Dear Old Friend,
Thank you for the below link of the exercise equipment you are lucky enough to have at home! The Powertec Gym is truly impressive.
I have a few comments though. I hope not to offend you.
When it comes to training, there is no magic rep range or muscle-confusing set scheme to separate mass building from power (or functional strength) building. However there IS a distinct difference in training methods, which becomes painfully obvious the closer you look into it.
Bodybuilders use hypertrophy routines, which guarantee maximum muscle mass growth (providing their diet is spot on) but have a nominal focus on strength gains. And this is the kind of training I am used to, certainly, as are you. But on inspection it seems this Powertec machine takes non-functional mass-building to a whole new level. Let me explain:
While that
is a shit load of weight he's bench pressing there, you know that the machine makes it easier; that's not good. Heavy bench press is NOT an isolation movement! While my home bench is a Piece of shit BBing setup, I will nonetheless show you correct benching form in due course.
That machine does not develop the pectoral 'stabiliser' muscles - or any other muscle which assists with heavy ass benching (which is why I always advocate barbell followed by dumbbell exercises). In another 1000 years, the truest test of a man's ability to press a weight will still centre around a free-weight… probably in barbell form.
That guy? He's not natural. In fact, he appears to be using both steroid(s) and synthol (fluid injected into the muscle belly) to further increase his size, hence his physique is so top-heavy and odd-looking.
I know people who can do much the same as this guy with a regular bench and regular bar, and all of them are natural too; ever heard of Rich Knapp? He's a world class natural body builder who only uses a machine similar to this one because he's a paraplegic. And his numbers are inhuman, to boot!
Here, please watch for the dangerous (above parallel, fixed knee) Smith machine-style squats. This is the only example of lower-body training I could find using this machine.
While this guy does have nice quads, he didn't get them from just using this machine and eating well. And he is a really bad example of the one major, super-serious fact I'd like to share with you now:
Big (natural) arms start with big (natural) legs. The quads are the largest muscles in the human body, and are located on either side of your own Growth Hormone production factory (ur nutz). Therefore, the heavier and deeper you squat and deadlift, the more of you there will be
everywhere. I'm talking lean muscle mass in your quads, glutes and lower lats and core of course: this is how you reach the limits of your natty potential. 'That guy' has a naturally unattainable physique, so I am generally disinterested in his abilities (but I'm a hardass on natty training, so don't take it too close to heart).
In Summary:
Unless the remainder of your workout is really solid, relying on this contraption to work out seems to promote useless muscles, thanks to the isolated, specific ROM providing precisely 0% functional strength.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night and hope my home equipment is suitable for your training purposes
Abaddon