too bad im at the losing weight phase. cuz that shit sounds good.
Monster deals at Sports Authority, sales end tomorrow.
Olympic-sized bench that does decline, incline, flat (of course), military press position, preacher curls, and leg extensions/curls for $125; $150 if you donât have the coupon from Sundayâs advertisement. The bench is Gold Gymâs brand.
Just came back from Sports Authority, lots of equipment at reasonable prices.
Hmmm⌠I have been doing my every other day workouts for a little over a year now and have had some decent gains; but Iâm wondering⌠am I overtraining? All of my workouts are with 40 pound dumbells, should I change my shit up?
Hereâs my workout:
5 Sets, 30 Seconds rest in between, same workout every other day.
10x Curls
10x Upright Row
40x Shrugs (50x on last set)
10x Military Press
10x Butterfly w/ 30 lbs.
This is what I look like currently:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/666/cam08714yg.jpg
I am trying to bulk up more, any advice? I already eat 4 solid meals a day and I usually run to my summer job on my off days. Iâm going to hit the weights in 2 hours.
40 lb. dumbells for every exercise? Do you workout at home? If so, the best thing you can do is get a gym membership. That way, you have more options. I go to 24-Hour-Fitness paying less than $20 a month. The new member fee was 150+, but was worth it. 24-Hour is a good start, but itâs a pretty casual gym. The only reason I go there is because theyâre open 24 hours (not at every location however), and itâs cheap.
If youâre not really sure youâre overtraining, chances are you are not. However 5x10 every other day seems a little overkill.
One last question. Is the routine you posted the only exercises you do?
I have access to a military gym but honestly⌠getting there is a pain in the ass (Fort Myer, right next the Pentagon⌠yeah). 30 min. workouts at home are a breeze and are much more convenient.
The routine I posted are the only exercises I do. I could try the gym thing for a while though and see how that goes. Any routines you have in mind that would add some more bulk?
dial911, you should try getting in tricep exercises, and some squats or deadlifts into your routine. Just one or two more exercises, but itâll cover more muscle groups for you.
At this point, anything with enough resistance and a good diet will provide results. Since youâre limited to working out with 40 lb dumbells, youâre not going to get vary far. How long does it take to get to the military gym? If it takes less than 30 minutes to get there, Iâd go for it.
If/when you do decide to go, take it easy for the first week or two. Since youâre not accustomed to using over 40 lbs., get used to the increased intensity. Stick to a rep range of approximately 8-12. Stick to compound lifts, such as Bench press, Squat, Deadlift, or Shoulder press. A good rule of thumb is, if youâre using alot of weight for that exercise, itâs a good exercise. There are exceptions to this rule such as the leg press (it has its uses however).
If youâre going to stick to working out every other day, cut back on the number of sets. That way, youâre allowing the muscles to recover. Otherwise, youâd see negligible results.
If you are serious about it, check out Arnoldâs Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding:
Itâs a great start for beginners. However, some of the information is outdated, such as Arnoldâs routines (which are brutal). The book covers the majority of lifts that you can do for a particular muscle group(s). All in all, it should get you started on the right path. Visit the bodybuilding dot com forums and articles. There is a wealth of knowledge there.
Talk about odd timing.
I stretched 10 minutes ago and started curling. When I hit 7 (BTW I curl both dumbells at the same time⌠is this a no-no) I felt a sharp pain in my lower left lat. I immediately stopped, put the dumbells down, and took a short steamy shower. It still feels kind of tense as I type this, is this what overtraining feels like? I stretched a little bit and can pinpoint where the pain is; so what now Iâm kind of worried 
âŚno, thatâs not overtraining. Overtraining is CNS failure, not when you strain a muscle. Google it up if you want to know the symptoms. If you think you messed up a lat, it probably means your DB curl form is bad.
You have a lot of problems. If you really want to bulk up, you need to eat and lift heavy. 40 lb dumbbells will not cut it at all. Like people have said, stick to compound exercises when you find a gym.
What else do you need? You need to hit more muscle groups. Youâre not working your quads, calves, lower back, hamstrings, and most of your upper back with that routine. Until you get to a gym, you can get by with lunges, bulgarian squats, DB rows, etc. etc. If youâre really serious about bulking up, you will need heavier weights.
Also, your routine is pretty ludicrous. Find a better one. Look up sample routines like 5x5, HST based programs, Max-OT, etc.
You should not be doing 5 sets of 10 of anythingâŚever. If youâre trying to bulk up, you shouldnât really even be working in the same rep ranges all the time. The old 3x10 routines really have gone out the windows in the last decade.
The only reason youâre probably not overtraining is that 40 lb dumbbells have gotten too light for you at this point. Also, 30 seconds rest between sets isnât enough.
The symptoms for overtraining are a little more obscure and subtle, like lethargy and loss of sleep, sometimes even loss of strengthâŚIMO alot of people overtrain and donât know it. Just sounds like you mightâve pulled something or even a very mild strain.
Curling with both hands simultaneously is not a bad thing, I have clients curl both arms at the same time to save time and keep them moving. Stretching right before you workout, however, is a no noâŚbased on all the recent studies Iâve read. Do warm up sets with light weight on every exerciseâŚthen stretch after youâre finished.
Du Fugitive:
I agree with everything you said for the most part except this:
That depends first on the individual, and second what they are training for. Also, what level of intensity they are using plays a large role in how much rest is requiredâŚalot of people include resting intervals as a variable when periodizing their program. For example:
Week 1: RI 60 seconds, all exercises 4x8
Week 2: RI 120 seconds, 5x5
Week 3: RI 30 seconds, 3x12
Feel me? Itâs a way of increasing the workload without increasing the volume.
Heâs trying to get bigger, not increase his ability to lift for high reps.
30 seconds isnât enough for what heâs going for if heâs doing it all the time and not switching up rest time and rep schemes. Anyhow, I wasnât trying to write a novel. I was trying to get him to do research on his own.
Itâs rare youâll see anyone just rest for 30 seconds either unless theyâre trying to increase lactic acid tolerance or supersetting with another exercise.
And if youâre trying to avoid a catabolic stateâŚwell yeahâŚ
How many people do you see actually time their rest intervals?? How many people do you know personally that use an effective form of periodization?? I know 1, the guy Iâm training. Of course I live in alabama, I think the entire state is about a decade behind the times in more than just resistance training.
Come to think of itâŚhow much different are supersets/dropsets and short resting intervalsâŚis it the muscle that needs the rest or the person?? Either way, I rest for longer than 30 secondsâŚbut short resting intervals are not unheard of and definitely not advocated against in a lot of cases.
Hehe, Iâm a weirdo.
Iâve found that timing it actually shortens my workouts 'cause it keeps me goal-oriented.
I want comment on the â40 pounds wonât cut itâ stuff. Now dial911 looks like he could readily lift more than 40 pounds, but I donât want other people buying into that stuff.
Use the weight that is appropriate to YOU. Following around giants wonât do anything but hurt you.
short rest intervals are the most effective for hypertrophyâŚit is generally around 30-90 seconds for the most effective muscle growthâŚ
im outi
Roberth
2 Questions. First: Does face fat just come off like fat from every other part of your body? Or is there some kind of certain exercise you can do for your face? As weird as that sounds.
As of now I feel like Iâve lost 10lbs of fat. Iâve gained muscle on top of that so Iâm not worried about measuring myself. Itâll probably say the same thing.
I have a routine similar to Dial911. I only have 20 lb dumbells right now but Iâm not trying to build hardcore muscle. Just tone up and lose weight is my first goal.
4 sets, 10 reps of each.
Hammer curls
Concentration curls
Biceps curls
Shoulder press
Front shoulder raise
Side shoulder raise
Shoulder shrug
Butterfly
Some other excersises for my back and chest I donât remember the names of heh.
Also, rest for awhile, then do 30 min of cardio. This is almost everyday. I rest about 3 days out of the week.
Second:Too much? Say for⌠losing weight, tighting up?
Yeah my metabolism is fast, and I eat like 7 to 8 meals a day. Itâs really hard, and fuckin expensive cause eating that much costs a lot. Strange thing is that if I donât eat enough I gain weight.
Where you at chaos?!?!?!?@?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I said I would post some pics, so here they are. Please go easy, as Iâm just getting started, but I do want to get some feedback. I just started lifting and such at the beginning of this year, and have lost over 70 lbs. to date. I wonât even post a before picture, as itâs really bad. Others who post in this thread should put some pics up as well.
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/adonis_minus_20/Flex_1.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/adonis_minus_20/Flex_2.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/adonis_minus_20/Flex_3.jpg
Jim
That faceâŚitâs going to haunt my dreamsâŚJ/KâŚIf I were youâŚI would start trying to put a little mass onâŚit will be easier to cut next time around with the extra muscleâŚ