Super League

[stevein7]

Just read about this interesting concept, a bodybuilding show with no posing, they actually perform bodybuilding movements.
Looks like it will be significant, Dorian Yates, Stan Efferding involved, Nike sponsored..first show 29 July.

Yes it is bullshit, they will be roided up etc, but it could be entertaining.

Joe average does not want to pose artistically, doesn't want to weigh thirty stone, has no access to specialised lifting facilities and teams, maybe can relate to this concept.

[stevein7]

What are the 8 movements?

1. Plate Loaded Squat (by Arsenal)
2. Plate Loaded Leg Extension (by Super League)
3. Rack Deadlifts (by Sorinex)
4. Lat Pulldowns (by Arsenal)
5. Dumbbell Curls (by jBells)
6. Incline Dumbbell Flys (by jBells)
7. Standing Shoulder Press (by Super League)
8. Plate Loaded Dips (by Arsenal)

Only the first 12 reps in each set counts towards Total Output.
1. Strategically – Requires The Athlete To Employ Intelligent Weight Selection For Each Movement. Go Too Heavy – You Won’t Hit The 12 Reps And You Lose Points. Go Too Light – You Don’t Maximize The Output Potential And You Lose Points.
2. Scientifically – Lab Tested, Time Tested, And Proven By Champion Bodybuilders To Be The Optimal Rep Range For Building Muscle.
3. Mathematically – Closes The Loophole. Nobody Wants To Watch You Squat 80 Pounds 200 Times.

[stevein7]

http://superleague.live/#1493175922861-1aeb2b63-fee9

[FMJ]

Sounds kind of like a gym based strongman contest.

I am not opposed to that. Though I don't really get their criteria for the actual bodybuilding part.

[stevein7]

Don't forget this is all about the money. A simple gym strongman event would be great I think, but it is not going to cut it as a circus spectacle.

It is an interesting take though. Maybe stop some of the more extreme cutting practices as they have to turn up and perform, not just pose.

[stevein7]

Doesn't say anything about drugs. Get out the angel dust!

[PierreSuter]

I like it. Not sure how they'll judge some of the movements like curls and flyes, and the measurement ratio concept isn't perfect by a long shot, but it's a solid attempt. I'm sure those who see BBing as art will reject it.

[Chris McCarthy]

I scratched my head when I first heard about this a while back...but hey, I don't have to understand things for them to be any good.

Good luck to it.

[Snake Plisken]

Though I don't really get their criteria for the actual bodybuilding part.

Right!?
Is it kinda like morphing into say, xfit for BB'ers?

[FMJ]

It seems to fill another niche instead of replacing bodybuilding. Maybe it would be the proper competition for something like power-building. Somewhere in between getting bigger and getting stronger.

Which is fine by me. Whatever floats your boat.

[stevein7]

One of my thoughts on cross fit (which struck me as at least a decent concept) was that they use so many weird movements that don't get to the "heart of the matter".

Pistols double unders and handstands and even rope climbs are not really what I see as being relevant. I think the olympic lifts are too technical and not a good measure of what I am looking for. Then they use some strange apparatus that most will not have, like pigs and worms.

Something hard, basic, accessible to the vast majority, not technical, not overly "skilful", just measures of raw energy, power, work.

The super league I feel is going wrong including a non performance aspect.

We need to invent the perfect physical competition.

It would include movements easily learnt and available to the vast majority, preferably using a barbell, dumbells and kettlebells.
It could include a few sprint events - 100, 200 400 800m
A ten mile bike ride.
Chins dips and press ups.

Sounds a lot like my training.

Something a caveman could do.

[PierreSuter]

I see it as a competition appealing to those who want to have a good physique and to get stronger but who don't want to pose in a thong or suffer through an extreme pre-contest diet. Many/most serious lifters probably fall into that boat.

The strength part is scored as % of bodyweight, so the highest scores won't be by really big guys. I guess the best scores will come from muscular guys in the 200 pound range with freakish strength and a freakishly small waist. Their visual appeal should be similar to Crossfitters, without having to learn the o-lifts, double unders, walking on your hands, or suffering through a million burpees.

The measurement portion of the contest looks a little too simplified. Apparently "upper body" means chest size + arm size, so a proportioned guy with say 48 inch chest and 18 inch arms gets the same score as a guy with 58 inch chest and 13 inch arms who would look retarded. Same problem with "lower body" being defined as thighs + calves measurement. I guess when devising the formulas they wanted to keep it simple.

[stevein7]

Funny if some huge synthol lunatic won...

[stevein7]

A very basic strength and endurance competition...
http://www.strend.com/description.html

[PierreSuter]

Strend has been around a while, at least 20 years. Military based fitness. Not a bad test of fitness but it favors little guys and I hate running so not for me.

[stevein7]

Still unsure as to how the superleague comp went. I heard on a youtube video it was a good day, but the livestream was crap. I saw some curls, flyes etc and to me they looked like half reps. Some of the exercise looked fairly easy to judge, others seemed to be moving about two inches...made westside squats look ATG...