# aggression!



## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

when lifting it seems impossible to me to give it your all without a whimper of noise being emitted from the lips..

when a sprinter or anyone else competes, theyre breathing extremely hard at the end of a set..

when making an all out effort, throwers cant help but make a noise..

i see very little evidence of anything but controlled focus and silence on a lot of the vids i watch and from whom ive seen train..

and looking cool as a cucumber 10 secs post lifts..

gyms make it very un PC to make noise..

soo if you aint grunting tell me why youre not underlifting..

surely silence isnt conducive to giving it your all???

you all fuel yourselves pre workout, we all breathe correctly (big lol) oxygen fuels your lifts thruout, adrenaline is a fuel too..

if you can breathe like a lady in labour breathing HARD thru the pain you wont even feel the first few reps..

its no good being ready to lift when you hands are on the bar, you need to be ready to rock n roll before you enter the bar..

no good raising your game halfway thru a set when it starts to feel hard..

too late..


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

View attachment 3711


is this you approaching the bar?...


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## BurnsideNo1 (May 14, 2011)

Too frickin true Cal! I find it a great way to psyche out pre squat (or any lift regardless of what or what weight) - you gonna polish your barbell and sing a little ditty to it before squatting? I bloody hope not! Pink paradise website can be found via a google search! LOL


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## justin case (Jul 31, 2012)

i saw a couple of blokes having a fight once...one of them was shouting and swearing, while the other one just had a look of grim determination on his face....the quiet one knocked the noisy one senseless...not too sure of the point i'm trying to make....maybe focused agression VS wild agression.


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## Ben_Dover (Apr 12, 2012)

I tend to grunt when running out of breath on higher rep sets.

With the compound lifts I tend to hold my breath (i know i shouldnt) when it gets really hard at failure, then let out a puff of air at the top of the rep...

Probably all wrong and needs adressing


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## Brockyboy (Oct 17, 2010)

I need to do it pre squat from gettin under the bar til my first rep i get my breathing and grunt on..also when lifting the db's up for incline if i didn't grunt i don't think id get them up.


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

oh yes JC portrait of controlled furey!

however ive seen alot of focus on the past few years and a singular lack of FIRE.

dont get me wrong anyone seeing my vids will tell you i`m controlled but its a cold raging furey..


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

how many times have you LISTENED to a lifter and heard the bar controlling the lift.

the way someone breathes shows whether the bar is controlling them.

at times i hear the bar picked up and you can tell its only focussed, the sound i hear is fcuk me its heavy..

hard one to explain this dudes..

but you can breathe so hard and fight against the bar even on the pickup and it sounds like youre bending the bar to your will and not the other way round..


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## jordan_ (Mar 5, 2011)

You love that cold fury lol. Fleg should copyright it


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## justin case (Jul 31, 2012)

yeah hard breathing and the occasional...go on you *******, when the weight goes past the sticking point is about all i can muster....i just cant get annoyed unless i stub my toe or something...lol


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## roadrunner11466868009 (Mar 28, 2011)

justin case said:


> i saw a couple of blokes having a fight once...one of them was shouting and swearing, while the other one just had a look of grim determination on his face....the quiet one knocked the noisy one senseless...not too sure of the point i'm trying to make....maybe focused agression VS wild agression.


No I'm not sure mate lol, but in the situation you mentioned the best think to show is a totally blank face. Dont show aggression as if your putting everything into that punch because if it does not hurt your opponent as much as you hoped he will think that's all you have and gain an advantage.


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

you nailed it fleg, by speaking or making some sort of gutteral sound as you lift means youre at least breathing the right way round.. 

i just count my reps..

you`d be amazed how many breathe wrong way round religiously or hold theyre breathe (lol no names it seems needed )

timing is crucial.


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## franki3 (Oct 11, 2009)

I scream like a banchi 

And at lifting weights aswell


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## roadrunner11466868009 (Mar 28, 2011)

I had this last night on my bicep curls 3x10 last set of the night, I was fecked. Did the 1st set then moved on to the second and almost failed. This set my mind thinking i'm going to fail on the last set. No way was this going to happen, so lots of heavy breathing before and during set, plus lots of cussing and suddenly the last set became easier than the second.


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## justin case (Jul 31, 2012)

[video=youtube;vjuq2WC_cnI]






i could have benched 500lbs after that toe stubbing,,,,lol


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## rhay80 (Jun 15, 2012)

In martial arts and as mentioned above (other sports)various grunts and shouts.

People don't actually shout "ki-ai" (apart from during kata's, and this is only used to show the instructors your understanding of the appropriate technique at the right time) in karate. It's just a word that means "harmony of energy" (as in aikido) and refers to co-ordinating your exhalation and muscular contraction at the point of impact, giving you complete bodily commitment ("ki-me").

It doesn't matter what you shout, it's about exhaling.


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## rhay80 (Jun 15, 2012)

justin case said:


> [video=youtube;vjuq2WC_cnI]
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's funny!


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## Phenix (May 12, 2012)

I shout what the foock am i doing there i must be mad lol


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## mark_star1466868017 (Jul 14, 2011)

MEEKY said:


> i must be mad lol


i think that's a given Meeky


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## EXTREME (Aug 5, 2005)

I was never big on grunting and shouting, I never needed anyone to slap or shout at me to get me going either.

When I lay under a bar and could see 400lbs 18 inches from my throat/sternum NOBODY wanted me to get that bar back more than I did and I always felt if I expelled energy in a roar I was detracting from the energy I needed to get the bar back up.

I did have friends who would grunt, groan, headbutt walls, want slapped, want shouted at as they were doing their "struggle reps" and it worked for them so I guess it's horses for courses yet again.


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## AChappell (Jun 1, 2011)

Different strokes for different folks I say.

I think a persons training style will also change depending on the situation. Myself I tend to be like Doug, very focused on performing the set before hand trying to get in the zone with mental imagery, visualising myself performing the set and then going for it after. I don't need to grunt shout or headbutt a wall to get a set. Of course I've trained with plenty of guys who employ the latter style and it tends to rub off on you when you train with them. Sometimes I tend to think though that you can psyche yourself out and miss a lift if your more concentrated on being a aggression rather than performing the actual action with impeccable technique, which can be important for heavy sets of bench or squats.

If aggression gets you going then by all means keep it up, but I don't think its essential. I'd urge anyone who's never tried imagery techniques to give them a shot or anyone that struggles to hit big lifts to maybe rethink their approach.


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## Phenix (May 12, 2012)

AChappell said:


> Different strokes for different folks I say.
> 
> I think a persons training style will also change depending on the situation. Myself I tend to be like Doug, very focused on performing the set before hand trying to get in the zone with mental imagery, visualising myself performing the set and then going for it after. I don't need to grunt shout or headbutt a wall to get a set. Of course I've trained with plenty of guys who employ the latter style and it tends to rub off on you when you train with them. Sometimes I tend to think though that you can psyche yourself out and miss a lift if your more concentrated on being a aggression rather than performing the actual action with impeccable technique, which can be important for heavy sets of bench or squats.
> 
> If aggression gets you going then by all means keep it up, but I don't think its essential. I'd urge anyone who's never tried imagery techniques to give them a shot or anyone that struggles to hit big lifts to maybe rethink their approach.


No one shout out at my gym Only time is when some is doing a big lift Then you may get shout of entouragement


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

ok i`ll rephrase the question.

(btw i use imagery too)

is it possible to train to full potential over a set in total silence?


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

is it also possible to give everything you have and not breathe hard after a workset to failure ie last set of the exercise?


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## Chrissy....... (Nov 25, 2013)

I sometimes think about someone or a situation thats really angered you/me and wind that up in my head before going for a big set.

I dont shout or anything consciously but i did notice i grunted when exhaling on pumping a weight,not loudly though.


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## philb125 (Mar 24, 2012)

I think if cal sore me train he'd slap me, I probably lack the intensity, aggression and I'm sure some exercises I'm within my limits. But trying to build up and don't want to rush on if that makes sense.

Regarding the intensity / aggression I find that hard, especially in a commercial gym. Found it easier when trained back in twenties at a power gym that was just lifters in there. But still felt a bit out of place.


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## Phenix (May 12, 2012)

I love aggression and intensity And as Dorsey said I like to be blowing on my ass at end of a set


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

*do you all accept that you shouldnt be more chilled than bob marley after a hard set lol?*

phil the only way4x is gonna work for you bud is with bugger all intensity 

interesting you feel your ready for advanced training routines but are taking its lowly building intensity..

i`d have said they go hand in hand :wink:


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

a small grunt is all i`m after chris 

hearing evidence of breathing in and out is also a bonus lol

good to hear it meeky, i`d love to see a vid of you at it


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## Tom84 (Dec 12, 2005)

Controlled aggression for me. I think expending energy screaming and shouting seems sub optimal but I don't even attempt lifts over 90% of max unless I'm 'in the zone' - I don't actually even talk to people on back/legs days between sets.


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## gingernut (Dec 11, 2006)

I make noise when I'm training, I have been told by the gym owner not to count out loud. Apparently it's off putting.


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## bornagainmeathead (Nov 26, 2011)

Another good topic.

I tend to sound a bit like a steam train when I'm lifting heavy as I "blow" the weight up.

It's a habit that I got into a while ago to ensure that I'm not holding my breath.

I have been known to let out the occasional grunt when going for a 1 rep max and I'm giving it everything.

As for the aggression side of it. Absolutely!

If I'm going for a big lift I KNOW that i am going to get it because I've told myself that I will. I've done the groundwork, I've got the power, that tugging weight is mine!!!!!!

I don't go round head butting walls or anything, but I do get myself in the right frame of mind and if I can't, then I don't go for the lift.

In my view it is simply another part of the equation or jigsaw that needs to be in place in order to perform at your best.

Sent from my own little world


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

i`m not necessarily talking about swinging your pants around your head and running at the bar screaming lol.. but making sure adrenaline is flowing..

i`m trying to find ways to ensure adrenaline is flowing to maximize potential..

i`m sure you saw my chest press vid the other day.. nice n controlled..


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

bornagainmeathead said:


> Another good topic.
> 
> I tend to sound a bit like a steam train when I'm lifting heavy as I "blow" the weight up.
> 
> ...


thats exactly what i tell clients to do bud..

BLOW THE WEIGHT UP..


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## Phenix (May 12, 2012)

lancashirerose said:


> I make noise when I'm training, I have been told by the gym owner not to count out loud. Apparently it's off putting.


That what I do count out loud I think it control my breathing And the last rep or two are life or death rep to me


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## Loz1466868022 (Oct 12, 2011)

Nah!! i Just shout cmon really loudly to get phyched and then had a good growl on the positive when its heavy


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## crazycal1 (Sep 21, 2005)

you are most certainly aggressive when you lift loz


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## Loz1466868022 (Oct 12, 2011)

Enthusiastic mildly I am lol

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## justin case (Jul 31, 2012)

since i started doing 4 second slow negatives, i find myself panting loud and hard when lowering the weight, i would pass out if i never did it. just before my failure rep i find myself pleading for mercy...oh no please, i cant stand it..then its lots of loud swearing as i try to get some oxygen into my blood to stop imminent death.

at the start of the set i always have a resigned, oh boy this is going to be a killer attitude, and that thought gets my adrenalin pumping, then its OK here we go, and i crack into it.


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## Piranha Smudge (Jan 16, 2011)

There are different definitions of aggression, they all help psychologically i feel with lifting more/harder/faster/longer etc!! If ur not putting ur all in then theres no point?? Maximum effort=Maximum gains!! Thats what i think anyways!!! Be it shouting, heavy breathying, hitting urself in the face etc!! Whatever it takes to get it done!!!!


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## Chrissy....... (Nov 25, 2013)

A funny story from Arnie was, he was asked some tips on posing by a guy, so Arnie told him that when you go into a pose scream, and the bigger the pose the louder you scream, the guy was carried of stage within a minuite.


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## EXTREME (Aug 5, 2005)

I would hyper ventilate before a heavy set, was never big on the grunting thing as always thought that energy spent on grunting is best kept in my body till I finish the set.

I know some people, a few of them female, who you'd think were enduring childbirth or had been suffering bad constipation and this was their first movement in weeks! I always found it very off-putting.


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## stuartcore (Jan 7, 2007)

must admit im a silent trainer! totally agree iv always thought its a waste of energy and in a gym full of ordinary people it sounds terrible.


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## ElleMac (Sep 20, 2011)

I don't grunt (that I know of) although I think I may be guilty of involuntarily assuming the "constipated face" but only ever on the last few reps. I actually often close my eyes, so that I'm not focusing on the weight (this is what I did last night)- I had 220kg leg press, so I leaned back, closed my eyes, and I imagined that it was 100kg and going to be a really easy set. My boyfriend was spotting me, so I pictured him pushing the press up and down while I did it. I started off great, until I said "look I'm not even helping you!" I admit my legs buckled a little and I let out a little... errrr... noise of "passion" on the next rep... but I don't think I channel aggression into my workout, I channel focus and concentration and desire to achieve my goals, so it's like an insatiable desire to achieve and accomplish the best I can, not attack the weights


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## Bacon3612 (May 8, 2012)

I don't deliberatley grunt and scream when lifting, though sometimes on a working set i know i just let it out involuntarily.

I close my eyes and concentrate sometimes as well Elle, funnily enough usually when training legs as well!!


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## ElleMac (Sep 20, 2011)

Yes Bacon (nice name, I'm hungry!) I also let out noises I don't mean sometimes, after last night I think the people around thought my boyfriend was performing some sort of medieval torture on me, the guy waiting for the hack squat looked a bit concerned haha  I think your mind is 95% of it, genuinely...


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