Work strength versus gym strength

[StandingO]

They are different workouts and so use different muscles in different ways. Just because you are strong on the bench press does not mean you will be strong at doing squats, and it also means you may not be strong at doing whatever heavy lifting a job requires of you. Totally different.

 

A lot of guys who workout at the gym may mislead people into believing they are stronger than they actually are. Most gym rats I know concentrate on doing exercises that make them look good for the ladies, but not build a lot of actual strength. Those well defined guys are generally weaker than you might think because doing a ton of curls to make your biceps pop doesn't do much else for you.

 

Alot of truth to this. I know I was over all much stronger 15 years ago when I still did everyday physical labour and did a home gym workout. My bench press or curl is probably higher now cause I spend more time invested in those exercises. I suck at squats but can bench a lot of weight and I admit it translates into a certain look but it don't make me as over all strong as I may look with my shirt off. The work load I could pull in those days was impressive but today put me in a tug of war and you'd be disappointed.

[StandingO]

A lot of yoga exercises are about supporting your own weight - which, might I add a lot of guys with their show-muscles in the gym struggle to do.

 

Again very true. Being top muscled heavy I am one of those struggles with certain yoga poses (lack of certain flexibility too). and heck its just body weight too. Big eye opener and it shows one that there is a much wider gamut to strength and strength endurance then just big chest and biceps that can pump a heavy barbell.

[Andy_K]

Again very true. Being top muscled heavy I am one of those struggles with certain yoga poses (lack of certain flexibility too). and heck its just body weight too. Big eye opener and it shows one that there is a much wider gamut to strength and strength endurance then just big chest and biceps that can pump a heavy barbell.

 

Endurance is the tricky part. It is hard to maintain as you get bigger. Those extra muscles need a lot more oxygen, a much better blood flow, but you only have the same heart and lungs you always had.

 

I'm 16 lbs heavier than I was this time last year. I do a lot of cardio work just to maintain the same level of aerobic endurance I had before. That much is difficult, but doable. Most don't bother.

 

Where things REALLY get difficult is anaerobic endurance. Circuit training is hell. No matter what efficiency gains my heart and lungs might make, it's not going to keep up with the proportional increase in demand from my body during intense exercise. Lactic acid build up is faster then ever. I might be able to do more pull ups or press ups than anyone else in the class, but I'm going to need much longer to recover properly too. A minute or two later they'll be able to do the same again. I won't!

[King Bowls]

Anyone experience situations where one was strong in certain work related tasks but not so strong in the gym and vise versa. I started my working life doing lots of physical lifting (heavy items). For years mostly waist level to that and above. I also went to the gym. Back then I was strong in both involving a lot of upper body strength. Today I don't do the heavy on the job lifting but still go to the gym and still got very good upper body strength. My GF has never experienced a hard physical job but has worked out with weights for years.

 

The other week I was giving my buddy a hand installing windows (he revenovates). He needed a couple weekend buddies because this was his own home. Only me and him with my GF pitching in were available. His wife ain't built for the physical stuff where my GF who squats 315 and can bench 115 was ready to go. My buddy who rarely goes to the gym so is not that stong in the gym (ie maybe bench 135 or 145) could out work both my GF and I into the ground. He could hoist things into position easier and hold them longer and I could. I am sure 15 years ago I could have kept up but not now. My GF was great helpful hauling up the stairs and ladders but not always so useful helping hoist the bigger windows up into position. She did complain the work was to hard on her hands lol.

 

 

I know a guy who doesn't lift a whole lot, carried a dead bear up a hill that weighed well over 300 lbs.

[MercuryMorrison1]

I used to work setting up headstone's in the cemetery. Keep in mind some of these granite rocks weigh well over 1000 lbs but those were honestly fairly uncommon, the average rock I worked with weighed more in the neighborhood of 400 lbs, pushing these stones across the cemetery day in and day out was exhausting, But it did make me incredibly strong, and on top of all of that there was a LOT of shoveling and digging required for the job.

 

We used those 80lb Quickrete bag's of quick dry cement to set the bases, I had to handle probably 50 of those daily, all and all the job made me very strong.

 

Nowadays I don't have a physical job but I am a fitness nut who exorcises regularly 2 to 3 hours daily of P90x 1,2 and 3 combined with jogging 3 to 5 miles every other day.

 

On one hand the job strengthened me in certain area's due to extreme focus on that particular muscle group.

 

On the other hand I feel as though I'm stronger all over from the work outs. Maybe not quiet as strong as I used to be in certain specific area's from the job...But in general and all over I feel much stronger and faster from working out.