The Official Gym & Fitness Thread

General wondering...Does anyone have a legitimate difficulty with muscle endurance? I've always seemed to have it in most muscle groups, some worse than others like the smaller muscles (bi's/tri's) and have always Sucked at running any distance. I can obviously improve it if I try hard enough but it's always been difficult. I can run short distance (40 yards and under) pretty fast but it drops off dramatically after that. lol I don't run distance, because I hate it, but even when I did I never could seem to get real "good" at it. A mile or so and I'm sucking wind big time. Anyone else? Just curious.

 

I used to be a serious distance runner. I’m not super fast but I can run for days.

One thing I learned in that sport is you have to vary your training to improve.
If you have ever looked at advanced marathon training programs (26.2 miles) and advanced 5k training programs you will see both plans are nearly identical in speed work and overall miles. They still sit at 40+ miles per week.
Thats because you can’t have quality speed without endurance and vice versa.
Just because you only want to run 3.1 miles doesn’t mean you get to skip your endurance training and those 12 mile long runs don’t apply to you.

Weights aren’t exactly the same but its the same in regards to you’ll never lift heavy if you don’t have volume.

Back the weight off and get the reps up or do 5x10 sets. I like 5x10s at about 50% of 1RM. My lifting improved with that type of volume work (look up Wendlers Boring But Big plan).

Are you on a specific program and struggling or are you kind of making your own plan?

Oh and triceps, calves, and abs respond better to high rep training. So on the tris work on lower weight but 15 reps range rather than lower.

 

I was just curious if anyone else noticed the same issue. I've been lifting since I was 15 and going to be 50 this year and I've always noticed this "problem". I know there are the 3 body types and I'm sure your muscle fibers are dependent on that body type. However, when I was playing football in high school I was about 140 lbs and skinny, yet I still sucked at running any distance. As I've gotten older, stronger and heavier not much has changed for the worse or better. I gave up any distance running before it even started! lol We had to do a timed 1 1/2 mile run for football every week during the season and I went from training in early summer before practices started wanting to die, to just sucking wind big time towards the end of the season. Just never got used to it. And I notice it when working out-usually shoulders and bi's most notably-they burn out relatively quick and always have. I can get 'em strong and big, but not much for endurance. And when it does hit, it's sudden! kickin along at rep 8 or 9 it might seem pretty good, then all of a sudden on rep 10 or 11 I'm struggling like a switch got flipped! lol At this point my "program" just depends on whatever goals I'm setting at the time to keep things interesting. I was shooting for 20 rep squats a few months back, now I'm focusing on getting front squat weight up to at least 225 with a decent rep range (10-12) for at least 3 sets and have been trying to get my bench to 4 sets of 12 at 275. Other than that my training is going through a bit of a indeterminate change at the moment.

 

Kinda sounds like a mental battle. Just like PackCon said with running.

I can run 3 miles. After the first mile I’m like holy shit I’m dead. I’m done.

But if I just keep going then bam 2 miles and by the time the 3rd one is done I’m like shitttt that wasn’t that bad.

Same with weights and everything IMO

 

I can see that with running to a point. But weight, when your muscles decide they are done, the weight is not gonna move! haha That's part of what always got me, I'm feeling good on rep 5, 6, 7, hmm 8 is feeling like something but still going strong, 9, 10, then all of a sudden 11 goes HELL NAH! Lights off. Mentally I'm doing pretty good and feeling alright so it's like a blindside! Thankfully I don't tend to get that as much with larger muscle groups, would suck to be in the middle of a heavy squat or bench and all of a sudden the motor just quit. Now I have felt that on abs where the burn is just torching me but if I can squeeze out 6 or 8 more it actually starts to pass and I can get another 15-20 or so before I'm done.

 

The last 2 miles of any run suck regardless of the distance haha. Last weekend I did 16 and at mile 14 I was pissed at myself for extending it a bit. If I go 8 miles, starts sucking at mile 6.

 

By the way, you practicing the posing/flexing for a show?

 

Nah. Just trying to see my muscles/results and it’s funny how posing a certain way can make certain muscles pop.

Like putting your hands palm down on your love handles can make your traps bulge and just stuff like that. Fun to do really.

 

Shoot, 6 miles to me-might as well ask me to leap tall buildings in a single bound too!16, psh Don't want any part of it! lol

 

I run into issues with my muscle endurance with weights but it's weird, I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. I try to lift for as long as I physically can, and I can feel the burn as I'm doing so, but I'll hit a point where I literally lose the ability to work the muscle. Like, the weight doesn't feel too heavy or anything, it's like my muscle just says, "NOPE, I'M DONE".

I'll feel the burn and feel like it was a good workout but then 30 minutes to an hour later I don't feel sore, no burn, like I never even worked out. Only a few muscle groups have me sore the next day (legs, chest, abs).

 

Bodybuilding was my "first love" in the weight game. I was always relatively skinny so muscle showed pretty well but I wasn't the best at dieting so I learned alot of "tricks" on posing to accentuate certain areas, angles and turning to minimize that extra pound or 2 around the waist. But it is suprising how much of a workout just holding poses and flexing can be! Hardens up the muscles and brings out the peaks and definition a little sharper too.

 

Yep, sounds like it might be a similar affliction. Although I can definitely get some soreness going on just about any muscle group.

 

So you are telling me if you put 5lbs on a cable pull you will not be able to get 15 or more reps?
No matter if its 5lbs or 50lbs you stop at 10 reps?

I don’t believe that. You can always train to improve. Will you be a world record holder in everything? Of course not.

It could be mental or just lack of proper training. Like I said volume training helped my muscle endurance as well as just backing off on weight.
Just like running 1 mile over and over doesn’t really help you improve your mile time, pulling the same weight over and over without varying reps or weight won’t help you get stronger.

You have to lift less to lift more. A lot of good power lifting programs will force big guys to back the weight off to really train well to lift big.

My mental block is anything past 16 miles. My body swears I’m gonna die no matter what.

I’ve decided if I do marathons again I’m not running past 16 miles in training. Race day, well rested I pull it off.

 

The number of reps was simply an example. It's not like rep 11 kills me everytime! lol I'm just saying there are certain muscle groups-but oddly not all muscle groups-that seem to have a limit of fatigue that they reach very quickly and suddenly. Lat pulldowns for instance, curls, overhead press-these seem notorious for me to have a fast shutdown. Most leg exercises I can train up to whatever my body can handle. Chest to a good degree. So it's obvious the smaller muscle groups have a faster burnout rate than the others, and its sudden, whereas other muscles tend to fatigue over several reps. I use to train squats up to 20 reps. Best I ever managed was 405 for 17. When I was training powerlifting my training partner at the time and I would work up to our heavy sets then do a burnout set at 275 and 225 to see who could do more. We'd be in the 12-15 rep range or better after hitting 365 or more for low rep sets. So it's not a "10 and done" issue or a mental thing. And as many years as I've been doing it I've had plenty of opportunity to try different programs, styles, exercises etc and it's been a consistent observation. And lets say that 10th or 11th rep is what got me on 1 set, then it might be the 7th or 8th rep that gets me on the next set. It's a sliding scale of fatigue if you will.

 

I think a lot of that comes down to what you enjoy too.

I hate squats. I just do. I hate being in a position where I may have to fall and embarrass myself or as I get the weight up I’m worried one wrong move and I’m going to hurt myself.
I have had coaches tell me I would be a great lifter if I just stopped being a pussy lol.

Chest is my strong point. I’m confident in it, never afraid to drop the bar and need a spotter to bail me out. I progress better because of that. So much so I can usually bench more than I squat.

Theres nothing wrong with my quads with squats its just in my head. Because of that I struggle with legs.
I also am very hamstring dominant so I have a hard time with high rep squats because of that. I could train past that I just don’t because its not a movement I enjoy so I don’t do it anymore.

I struggle most with speed in running and heavy weights in lifting but excel in endurance in both for the same reason... naturally good at endurance so I do it more... and I suck at pushing myself in the moment.

My running buddy never will understand how I can push myself to run 12 miles no problem but I can’t seem to suck up 3 minutes of pain to do a fast as fuck 800m sprint.

I can do medium pain four hours but not large pain for a minute LOL.
You seem to be the opposite. Maybe guys like us need to workout together haha.

 

Definitely

sounds like we hang out on opposite sides of the spectrum for sure. You probably have that hamstring dominance from all that running! lol I've had a love/hate relationship with squats for years. I've always been pretty good at it and squatted a good 75 lbs or more than I could deadlift. I love competing in squats and climbing under a heavy bar or getting ready for a heavy rep set, but at the same time I hate getting myself into leg days! I have a heck of a time getting my mind into it alot of the time because it takes sooo much energy and it's soooo heavy..hahaha If I can't get my motivation up it just flat out sucks but if I can it makes me feel like King Kong to manhandle that heavy poundage! Lately though I've all but abandon heavy squats. Every once in a while I'll try to throw 365 or 405 on there for a rep or 5 just to see how it feels and not get too far down the numbers ladder-cause it's still in my head to squat heavy from doing it literally for decades! Plus my body rebels a little more these days if I stay too heavy too long. Hip muscles get too tight and start causing me issues. So I'm trying to stay with moderate weight, moderate to higher reps, more focus on front squats, for a little more endurance and just keep the legs strong and moving. Squatting 5 and 600 lbs doesn't do much good if it hurts to get out of my chair or I'm fighting off aches/pains to go hiking or something. lol Thank goodness I can still do everything else more or less how I want to!

 

I can't say for sure what I got out of DL/squats specifically because I actually improved my food volume at the same time, and it's often said diet is 80% or more of the deal, so IDK. I love them, though, and since adding both (more food and the big exercises) I have put on a good amount of weight and look like it. I've gotten a few comments, at the gym and out.

Barely any cardio. This year I ran a couple 5ks (km) and 5k ruck once, that's it. So more like no cardio at all. I do work out pretty intensely most exercise days and keep a decent heart rate going, and my diet is fairly clean (whole foods, single ingredients, +90% cooked myself) and I've always been lean, I figure those are the reasons I stay lean. Sometimes I'll do HIIT or similar one day a week, but not constant there either, only if I have time.

 

Back from a week vacay in Mexico. Mostly good times and good sun, the tan is strong now! Sadly there was a tummy bug too and some bad eating and crap, so I lost 2-5 lbs, depending on which weighing I consider accurate. I'll keep a normal diet today use tomorrow morning's weigh-in as the official count.

I was able to get in a couple decent bro workouts on the damn smith machines there, though. So I'm considering that a deload week. Happy to get back to real lifting now and regain the lost weight!

 

There are 2 types of failure for me, one is where I hit a pause, feels like failure, but if I push and struggle (and I don't mean dance around like a cat) I can finish that lift and then I'm done. The other is full failure where I hit a pause and that's really over, only down.

Breathing and bracing and properly setting up your body for the lift, and keeping that for the duration, has helped me do better.

As far as soreness, I mostly get that when I'm hitting a muscle group for the first time or resuming if I took too long a break. If I maintain regular exercise I can hit stuff pretty hard and no DOMs. This may also have something to do with whether you're (very roughly speaking) a novice, intermediate or advanced lifter. Novices will feel more doms as a lot of stuff is new, intermediates less so to an extent, and any advanced lifter regularly lifting will likely feel none or very little. I don't think that's exact, but it's a factor in there.

I'm on an RPE-based program now so I don't lift to failure very often. It's in the RPE 6-9 range (RPE 10 would be failure). I like it and in these mere 6 weeks have seen steady progress in BW and weight lifted. Supposedly the science says that going to failure is not necessary for gains. I used to take most sets to failure, bodybuilding style.

Considering that soreness is not a requirement or precursor of gains (strength or size), I wouldn't worry about getting it. Worry about upping your weight lifted or BW, whatever you're shooting for.

 

I definitely fall under the novice category, if even that. My main goal amongst everything was body fat loss and just slimming up first as I was overweight and just not wearing it well. Doing cardio and dumbbells at home, I do have a row machine as well, and a small setup for pullups, dips, etc.

Yeah, my failure points aren't fatigue as far as tired goes, just like my muscle fails to contract anymore to perform the motion. I'll regret saying it but I'm on the weak side, only using a pair of adjustable 25lb dumbbells but I mean, I gotta start somewhere right? Not looking to get "built" but a little growth in the future will be nice.

New to all this still, still so much to learn through questions...trial and error...and just experience.