Beginner Routines Discussion (From Cerebro's Am I on the Right Track Thread

[Kane]

Just my $0.02

I'm seeing this sort of phenomenon as well. People hit the web, download a program and that becomes their bible. It may be alright to have these aggresive loading phases or 'advanced' exercises if you're more than a beginner...but in that case you're not going to use a beginner's program anyhow.

Here are a few problems I'm seeing more and more:

1)Core strengthening is emphasized as an overall way to increase your lifts...so everyone does soo much core that it actually impacts their training in a bad way (ie. fatigue, soreness, etc)

2)Alot of people starting out are not very strong and some are even a bit heavier...this may not seem like a problem but (sorry anuj but I'm not trying to pick on you) when you say do some GHR's and they can't physically do them it is a big problem. Because they're in the program they usually stick with it and use a horrid form or use their arms to help them...which IMO defeats the purpose of using GHR's. If you can do them properly then they are a huge asset.

3)Like was said earlier, these loading cycles or rapid progression are coming at an expense of form and safety. People loading a bar and doing quarter squats while their back quivers like a scared animal. Sure they're squatting more and more weight, but the cost is too high. Same goes for alot of other exercises, namely bench (bouncing weight off the chest) and deadlifts (heavily arched back or a heavily mechanical movement)

I'm not sure who I'm agreeing with or if I'm just regurgitating the same thing, but I'm swaying toward the mindset that you can't just throw a program at someone and say go do this. Simply because you need to know that the person starting the program understands what to do, how to do it, and that they're capable of doing it.