T Nation

You're All Idiots (Training Laws)

Bodybuilding
#1


Catchy title. I want to make a thread concerning the laws of getting bigger and stronger (what a routine should revolve around as well). I believe it to be simple, and consist of few laws. They are:

  1. Eat in excess, but not too much.
  2. Lift heavy weight.
  3. Sleep and recover.
  4. Be consistent.
  5. Be progressive (add weight, etc) at consistent time intervals.

Discuss.

Should there be more laws? Should there be less? Are they the five commandments, or utter crap?

By the way, I hope this doesn’t turn into a bullshit argument over correlation of strength and size and other full o’ shit subjects. I’ll get a mod to delete this if it does. Also sticky this shit for all the newbs/misinformed out there.

#2

http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1073862

#3

We could talk for years about thoses 5 affirmation.

#4

[quote]GuiYoM wrote:
We could talk for years about thoses 5 affirmation.[/quote]

And most will do just that.

#5

I just want to know why I see people continually ask why they’re not gaining mass or threads like “is it that simple”.

It’s likely the reason they’re talked about for years is because the majority refuses to accept it, apparently.

It’s like spoonfeeding.

#6

I would switch #1 and #2.

Diet’s obviously important, but I think it’s a little over emphasized on this site. I think you can outtrain a mediocre diet, but you can’t out-diet crappy training.

#7

Those basic laws do fit. But it sounds like you are suggesting that discussion and further investigation of training evolution is a waste of time. I disagree.

Considering your body adapts to what type of training you are used to on a regular basis, I think those rules are oversimplified.

Showing some interest in new types of techniques, splits and rep manipulation to try and ward off adaptation (and in some cases, overtraining) shows a passion for training. This is probably the reason for many lifters’ continued progress.

But I admit it is a good title. :slight_smile:

#8

Where’s variety ?

#9

GPP.

This is total guesswork, considering I’ve never successfully bulked in my life, but it seems to me that sled dragging, tire flipping, and sledgehammering is part of good bulking, if for no other reason than the brief exercise allows you to

a) recover faster from lifting and
b) eat more (I’m usually hungrier when I do active recovery)

and that if you compared calories in from extra hunger and calories out from doing the work, you’d end up with a net gain in calories.

#10

#6 don’t be a pussy

#11

[quote]shizen wrote:
#6 don’t be a pussy [/quote]

This should be number 1.

#12

[quote]GuiYoM wrote:
We could talk for years about thoses 5 affirmation.[/quote]

Years?

You may be right, but anyone who actually needs to discuss this issue that long probably missed the point a long time ago.

Champions can be made off of what can be written on the back of a postage stamp. Failures always need so much more communication.

#13

I have five new laws.

  1. Train Abs - We all know abs (or abz!) are the cornerstone of a great physique. Brad Pitt had abs in Fight Club, and he was badass. It is therefore fact that abs allow you to transfer kinetic energy through your hits and make you a superawesome fighter.

  2. Train biceps - Biceps or “gunz” make up 93.2% of your arm. They are real functional muscle as opposed to something like lats and glutes. It’s a fact that lats are really just what a fat person calls their love handles, and glutes are an excuse for having a fat ass. you need a day where you only train biceps so when you are in a fight you can hook someone to KO them in the temples.

  3. Don’t eat meat - Meat is murder, and it has been proven in laboratories via quantum physics that the best physiques come from people who strictly eat soy and celery. 9/10 dentists agree that meat has too much fat and fat is the enemy of a good physique: http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1848147

  4. Train with volume - Ever wonder why powerlifters are always weak and fat? They don’t train with enough volume! The aim of any exercise is to get a swoll pump going in the biceps and abs. Sometimes the chest too. (but don’t work too much because you don’t want to get huuuuge)

  5. Practice MMA in the corner of the gym - make sure you strike fear into the hearts of everyone else at your gym in case they try to grab your butt.

#14

[quote]Professor X wrote:
<<< Champions can be made off of what can be written on the back of a postage stamp. Failures always need so much more communication.[/quote]

This is a good one Doc. A concise profundity to be sure.

#15

[quote]Legionnaire wrote:
I have five new laws.

  1. Train Abs - We all know abs (or abz!) are the cornerstone of a great physique. Brad Pitt had abs in Fight Club, and he was badass. It is therefore fact that abs allow you to transfer kinetic energy through your hits and make you a superawesome fighter.

  2. Train biceps - Biceps or “gunz” make up 93.2% of your arm. They are real functional muscle as opposed to something like lats and glutes. It’s a fact that lats are really just what a fat person calls their love handles, and glutes are an excuse for having a fat ass. you need a day where you only train biceps so when you are in a fight you can hook someone to KO them in the temples.

  3. Don’t eat meat - Meat is murder, and it has been proven in laboratories via quantum physics that the best physiques come from people who strictly eat soy and celery. 9/10 dentists agree that meat has too much fat and fat is the enemy of a good physique: http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=1848147

  4. Train with volume - Ever wonder why powerlifters are always weak and fat? They don’t train with enough volume! The aim of any exercise is to get a swoll pump going in the biceps and abs. Sometimes the chest too. (but don’t work too much because you don’t want to get huuuuge)

  5. Practice MMA in the corner of the gym - make sure you strike fear into the hearts of everyone else at your gym in case they try to grab your butt.
    [/quote]

You are F##KING Hilarious! Dude, you’re my new hero on this site - seriously!

#16

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Champions can be made off of what can be written on the back of a postage stamp. Failures always need so much more communication.[/quote]

Hence why I made this thread. People could see this, say okay, and keep their ass in the gym.

Good try on my part though.

#17

[quote]Fulmen wrote:

  1. Eat in excess, but not too much.
  2. Lift heavy weight.
  3. Sleep and recover.
  4. Be consistent.
  5. Be progressive (add weight, etc) at consistent time intervals.

Discuss.
[/quote]

what is there to discuss? just do it.

only thing i disagree with is “eat in excess, but not too much.”

if youre a meso you need to watch your diet a lot more closely so you dont get fat. or turn into one of these bulkers ive being seeing recently that dont even look like they lift.

if youre an ecto you just need to eat, eat, eat, there is no such thing as too much.

#18

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:

only thing i disagree with is “eat in excess, but not too much.”

if youre a meso you need to watch your diet a lot more closely so you dont get fat.[/quote]

Well first off you are confusing meso with endomorph. An endomorph would have to be more careful with his food while moving up the size charts. A mesomorph likely would not and would easily gain muscle mass while staying lean.

Secondly you aren’t even disagreeing with him but think you are. If a guy says he gains fat easily but found a sweet spot for now at 3800 calories with 350 grams protein a day, wouldn’t that be “in excess but not too much”? And maybe the guy next to him needs more calories to grow, his sweet spot is 5200 calories with 420 grams of protein, isn’t he doing the same thing?

People just have to find their sweet spot of maximum growth with the least amount of bodyfat gains they find acceptable. Sounds too simple to be true, but that’s it.

#19

[quote]Scott M wrote:

People just have to find their sweet spot of maximum growth with the least amount of bodyfat gains they find acceptable. Sounds too simple to be true, but that’s it. [/quote]

Agreed. Not understanding that everyone has a different sweet spot is where all this body type bs originated imo.

#20

In No Particular Order…

  1. Lift Heavy
  2. Lift Often
  3. Eat Protein Often
  4. PR Frequently
  5. Cycle Exercises
  6. Use Sleep & Basic Recovery Methods
  7. Keep it Simple
  8. Squat, Press, and Pull

Not enough people vary their exercises. Westside does it. DC Training does it.
The Russians do it. Lots of successful
programs do it. It’s a common theme that’s
ignored. The success of a program depends
just as much on the diversity exercises as
the volume of work used. Hell, you can
get away with lots of volume protocols and still make progress as long as you cycle
your exercises.

When I say squat, press, and pull I don’t mean Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift.
Front Squat, Military Press, and Weighted Chins also fit the bill. If your program does not have some type of Squat, Some type of Pull, and Some type of Press then you have a VERY incomplete program.

Meal Frequency also seems to be a huge key to getting jacked that many people miss. 3 meals is not enough. Eating protein throughout the day will ensure that your body always has Amino Acids available for whatever it needs: Hair, Skin, Muscle, whatever. If your body doesn’t have Amino Acids available it will break down muscle tissue to get them. Do you really want to lose hard-won muscle tissue because your body decided it was time to produce some more fingernail? I didn’t think so.

Keeping it simple. Don’t worry about hitting every head of the Triceps or doing all 4 Calf Raise Variations you know so your muscles will will out correctly. If your program isn’t comprehensive enough to include Barbell Rows, then why are you so worried about making room for both Incline Curls and Cable Curls?