Ok so I’m pretty damn pissed off right now. I just got back from gym, it was my legs day. So basicaly I was training high reps in order to increase my max hypertrophy (Bodybuilding, duh). My current 10 rep max squat is unknown pounds (unknown kg). So after succesfully completing these lifts, I am feeling pretty good so I decide to try lifting another set at the same weight.
So I get ready to lift and I see in the mirror this very small (admittedly) young (maybe 19) powerlifter watchiing me. I’ve spoken to him before and he is a nice guy but a very pure powerlifter, always recommending very fast lifts with heavier loads and never go above 6 reps kind of new age thinking.
Cool, so what. I attempt the sets. I say attempt but what I mean is I got all 10 reps. At the bottom of the squat I barely have any trouble getting it up so I sink very low and put my ass tot he grass growing in the rack. Grin, exuberantly and stand up to start unloading the bar.
Then out of nowhere I hear this loud voice saying my name (literaly loud enough for the whole gym to hear). So I turn around and its the small guy. He starts telling me very loudly that I am going too light and I am not going to get my legs bigger doing that. So I ask “Was there anything wrong with my form?”. So he replies, “No, but you are going too light. Rather take add all those plates so it’s 250 kg (550 lb)and go very fast. do that for 5 sets of 1 rep”.
This starts making me quite angry because litteraly the whole gym is watching (I go to quite a hardcore gym full of people who want to get “strong as fuck”). All everybody else sees is an old guy (I’m 50) being told off by someone who clearly knows what he is talking about. So I say “Im not training powerlifting I am trying to bodybuild to get bigger”.
He then becomes very agitated and starts ranting about how his legs got tooo hyoge to fit into pants and how every time I squat light nothing happens in my back and how musclce mass would come with strength. I counter, “so you’re saying that every bodybuilder in the world is weak.” (I must admit I thought I had him here). But, amazingly he replies, “yes. There have been no long term studies on the effects of this on people and look at how bodybuilders can’t dunk a basketball.”
I was amazed at this point and I see people all around me nodding their head in agreement and looking dissaprovingly at me. I end the arguement with “I don’t agree” and then leave. Have any of you encountered this kind of thing before? Is there any merit whatsovever in this guys arguement? Is it even possible to get big doing only 1 rep sets???
Maybe I’m just ranting to de-stress but I would like to hear your guys thoughts on this. I don’t know if its relavent but here is my info:
50 years old
125 kg (275 lb)at 6’8
lifting for 20 years
Lifts - all 10 rep max
Squat: Unknown
Dead: Unknown
Bench: Unknown (yea its weird I don’t know my maxes, I know, I’m working on it… tend to do much better with instinctive training)
Shot guys