confused about muscle confusion

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Off Road

And not one of them is a Curl. Your 20" arms are going to shrink...

I know, right!



Seriously though, I will be curious to see what they measure once I lose some blub. See if my arm size has decreased over the last 4 years without any direct work. I really haven't done any substantial direct work for them in 15 years. Wow, time flies.

[BendtheBar]

Where's Kman when you need him.

I'm cornfussed.

[glwanabe]

That thread simmered for days, and then blew up bigtime.

Progression is without a doubt the most misunderstood aspect of lifting.

You can teach people how to lift and give them a basic schedule, but most people will simply not be able to continue past a certain point due to the fact that they don't understand progression.

Joe Weider, and Tony Hortan with his p90X. Snake oil sales at it's finest.

[Fazc]

Originally Posted by glwanabe

That thread simmered for days, and then blew up bigtime.

There's at least one blatantly obnoxious person in that thread. I did read the thread out of curiosity from the chatbox and here, but I wish I hadn't. What a mess.

[glwanabe]

Progression

Pyrros Dimas training - pyrros, dimas, weightlifting - IronScene - Powerlifting Videos

If confusion was needed then that man in that linked video would not be a multiple champion. Minimal total moves with a dedicated format of progression. Variable intensity yes, confusion, NO!

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by glwanabe

That thread simmered for days, and then blew up bigtime.

Link me in somebody. You're all talking about something I haven't seen. I feel excluded and may have to sue.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

Link me in somebody. You're all talking about something I haven't seen. I feel excluded and may have to sue.

I will PM you.

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

I will PM you.

Ta.

[Kuytrider]

Sounds like a fun thread.

So by muscle confusion, does that mean changing from barbell exercises to dumbbell exercises so that your muscles get confused and say to themselves "crap, he's using a dumbbell, better start growing now".

Shame on you Steve for your complex program

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Kuytrider

Sounds like a fun thread.

So by muscle confusion, does that mean changing from barbell exercises to dumbbell exercises so that your muscles get confused and say to themselves "crap, he's using a dumbbell, better start growing now".

Shame on you Steve for your complex program

Well in a Weider sense I read muscle confusion to mean:

Changing exercises, set and rep schemes (5x5 to 3 x 10) training techniques (rest pause, drop sets), volume or complete programs every 8 to 12 weeks to keep "the muscles guessing".

Shock programs can obviously carry with them some value in bodybuilding, but for recreational lifters (re:95% of those on average forums) they aren't going to be any more effective in the long run compared to simple progression on staple compound lifts.

They are often misapplied. In fact, I get "muscle confusion" questions at least a dozen times per week. 99.9% of the time they are from beginning lifters who have not made any substantial amount of strength gains at all, and have been persuaded that they key to progress lies in confusing their muscles.

Again, this is not a dig on shock programs for experienced lifters. They can have value in both powerlifting and bodybuilding...Sheiko, German Volume Training.