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Welcome to my channel! This documents my progress as I do difficult things.
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QUESTIONS TO DOING HARD THINGS
2/2 ANSWERED
I was watching your 100kg bench video and noticed that you warm-up progressively, increasing the warm-up weight but just doing 1 or 2 reps at each weight unless you reach your target lift. So just before you tried 100kg, you did 1 rep at 80kg and 1 rep at 90kg.
Does this actually help you to get the 100kg (because your muscle is ready) or would you be more likely to hit the 100kg if you just warmed up with a few reps of 40kg and then went for the 100kg?
Hi Paul! Yes, I always warm up like that. There are two main things that I'm trying to acheive when I warm up.
The first and most obvious is to get my body temperature up to reduce the chance of injury. I go on feel for this. On a cold winter's day, I'll do a lot more reps when getting ready for heavy top sets than I would in summer.
The second is that I'm aiming to practice the movement before I get to my top weights. A bench press with 40kg doesn't allow me to practice correct form, because light weights allow for an inefficient setup and bar path. I always try to warmup with the same form as my top weights, but there are certain elements that you can't mimic. For example, when benching, you can't use much leg drive with lighter weights or you would just slide up the bench (since you don't have a heavy enough weight providing enough friction with the bench)! Doing a couple of singles in the build up to my top sets allows me to practice with heavier weights, without fatuiging myself much at all.
I've never read Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength; what made you decide to follow that programme? Is your primary goal strength or size? I realise that they're not totally independent of course!
Hi Paul, Thanks for the question! I came across Mark Rippetoe and Starting Strength's podcast in lockdown and found it compelling. Up to that point, I'd fucked around in the gym for years (staying lean, skinny and weak). I bought into Mark's view that strength is crucial to living a happy, healthy life so I decided to prioritize strength for a few months while I did their program (the novice linear progression).
There's so much bullshit in the fitness industry that I found the honest way that they approach strength training fascinating. They've gone into excruciating detail analyzing the main compound barbell lifts (squat, deadlift, press and bench) with a grounding in physics and biomechanics. They've collectively coached thousands of natural lifters of all ages and genders and have tailored their program constantly over the years to make it as effective as possible, releasing a few books in the process.
As documented on my channel, I did the program for 3.5 months and had incredible results. My squat went from 60kg for 3 sets of 5 reps to 120kg for 3 sets of 5 reps.
In terms of my goals, I've always liked the idea of being strong for my size. This is where my views diverge from Starting Strength's. To me, a useful human is someone who can lift lots of weight, but can also run a fast 100m and 10km. If my sole goal was strength, I would gain a huge amount more weight (50+ pounds), but that would mean I'd run a slower 10km. I track my strength to bodyweight ratio, which is the main thing I'm aiming to maximize at the moment.
I was watching your 100kg bench video and noticed that you warm-up progressively, increasing the warm-up weight but just doing 1 or 2 reps at each weight unless you reach your target lift. So just before you tried 100kg, you did 1 rep at 80kg and 1 rep at 90kg.
Does this actually help you to get the 100kg (because your muscle is ready) or would you be more likely to hit the 100kg if you just warmed up with a few reps of 40kg and then went for the 100kg?
Hi Paul! Yes, I always warm up like that. There are two main things that I'm trying to acheive when I warm up.
The first and most obvious is to get my body temperature up to reduce the chance of injury. I go on feel for this. On a cold winter's day, I'll do a lot more reps when getting ready for heavy top sets than I would in summer.
The second is that I'm aiming to practice the movement before I get to my top weights. A bench press with 40kg doesn't allow me to practice correct form, because light weights allow for an inefficient setup and bar path. I always try to warmup with the same form as my top weights, but there are certain elements that you can't mimic. For example, when benching, you can't use much leg drive with lighter weights or you would just slide up the bench (since you don't have a heavy enough weight providing enough friction with the bench)! Doing a couple of singles in the build up to my top sets allows me to practice with heavier weights, without fatuiging myself much at all.
I've never read Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength; what made you decide to follow that programme? Is your primary goal strength or size? I realise that they're not totally independent of course!
Hi Paul, Thanks for the question! I came across Mark Rippetoe and Starting Strength's podcast in lockdown and found it compelling. Up to that point, I'd fucked around in the gym for years (staying lean, skinny and weak). I bought into Mark's view that strength is crucial to living a happy, healthy life so I decided to prioritize strength for a few months while I did their program (the novice linear progression).
There's so much bullshit in the fitness industry that I found the honest way that they approach strength training fascinating. They've gone into excruciating detail analyzing the main compound barbell lifts (squat, deadlift, press and bench) with a grounding in physics and biomechanics. They've collectively coached thousands of natural lifters of all ages and genders and have tailored their program constantly over the years to make it as effective as possible, releasing a few books in the process.
As documented on my channel, I did the program for 3.5 months and had incredible results. My squat went from 60kg for 3 sets of 5 reps to 120kg for 3 sets of 5 reps.
In terms of my goals, I've always liked the idea of being strong for my size. This is where my views diverge from Starting Strength's. To me, a useful human is someone who can lift lots of weight, but can also run a fast 100m and 10km. If my sole goal was strength, I would gain a huge amount more weight (50+ pounds), but that would mean I'd run a slower 10km. I track my strength to bodyweight ratio, which is the main thing I'm aiming to maximize at the moment.
