OT: Weightlifting

Submitted by Mr.Mario86 on
I weight lift pretty frequently, mostly with the football team. I'm 15 5'7 & I weigh 185 lbs. My max bench is 225 & my max squat was 275. I was just wondering if there are any other MGoLifters out there and their routine as well as maxes. Free to delete if too OT.

Eat Your Wheatlies

July 13th, 2012 at 4:33 PM ^

Had a buddy that could do it in less than 10 minutes every time and seemed bored doing so. I could chug beer pretty well and one day made a bet with him...he had a completely full Solo and my beer was 1/4 full. We called it a tie, but Im pretty sure he felt bad for me and just let his victory slide. He had an uncanny ability to dump beer straight down his throat to his gut...sickening

michfan6060

July 13th, 2012 at 2:41 PM ^

I used to lift a lot when I was in high school. I could bench 310 and parallel squat 420, but I weighed about 240 then. Now I just drink a lot of beer.

Magnus

July 13th, 2012 at 2:41 PM ^

I work out 5-6 days a week.  I probably do more cardio (bike and treadmill) than anything else.  I generally do upper body on one day, cardio/core work on day two, lower body on day three.  Repeat.  I'll switch it up once in a while if I tweak a muscle or get bored, but that's my general routine.

I gave up squatting a while ago because it bothered one of my knees, but I still do plyometrics and various other forms of squats (body weight squats, goblet squats, split squats, etc.).  And rather than benching, I just do lots and lots of pushups;  I hated asking random dudes at the gym to spot me on the bench.

mrkid

July 13th, 2012 at 3:34 PM ^

With proper form, your knees should be fine with barbell squatting. I'd recommend looking into Mark Rippetoes instructions on how to properly squat. I have a bad knee from a quadding accident and I can squat all day without knee pain. Now putting bodyweight on my bad knee is a different story. I do any Tebowing without falling over in pain.

Jmilan

July 13th, 2012 at 2:44 PM ^

Well since some I already made a smart ass comment, I will ask a real question now to the board. Any ideas or tips for heavy bag and speed bag workouts? I just bought a stand and have only used it about once, but I feel pretty aimless so any tips, advice, or routines would be appreciated.

MGoRyan

July 13th, 2012 at 3:12 PM ^

I typically do 3 rounds of 5 minutes on each with a 2min rest.  Feet should keep moving the entire time.  Sometimes I'll throw in set of planks/crunches and push ups during the "rest" perioud, alternating them each time.  Usually ending with 10min of jump rope, or 15min interval runs on the treadmill if I can.  You'll want to sleep after.

UMSwoosh

July 13th, 2012 at 4:31 PM ^

is optimal for using a heavy or a speed bag, but don't let your "round" only consist of hitting the bag, try doing 1 minute "slices" within the 5 minute round. For example, heavy bag 1 min, then go immediately to speed bag for a min, drop and do pushups for a min, back to the bag a min, and end it with a min of body weight squats, rest for 2 mins and repeat for 3 rounds. I usually have 1 day a week where I train in "rounds" sometimes with a bag, sometimes with free weights moving from station to station within that 5 minute frame.

Bigscotto68

July 13th, 2012 at 2:47 PM ^

Some friendly advise with respect to squats, do lots of reps but don't go for huge weights for another year or two. You will trash your knees and especially your growth plates that are still not fully calcified. REPS are your key and upper body and core strength is the ticket MGOHOMIE....good luck to you, keep working hard!

fat_wilhelm

July 13th, 2012 at 3:33 PM ^

I understand you probably heard those oft repeated weigtlifting "facts" somewhere else and are merely passing them on, but it's largely a bunch of crap. Squats, if done properly to full depth, will not trash one's knees. The only time your knees would suffer from squatting is if you're cutting them shallow, which has a shearing effect at the joint.

As far as weightlifting for youths, it is very safe and quite beneficial if done properly, even at higher loads. The key is to be doing it properly, as most people learn from watching others at the gym and a large portion of that population is clueless.

This is a pretty good article on youth training: http://exrx.net/WeightTraining/Weightlifting/YouthMisconceptions.html

WolvinLA2

July 13th, 2012 at 3:41 PM ^

I agree with this, but that doesn't always happen.  In fact, most high schoolers who are lifting don't have proper form (I know I didn't).  Also, a lot of people see there form slip when they're doing more weight than they're comfortable with, which happens a lot when you max out. 

This is why I tell high schoolers (and college kids who aren't lifting with trainers helping them with their form) to bring down the weight and up the reps on squats.  That way, you have an easier time keeping your form, and have a lower chance of hurting yourself if you don't.

mrkid

July 13th, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^

 

Agreed. In my opinion, lifters shouldn't be attempting a max lift until they have been lifting with proper form for at leaast 6 months. Anyone high schooler shouldn't care about their max lift until they've invested a good amount of time gaining strength. Who cares if you can squat 225 lbs for one rep. Squat for 6 months with a proper form and then give it a go. A max squat of 315+ for a high schooler is far more impressive, but that kind of strength only comes with a time investment of lifting with proper form.
 
It's sad that high school athletic departments don't focus on teaching high schoolers proper form before letting them into the gym to lift. They're just asking for injuries.

fat_wilhelm

July 13th, 2012 at 5:06 PM ^

The reason they don't teach proper form is because the coaches often don't know what proper form is. In their mind, everything is just peachy. It's a hard thing to remedy, though, since more often than not, a football coach is doubling as a strength coach, as many high schools don't have the budget for both.

Magnus

July 13th, 2012 at 5:20 PM ^

At the school where I work, one of our coaches happens to be a full-time personal trainer for his day job.  He has offered to teach our kids how to lift, proper form, etc.

However, the guy who makes the decisions about such things (who is a special education teacher) is old school and doesn't like to pay attention to "science" and "research" and "professional trainers."

So even though some of us do know proper form and technique, sometimes we're not allowed to teach it because "that's not how we did it in the old days."

mrkid

July 13th, 2012 at 7:30 PM ^

That's sad that one guy is limiting the potential of the athletes at your school by not allowing them to learn proper form to get everything out of their lifts and their efforts in weightlifting.

I get angry at the thought of the potential of lost power and force for your football players.

Maybe that special ed teacher needs a "special" visit.

mrkid

July 13th, 2012 at 8:14 PM ^

That's no excuse. With the resources brought forth by the internet, budget is no excuse. Maybe I'm different, but if I were a football coach, I'd make the personal investment to learn about strength training. There are dozens of really good books available for under $30, not to mention training DVDs. The return on that investment is huge for both parties, the coach and the kids.

 

Schembo

July 13th, 2012 at 2:51 PM ^

I try to lift 5 times a week, but I'm battling through a shoulder injury right now, which completely sucks.  I haven't maxed in quite awhile.

hillbillyblue

July 13th, 2012 at 7:56 PM ^

Stay away from surgery.  I had a small tear in my rotator cuff repaired and some bone spurs removed back in March and my shoulder still aches from simple movements.  It hurts more now than before I had surgery.  The doctor told me back at the end of May that I could start lifting again with very little weight but even 100lb bench presses hurt like hell.  Wish I would have never had surgery.

graybeaver

July 13th, 2012 at 2:55 PM ^

I like to drink beer and play basketball. I've tried playing without the beer, but then my jumper isn't as accurate.

WoodleyIsBeast

July 13th, 2012 at 2:57 PM ^

Lift heavy when you're young, maintenance is easier when you're older. Being 15 though, just stick to the nitty gritty-squats, leg press, barbell and dumbell presses, extentions for arms and legs, shoulder press and so on. Here's something new my uncle got me into-40 seconds of rest in between sets, always grab 8 reps even if you have to do a drop set. Four seconds down, one second up. Lifts will generally only take 45-an hour but I've noticed a definite increase in strength.

Bloggy Style

July 13th, 2012 at 2:57 PM ^

6 foot, 215.  Bench 315, Squat 445, Deadlift 455

I've recently gotten into crossift though where form is stressed far more than weight.  I exclusively do squats to below 90 degrees now and my max there is only 305.  Getting better though. 

I wish I'd understood form over weight at an earlier age.  I would have avoided 2 partially torn rotators and a fully torn bicep.  Oh well, better late than never.

I also do plenty of 12oz curls like the rest of the board, hence the 215 lb weight and not a 205 lb weight.

Go blue!

mrkid

July 13th, 2012 at 3:45 PM ^

The good Crossfitters stress form more than weight, but a quick search on Youtube for Crossfit fail will show that not all of Crossfit stresses form over weight.

Those are some impressive numbers though! Keep up the strong work!

pasadenablue

July 13th, 2012 at 2:59 PM ^

i started crossfit recently (after doing an on-again-off-again free weight regime of my own for many years) and it totally kicks ass.  olympic lifts are the way to go man.  if this was the type of stuff barwis was having the team do (though im sure his regimes were waaaaaaaaaay more intense), i can understand why some of the players quit.

Romeowolv

July 13th, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^

I do a three on-one off thing.

 

day one: chest and tris

day two: arms and back

day three: shoulders

day four : off

day five: start cycle again.

 

only legs i do is jogging every now and then. 

 

 

WolvinLA2

July 13th, 2012 at 3:22 PM ^

I lift 6 days a week, and mine is just a two-day cycle - upper body one day, legs and abs the next.  You really shouldn't neglect your legs, not only does it look goofy, but legs are your biggest muscle group so if you want to burn fat, lifting legs is the best way to do it. 

To the OP - don't worry about your max.  I haven't maxed out since high school.  Worry about what you can put up 10-12 times.  Also - like the poster above said, drop the weight and up the reps on your squats or leg presses.  Your knee is a fragile joint, and even if you don't have any problem while you're still competing, you'll want to use them when you're older.  Squats is a great workout, and probably the most important for a football player, but don't worry about throwing too much weight on the bar until you're older/bigger, drop the weight and do sets of 15 or more. 

Also - find a good protein powder to take after your workouts.  Not just to get big, but to make sure your muscles are recovering properly and you're getting the most out of your workout.  I use Myotein, which I feel is the best, but it's also the most expensive (not that any protein is really that expensive compared to other stuff you probably spend money on).  But even the $10 tub from the grocery store is way better than nothing.

panthera leo fututio

July 13th, 2012 at 3:49 PM ^

The bit about post-workout protein is super important.

I've found post-workout/peri-workout drinks consisting of quickly abosrbed protein and sugar to be really helpful in gaining strength, and I take it that there's a fair bit of pretty legit research to back this up. I've also found supplements like creatine, leucine, and beta alanine to be helpful, but the benefit-cost ratio of taking these is probably a lot lower than it is for just gettting the content and timing of your macro-nutrition right.

(There's also some pretty compelling research to suggest that creatine supplementation improves cognitive performance, so it's not totally embarrassingly meat-headed to take it.)