Beefcupcake Jail; Or, How To Hit A Plateau
Wednesday • May 8th 2024 • 5:58:41 pm
When I got into jogging, I used a Couch to 5K program.
It was recorded by a kind lady who said, that she started running, because she hit a plateau at the gym.
I always remembered to avoid plateaus, and it has always been quite a success.
Let us begin by stating what a plateau is, it is going to the gym and showing no change what so ever.
And let me say, that I could use Sets & Reps to build muscle, I know how to do it, but it would be boring, annoying, and slow.
Sets & Reps could work, but as far as growing muscles, it seems to be worst thing you can do, it is slow and distracting.
And certainly Sets and Reps without massive emphasis, on gradual increase of weights, and sets and reps, will cause a plateau.
You have to frequently add reps, add additional sets, and of course increase your weights.
Guess what happens if you don’t? that is right, you hit a plateau.
No gradual increase, means you stay where you are at.
To put it another way, you can’t do the same thing, and expect different results.
I also see sets and reps, as a curse, it is just too easy to get skunked, by taking an eagle eyes view of all the gym’s I’ve worked out at.
Sets & Resps, trick the ego lifter and novice, to start too heavy, and they just get stuck.
More than that, plates and dumbbells often increment by 5 or 10 pounds, that is insane, that will ram you into failure.
Show me a gym, that explains, you need wrist weights, to smooth that gap out so that your body has time to adapt.
Show me a wall that explains increase reps monthly, sets yearly (at the very least).
Ladies and Germtermnen, if you want to hit a plateau, find a machine and do some sets and reps.
Now let me show you the easy way, you begin with the lady dumbbell rack.
Which only increments by 2 or 3 pounds, and you start in the beginning with 3 pounds per hand.
Because a real exercise, is not just about how heavy you lift.
But how little you rest, how long you lift for, and showing up to the gum daily.
Remember we are avoiding the plateau here, we are sneaking up on your body.
You will not fail lifting three pounds for a long time, and after a while your body will adapt.
And you will be able to lift 5 pounds, for many minutes at a time.
The duration of your lifting, starts with a precise measurement of what you currently can lift.
And then pushing that duration, to expand it.
If you started with lifting 15 pounds, or goodness forbid even more than that.
You will not lift for long enough, to be able to get to 17.5 pounds, and you won’t get to 20 at all.
That again, would make you plateau.
But if you sneak up on that 15 pounds, by first lifting 3, and then 5, and then 7.5, and then 10, and 12.5 pounds.
Then by the time you are comfy with 15, you will have no trouble lifting 17.5 for extended durations.
And by the time you are lifting 20 for a couple of hours, non stop, you will look ridiculous with muscles everywhere.
What may not be clear, to you.
Is that the arms with which you are holding your dumbbells, are attached to the rest of your body,
Even though you are lifting the dumbbells with you arms, their largest impact is on you back.
And because you should be rocking or dancing with dumbbells, the second largest impact is on your legs.
And even then your mid section will get a slightly better workout, than your arms.
Because you are not stuck in some machine, or worst yet laying down, in a gym.
Dumbbells, give you a full body worrkout.
But that is nothing compared to, what you are about to hear.
But first we must clarify, what a dumbell exercise actually is.
It is a combination of Dumbbell Lateral Raise, (8:30) Standing Dumbbell Curls, and Overhead Shoulder Press.
And you switch between them, whenever your arms get tired.
These three work on different muscle groups, so soon enough you are able to go in a circle non-stop.
So that three pound dumbbells, is giving you a very meaningful workout from the get go.
And it is absolutely preparing you for more, sneaking more power into your body.
Please notice, how you don’t have to switch machines, how you just switch the way you move your arms.
You get ZERO, ZEEEERO distractions, between switching different muscle groups.
Bumbbells, are smooooth.
Now, if you add music, and focus on hitting every beat….
Starting slow at first, I recommend Kenji Kawai’s Ghost In The Shell.
You get to enter a dance trance, your mind will blank out and the workout will pass very quickly.
Eventually you have to find faster and faster songs, and then slow back down as you lift heavier.
Remember, to enter the dance trance, you have to synchronize your lifts with the beat of your songs.
So, you have a multiplex of distraction free three excercises, that work your entire body, and now you get dance trance on top of that.
This brings us to the heart of the workout, your interval timer.
You can get a free app just search for interval timer in your app store, or get a clip-on version.
The interval timer has one very specific purpose, and then you stop using it.
It is used to eliminate your rest periods entirely, so once you get to three or four hour workouts...
That is going to be a three or four hour, non stop, dumbbell dance, full body workout.
Combined with the distraction free multiplex, enhanced with dance trance, this only sounds intimidating.
It is all very gradual, there is little ache or discomfort, you are just dancing, with dumbbells that are quite manageable.
To configure your interval timer correctly you only need to ask, three questions:
How long can I lift my 3lb. dumbbells for, how long do I need to rest to repeat the workout.
And finally, how do I need to adjust these numbers, to make my workout last 15, and soon after 30 minutes.
Initially you want to lift for 15 minutes, just to stretch and get your bones ready.
And then begin moving towards that 45 minute workout, and you do that by adjusting the rounds on your interval timer.
And interval timer is just there things, a countdown timer for your workout, a countdown timer for your rest.
And a counter that counts your rounds, or how many time you will be repeating the workout rest combo.
And as you are in that 3-5 pound, 30 to 45 minute range, your focus should be on shortening your rest period.
You have to eliminate your rest entirely, a workout is non-stop.
It will be easy, I bet you are not that far off, from lifting 3 pounds for 15 minutes to Mr. Kawai’s Ghost In The Shell.
Once you feel there is no more challenge, you adjust your timer, weight, and find a slightly faster song.
Again it is all very gradual, your body is constantly able to handle it.
That is how you avoid, hitting that plateau.
And by golly, if you don't start in the beginning.
If you skip that initial 3 or 5 pounds, and emphasis on non stop 15 minute workouts.
Forget it, you are headed for beefcupcake or beefcake jail, that terrible plateau.
Have fun, getting buff, just don't get too buff, because that's probably just weird.