Lifting Weights? (1 Viewer)

[Tom-G]

I'm getting the urge to return to weight training. I haven't lifted weights for approximately six years. I gave up because after one and a half years, I wasn't seeing any gains in muscle mass.
Now that I've decided that I'm going to start again, I need to do some research so that I maximize my workouts and maintain the desire to keep going.
Does anyone here lift weights? If so, are there any good websites for research? I'm going to start my search shortly, but I'd love to discuss this with fellow HTF'ers too.
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As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day. --Roger Ebert on The Phantom Menace
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[Steve Christou]

I used to lift weights Tom, back in my younger days, never that serious about it, but it kept my body trim and supple and rippling with muscles (jeez I'm turning myself on here), but I got bored of it and became the lazy sod I am now, I lost definition since, but I haven't gone blind, no I mean I still look ok, but you know if I fell forward I'd bounce right back up, no just kidding, if I became a fat slob Sandra baby would walk out the door and never come back, yep thats true love for you fellas!

Now the only time I lift something heavy is when I go to the bathroom, that toilet seat weighs a ton!
Tom, I bet you dreaded seeing my post come up, now you are dreading even more Eric Scott's incomprehensible followup post, hold your breath, its coming, head for the hills everyone....

 

[Tom-G]

Tom, I bet you dreaded seeing my post come up

No Steve, I quite enjoy your posts! This one was no different!

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As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day. --Roger Ebert on The Phantom Menace
AIM: Aureus91 / DVDs / ICQ: 58566493

 

[Tom Rags]

Tom-
I have been lifting weights since high school, and I consider myself to be "relatively" knowledgable. I used to throw the shotput and discus in high school (and part of college), and my old coach was the throwing coach on the '96 US Olympic team. He was one huge dude.
He started me a lifting program that was AWESOME. It is built towards "making you bigger." The question is whether or not you are looking to just get bigger or be be in overall "better shape." So you must decide whether you want to go heavier (get bigger) or lighter (more endurance).
If you are looking to get bigger, here is a good program:
For Bench Press:
Day 1: Max out to see where you stand. Doesn't have to be a lot. It could be 95 lbs (bar and 2 25 lb plates). It doesn't matter. You are just looking to see where you stand.
From then on: 3 or 4 days / week. Do the following:
Monday: 70% of max 6 sets of 4 repetitions
Tuesday: 70% of max 6 sets of 3 reps
Thurs: 70% of max 6 sets of 4 reps
Fri: 70% of max 6 sets of 3 reps
Every month, remax and continue to work out with the above program. Days are flexible, and you need to take days off to let your body recover. This allows you to get stronger.
Also, after benching, perform the following circuit:
3 sets of 8 reps- Lat pull down
3 sets of 8 reps- military press
3 sets of 8 reps-inclined bench
3 sets of 8 reps- curling (use the bench! this way you don't use your back)
3 sets of 8 reps-delt curls
etc, etc. Check with someone at the gym to see more. Make sure you change up these other excercises at least every few months.
There are a few more VERY important points to consider:
Don't ever get intimidated by others in the gym. Go at your own pace. Be prepared to see guys who are benching with 3 plates on each side. Be prepared to see some women who might out-bench you. Don't let that bother you. Stay the course, and soon your weights will grow in size. Check your ego at the door and do your best. Showing up is 75% of the battle.
If you have never seriously lifted weights (and even if it has just been awhile), have someone at the gym show you the correct motions for each excercise. It is counter-productive to do a heavier weight if you are lifting incorrectly. This is dangerous and doesn't help much anyway (i.e., don't use your back, make sure to breath, etc).
Also, try to do at least 10-15 minutes on the treadmill after you lift. Even if it is just a brisk walk, get your heart pumping. This is very important. Then, hit the showers! East a protein bar and drink some gatorade! Feel damn good about yourself!
Most importantly, don't give up. It is soooooo easy to get out of the habit. Make yourself do it. Even if you only go two days a week, this is better than 90% of the population, and you will look and feel much healthier and better about yourself.
Hang in there, and feel free to regurgitate this thread if you ever have questions you may be emberrased to ask at the gym (trust me, it happens! Especially with so many attractive levels of spandex about

Good luck!

 

[Eric Scott]

that toilet seat weighs a ton

Why don’t you wait until Sandra gets up?
Tom, you probably know the best gyms around your town, you just need to get started with good trainer. (Tom Rags) offered you a lot of great advice. The most important thing is to pump up your enthusiasm. Below is an example of what I mean from a post I wrote a few days ago about creating energy.
Mike, I don't usually contradict or start a rift with a Mod, (and I do agree with you about speakers.) But I was once in the gym at the end of a workout and was staring at 280lb. that was about to collapse on my chest. I’m grimacing, grunting and my arms are shaking when suddenly I look up and this sexy voluptuous trainer in a body stocking is leaning over my face and says, "Need a little help?"
Man, I pushed that weight up and down 3 more times in about 2 seconds, and I said, "Yeah, can you put on another 20 pounds?"

 

[Tim Markley]

Tom_G - If you didn't notice any gains in muscle mass after a year and a half you were definitely doing something wrong. I was a pretty serious lifter four about 6 years but haven't lifted the last 5 years. I've often thought about starting again but I just can't seem to motivate myself the same as I used to. Tom Rags gave you some great advice. If you want to build mass, do more weight with less reps. If you want to add definition, do less weight with more reps. To see results, you've got to stay on a regular schedule. I definitely recommend trying to find a workout partner. It helps to have someone else pushing you so that it's not as easy to slack off. Good luck and don't forget to show us the Before and After pictures!

[Edited last by Tim Markley on October 10, 2001 at 09:47 PM]

 

[Chuck C]

Tom, I lift weights very seriously...in fact, I bit the bullet, and I worked with a personal trainer for 12 weeks this summer.
I do it for the ladies.
Anyway, how bout the trusty split routine? If you have good lifting genetics, willing to go through with soreness, and spending more on food, go for it. Here's what I do in a nutshell....
Monday: Chest/Triceps
Tuesday: Back/Abs
Wednesday: Legs/Arms
Thursday: Shoulders/Abs
One week of rest, then hit up the chest and tri's again the following monday making sure to do different exercises within the category. Each day should last between 45min and 1 hr.
Eating: refer to http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum2/HTML/004516.html
[Edited last by Chuck C on October 13, 2001 at 06:01 PM]

 

[Tom-G]

First off, thanks for the reponses, guys!

If you didn't notice any gains in muscle mass after a year and a half you were definitely doing something wrong.

Tim, I wasn't clear in my post. That was my fault. What I meant to convey was that I stopped seeing gains after about 9 months.
I went from 182 pounds (bodyfat unknown) to 193 with 12.5% bodyfat. I'm 5'11. After that, my routnie became just that--routine. I didn't enjoy it anymore because I wasn't seeing the gains. I felt like I was just going through the motions, almost in futility.
The goal I have is to shed fat, not neccesarily weight, and increase muscle mass. I'm not going for Schwarzenegger-type size, but I do want to add definition.
Genetically, I'm very fortunate because I am very capable of gaining muscle. In contrast, I had a friend who lifted with me. He was 6'2 and rail-thin. He gained strenght and some mass during the time we trained together, but no where near what I was attaining.
I have the potential, now I just need the desire. I'm going to search for a good gym, but the problem is there aren't too many in close proximity to where I live. The closest one is probably 10 miles from my house, but like I said, I have to find out if there one closer.
Let me ask you guys this--how much cardio do you do? I would like to incorporate at least three days dedicated to jogging/walking/stairclimbing to help shed the fat. The only problem is, I like to really work out my legs and I usually can't even walk briskly for a couple of days after.
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As for the bad rap about the characters--hey, I've seen space operas that put their emphasis on human personalities and relationships. They're called "Star Trek" movies. Give me transparent underwater cities and vast hollow senatorial spheres any day. --Roger Ebert on The Phantom Menace
AIM: Aureus91 / DVDs / ICQ: 58566493

 

[paul_v]

If you want to shed fat try the supplement hydroxycut (available at GNC). I've been using it for three weeks and working out and also lessoned my sugar intake and i can see a noticable decrease of my gut and I dont do too many ab workouts which I should. If I did more ab workouts I would deffinately see much better improvements. Even without the ab improvements I had to loosen my belt a notch already =)
Anyways Hydroxycut is one of those fat burners. I was skeptical at first but the GNC guy said it was their hottest selling item. Everytime I went to buy some they were sold out. Go to http://www.hydroxycut.com/HydroxycutInfo.asp for info on it.
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[Chuck C]

0 cardio.
My trainer believes in starving the fat and feeding the muscle, and that's exactly what's happened to me. It might be different for guys over 30 or 40, but for a 20 yr old punk like me, I feel great...I feel great when I wake up, and I feel great when I go to bed; I'm never long winded or feel any different than the days when I used to jog. 0 cardio comes with a price, however...no saturated fat! It WAS tough, but I can honsetly look at a slice of pizza, fast food, and donuts and say to myself, yuck, I'd rather stick a knife in my aorta. The 0 cardio/all lean muscle building routine has been convenient and fun, and moreover, it has been incredibly effective.
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Chuck
http://www.hometheaterinsider.com

 

[Brian Harnish]

Chuck- The link in your above post doesn't work.
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- Brian
My DVD Collection
Want Sliders on DVD? Then please SIGN the petition!

 

[Paul_D]

1) How much protein-rich food should you be eating if you want to gain size?
2) Does it make much difference to gaining size if you:
a) having worked out in the eving, eat loads of protein about an hour afterwards, and some before bed, then some more in the morning, then none until after your next work out (probably the following evening). or b) spread the protein consumption very evenly over the time between work-outs (including getting up in the middle of the night!)?
2) Is it OK health-wise to be eating beef as a source of protein (1 or 2 times a week)?
3) I've heard it said a lot that no session should last more than 1 hour 30 minutes. Is this just that you won't remain motivated if you make it longer than this, or is there some hidden health risk in spending more time than that in the gym?
4) What proportion of cardio to weights should you do in a week. My doctor said you should do an equal amount, but it usually ends up being more like 10 parts weights to 1 part cardio!
5) How often should you change your workout, and when you do, how much should you change - i.e. should you scrap all exercises, and instate all new ones, or should you just change a couple?
6) I've been working very regularly for about a year, and for the last couple of months, though I've seen specific muscles grow bigger and stronger, I haven't really seen any weight increase (body weight not lifting weight). Why?
7) I'm finding the Delts really difficult to make bigger. And they look separated, relative to others in the gym. On some people they look like a continuous string of threads going across the shoulder, but on me, they're like three smallish clumps of muscle. Any idea how to change/improve this?
Thanks to anyone that can suggest answers to any of these questions!
[Edited last by Paul Dalmaine on October 13, 2001 at 05:56 PM]

 

[Chuck C]

1) 1-2 grams of protein per pound of muscle, 3k-4k calories/day (you need carbs, but not to many, to help the muscles recoop)... goes for everyday! even non-lift days!
2) feed the muscles right after the workout and work on that 200+ grams throughout the day, maybe take down a shake before bed
2b) by all means, eat beef, lotta protein!...lean steaks (filet mingon, ny strip) and arbys are still in my diet
3) If you lift correctly and effectively, all it takes is about 1 hour to fatigue the muscles
4) subjective imho
5) I change my exercises around every week making sure to hit different stimuli throughout the weeks. For example, I may do bench press and not do it again for about 3 weeks. Instead, I'll do flat bench with dumbells in between weeks. The range of excersizes per muscle group should be between two and four. In other words, 2-4 diferent chest exercises and 2-4 tricep exercises on chest/tri's days. There are many exercises for each muscle group, so hittin a new stimulus each week isn't a prob.
6) Your body fat is decreasing in proportion to lean muscle mass increases. If your crazy enough and go by the book, you'll gain only about 5-7 lbs of muscle and will have lost 5 lbs of fat in 18 weeks (usually the fat loss occurs immediately).
7) Sounds partially genetic to me, but it also sounds like you need to introduce some new exercises. Here are all the different shoulder excercises on my schedule: military press, military dumbbell, military behind head with bar, standing military with bar, standing military with dumbbells, standing lateral raises (grab dumbbells and keeping your arm slightly bent, raise from side until arm is parallel with the ground), seated alternating lateral raises, upright row (grab bar, thumb's length grip from center, raise bar up to your chin), bent over lateral raise, lateral raise from sides to in front of your face, combo of the last two and standing lateral raises (superset), upright row with cables, alternating lateral raises with cable, military press machine, even dips on chest tri days help define the delts, and while we're talkin about shoulders, don't forget shoulder shrugs (don't roll shoulders, straight up in down)...reverse shoulder shrugs (bar behind), regular shoulder shrug, dumbbell shoulder shrug. You might want to invest in straps for picking up that heavy bar so you don't shred your hands to pieces! I think that's about it for shoulders. You're lucky I even said anything!
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Chuck
http://www.hometheaterinsider.com
[Edited last by Chuck C on October 13, 2001 at 06:34 PM]
[Edited last by Chuck C on October 13, 2001 at 06:52 PM]

 

[Jerome Grate]

I use to be a pretty good weight lifter, in fact in those days I was nicknamed the fire hydrant. I was able to obtain some good muscle mass and even with the weight gain, when I wear certain shirts the pythons are still noticeable. But the idea is to be patient. In the beginning I felt like you and thought I would never gain. I worked out, found myself asking the big boys what am I doing wrong, why is it that I'm not getting any muscle mass, yes the same questions you are asking. A year and half later I became the guy every one asking questions and it went from me saying boy I wish I was your size to hearing someone else say all they need to do is to get to my size.
Some muscles just grow faster than others, for example, your triceps is probably the first set of muscles you will see improvement in. Your triceps are actually contracted when your arms are down and at rest when you flex your biceps. Shoulder's give pretty quick results in size and in definition. Biceps can go both ways, because too so many people that the one muscle they want to see grow right away for intimidation, good looks etc. I found that most people will work the hell out of their biceps and do every intended excersise and then some, but will compromise on other not so fun body parts like abs, legs. The back is also a fast growing area upper and lower. However the lower back needs care and to this day since I've done some real good work with the lower back, I find bending over and lifting to be some what a breeze.
Be mindful of your protein intake, if you stop working out that can be very bad in reference to unwanted weight gain, but I found that the protein powders after a good work out was beneficial. I've always thought the basic Joe Weider's Protein Powder mixed in Orange Juice (vanilla) did it for me. Also Carb drinks before substantial lifting like bench presses gave me the extra edge I needed to get that extra rep off with higher weight. The last thing I was able to bench was around 305 and that was last year. Hope this helps and sorry it's long.
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ONCE, I CONSIDERED SPARING YOUR RETCHED LITTLE PLANET CYBERTRON, NOW.., YOU SHALL WITNESS IT'S
DISMEMBERMENT...

 

[Chuck C]

Listen to Gerome...he's right on. patience is key!
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Chuck
http://www.hometheaterinsider.com

 

[Derrik Draven]

As far as strength goes, genetics WILL have alot to do with where you end up. Granted, you can help tilt the odds in your direction and go against the genetic grain but, at some point I don't think anyone can bust through the genetic barrier.
Case in point - my chest is pretty well developed. One of my best friends has been very strong since we were little kids. His chest is nothing to look at. He was commenting at the gym one day that he was pissed that I have a well defined chest and he does not, even after all the working out he does.
BUT...on a good day I can bench about 300lbs. On a good day he does 415. I'm not even in his league...

He apparently got the genetic code that allows for much stronger muscles, naturally.
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"...better to have a gun and not need it than to need a gun and not have it". - Slater, True Romance