Unwelcome Fitness Train(er) Trends

[Dreamliner]

Notice here that I'm not going after fitness recommendations in the abstract. That's bad enough. What's worse is what some of my peers are up to:

STILL seeking to convey that exercise is not only a viable strategy for weight-loss but the PRIMARY strategy for such. Almost without exception, prospective clients imagine that my function is to come to their house and work the weight off them. Where did they get that from ? Not moi.

Training every day or almost every day. Sure, if you enjoy training every day, knock yourself out. Some appear to thrive on the approach. Good for them. What I have an issue with is the brassy declaration that you have to work out every day, or almost every day, to forge an outstanding physique. Hogwash. I suspect that many of my peers are basically crack addicts for exercise. Every day training satisfies their training angst. Should people pay other people to have these sorts of neuroses transferred to them ? Seems like they ought to be compensated for that!

Total body workouts. Yes, it's one way to skin the cat. I've done them a lot. Like the feel of the all-over pump. But there seems to have been a pronounced backlash against splits, possibly in the haste to separate themselves from bodybuilders. Maybe they should take a cue from bodybuilders.

Diet fads. Trainers are suckers for them. And certain leading lights in the industry are still extolling low-carb diets. And I'm sick and tired of trainers telling people what they can and can't eat. The trainer who packed muscle (and fat) on Zac Efron was recently quoted as having said that it's not so much that he recommends his clients eliminate certain foods, rather he DEMANDS it.

To the above, what's with these celeb trainers who have their star-clients gorging on 5,000-6,000 calories a day, and furiously training an hour or two five or six days a week ... to add five pounds of muscle to their frames for their latest superhero role ?

Functional training. Right, like it has served no function to see a client double his weight on, say, the leg press. Like you double your barbell squat and that carries over to the rigors of daily life. But if you double your leg press there are no carryover benefits. R-i-g-h-t.

Lastly, trainers are still telling their clients that strength training will turn their bodies into "fat-burning furnaces." R-i-g-h-t.

[ATL_Gator]

I am confused. maybe I don't get what you are saying.

the 4th paragraph, regarding body builders.

The body builders I know spend HOURS multiple times a week in the gym and are normally on some crazy diet, especially around competition time.

[Dreamliner]

Yes, I meant listening to bodybuilders on the manner of split routines, not the length of those routines. If total body routines were the best way to add muscle then you'd expect to see bodybuilders using them.

Personally, I can't do total body routines for very long as they beat up my joints.

[wesstump]

The best way to lose weight is push aways. Push away fro junk food and when you eat, eat healthy food. However, don't overeat. Also, weight training will build your body up. It will not help you lose weight. You need to do lots of cardio like the treadmill or just walking. A plan like P90 X would help with weight. That is a very hard workout for most people but you could use parts of it. The reason I say parts is because some people have bad knees. Just don't do anything that causes lasting pain. I saw a guy that weighed about 300 pounds. When he came to the gum, he just rode the exercise bike. He was not on a diet but lost over 100 hundred pounds. If you want to body build, don't train like a powerlifter! I really can't say much about body building because I've never done it.

[Dreamliner]

Haha, I like it - 'push aways.' Still, P90X is not an effective fat loss program IMO. I say not effective because, if you're doing 'push aways', it is by no means necessary to exercise furiously, 1-1.5 hours, 5-6 days a week to improve your body. A more intelligent plan would get you ripped in a fraction of the time.

[Dreamliner]

Here's another one:

"You have no business doing curls until you can squat twice your bodyweight!"

HS, first of all, squats suck as an arm exercise. Secondly, skinny as I am, I've added a half-inch to my biceps simply by adding in curls for a few weeks.

[Tasselhoff]

Dream,
I have always heard it this way
" you have no business doing curls until you can do three pull-ups (otr chin-ups).

Which I somewhat understand. But curls are easier to adjustthe weight on and so easierto progress up to higher weights.

[Dreamliner]

In fact, four workouts of curls, 12 sets total, led to the half-inch gain in biceps measurement AND I wasn't in calorie surplus. There's another myth busted.

[G8trmlp]

Dream,
When I was at UF I took full advantage of SW rec and worked out 5-6 days a week about 1.5 hrs a day. I went from a way out of shape 6'2" 225 pounder to a much stronger 190 pounder doing workouts I was taught in high school weight lifting class. In the 4 years since I've graduated from UF life has prevented me from working out like I used to. I rely pretty much on push ups and pull ups 4 or 5 days a week and try to eat well. I've actually dropped to 175 pounds. I know I'm no where near as strong as I was in college. I would love to know what kind of workout/diet combo you all would recommend for a realistic healthy lifestyle.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by G8trmlp

Dream,
When I was at UF I took full advantage of SW rec and worked out 5-6 days a week about 1.5 hrs a day. I went from a way out of shape 6'2" 225 pounder to a much stronger 190 pounder doing workouts I was taught in high school weight lifting class. In the 4 years since I've graduated from UF life has prevented me from working out like I used to. I rely pretty much on push ups and pull ups 4 or 5 days a week and try to eat well. I've actually dropped to 175 pounds. I know I'm no where near as strong as I was in college. I would love to know what kind of workout/diet combo you all would recommend for a realistic healthy lifestyle.

Welcome, G8. And offhand I'd say that, at 6-2 175 - and working out regularly - that you're probably pretty healthy. Are you dissatisfied with where you are ?

[G8trmlp]

No, not dissatisfied. Just wouldn't mind being a little stronger/faster and was wondering what your recommendations would be. I've read your posts from time to time. From what I've gathered, you seem to advocate the opposite of what I learned through high school and college

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by G8trmlp

No, not dissatisfied. Just wouldn't mind being a little stronger/faster and was wondering what your recommendations would be. I've read your posts from time to time. From what I've gathered, you seem to advocate the opposite of what I learned through high school and college

What did you learn in high school/college about getting stronger/faster ?

I suspect you've figured out I'm a minimalist. I'm allergic to working out more than three days a week. And generally I don't perform more than 2-3 hard sets of two or three compound exercises per workout.

Currently, I myself would like to add a few pounds of muscle and have settled into a four-way, upper/lower split. Basically, I rotate through the following four workouts three days a week:

(A) Unilateral Dumbbell Floor Press + Weighted Chinups

(B) Barbell Deadlifts + Dumbbell Step-Ups

(C) Dumbbell Overhead Press + Dumbbell Rows

(D) Goblet Squats + Single Legged Deadlifts

That's it. 2-3 sets of 5-10 reps. No cardio. Lots of walking though. These are exercises that are easy on my joints.

(B)

[LeafUF]

G8trmlp, you should start a thread with more details so other can chime in with advice. Dream has some great ideas and so do the others who post in here. I know it can get confusing getting too much info but its also good to see there are many ways to reach ones goals.