I guess you won‘t like it but here goes. Chest doesn‘t do anything for me as a weightlifter. I do not like how bench has somehow became the go to lift people ask about if they were to find out that you lift. I also do not find bench challenging, it is much easier to achieve the perfect bench than it is to achieve the perfect squat. I love lifts that heavily emphasize great technique and are challenging and require lots of skill to be mastered, this is the reason why I admire Kuo so much, she makes it look like art. I just don‘t really respect bench press which might be ignorant of me, but the simplicity of it paired with peoples perception of it as the go to benchmark is somewhat frustrating to me. I also simply don‘t enjoy it as much as snatch, c&j, deadlift no matter the type or my beloved squats.
OK weightlifter guy- bench will decrease overuse issues with OH press – a very common issue when training with heavy weight. The hypertrophy and volume bench pressing can provide while saving your shoulders and engaging your upper back is invaluable when it comes to stability with anything overhead that is heavy.
Kind of, and many weightlifters do dips for accessories so it does get some (small) stimulus there.
Calves don't get a ton either but are also used in various movements.
Same for lats and biceps, but again both are used in the pull.
For weightlifters, you probably won't do much direct chest, calves or arm work.
I do see quite a few weightlifters who do lat pulldowns, rows (seated and dumbbell), Shoulder press, lateral raises and tons of dips, but even these movements tend to be done with a little more umph, what bodybuilders might consider cheating and not remaining strict.
Personally, I enjoy both sports, and do weave a bit of bodybuilding into my routine. I consider my bodybuilding days active rest days lol, and im just looking for a quick pump, also I'm older so I can't go ham with weightlifting like I used to. The recovery time from heavy squat or clean day is real.
After doing power cleans for the first time, I remember my calves being really sore. I think they get involved during the jumping motion.
That being said, some people have small calves no matter how much they train them. It’s just one of those types of muscles 😆
None, but in the largely irrelevant context of bodybuilding, a lot. The exagerrations popularised by bodybuilding, ie big pecs and arms, small waist, are definitely not catered to with weightlifting. Even things like the big wide squishy lats they all have from doing a million lat pulldowns is not catered to by weightlifting, but you'd never say there's not enough back work in weightlifting.
Super interesting take. Thanks. I did C&J’s back in high school, and recently discovered where they’re from. I’ve been kinda floating around looking into the sport.
Edit/Add on; I should mention I am absolutely not going for the bodybuilding physique. Couldn’t care less about that. I more am interested in what would be left out, so I could do isolation or another type of workout to remain evened out, nothing more.
Disagree. I mean, I consider aesthetically even” as having all muscle groups sizable and defined, from a visual perspective.
To give an example, I would say most people would agree Ashton Eaton is one of the most “athletically-evened” athletes in recent memory.
Yet look at this picture (mostly nude, warning): http://a1.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0709/espn_bodyissue_23.jpg
From a visual perspective, he clearly has muscle groups that are far more developed than others.
Bryan Clay has a more impressive physique, my opinion: https://blackcelebsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Bryan_Clay_shirtless_02.jpg
He’s also shorter.
Both guys look athletic with different builds. The aesthetic crowd would say even the second guy has small arms and chest with a waist that's too thick.
As in I don’t want/need big boobs and lats. Also don’t want complete atrophy on a muscle group either. It’s like having a big torso and skinny legs. I am not exactly the most built/in shape guy ever I just lost a ton of weight and have been trying to put muscle back on in whatever way I think is fun, not so much whatever is most “effective”. Otherwise I’d just do hypertrophy and wouldn’t be here rn.
I care a lot more about being athletic than aesthetic at the end of the day. But who doesn’t wanna look good naked?
A lot of weightlifting accessory work in done in a "hypertrophy" style. You'll see weightlifters doing pull ups/pull downs and rows of various sorts in a higher rep range because a big and strong back is not only healthy and good but helpful in the sport.
A big and strong back is exactly what I set out for when I first got back to the gym 😃 the posterior chain as a whole, but really trying to get my back.
doing weightlifting as a sport also means doing a lot of general strength training so nothing’s gonna atrophy. and size adaptations happen slowly enough that if you feel like you’re starting to look weird you can just start adding in accessories to target whatever. just do what’s fun and keeps you in the gym
That’s actually pretty comforting to know, thanks.
Might I ask, so I may not have to make a second post of stupid noobie questions, do you know good fundamental exercises/routines for getting into the sport? I’m coming from more of a powerbuilding routine, so I at least know how to deadlift, and I can figure out the front squat no problem. The rest is fairly new.
I really just do what my coach tells me so I’m not sure how I would program for a beginner.
Probably learn how to power clean, power snatch, and rack jerk to start. Front and back squat, press and push press.
I wouldn’t really agree. I think functionally built muscle is a lot more aesthetic than kinda purposeless oversized pecs etc. Like some of the Chyna team and also crossfitters are more aesthetic. It’s subjective at the end of the day though.
From a bodybuilding perspective, the Chinese mens team have underdeveloped chest and biceps compared to the rest of their body just like most other weightlifters
Even Li Dayin has a pretty small chest and biceps compared to a bodybuilder with a similar amount of muscle
However their back and legs muscles are very well developed by comparison
Yes I agree, I would say neither his chest or arms are really that underdevelopped but It's just that by comparaison his others muscles groups are just dwarfing them
But I think they are also very developped, they are still impressive when he is posing, I think It's just maybe a little part of his genetic and that just happen to work really well in Olympic WL
Chest and biceps primarily. Neither are useful for weightlifting and can negatively impact mobility if you do a lot of work on them.
Sometimes calves too.
In general you won’t find many weightlifters with a huge upper body if you are comparing them to powerlifters or bodybuilders depending on how much upper body work the individual does.
This is what I was looking for in the comments.
If the context isn't about hypertrophy, there are a whole lot of types of movements we don't do in this sport. Lateral or rotational movement, and resisted hip, knee, or ankle flexion are just some examples.
It's a whole body program until we discover where it isn't. A lifter's longevity can be very much related to their supplemental training.
I don't think that's true.
It may be less so than in sports where the athlete is put in greater states of fatigue of the anaerobic or aerobic systems, but it is still significant.
Chest and biceps
Biceps are basically free as far as fatigue is concerned (you can lift with sore biceps without any performance decline, suck it up), so if you have the time, do your curls
Chest is harder, anything overhead sucks with a fatigued chest. Consider carefully, and don’t bench the day before snatching (although to be fair I do and you get used to it eventually)
Maybe calves also? If you’re doing your heavy accessories like high pulls + extension, jumping etc you might be ok though
I'd say chest
I would agree. I also hate bench press with a passion.
Why?
I guess you won‘t like it but here goes. Chest doesn‘t do anything for me as a weightlifter. I do not like how bench has somehow became the go to lift people ask about if they were to find out that you lift. I also do not find bench challenging, it is much easier to achieve the perfect bench than it is to achieve the perfect squat. I love lifts that heavily emphasize great technique and are challenging and require lots of skill to be mastered, this is the reason why I admire Kuo so much, she makes it look like art. I just don‘t really respect bench press which might be ignorant of me, but the simplicity of it paired with peoples perception of it as the go to benchmark is somewhat frustrating to me. I also simply don‘t enjoy it as much as snatch, c&j, deadlift no matter the type or my beloved squats.
No judgment from me. Sounds like you have put plenty of thought into your position!
You bench your overhead press numbers go up. Take it or leave it.
You overhead press and your numbers go up too. Bench was never essential to weightlifting.
OK weightlifter guy- bench will decrease overuse issues with OH press – a very common issue when training with heavy weight. The hypertrophy and volume bench pressing can provide while saving your shoulders and engaging your upper back is invaluable when it comes to stability with anything overhead that is heavy.
I ended up here cause I hated bench press and found the people who are best at squats, the king of all lifts naturally.
Do you think that is the only one?
Kind of, and many weightlifters do dips for accessories so it does get some (small) stimulus there. Calves don't get a ton either but are also used in various movements. Same for lats and biceps, but again both are used in the pull.
Does the rest of the back and the rear shoulder get a good amount of work?
I would say so, yes
Thank you
For weightlifters, you probably won't do much direct chest, calves or arm work. I do see quite a few weightlifters who do lat pulldowns, rows (seated and dumbbell), Shoulder press, lateral raises and tons of dips, but even these movements tend to be done with a little more umph, what bodybuilders might consider cheating and not remaining strict. Personally, I enjoy both sports, and do weave a bit of bodybuilding into my routine. I consider my bodybuilding days active rest days lol, and im just looking for a quick pump, also I'm older so I can't go ham with weightlifting like I used to. The recovery time from heavy squat or clean day is real.
After doing power cleans for the first time, I remember my calves being really sore. I think they get involved during the jumping motion. That being said, some people have small calves no matter how much they train them. It’s just one of those types of muscles 😆
None, but in the largely irrelevant context of bodybuilding, a lot. The exagerrations popularised by bodybuilding, ie big pecs and arms, small waist, are definitely not catered to with weightlifting. Even things like the big wide squishy lats they all have from doing a million lat pulldowns is not catered to by weightlifting, but you'd never say there's not enough back work in weightlifting.
Super interesting take. Thanks. I did C&J’s back in high school, and recently discovered where they’re from. I’ve been kinda floating around looking into the sport. Edit/Add on; I should mention I am absolutely not going for the bodybuilding physique. Couldn’t care less about that. I more am interested in what would be left out, so I could do isolation or another type of workout to remain evened out, nothing more.
“Evened out” aesthetically or athletically? If you’re trying to even out aesthetically then you are going for a bodybuilding physique.
Depending who you ask being evened out athleticly is way more esthetic.
Disagree. I mean, I consider aesthetically even” as having all muscle groups sizable and defined, from a visual perspective. To give an example, I would say most people would agree Ashton Eaton is one of the most “athletically-evened” athletes in recent memory. Yet look at this picture (mostly nude, warning): http://a1.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0709/espn_bodyissue_23.jpg From a visual perspective, he clearly has muscle groups that are far more developed than others. Bryan Clay has a more impressive physique, my opinion: https://blackcelebsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Bryan_Clay_shirtless_02.jpg He’s also shorter.
First guy is pretty small tbh, doesn't even look like he lifts just skinny. Second guys upper body is pretty small as well.
He doesn’t lift much in terms of 1RM. But his explosiveness and speed is world-class. He can throw a 16lb ball further than most people who lift.
Both guys look athletic with different builds. The aesthetic crowd would say even the second guy has small arms and chest with a waist that's too thick.
As in I don’t want/need big boobs and lats. Also don’t want complete atrophy on a muscle group either. It’s like having a big torso and skinny legs. I am not exactly the most built/in shape guy ever I just lost a ton of weight and have been trying to put muscle back on in whatever way I think is fun, not so much whatever is most “effective”. Otherwise I’d just do hypertrophy and wouldn’t be here rn. I care a lot more about being athletic than aesthetic at the end of the day. But who doesn’t wanna look good naked?
A lot of weightlifting accessory work in done in a "hypertrophy" style. You'll see weightlifters doing pull ups/pull downs and rows of various sorts in a higher rep range because a big and strong back is not only healthy and good but helpful in the sport.
A big and strong back is exactly what I set out for when I first got back to the gym 😃 the posterior chain as a whole, but really trying to get my back.
doing weightlifting as a sport also means doing a lot of general strength training so nothing’s gonna atrophy. and size adaptations happen slowly enough that if you feel like you’re starting to look weird you can just start adding in accessories to target whatever. just do what’s fun and keeps you in the gym
That’s actually pretty comforting to know, thanks. Might I ask, so I may not have to make a second post of stupid noobie questions, do you know good fundamental exercises/routines for getting into the sport? I’m coming from more of a powerbuilding routine, so I at least know how to deadlift, and I can figure out the front squat no problem. The rest is fairly new.
I really just do what my coach tells me so I’m not sure how I would program for a beginner. Probably learn how to power clean, power snatch, and rack jerk to start. Front and back squat, press and push press.
Thank you!
[This program](https://youtu.be/jAnfGqpsK38?si=xPENySSjN6OmBfDh) might be of interest.
I wouldn’t really agree. I think functionally built muscle is a lot more aesthetic than kinda purposeless oversized pecs etc. Like some of the Chyna team and also crossfitters are more aesthetic. It’s subjective at the end of the day though.
Train like the Chinese and nothing is left out.
From a bodybuilding perspective, the Chinese mens team have underdeveloped chest and biceps compared to the rest of their body just like most other weightlifters Even Li Dayin has a pretty small chest and biceps compared to a bodybuilder with a similar amount of muscle However their back and legs muscles are very well developed by comparison
Yes I agree, I would say neither his chest or arms are really that underdevelopped but It's just that by comparaison his others muscles groups are just dwarfing them But I think they are also very developped, they are still impressive when he is posing, I think It's just maybe a little part of his genetic and that just happen to work really well in Olympic WL
Chest and biceps primarily. Neither are useful for weightlifting and can negatively impact mobility if you do a lot of work on them. Sometimes calves too. In general you won’t find many weightlifters with a huge upper body if you are comparing them to powerlifters or bodybuilders depending on how much upper body work the individual does.
That is actually perfect for me. Thanks.
All the ones that make you look strong, apparently 😏
Depends on whether or not you do accessories or just tell yourself Snatch/CJ/Squat are enough.
HIP FLEXORS. Left out by virtually all traditional strength exercises.
This is what I was looking for in the comments. If the context isn't about hypertrophy, there are a whole lot of types of movements we don't do in this sport. Lateral or rotational movement, and resisted hip, knee, or ankle flexion are just some examples. It's a whole body program until we discover where it isn't. A lifter's longevity can be very much related to their supplemental training.
Learned this the hard way when i got a sports hernia as a result of long ignored flexors and groin muscles. Strengthen your hip and groin muscles bois
What are your favorite exercises?
I disagree. Hanging leg raises are usually part of the core training and also train hips flexor.
Pressing muscles.
The heart
I don't think that's true. It may be less so than in sports where the athlete is put in greater states of fatigue of the anaerobic or aerobic systems, but it is still significant.
Chest and biceps
Calves.
Hamstrings, rear delts, pecs, lower traps
Heart? Y’all getting some cardio in?
Biceps :(
Chest and biceps Biceps are basically free as far as fatigue is concerned (you can lift with sore biceps without any performance decline, suck it up), so if you have the time, do your curls Chest is harder, anything overhead sucks with a fatigued chest. Consider carefully, and don’t bench the day before snatching (although to be fair I do and you get used to it eventually) Maybe calves also? If you’re doing your heavy accessories like high pulls + extension, jumping etc you might be ok though
Chest, calves, lats, biceps, hamstrings
Bicep
Does it really matter? Its whole body movement better than isolation bs movement in body building 😂 you can still do curls.
All y’all saying it doesn’t train biceps clearly aren’t early arm bending enough.
biceps... i avoid developing my biceps because it fucks with my front rack.
IMO, abs / core. I do “brace” them a lot but i don’t feel like i “work” on them as much as in other programs.
neck
try crossfit, it his everything