Are you in construction and wondering if this will build muscle the way that training at a gym with weights will?
The big question for men in construction work who believe that this occupation can replace weight lifting for building muscle, is this: When is the last time you saw a construction worker who was “jacked”?
have physiques that look like the ones you see in magazines like Men’s Fitness, and certainly not the bodies you see in more hardcore bodybuilding magazines.
From time to time I’ll spot a construction worker whom you can tell works out with weights — weights at a gym, not equipment on the job.
Yes, some of the workers routinely hit the gym, and this is what gives them their symmetrical muscular bodies, not anything they’ve been doing at the work site.
This is why you’ll see plenty of skinny, and overweight, potbellied construction workers.
When they are portrayed in movies and TV, often the actors look fresh out of a gym.
This creates the stereotype of construction workers having these wonderfully sculpted, muscled, ripped bodies.
In real life, it’s rare to see such a physique among that row of construction workers sitting on the ledge eating their lunches while they watch the women walk by. In short, this type of work does not substitute for gym workouts.
Take a look at the vast majority of construction workers for your proof. Not only that, but more and more women are entering this field, and you certainly don’t see these women resembling Mr. World competitors, or even a fraction of that. They look like typical, 5’4, 144 pound ladies.
Men who wish to build muscle mass will typically work a specified group of muscles in a given training session – to failure. This is not what happens in construction.
On the job, the worker tends to use his entire body, many muscles, and certainly not to muscle failure.
It may also be the same muscle movements nearly every day on the job, and the result is quick adaptation by the muscles — and this will not promote muscle growth nearly as much as a focused, highly structured gym workout.
- Your gym workout is designed to build muscle mass.
- This is not the goal of the work being performed by a man building a house.
- The goal there is to build the house or complete the task at hand.
Look at it this way. If you want big mean biceps, what do you have to do? Curls, of course (along with compound exercises that involve biceps activation).
What task on a construction site mimics targeted biceps — and especially triceps — work?
Though construction workers use their biceps to carry heavy items, the mechanics behind this are quite far-removed from what occurs in the gym when targeting the biceps muscles.
What task on the construction site simulates the bench press?
Though there can easily be some construction movements that are similar to the deadlift, bent-over dumbbell row, overhead press, dumbbell squat and farmer’s walk — it’s important that you realize that:
• A construction worker’s movements lack the structure, deliberation and consistency of a weightlifting regimen.
• Methodical repetitions are not performed on the job site.
• Proper form is rarely given much attention.
• The worker’s dominant arm will be doing most of the work, creating imbalance in the shoulder and back.
Though this kind of work can be grueling and burn a whopping amount of calories, it is not conducive to building the big, strong and symmetrical muscles that you seek.
