Anyone know how long it’ll take to see slight changes on my chest? I’ve been working on it, but not overdoing anything. I’m hardly seeing and pecks or any changes. My friend watches me to make sure my form is right so I know I’m not doing anything wrong. What’s the deal? 
Thank you for the detailed recommendations, I really appreciate it!
Thank you for your suggestion, I’m going to learn more about why I should be doing these things.
Thank you for your suggestions and encouragement! You’re right, it’s not easy starting out with this, and I have a lot to learn about it.
Thanks again, I’m going incorporate these ideas into my workouts!
Jim
You’re exactly right…But hell, I learn new stuff ALL the time…and I can’t begin to impart everything I know in this thread…it would take up at least a couple pages…Experience is a great teacher too…if he just reads up a lil every night and keeps working out he should be alright…just trying to give him a good start…I never got one…
What’s the consensus on bodypart splits versus this whole movement thing?
Guy who works at the gym at school recommends working out 4 days a week, chest/shoulders - back/legs - off - chest/shoulders - back/legs, doing abs about 2 times a week.
Thoughts?
I don’t know about the general consensus…but 4 days a week is enough…working out 5 on 2 off doesn’t really allow for proper CNS recovery. If ur lifting weights for an hour to an hour and a half a day for 5 days straight…you are more than likely overtraining something.
The guy who works at ur gym’s workout is flawed though and is in fact a body part split. It should be chest/shoulders/back…legs…off…chest/shoulders/back…legs…off…off…There are other variations but this one is what I use and like very much.
The reason his split is flawed is because shoulders are ACTUALLY getting worked all 4 days…when you work back ur shoulders do carry a load via shoulder adduction and external rotation. Workouts like that and certain other body part splits are what create shoulder imbalances/overtrained shoulders/overworked rotators which later lead to injury.
And if by “movement thing” you mean training movement planes instead of bodyparts…ur talking about a valuable lesson most have not/will not learn.
“If you are still training body parts and not movements then you have missed a significant amount of information on resistance training over the last ten years”
-Mike Boyle
“Working out a muscle once a week is dumb…do you eat once a week? Sleep once a week?? etc…”
-Alwyn Cosgrove
On a side note…I remember a while back I came here to learn and now I’m giving advice…heh. I hope it’s decent advice…lol…
Dude results take TIME…lots of it…even on steroids…I couldn’t see big differences from week to week…looking at old pictures was the best indicator for me…not the mirror. Secondly…I must ask are you training for size or strength?? Your routine may be geared towards a little bit of both or you might be training more for strength without knowing…post ur workout in detail…if you don’t have a set program, that may be ur first problem. Another thing that people lack in programs nowadays I can sum up in one word…
PERIODIZATION.
I’ve said this a few times and no ones even ASKED what the HELL this is. (kinda glad cuz it’s hard as fuck to describe in detail the different variations)
Well, I’ve been doing bench press, inclined barbell chest press, and an ab machine -> not sure how to describe it, it’s like put your arms spread up, inside of elbows make 90 degree angles and i press towards my face.
I try not to focus completely on my chest so the rest of me doesn’t get out of wack. :sad:
I need a little more detail…number of sets, reps per set…are you training to failure…rest between sets…
Are you saying you use the ab machine for a chest exercise?? Or you work abs on chest day??
Cuz if ur training for size and relative strength…reps should be higher (8-12) rest intervals can be as low as 45-90 seconds between sets. And I personally believe in low volume, moderate intensity, high frequency programs for size.
I try to for 4 sets, 10 each, I rest probably 5 minutes at most if I felt like I really pushed myself.
Bleh, ignore the ab machine comment cause I worded it really bad. It’s basically arms up and I close my arms towards my face. I start with my arms 90 degrees (L’s), hands near ears.
I work on my chest maybe twice a week, 3 at most.
so in a weeks time ur doing 24 sets for just chest, maybe 36?? That’s a little much…higher frequency routines (hitting muscles multiple times in a week) are not body part splits…they are push pull splits or total body routines or upper/lower body splits…also with high frequency routines the volume is usually lower.
The rep scheme is fine…stay around 8-12 reps if ur goal is size…but if you are training for muscular hypertrophy you’ve got to cut those resting intervals in half at least…You may have to drop the weight on the 3rd or 4th set…HELL maybe even the second set, I’ve done it before…but REMEMBER we’re training for SIZE. You are not trying to see how much weight you can push.
Also…time is still a key factor here…I see dipshits grow doing the dumbest workouts in the gym, not that what you are doing is dumb. A good diet and consistency help tremendously.
Good luck man…I know I didn’t give you a lot to work with…just keep it up and eat the house…you will grow.
Thanks man, it’s all good. I’m just looking for pointers for improvement. I’m just trying to increase strength, increasing some size would be a plus.
Should I do only one work out (like bench) one day, then another day barbell chest press to keep it at a minimum?
I have read a lot on this thread and I need some advice from you guys.
I am 5’6
I joined the gym/circuit trainning 3 months ago and right now I don’t have a solid workout plan. I just go there and do threadmill or stepers and the bicycle one for almost than an hour. I divide my time from machine to machine. I do a lot of weights for my arms and I have seen results, especially for my biceps brachii and triceps.
My main goal is to get bigger arms. I have muscle on my legs since I have played soccer all my life. I want to get more triceps, and biceps brachii, and chest of course. These are my main goals.
Any advice on repetitions? I have 2 hours, free, to workout.
One of the biggest questions I have is, how much should I be lifting? How do I know if I am lifting the right weight for getting bigger muslces? What are the signs of overtrainning?
I workout 4 days a week for almost two hours.
Any help or suggestions, further info, post it up.
Thanks in advance guys.
Ryu
4 days might be a little too much since it’s almost 2 hours you get to work out. I do 3 days for 1 1/2 hrs and work out legs, biceps, triceps, and chest. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday then other days are for muscles to rest.
For biceps, curling is always good, and if you want them to be harder, do concentrated curls. Chest, bench pressing is a good thing to pick up. Last few posts between MagnusMadness and I talk a bit about chest. For triceps, do military press and there’s most likely a machine in your gym you can use. Try for to do 4 sets, repping at least 8 times (I do 10). Before doing that, find weight ranges you’re comfortable with repping. You might be able to do a high weight at first, but repping it is a different story.
Ask MagnusMadness for more details on getting bigger and what not. He can give some tips on dieting and other things.
hey, got a quick question for you guys. I read somewhere (not in this forum, some other fitness forum) a while ago that your abs are genetical, as in they are born the way they are. I’ve been doing some crunches for a while and I have something like a 7 pack, with 4 muscles on the right side and 3 on the left. Is there actually a way to change this to a 6 pack? I think I am working out both sides evenly. I only do sit ups like twice a week, usually until I feel a burn. I did them just for exercising and not expecting any good results but now I want to know if I can change how my abs look.
Thanks.
btw: I am new to working out 
Nope. Some people are just like that. You can’t change it.
So it’s better to work out chest/shoulders/back all in one day?
Very interesting, thanks MagnusMadness. Where can I look into training movement planes, and some good workout plans?
Movement planes is a very simple concept…If I’m working upper body and using movements on a vertical plane…then my workout will start with say a vertical push…military press…then a vertical pull…pull ups…then another vertical push…dips maybe…and another vertical pull…maybe upright rows…see how it’s even? See the balance?? I’m not necessarily targeting body parts but movement planes…
Now if I’m training legs…I will want the same balance between hip dominant and quad dominant exercises…quad dominant…back squat…hip dominant…Stiff legged deadlifts…quad dominant…leg press…hip dominant…hyper extensions/reverse hypers/leg curls/etc etc…
About training chest/shoulders/back all in one day…I do total upper body in one day…twice a week…and legs twice a week. Think about this…everytime you pick up a weight in ur hand for an upper body movement…you use ur forearms…ur bi’s or tri’s…prolly at least one of the 3 delts and either ur chest or ur back…Then consider the fact that most people think 2-3 hours in the gym is cool…5-6 days a week. Now think about all the people who aren’t getting stronger fast enough…and aren’t seeing results…start getting lethargic/burnt out and quit…any correlation between the two??
Since I went to upper/lower body splits…I have no tenderness in my elbows anymore…no tendonitis in my forearms anymore…and hopefully my back is improving with every new day.
But I’m in no position to tell anyone what’s “better.” I have nowhere near the experience I need to make such a statement…I know what I’ve done and what I’ve tried and what I like and what makes sense.
As for a good place to learn how to design ur own training split…IronMagazineForums.com…go to the training section and read the stickies…they are VERY informative.
4 days a week is fine…but working out over an hour is too much…ur either doing too many sets/exercises or are resting too long between sets…keep ur workouts short and intense…under an hour if you can.
I know you want big arms and a big chest…but your workouts have got to be balanced if you want to grow optimally…and you won’t look silly either…don’t forget to workout ur back and legs…I don’t care how muscular they are now.
A few signs of overtraining might be loss of strength…having trouble sleeping at night…lethargy…overtraining can also lead to weak or injured tendons/ligaments.
When training for size use weights that allow you to do 8-12 reps each set…resting intervals between sets should be no more than 2 minutes and you also need to be eating every 3 hours…this will make the biggest differences in ur progress IMHO.
Thanks a lot man. I will sure practice this. Thanks for the advice Magnus. You know, I sometimes feel very “owned” by my muscles and can’t workout that well. I think I have been over training. The eating pattern you described is good because I only eat twice a day and they are moderate meals. Any recommendations on what to eat? I eat everything, so any recommendations are good. I read that those protein shakes are good. I might start drinking those for some proteins.
Thanks a lot for your help man. I appreciate it.
Ryu
Just to explain a little further on what I think you are saying…
At my gym, they highly recommend you never do both upper and lower body on the same day if you work out 5 or more times a week. One day is cardio and upper and the next is cardio and lower, and so on and so forth. Alternating is key.
The reason is your muscles need time to heal. If you do both everyday consistently, then there is no healing time and you are pretty much walking around with weakened and fucked up muscles. They need time to recover.
I’ve heard that if you get a headache after working out, which I sometimes do, then you have overdone yourself. Not sure if this is true or not.
I’ve also heard that if you are hungry after working out, then you have overdone it.
that is problay the most stupid thing ive ever heard, so you dont get hungry when your not lifting weights?
I think youve been picking on hear say in the gym which is bad, it points people in the wrong direction and they go off training only hurting them selfs(I have done this).
getting headaches after working out that means you have seriously gone to far, theirs no need for you to be passing out after youve been in the gym.
how long do you spend in the gym? how much reps and weights are you lifting? without you telling me I can say youre doing more than you need too, dont try to rush things in time it will come just keep it going every week.
you should eat aleast an hour before you go gym then eat again straight away afterwards, these are key moments in your growth.
Ryumexicano eat tuna/chicken
eating subway everyday?? hmm for weight loss i dont think that would be helpful im not sure because I dont go there, I took any kind of out door food/takeaways/sandwich shops out of my diet completley, I like to be in control so i know exactly what calories im getting, I would say you should check just how many calories their are in the sandwich your eating, but wouldnt it be better if you made your own.
sorry I cant be a bit more informative with that.