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Rippetoe is all about gaining weight and putting on muscle. Probably not practical for most people. I'd also be hesitant to teach yourself both how to deadlif

by shiny 11y ago

Rippetoe is all about gaining weight and putting on muscle. Probably not practical for most people. I'd also be hesitant to teach yourself both how to deadlift and squat - I hurt myself doing both after reading Rippetoe, despite the detailed instructions. Also, according to Nick Curson (coach of UFC Champion Rafael Dos Anjos) on the Joe Rogan podcast, heavy slow weight lifting is counterproductive for most sports [1] [2] [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJmYFlvKloE&t=26m18s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJmYFlvKloE&t=26m18s [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJmYFlvKloE&t=43m23s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJmYFlvKloE&t=43m23s

kejaed 11y ago
Rippetoe is all about being strong, because being strong is better than being weak. For the average dude starting to lift, that will likely involve gaining weight and adding muscle. This is, however, not the be all and end all of what he is talking about. Please take a look at Gus, a woman in her 90s who has recently started to train at Rip's gym and has improved her quality of life such that she no longer requires her walker. http://youtu.be/3585w9FmOGs http://youtu.be/3585w9FmOGs It's hard to hurt yourself if you truly read the book, because if you start with an empty bar and only add small amounts of weight using the proper form (as the book instructs) it's tough to hurt yourself. If anyone needs some help with barbell form you can drop into the forums where coaches will gladly review a video for you, or if necessary find someone to help you in person. And before I fall down the rabbit hole of repeating Rip's gospel word for word, what a coach says they do for an elite athlete has little bearing on the general population. Elite athelets are genetic freaks that could be trained in many ways and still achieve their results. Lifting heavy is not going to slow you down or make you big, it's going to get you strong. Training for strength and practicing your sport of choice will just make you a stronger version of your previous self. If you train and eat like a power lifter you are not going to be able to maintain your 3:30 marathon time, but if you add in properly programmed strength training for the goals you are looking to achieve, it is petty hard to argue that being stronger is worse than being weaker all other things being equal.
- shiny 11y ago
  True, I misspoke, and thanks for the link. But Curson's stuff has made me rethink the practicality of heavy, slow lifting. He does think that it will slow you down.
- ectoplasm 11y ago
  > Rippetoe is all about being strong, because being strong is better than being weak. Then again, too much strength competes with balance and flexibility.
  - JupiterMoon 11y ago
    Citation needed here.
    - kejaed 11y ago
      I don't get the down votes. If you have several hundred pounds on the bar, you are by definition in balance. If you can move through the full range of motion of the movement you are flexible enough. Being able to squat above your body weight is going to make you a more useful human being than putting your leg behind your head.
      - ectoplasm 11y ago
        Hey, don't worry about down votes, it's only internet points. I don't think strength is bad, but: you only have so many training hours and you might want to spend some of them on balance or flexibility instead. Further, it's possible to have such a volume of muscle that you cannot achieve certain positions (e.g. trying to touch your elbows together leaves an 8 inch gap). And it's also possible for your muscles to weigh so much that you can't move as gracefully because equilibrium is harder to maintain. That's all I meant. Ask any dancer, yogi, acrobat, gymnast, skier, martial artist, figure skater, etc. Any discipline where you need strength, balance, and flexibility in approximately equal measure, it's possible to overtrain or undertrain any one of them.

by shiny 11y ago

kejaed 11y ago

Rippetoe is all about being strong, because being strong is better than being weak. For the average dude starting to lift, that will likely involve gaining weight and adding muscle. This is, however, not the be all and end all of what he is talking about. Please take a look at Gus, a woman in her 90s who has recently started to train at Rip's gym and has improved her quality of life such that she no longer requires her walker. http://youtu.be/3585w9FmOGs http://youtu.be/3585w9FmOGs It's hard to hurt yourself if you truly read the book, because if you start with an empty bar and only add small amounts of weight using the proper form (as the book instructs) it's tough to hurt yourself. If anyone needs some help with barbell form you can drop into the forums where coaches will gladly review a video for you, or if necessary find someone to help you in person. And before I fall down the rabbit hole of repeating Rip's gospel word for word, what a coach says they do for an elite athlete has little bearing on the general population. Elite athelets are genetic freaks that could be trained in many ways and still achieve their results. Lifting heavy is not going to slow you down or make you big, it's going to get you strong. Training for strength and practicing your sport of choice will just make you a stronger version of your previous self. If you train and eat like a power lifter you are not going to be able to maintain your 3:30 marathon time, but if you add in properly programmed strength training for the goals you are looking to achieve, it is petty hard to argue that being stronger is worse than being weaker all other things being equal.

shiny 11y ago
True, I misspoke, and thanks for the link. But Curson's stuff has made me rethink the practicality of heavy, slow lifting. He does think that it will slow you down.
ectoplasm 11y ago
> Rippetoe is all about being strong, because being strong is better than being weak. Then again, too much strength competes with balance and flexibility.
- JupiterMoon 11y ago
  Citation needed here.
  - kejaed 11y ago
    I don't get the down votes. If you have several hundred pounds on the bar, you are by definition in balance. If you can move through the full range of motion of the movement you are flexible enough. Being able to squat above your body weight is going to make you a more useful human being than putting your leg behind your head.
    - ectoplasm 11y ago
      Hey, don't worry about down votes, it's only internet points. I don't think strength is bad, but: you only have so many training hours and you might want to spend some of them on balance or flexibility instead. Further, it's possible to have such a volume of muscle that you cannot achieve certain positions (e.g. trying to touch your elbows together leaves an 8 inch gap). And it's also possible for your muscles to weigh so much that you can't move as gracefully because equilibrium is harder to maintain. That's all I meant. Ask any dancer, yogi, acrobat, gymnast, skier, martial artist, figure skater, etc. Any discipline where you need strength, balance, and flexibility in approximately equal measure, it's possible to overtrain or undertrain any one of them.