Partners gym Progress Dissatisfaction

[babylonisfalling]

@nextstep If he is actually going to the gym and picking up weights and is reasonably challenging himself, my guess is form is not his real problem. With the lone exception of not injuring yourself, perfect form is overrated for the average person doing weight training. The more likely culprit is his diet. Maybe help him work on a diet that you can both follow. A lot of time guys who say they are doing cycles of cutting and bulking are in reality just looking for an excuse to eat a crap diet and call it their bulking.

 

[thehappyvirus]

@nextstep I think you answered yourself, don't pity him or make him feel better. He should take advice and lift with lower weights and higher reps.

 

[ivans]

@thehappyvirus Why lower weight and higher reps? We don't know what his current goals are, we just know he put too much value on an inconsistent machine reading. High weight/low reps is every bit as viable a training strategy as low weight/high reps depending on current training goals.

 

[thehappyvirus]

@ivans He wants physical results, so he should prioritize hypertrphy over strenghtz Traditionally, you aim for higher reps with lower weight and perfect form, focusing on TUT over lower reps and higher weight, which will lead on strenght gains. Both obviously will lead to bigger muscles, but one is slightly more efficient than the other. Also, i read OPs post. Ego lifting isn't working. Why does it leep doing the same to expect different results?

 

[ivans]

@thehappyvirus First of all, ego lifting is a stupid term.

Secondly, disconnecting hypertrophy gains from strength gains is a mistake. The two go hand-in-hand, and both modalities of training should be regularly explored, preferably with appropriate nutrition for each. It is also worth noting that the effective hypertrophy range is something like 3-30 reps. If intensity is properly controlled, then proximity to failure can stimulate hypertrophy from a wide range of reps.

Thirdly, there is no such thing as "perfect form" there are literally billions of people with a myriad of different bodies and leverages. To think there is a "one form fits all" Platonic model is a mistake. Everyone is going to have slightly different technique. The correct technique is whatever allows you to produce the most force. For good lifters, technique is an ongoing process.

Fourthly, the only thing that we really know is that OPs husband put too much stock in an unreliable machine. There is no reliable way to chart body fat percentage short of an autopsy. If his lifts are going up and he is happy with the mirror, then he has made great gains, despite what a stupid machine says.

 

[nextstep]

Thank you everyone for the inputs! I really didn’t expect to got such insightful responses.

I know that he’s making progress for sure, he’s bigger and we had to toss All of his old size clothings. He has worked so hard this past years to his goal. And I’ll ensure him not to take the scan results too seriously! I can understand his frustration as it maybe unfair that the scan results showed better on mine than his , given the fact that I don’t work as hard as him…..

I’ll help him to evaluate and find the better approach to reach his goal well our goal, because we did it together!

Thank you all!

 

[ttabor24]

@nextstep I wouldn't give two shits about these scans.

Is he stronger in any of the lifts? That's progress. And that could be more weight for the same reps or more reps if the same set.

Does he look different?

Do clothes fit differently?

 

[kimmac23]

@nextstep Those machines measure how much resistance they get sending a signal round the body. They don't measure fat or muscle, just resistance.

If you're slightly dehydrated then there will be more resistance , so it reads this as a higher fat level as fat is also resistant to current flow.

Basically don't measure if you're dehydrated, so never after training, after a few drinks the night before, during summer when the weather warmer etc.
Also the clothes you wear need to be as light as possible, ideally none, as those few pounds can make a difference in the calculations.

As for his training, I have a degree in sports science, been lifting since 1989, a degree in nutrition and still see a personal trainer to make sure I've got everything right. Two minds are better than one and someone else will have a different approach.