Pre round performance enhancers

[Bigwill]

Then why do almost all power lifters do it (including me) and we gain a lot more strength faster than those who use lighter weights and more reps?

Curious to know if there is any reasoning behind it.

Actually, there is a reason behind it. Bodybuilders don't go too low, as far as rep ranges are concerned, because they're more concerned with fatiguing the muscles than with neurological adaptation. Powerlifters are lifting for numbers. They not only want the muscle fibers to get stronger, but they want as many fibers firing as possible, at as high a percentage of their their power output as possible. Of course, the muscle fiber will grow. But not like it would if they lifted like a bodybuilder. Likewise, bodybuilders do get stronger, but not as quickly or explosively as would a powerlifter, unless they lifted like a powerlifter. Of course, you can lift too light to accomplish anything other than tiring yourself out; but who'd want to do that?

 

[Chris Sturgess]

Then why do almost all power lifters do it (including me) and we gain a lot more strength faster than those who use lighter weights and more reps?

Curious to know if there is any reasoning behind it.

Because it works, nobody is disagreeing with that being the best way to get stronger. The question here isn't why they do it but why it works. It works mainly because it excites and improves the nervous system and shocks the muscles into adjusting for strength. As opposed to fatiguing muscles. Lower to moderate weight with moderate to high reps is what fatigues muscles and emphasizes muscle size over strength. That is why bodybuilders do that and have big muscles but aren't actually that strong while power/olympic lifters lift heavy for low reps and don't look as pretty but are actually much stronger. So, before a round, lifting heavy with low reps isn't going to fatigue your muscles to any appreciable degree, it's going to excite your central nervous system and actually make you stronger than you were before you did them. But my potential problem with it is that it seems like it would make you too excited and jumpy, which is obviously not good. Maybe doing only one or two sets with a semi heavy weight could wake up the nervous system just enough without being too hyped up though. On the other hand if you did a very high volume aka a lot a sets of heavy lifts it would make you sluggish and semi drunk feeling out there, obviously that is a bad idea.

 

[Chris Sturgess]

Whoa, haha, simulataneous post with Bigwill.

 

[Bigwill]

Whoa, haha, simulataneous post with Bigwill.

I know I just saw that, lol.

 

[Bigwill]

I think that the main benefit that people see when they've lifted before a round is that their muscles are warm and loose. The thing to be careful of is that you don't lift so hard and heavy before a round that your muscles are fried, IMO.

 

[Bill Miracle]

We are only talking here...

about 1 set of 1-5 reps.

Personally, I quit heavy lifting about 5 years ago but...remember well. If I did 2-3 sets of 4 reps, after the first set...I felt very good.

I don't see one set of 4 reps a killer of strength for a golf round.

My putrid swing is my round killer.

 

[birdie_man]

Oh ok I get it.....so ur talkin heavy weight.....but the idea IS to not to go TOO hard....