Is heavy weight training healthy?

[Gravedigger Dav]

Try a double Scotch, neat. You might change your mind.

Oh, I do like an old double neat, no doubt; however, you idea doesn't quite work. Ice weighs about 7% less than water. So does Scotch. So (pardon the pun), it is a wash.

 

[Funky Ghost]

Oh, I do like an old double neat, no doubt; however, you idea doesn't quite work. Ice weighs about 7% less than water. So does Scotch. So (pardon the pun), it is a wash.

Well played good sir.

 

[slobake]

I think everything in moderation is a good approach.

You can train your muscles to exert more force than normal, but you can't do anything to make your joints and ligaments to bear more force than normal. I used to be into power lifting, but now I'm just fat...... (If you do bulk up, you need to maintain it. Trust me.)

Too many trips to the training table?

 

[Chebass88]

I have a good friend in his early forties who has a really bad back. He swears it is from all the extreme lifting he did when he was younger. I know that he did lift that way because he went from a pretty skinny kid to someone totally bulked up when he was in his 20's.
I have done a lot of resistance training myself but have always stayed away from routines designed to produce body builder muscles. It probably goes back to my days as a competitive swimmer. I never thought getting really bulked up was a good idea.
I could us a little weight training right now though.
What say you Talkbass? Do you have experience with this? Do you think extreme lifting is healthy?

Heavy lifting is healthy. Many folks can lift heavy well into old age. A couple of examples to look up: Clarence Bass, John Grimek, Doug Hepburn, etc. I think the key is knowing when & how to make increases. Poor technique or being overzealous can get you hurt, BAD.

As an example, back in 2010, I wanted a 300lb squat REALLY bad. One day, I got two reps at 265, and had to dump the weight onto the pins. Instead of unloading the plates & then reloading, I decided to just lift it off the pins. I got under it and pushed. I heard a *pop*, and due to some pretty bad muscle strains, was out of commission for several months. In retrospect, it was too heavy to do a "pin squat" ***AT THAT TIME***. This year, I did pin squats (from the pins in the power rack) for multiple sets & reps at 425lb. I've been conservative with my increases. The minute my form degrades, I'm done with that set.

Regarding "body builder muscles"... I think this is a silly concept. Instead of working on isolated body parts, do whole body exercises, or at least ones that involve two or more joints. Your muscles develop overall, and not just the "beauty muscles" of the biceps and chest. You won't start looking like Mr. Universe immediately. Development like that takes years and careful attention to diet.

You can lift to bulk up or lift to get stronger (with minimal bulking up). Here is the rule of thumb: 1-3 reps per set build strength (and should be heavy). 3-5 build strength with some minor hypertrophy. 8-15 reps build size. >15 reps build endurance. For excellent examples of people getting stronger while not bulking, look at Rickey Dale Crain, Lamar Gant, lightweight olympic lifters, etc. Bulking also is impacted by eating big. If you lift heavy weights & eat big often, you will bulk.

Personally, I plan on lifting heavy until I can't lift heavy anymore. Whether than means a really bad injury, or just life getting in the way. I have some goals for powerlifting as well as olympic weightlifting, which I know I can meet over the next couple months / years.

Lastly, lifting heavy weights & getting stronger makes some areas of life REALLY easy. Heavy deadlifts make carrying gear into gigs MUCH easier. In the event you have to move a sofa in your house - it can be as easy as picking up a newspaper.

Take all these comments with the proverbial grain of salt. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool steakhead, and LOVE lifting heavy weights.

 

[MJ5150]

I can't see it either. I guess weight training never helped my eyes.

It's a screen shot of the guys from the SNL skit 'how much ya bench?"

-Mike

 

[bnolsen]

I believe that low impact cardio is the best way to go for health. Burn calories and make it easy for your joints to carry the weight.
An extreme example: everyone I've known or talked with who play football in highschool and college all either screwed up joints or start having problems with them in their 40s.

Heavy lifting for the sake of heavy lifting is stupid. Without getting training and assistance to do it you'll end up like me with a shoulder that's way easy to tweak out and get sore. I started that injury on a weight machine in high school and really screwed it up in college doing bench presses.

 

[wolfkeller]

Bad form will tear you up not the weight. Heavy weight is hard on joints over the long term thought. 20 years exp Here.

 

[slobake]

 

[Indiana Mike]

When I used a personnel trainer in my late 30's he told that ship had sailed. It's a young mans or woman's game.

Weight training ? Yes. Ridiculous weight training? Good luck. Enjoy the pain.

 

[slobake]

I remember being surprised at how many women were in the gym after being away for quite a while. It took me at least three minutes to get used to it.

 

[Fretless1!]

Lift wisely, my friend.

 

[nutdog]

We need some slobake speedo pics.

 

[jugglingfreak]

The key is to take your legs out of the equation and lift with just your back and groin.

 

[rtslinger]

I say yes if is it done correctly. Proper form when performing the exercise with the proper warm up period to get the blood moving into the muscle and and wraps. Moderation is the key and low reps and sets. Tendons become the problem area when working out with heavyweights so be careful biceps tendon rupture is usually the most common. So after working out with heavy weights you need to let the muscle recoup for a longer period of time if this is a bodybuilding question I suggest one body part per week, pick a day you want to go heavy and isolate the one area the following week choose a different part part. Lastly whenever you lift heavy use a spotter.

 

[fisticuffs]

As with anything, moderation is key.

 

[ZenG]

It's not the weight.

It's the WAY people lift and their over-zealous expectations........they want results fast so they push themselves too hard, too quick.

Their egos get in the way many a time.

That plus bad form and bad lifting techniques coupled with never working the antagonistic muscles....

If bench is all you do for example...you're going to pay for it in the long run if you never work the opposing muscles.

You can lift wrong for a long time and get away with it..........and then one day the show is over.......

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Scooby (the guy pictured below) is in his 50's. I doubt you'd see him say (smart) heavyweight training is unhealthy

 

[slobake]

Scooby (the guy pictured below) is in his 50's. I doubt you'd see him say (smart) heavyweight training is unhealthy

Have you looked at this picture? YIKES! That is one happy man. Or he could taken a cue from the bass player in Spinal Tap.
Back in the 80's I was talking to a young guy at the gym and I described buy building as a male beauty contest. After that I was very unpopular at the gym.
I know it is subjective but I don't want to look like this guy. How much time do think he spends at the gym to look this way? Plus there is no way I'm going get my chest waxed.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Have you looked at this picture? YIKES! That is one happy man. Or he could taken a cue from the bass player in Spinal Tap.
Back in the 80's I was talking to a young guy at the gym and I described buy building as a male beauty contest. After that I was very unpopular at the gym.
I know it is subjective but I don't want to look like this guy. How much time do think he spends at the gym to look this way? Plus there is no way I'm going get my chest waxed.

I'm not for looking that way, either. And from his videos, I can guesstimate that he works out for at least an hour a day (which includes both weightlifting and cardio).

Regardless, you asked if it was healthy, and I would give you a resounding yes that that is.

 

[slobake]

I'm not for looking that way, either. And from his videos, I can guesstimate that he works out for at least an hour a day (which includes both weightlifting and cardio).

Regardless, you asked if it was healthy, and I would give you a resounding yes that that is.

Beside his virility I'm not sure that overly large muscles is an indication that you are healthy. Maybe he is healthy I don't know.