutte træningen af med 2 timers cardio!