A great way to support each other!

[CurlyGirl]

Do you think women could experience similar benefits from this sort of exercise (i.e. push-ups, weights)?

[Oscar]

I think women look great with push-ups!

[CurlyGirl]

*mad chuckle*

Cue: all women on the forum pick up their brassières and fling them at Oscar

[Oscar]

Whee!

[huntress]

I don't think it would be a pretty sight if a woman has rippling muscles. I've seen a woman once who is excessively muscular and it made her body look terribly out of proportion.

Also, there is one guy whom I noticed seeing around campus, who is absurdly muscular and he is only about 5'4" if not shorter, but he looks like this! http://www.xs4all.nl/~terrible/bully02.htm With those arms that are the size of a mutated python snake so large that his hands couldn't even touch his sides and pectoral muscles that are the size of a watermelon...it just doesn't do you any justice in looking good.

Please don't get me wrong, because do I find it very attractive when men are muscular but only to a certain degree.

[Oscar]

Yeah I agree... Some of them have such big Trapezius muscles, they can't even stretch their arms straight up anymore.

[CurlyGirl]

In my view - at the risk of objectifying men here (well, just returning the favour I suppose) - the 'sexiest' men's bodies are those that are functionally fit. So, if a man performs exercises in his daily life (i.e. from walking or running or climbing or martial arts, or indeed sex...) that make his body firm and strong for general activities, this is far more attractive to me than a man who works isolated muscle groups at the gym for vanity and appearance only. I look at these huge body-building types sometimes and I think, yeah, these guys are muscular, but what for? What purpose do all those bulging triceps/pecs/trapezius/abs serve exactly? I much prefer it if a man is simply fit and strong from the movements he makes every day. That is how it was in 'ancient' times, before the days of weight-lifting and gyms. If a man was a warrior, he had a warrior's body by default. No extra preening in front of a mirror with dumbbells necessary.

Sorry, men, if I have offended some of you... but this is my personal opinion on what attracts me to a man.

[RRM]

I agree with CurlyGirl.
But I also know that you can perfectly obtain that 'Natural Functionally Muscular Look' by exercising with dumbells.
In daily life our work generally isnt about using all your muscles (anymore), so that we need to compensate for that through exercise.
Using isolation exercises you can sculpture your body any way you want, incluiding that NFML...

[avalon]

We love who we're into

[johndela1]

I agree with CurlyGirl.
But I also know that you can perfectly obtain that 'Natural Functionally Muscular Look' by exercising with dumbells.

I disagree. I think people who do small muscles in isolation have a distinct look (look at bodybuilders biceps compared to say a powerlifter and/or a rock climber) about them as to someone who does no isolation and focuses on just the opposite, working compound moves that move the most muscles through the longest range of motion.

I mean if you took two test subjects (I guess twins or clones would be the best).

one guy did say peck deck to remove the tricep from working with the chest, then did tricep kickbacks (to remove the pec from the tricep's activity)

the other guy did just benchpressand dips (pecs and tris)

I think they would develop differently and look differently

Plus the guy who focuses on 'functional moves' will be training his muscles to work in unison and perform (non exercises) better.


check out these articles I've collected:

http://www.jjdev.com/fitness/bodyvsfree.html
http://www.jjdev.com/fitness/no_bodypart.html

I admit I am very biased. I mean I am almost militantly opposed to having people do isolation exercises and favor people doing moves that work the large groups of muscles. I also have a fondness for bodyweight moves (dips, pullups, jumping up ondo a box or table) but I do feel that weights also have a place in training. Olympic moves (like squats, clean and press, deadlifts, etc)
things like these:
http://exrx.net/Lists/PowerExercises.html

[RRM]

I think people who do small muscles in isolation have a distinct look

True, but whatever your way of exercising, by overdoing it you may create an 'unnatural' muscular look.

I mean if you took two test subjects ...
I think they would develop differently and look differently

Absolutely. But when they exercise too much / intensively, both may look 'unnaturally' muscular.

I am almost militantly opposed to having people do isolation exercises and favor people doing moves that work the large groups of muscles.

Do you think you cannot create a beautiful, natural looking body through isolation exercises?
Isolation exercises are more effective if you only want to sculpture your body, as large group muscle exercises require more energy, and will also stimulate growth of muscles that you may not want to grow (the waist, lower abdominals)

[avalon]

Here's a pic of my Fridge:



sorry heh heh

[johndela1]

I think we have two different goals in mind.

Somepeople exercise to look good some to be healthy. There are also peple in between.

I've always been one that is intereseted in excersises that improve my body's function. I think people that have a powerful athletic look to them are more attractive than the bodybuilder look. So I guess this is kind of subjective.

[rafaelo]

rrm, am i getting this right? two sets of only one exercise per day. 20-50 reps/ set. and on which days do you do pullups and pushups? each on seperate days? or both on the same day?

[Corinne]

Rafaelo!
You're back!
We're waiting for your picture you know!