I tried the seven minute workout for a little while and saw no improvement in any dimension. This[1], on the other hand, has gotten me some significant results so far, five months in.
Stronglifts looks very interesting (I've read most of thee content on the website), and it got me all excited about doing it, but quickly I realised that I can't even do basic shit.
I'd say my fitness level on a scale from 1 to 10 (where 1 is morbidly obese and 10 is an athlete) is about 2. I'm probably not obese morbidly, but I'm overweight (97Kg@185cm / 214lbs@6'1), and I've never done any real[0] sports in my life. most of my day is spent behind a desk, programming; be it at my job, or at home for a hobby. On, average, I probably spend about 20 hours (might as well be more) in a sitting position.
I tried a few of Skimble[1] workouts that were recommended for me (Easy to moderate intensity), I'd do them for 2-3 consecutively days. I'd be so sore the next few days that I couldn't lift a glass to drink; I ended up being on light painkillers to be able to do everyday things.
The 7min workout looks ideal for someone like me who's looking to take the first step towards a better life.
To conclude: Stronglifts would probably paralyse me for a few weeks after one workout. I know the author described himself as being weak at first, but people often underestimate themselves when we reflect upon our own pasts (I'm guilty of that, at least).
-- [0]: I did some sailing, which required once-a-week visit to the gym, but we mostly did warming-up stuff (which, in hindsight, was pretty tiring for me)
(Yeah, I have a referral link to Amazon on the left, but I am not exactly forcing anyone to buy the book).
Everyone has a different reason for working out. What's yours? Is it for strength? Building muscles? Losing weight? Different goals call for different routines.
If you are interested in StrongLifts, I would just suggest doing it with a weight that you feel comfortable with that doesn't completely paralyze you after a workout, not that StrongLifts is suppose to do that. Having done 7 minutes workout, it's a great start.
Not only is it not necessary, it's actively harmful. After stressing your muscles, you need to give your body time to recover. If you stress your muscles beyond your body's ability to recover quickly, you will get weaker, not stronger. If you wait at least 48 hours between workouts, you'll see better results.
It's also a bit tricky; there are lots of little form details you need to work out, and getting them wrong retards progress and sets you up for additional soreness. But I find that I like that aspect of it: beyond just being able to pick up heavier stuff every session, I also often walk away having figured something new out about correct form, which is gratifying.
You should also check out Rippetoe's _Starting Strength_ (there's a Kindle version of it) for a similar program and much more detail on how the motions actually work.
1. 6'1" @ 215lb is not that bad. I'm 6'4" and 195lb. Morbidly obese would be like 250lb+ at your height, at least in the US.
2. If you start with light weight and follow the linear progression of a program like StrongLifts, you will not likely hurt yourself. Weight lifting is safer than most forms of cardio, especially when practiced with good form. It would be helpful if you have a place you can exercise where there is a squat cage, so that you can use safety pins, but it is also not that hard to get out from under a squat. Search for "how to safely fail a squat" for more info.
3. It will be helpful to have a coach or a knowledgeable friend to check your form. Preferably someone who often squats big already. In a pinch, you can video yourself doing and ask for advice on a forum, or even me, if you want my inexpert opinion. Respect the depth! (That means, squat until the crease of your hip is below your knee.)
4. I would guess that a bigger guy like yourself will find it very easy to make progress early on. I do not think that it is likely you would paralyze yourself doing stronglifts.
5. Soreness is a big problem for the first 2-4 weeks, but your muscles will begin recovering faster after that. You should work out through the soreness, at whatever level of weight you can manage.
6. You will make strength gains more efficiently by supplementing with protein and creatine, and reducing carbs in your diet in favor of fats and proteins.
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You asked about my initial level of fitness. I didn't weigh as much as you, but I was skinny-fat. Very weak and flabby at 190lb and 6'4". The last sports I had done before this was Tae Kwon Do for a half a year back in '09 or so. And before that, basically nothing.
You can see what has happened to my strength since I started stronglifts six months ago here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_bJrdrwGYeWV01FRmZlVFBrTjA.... (Green line is deadlift, blue is squat, gray is benchpress. The big dip recently is when my son was born and I took a month off.) Or you can see me lifting in this YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMiIOCPvdFUBq9GtCb7L3.... I am not claiming this is good form. I am very much a work in progress.
I am by no means strong, but many of my lifts have reached the intermediate level of strength. They were all way below beginner when I started.
The only thing I'd add is that if you want your arms to look good, you're going to need to throw in some curls, because stronglifts does not focus on the bicep. It is a show-muscle -- you don't really use it for much, but it's important for appearing strong in our culture.
In short, I'd recommend the barbell to anyone who doesn't have a particular bone, tendon, or muscle disease. This stuff works.
This (unofficial, but true-to-source) site is a better resource for the actual Starting Strength programs if you don't want to buy the book: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Program
Why would that be true? I believe the only difference is that SS recommends 3 work sets and SL recommends 5 sets, and SS uses power cleans while SL uses rows. Do the additional sets work better for people starting from low fitness levels?
Yes, because they cannot handle too much weight and so, their training volume is very low even on 5 work sets. Note that the body will catch up pretty quick and 5x5 will be too demanding after 9-12 of solid training.
Also, SS is much more technical because of the power clean, which is a very demanding exercise. You cannot possibly do 5 sets of power cleans without putting you in risk of injury.
I basically started with the original set, for two months I tried to increase number of repetitions during each phase without hurting myself, then after I pushed to my peak intensity my body got adapted to it so I added a 2nd set at a lower intensity and was slowly increasing it. The same repeated later and I added 3rd set. Now I can push all 3 sets at the same intensity (actually, 2nd and 3rd are easier), and I tried adding 4th one but got an injury so I decided to stick with 3 as my optimum.
The theory is that because the large areas (ex: leg, back) are actually composed of many muscles, you can hit them more frequently with slight variations (working different parts/ranges/etc.) and still recover.
In particular, the GP was talking about Stronglifts, which has you doing the same old back squats 3 times a week, variations strongly discouraged.
Stronglifts is one, but there are programs from Glenn Pendlay, Bill Starr, Mark Rippetoe, etc. and they're all good for beginner to intermediate lifters - and they all feature two or three days a week of the same-old squats.
A beginning lifter should make gains in the squat even while doing it three times a week, sometimes for many months. After you hit the wall, programs will drop the number of squat days, replace a day of back squats with the front squat, or replace all-heavy days with a light-heavy-medium rotation.
It's true - you'll eventually plateau. But a 3x week squat program works for a lot of people, especially when starting out.
- Recovery doesn't take seven days.
- Squats target the biggest muscles.
- The biggest muscles produce the most testosterone, enabling you to make gains in other muscle groups more easily.
Ex. http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-conditioning/new-study-pi.... The muscle may not produce the testosterone, but it is produced by working the muscle.
That's all I know.
I've had much more trouble consistently increasing weight on bench presses.
In fairness, I probably have a mechanical advantage for squats.
I'm a relatively experienced lifter - heavy squats 3x per week is brutal for the first week or so and then your body adapts to it.
I've found that I'll actually stick with a ~hourlong workout, 3-5x a week that I believe in and have goals for over anything quick with no discernible aim. And it's amazing how time magically appears to actually show up at the gym when you prioritize it.
A "scientific" 7 minute workout with no discernible goals is an admirable thing but honestly it's a cheap novelty at best - I've never heard of anybody actually sticking to one, "doing the bare minimum" is just not motivating at all. Scientific according to whom? To what end? Why am I doing this?
Exercise science is inherently a little bit voodoo. Motivation and consistency are much more important than the time requirement.
If somebody's had any success with vague goalless 7-minute workouts, or has even stuck with them consistently, I'd love to hear differing opinions.
I think you're right that the biggest problem with this is that there are "no discernible goals" associated with this "scientific" workout. For noticeable strength and physique improvements, the lowest I've found to be effective are 40 minute workouts 3 times per cycle with a cycle length of 7-10 days depending on the types of workouts done.
1. Leave one rep in the tank for every set you do. 5 reps means 5 picture-perfect repetitions. As soon as form starts to break down, you are doing it wrong.
2. Start light.
3. Eat like a horse. At least 10% above you maintenance levels in training days.
4. Deload every 4 weeks.
Note that I am 40+ years old. I have been squatting twice per week more than 3 years now.
Sometimes less is more.
SL5x5 starts out with the unloaded bar, SS with a _lightly_ weighted bar. The whole idea is that you're initially _well_ below your actual potential.
You're increasing the weight fairly aggressively (10# per week for squats), but it'll take you a few months before you're up to significantly challenging weights.
You'll also re-set a few times, and eventually switch to a different progression.
If you're not going balls-to-the-wall, you can squat twice a week. If you're going heavy, 1x is more viable.
You're right though that more experienced trainees who have built up a base level of strength take more like a week to recover. Intermediate powerlifting/Olympic weightlifting programs (see Texas Method, Bill Starr 5x5) usually still recommend squatting three days a week, but only one of these days is a heavy day.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strength_training
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_overload(Theres a study on risk factors from smoking to education here:
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/data/Journals/JAMA/4549/JOC7046....)
Health benefits of strength training listed on Wikipedia look still pretty attractive, to be honest. The primary obstacle is necessary equipment, for someone who travels around this means gym access becomes a factor.
I agree that cardio seems to be far more essential to health than strength training, though.
Thanks for sharing a very interesting document.