Whatever you say Freddie, but personally I think getting a beer with Mark Rippetoe would be cool as hell.
Regarding the rest of the post, I don’t necessarily disagree but you didn’t delineate between powerlifting and other kinds of lifting philosophies. Brosplits and whatnot are tactics but if it’s bodybuilding people are after then they need to just sign up for my free consultation and buy my book and I’ll set them on the right path. Please like and subscribe for more details.
I belong to beachbodyondemand.com, and lately I've been doing LIIFT 4. I really like it; a typical week is like this:
Mon: Chest/Triceps
Tue: Back/Biceps
Wed: Rest
Thurs: Shoulders
Fri: Legs
Weekends: Off (or stretching)
All four days have cardio and core (abs) exercises mixed in too, so it constantly keeps you changing things up. And programs like this are a Godsend during the pandemic, where you can work out at home.
Great post. I also wish more people would point out that hypertrophy is more dependent on genetics than anything else. Basically any program "works," especially for new lifters. Just do whatever program you enjoy most and can stick to and you will get something like 80% of the gains of an optimal program unless what you're doing is incredibly stupid.
I think the controversy potential of "how to workout" is secondary only to "what to eat" on the Internet. Luckily, just like with nutrition, the fundamentals have stayed the same for a pretty long time. Inexperienced people just starting by jumping on a trend might not know it, but the reality is - again, same as in nutrition - that EVERYTHING works if it's the right thing FOR YOU. And if one is a beginner, I think one should definitely stick to the basics at first. Calisthenics and veganism? Sure, but I doubt you'll be getting great results if you don't know what macronutrients and micronutrients are (true story). If the trend in lifting culture is back to classic lifts, I personally think this will do less harm to a novice than other fads like crossfit, kettlebell workouts, etc.
Interesting time in my fitness life to read this. I did strongman/powerlifting at a specialty gym I used to live near and I got very strong but I didn’t look any better because I ate like crazy. Carrying 400 lb yokes and calorie deficits do not match, at least for me. I also tweaked my back a few times, not trying to hit a max but just during normal sets, which I’ll chalk up to fatigue. These tweaks affected my day to day life (standing,sitting, etc.) more negatively than it was improved by lifting heavily.
When the pandemic hit and I couldn’t go to that gym any longer I picked up some kettlebells which I enjoyed but got a little tired of because it wasn’t my “idea” of lifting. When the local gym (a YMCA) felt safe I went back but eventually realized a place with no deadlift platform and one squat rack and bench was not going to make a powerlifting program anything more than a pain in the ass to program- I don’t have two hours to spend in the gym waiting for space. Stopped renewing my membership and ordered a set of adjustable dumbbells and a folding bench, and I now don’t have to wait for anyone but myself and can pursue a program more dedicated to aesthetics than trying to move as much weight as possible.
I’m never going to make lifting a career or try to become a fitness influencer, and I realized it’s a bit pointless to try and program to hit a new 1RM when I’m not competing. Instead, I can do what people have done in their garage or rec room for decades and been fine with- working out with moderate weight and higher reps, getting some better muscle tone, and looking better for myself and my partner as opposed to having a “power belly” for a log clean and press that no one will ever give a shit about. It’s not likely someone will have a home gym with different bars and a combination of plates to allow them to really hit 1000lb+ totals. A lot of people are healthy and look good working out regularly with lighter weights and eating well and just walking, and I think that’s more than enough to offset my big fear of all the time sitting at a desk. I’ll likely look better and feel better working with 50lb adjustable dbs than I did deadlifting reps at 405, and there’s a lot less chance I’ll be hobbling around from a tweak.
Ha ha, ironic. I woke up, didn’t want to roll out of bed & hit the gym quite yet, and thought I’d read a couple pieces from my Substack Reader instead.
It’s absurd but I had no idea weightlifting had such an online presence. Did I assume the Internet was good for baseball statistics, politics, and other nerdier pursuits? Maybe.
Hadn’t heard the name before but I guess I do bro splits, along with getting in as many aerobic workouts on the stationary bicycle as possible too. It works! In my early-30s I found myself gaining weight; at a certain point being a male waif is less likely to attract girls than it once was. I would also see pictures of myself and wonder who I was fooling.
It’s a weird place where I’m at now. I am slender and people tend to assume I’m unathletic but I can bench at least 225. Like Freddie wrote, it’s silly to go above certain weights in certain lifting pursuits, and cripes deadlifting looks like it’s just asking for an accident. Plus after enough time you hear nasty stories from older guys who tore something while lifting, benching, etc.
It’s also a tricky balance wanting to see gains while simultaneously having no desire to invest in a new wardrobe.
Anyway, appreciate the post, as a teacher I appreciated yesterday’s on education funding, and I appreciate that this is a Substack that can address both.
Doing the big three is easily the best "fad" to ever happen to exercise. God I wish I had the resources I have today when I started as a teen. I wasted so much time on bullshit. 15 years of progress would have taken me 3 years if someone had just given me a barbell. Yes, some people don't properly align programming with their goals, but I have a hard time being anything other than enthusiastic that the next generation is learning the main lifts.
I don't have a 40inch vertical. Calisthenics aren't going to do that much for us regular people. The big three will. My other gripe is the strongest people in the world giving advice to amateurs. It rarely applies to us. Robert Oberst's take on deadlifting is as useful to me as Pavorotti explaining the bel canto. I just want to do a passable Karma Police.
I did enjoy the post though, and like seeing this different type of stuff.
I’m a 45 year old man who just started power lifting (with an extremely qualified coach; no idea why he’s even deigning to work with the likes of me), and it’s funny: I have very little idea of why I’m doing it. I know I’ve been wanting to get stronger for a while, but I don’t know why.
I also got into scotch in 2015 or so. No idea why.
Now I’ve finished my scotch and am trying not to get more. Don’t know why I’m not refilling my stores.
Do you think it’s important for me to know why I do these things?
I'm a powerlifter and I agree completely. I compete in meets, and I'm in the upper third according to openpowerlifting. It is a very bizarre sport, as strange and artificial as boxing. Think about it: Everyone uses SBD knee sleeves sized down two sizes. Why? They're about as thick as is allowed at raw comps and puts a few kg on your squat. And if you have very good back flexibility, as some former gymnasts do, your bench distance can be all of two inches. The sport is full of "tricks" like this. Limb proportion matters a lot. Add to this the amount of psychological preparation before your lifts, proper snacking between lifts, and the sport becomes about much much more than being "strong," whatever that word means. So the idea that it is "meat and potatoes" or "old school" is ridiculous—In fact, I hadn't ever heard this before. Nevertheless, I can see why it's taken off as lately, and why I think this is in general a healthy turn for meatheads everywhere.
The biggest reason I powerlift is because, to quote Marge Simpson, I’ve dug myself into a happy little rut here and I don’t want to hoist myself out of it. I'm also a scientist so I chase numbers like Corgies herd. Nothing gives me more pleasure than plotting, calculating, fitting, etc. I think this gives it a lot of its appeal as well. We live in the age of metrics, and powerlifting loves metrics. Powerlifting instagram comments are alphanumeric soup like "3x5 140kg @ 6!"
Along with olympic lifting, it's also as close to a sport as lifting gets. I love the camaraderie. I love when you go hit a PR and your gym buds spot you and encourage you. Lifting at a meet is electrifying. You get to be an athlete. And treating it like a sport seems to shift the psychic energy from vanity and self-obsession to healthy competition, fun, and "feeling strong." This means a lot to some people. Of course, you get the "looking good" as a side benefit while pretending is not important; hypocritical, yes, but that's your audience.
And I think we need to appreciate what powerlifting has done to the gender balance in the weight room. The powerlifting team at my gym is just about half women. I've been lifting for just over ten years, and the number of women whom I see lifting has increased dramatically. Anecdotally, I have two women friends who struggled with their weight, eating, and the constant pressure to be skinny. They've both found powerlifting. They appreciate an environment that emphasizes being strong as opposed to looking frail and cute, and where men and women do the same lifts and we compete at the same meets.
The sort of "vanity" exercises of yore were strictly gender segregated. Men did curls and shoulder presses. Women did pelvic thrusts, little curls with pink barbells, and then an hour doing cardio, lest they get "too bulky." I think this kind of thing naturally struck many women as demeaning, and one sees their point.
I tell ya, I don't lift and don't know anything about lifting and don't particularly want to know anything about lifting but I can read an entire FdB article about lifting and stay interested.
Funny to see this since a power rack is being set up in my garage right now. I lift weights because I'm not like other girls. Just kidding, obviously...but I'm self-aware enough to know there's at least a SMIDGE of that in the appeal of powerlifting to me. That said, twice-weekly hot yoga + extended breastfeeding gave me the "best" body I ever had. Since neither of those are feasible now, Stronglifts 5x5 in my garage it is, haha.
There's also a mental health thing to it. I absolutely despise running and being alone with my thoughts in that way. I've lifted weights on and off for the past decade and that's always been far more of a peaceful, mind-quieting time for me. Whatever a) floats yer boat & b) is safe & c) that ya can stick to is great. Bros think bro science works because they're seeing results just from being in the gym 3-5x a week.
“Thank god exercise makes you hotter. If all it did was improve your health, boost your mood, increase your longevity, prevent physical pain, and help your sleep, I’d never do it.”
There is also just the fact that lifting is fun and when you are stronger existing in the world physically feels better. Also being fit gives you more energy :)
Hey, I'm the Art of Manliness guy. Long-time reader (and paying subscriber for a few weeks!) Enjoy your work. One of the reasons I love your newsletter is how eclectic it is. Never thought I'd see an article about weightlifting after an article about education spending in America.
Any-hoo, I agree with this article. I'd say there was a time in my life when I thought there was a "one true way" to exercise and that way was benching, pressing, deadlifting, and squatting. It was likely due to the zeal of a new convert.
Now, my philosophy towards exercise is do what you enjoy because you're more likely to stay consistent with your exercise if you actually like it and being consistent is key to getting the benefits from exercise. I wrote about that here: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/motivation-over-discipline/
I love lifting weights. It's my favorite thing to do which is why I've been able to be so consistent with it for 6+ years and hit some PRs I never imagined I'd be able to hit.
I imagine runners who have been consistent for years would say the same thing.
I still encourage people to try "old school lifting" because it's something I enjoy and it's natural to share what you enjoy with other people. But if they don't like it or like something else better, I'd encourage them to lean into that. There's more than one way to skin the fitness cat.
My own training is changing as I get older and it's changing so I can continue to enjoy lifting. I pulled 585 a few weeks ago and afterwards I thought "Man, I don't know if I enjoy pulling that heavy anymore. That felt pretty bad."
So my training is changing. I'm still doing the main lifts, but at higher volume and lower weight. Doing some bodybuilder stuff too because it's fun.
Great post, at 56 I still swear by the big three. I know I’m a lot weaker now than I was thirty years ago, because I’m doing the same exercises, just with less weight. It’s like really honest feedback, only other activity I can think of like that is running, and yeah I’m way slower as well.
Whatever you say Freddie, but personally I think getting a beer with Mark Rippetoe would be cool as hell.
Regarding the rest of the post, I don’t necessarily disagree but you didn’t delineate between powerlifting and other kinds of lifting philosophies. Brosplits and whatnot are tactics but if it’s bodybuilding people are after then they need to just sign up for my free consultation and buy my book and I’ll set them on the right path. Please like and subscribe for more details.
I belong to beachbodyondemand.com, and lately I've been doing LIIFT 4. I really like it; a typical week is like this:
Mon: Chest/Triceps
Tue: Back/Biceps
Wed: Rest
Thurs: Shoulders
Fri: Legs
Weekends: Off (or stretching)
All four days have cardio and core (abs) exercises mixed in too, so it constantly keeps you changing things up. And programs like this are a Godsend during the pandemic, where you can work out at home.
Great post. I also wish more people would point out that hypertrophy is more dependent on genetics than anything else. Basically any program "works," especially for new lifters. Just do whatever program you enjoy most and can stick to and you will get something like 80% of the gains of an optimal program unless what you're doing is incredibly stupid.
I think the controversy potential of "how to workout" is secondary only to "what to eat" on the Internet. Luckily, just like with nutrition, the fundamentals have stayed the same for a pretty long time. Inexperienced people just starting by jumping on a trend might not know it, but the reality is - again, same as in nutrition - that EVERYTHING works if it's the right thing FOR YOU. And if one is a beginner, I think one should definitely stick to the basics at first. Calisthenics and veganism? Sure, but I doubt you'll be getting great results if you don't know what macronutrients and micronutrients are (true story). If the trend in lifting culture is back to classic lifts, I personally think this will do less harm to a novice than other fads like crossfit, kettlebell workouts, etc.
Interesting time in my fitness life to read this. I did strongman/powerlifting at a specialty gym I used to live near and I got very strong but I didn’t look any better because I ate like crazy. Carrying 400 lb yokes and calorie deficits do not match, at least for me. I also tweaked my back a few times, not trying to hit a max but just during normal sets, which I’ll chalk up to fatigue. These tweaks affected my day to day life (standing,sitting, etc.) more negatively than it was improved by lifting heavily.
When the pandemic hit and I couldn’t go to that gym any longer I picked up some kettlebells which I enjoyed but got a little tired of because it wasn’t my “idea” of lifting. When the local gym (a YMCA) felt safe I went back but eventually realized a place with no deadlift platform and one squat rack and bench was not going to make a powerlifting program anything more than a pain in the ass to program- I don’t have two hours to spend in the gym waiting for space. Stopped renewing my membership and ordered a set of adjustable dumbbells and a folding bench, and I now don’t have to wait for anyone but myself and can pursue a program more dedicated to aesthetics than trying to move as much weight as possible.
I’m never going to make lifting a career or try to become a fitness influencer, and I realized it’s a bit pointless to try and program to hit a new 1RM when I’m not competing. Instead, I can do what people have done in their garage or rec room for decades and been fine with- working out with moderate weight and higher reps, getting some better muscle tone, and looking better for myself and my partner as opposed to having a “power belly” for a log clean and press that no one will ever give a shit about. It’s not likely someone will have a home gym with different bars and a combination of plates to allow them to really hit 1000lb+ totals. A lot of people are healthy and look good working out regularly with lighter weights and eating well and just walking, and I think that’s more than enough to offset my big fear of all the time sitting at a desk. I’ll likely look better and feel better working with 50lb adjustable dbs than I did deadlifting reps at 405, and there’s a lot less chance I’ll be hobbling around from a tweak.
Ha ha, ironic. I woke up, didn’t want to roll out of bed & hit the gym quite yet, and thought I’d read a couple pieces from my Substack Reader instead.
It’s absurd but I had no idea weightlifting had such an online presence. Did I assume the Internet was good for baseball statistics, politics, and other nerdier pursuits? Maybe.
Hadn’t heard the name before but I guess I do bro splits, along with getting in as many aerobic workouts on the stationary bicycle as possible too. It works! In my early-30s I found myself gaining weight; at a certain point being a male waif is less likely to attract girls than it once was. I would also see pictures of myself and wonder who I was fooling.
It’s a weird place where I’m at now. I am slender and people tend to assume I’m unathletic but I can bench at least 225. Like Freddie wrote, it’s silly to go above certain weights in certain lifting pursuits, and cripes deadlifting looks like it’s just asking for an accident. Plus after enough time you hear nasty stories from older guys who tore something while lifting, benching, etc.
It’s also a tricky balance wanting to see gains while simultaneously having no desire to invest in a new wardrobe.
Anyway, appreciate the post, as a teacher I appreciated yesterday’s on education funding, and I appreciate that this is a Substack that can address both.
Doing the big three is easily the best "fad" to ever happen to exercise. God I wish I had the resources I have today when I started as a teen. I wasted so much time on bullshit. 15 years of progress would have taken me 3 years if someone had just given me a barbell. Yes, some people don't properly align programming with their goals, but I have a hard time being anything other than enthusiastic that the next generation is learning the main lifts.
I don't have a 40inch vertical. Calisthenics aren't going to do that much for us regular people. The big three will. My other gripe is the strongest people in the world giving advice to amateurs. It rarely applies to us. Robert Oberst's take on deadlifting is as useful to me as Pavorotti explaining the bel canto. I just want to do a passable Karma Police.
I did enjoy the post though, and like seeing this different type of stuff.
I’m a 45 year old man who just started power lifting (with an extremely qualified coach; no idea why he’s even deigning to work with the likes of me), and it’s funny: I have very little idea of why I’m doing it. I know I’ve been wanting to get stronger for a while, but I don’t know why.
I also got into scotch in 2015 or so. No idea why.
Now I’ve finished my scotch and am trying not to get more. Don’t know why I’m not refilling my stores.
Do you think it’s important for me to know why I do these things?
I'm a powerlifter and I agree completely. I compete in meets, and I'm in the upper third according to openpowerlifting. It is a very bizarre sport, as strange and artificial as boxing. Think about it: Everyone uses SBD knee sleeves sized down two sizes. Why? They're about as thick as is allowed at raw comps and puts a few kg on your squat. And if you have very good back flexibility, as some former gymnasts do, your bench distance can be all of two inches. The sport is full of "tricks" like this. Limb proportion matters a lot. Add to this the amount of psychological preparation before your lifts, proper snacking between lifts, and the sport becomes about much much more than being "strong," whatever that word means. So the idea that it is "meat and potatoes" or "old school" is ridiculous—In fact, I hadn't ever heard this before. Nevertheless, I can see why it's taken off as lately, and why I think this is in general a healthy turn for meatheads everywhere.
The biggest reason I powerlift is because, to quote Marge Simpson, I’ve dug myself into a happy little rut here and I don’t want to hoist myself out of it. I'm also a scientist so I chase numbers like Corgies herd. Nothing gives me more pleasure than plotting, calculating, fitting, etc. I think this gives it a lot of its appeal as well. We live in the age of metrics, and powerlifting loves metrics. Powerlifting instagram comments are alphanumeric soup like "3x5 140kg @ 6!"
Along with olympic lifting, it's also as close to a sport as lifting gets. I love the camaraderie. I love when you go hit a PR and your gym buds spot you and encourage you. Lifting at a meet is electrifying. You get to be an athlete. And treating it like a sport seems to shift the psychic energy from vanity and self-obsession to healthy competition, fun, and "feeling strong." This means a lot to some people. Of course, you get the "looking good" as a side benefit while pretending is not important; hypocritical, yes, but that's your audience.
And I think we need to appreciate what powerlifting has done to the gender balance in the weight room. The powerlifting team at my gym is just about half women. I've been lifting for just over ten years, and the number of women whom I see lifting has increased dramatically. Anecdotally, I have two women friends who struggled with their weight, eating, and the constant pressure to be skinny. They've both found powerlifting. They appreciate an environment that emphasizes being strong as opposed to looking frail and cute, and where men and women do the same lifts and we compete at the same meets.
The sort of "vanity" exercises of yore were strictly gender segregated. Men did curls and shoulder presses. Women did pelvic thrusts, little curls with pink barbells, and then an hour doing cardio, lest they get "too bulky." I think this kind of thing naturally struck many women as demeaning, and one sees their point.
I tell ya, I don't lift and don't know anything about lifting and don't particularly want to know anything about lifting but I can read an entire FdB article about lifting and stay interested.
Funny to see this since a power rack is being set up in my garage right now. I lift weights because I'm not like other girls. Just kidding, obviously...but I'm self-aware enough to know there's at least a SMIDGE of that in the appeal of powerlifting to me. That said, twice-weekly hot yoga + extended breastfeeding gave me the "best" body I ever had. Since neither of those are feasible now, Stronglifts 5x5 in my garage it is, haha.
There's also a mental health thing to it. I absolutely despise running and being alone with my thoughts in that way. I've lifted weights on and off for the past decade and that's always been far more of a peaceful, mind-quieting time for me. Whatever a) floats yer boat & b) is safe & c) that ya can stick to is great. Bros think bro science works because they're seeing results just from being in the gym 3-5x a week.
Relevant Ginny Hogan joke:
“Thank god exercise makes you hotter. If all it did was improve your health, boost your mood, increase your longevity, prevent physical pain, and help your sleep, I’d never do it.”
There is also just the fact that lifting is fun and when you are stronger existing in the world physically feels better. Also being fit gives you more energy :)
Hey, I'm the Art of Manliness guy. Long-time reader (and paying subscriber for a few weeks!) Enjoy your work. One of the reasons I love your newsletter is how eclectic it is. Never thought I'd see an article about weightlifting after an article about education spending in America.
Any-hoo, I agree with this article. I'd say there was a time in my life when I thought there was a "one true way" to exercise and that way was benching, pressing, deadlifting, and squatting. It was likely due to the zeal of a new convert.
Now, my philosophy towards exercise is do what you enjoy because you're more likely to stay consistent with your exercise if you actually like it and being consistent is key to getting the benefits from exercise. I wrote about that here: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/motivation-over-discipline/
(Also did a podcast with a psychologist about making exercise a habit and she said the same thing. The benefits of exercise come with long-term consistency, so do the exercise that you enjoy: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/make-exercise-a-sustainable-habit/)
I love lifting weights. It's my favorite thing to do which is why I've been able to be so consistent with it for 6+ years and hit some PRs I never imagined I'd be able to hit.
I imagine runners who have been consistent for years would say the same thing.
I still encourage people to try "old school lifting" because it's something I enjoy and it's natural to share what you enjoy with other people. But if they don't like it or like something else better, I'd encourage them to lean into that. There's more than one way to skin the fitness cat.
My own training is changing as I get older and it's changing so I can continue to enjoy lifting. I pulled 585 a few weeks ago and afterwards I thought "Man, I don't know if I enjoy pulling that heavy anymore. That felt pretty bad."
So my training is changing. I'm still doing the main lifts, but at higher volume and lower weight. Doing some bodybuilder stuff too because it's fun.
Great post, and --
"... and has an opinion on whether the supinated hand on a mixed grip threatens the biceps."
Hilarious.
Great post, at 56 I still swear by the big three. I know I’m a lot weaker now than I was thirty years ago, because I’m doing the same exercises, just with less weight. It’s like really honest feedback, only other activity I can think of like that is running, and yeah I’m way slower as well.