ExRx.net

This follows a conversation I had last night about ironic things. It's really just another rant, which I'm enjoying more and more these days. These are just things that, due to the irony, have always stuck with me.

Here's my ironic discoveries.

1. Fat people who do most of their training on stability balls and vibrating plat forms. That's ironic in itself. However, even more so, despite the blatant lack of results, the majority never change what they do.

2. You can throw proof of certain espects of training directly into the face of the non beleivers, and they still won't believe you. Women lifting weights, for one.

Example - (me speaking) "it's a myth, you will not wake up tomorrow looking like ronnie coleman, you WILL speed up your metabolsim, you'll still burn calories, you'll 'tone up' but don't listen to ME, look at the group of female acrobats and dancers that are in here almost every night- they look AMAZING, What do they do? you guessed it, pressing, rowing, pull ups, dips, loads of body weight stuff. Have you ever seen them on a tread mill for more than 5-10 minutes/ Have you ever seen them on a tread mill???"

Response- "who's ronnie coleman?"

3. It's Ironic that the stereotype of most lifters seems to represents the smallest percentage of said lifting population. Genetically gifted, drug using competing bodybuilders are a minority. Really fat, hairy, permantly red faced powerlifters are a minority. Certainly in this country, anyway.

4. Olympic lifters are just perfect, though. No one has anything bad to say about them. That's ironic, too.

5. It's ironic that machines can encourage joint problems, but, following particular traumatic injuries, machines can be very beneficial for restoring the basic function of certain muscles.

6. It's ironic that a typical body building type lifter can't, for the life of him, drop the bench press for a few weeks. Yet, powerlifters will drop benching without thinking anything of it, infact, good powerlifters will drop the classic bench press on a regular occasion. However, the bench press is one third of their goal, and one third of their competition, one half if it's a push-pull comp.

7. I find it extremely ironic that I've started training with a Power lifter who squats close to 600lbs, but can't do a single pistol. When I pointed out the irony of this, ironically, I almost got eaten as a post work out meal.

8. It's ironic when people who weigh 130lbs and want to bulk up ask advice on bringing out the 'upper pecs' or some other muscle that makes up a total of 1-2% of the over all muscle mass that they don't have.

9. On a more personal note, it's ironic that I advise people on here and in the gym(s) so much about balance and injuries etc, yet, the knee injury i'm recovering from just now was the result of a simple ankle ROM discrepancy, which led to a loss in ROM in the opposite hip, which lead to glute med shut down, over active and shortened TFL pulling on my IT band, knotting it up, and finally, giving me anterior knee pain (via it's attachment on the shin). Talk about taking your own advice.

10. On the same note as above, it's ironic that you can get so caught up in the finer details that you miss the basic, most obvious answers.

11. It's ironic that i've used the word 'ironic' so much in one post that it now just sounds stupid.

KPj

It's ironic that my Bran Raisin cereal has more sugar and carbs than my box of whole wheat Lucky Charms.

It's ironic that the very thing I'm studying in school right now is composed of extremely complex chemical processes that I will never completely wrap my mind around... yet my body easily carries those processes out every second of everyday even without my knowledge or participation!

Wow I came so close to posting the lyrics to that Alannis Morissette song, I really had to resist the urge.

Besides, I didn't want my exrx.net login to get revoked. I mean nobody needs to read that.

3) When people think of basketball players they think of the NBA. When they think of sprinters they think of Olympic gold medalists. ... So I guess it's only natural that when people think of bodybuilding, they think of think of top pros like Ronnie Coleman. Likewise, when most people think of powerlifting, they think of the biggest, strongest competitors in the heaviest weight classes. Not surprisingly, these guys typically compete in non-drug-tested organizations with relatively permissive rules reguarding acceptable equipment and lifting form. This is somewhat ironic, since I'd much rather see natural athaletes lifting raw with textbook form.

3) When people think of basketball players they think of the NBA. When they think of sprinters they think of Olympic gold medalists. ... So I guess it's only natural that when people think of bodybuilding, they think of think of top pros like Ronnie Coleman. Likewise, when most people think of powerlifting, they think of the biggest, strongest competitors in the heaviest weight classes. Not surprisingly, these guys typically compete in non-drug-tested organizations with relatively permissive rules reguarding acceptable equipment and lifting form. This is somewhat ironic, since I'd much rather see natural athaletes lifting raw with textbook form.

I can't help but think of those potbellied Gold Medalist athletes of the Eastern Bloc whenever I hear the term "Olympic weightlifter".

I'm not sure it is irony, but

Isn't it ironic I preach changing exercises and lifts all the time, yet I'll get stuck in a rut and not change my exercises.

Usually it is a duh moment when I realize I have been doing the same thing for months and wonder why I am not progressing.

Yeah, your right, it is natural. I guess I see it as much worse since BB's and PL's at that elite level can train so much differently than a beginner or intermediate. Where as some coaches are saying now that weekend warriors should train as much like athletes as they can i.e. paying attention to all aspects of 'being athletic' - flexibility, balance,strength, power/speed, agility etc

I agree with you on the PL thing, too. Don't get me wrong, I love to see these guys pulling and squatting ~1000lbs, it's amazing. But I prefer watching the lighter lifters. I'm biased, though, since i'm a lighter lifter myself. I feel there's more of an art to it for lighter guys. Excess fat on lighter lifters is not much more than waisted bodyweight, so diet is slightly more precise.

I don't really like the idea of lifting gear, either. The club I go to just now allows suits and shirts. I've never even lifted with a belt, which I get scrutinised for. I have mixed opinions on them...

KPj

There was a lifter fairly recently who had a blowout on a world record bench press attempt (1008 lbs I think). His bench pressing shirt slipped off one shoulder in mid-rep and he completely lost control of the lift.

Of course, his bench pressing shirt was one of the super-thick mult-layered ones, and it was so thight he needed help to put it on.

I like to wear a belt on my heavy lifts, but I don't wear it very tight. I think having something around my waist makes me more aware of body position and encourages me to maintain proper form.

In other words the belt gives me tactile feedback, but it isn't tight enough to give me any real support.

I must admit, there is something appealing about learning to lift in a shirt or suit and in doing so, being capable of lifting more than you can raw.

With the belts, yeah, that's the way I would wear them if/when I use one. Loose and pushing my stomach against it. My opinion changed a little due to Dr Stuart McGills 'Ultimate Back Fitness and Performace' where he details that to feel the benefits of a belt, you actually need to be in flexion. So, you actually need to lift 'poorly' (as it was written).

Interestingly, just about every reputable coach whom I refer to for info references Dr McGill and that book in particular, speak very highly of him. They also recommend the use of belts for reps under 3. I would trust their judgment before I trusted my own. However, in the book it also says that there is no doubt that a belt increases torso stiffness, which increases load on the lower back, but still further ensures that the spine won't buckle during the lift, and this will add a few lbs to the lift, too.

One thing I noticed with my DL form is that when I first started doing it, I could lift with near perfect form for a 3RM. However, if I went for a 1RM or 2RM, my form would change quite a lot, hips would tuck and back would round (ideal time for a belt I guess!). I always change DL and Squat variations, one just for the variety and also to reflect where i'm weak in the lift. I do so with my assistance exercises as well. Recently I came back to DL's following knee injury, 2 months with no bilaterals, where I worked a lot on Glute medius and ironing out flexibility and strength discrepancies from side to side - which were subtle, really.

When I came back to DL's (about 3-4wks ago), I noticed straight away that my sticking point has changed. No longer is it 'off the floor' but around my knees now (woohoo, more rack pulls). I can also hit a 2RM with near perfect form, and my 1RM is about the same. There's rounding, but it appears to be from the upper back - so i'm told, but really need to get a video. So now I'm thinking - if it's possible that I can avoid flexion in the lumbar spine in 1RM lifts consistently, do I really need to use a belt?

And then i'm thinking, "that's all very well for someone who just wants to be strong, full stop. But I want to compete in PL, so... Get a dam belt"

I'm also thinking, 'if I use a belt for the 1RM, maybe i'll care less, lay it on the line a little more, and lift heavier'.

And then I think, "I drink too much coffee and type too fast for my own good"

In all honesty, If i were doing more singles right now I would use a belt... So i'm not against them completely, I just like to question things...

KPj

Honestly, I don't think I ever round my back on deadlifts. The weak links in my deadlift are my grip and breaking of the floor. I've never had any trouble finishing a deadlift (provided my grip holds). This may be partly because of all the heavy 45-degree barbell rows I've done over the years.

The most ironic thing to me is that most people are more afraid a few curls will turn them into a professional bodybuilder than they are of being fat and out of shape. They'd rather do curls with soup cans than risk become Arnold Schwarzenegger by mistake.

Actually, that might be more insulting than ironic. Like if I said "Yeah, I'd do some stock trading but I don't want to get all rich like Warren Buffett." Or "I don't want to play so much baseball that I'd end up as good as a professional player." People are less likely to worry about that than about getting huge from working out.

It's also ironic that generally paying for a certified trainer to help you in person results in worse results, worse form, and worse workouts than just asking interested non-certified folks on the internet!