Gym? working out?

21

Honestly, I beleive its best to strike a balance between high reps and weight… And don’t worry you wont become a meath-head just if u do low reps with heavy muscles. You would need an insane quantity of protein, about 1grap per pound or more! I tried it once it was insane…

So try this… take a weight and do as much as you can… if you can do more that 20… get more weight… once you arrive to 15-16… remeber the weight. So when you do the exercise… first do a lighter load so you can do about 15-16 reps… then add weight and drop to about 11-13 reps… and the for the third set add again… and drop to a 8-10 reps…

That should do it… and work a single muscle about twice, not more that three times unless you think its hyper-important, if not its probobly wasted…

22

I play football mostly to keep in shape. Used to do dancing everyday which helped too. Occasionally I do go to the gym when I remember / feel like it… :slight_smile:

23

cool thanks, i’ve been doing this for almost 15 weeks now. i don’t know, i gotta start rollerblading every day after this week. all my school projects are due this week or next week. ewwwwwwww.

24

I go to the GYM 4-5 times a week.

I would be the “meathead” that dan refered to.

I am big into getting big.

25

I am happier with the flexibility that dancing gives you… :slight_smile:

26

ooooooooooh and yoga!!! i love yoga.

27

Yep… I did Pilates for three years, which works wonders. :slight_smile:

28

i need to buy a bench press.
kajinku , how much was your equip?

29

for some reason i couldn’t get into pilates. it’s too slow for me.

30

It also cripples you. First time I did it, felt fine for the rest of the day, woke up next morning and all my stomach muscles were in excruciating pain. Ouch.

You do get used to it though, and it does give you killer abs. :beam:

31

*Originally posted by redViper *
**i need to buy a bench press.
kajinku , how much was your equip? **

Well, I first went to a Decathlon store (large sport equipment store) to see how much the bench + weights would cost. It was something like 250 euros (approx. $ 250 US). Then I looked on Ebay.be and saw the very same bench and weights + some extra weights for 200 euros. So I bought it second hand, from a guy that needed the place for a baby room. He had the equipment 3 months or so. It’s all very basic stuff, but it does the trick.

The equipment I have is:

Weights: 4 x 10kg, 4 x 5kg, 4 x 2kg, 4 x 1kg and 8 x 0,5kg
Extra weights: 2 x 20kg, 2 fixed dumbells of 6kg each
2 x 0,38m dumbell bars (2kg each)
1 x 1,75m bar (8kg)
And the bench:

32

i dont know if i wanna spend that much… haha. and i have no access to a credit card. i think my best bet is a store like cash converters (pawn shop)

thanks!

33

Consult a professional if you really want to do it right…ok there’s my disclaimer…

According to your make up you will want to focus mainly on chest, lats, and back.

The abs are a staple.

I’ve kinda got the military build…somewhat stocky, but all lean muscle; well defined muscle.

I do sets of 10 reps. Usually 3 sets of 10. More depending on what muscle group I am working. For example my chest is very efficient; so in order to gain size I have to do more reps…it’s pretty strong(im 152 benching around 250-60) but to get size I have to do reps.

I would use a weight that you can do 10 reps with …and on the 9th and 10th push you struggle, but you can do it. Then wait at least 30 seconds…preferably 2 minutes…then do the set…repeat for the last 3rd set. The last set you may have to break up into subsets. Sometimes that last 10 turns into 2 sets of 5. Just make sure you do a total of 30 reps when you are done.

I’m not big on doing multiple exercises for the same muscle group; sit-down press and bench press have always been just fine for me.

For your lats…or that “v-shaped” torso.

I would apply the same rules as above for picking a weight. Based on your size; I’m hoping 40lbs would be a good weight for this. Judging by your equipment you will have to do it the “old-fashioned” way.

You take a dumbbell and slap 40lbs on it. These are the hand-held weights.

Place the weight next to your bench set. Stand on the right side of the bench set. Pick up your left leg and place your knee on the padding of the bench set. Your should be standing on your right foot…and resting your left knee on the bench. Bend over and place your left hand palm flat on the bench padding. You will kinda have to bend your right knee to do this. Reach down with your right hand and grip the dumbell. Keep your back straight!!! This is vital!!! You are using your lats and arms for this exercise not your back!!! If you are heaving the weight around too much…lower the weight.

Anyways…reach down and grab the dumbell with your right hand. Back straight. Pull the dumbell straight up until it is about even with your chest. Repeat 10 times.

Switch to the other side. Same setup only weight is on left side of bench and your right knee and hand are on the padding. Do ten reps.

You have just completed one set. Repeat this 3 times.

There is a variation on this exercise that I do…that when you pull the weight up…kind of act like you flapping a wing. Keep your elbow bent and the entire duration of the rep…at the peak…or when the weight is off the ground and closest to you…the back of your arm or tricep should be even with your back. Almost like you were trying to touch your elbow to the middle of your back.

If your bench is too small to do this let me know and I can tell you how to do it without a bench.

As far as back exercises. Military Press is great. Thats when you are standing…or sitting and you have the weight up at your shoulders and you press straight up until your elbows are slighty shy of locking and then bring it down and repeat.

You can also do shoulder shurgs with weights. Holding the weights in both hands, and making a shrugging motion with your shoulders…

Telekinesis would probably know more about this area…I’ve got a set regime that is somewhat different than normal…and I’m sure he knows all about free-weight back work.

Just don’t strain…if you find out you are only using 15lb weights then use them!!! Nothing shameful in that…you have to start somewhere!

Whew…I’m done for now…fingers are hurting lol…look up stuff online on it as well…it is hard to explain working out in black and white text.

34

Hey, thanks a lot prstudio! I recognized some exercises you mentioned from magazines and websites I visited. About the abs, what exercises do you recommend? Exercises I can do with my equipment I mean…

Thanks again for the info & tips! :slight_smile:

35

I want to see pictures of what all of you look like, I will post mine after I get a tan because I have the biggest tan line from basketball, it looks funny!

Ripped abs takes a mix of a lot of things to get the 6-8 pack look: diet, cadio, and ab isolation work outs. To tell you the truth about abs, different types of sit ups do not isolate the bottom or top of your abs. You work the whole muscle group with any type of ab workout, you just feel more strain in certain areas when it affects your lower back. Don’t use high weights when doing abs or else you will get bulky abs instead of toned/ripped abs, which is usually what people want.

Here is my workout schedule:

4 days on 2 days off.

Day 1: Chest & Shoulders
Day 2: Triceps & Legs
Day 3: Biceps & Back
Day 4: Cavs, Abs, & Cardio
Day 5: Off (Basketball Instead)
Day 6: Off (Basketball Instead)
Day 7: Start all over again

My Stats
Age: 18
Weight: 175
Height: 6’ 1"
Body Fat: 9.7%
Max Bench: 220

I’ll post a picture when I get my prom pictures developed to prove that I’m not lying, if I was lying I would of put better stats than that!

My bench is low and so is my weight, but I just turned 18 a few weeks ago and I am going for the ripped look. I have been working hard for the past 2 years at what I have done. I started at weight of 155 and a max bench of 145 when I started and a body fat of 18%. I have come a long way since then, but I am sure many people have high achievements than me and have more experience because of age. I start as a trainer at a local gym franchise (Pure Fitness) in about a month, but first I have to go through Intructor Guideline classes in the next few weeks. If I learn anything that may be of advantage to you after the class I will post it.

By the way this is me about a year ago when I was still kind of small, something to compare me to when I upload a new one in a week.

(its my deviant art I.D.)

36

hehehe…
http://www.rushmagazine.com/articles/599

37

for my abz… i do a lot that cant be done with your equipment lol

you can do some awesome “leg-lift crunches” with that setup…

on the flat portion of the bench in that picture…sit on it and place your feet on the top black pads…grip the underside of the small padding you are sitting on…lift your legs off the black pads and lean slowly back…draw your knees up to your chest and then extend your legs out in front of you…repeat

do 2 sets of 30…rest…2 sets of 30…

i like doing leg lifts suspended the best…and this other exercise but i dont know how to put it in words…

38

Well, like I said before, I want to be a ripped guy. I mean, I know I will have to grow some muscles before, but a Baywatch body would be cool. :wink: I’m the type of guy that can eat without getting fat.
My age: 21
My height: 1,94 meters (76.378 inches)
My weight: 80 kg (176.37 pounds)
I’m tall & slim.
My dad is tall and slim for his age. He’s 51 now, but is not fat. He’s… “well build”. And tall, which helps… my mother is small and slim.
I did some swimming competition 5 years ago.x

WTF? ur 21 and your dad is 51? wow… prolly average… im 14 and my dad is 57!! WOW… ok

:beam:

hawk

39

telekinesis:
Thanks, I appreciate the help! I think I have about the same “body type” as you, except I’m a bit taller (1,94 meters). If I get this correctly, your height is about 1,85 meters, right? That would make me 6’ 36" in your weird system. :wink: Again, if I have the convertion right. My weight is like yours, but I don’t know my body fat.

prstudio:
I wrote down the legs exercises, thanks. So, abs, that difficult huh? :wink:

Hawk:
Well, my dad had his first son (me) when he was 30. My mum is 5 years younger then him. I have a younger brother who is 16.
I don’t know if that’s weird or not… but ok. :slight_smile:

40

It all depends on your build, metabolism and goals. I used to weigh 120 kilos and had a
fatmass of 25%. Now half a year later i weigh 88 and have a 12%. My goal was to loose weight and gain muscle, but if you are lightweighted you might just want to gain weight and musclemass. I actually lost the 30 kilos with little to no cardio, just high paced freeweights. I train 6 times a week and I do poweryoga once to be sure I do stretch once in a while:P

I will not try to make you a trainingschedual since in my opinion every body is different and you will usually react differently to certain excercises then others.

Tip 1: eat regularly, wether your slim or big, regular healthy foodpattern is crucial
Tip 2: allways, unless you are at a further stage, train your big muscle groups first, this will increase the effectiveness of your training (eg. one day i do chest,shoulders,triceps and the other back,biceps,legs). Try to combine small groups with big groups accordingly, eg try to avoid chest<>biceps instead do chest<>triceps etc.
Tip 3: give your muscles 48 hours to recover, especially your back, your abs recover fastest
Tip 4: train ALL muscle groups, I cant stress the importance of this enough. Most kids in the gym train their chest and their biceps and thats it. On the long term its going to look wierd, trust me. Aside from that neglecting your back is plain stupidity as it holds your body together.
Tip 5: Make a schedual for yourself and stick to it, I am far from a disciplined person but my highfrequent visits to the gym are a way for me personally to create some order in my live.
Tip 6: This is not really a tip this is just what I do: 3 muscle groups per session, 4-6 exercises per muscle group, 4 sets per exercise, 8-12 reps per exercise