Dummies guide to weight training

[gleesonisgod]

I was given this workout, covers most of what you need and you can bang it out in 40-50 mins(assuming you have a partner)

ex1 - Barbell bench press 5x5
ex2 - Military Press 5x5
ex3 - Chin ups (Wide grips) 5x5
ex4 - DB Pullovers (5 sets of 10)

90 seconds rest between each exercise and you shouldn't be able to lift much more than 5 reps on ex1 through 4 and prob not even get 5 on the last set.

I've just had knee surgery and cant do anything on my feet so have been doing this every other day for the last couple of weeks and really enjoying it. No need to be doing tons of different exercises on each specific muscle group unless you are really serious about bulking. I'm slowly getting bigger and leaner doing the above and my lifts are increasing too.

Stay away from deadlifts unless you have been very well instructed and have good tekkers, you can crucify your back if you do them wrong.

[RoboProp]

actually can I ask a couple of follow-ons - I'm in the same ballpark as leinster80 in terms of aspirations and do weights on Mon/Wed/Fri - on the 'off' days, should I rest totally? At the minute I do about 45 mins of cardio on Tues & Thurs, and often once over the weekend. Also, very generally, what and when should I eat around gym sessions?

I would do cardio on your days off.
Pre-work out only one thing for you

Show Spoiler:

[johng]

Question one on this thread was. "Do you want to build muscle or just tone up" The guy said "Just tone up"
Then we had a few pages of "how to get as big as a house"

[tate]

Question one on this thread was. "Do you want to build muscle or just tone up" The guy said "Just tone up"
Then we had a few pages of "how to get as big as a house"

no-one suggested juicing so his mammy will still recognize him when he goes home for christmas!!

[RoboProp]

Question one on this thread was. "Do you want to build muscle or just tone up" The guy said "Just tone up"
Then we had a few pages of "how to get as big as a house"

no-one suggested juicing so his mammy will still recognize him when he goes home for christmas!!

Even with gas there is only so big your genetics will let you become....its HGH you'd want for that!

I wouldn't recommend going that route for anyone. So much of it is down to the genes. Effectively, I'm not gonna be able to run the 100m in 10 seconds the same I'm sure Usain Bolt couldn't overhead press 145kg...maybe he can, he's a genetic freak of nature. Ok, gonna stop before accusations of eugenicist start!

[tate]

Question one on this thread was. "Do you want to build muscle or just tone up" The guy said "Just tone up"
Then we had a few pages of "how to get as big as a house"

no-one suggested juicing so his mammy will still recognize him when he goes home for christmas!!

Even with gas there is only so big your genetics will let you become....its HGH you'd want for that!

I wouldn't recommend going that route for anyone. So much of it is down to the genes. Effectively, I'm not gonna be able to run the 100m in 10 seconds the same I'm sure Usain Bolt couldn't overhead press 145kg...maybe he can, he's a genetic freak of nature. Ok, gonna stop before accusations of eugenicist start!

as long as it's for the good of leinster and ireland then selective breeding is ok in my book


is that your press roboprop?

[RoboProp]

I fudged the figures to sound better. Lucky to hit 110kg weights on an Olympic bar these days. Have been under the knife a couple of times. Still can squat fairly heavy, can bench decent enough weight for reps too. Safe to say though Derek Poundstone has nothing to worry about!

He's using the "suicide grip" here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx_dPwQQozc

[leinster80]

Was doing the Chest (lat pulldown) Biceps (curls) and Triceps(pull down rope) today. Can feel I have worked out the triceps all right but not the biceps. If anything the bicep curls I was doing felt like they were working my triceps more. Obviously doing something wrong, was seated on bench and lifted the weights through 95 degrees for 3 sets of 10 reps, taking one arm at a time.

[gleesonisgod]

Was doing the Chest (lat pulldown) Biceps (curls) and Triceps(pull down rope) today. Can feel I have worked out the triceps all right but not the biceps. If anything the bicep curls I was doing felt like they were working my triceps more. Obviously doing something wrong, was seated on bench and lifted the weights through 95 degrees for 3 sets of 10 reps, taking one arm at a time.

I don't think there's any need to do bicep weights, I find your arms naturally get jacked from all the other exercises. Mate of mine with the biggest arms does literally no arm weights. Also, the triceps accounts for about 70 percent of the upper arm's muscle mass.

That said, 21s are great fun. Sleeves up, in the mirror. You know what I'm talkin' 'bout! http://www.ehow.com/how_5008571_execute ... -ones.html

P.S. The lat pulldown does your lats not your chest.......

[leinster80]

That said, 21s are great fun. Sleeves up, in the mirror. You know what I'm talkin' 'bout! http://www.ehow.com/how_5008571_execute ... -ones.html

What would be looking back out of the mirror at me would be nothing to be impressed at.

P.S. The lat pulldown does your lats not your chest.......

Should have said the pec deck, using the lat pulldown to cover my back.

[johng]

Peck Deck is something you pick as 3rd or 4th chest exercise. If you are only doing 1 pick the bench. It's the daddy.

Roboprop is probably recoiling in horror at you not benching.

[RoboProp]

To quote my friend Paul from the documentary "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" -
"If I can outlift everybody, I can out-squat them, out-bench them, out-dead-lift them, who's the king?"

Then again Paul is 50 and lives in his van....

[tate]

To quote my friend Paul from the documentary "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" -
"If I can outlift everybody, I can out-squat them, out-bench them, out-dead-lift them, who's the king?"

Then again Paul is 50 and lives in his van....

jokes on us living in houses then, or have i reached the wrong conclusion.

[RoboProp]

To quote my friend Paul from the documentary "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" -
"If I can outlift everybody, I can out-squat them, out-bench them, out-dead-lift them, who's the king?"

Then again Paul is 50 and lives in his van....

jokes on us living in houses then, or have i reached the wrong conclusion.

I have this strange respect for Paul from the documentary. Yeah, he's pathetic, Yeah, he's deluded, but when its all said and done no matter how bad things may seem...you can always lift!

[tate]

"The iron never lies . . ." i guess

[gleesonisgod]

Aaaybady wonna be a badaybuilda, but don't noboday wonna lift this heavy ass weight!

[The Doc]

Lads - all the above is useful if someone wants to build up. But for toning and weight loss I would be surprised if the above is valid.

The routines above would mean that each muscle group would have a heavy work out once a week - rather than working all the muscle groups at each visit to the gym i.e. 3 times a week. That along wth CV (like swimming) is I assume more likely to improve general muscle tone.

[tate]

you can only have one of the following - large muscles, small muscles or fat. Toning is the maintenance of small muscles but muscles nevertheless

What has been suggested by myself and others as regards deadlifting squatting etc will not suddenly result in some monstrous strongman or international rugby player or bodybuilder like physique. In order to get that big you need to eat like a horse as well as having the genes and the juice. Believe me that wont just happen unless you really want it. And if your mindset is "toning" then it will never happen.

[gleesonisgod]

Lads - all the above is useful if someone wants to build up. But for toning and weight loss I would be surprised if the above is valid.

The routines above would mean that each muscle group would have a heavy work out once a week - rather than working all the muscle groups at each visit to the gym i.e. 3 times a week. That along wth CV (like swimming) is I assume more likely to improve general muscle tone.

The workout I listed above was given to me by a competitive bodybuilder to do in conjunction with a diet and is focussed on fat loss.

[Oldschool]

A word of warning

Before

After