Yesterday in the gym I was reminded of something very important to an archer. DO NOT OVER DO IT AND HURT YOURSELF! A few years ago I was young and dumb and tried to lift too much and tore both of my rotator cuffs. Yesterday I overextended a bit and slightly strained something in both of my elbows. It is not at all serious, but it could have been, and one week before a bear hunt that would not be a good thing. Just a thought and a lesson learned. As men I think we often try to overdo things (at least I do). Just remember that overdoing it in the weightroom can ruin your season real quick so please use caution. And no, I am not at all a muscle head. In fact I am a little twirp, but I still like to try to lift heavy stuff Gary is the muscle head:d
Why guys lift heavier weights than they can is beyond me. When I see guys bending their backs, jerking there elbows, trying to throw up 50lb curl, I just laugh. Or guys that throw up 225lbs on the bench, twice, with their back arched way in the air. Idiots.
It's been a few years since I have worked out but I always limited myself to weights that I could do at least 6-8 reps with perfect form. There are always idiots in every wieght room who try to lift more than they are capable off trying to impress other people.
My weightlifting these days includes telling my children to jump on my back while I do some squats, then wrestle with my kids...then tell them to get on my back while I do push-ups, then out to the woods to chase them around until I, not them get exhausted
On Monday and Tuesday I hit chest/triceps and back/biceps and on those days I keep my shooting to a minimum (if any) so that I do not over do it in those areas. The rest of the week I am fine after workouts to shoot with no problems.
Grizz, you are maxing out if you are going to failure, you just aren't seeing how much you can lift one time. It doesn't have to be a heavy weight to hurt you. 25 pounds and leverage can do your joints a whole lot of harm.
Grizz, I do the same thing you do and I think it is much safer than lifting heavy wieghts for low reps. Stretching your muscles beforehand and using good form should keep your chances of injury minimal.
Do you girls wear skirts in the gym? Weight lifting is like any thing else, it's all about technique. More is not better in weight lifting and that goes for sets also. Once you have exhausted the muscle the first time, you're about done with muscle gain(Unless you're on the juice). So doing 4 sets is nutty, spending more than 30 mins lifting is nutting. When you work the back core muscles the Biceps get a good workout also. Spending a day on Biceps is crazy, sames go for Chest. When you work the chest the triceps get a good workout. Shoulder you get some chest/Triceps in there also. Must in the weight rooms lift too much in sets, working the core groups every other day will do wonders. Day 1 Chest Bench Flat Bench Incline Bench Decline Flies Push-ups in medicince ball. Day 2 Back Lat Wide grip lat pull ups Waist trimmers Pull ups rowing Pull ups laying flat in back lat pull with narrow grip Day 3 shoulders Miltary Press(on ball with free weights) Shrugs chin-ups dips Free weight work(don't know the names, LOL) Mix in some cardio on the off days and you are set. less is more, when lifting!!!
NO! Just tight shorts Who doesn't wear sleeves to the gym? Be honest... I always wear sleeves, mostly long sleeves. If you saw these coke can arms, you would know why:d
I agree 100%. Most guys spend much more time in the gym than they need to. If they were more efficient in the time they were there, they could be done in half the time or less. Weight lifting as with whitetail hunting, especially in MI, old wives tales are hard to die.
I have some experience in this topic and all you guys are correct, but it depends on your goals. You're not going to catch a powerlifter doing sets of 25 nor should you see someone trying to burn fat doing 4 rep sets either. Personally I don't do much weightlifting these days, too many years of doing so has took its toll. I hit the heavy bag and mix in some running. Combined, those two activities will keep your belly in check and also give you a the needed stamina when you're dragging a deer out of the woods in the fall.
If anyone is interested, and this will depend on what you are going for, www.crossfit.com is a great resource for fitness programs and daily workouts. I have really liked everything that I have tried off of that website. It is based around core strength and cardio fitness routines.
Nope Josh, you are right on the money in terms of working good lean muscle fitness and a strong cardio program. Most people could not do that type of workout without stopping.
The only heavy lifting I do is when I get my fat @55 out of my office chair to go get a drink. Sleeveless shirts? Not in years. I no longer have the guns to support them. Germ, I'm with you. Working out one muscle all day is ridiculous. When I did go to the gym, my best work out series consisted of one day specifications. All of them contained 15-20 minutes of lite cardio to start (it takes me forever to warm up and get loose) and a few crunches, after 20-30 min of stretching. Then my breakdown goes: Day One: Cardio workouts (eliptical, maybe bike(s), running) Day Two: Upper body(lats, chest, bi's, tri's, forearms, traps) Day Three: Cardio Day Four: Core section (abs and back, mostly medicine ball and crunches) Day Five: Legs (presses, extensions, lite squates and power cleans). Open weekend
A program really keeps me on schedual when i lift. Every year my wrestling coach gives us a wrestling program. desinged specificaly for wrestling. and as for heavy wieght-low reps and low wieght- high reps. its just like Sooner said. heavy weights build bigger stronger muscles. and lighter wieghts wit high reps. tone the muscles and burns fat. You just have to know what you want to do when going into the gym, "What do you want to accomplish?". And as for sleevless shirts. almost every guy in our gym is going sleeveless nowadays, (unless you want to lose wieght for wrestling then its all sweats"
I weight lift frequently, but I have a plan that is geared towards maintaining muscle tone, and not bulking up. I make sure I don't shoot on the days I lift, and of course, I make sure I warm up well before lifting.
Lose the gym, all you need is P90x, trust me, I've thrown around alot of steel in my life and I've never worked like they work me doing P90x. Ask Greg and blood! It's all core, muscle confusion and using the body's resistance with some dumbbell use. Amazing!
Lot's of good stuff here. Working out is really just an individual thing and it shouldn't be overly complicated. If you want strength lift heavy, if you want endurance lift lighter weights for higher reps. If you want a little of both split it up a bit but above all enjoy your workouts and if something doesn't feel good, don't do it! If you want to get a little more out of your program make sure you change things up every now and then and don't get stuck in a rut doing the same program for months on end. Being in shape can definitely improve your hunting and minimize injuries when doing some of the more physical things we do like hanging stands and dragging out big bucks!
