X-WINGpilot
Full Member
Friend of mine invited me to train with him. It was the first time not only just being back in the gym but also the first time I've hit back in 4 years. I was excited, scared and a little but sceptical of the workout "Big Ally" had planned for me.
He paid, so it was only right that he led the way. He knew that I dabbed a little in high intensity training back then, favouring quality over quantity. But just as we were starting the first exercise (barbell row), I asked how many sets? His response "go for 2 working, just lift". Me being the over thinker that I am, I asked "say 6-8 reps", he gave me that " are you for real look", he just put his head down and said " just fucking lift". After 3 warm up sets I was aiming for a weight I could do 4-6 reps with, seeing that was the way I trained at home because of my new discovery of MAX-OT.
Turns out Ally doesn't give a shit about rep ranges, tells me that its all pish, just a way of keeping people inside the walls. Ally has a great way of looking at life and of course whatever it is he is doing or done, its worked, the guy is over 40 and still in great shape. Needless to say I just got on. Anyway I had a 20kg and a 10kg plate each side on a 20kg bar. A lot for me to do considering how long its been. I had to get this idea out of my mind that I "HAD" to do either 4 or 6 reps. Under Alister's watchful eye I just had to keep going till I reached near death. If I had to guess I think I got maybe 11, no fancy techniques like extra slow negatives the way I became used to, nope I just lifted.
Any how the workout was pretty amazing, I really enjoyed it and it made me realise what I had been missing out on, and how much work I really have to do. But on the way back home on a fairly quite bus I thought about what I had just been put through. No slow negative reps, no 4-6 6-8 8-12 to be fair no counting at all, we just lifted till that weight couldn't be moved. As I watched , well studied Ally his training style was raw, nothing fancy or that shite, just owned the weight. Have I wasted all this time, have I been going mad looking at scientific theories and google search results to help me find that one true "plan".
Is it as simple as " shut up and lift"? Its a motto I've seen on t-shirts but I've always found a way to complain and learn, fuck I'm doing it now, but I love grappling with the idea that people have a voice and an opinion and weightlifting is a topic most of us enjoy discussing. The question of the day is...ARE REP RANGES HOLDING ME/US BACK? Should I take Ally's approach and stick some weight on a bar (heavy mind), and just keep moving it without the mindset that tells me stop at 6, find a weight you can do for 6-8 or do 3-5 second negatives. If you continue to progress in lifting more weight and more reps outside the "rules", can you and will you grow? Its like if say, a guy can move 300lbs on the bench for 20 reps (mind he ain't counting he just gets 20) will he be noticeable bigger than the dude moving 300 for 8. It's probably a pathetic question but today really got me thinking, everything I thought I knew turned out to be a pile of ash and bones after this session. I was told to stop believing in what I read, and just grind through because I was holding back, struggling to really push myself because I was always looking for the easy system.
Today I was humbled, today intensity had a whole new meaning, today I enjoyed myself and most importantly today I realised I might not look it but I still enjoy this mad and confusing sport.
He paid, so it was only right that he led the way. He knew that I dabbed a little in high intensity training back then, favouring quality over quantity. But just as we were starting the first exercise (barbell row), I asked how many sets? His response "go for 2 working, just lift". Me being the over thinker that I am, I asked "say 6-8 reps", he gave me that " are you for real look", he just put his head down and said " just fucking lift". After 3 warm up sets I was aiming for a weight I could do 4-6 reps with, seeing that was the way I trained at home because of my new discovery of MAX-OT.
Turns out Ally doesn't give a shit about rep ranges, tells me that its all pish, just a way of keeping people inside the walls. Ally has a great way of looking at life and of course whatever it is he is doing or done, its worked, the guy is over 40 and still in great shape. Needless to say I just got on. Anyway I had a 20kg and a 10kg plate each side on a 20kg bar. A lot for me to do considering how long its been. I had to get this idea out of my mind that I "HAD" to do either 4 or 6 reps. Under Alister's watchful eye I just had to keep going till I reached near death. If I had to guess I think I got maybe 11, no fancy techniques like extra slow negatives the way I became used to, nope I just lifted.
Any how the workout was pretty amazing, I really enjoyed it and it made me realise what I had been missing out on, and how much work I really have to do. But on the way back home on a fairly quite bus I thought about what I had just been put through. No slow negative reps, no 4-6 6-8 8-12 to be fair no counting at all, we just lifted till that weight couldn't be moved. As I watched , well studied Ally his training style was raw, nothing fancy or that shite, just owned the weight. Have I wasted all this time, have I been going mad looking at scientific theories and google search results to help me find that one true "plan".
Is it as simple as " shut up and lift"? Its a motto I've seen on t-shirts but I've always found a way to complain and learn, fuck I'm doing it now, but I love grappling with the idea that people have a voice and an opinion and weightlifting is a topic most of us enjoy discussing. The question of the day is...ARE REP RANGES HOLDING ME/US BACK? Should I take Ally's approach and stick some weight on a bar (heavy mind), and just keep moving it without the mindset that tells me stop at 6, find a weight you can do for 6-8 or do 3-5 second negatives. If you continue to progress in lifting more weight and more reps outside the "rules", can you and will you grow? Its like if say, a guy can move 300lbs on the bench for 20 reps (mind he ain't counting he just gets 20) will he be noticeable bigger than the dude moving 300 for 8. It's probably a pathetic question but today really got me thinking, everything I thought I knew turned out to be a pile of ash and bones after this session. I was told to stop believing in what I read, and just grind through because I was holding back, struggling to really push myself because I was always looking for the easy system.
Today I was humbled, today intensity had a whole new meaning, today I enjoyed myself and most importantly today I realised I might not look it but I still enjoy this mad and confusing sport.
