Exercising - Weight Lifting

[qwerty]

Just wanted to share that I've been exercising hard for about 2 months now.....staying with it is the key. I feel a TON better, I've joined a gym.....run a warm-up mile, do upper or lower body weightlifting, then run 2 more miles to finish. Alternate upper and lower body lifting nightly. 5 nights a week. Enjoy!

 

[azad]

Im considering taking up Weightlifting or Powerlifting..Ive been looking a the new Kettle bells weights,may try em...cool links guys..great routine Happytree..cheers

qwerty good routine you got the key..ATB...azad..

 

[qwerty]

Also, if anyone has a Planet Fitness around them, I seriously recommend you check them out if you're thinking about joining a gym. Can't beat 'em.

 

[GrowerGoneWild]

Also, if anyone has a Planet Fitness around them, I seriously recommend you check them out if you're thinking about joining a gym. Can't beat 'em.

Ah, to each their own..

Its supercheap to join up, I'll give em that.

But I'm not a gerbil, the PF's near me have TONS of cardio but very little in the way of freeweights, I mean really the dumbell rack only goes up to 85LBS.

I only go there because I go with this hot little blonde that invites me to go workout with her, and the guests are free.

The no grunting policy/no dropped weights is bullshit. If I knock out a set of 21's. Those things just hurt, and to be shamed into being buzzed.. fuck that.

Alot of people like it tho'... lots of honeys running around, its a little more social.

 

[HossCartwright]

I was a competitive power lifter and body builder in my late teens and early 20's. Strength training is AWESOME. Here are a few morsels of knowledge that I retained from many years of training.

1) Train hard, not long. A workout should take 30-45 min not including cardio, no longer. Your body can't keep it going beyond this point and still train at the level you need to be at. This means you should only be taking 15-30 seconds to rest MAX between sets.

2) Don't overtrain! This means you should only work each muscle group twice a week. If you still have lactic acid buildup (muscle soreness) from your previous workout, in the body part you are currently working, you are destroying muscle mass! Example workout schedule for strength training:

Day1=back/chest Day2=quads/hamstrings/calves Day3= shoulders/abs Day4=biceps/triceps Days5/6 OFF, Day7 Repeat

3) Super Set! For example, work your biceps on the same day as your triceps and do 1 set of bicep curls, then, instead of resting between sets you go straight to a set of tricep extensions. Another example would be on Back/Chest day, you could do a set of bench pressing and then go right into a set of upright rows before taking a 15-20 second rest. This technique really helps keep your workouts short and sweet.

4) Use only free weights and mix it up between dumbbells and barbells. Exercise machines just don't give you the results of free weights. With machines you can cheat and not isolate the muscle groups as well as with free weights. For an even greater level of muscle isolation use dumbbells. You can completely isolate a muscle group with dumbbells. But you should not cut out barbells, they are great for increasing strength and power, which are both critical to being well rounded.

Hopefully somebody will benefit from this info.

 

[Mr.Meds]

You want lean muscle mass? then CALISTHENICS and body-weight exercises are the way to go. Hand-stand push-ups. Hill sprints, Hindu Squats, one leg squats, Hindu Pushups, Pull ups...Anything High-Intensity. Like Hoss said, train hard not long. Eat clean foods and don't give yourself gout from eating too much protein If you can't do a full planche yet then there is no reason to be lifting weights.

 

[dkmonk]

I dont weight train everyday but I usually do pushups lots of them everyday, and chin ups, arm curls too, and go to the actual gym maybe 2-3 times a week and I look pretty damn good.

I am training to pass a test so I can get into pararescue in the Air Force, the only hard thing for me is running, I flat out am slow and have no endurance, and need to be able to run 1.5 miles in 9 minutes 10 at the most, also swim 500 meters in 9-10 minutes.

 

[Voodoo]

I was a competitive power lifter and body builder in my late teens and early 20's. Strength training is AWESOME. Here are a few morsels of knowledge that I retained from many years of training.

1) Train hard, not long. A workout should take 30-45 min not including cardio, no longer. Your body can't keep it going beyond this point and still train at the level you need to be at. This means you should only be taking 15-30 seconds to rest MAX between sets.

2) Don't overtrain! This means you should only work each muscle group twice a week. If you still have lactic acid buildup (muscle soreness) from your previous workout, in the body part you are currently working, you are destroying muscle mass! Example workout schedule for strength training:

Day1=back/chest Day2=quads/hamstrings/calves Day3= shoulders/abs Day4=biceps/triceps Days5/6 OFF, Day7 Repeat

3) Super Set! For example, work your biceps on the same day as your triceps and do 1 set of bicep curls, then, instead of resting between sets you go straight to a set of tricep extensions. Another example would be on Back/Chest day, you could do a set of bench pressing and then go right into a set of upright rows before taking a 15-20 second rest. This technique really helps keep your workouts short and sweet.

4) Use only free weights and mix it up between dumbbells and barbells. Exercise machines just don't give you the results of free weights. With machines you can cheat and not isolate the muscle groups as well as with free weights. For an even greater level of muscle isolation use dumbbells. You can completely isolate a muscle group with dumbbells. But you should not cut out barbells, they are great for increasing strength and power, which are both critical to being well rounded.

Hopefully somebody will benefit from this info.

Sounds like you and I would get along quite well Good advice!

 

[HossCartwright]

Sounds like you and I would get along quite well Good advice!

Right on man. And it appears we're even growing the same number of plants. I can has 24 plants too.

 

[etinarcadiaego]

I was a competitive power lifter and body builder in my late teens and early 20's. Strength training is AWESOME. Here are a few morsels of knowledge that I retained from many years of training.

1) Train hard, not long. A workout should take 30-45 min not including cardio, no longer. Your body can't keep it going beyond this point and still train at the level you need to be at. This means you should only be taking 15-30 seconds to rest MAX between sets.

2) Don't overtrain! This means you should only work each muscle group twice a week. If you still have lactic acid buildup (muscle soreness) from your previous workout, in the body part you are currently working, you are destroying muscle mass! Example workout schedule for strength training:

Day1=back/chest Day2=quads/hamstrings/calves Day3= shoulders/abs Day4=biceps/triceps Days5/6 OFF, Day7 Repeat

3) Super Set! For example, work your biceps on the same day as your triceps and do 1 set of bicep curls, then, instead of resting between sets you go straight to a set of tricep extensions. Another example would be on Back/Chest day, you could do a set of bench pressing and then go right into a set of upright rows before taking a 15-20 second rest. This technique really helps keep your workouts short and sweet.

4) Use only free weights and mix it up between dumbbells and barbells. Exercise machines just don't give you the results of free weights. With machines you can cheat and not isolate the muscle groups as well as with free weights. For an even greater level of muscle isolation use dumbbells. You can completely isolate a muscle group with dumbbells. But you should not cut out barbells, they are great for increasing strength and power, which are both critical to being well rounded.

Hopefully somebody will benefit from this info.

Very good advice. I'll add give periodization a try. That's a little more long term though I suppose.

It helped me get past the "wall" where I was stuck at getting over 190lbs.

 

[xfargox]

Dunno if anyone has recommended it, but:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

Using the program with squat/deadlift/bench and squat/power clean/press and GOMAD, I gained 25 lb in 2 months. And I could have done a lot better, too.

I highly recommend it for skinny guys. Plus, it's an excuse to smoke weed for the munchies

For those looking to cut, I recommend Crossfit or Beachbody Insanity. I used the latter and holy shit. I played sports in high school and I wish I did BBI to get in shape for them. It's not just some "8 minute abs" workout. It's just a video containing a widely accepted principle in conditioning these days (HIIT, Crossfit uses it too).

But yeah, that starting strength website is more information than most will need. All of it's practical and FREE (though I recommend you buy Starting Strength)!

Edit: And I agree with the train hard, not long, principle. That's what SS and HIIT are founded upon. In both, I'm in and out within an hour. I was resting 90s in between sets for SS and I was finishing in about 40-50 minutes. Training longer than an hour works against your body no matter what your goal is.

 

[grasper]

You want lean muscle mass? then CALISTHENICS and body-weight exercises are the way to go. Hand-stand push-ups. Hill sprints, Hindu Squats, one leg squats, Hindu Pushups, Pull ups...Anything High-Intensity. Like Hoss said, train hard not long. Eat clean foods and don't give yourself gout from eating too much protein If you can't do a full planche yet then there is no reason to be lifting weights.

love this advice, this is how it's done.

stopped serious lifting in 2007; started up the p90x the other week
and it's kickin my ass i love it.
plus trips to the park each night for freestyle strength