# Why don’t you lift weights? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** diet-weight-loss\ **Created:** [August 15, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144 "2020-08-15T01:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 72
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1421 "2026-09-19T17:09:21Z")
You sound very wise. Sadly, I am still a fool, LOL. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1422 "2026-09-19T17:42:20Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Haven’t found a way to avoid dumb bells for shoulders and cables for curls. I’ve been following some fitness influencers who seem to be converging on the idea that chin-ups at bodyweight are best for biceps. It loads the bicep fully in the stretch position, which other curls don’t do. It works the lats. And I found when I started doing them, for some reason they absolutely blasted my abs too (which were probably lagging). That being said, I love cables for shoulders. Better range of motion, and as a side effect you get all kinds of core and trunk stabilization. It can’t be just cables, but they’re must-have to me. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1423 "2026-09-19T18:02:26Z")
Don’t get me wrong… 235lb is impressive AF… at your age. 😉 At my best I barely managed a max of four plates. Shoulders were always my thing so I did dumbbell shoulder presses of 85lb per side. So there was that. A very long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1424 "2026-09-19T18:48:39Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I’ve been following some fitness influencers who seem to be converging on the idea that chin-ups at bodyweight are best for biceps. It loads the bicep fully in the stretch position, which other curls don’t do. I switch to chin-ups when I’ve exhausted my pull-up strength. An exercise I like is basically a row in a plank position, using the smith machine bar in a low position so my back is just off the ground in a fully extended arm position. I do overhand grip rows and finish with 3 or 4 underhand grip for the biceps. Burns like a s.o.b. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1425 "2026-09-19T18:51:21Z")
Can any of you do a planche or front lever? I’ve tried. Lord how I’ve tried. Came close with the front lever but ultimately didn’t stick with it and gave up. Too late to start again now. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1426 "2026-09-19T19:06:57Z")
Funny you mentioned that. I’m trying to master the “ab roller” - on my toes. It is really hard AF. I think once I can go level and back, I’ll be able to do all kinds of those core exercises. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1427 "2026-09-19T19:18:41Z")
50+ years old and been lifting weights (3X/week) for the last year and a half or so now. I don’t really see any major visible difference (muscle density is higher but muscles don’t seem significantly bigger) but I realized today at the gym that i’ve more than tripled what I could lift when I started (almost 100 lbs greater on my chest press for example compared to what I could do when I started). So I guess it’s doing something. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1428 "2026-09-19T19:19:47Z")
I don’t know what mastery of that looks like. How far out ahead of your shoulders does the wheel gotta be? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1429 "2026-09-19T19:43:17Z")
Keep at it. You never know when you might have to lift a car to save a life. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1430 "2026-09-19T19:52:40Z")
Complete flat. That’s what makes it so hard. I can do the roller on my knees until my stomach and chest touch the ground, and pull back to the start, but on my toes is just crazy. A trainer at the gym suggest working on my “bird dog’s,” so I’ve been doing those, too. ---
**Author:** ![Xarrot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xarrot/32/21728_2.png) [@Xarrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xarrot)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1431 "2026-09-19T19:54:23Z")
I am scared to drop them on myself, and breaking my toes/foot. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1432 "2026-09-19T20:00:31Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Complete flat. You’re a better man than I, Gunga Din. I do my abs in by leg raises hanging from a bar and doing my pull-ups/chin-ups in a pike. Some other stuff too. But mainly that. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1433 "2026-09-19T20:09:39Z")
Happened to a trainer at the gym. No fun. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1434 "2026-09-19T20:13:44Z")
Reminds me of an accident in a gym to one of the pilates trainers. Some new student just let go of a thing under tension and the trainer nearly lost an eye. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1435 "2026-09-19T20:32:44Z")
Yikes. I try to avoid people using bands. I just don’t trust them not to break at some inopportune time. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1436 "2026-09-19T21:13:06Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Can any of you do a planche or front lever? > > I’ve tried. Lord how I’ve tried. Similar. Worked my way through progressions and could never quite get there. On planche got stuck between frog stand and straddle planche. Same with full unsupported pistol squat. Had fun failing though. I still do the half assed bit for front lever I can do - rings skin the cat to German hang, try to control lower into a front lever as best I can, which isn’t too far until I drop to a hanging el. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1437 "2026-09-19T21:17:49Z")
I try not to do workouts very often that focus on volume. But if I do, some exercises amenable to high volume are leg presses, the hack squat machine, overhead presses on the Smith machine, Kroc rows and the hip thrust machine. You need exercises where the cost of failure is fairly low - you need significant weight, and you don’t want to bench press or squat for high volume and be caught under the bar when you get tired. My muscle fiber makeup is such that if I am doing 50-70% of my maximum, or less, I can do a lot of sets. I call it strength endurance. I’ve lifted 500k pounds in a workout before. Doing 200k took almost two hours. If you return to an exercise too soon, your body makes it immediately obvious it is unhappy. If the warmup weight feels very heavy, and shouldn’t, I take the hint immediately and move on to cardio or do something completely different. I take most of a week off every month or two - you have possibly trained too much if you don’t feel like returning to the gym but are the sort of person who likes to go there. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1438 "2026-09-19T21:24:01Z")
I’ve never actually seen a band break at the gym. A volume workout is far from a typical workout - the volume is the point. I do them occasionally if dieting because these workouts really burn calories, you can’t do 85-100% if not well fed, and they concentrate on muscles which respond well to volume and less weight - in my experience arms and legs. Volume is the only thing that worked for my calves or forearms. I like the ab wheel but can only do one or two if starting from a standing position. Those are really hard and I’m not good at that. I congratulate myself for doing any abs at all - but do the easier version where you fully extend starting on your knees. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1439 "2026-09-19T21:25:04Z")
I’ve had a band break on me. Nothing dramatic. Just snapped. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144/1440 "2026-09-19T21:38:48Z")
I just use light bands for benches and shoulder stretches. I guess I have seen people stand on bands to assist with pull-ups and such, which probably needs much heavier bands in decent condition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=71) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-don-t-you-lift-weights/918144.md?page=73)