Possible to gain mass without HEAVY compound lifts

[revexrevex]

For a natural lifter, do you think it is possible to gain mass without deadlifts, squats, and heavy presses?

Everyday I see hundreds of people working hard on curls, tricep exercises, pulldowns, and benchpress.

Occasionaly there are people who do deadlifts and squats, however they never go beyond 135 lbs.

Most of the big guys involved in this type of training are heavily *ON*.

Does anyone personally know of anyone who gained decent mass off of machines, isolation exercises and cables? Just looking for opinions.

 

[Devastation]

don't know. don't care

 

[slinky]

A drug-free lifter and one on a quest for LBM, IMO, SHOULD be peforming the big compounds.

 

[Liftbig]

where did you get this idea? those of us who are drug free need every little extra advantage we can get. the means hard and heavy compound lifts, no fufu exercises.

 

[revexrevex]

did u read my post broly

 

[Liftbig]

ok, no i dont know anyone who has gained mass off isolation exercises or cables or standard machines. there is this guy at one gym i know of, that comes in and does nothing but isolation movements, he is jackass, very annoying, id like to throw him through the front window. he has a wheezy voice and makes me want to kill myself whenever he talks to me, he has no idea how to train, has not made ANY gains in the 8 months hes been around that gym, if he would take the time, there are alot of knowledgeable people at the gym to help him, but hes never approached any of us, and to top it off we nicknamed him "booger" guess why we call him that. DO NOT BE THE NEXT "Booger" also dont think i dont like him becuase hes weak, or ignorant, thats not his fualt, hes unaware. i give him props becuase he sticks with it, and that takes guts. i can deal with weak, i can make you stronger, thats the easy part, the hard part is not being such a damn turd.

 

[The_Eviscerator]

For a natural lifter, do you think it is possible to gain mass without deadlifts, squats, and heavy presses?

Everyday I see hundreds of people working hard on curls, tricep exercises, pulldowns, and benchpress.

Occasionaly there are people who do deadlifts and squats, however they never go beyond 135 lbs.

Most of the big guys involved in this type of training are heavily *ON*.

Does anyone personally know of anyone who gained decent mass off of machines, isolation exercises and cables? Just looking for opinions.

I have seen some really big guys in the gym (260 and above with under 10%bf) doing most of their routine with light weight and very controlled movements. One guy I talked to swears by this method, but he built the base with power lifts. I really doubt you can gain major size using isolation lifts all the time. Compound movements are the way to go. Although, some isolation work is necessary to bring out the detail in the mid-back, rear delts etc...

Some exercises you have to move the weight (big compound). Some you have to feel the muscle and squeeze and stretch (isolation). I think you need both for a well rounded physique.

 

[revexrevex]

Good post evisc, and nice to see you here

 

[Lord_Suston]

I really don't know anyone who can gain from iso only, there are a few peole that can gain from just doing bench and curls, yet I would not consider them strong or muscled, they have no back or legs or shoulders. I see hundreds of people each day file into the same gym to only lift the same weight with bad form and never gain a pound...

And then the kicker is low and behold you are improving and they accuse you of using gear cause you gained weight and lift heavy. Just realize that peole don't have will when it come to hard work and determination

 

[Becoming]

I went to the gym last night and noticed a phenomenon that might be of interest here....

All the little dudes (not one was over 180, and that is stretching it) were dorking around with the cables, machines, curling etc, OR squatting on a SMITH....

The three guys over 220lbs were doing squats (me) and heavy deads (the two other guys)

Those two other dudes started lifting heavy (deads squats) after I turned them on to the elitefts/westside info abot 3-4 months ago and each has seperately gained more than any 3-4 people in the gym COMBINED during that time funny that it is not even a BB routine, just the fact they are doing heavy compounds, cut out all the stupid iso movements and are pushing themselves....

Do the math...

 

[The_Eviscerator]

yet I would not consider them strong or muscled, they have no back or legs or shoulders.

You have just described about 98% of the physiques I see in the gym... All arms, no back, no shoulders, no legs and certainly no calves.

There are lots of guys who have bigger or as big arms as me... Mine only measure a hair over 18" (maybe close to 19 pumped), but I pride myself on a complete physique... My back used to be a big weakness in my chain and now I think it is one of my best attributes. Most guys I see have no back development and then you quickly realize why when you see their routine consists of cable pull downs and cable rows.

 

[Lord_Suston]

so true and yet so sad Eviscerator.

Becoming. I have over the last year gained about 20-25 of lb while sheeding some fat to boot doing the big lifts. My lifts keep going up and not the big three either, I mean all my lifts. my friends keep asking for the secret and I tell them I even trained a few but they quit or don't belive it

 

[harman_2005]

I have a friend like that, who just does chest and biceps. He won't even train triceps, just bis. He'll come in to the gym one day, do flat bench, incline, bench, and decline bench. The next day, he'll do curls. Third day he takes off. His shoulders kinda droop over now, making him look like a hunchback. His back so weak that he bent over to pick up the handle for the cable machine to do his low pulley curls, and hurt his lower back for 2 weeks.

 

[The_Eviscerator]

His back so weak that he bent over to pick up the handle for the cable machine to do his low pulley curls, and hurt his lower back for 2 weeks.

 

[louden_swain]

I have a friend like that, who just does chest and biceps. He won't even train triceps, just bis. He'll come in to the gym one day, do flat bench, incline, bench, and decline bench. The next day, he'll do curls. Third day he takes off. His shoulders kinda droop over now, making him look like a hunchback. His back so weak that he bent over to pick up the handle for the cable machine to do his low pulley curls, and hurt his lower back for 2 weeks.

I think these type of people flood all gyms.

 

[JollyRogers]

lol@fufu

 

[anabolicmd]

oh Ive noticed this, i even posted about it last week. The big juicers in my gym train daily, but Ive NEVER seen them do a squat, deadlift or even a bench. Im sure they must do them, but 90% of the time, its some isolation excercise with too much weight and very short range of motion, but many, many pump inducing reps. I dont get it.

 

[coolcolj]

I saw this post from Glenn Pendlay that fits in here

-----------------

this is a common observation... but the intensity you use while training doesnt change the muscle "shape", however, people who do heavy, multijoint exercises like deadlifts, squats, rows, etc, build the muscles that make you seem thick, like the abdominal muscles, the spinal erectors and the middle and upper back, the glutes, hamstrings, etc. people who do mostly isolation exercises and dont go heavy enough to really challenge the bodies core or the stabilizer muscles usually have bigger arms, chest, quads, but lack the development in the other muscles in the body.

in my mind, the way to tell if a guy has trained hard is to look at their spinal erectors. its impossible to do the "big" exercises for years without developing big, strong erectors.

i know this may be a little different than most people, but i think guys who have big pecs and arms, but have NO spinal erectors, no abdominal hypertrophy, big quads but flat hamstrings, wide shoulders but no traps, etc, just look stupid. i just plain dont like that look. a big pair of legs ought to have a lot of adductor mass, big hamstrings, etc. a wide back ought to have big traps and big erectors. it just doesnt look right if you dont have complete development

 

[PolishHammer1977]

barbell

 

[louden_swain]

Here is my latest routine:

Legs - leg extensions, lying leg curls, cable squats (I look like an ass, but I make it work)
back - stiff arm pull-downs, single arm cable rows
chest - cable crossovers and machine presses
delts - two handed cable pressed (performed in cable crossover station), cable laterals
triceps - cable press-downs (super light)
biceps - cable curls (two handed)
forearms - cable wrist curls

This has put on 50lbs of lean mass. Squats and deads. . who needs um?

 

[revexrevex]

nice routine broly. Looks just like the one old timers used to get big and strong! Brings out a lot of definition and cuts!

Here is my latest routine:

Legs - leg extensions, lying leg curls, cable squats (I look like an ass, but I make it work)
back - stiff arm pull-downs, single arm cable rows
chest - cable crossovers and machine presses
delts - two handed cable pressed (performed in cable crossover station), cable laterals
triceps - cable press-downs (super light)
biceps - cable curls (two handed)
forearms - cable wrist curls

This has put on 50lbs of lean mass. Squats and deads. . who needs um?

 

[louden_swain]

nice routine broly. Looks just like the one old timers used to get big and strong! Brings out a lot of definition and cuts!

I can't figure out how to train calves. . . its hard performing cable toe raises . Try this routine sometime. . .you will gain mounds of mass.

 

[c3bodybuilding]

I would say it's possible, but only if the person had really good genetics. A guy I know does mostly machine work and is very big, but he could also eat burgers and be cut, eat once a day and gain muscle, etc. Those are the exceptions to the rule.

For the vast majority, compounds are a must. No way around that!

 

[Becoming]

I have over the last year gained about 20-25 of lb while sheeding some fat to boot doing the big lifts. My lifts keep going up and not the big three either, I mean all my lifts. my friends keep asking for the secret and I tell them I even trained a few but they quit or don't belive it

I think you are saying the compounds are what is getting ya there, and that all areas are gaining cause of it, correct?

If so I would agree. I actually copied out a bunch of stuff (like 30 pages) from elitefts articles and put it in a locker in the weightroom- when people ask me what I am doing to make progress I tell them to read up and point to the locker... (and just to make sure to put it back for others to read)

I think that stuff is making its way around by word of mouth among that dudes that are trying hard... one by one dudes are seeing the light, and irritating me less and less.... It is cool as hell really, one day they are doing dumba$$ stuff and a couple weeks later I come in and they are doing pin-pulls!

I think the next step will be to put a sign that says no weak excercises in the rack.....

 

[Becoming]

Here is my latest routine:

Legs - leg extensions, lying leg curls, cable squats (I look like an ass, but I make it work)
back - stiff arm pull-downs, single arm cable rows
chest - cable crossovers and machine presses
delts - two handed cable pressed (performed in cable crossover station), cable laterals
triceps - cable press-downs (super light)
biceps - cable curls (two handed)
forearms - cable wrist curls

This has put on 50lbs of lean mass. Squats and deads. . who needs um?

LOL
what the heck is a cable squat?

 

[slobberknocker]

I just do curls and thigh-master.

 

[louden_swain]

LOL
what the heck is a cable squat?

You got a problem with cable squats buddy!!!

Its an exercise that I made up. . you use one of the pulley systems in the cable crossoverstation .

 

[louden_swain]

I just do curls and thigh-master.

You can get f**kin' swole using a thight master. . . I know because I own one .