Weight Training Article

[old] gw1 · Post by **[old] gw1** » January 10th, 2005, 10:37 am

Here is some reading for those interested in the resent on going debate on the value of resistance training and the different methodologies. Yoda you'd be pleased to know i mixed some super slow inline bench and seated row in with my regular lifting over the weekend. <a href='http://www.asep.org/jeponline/issue/Doc ... /Smith.doc' target='_blank'>http://www.asep.org/jeponline/issue/Doc ... br>Gary

[old] FredrikJ · Post by **[old] FredrikJ** » January 10th, 2005, 2:48 pm

Good article! I have another one on the same subject but I don´t think it´s online. But you can find it at any Medical Library, and it has tons of references: Feigenbaum, Pollock "Prescription of resistance training for health and disease" Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. Vol 31 no 1:38-45, 1999. They also conclude that 1 set is enough.

[old] FrancoisA · Post by **[old] FrancoisA** » January 10th, 2005, 5:24 pm

Thanks Gary, very interesting article! I will give it a try. Cheers!

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » January 10th, 2005, 5:41 pm

Has anyone made a "pull up trainer"? This is basically an incline board that slides up and down, with a pull up bar at the top, similar to the "total gym" and "total trainer". I'm planning to make one, so if anyone else has done this or is interested, let me know.

[old] gw1 · Post by **[old] gw1** » January 10th, 2005, 5:48 pm

John A great way to help with pull ups is to step up off a box and lower yourself down very slowly, you are able to control alot more weight through the negative phase of an exercise than the positive phase. Also there is a machine called a gravatron (or similar spelling) that has a good dip / chin station that provides counter resistance to your body weight. You may be able to come up with a see-saw device that you can load the other end to which you are standing to decrease your actual chinning weight. Cheers Gary

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » January 10th, 2005, 5:59 pm

Gary, Thanks for the suggestions. I have seen pictures of the gravitron but am not sure how to go about making one. Also thought of making a see saw, but it probably wouldn't fit in the house. However that's a possibility in the back yard. Additional ideas?

[old] Yoda1 · Post by **[old] Yoda1** » January 10th, 2005, 6:02 pm

Gary, Thanks for posting that article. I wanted to print it out, but someone (the wife) forgot to replace the ink in the printer after it ran out. Pretty interesting stuff, huh? Thirty years ago I would have argued againest SS, just as some of the younger folks have over several threads on this site. But, after years of being around some pretty heavy duty lifters and seeing them fall by the wayside, it just seemed logical to find a protocol that would work without the damage that many of us have experienced. I will admit that none of the men that were listed as being top bodybuilders developed through SS. They all developed that massive size through traditional training. It wasn't until they reached an elite level in their sport that they changed over to SS. Now, here's something else that will stir up some discussion. There is a belief that is just now surfacing. There may be some advantages to training with bands and tubing over weights. The main reason for this has come out of the use of bands and tubing for rehab. Bands and tubing allow an individual to train more specifically for a given sport. The bands and tubing are showing up more and more in the throwing sports and in track and field. If a person has never trained with either of these items they are in for a real treat. The feel that a person gets from elastic is entirely different than with iron. There is also a belief that elastic works along the same lines as the muscles themselves and more can be gained throughout the full range of motion. Weights are totally dependant on gravity. Where as elastic is dependant on the stretch of the band or tubing. There is a new book out. It's called "Strength Band Training". It was written by Phil Page and Todd Ellenbecker. Todd was the therapist I went to after both shoulder joint replacements. It can be ordered through "Human Kinetics". Their website address is www.HumanKinetics.com It believe it's only $17.95. It is just basic information about this type of training. Remember you guys, NO YELLING Yoda

[old] Jim Barry · Post by **[old] Jim Barry** » January 10th, 2005, 6:20 pm

Last year I got on the mechanically assisted pull up station (maybe it was called a gravitron) at a gym and thought it was the greatest thing, since you can basically get in 30-50 reps no matter how bad you are at pull ups. It's good for the ego! Slowly you are supposed to drop the "assistance level" or something like that. I've also heard that a step up box is a good way to get into it. But in the end I got better the old fashioned brute force way. I built a simple pull up bar in my garage and just did one set to max reps nearly everyday (I did it as I went out to get wood for the woodstove a daily chore in winter). In a month or so I went from 7 to 17 (the number I did when I rowed on the water 18 years earlier). I'm not sure if it a factor, but I was not training for anything other than core strength and flexibility at the time. My mental focus on these tasks was high and I believe that does make a difference.

[old] pduck · Post by **[old] pduck** » January 10th, 2005, 6:23 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (John Rupp @ Jan 10 2005, 03:41 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Has anyone made a "pull up trainer"? This is basically an incline board that slides up and down, with a pull up bar at the top, similar to the "total gym" and "total trainer". I'm planning to make one, so if anyone else has done this or is interested, let me know.  </td></tr></table> John - Not exactly the same, but I made a lat pulldown macchine in my basement. Not really a machine, just 2 pullies which I attached to the ceiling, some rope, a bar, and some weights. I put the weights on a piece of pipe with a flange screwed onto the bottom. The bar is from a lat pulldown bar that I bought at a sporting goods store (http://bestbuyfitness.webdirectbrands.c ... B%2D48S%29)

[old] MarkPayton · Post by **[old] MarkPayton** » January 10th, 2005, 6:27 pm

Gee, maybe it's time to sell my freeweights and bench and buy a BowFlex... The single-set theory is very interesting and would certainly save a lot of time. But going from 3 sets down to 1 suggests an increase in weight per set that I would not feel comfortable doing on a bench without a spotter (for bench press, military press, squats). So the BowFlex reference was not entirely in jest. Any suggestions?

[old] Slow Boat · Post by **[old] Slow Boat** » January 10th, 2005, 6:32 pm

The gravitron is made by StairMaster. I found a used one on the web for $1,700...so a new one is probably twice that! Not to mention the size and weight, this monster is probably not the most popular for home gyms. I made my own gravitron: I bought a pull-up bar and mounted in on a beam in my garage. To the same beam, I attached one pulley on the underside of the beam aligned with the middle of the pullup bar. I attached the second pulley off to the side by about five feet. I made a platform to stand on with a scrap piece of 2 x 6 x 18 wood, and drilled a hole at either end. I took a line (rope) and passed it through the two holes, so that one's feet have a place to stand on the wood, the rope passing through the two holes and under the wood. The two ends of the rope are tied together about 3 feet above the wood. The end of the line is passed first through the pulley at the pullup bar, and then over to the next pulley, and then down to the ground where I can tie weights or dumbbells. As I do the pullup, the weights go down, and vice-versa. I use a step-stool to get on the contraption, just for safety. Works like a dream and was all make from scrap material, except for the pullup bar itself. If this doesn't make any sense, I can post a picture. Good luck!

[old] pduck · Post by **[old] pduck** » January 10th, 2005, 6:42 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (MarkPayton @ Jan 10 2005, 04:27 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Gee, maybe it's time to sell my freeweights and bench and buy a BowFlex... The single-set theory is very interesting and would certainly save a lot of time. But going from 3 sets down to 1 suggests an increase in weight per set that I would not feel comfortable doing on a bench without a spotter (for bench press, military press, squats). So the BowFlex reference was not entirely in jest. Any suggestions?  </td></tr></table> Hi Mark - Most hard core weightlifters will tell you to stay with free weights. They work all the stabilizing muscles more. That said, I have a friend who has a Bowflex and loves it. He feels safer using it vs. free weights. Here's a current thread about Bowflex on another forum: <a href='http://forums.menshealth.com/thread.jsp ... &tstart=60' target='_blank'>http://forums.menshealth.com/thread.jsp ... tart=60</a>

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » January 10th, 2005, 7:28 pm

Pduck and Slowboat, Your explanations are very clear. Thanks! What kind of pulleys did you use? It would be helpful and interesting to see a picture.

[old] Yoda1 · Post by **[old] Yoda1** » January 10th, 2005, 7:29 pm

Gary, I forgot to ask how those Inclined Benches felt? Bet they were a bit different, Huh? Yoda

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » January 10th, 2005, 7:31 pm

Yoda, Using bands on a pull up trainer frame would eliminate the need for a sliding top. Great idea. Now if I could attach them to a bar some way........