Jarvis Jones

[steelz09]

I've always been naturally strong, and have always had a really good bench press (I was repping 345 before I got hit by a semi truck). If you look at me, you'd never guess it. And on the other hand, I see guys that look jacked, but can't bench press to save their lives. They use light weight and a ton of reps, but couldn't get 225 up once.

Very true... It's obvious to me that some people here have never been in a gym before. What you said is very true. I know some people that are smaller and stronger at 150 pounds than people that are pushing 225 and are stacked. Size does not equal strenght. Granted, Jones does not look big in that picture but that doesn't mean a damn thing.

[Shawn]

Is he actually benching? He looks awfully low to the ground to be using the bench. Perhaps he's doing something else.

I surely hope so....geez. Maybe I should play some OLB for the Steelers.

[sick beats]

So, all of this made me curious so I looked up bench stats for our LB; JJ came in below average for a LB but not horrible with 20 reps at 225. By looking at him, I thought he'd be below 15. Remember, "Goo?" He came in with a paltry 10 reps.

[url]http://www.steelersdepot.com/2013/04/were-the-measurables-of-steelers-lb-jarvis-jones-the-real-reason-why-he-dropped-in-the-draft/[/url]

When I weighed 235 I could have hit 20 reps at 225, but I am not a first round NFL LB either, plus he weight 245 at the time. I think it's safe to say JJ is not a gym beast. I think this season will tell us all we need to know about JJ.

[sick beats]

Might he be on an incline bench? The incline at my gym has your a$$ nearly on the ground, so it could be a bench like that, IDK.

[steelz09]

Has it ever occurred to anyone that maybe he is warming up with lighter weights? Has anyone looked at some of the other workout pics on steelers.com? I did... and there isn't very much "heavy lifting" being done by anyone in those pics... and some are much bigger than him.

Complaining and speculating about this stupid photo is beyond idiotic IMO.

[Shawn]

Has it ever occurred to anyone that maybe he is warming up with lighter weights? Has anyone looked at some of the other workout pics on steelers.com? I did... and there isn't very much "heavy lifting" being done by anyone in those pics... and some are much bigger than him.

Complaining and speculating about this stupid photo is beyond idiotic IMO.

I certainly hope that is the case...lol. I'm not a strength training guru but I have always been told to start heavy...low reps and work your way down not the other way around....especially if you wanting to build some mass which JJ certainly needs.

[steelz09]

I certainly hope that is the case...lol. I'm not a strength training guru but I have always been told to start heavy...low reps and work your way down not the other way around....especially if you wanting to build some mass which JJ certainly needs.

I have never heard that starting heavy without any type of warmups is a good idea and I've been going to gyms for 20 years ranging from gyms in PA, NJ, NY, NC, SC, FL and few others.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Just some insight. When you are an athlete looking to get stronger...You have to be careful about flexibility. The level of this really is dictated by where you play on the field too. It is not about adding mass "bulk"...Its about getting stronger. Some of you are scratching your head...But that is the case. You may not see a noticeable difference for a year or two...But that doesn't mean JJ isn't working. Getting stronger for his position includes upper body as well as lower body....With the lower body having a quicker impact. Timmons is the perfect example. For his first couple of years you didn't see a ballooning effect as a result of off-season training...But you noticed a significant increase in his playing strength. Body fat conversion & weight training converts to more strength without noticeable added bulk. You will see better definition but you won't be seeing a guy on the field calling everyone "Girly Man". Now...Over time mass will increase...But the trainers work significantly with the athletes to make sure they don't give up flexibility in the process. Players spend more time stretching after work outs as their career goes on to ensure their muscles don't loose full range off motion.

Saying all of that...Don't gauge JJ by his appearance. It is way too early for that. Gauge it on the field when you see his playing strength. If you want a great example of what I am talking about...Remember Jason Taylor. It took a long time for him to look like he was adding bulk but every year he took the field you would see added playing strength. He was folding tackles over & chucking them aside in his first couple years. Yet he had the arms & chest of a defensive back. His added playing strength early came through explosion in his legs. He had violent hands & great technique. I would put money on JJ biggest improvement in his strength will be in his legs over the next 2 years. When he came out...His "explosion" measurements were very average. He was playing on a high level on instincts & technique. When he puts it all together with an NFL program...You should see the results. The most promising fact right now is he knows & admits what he needs to do to get better...And he appears to be all in on working to get there.

[Shawn]

I have never heard that starting heavy without any type of warmups is a good idea and I've been going to gyms for 20 years ranging from gyms in PA, NJ, NY, NC, SC, FL and few others.

My information comes from numerous body building sites. Like I said, I'm no guru just looked around when I wanted to put on a bit of muscle.

[Shawn]

Just some insight. When you are an athlete looking to get stronger...You have to be careful about flexibility. The level of this really is dictated by where you play on the field too. It is not about adding mass "bulk"...Its about getting stronger. Some of you are scratching your head...But that is the case. You may not see a noticeable difference for a year or two...But that doesn't mean JJ isn't working. Getting stronger for his position includes upper body as well as lower body....With the lower body having a quicker impact. Timmons is the perfect example. For his first couple of years you didn't see a ballooning effect as a result of off-season training...But you noticed a significant increase in his playing strength. Body fat conversion & weight training converts to more strength without noticeable added bulk. You will see better definition but you won't be seeing a guy on the field calling everyone "Girly Man". Now...Over time mass will increase...But the trainers work significantly with the athletes to make sure they don't give up flexibility in the process. Players spend more time stretching after work outs as their career goes on to ensure their muscles don't loose full range off motion.

Saying all of that...Don't gauge JJ by his appearance. It is way too early for that. Gauge it on the field when you see his playing strength. If you want a great example of what I am talking about...Remember Jason Taylor. It took a long time for him to look like he was adding bulk but every year he took the field you would see added playing strength. He was folding tackles over & chucking them aside in his first couple years. Yet he had the arms & chest of a defensive back. His added playing strength early came through explosion in his legs. He had violent hands & great technique. I would put money on JJ biggest improvement in his strength will be in his legs over the next 2 years. When he came out...His "explosion" measurements were very average. He was playing on a high level on instincts & technique. When he puts it all together with an NFL program...You should see the results. The most promising fact right now is he knows & admits what he needs to do to get better...And he appears to be all in on working to get there.

Great information. I am kind of new to studying strength/muscle building...mainly because I'm 40 feeling 40. I finally want to do something about it. I am curious as to this "body fat conversion". Much of what I am reading states it's difficult to bulk and cut at the same time. Any truth to that?

[thor75]

Great information. I am kind of new to studying strength/muscle building...mainly because I'm 40 feeling 40. I finally want to do something about it. I am curious as to this "body fat conversion". Much of what I am reading states it's difficult to bulk and cut at the same time. Any truth to that?

Body fat conversion could be misleading as a description. Fat cells never go away, they just shrink. As the muscle around the fat cells are being worked they will pull the energy from the fat cells. Over time, the muscle will become more defined. Bulking up the muscle is typically done with lower reps and higher weight, but you lose flexibility and stamina.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Great information. I am kind of new to studying strength/muscle building...mainly because I'm 40 feeling 40. I finally want to do something about it. I am curious as to this "body fat conversion". Much of what I am reading states it's difficult to bulk and cut at the same time. Any truth to that?

The body fat conversion is just simply helping your definition. If you shed excess fat & water weight your muscle definition is more profound. If you are looking to add mass & strength...Your "diet' isn't exactly the same as a rabbit. All depends what you are looking for. If you just want to look good & gradually gain strength....High Rep lower weight. Also helps expand the lungs. If you want to work on being "healthy" that is the best direction. If you want to simply get stronger & bulk up...Weight-Rep ratio will be different. Meaning you may do 5 sets or 10 at a weight where completing the 10 each set & the 5 sets is difficult. As it gets easier...You add more weight. That's more strength training. If you are looking for definition & just looking better first (strength increase over a longer period) You may rep up to 20-25 of a lower weight to get a burn. The higher reps also helps with the flexibility because of motion. The question of bulk-cut is like you are reading it early on. Eventually, putting on mass will get to a very good definition. If you are bulking up for strength..You should be increasing your calorie intake & protein. Lets just say early on...you body fat % may not be as low as you could get it. Each individual has to find their "balance" based on their daily calorie burn to make sure they aren't adding bad weight. If you are doing high reps low weight..More than likely you are also watching what you eat too. So that balance shows results in the mirror allot quicker as far as appearance.

[Snatch98]

I have never heard that starting heavy without any type of warmups is a good idea and I've been going to gyms for 20 years ranging from gyms in PA, NJ, NY, NC, SC, FL and few others.

Warming up definitely isn't a requirement unless you are talking about running a few hot laps or knocking out some quick push ups to get the blood flowing.

[Shawn]

The body fat conversion is just simply helping your definition. If you shed excess fat & water weight your muscle definition is more profound. If you are looking to add mass & strength...Your "diet' isn't exactly the same as a rabbit. All depends what you are looking for. If you just want to look good & gradually gain strength....High Rep lower weight. Also helps expand the lungs. If you want to work on being "healthy" that is the best direction. If you want to simply get stronger & bulk up...Weight-Rep ratio will be different. Meaning you may do 5 sets or 10 at a weight where completing the 10 each set & the 5 sets is difficult. As it gets easier...You add more weight. That's more strength training. If you are looking for definition & just looking better first (strength increase over a longer period) You may rep up to 20-25 of a lower weight to get a burn. The higher reps also helps with the flexibility because of motion. The question of bulk-cut is like you are reading it early on. Eventually, putting on mass will get to a very good definition. If you are bulking up for strength..You should be increasing your calorie intake & protein. Lets just say early on...you body fat % may not be as low as you could get it. Each individual has to find their "balance" based on their daily calorie burn to make sure they aren't adding bad weight. If you are doing high reps low weight..More than likely you are also watching what you eat too. So that balance shows results in the mirror allot quicker as far as appearance.

Interesting. I obviously want to be healthier but I want to put on about 20 pounds of muscle while also decreasing fat...which many say is hard to do at the same time. Being 150 pounds, I have always been strong for my size...I start with 155 pounds and do about 8-9 reps then step down to 145 do 6-7 reps...135 and so on until my arms are basically rubber. For curls I start with 95 pounds on an olympic bar do 6 reps...and step down. I eat lots of protein, protein shakes, creatine, omega 3's, MVI, and try to watch the simple sugars. What I have noticed is putting on muscle and strength but the belly flab hasn't really gone down any.

[sick beats]

I certainly hope that is the case...lol. I'm not a strength training guru but I have always been told to start heavy...low reps and work your way down not the other way around....especially if you wanting to build some mass which JJ certainly needs.

Actually, it's kind of both. For building mass, you want to be thoroughly warmed up, but no where near doing reps to failure, and THEN hit the heavy stuff. In other words, let's say you are doing sets of "rest-pause" sets, which are the best for building mass and power. Start with the bar, or 135, depending on what your heavy reps will be. Then go 225, but just some easy reps, again, not going to failure. THEN, go to your heaviest weight, 365, do 3 reps, strip 20%, do 3 more, go down to 225 and rep out from there.