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Re: Strength vs Size
well i can say i got my first bench when i was 14 and i've been working at it since then. just about 25 years off and on, and while it's probably not huge poundages, my bench workout weight was 3 sets of 10 with 250 comfortable enough to work out alone, cruising.
now i haven't had all the right gear consistently, and when i was in my twenties web sites like this didn't exist. this place is really amazing, all you guys help me even if i don't post well or often, i read. anyway, just thinking about lifting my arms and flexing my shoulders in the morning, even just in the shower, makes me think about the joints thing. it's a great feeling to hit more reps with higher weights, which is what i think when i'm on here reading about strength training and power lifting and everyone working on setting PR's with any frequency- well that's pretty much saying push the strength barrier. frequently. i'm down with the idea of that, but i'm hitting longevity here and can admit now's not the time for me personally to work on a 500 lb deadlift. lol.. even if that's the way to bigger biceps..lol.
that's why i'm asking this question. i been thinking about how much weight i really need to be pushing to be solid at 225lbs bodyweight on hrt. i like squats, chin-ups, and bench press, but standing barbell press even with 70lbs makes my shoulder sockets feel like an oyster shell with sand in it for the next 3 days. the way i figure it, or am hoping for, is that everything could max lifting weight wise at 250 lbs and hopefully for as few as 5 reps. right now i'm averaging a bodyweight of 204lbs in the morning. i'm shooting for about ten pounds of fat loss and twenty pounds of muscle gain (so you can see where i might be delusional).
actually i'd like to gain much of that weight in my arms and legs. i need to do the chin-ups to keep my lats- which flex out wide enough, and the bench because my chest has been my most responsive muscle group, but i've never been a squat man. sure, i've done squats for a year here or there, but right now i'm only doing them with 145lbs (3x10 atg) so i hope to see a lot of that 20 pounds in the hams and quads as there's the most room for improvement there. my arms are 16" flexed and when straight the inside bone of my elbow is wider than my tricep so my arm looks thin to me when viewed from the front. thus, i'd like to throw some arm work in there. i've been doing close grip press 4x10 and finishing with rope pressdowns or some other pumping work for 3 sets, and i do curls of course- and the chins hit my biceps and forearms pretty good- but much opinion has been written on EF about having to work on squat, deadlift, and row weights if you want bigger biceps.
can this be done or am i looking at the whole progressive resistance pushing the limits type lifting? i so believe in the heavy weight way, but i really want to take it easy on my joints and if there's a proven way to get yoked without having to constantly be adding 5 lbs to your lifts every week, i'd be interested in reading it. i've looked, i promise. not trying to be dorian yates, just yoked lol..
well i can say i got my first bench when i was 14 and i've been working at it since then. just about 25 years off and on, and while it's probably not huge poundages, my bench workout weight was 3 sets of 10 with 250 comfortable enough to work out alone, cruising.
now i haven't had all the right gear consistently, and when i was in my twenties web sites like this didn't exist. this place is really amazing, all you guys help me even if i don't post well or often, i read. anyway, just thinking about lifting my arms and flexing my shoulders in the morning, even just in the shower, makes me think about the joints thing. it's a great feeling to hit more reps with higher weights, which is what i think when i'm on here reading about strength training and power lifting and everyone working on setting PR's with any frequency- well that's pretty much saying push the strength barrier. frequently. i'm down with the idea of that, but i'm hitting longevity here and can admit now's not the time for me personally to work on a 500 lb deadlift. lol.. even if that's the way to bigger biceps..lol.
that's why i'm asking this question. i been thinking about how much weight i really need to be pushing to be solid at 225lbs bodyweight on hrt. i like squats, chin-ups, and bench press, but standing barbell press even with 70lbs makes my shoulder sockets feel like an oyster shell with sand in it for the next 3 days. the way i figure it, or am hoping for, is that everything could max lifting weight wise at 250 lbs and hopefully for as few as 5 reps. right now i'm averaging a bodyweight of 204lbs in the morning. i'm shooting for about ten pounds of fat loss and twenty pounds of muscle gain (so you can see where i might be delusional).
actually i'd like to gain much of that weight in my arms and legs. i need to do the chin-ups to keep my lats- which flex out wide enough, and the bench because my chest has been my most responsive muscle group, but i've never been a squat man. sure, i've done squats for a year here or there, but right now i'm only doing them with 145lbs (3x10 atg) so i hope to see a lot of that 20 pounds in the hams and quads as there's the most room for improvement there. my arms are 16" flexed and when straight the inside bone of my elbow is wider than my tricep so my arm looks thin to me when viewed from the front. thus, i'd like to throw some arm work in there. i've been doing close grip press 4x10 and finishing with rope pressdowns or some other pumping work for 3 sets, and i do curls of course- and the chins hit my biceps and forearms pretty good- but much opinion has been written on EF about having to work on squat, deadlift, and row weights if you want bigger biceps.
can this be done or am i looking at the whole progressive resistance pushing the limits type lifting? i so believe in the heavy weight way, but i really want to take it easy on my joints and if there's a proven way to get yoked without having to constantly be adding 5 lbs to your lifts every week, i'd be interested in reading it. i've looked, i promise. not trying to be dorian yates, just yoked lol..
