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The idea that proper form is self evident or intuitively learned is naive, especially in regard to people whose daily responsibilities don't demand much coordin

The idea that proper form is self evident or intuitively learned is naive, especially in regard to people whose daily responsibilities don't demand much coordination. If you want to look good for a few years, then yes, you can develop muscle by just going through the motions, but you run a very big risk of systemic injury. I highly recommend anyone looking to get in shape start with a few sessions with a personal trainer who can give feedback on form.

scott_s 16y ago
It's not intuitive nor self evident. But a motivated beginner can learn on their own - I did. I read a lot, watched videos, and paid close attention to my own form. I would have done better with an instructor, but that was not an option. Most "personal trainers" I saw knew nothing about basic, free weight lifts. What I'm trying to dispel is the notion that you shouldn't touch free weights or that free weights are for experienced people only. Use very low weight in the beginning, but no one should start out on machines, nor should they be scared of starting.
- vimalg2 16y ago
  Most "personal trainers" I saw knew nothing about basic, free weight lifts. This is spot-on where I live. (Kerala, India) The trainers have no experience with proper form coaching for the basic powerlifting exercises. All the gyms here promote themselves as 'Bodybuilding gyms'. All the members want to look like the muscle-bound moviestars from 'Bollywood' (presumably to get 'ze girls' :p) I'm maybe 1 of 3 people in the whole gym clientele(all male) that even uses the Squat Rack. I'm on Stronglifts 5x5 for a month now and my lifts are definitely improving and so is my flexibility and core 'balance'. Surprising side-effect: I don't feel 'clumsy' anymore. And yeah, I get into long winded arguments with the 'trainers' twice a month, about why i don't use the cable machines for 'ze body'. As an engineer at heart, I like to explain the idea to them something like: "You can pimp your cheap-ass car with all the bling you want, but when it counts, the German engine is going to make the difference. Besides, there's no harm in adding bling after you've got your own finely-tuned German engine under the hood" Yes, its corny, but it got the message across and got the 'trainers' off my back.
  - grammaton 16y ago
    I too am one of the only people in my gym who seems to care about building strength as opposed to trying to look like it. As an anecdotal example: I finished five sets of farmer's walks with 105 pound (about 47 and a half kilograms) dumbbells in each hand. After I'd finished, I was approached by a bodybuilder type and told that I was wasting my time. What I really needed to do, he explained, was to do lunges in place, because what I was doing now wasn't "doing anything." Apparently being able to pick up two hundred pounds of weight and walk around with it wasn't "doing anything." Honestly, you're wasting your time getting into it with people like this. It's just a fundamentally different mindset. I just thank them politely for their advice (after all, they really do mean well, they just don't understand) and get on with my routine.
    - scott_s 16y ago
      A bodybuilder-type once asked me what farmer's walks "works." Everything, I said. Bodybuilders don't have much concept of conditioning, outside of being able to flex for long periods of time. Powerlifters care about raw strength, but for them, conditioning is being able to hit several very high lifts in the big three at a meet. It is a kind of conditioning, no question, but they're still going to gas pretty soon in any prolonged activity. Strongmen competitors, on the other hand, I think are phenomenal athletes who combine enormous strength with great conditioning.

scott_s 16y ago

It's not intuitive nor self evident. But a motivated beginner can learn on their own - I did. I read a lot, watched videos, and paid close attention to my own form. I would have done better with an instructor, but that was not an option. Most "personal trainers" I saw knew nothing about basic, free weight lifts. What I'm trying to dispel is the notion that you shouldn't touch free weights or that free weights are for experienced people only. Use very low weight in the beginning, but no one should start out on machines, nor should they be scared of starting.

vimalg2 16y ago
Most "personal trainers" I saw knew nothing about basic, free weight lifts. This is spot-on where I live. (Kerala, India) The trainers have no experience with proper form coaching for the basic powerlifting exercises. All the gyms here promote themselves as 'Bodybuilding gyms'. All the members want to look like the muscle-bound moviestars from 'Bollywood' (presumably to get 'ze girls' :p) I'm maybe 1 of 3 people in the whole gym clientele(all male) that even uses the Squat Rack. I'm on Stronglifts 5x5 for a month now and my lifts are definitely improving and so is my flexibility and core 'balance'. Surprising side-effect: I don't feel 'clumsy' anymore. And yeah, I get into long winded arguments with the 'trainers' twice a month, about why i don't use the cable machines for 'ze body'. As an engineer at heart, I like to explain the idea to them something like: "You can pimp your cheap-ass car with all the bling you want, but when it counts, the German engine is going to make the difference. Besides, there's no harm in adding bling after you've got your own finely-tuned German engine under the hood" Yes, its corny, but it got the message across and got the 'trainers' off my back.
- grammaton 16y ago
  I too am one of the only people in my gym who seems to care about building strength as opposed to trying to look like it. As an anecdotal example: I finished five sets of farmer's walks with 105 pound (about 47 and a half kilograms) dumbbells in each hand. After I'd finished, I was approached by a bodybuilder type and told that I was wasting my time. What I really needed to do, he explained, was to do lunges in place, because what I was doing now wasn't "doing anything." Apparently being able to pick up two hundred pounds of weight and walk around with it wasn't "doing anything." Honestly, you're wasting your time getting into it with people like this. It's just a fundamentally different mindset. I just thank them politely for their advice (after all, they really do mean well, they just don't understand) and get on with my routine.
  - scott_s 16y ago
    A bodybuilder-type once asked me what farmer's walks "works." Everything, I said. Bodybuilders don't have much concept of conditioning, outside of being able to flex for long periods of time. Powerlifters care about raw strength, but for them, conditioning is being able to hit several very high lifts in the big three at a meet. It is a kind of conditioning, no question, but they're still going to gas pretty soon in any prolonged activity. Strongmen competitors, on the other hand, I think are phenomenal athletes who combine enormous strength with great conditioning.