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Are Your Muscles as Strong as They Should Be?
Nelson Montana
Yeah, I know. You're a bodybuilder, and that has little to do with how much weight you can lift. Increased strength is a pleasant side effect to bodybuilding but increases in muscle mass and lifting ability aren't necessarily synonymous. We see examples of it all the time. Every gym has that guy who doesn't look at all impressive who can outlift the guys with the competition level physique. Humbling, isn't it?
It's important to train in one manner or another in order to achieve your objective. If large shapely muscles are the goal, you'll need to pump the various muscle groups with blood using strict form, moderate weight and tempo, an 8-12 rep range, a variety of movements, and short rest periods between sets. If getting better at a particular lift is your goal, practice that lift -- as heavy as possible.
Muscle growth may be your main objective but increasing strength has its advantages. It's the most tangible gauge of progress. It allows for more stress and ultimately, more growth. And besides, bodybuilders are expected to be strong! Even if you won't be entering any powerlifting contests in the near future, there's no reason you have to use pitiful poundage in the major lifts. Sometimes you have to show that all that muscle is useful for more than just looking good!
This line of thinking is what leads most bodybuilders to test themselves every now and then to see just how strong they really are. The problem with such a practice is that they attempt a one rep maximum lift.
Maximum lifts are not the best test of strength! Maximum lifts are the best way to injure yourself!
Single rep maxes are a catastrophe waiting to happen. And the last thing a bodybuilder needs is an injury that will put his training on hold and sabotage progress -- not to mention the pain that persists long after the injury occurs. Don't be a fool.
What's also ironic is that a one rep max isn't even a very good indicator of muscular strength. When forced to lift a maximum load, it's the bones and tendons that take on the majority of stress. That's why so many Olympic and Powerlifting champions aren't exactly sculpted specimens of muscularity. They're more big, blocky, thick-boned powerhouses. In the case of squatters, overall height is a tremendous factor. Shorter men have a distinct advantage over taller men since not only is their center of gravity better positioned, they also have to move the weight less distance to achieve lockout.
A truer test of muscular strength would be to lift in the higher rep range. Some people erroneously believe that higher reps are more a matter of endurance and aerobic ability, but that's a misnomer. The completion of 20 repetitions can take under a minute - hardly a barometer of long distance stamina.
Many methods devised to test strength require complex calculations. You know the type. Take three-quarters of your one rep max (which is impossible to determine without potential harm) and divide it by 4, then add 15 pounds and yada, yada, yada. What I propose here is much simpler. It takes into consideration the individual's bodyweight and adjusts the testing accordingly. The entire experiment takes just a few minutes. It's also fun! Are you up for the challenge? If so, take this test now and find out how strong you really are!
Pushups:
It doesn't get any simpler than this. The old pushup is an all but forgotten exercise that is excellent for building definition throughout the pectorals and anterior deltoids. It's also an outstanding indicator of upper body strength. (Which is why it's still used by firefighters as a yardstick of their ability to perform strength related tasks.)
It's irrelevant how much you weigh in order to test yourself. Give yourself as much time as you need (as long as you don't take the weight off of your arms at any point or stop for more than 10 seconds). If you're capable of completing over 100 push-ups, you are indeed a man's-man! Even 50 is still excellent. 30-40 is okay, but if you can't eke out at least 25, it's time to start specializing on your functional strength. Incidentally, although the two moves are similar, a good bench presser isn't always good at pushups. The reason being; pushups require more work from the stabilizer muscles, whereas bench pressing is more of a leverage lift.
Curls Against a Wall:
While holding a barbell, stand with your shoulders, back, butt and rear of your upper arms against a wall, feet shoulder length apart, approximately 14" forward.
Without any alteration of this position, or bending at the knees, curl the barbell to your shoulders maintaining a strict form throughout. If you weigh under 160 pounds, then a curl of 100 pounds for 4 reps is superior to most bodybuilders your weight. 80 is good. 60 is fair. If you weigh between 170 and 190, 4 reps with a 120 pound bar is superior, 100 is good and 80 is fair. If you're 200 pounds or more, you'll need to curl 140 pounds for 4 reps to be considered superior. 130 is good and a fair weight would be 110 pounds.
Chin-ups to Failure:
Once again, here we have a basic and brutal test of strength. Chin-ups are different from the chins you might do to develop your back. When working lats, the movement must be controlled and deliberate. The grip is overhand and the head moves back from the bar as you raise yourself in order to stress the latissimus. When performing chin-ups, the grip is underhand and you can use some "swing" in order to get your chin above the bar. If you can do 20, you're in good shape. More than 30 shows tremendous upper body strength. 15 is acceptable. Less than 10 is pretty bad. If that's the case, it's time to lay off that comfortable lat pulldown (with the light weight) and start chinning!
Body Weight Benching:
In order to keep it safe and keep it simple, try this. Warm up to make sure the muscles aren't cold. Then take a barbell that matches your total bodyweight. If you feel this is too much to complete at least 4 reps, abort the test! Don't feel bad. It's better to be safe than sorry. If you can knock out 5-8 reps, you're doing all right. If you can complete more than 10 reps, you're a damn strong dude. If you can do more than 25 reps, people better not tick you off because you're one intimidating son of a bitch.
Seated Holdout To Front:
This is probably the most exacting test of shoulder strength you'll ever find. Sit on a flat bench with a back rest. Lift a barbell and press it overhead. Then slowly lower it forward, keeping the arms straight until it's positioned at eye level and arm's length. Hold the bar in this static position for a count of five. If you're under 200 pounds and you can hold 75 pounds for 5 seconds, you can rate yourself as possessing superior shoulder strength. 65 pounds is good. 50 is fair. Less than 45 pounds is weak. If you weigh over 200 pounds, you'll need to hold a 90 pound bar to rate superior. 75 is good. 65 is fair. If you can't hold at least 50 pounds, you either need more deltoid work or you're carrying far too much fat and not enough muscle. Work on it.
Rep Squatting:
As mentioned, one's anatomy has as much to do with their squatting ability as does their muscular strength. Yet, if you want a reliable test of your leg and lung power, give this assessment a go.
Take a barbell that weighs half of your bodyweight. Now, perform as many deep squats as possible in a time span of one minute. Many non or beginning trainers wouldn't reach double digits on this one, but 25 reps is about average for an experienced bodybuilder. 30-40 is extraordinary. And if you can bang out more than 50 of those suckers...DAMN!
You may have noticed, no point system was used. That's because this test isn't meant to be a competition. Instead, it's a way of each individual judging his own capabilities. If you decide to test yourself on an ongoing basis, you may want to do it on an off-day when you're fresh. The test alone will be quite a workout! As a matter of fact, this type of training makes for a nice change of pace to your regular routine or as an addition to it when you want to step up your training volume.
So how strong are you? It doesn't matter if you don't excel at every movement, for most people have their weaknesses in one lift or another. But even if strength isn't your main priority, it's always good to know where you stand. It's also a good idea to check how far along you've come. See for yourself.
.
Are Your Muscles as Strong as They Should Be?
Nelson Montana
Yeah, I know. You're a bodybuilder, and that has little to do with how much weight you can lift. Increased strength is a pleasant side effect to bodybuilding but increases in muscle mass and lifting ability aren't necessarily synonymous. We see examples of it all the time. Every gym has that guy who doesn't look at all impressive who can outlift the guys with the competition level physique. Humbling, isn't it?
It's important to train in one manner or another in order to achieve your objective. If large shapely muscles are the goal, you'll need to pump the various muscle groups with blood using strict form, moderate weight and tempo, an 8-12 rep range, a variety of movements, and short rest periods between sets. If getting better at a particular lift is your goal, practice that lift -- as heavy as possible.
Muscle growth may be your main objective but increasing strength has its advantages. It's the most tangible gauge of progress. It allows for more stress and ultimately, more growth. And besides, bodybuilders are expected to be strong! Even if you won't be entering any powerlifting contests in the near future, there's no reason you have to use pitiful poundage in the major lifts. Sometimes you have to show that all that muscle is useful for more than just looking good!
This line of thinking is what leads most bodybuilders to test themselves every now and then to see just how strong they really are. The problem with such a practice is that they attempt a one rep maximum lift.
Maximum lifts are not the best test of strength! Maximum lifts are the best way to injure yourself!
Single rep maxes are a catastrophe waiting to happen. And the last thing a bodybuilder needs is an injury that will put his training on hold and sabotage progress -- not to mention the pain that persists long after the injury occurs. Don't be a fool.
What's also ironic is that a one rep max isn't even a very good indicator of muscular strength. When forced to lift a maximum load, it's the bones and tendons that take on the majority of stress. That's why so many Olympic and Powerlifting champions aren't exactly sculpted specimens of muscularity. They're more big, blocky, thick-boned powerhouses. In the case of squatters, overall height is a tremendous factor. Shorter men have a distinct advantage over taller men since not only is their center of gravity better positioned, they also have to move the weight less distance to achieve lockout.
A truer test of muscular strength would be to lift in the higher rep range. Some people erroneously believe that higher reps are more a matter of endurance and aerobic ability, but that's a misnomer. The completion of 20 repetitions can take under a minute - hardly a barometer of long distance stamina.
Many methods devised to test strength require complex calculations. You know the type. Take three-quarters of your one rep max (which is impossible to determine without potential harm) and divide it by 4, then add 15 pounds and yada, yada, yada. What I propose here is much simpler. It takes into consideration the individual's bodyweight and adjusts the testing accordingly. The entire experiment takes just a few minutes. It's also fun! Are you up for the challenge? If so, take this test now and find out how strong you really are!
Pushups:
It doesn't get any simpler than this. The old pushup is an all but forgotten exercise that is excellent for building definition throughout the pectorals and anterior deltoids. It's also an outstanding indicator of upper body strength. (Which is why it's still used by firefighters as a yardstick of their ability to perform strength related tasks.)
It's irrelevant how much you weigh in order to test yourself. Give yourself as much time as you need (as long as you don't take the weight off of your arms at any point or stop for more than 10 seconds). If you're capable of completing over 100 push-ups, you are indeed a man's-man! Even 50 is still excellent. 30-40 is okay, but if you can't eke out at least 25, it's time to start specializing on your functional strength. Incidentally, although the two moves are similar, a good bench presser isn't always good at pushups. The reason being; pushups require more work from the stabilizer muscles, whereas bench pressing is more of a leverage lift.
Curls Against a Wall:
While holding a barbell, stand with your shoulders, back, butt and rear of your upper arms against a wall, feet shoulder length apart, approximately 14" forward.
Without any alteration of this position, or bending at the knees, curl the barbell to your shoulders maintaining a strict form throughout. If you weigh under 160 pounds, then a curl of 100 pounds for 4 reps is superior to most bodybuilders your weight. 80 is good. 60 is fair. If you weigh between 170 and 190, 4 reps with a 120 pound bar is superior, 100 is good and 80 is fair. If you're 200 pounds or more, you'll need to curl 140 pounds for 4 reps to be considered superior. 130 is good and a fair weight would be 110 pounds.
Chin-ups to Failure:
Once again, here we have a basic and brutal test of strength. Chin-ups are different from the chins you might do to develop your back. When working lats, the movement must be controlled and deliberate. The grip is overhand and the head moves back from the bar as you raise yourself in order to stress the latissimus. When performing chin-ups, the grip is underhand and you can use some "swing" in order to get your chin above the bar. If you can do 20, you're in good shape. More than 30 shows tremendous upper body strength. 15 is acceptable. Less than 10 is pretty bad. If that's the case, it's time to lay off that comfortable lat pulldown (with the light weight) and start chinning!
Body Weight Benching:
In order to keep it safe and keep it simple, try this. Warm up to make sure the muscles aren't cold. Then take a barbell that matches your total bodyweight. If you feel this is too much to complete at least 4 reps, abort the test! Don't feel bad. It's better to be safe than sorry. If you can knock out 5-8 reps, you're doing all right. If you can complete more than 10 reps, you're a damn strong dude. If you can do more than 25 reps, people better not tick you off because you're one intimidating son of a bitch.
Seated Holdout To Front:
This is probably the most exacting test of shoulder strength you'll ever find. Sit on a flat bench with a back rest. Lift a barbell and press it overhead. Then slowly lower it forward, keeping the arms straight until it's positioned at eye level and arm's length. Hold the bar in this static position for a count of five. If you're under 200 pounds and you can hold 75 pounds for 5 seconds, you can rate yourself as possessing superior shoulder strength. 65 pounds is good. 50 is fair. Less than 45 pounds is weak. If you weigh over 200 pounds, you'll need to hold a 90 pound bar to rate superior. 75 is good. 65 is fair. If you can't hold at least 50 pounds, you either need more deltoid work or you're carrying far too much fat and not enough muscle. Work on it.
Rep Squatting:
As mentioned, one's anatomy has as much to do with their squatting ability as does their muscular strength. Yet, if you want a reliable test of your leg and lung power, give this assessment a go.
Take a barbell that weighs half of your bodyweight. Now, perform as many deep squats as possible in a time span of one minute. Many non or beginning trainers wouldn't reach double digits on this one, but 25 reps is about average for an experienced bodybuilder. 30-40 is extraordinary. And if you can bang out more than 50 of those suckers...DAMN!
You may have noticed, no point system was used. That's because this test isn't meant to be a competition. Instead, it's a way of each individual judging his own capabilities. If you decide to test yourself on an ongoing basis, you may want to do it on an off-day when you're fresh. The test alone will be quite a workout! As a matter of fact, this type of training makes for a nice change of pace to your regular routine or as an addition to it when you want to step up your training volume.
So how strong are you? It doesn't matter if you don't excel at every movement, for most people have their weaknesses in one lift or another. But even if strength isn't your main priority, it's always good to know where you stand. It's also a good idea to check how far along you've come. See for yourself.
.
