Critical Mass

I dont know what to say. I've gotten a lot of emails lately from off my website, facebook, and myspace. Somehow, there's an idea going around again that you need to sacrifice lifting heavy weight on the altar of perfect, slow form. I also have been dealing with this idea of overtraining. People just don't want to lift heavy weight. I cant figure it out. I dont want this hobby and sport to get wussified by mis-informed, smug, young punks who were still in diapers when I was a 140 lb. skater in high school, "overtraining" by bench pressing 250lbs. And they want to talk to ME about overtraining? I don't know.

I keep lifting more, and more heavy weight. Lately, the scale has been going up every week. I just weighed in yesterday at 210 lbs. My bench press is going up. My squat is heavier than it's ever been, and thats after 6-8 good sets of loaded up leg presses. I get disgusted and depressed when people slap eachother on the shoulder and point in amazement when I dip 3 plates for sets, or do standing military presses with 185 lbs. The old-timers come in a couple times a week with their powerlifting. A man can deadlift 5 plates and the whole gym just stops and watches in amazement. I strap up a 45 lb. plate for pullups and people stop just to watch me fail. I rep it out on my first set and they just shake their head and walk away. You would think that stuff would flatter me, but I also think it's sad because that stuff used to be common. Every man who walked through the door had a gym bag, big arms, weighed over 200 lbs., and a couple of hours to commit to weight lifting.

There's a new generation coming into the gym and it's hard for me to deal with it. It's not a generation that has grabbed the baton and kept it moving. It's a generation that the previous one has passed, and they said, "damn, this thing is heavy," and dropped it... just to pick up a straw and run.. no, jog with it!
This new generation is more into gelled hair, ipods, and tapout shirts. They are more into an Abercrombie wife beater so they could show off their "cuts." They want washboard abs so they can say they are "cut." Of course, their muscle tone sucks, but hey, they've got abs! They want the appearance of strength, without the real product. They are back-benchers. They are posers. They would make great politicians. They want a big chest, but they don't want to do heavy bench presses. They want big, round muscles, but they are afraid to eat portions that are "man-sized" because they might "put on some faaaat. " Bunch of damn women!, all of them!

I remember when there was 315 lbs. on every bar in the gym. I remember when you weren't welcome to work out with the powerlifters unless you could bench press or squat 315 lbs. The day Big Joe (he's micronesian, but looks samoan) spotted me on my first 315 lb. squat was a great, red letter day in my life. I was welcomed and respected by the REAL weight lifters. I remember Troy, the preacher man who looked just like Dolf Lungren would squat 7 plates for reps while OUTSIDE the safety bars of the squat rack at 5:30 in the morning. Or little Scotty, who weiged 145, and I watched him bench press 410 in a competition. I remember Big Ricky and Sid yelling at me because I was doing shrugs with only 3 plates on the bar. Sid is dead now. God bless him. SO is Marv. He was like, 90 something, and worked out every day. God rest their souls. Who is going to take the place of these men?

This is why I persevere. This is why I go to the gym in a long sleeved work uniform if I need to in the 105 degree heat. This is why I don't suffer fools gladly when it comes to training and eating. This is why I don't play around with 2 1/2, 5, or 35 lb. weights. My jumps are 10, 25, and 45 lbs. Thats it. If they took every one of those weights out, it wouldn't bother me at all.

Oh, sorry, here I go ranting again!

IceDragon

Don't ever apologise for telling it like it is, CM. Thing is, I'm only just getting started but already I'm sick at heart at the lack of effort any of these guys put in.

In the year I've been at this gym, I've seen one person deadlift - ONE! And that was for a massive 500 pounds or so, and he even gave me a few pointers. Shit like that just doesn't happen on a daily basis - and it should.

It's all about MMA, Fight Club, about being toned and not too bulky. Holy shit, I want to be as strong as I fucking can, and I'm just sick of being told that I want to look like a man, that what I'm doing is unhealthy, is sickening and unnatural!

It's stupid!

Where does it say that we have to limit ourselves to stay within the parameters of what is deemed "normal"? My kids already copy what I do, they already create their own cardio circuits, they know that a woman can be as strong as a man and that there's nothing bad about it - and they're all girls so I must be doing something right.

The more easier this life gets, the lazier we're getting. We evolved to eat meat, to be strong and extremely fit and to take everything life can throw at us and still stick two fingers up at it. And what do we have? Detox-addicted lactose-intolerant vegan yoga fiends that couldn't find their own arse with both hands and a map!

Fuck that shit!

Keep on ranting, my friend. It's people like you that keep the people like me going. One day I WILL be where you are, and I can point to you and say "see that guy there? He's one of the people that taught me how to do this, how to be a better person, how to rip myself up and build myself a better body and to ignore the pain and keep coming back for more."

YouTube - Disturbed ~ Droppin Plates

One of these days, I'll come workout with you. Then I'll know I'm where I need to be.

getfit74

I hear ya man I miss the old days as well.

Mr. Love

Keep posting that stuff man. I love it. I may be new to this whole body building thing but I already understand your frustrations.

Critical Mass

Thanks Mr. Love. I'm glad you like it.

Boki

i still like the ripped look, like getfit74 has and How Big guns looks right now, getfit in his avi looks amazing imo.

i like the mma look but i dont like the gay tapout shirts and the homo sunglasses. but i like the ripped body style.

and if theyre not posers and are actually fighters they want to be conditioned as best as they can and they want to be as strong as possible for their weight class.

i want to keep gaining weight and when i feel it is to a good enough extent that i bulked up to,then i want to cut the fat so my mucle can be seen even more.

but overall being big is what it is all about

Sens

I can see where you're coming from CMass, but then I also think alot of younger guys are into general 'fitness'. They come in, they see you dipping with plates and they think 'wow that's awesome' and stop to look. Just like if I see a supercar drive past I stop and look.

Whereas when you're in your mid twenties and after, generally only the guys that mean it are left, and they've had quite a few years of training.

I dunno, I know exactly what you mean, my old gym buddy used to lift heavy on everything, but only after I'd talked him into it, and then he wouldn't eat enough to grow. But then there is me, who was smaller than him, lifting heavy, eating big.

strawser9

I can't tell you how many pansies come in here and say, "Its so humid in here I'm sweating before I even start working out, why don't you turn the air on" (It might be 80 degrees in the gym)

I just remember them as the pussies they are everytime I see them. I mean, seriously, you're in a gym and you're going to complain because you're sweating?

You don't have to sacrafice heavy weight for perfect form, however I see far too many people using much too heavy weight. There has to be balance in this equation. If the weight is too heavy and the form drops too much chances are you aren't getting as much out of the exercise as if you dropped the weight a little and made your form better. If you concentrate on perfect form and the weight isn't heavy enough you aren't going to let your muscle know it needs to grow.

And CM, feel free to post whatever the hell you want whenever you want!

Big Guns

I used to do heavy weights, I ate like a cow, and got bigger and stronger. I agree w/ going heavy AS LONG AS ONE IS CAREFUL. Honestly, heavy causes great pain for me. Everyone always complain about I'm sore here or there. Trade place w/ me for 1 day and then you'll understand what training through it means. Too many pussies.

OK....train heavy and eat has and always will work. BUT with my slower pace, I have been throwing in heavy days here and there and I am getting stronger. I'm from the school of "Time under Tension". Train heavy and live on little food....disaster!!!

CM I love your ranys!!! I feel everything you say. I'm just toooo damn lazy to type it out!
Stay cool bro!!

Whiners NEVER grow!!!!!