Are you an adrenaline trainer or a calm trainer?

On average days Do you like to train with your adrenaline going or do you like it calm and quiet?

  • Adrenaline/pumped up psychologically/Anger

  • Calm and peaceful

Results are only viewable after voting.
D

Devson

Well-known member
Trusted Member
What mindset and what do you do to, "get there" on the days you are not so excited to lift weights because you are tired, you have training fatigue or simply because its another day like any other?

We all like to have those days where the sun is shining, everything is perfect and we are excited to train but other than those perfect days what, "state of mind" do you fall back on, try to get into or maybe even need to have, in order, to have a great workout?

Other than being excited and pumped I like things calm and quiet. I also place a large importance on how comfy and inviting the area feels. I even went as far as to install, "warmer" temperature light bulbs.
 
If I’m having a tough training day, I work for the pump with reps.
Then if I happen to get into it, then I train hard.

Depends on the day, if I’m training for pump and flexing in the mirrors, then top hits is what I’ll listen to.
If I’m hammering heavy weight or doing a pr, then metal of some sort.
 
I'm a 2-1 guy :)

2 intensity, full blown metalcore/deathmetal anger blasting lifting session. Then I'll do a shoulder day, high rep, with lighter weights and bands listening to trance :)
 
I kinda always try to get into an aggressive mindset when I train, regardless of whether I'm happy and excited to hit the gym or not. But thats mainly just b/c outside of the gym I'm really calm and easygoing, so personally following a DC style of training I struggle to push to true failure without getting fired up.

So for me it's headphones in, deathcore/metal turned all the way up, and hyping myself up so I can take the set as far as possible. Smelling salts before my top sets of squats or deads helps too lol
 
Devson said:
Other than being excited and pumped I like things calm and quiet. I also place a large importance on how comfy and inviting the area feels. I even went as far as to install, "warmer" temperature light bulbs.
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Sounds like a nice place to take a nap. Do you put couch cushions on the bench to make it extra comfy? hahaha

I'm definitely an angry trainer. Sounds like @Jestopherson and I train at the same gym!
 
I’m peaceful, physically. I look like I’m relaxed and happy. Even in the set, I just look “focused” but not aggressive or angry. You’d never know in my head, I’m a piece of shit, I need these next reps or my family’s life is at risk, there’s a metaphorical gun to my head every single rep. I know what I’m capable of because of what I did that same session prior, and if I don’t beat weight or reps, I’ve let myself down and won’t get over it for weeks, potentially. It would impact me socially, emotionally, everything. So it’s a mix of anger, aggression, and peace. Very peaceful. Just not towards myself.
 
IronRobi said:
Sounds like a nice place to take a nap. Do you put couch cushions on the bench to make it extra comfy? hahaha

I'm definitely an angry trainer. Sounds like @Jestopherson and I train at the same gym!
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I know you're just joking but being calm and relaxed allows your body to grow more. I like the gyms that are hardcore but I don't need someone to scream at me while I train. I cannot stand today's regular gyms. They are a weird type of awkward quiet. I train intensely but I feel like that is coming from inside. If I am worked up my heart will be racing too much and it actually hinders my performance. I feel more awake and energized being calm otherwise I could easily wipe myself out with adrenaline which releases very easily in large amounts for me. I am not a big body builder at all but some big body builders are quite calm and quiet.
 
Devson said:
I know you're just joking but being calm and relaxed allows your body to grow more. I like the gyms that are hardcore but I don't need someone to scream at me while I train. I cannot stand today's regular gyms. They are a weird type of awkward quiet. I train intensely but I feel like that is coming from inside. If I am worked up my heart will be racing too much and it actually hinders my performance. I feel more awake and energized being calm otherwise I could easily wipe myself out with adrenaline which releases very easily in large amounts for me. I am not a big body builder at all but some big body builders are quite calm and quiet.
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Could you show the literature that says less aggressive workouts result in more growth?

I dont want to be screamed at either, but if I'm going for a new pr. And I've got a buddy yelling "lift, drive, etc" I'm going to push harder than if it was just me. The metal gyms I enjoy because there's a sense of comradery compared to a more commercial gym.
 
I used to be 100% adrenaline I would load up on ephedrine, androgens and blast the devils music but as I’m getting older and my body is falling apart I have turned down the intensity a bit
 
Jestopherson said:
Could you show the literature that says less aggressive workouts result in more growth?

I dont want to be screamed at either, but if I'm going for a new pr. And I've got a buddy yelling "lift, drive, etc" I'm going to push harder than if it was just me. The metal gyms I enjoy because there's a sense of comradery compared to a more commercial gym.
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I'm with you on using aggression within training being beneficial, and although I'm not sure what exactly he's referencing with being calm = more muscle growth, I ain't got shit to do atm so I'll give my own objective input on it as an exercise science student lol :)

Psychological arousal (or how 'hyped up' you get) seems to have a sweet spot in regards to physical performance as per the inverted U hypothesis of arousal. So if you go into training completely 'under-aroused' and calm you'll be unable to train with enough intensity/load to be optimal. Then there's what's considered an 'optimal arousal' for performance, however when you exceed that it leads to technique degradation, unwanted muscular tension, loss of concentration, etc. So if you're TOO aggressive/angry/hyped, it might impact your ability to perform a technical exercise. So just for example, say you get excessively fired up and aggressive to do a squat and your technique and bar path is off, you misgroove and hips shoot up out of the hole and knees cave in, it could then consequently limit overall mechanical tension on the quads, and/or cause you to miss out on a few reps, and thus quad hypertrophy.

Aside from that, overusing psychological arousal is also pretty draining. It's gonna contribute to systemic fatigue and tire you out because of all the energy required to get hyped up. So in turn, potentially less recovery capabilities and you might be more likely to end up overreaching if overuse of arousal persists. Jordan Peters is someone specifically who comes to mind here, he's often spoke about how when he really uses aggression in his training to drive up strength he ends up feeling like shit and soon after needing a deload.

I do think it's important to differentiate between using and overusing aggression/arousal though, as up to a certain point and used intelligently it's actually shown to improve performance. So in conclusion I'd say the research is in support of using aggression to improve performance, and improved performance in the context of bodybuilding is probably gonna equal more gains. And I'm not personally aware of any direct literature on the subject in regards to muscle growth, this is all honestly just inference based on sports psychology and motor control lol
 
Jestopherson said:
I'm a old school iron, Chalk everywhere. Metal playing over the loud speakers kind of guy. I love it. Were all there to fuck shit up and do the work but those gyms are a dying breed
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This! My 5am ringtone is blasting Master of Puppets, phone out of arms reach so I have to get up and out of bed to turn it off. Time to get up.

Then comes the usual White Zombie mix blasting in my garage, rusty plates, years of dust on my equipment, it's a real shit hole and that's what I like. I swear and put myself down to get motivated to push harder. I look at myself in the mirror after each set and say "fuck you" and I mean it. Next set will be harder.

If I am up early calm is not a workable mindset, I'd just fall back asleep
 
Devson said:
I know you're just joking but being calm and relaxed allows your body to grow more.
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I think you're mixed up. I could get behind being calm, some people need calmness to focus. But relaxed is the wrong word. Relaxing in the gym will not lead to growth. Yes you grow when you rest, it's why sleep is one of the most overlooked pieces to the puzzle. But save the relaxing for night time and approach the gym with your sense of calmness but also extreme intensity.
 
jackedpotato said:
I'm with you on using aggression within training being beneficial, and although I'm not sure what exactly he's referencing with being calm = more muscle growth, I ain't got shit to do atm so I'll give my own objective input on it as an exercise science student lol :)

Psychological arousal (or how 'hyped up' you get) seems to have a sweet spot in regards to physical performance as per the inverted U hypothesis of arousal. So if you go into training completely 'under-aroused' and calm you'll be unable to train with enough intensity/load to be optimal. Then there's what's considered an 'optimal arousal' for performance, however when you exceed that it leads to technique degradation, unwanted muscular tension, loss of concentration, etc. So if you're TOO aggressive/angry/hyped, it might impact your ability to perform a technical exercise. So just for example, say you get excessively fired up and aggressive to do a squat and your technique and bar path is off, you misgroove and hips shoot up out of the hole and knees cave in, it could then consequently limit overall mechanical tension on the quads, and/or cause you to miss out on a few reps, and thus quad hypertrophy.

Aside from that, overusing psychological arousal is also pretty draining. It's gonna contribute to systemic fatigue and tire you out because of all the energy required to get hyped up. So in turn, potentially less recovery capabilities and you might be more likely to end up overreaching if overuse of arousal persists. Jordan Peters is someone specifically who comes to mind here, he's often spoke about how when he really uses aggression in his training to drive up strength he ends up feeling like shit and soon after needing a deload.

I do think it's important to differentiate between using and overusing aggression/arousal though, as up to a certain point and used intelligently it's actually shown to improve performance. So in conclusion I'd say the research is in support of using aggression to improve performance, and improved performance in the context of bodybuilding is probably gonna equal more gains. And I'm not personally aware of any direct literature on the subject in regards to muscle growth, this is all honestly just inference based on sports psychology and motor control lol
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I completely agree with you on all of that. Over aggression can lead to a more jerky less methodical execution of a movement. Which like you said can throw off leverages, create less than optimal mechanical tension.

There's definitely a line between being aggressive to drive through those last few reps and being pissed off for whatever reason and just taking it all out on those weights. I'll admit I've trained with both. Some of my best pumps have been those snappy ultra aggressive sets, but they were far from optimal and could've easily caused harm than good. I find my sweet spot oddly enough is when I'm moving decent weight and catch people looking, it just kind of gives some pride and drive to keep pushing, it's just that feeling of you're the guy people want to be like at the gym so keep doing what you're doing.

That comes off painfully narcissistic, I just can't quite put what I mean into words.
 
I like to psych my self up. I start listening to my tunes well ahead of time, I keep moving the entire time with the music up loud.
 
Jestopherson said:
I completely agree with you on all of that. Over aggression can lead to a more jerky less methodical execution of a movement. Which like you said can throw off leverages, create less than optimal mechanical tension.

There's definitely a line between being aggressive to drive through those last few reps and being pissed off for whatever reason and just taking it all out on those weights. I'll admit I've trained with both. Some of my best pumps have been those snappy ultra aggressive sets, but they were far from optimal and could've easily caused harm than good. I find my sweet spot oddly enough is when I'm moving decent weight and catch people looking, it just kind of gives some pride and drive to keep pushing, it's just that feeling of you're the guy people want to be like at the gym so keep doing what you're doing.

That comes off painfully narcissistic, I just can't quite put what I mean into words.
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Yeah I know the feeling, it's like when people look to you with high regard, you need to walk the walk.
 
I put calm above like Bagua. But I don't get all hyped before a lift anymore, unless its a PR or something.
Now as I'm lifting my intensity will increase to continue on with the training, but I'll grunt a bit but not freaking our screaming.

I must train with enough intensity because one guy who trained with me that thought he was training intensely actually got ill during our workout and I was taking it easyish on him,
 
Brbpuppy said:
Yeah I know the feeling, it's like when people look to you with high regard, you need to walk the walk.
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Exactly. Just kinda amps you up to keep pushing it, but I bet to them it looks like we're trying to show off haha.

Hell I was the only guy squatting over 3 plates at PF and it's probably the first time I caught just about as many chicks as guys looking like "what the fuck" makes you feel awesome.
 
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