Forget the numbers!!!!!!!!

[Rio 2001]

I say:
Throw away the scale, calipers, stop counting calories, don´t bother how much you bench press.
If you´re just striving to achieve your best body ever, I say none of those have any utility whatsoever.
What you need is feel well, have a mirror and HONESTLY DO YOUR BEST.

How much do you bench?
- I lift as much as I can in a heavy pecs training day, and less than that on a light one.

Yes, duh... But how much is that?
- It depends ...When I´m feeling well it´s a little more, when not a little less. The important thing is that I know that when I want, I´m achieving the highest intensity level I honestly can in that day with good form. I´m not a slave to the weights, how much I lift is a consequence of a honest self-evaluation added to serious work.

Ahan..So, biceps size?
- Big enough to achieve an adequate proportionality for my physical type, in according to MY STANDARTS of what is aesthetically pleasant.

Man, you are a pain in the arse...Anyway, how many calories a day?
- Don´t know, don´t care, my main concern is with the quality and portions , I eat more when I want to gain, eat less when I want to loose, sometimes I add a meal, sometimes I subtract one, sometimes I manipulate my carbo intake in according to my intentions...I fell that if I know how MY BODY respond to a diet and I´m CONSISTENT I´ll get results. My body is my master.Complicated equations are a major drag.

Do you at least care about your BF%????????
- Not really, no.I´m working to be able to see every detail of every muscle in my mid section, I´m pretty sure that BF% will be very low by then...

So what do you say when people ask for your stats?
- In the virtual environment that means nothing. In real life, that is a rare question, people usually tap me in the back and say _ WOW! YOU LOOK GREAT! WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?

Hmmmm, so what it is?
- What?

The secret?
1) Want it bad;
2) Aquire knowledment to achieve your objectives;
3) Use your knowledge.
WILL, KNOWLEDGE, ACTION.

 

[Guiness]

I second that. All the numbers are just an ego boost. I couldn't care less what I weigh or how much weight I'm lifting. All I care about is what the mirror says and that I'm lifting adequate weight with good form to tear apart the muscles I'm training so the heal bigger. I was 6'4" 270lbs a couple months ago and it doesn't mean I looked better than I do know at 250lbs. I'm a lot happier, harder and healthier.

 

[Johnny Cut]

numbers represent acheivements and progess for those who dont need ego boosts

 

[Lift Chief]

I'm a slave to the weights... if you aren't progressively overloading your muscles they simply won't grow- so of course you need to focus on how much you're lifting... and more importantly improving that number from week to week.

If you keep increasing the amount of weight you're lifting you will increase your muscle size... pretty simple really.

 

[WelshInjectable]

I agree with keeping track of weight amounts used per excercise in order to improve not as an ego thing. But stats in this virtual environment as the bro stated is a bit hit and miss.
Im 6'4'', 215lbs, about 15% bf. I know I need to look better with less fat and more muscle and I can tell that from a mirror.
Good post.

 

[Rio 2001]

I'm a slave to the weights... if you aren't progressively overloading your muscles they simply won't grow- so of course you need to focus on how much you're lifting... and more importantly improving that number from week to week.

If you keep increasing the amount of weight you're lifting you will increase your muscle size... pretty simple really.

If you are doing the best you can you´ll grow .Of course you know how much your best is, but the number mean nothing at all.It is just the label on your effort. I´m trying to point that some people can be obsessed with numbers, and get overtrained or injured just because they compare themselves with others or with what is considered good, instead of having yourself as the ultimate parameter.It is also easier to get psychologic stucked by a number then it is with an effort.Ilustrating, my goal is to feel and look the best I can, I don´t know if I´ll have to bench over 250lbs to achieve that. If that is what it takes, so be it, but my goal will not number-oriented anymore
The point of this thread is to shake some old concepts ...
Maybe this won´t work for all, or even a majority, but at least some will agree to that idea...

 

[DaddyX]

mirrors can be decieving.......callipers and scales are good weighs to show progress. sure mirrors are good too. use all them. as far as lifts go well of course #'s is the weigh to see if yur getting stronger

 

[stonecold54]

yes mirrors are deceiving, before and after photos should be made use of. use the same light, same distance to camera, same camera. excellent post though Rio karma to you.

 

[Nelson Montana]

Well, an increase in lifts doesn't necessarily equate to increased size. But that's another subject.

I agree with the original post for the most part. But I've found that nobody really wants an explanation. They're just making small talk, so give then a small talk answer -- something like, I dont really do one rep maxes but I've done X amount for X amount of reps.

How big is your bicep? Not that bg, around X.

How many calories do eat? Depends. Usually around X a day.

Isn't that easier?

 

[NapoleanComplex]

I like keeping track of the numbers...Bench Press for example

I remember the first time I ever started lifting weights...7th grade. I could bench 65lbs 10 times. The first time I broke 100lbs. 135lbs was also a nice mark (big wheels on each side woooooohoooo!!!). Then there was the long road to 200lbs...225lbs...250lbs...now on to the 300 mark. Its been a great ride, and I like thinking back on my achievements, it makes me happy to know that I have accomplished something that *I* think is important.

 

[mixwell]

also if you are competing..i think its vital to keep stats..for example to see if you are losing fat and not muscle. I havent competed professionally ever but i would think that its really important to keep track of stats

 

[Rio 2001]

also if you are competing..i think its vital to keep stats..for example to see if you are losing fat and not muscle. I havent competed professionally ever but i would think that its really important to keep track of stats

I wasn´t adressing to the competitive bbders, altough there are quite a few that doesn´t bother about numbers. I can´t really say , but I think judges evaluate based on what they SEE,not on how much lbs of LBM competitors have. Body weight serves only for selecting category purposes.

 

[Rio 2001]

I like keeping track of the numbers...Bench Press for example

I remember the first time I ever started lifting weights...7th grade. I could bench 65lbs 10 times. The first time I broke 100lbs. 135lbs was also a nice mark (big wheels on each side woooooohoooo!!!). Then there was the long road to 200lbs...225lbs...250lbs...now on to the 300 mark. Its been a great ride, and I like thinking back on my achievements, it makes me happy to know that I have accomplished something that *I* think is important.

I remembered when I passed the 250lbs mark too, and I also remember injuring myself because I couldn´t stand doing less than that.Sometimes my body was telling me to take it easy, but no, I HAD to go over that current weight to grow. Now DID I? Sometimes it worked in the opposite way, and I thought - well, I lifted 260lbs today, 10lbs more than last week, that is it.. Now, WAS IT? Maybe it was the right moment for more, but numbers can get intimidating...
I just think being attached to numbers and formulas is mediocre, I remember Arnold saying when he trained biceps he though of it being the size of a mountain. Does it matter how big of a mountain???

 

[easy]

Good post. I think keeping a good log book can be a great tool for monitoring your progess but for me it's the mirror that counts. I'm shallow enough to base my goals on what the mirror says, not the journal. Call it a character flaw.

 

[Lift Chief]

Well, an increase in lifts doesn't necessarily equate to increased size. But that's another subject.

True... an increase in lifts wouldn't necessarily equate to increased size... but a vast majority of the time it does- in my experience.

 

[dzuljas]

stats are great to keep, rio what are you thinking!!

 

[halfaclue]

mirrors can be decieving.......callipers and scales are good weighs to show progress. sure mirrors are good too. use all them. as far as lifts go well of course #'s is the weigh to see if yur getting stronger

I agree, one of my lifting buddies thinks he has the body of a God and he can't see sepearation in his abs. Every few weeks he'll flex in the mirror and ask us if we think he is getting more cut up and the answer is always the same "NO". I never use the scale except to weigh myself for actual weight purposes. I go by inches though, and BF. Last year I went on a strict diet and did more cardio and less lifting and no gear and went from 250 in novemebr to 205 in May. I had a 34-35 inch waist. This year I have the same waist size, maybe even a touch smaller and I am 234. That is how I measure progress. As far as working out...if I do not go up in weights or reps then i look at that workout as a failure and I do an extra one that week. I won't push myself to pyramid weight that I can't do but if I can't match reps with a given weight week to week then I feel my intensity isn't there.