Weightlifting for Kiwis - Discussion and support regarding the art of swole

[Sumptinsfuckey]

What do we think of the "Powerbuilding is an abomination" thing covered by Natural Hypertrophy and responded to by Bald Omni Man, Steve Shaw, Geoff Schofield, Basement Bodybuilding, etc?

A couple things to keep in mind bfore I give my take. First, I may be a but biased as my trainer is one of the folks who helped coin, or at least popularise the term "powerbuilding" at least in the context of youtube. Second, I've only been lifting for about 6 months and am by no means an expert.

It seems to me that very few people who get into lifting weights are going to slavishly or exclusively adhere to either a powerlifting or bodybuilding regime. Most folks who get into lifting weights would like to be bigger, stronger, and to have a more appealing physique, but I think only a small percentage of those people want to either build size and strength without an asthetic component, or to focus strictly on creating the bodybuilding asthetic.

Myself for example, I certainly want to gain strength and mass, but I would also like to look better when I take my shirt off, even if I have no interest in having a six pack.

It would seem to me that for the vast majority of people a training approach which strikes a happy medium between pure strength training, and pure hypertrophy is going to be the most likely to help the achieve thier goals.

The program Im on for example mixes relatively low rep range work (5-7 reps) on the major compund lifts for the first set, followed by progressively higher rep ranges at lower weights on the following sets, along with higher rep range sets on the various accessory lifts, and an overall fairly high volume of sets on a weekly basis.

Again, this is the program my own trainer has devised and while I recognise its not optimised for either strength or an increase in muscle size, Im happy enough with the results thus far that I dont feel a need to change it.

 

[Lord of the Large Pants]

Does it ever make sense to take some extra days off from the lift? I try to do 2 on, 1 off. Depending on life situation/laziness levels, it's sometimes 2 off, and rarely 3, but no more. But due to circumstances beyond my control I ended up being off for a full week... and I honestly feel better. Everything was easier than it usually is. The only thing that got worse rather than better was my arthritis acting up a little, but most of my joints and muscles improved and I feel like I'm lifting a little better than before the break.

Do you just need extra repairs sometimes?

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

Does it ever make sense to take some extra days off from the lift? I try to do 2 on, 1 off. Depending on life situation/laziness levels, it's sometimes 2 off, and rarely 3, but no more. But due to circumstances beyond my control I ended up being off for a full week... and I honestly feel better. Everything was easier than it usually is. The only thing that got worse rather than better was my arthritis acting up a little, but most of my joints and muscles improved and I feel like I'm lifting a little better than before the break.

Do you just need extra repairs sometimes?

Sometimes you do just need a break. Even if your training routine is well managed and your recovery is spot on, shit happens and sometimes the best answer is to just take an extra few days off.
If you chronically find yourself in need of longer breaks there’s probably an issue in your training, if it’s every once in a while due to work and family and such then that’s just normal.

 

[DSP's Tax Lawyer]

Does it ever make sense to take some extra days off from the lift? I try to do 2 on, 1 off. Depending on life situation/laziness levels, it's sometimes 2 off, and rarely 3, but no more. But due to circumstances beyond my control I ended up being off for a full week... and I honestly feel better. Everything was easier than it usually is. The only thing that got worse rather than better was my arthritis acting up a little, but most of my joints and muscles improved and I feel like I'm lifting a little better than before the break.

Do you just need extra repairs sometimes?

Look into Mike Mentzer style training. His seems a little extreme to me but Tom Platz and Dorian Yates took his theories to a better area that incorporate taking more rests in between workouts

 

[MS Paint Gigachad]

In the middle of a cut right now. Hoping to get a 4 or even 6 pack, even if it's one which is visible only under good lighting before bulking again. Currently at the point where i've got a faint "valley" going down my belly which is really only visible under good lighting, and seemingly a little separation of the upper abs starting to show? On the other hand, I've still got "love handles" and some fat on the lower part of my belly.

On a somewhat related note, I'm lowkey scared that I'll have a ton of loose skin hanging off my lower abs since I used to be fat as fuck. In fact, I literally have stretch marks from getting so fat. Then again, fuck it, progress is progress; and it'll be better than having that skin be tight with excess fat under it, right?

Kiwis who have at some point had a six pack, what would the early days of the schism of the united packs look like? (Translator's note, united packs means beer belly)

I bought a pair of those and I realised how stupidly difficult it is to find a place to hang them on. I have, ever since, come with the conspiracy theory that this is architecturally planned and deliberate to prevent people from joining the 41%

Similar to you, I highly doubt my home has anywhere I can hang rings from safely. However, I happen to have had a pullup bar i can mount in a doorframe before i acquired my first set of rings, so I hung them from that, which helped tremendously. I will probably always be a proponent for that.

 

[Sumptinsfuckey]

Does it ever make sense to take some extra days off from the lift? I try to do 2 on, 1 off. Depending on life situation/laziness levels, it's sometimes 2 off, and rarely 3, but no more. But due to circumstances beyond my control I ended up being off for a full week... and I honestly feel better. Everything was easier than it usually is. The only thing that got worse rather than better was my arthritis acting up a little, but most of my joints and muscles improved and I feel like I'm lifting a little better than before the break.

Do you just need extra repairs sometimes?

I find the same. Because of my job my training is very irregular. Im usually able to hit the gym 4 days out of 7, but sometimes its only 3 or 2. On the first training session after a e or 4 day break I usually feel much stronger, but then Im also 46 and my sleep is as irregular as my training.

 

[Sultan Bin Jewstar]

I find the same. Because of my job my training is very irregular. Im usually able to hit the gym 4 days out of 7, but sometimes its only 3 or 2. On the first training session after a e or 4 day break I usually feel much stronger, but then Im also 46 and my sleep is as irregular as my training.

Sounds very DuPont schedule-like

If you're swinging between days and night shifts, good luck. Lifting between on the transition days is fucking nightmare material.
Calisthenics are fucking gay, but they are your friend if you have no gym access when you're on shifts

 

[anustart76]

Does it ever make sense to take some extra days off from the lift? I try to do 2 on, 1 off. Depending on life situation/laziness levels, it's sometimes 2 off, and rarely 3, but no more. But due to circumstances beyond my control I ended up being off for a full week... and I honestly feel better. Everything was easier than it usually is. The only thing that got worse rather than better was my arthritis acting up a little, but most of my joints and muscles improved and I feel like I'm lifting a little better than before the break.

Do you just need extra repairs sometimes?

Having just done this, I think it's a great idea to take a week off every so often. I think it lets your muscles regrow properly. I too found it a lot easier to do the lifts I was trying before.

 

[Sumptinsfuckey]

Sounds very DuPont schedule-like

If you're swinging between days and night shifts, good luck. Lifting between on the transition days is fucking nightmare material.
Calisthenics are fucking gay, but they are your friend if you have no gym access when you're on shifts

Sort of. Im an OTR trucker. So sometimes I drive all day, sometimes all night, and sometimes there just aren't any locations of my gym where I break. I do the best I can.

 

[Sultan Bin Jewstar]

Sort of. Im an OTR trucker. So sometimes I drive all day, sometimes all night, and sometimes there just aren't any locations of my gym where I break. I do the best I can.

Feels bad

 

[Metatron]

I start to think the whole whey protein is one huge (((scam))). Due to the insane price of whey nowadays, I decided to stop buying it in early 2022.

Still steady gains, and zero nuclear braps.

Any thoughts, my fellow kiwis?

 

[MS Paint Gigachad]

I start to think the whole whey protein is one huge (((scam))). Due to the insane price of whey nowadays, I decided to stop buying it in early 2022.

Still steady gains, and zero nuclear braps.

Any thoughts, my fellow kiwis?

Said it before, will say it again: whey protein is nothing but just another way to get protein in. It may be compact and convenient, but it lacks nutrients whole-food sources of protein have (a steak, for instance, will contain iron), it is nothing special otherwise.
Pic related

PS: I don't even use whey protein regularly either, I think I average less than a scoop a week, and 90+% of my protein from whole food sources (mostly meats, some fish, very little plant or dairy protein)

PPS: the gains have and are being made despite my lack of whey protein consumption

 

[VeteranOfTheRetardWars]

I start to think the whole whey protein is one huge (((scam))). Due to the insane price of whey nowadays, I decided to stop buying it in early 2022.

Still steady gains, and zero nuclear braps.

Any thoughts, my fellow kiwis?

The importance of protein has been hyped up because of how much money supplements make, and while there is a use case for protein powder it’s not anything special. If you eat a diet with wholesome foods, getting protein is not a problem if you just eat meat, fish, eggs, dairy, etc etc. The main use for protein powders are, in my opinion, an quickly digested and absorbed source of protein around training. At most I drink a scoop every other day or so when I’m in a hurry.
The important thing to me is what real food provides over protein powder. All those vital muscle buildings nutrients in eggs and meats and other unprocessed foods completely mog protein powders. You may get less protein overall, but you got all those micronutrients that your body needs to build muscle and get stronger.
I also think that you can get away with less protein than we think in the fitness community, I’m 190lbs and rarely get 190 grams of protein in a day even though I eat a good amount of it. My gains have not suffered at all, I’m still getting bigger and stronger and more performant, and I generally feel better eating a wide spectrum of foods that don’t always include protein.

 

[Homegrown Homophobia]

I stopped buying protein powder when I got really into making my own kefir and cheese and increased my consumption of those. I'd recycle and reuse the whey I'd have as a by-product into my smoothies. I also drink a seemingly absurd amount of whole milk for quick protein.

Out of curiosity any of you guys do a 100% dumbbell only workout? I started to do so after I bruised my rotator cuff in a bad snowboarding fall and rehabbed it on my own. I was getting way better results for myself doing everything single handed and at the time (I lift at home now) it was great to never have to wait for the barbell squat rack or deadlift station to free up at the gym.

 

[Harambe]

I start to think the whole whey protein is one huge (((scam))). Due to the insane price of whey nowadays, I decided to stop buying it in early 2022.

Still steady gains, and zero nuclear braps.

Any thoughts, my fellow kiwis?

Yeah there's no need to focus on supplementing protein if you have 3 high protein meals in your diet already. Just buy cottage cheese, if you're really fucking up, it's still pretty cheap and it has incredible macros. It's a great breakfast with fruit and toast.

 

[Jarry Seinfelt]

I spent six months religiously doing planking and it's fucking lame. For the best workout that ever was for the core I didn't feel any substantial improvement in that department and thus I'm disappointed.

I feel a lot of core activation from kettlebell swings. The hams and glutes act as the gas and the abdominals are the brakes. I was probably in the best shape of my life early pandemic when all I had access to was a couple kettlebells. KB evangelists are cringe and you won't get huge off them and them alone, but like any tool they have their place.

 

[gongwonkyeye]

am just about to start shredding. be lean. with big muscles. hopefully. currently, am just fat. anyone got any tips for me, re: building muscles that don't involve anubollocks or T. can't eat cottage cheese -- reminds me of spunk. no yoghurt. no meat, either, of any type. oh, and, am lazy, so want quick results, and don't want to make much effort.

 

[Harambe]

am just about to start shredding. be lean. with big muscles. hopefully. currently, am just fat. anyone got any tips for me, re: building muscles that don't involve anubollocks or T. can't eat cottage cheese -- reminds me of spunk. no yoghurt. no meat, either, of any type. oh, and, am lazy, so want quick results, and don't want to make much effort.

SYNTHOL BROTHER

 

[Mr Snrub]

am just about to start shredding. be lean. with big muscles. hopefully. currently, am just fat. anyone got any tips for me, re: building muscles that don't involve anubollocks or T. can't eat cottage cheese -- reminds me of spunk. no yoghurt. no meat, either, of any type. oh, and, am lazy, so want quick results, and don't want to make much effort.

Less calories in vs what you put out.

Start off on a lower weight, get your technique down, then start adding to it. 3-4 sets of 6-8 reps initially building to 12-13 reps per set then up the weight. Rinse and repeat, you should be close to failure at the end of the sets. Work on compound movements as well as these train more than just 1 set of muscles.

Stick with it and watch the body recomp happen, you'll burn fat and grow muscle at the same time. Either that or liposuction.

 

[Sumptinsfuckey]

Feels bad

Not really. I mean sure, I'm not making as much gainz as I could be if I woke up every morning at the same time and in the same city, but Im still making gainz. Im getting stronger, my arms and shoulders are more muscular and Im even getting some visible growth in my chest finally. Progress aint gotta be perfect.