Why the emphasis on limit strength?

JCX_Pulse · 2019-05-14T20:01:36+00:00

I think you’re diving into the weeds far too much here. While the basis of RP is to lift and thus lift heavy, it doesn’t mandate it.

However, if your pudgy and have no prior lifting experience you’re going to need a foundation built by a simple program such as SL 5x5 instead of jumping into CrossFit, so assume the lifting heavy mantra as a starting pre-req but if you pay attention to how people lift in here, experienced lifters or fitness folks have a wide variety of programs they adhere to.

There are advantages to lifting heavy, though, especially for beginners with difficulty expressing emotions. Plus, lifting heavy is the most effective way for sustaining increased metabolism, lowering body fat and increased muscle mass.

If you’re an experienced lifter, you do you.

Edit: typo

RPWolf · 2019-05-14T20:04:38+00:00

I don't think anyone gives a shit how you get jacked. Most people who come in here don't know dick about lifting or physical fitness at all. Most of them are craft beer drinking, Cheeto dust finger having slobs. So making it easy by saying 1RM or getting them to do SL 5x5 is the easy push to get a guy down that road. Try explaining Gironda 8x8 or nSuns to someone who has no clue what their actual 1 RM is is futile at best. So most guys starting in here need to actually figure out their 1 RM before they can move to intermediate or advanced programs.

I think the bigger take away is lifting gives you a place to get internal validation and gets you away from your wife. Bottom line is get below 15% BF however you want.

red-sfpplus · 2019-05-14T22:13:58+00:00

Becuase fat chicks give the best head, and you need to still be able to carry their fat asses to the bedroom.

RStonePT · 2019-05-14T23:55:36+00:00

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keisagu · 2019-05-15T08:41:05+00:00

One of the ideas behind RP is to up your testosterone level, because beta-behavior diminishes testosterone. One way to help your body to make more testosterone, is to grow bigger muscles. And big is equal to max strength, not endurance.

hystericalbonding · 2019-05-14T20:06:39+00:00

Many (most?) of the 1RM's you see in the OYS threads are calculated from the last 5RM. In fact, many OYS posts only talk about their working weights. Strength gives some indication that they have put the time and effort into the gym, but if it were all about 1RM, we'd probably all do Sheiko or other powerlifting programs.

Size matters to women. You can work hard without getting bigger, but you can't get really strong without getting bigger.

From 3 years ago. Notice they're mostly beginner programs.

Most guys are fat, poorly conditioned, and will just fuck around in the gym. They primarily need do develop the discipline to go to the gym and some introduction to the sensation of effort - how it feels to strain and work hard. They also need to learn some basic compound movements. Beginner programs are good for that. Some guys make fantastic gains on that alone.

There are some solid critiques of GVT out there. It's less applicable than beginner routines to this demographic. Some guys can't even handle 5x5, and need to start with 3x5.

After a few months and a plateau on a beginner program, assuming diet and sleep are in order, they can move on to whatever program they like. Following the data regarding attractiveness, they'd probably do better with a bodybuilding program than either GVT or 5x5, but some guys will move on from female validation being the #1 goal in life by that point.

We've got crossfitters, endurance athletes, powerlifters... But there's plenty of high volume bodybuilding and gear in MRP and TRP, you just need to lurk more.

brooklynbooked · 2019-05-14T20:08:29+00:00

The casual gym-goer has no need to train for explosive-strength, speed-strength, or strength-endurance. Also, training max-strength (typically done lifting at your 1-5 rep max) will also train explosive-strength. Think about benching your 3 RM. The bar is moving slowly, but you are actually exploding against the bar. This carryover from max-strength to explosive-strength is actually quite significant. For example, you can significantly increase your vertical jump (of which explosive-strength is a big determinant) by training your max-strength in the back squat.

Lifting heavy is the typical advice because you need to build a strength base. Strength work should precede hypertrophy work, mainly because you will be able to lift a higher weight in the "hypertrophy rep ranges" if you have a good strength base first. Programs like GVT should not be done, at least in my opinion, until an adequate strength base is acquired. This is to 1) make the most out of a program like GVT, 2) strengthen the tendons and ligaments for a high-volume program like GVT, 3) acquire the necessary work capacity to attempt a program like GVT

Last but not least, it feels good to throw around some heavy fucking weight.

IRunYourRiver · 2019-05-14T21:39:14+00:00

One element missing from high volume / low weight exercises is a simple element of fear and, by extension, putting that fear aside to better yourself. I'm a Crossfitter and I love it. But I will make time once every few months to work up to a 1 rep max on something. The feeling of walking up to a barbell and not really knowing if you can lift it is different somehow - especially with complex OLY movements (not that you need these). You feel dumb for having fear, but there it is. RP asks you to push yourself in ways that make you uncomfortable or even fearful at first. I think making yourself face that fear in (let's be honest) a highly controlled environment like a gym is good practice for your life to come.

BobbyPeru · 2019-05-14T21:58:51+00:00

Here’s something that recently surprised me. I had a couple women tell me about how in shape and strong a particular man was. One day I happened to see him in the gym, and he wasn’t lifting in the same ballpark as me. So, as one other commenter mentioned it’s more about the BF%. He looked like about 8%. He was doing Dumbell bench with 55’s or maybe 60’s. I’m 50 yrs old and I’m in the 1000 club. I enjoy lifting heavy, but I will always do a minimum 5 reps.

But hell, if you can have low BF and big lifts, even better. But, always form over weight

Lifting heavy has other benefits like challenging yourself. It’s the guys fucking around in the gym that are always giving a patented speech about how they “don’t want to get big.”

redwall92 · 2019-05-14T20:12:21+00:00

Personally, I looked at benching my body weight and squatting 1.5x my body weight as my base goal for strength. Once I hit that with stronglifts and the nSuns 5/3/1 app I started changing things up to lift for looks while keeping my baseline strength in tact.

There is something primal that lifting heavy gave me as a guy who had never lifted before the age of 35; I went from benching and squatting the bar to benching 195 and squatting 315. There is another level on top of that when I see the different strands of my quads or I feel my pecks that I never knew existed before lifting.

I think the natural baselines for what you term "limit strength" are tied to your body weight. Other goals (1k club, XX" biceps, competition shot-put, etc) are personal goals you set up and knock over according to your choosing.

SBIII · 2019-05-14T23:09:12+00:00

If you want to lift, then lift.

If you don't want to lift, then don't lift.

No need to write a fucking essay about it.

Taipanshimshon · 2019-05-14T22:34:02+00:00

Because it’s the first thing most guys need to start looking good.

Also it’s a chosen comparison tool here both internally and externally.

We could compare hip/waist ratio but that doesn’t translate after a while.

0io- · 2019-05-14T23:00:04+00:00

Olympic weightlifting works, and actually if you did competitive swimming or gymnastics you would probably get plenty jacked for RP purposes.

If you're coming from overweight and unfit, the skill level required to do gymnastics or oly lifting is a lot higher than the skill level required to do the basic barbell exercises, and the investment required to master them is much greater. But if you have the strength and flexibility and background required, like you used to do college gymnastics or something, there's no reason you couldn't make that work. I think it's not recommended because it's not accessible for most people. In addition to lifting weights, having a sport is a great idea.

The point is most guys idea of "going to the gym" is to bounce around on a treadmill for an hour, and that's just not going to cut it.

Anything that gets you big, and ripped, with low body fat, should fit the bill.

screechhater · 2019-05-15T00:34:51+00:00

Most of the Schleps that land here Jane slumped shoulders and beer bellies.

Lifting hard and heavy will correct this quickly, but if the subject reads, well, the mind will go with the body.

Lifting with form in a disciplined manner makes all the difference in the world and the absolute discipline to do so, takes the mind into what's good/best for the Red Piller.

It’s not just about the heavy weight

[deleted] · 2019-05-15T15:43:11+00:00

I started with something very basic for 6 months and slowly over the last few months I have started adapting, watching videos on other types of lifts to mix up my work out.

I have been using 531 from the fitness reddit as my baseline workout and it has been wonderful. I think the important things you can do involve talking to a typical lifting bro in your social circle, if you don't have that go to a gym and get a few lessons from a personal trainer.

I assume, because I have a dozen friends that lift, that a few lessons at a gym would give one the basic understanding of how to do the most essential movements for a workout with or without a gym membership.

I have also purchased 2 sets of weights off craigslist for about half the cost of what retail would charge me. These items are also a fantastic investment because they wont lose value over time. Weight is weight and basic equipment will always hold value as long as you take care of it.

Anyhow that's my novice 2 cents. Taking a preworkout is also explosive compared to just lifting with a clean diet. I cannot take caffeine so for half a year I also didn't take any preworkout. I have since found many items with no caffeine that work extremely well.

If you take B-Alanine, creatine and L-Carnitine daily you should feel alright lifting every other day, probably 20% more than you would without them, and everything will develop faster.

These are my assumptions, given to me by others. I believe they are working, I feel better taking preworkout daily. Progress is just that and I have a hard time comprehending if it is going 'way faster' by itself, or if the specific boost to my enthusiasm from the preworkout is creating the results [as opposed to just taking supplements that are supposed to boost muscle growth without the energy boost from.... rhodiola and whatever combos are in the preworkout]... Good luck.

Ah also I don't 1RM ever. Watched a podcast talking about never working yourself 100% so you always have gas to lift the next day. I don't lift every day at this point but it would be awesome to do so in the future.

Sepean · 2019-05-14T20:47:22+00:00

Who gives a fuck about strength, we lift for aesthetics and lifting heavy is king for that.

Title	Why the emphasis on limit strength?
Author	AccidentallyShackled
Upvotes	19
Comments	45
Date	14 May 2019 07:38 PM UTC (1 year ago)
Subreddit	askMRP
Link	https://theredarchive.com/post/238621
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/askMRP/comments/bonhas/why_the_emphasis_on_limit_strength/