OT: Weight lifting

etp777

etp777

Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
2,259
OK, decided it's time I switch from light workout I've been doing(total of 9 sets, three exercises) every morning into a full workout(15 or so sets of 8). Was wondering if anyone had a link to a good website that lists the majority of workouts and specifies which muscle group they work. That last part is the important part of this, as I want to get a good general workout and try to hit all the main muscle groups.

Only caveats if any are that I'm looking for upper body only, and have to work with free weights and a combo bench(adjustable, flat or inclined, with preachers curl thing on end).

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Dropped 20 pounds so ffar, and hope to get rid of another 10(or at least that much in fat, as lifting will gain me back mass) and wanna work on getting some definition again once that fat is gone and you can actually see the muscle.
 
Probably could have explained that one. Use stairs whenever possible at work. To put that in persepective, park on ground floor and office is on tenth floor(have gone up 44 flights and down 42 today, which is more than normal, but gives the idea). Weather allowing, ride my bike 1-1.5 hours or walk 1.5-2.5 hours at night. When weather doesn't allow, once I manage to buy a playstation 2 again(had ex gf's, she took it back), use the various dancing games to get leg workouts. Already have LOTS of muscle in legs, and they always get a workout, as you can see. :) I don't have a small upper body by any means, but not quite in proportion to my legs. Plus it doesn't really get a workout in any of the mentioned things. That's why I bought a weight bench, and some more dumb bells/free weights(already had some), to work on that.
 
Yeah, no leg exercises? That would be tantamount to brushing only your incisors! I would definitely recommend that you reconsider your training philosophy... You'd also want to walk a lot (at a good clip), or use some cardiovascular fitness machines (don't run) until your weight is down a bit, so as not to stress your knees and ankles too much. If you're really overweight, have high cholesterol, hypertension, etc., have a cardiologist give you a stress test to make sure you can handle getting a good cardiovascular workout. Anyway, congratulations for making the decision to get into shape. Being that you're a knifemaker, you'll be "pounding iron" instead of "pumping" it. :)

An excellent diet is also important -- don't get too carried away, and put too much creedence into really high protein intake. You can only assimilate a small amount of what many sources will advise you to consume... Sure you'll need a bit more, being that you'll be breaking down and building up muscle tissue, but you don't need 200 + grams a day :eek: even if you're Arnold Schwarzenegger himself! Lots of salads, whole grains, low fat, fish, etc. will soon get you into better eating habits, and help you feel really good.

Most websites don't offer a complete guide to weight training, so I'd recommend a good book on it. For one that is very easy to follow, without getting boring, try, "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Weight Training." I goes over all the aspects of training, including proper nutrition. Go to one of the Internet book suppliers that rates books, and find this, or a similiar book on the subject that is rated highly. Any good gym will have well informed individuals, and probably have materials and/or special courses on nutrition, and other aspects of working out with weights. Don't forget the stretching and warmup exercises.

Best wishes:

Dan :)
 
No worry on being too heavy for a good workout, at 164-165 as of today, at 5'5" and a good amount of muscle. That last ten pounds I want to lose should put me right around perfect shape(ie well defined muscles everywhere, etc). Just a bit of excess fat left on stomach right now.

Cholestorol is low, blood pressure is healthy on systolic just borderline high(at very low end of hypertension) on diastolic. EKG is normal.

Diet is balanced, just less than I used to eat, and vitamin supplements for anything I happen to be missing(unlikely, mom is an RN and grilled me well throughout my life on balanced diet). Parents are on one of the higher protein diets(not atkins, newer one, more balanced, though name slips my mind currently), but I prefer just a good old regular diet, just in smaller portions.

Taken various classes in high school/college and had good weight training practices(not overextending joints, etc) drilled into me, just threw away my notes on last one, so want a good source on making sure I hit allt he major muscle groups, etc.

Getting a book on it rather than hitting the internet is good advice though, and I may have to hit the local library and see what they have, or can get for me through interlibrary loan.
 
Set your personal goals... Once you're where you want to be, splurge only once a week -- restaurant, feast at home, take out pizza, whatever. It's what you do 95% of the time that is important, and will keep you in shape until it's time to check out. A good diet and exercise are important to have more years in your life and more life in your years.

Sounds like you don't have all that far to go, and I'm sure you can get in excellent shape in a few months. To keep this khuk oriented, a good workout would vertainly be to create a few cords of firewood using your 25" AK :D

Dab :)
 
I'll say one thing, check out Super Sets. The retired Marine Master Sergeant I work out with does them almost exclusively. Work out for about 30min 3 times a week using supersets and you'll really burn that fat and get toned. Supersets are basically just working opposing muscle groups without a break in between the two, which throws a pretty good cardio workout into it. Results are awesome but don't be surprised if you need a nap after your workout!
 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-6844792-7076663?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

navy seal guid to fitness... i got it thinking i might be able to start it, but oooohhhohohohoooo... was i wrong. i simply dont have the dedicatoin for that, and no reason to get it. when i turn 40 and weigh 260 lbs, wich i inevitably will (6 generations cant be wrong), then it will still be on my shelf when i need it...

its the only fitness regime i know of that i could do, and doesnt have any weights involved, just INSANE amounts of calistenics (sp?).

"Navy SEALs are ordinary people who do extraordinary jobs. It takes an optimal level of fitness to swim 6 miles, run 15 miles and perform over 150 pull-ups, 400 push-ups and 400 sit-ups in one day—but more importantly, it takes motivation and determination to stick with it to the end. If you follow and finish this workout, you will find yourself in the best physical shape of your life! "

that isnt to say that you do all that every day, thats just the 1 day final test to see if you can do it. the sets are no where near that extreme...
 
I've been the using the same basic program for years and it works for me !!

Day 1: Chest - Flat Bench Press ( 1 warm set up @ 50% weight, 3 sets, 8 - 12 reps weight incriments till max)

- Flat Flies (same)

- Flat Dumbell Press (same)

- Dips (bodyweight, same warm up with 3 sets)

Triceps - Tricep Pushdown (same)

- Skullcrushers (same)

- Bent Over Rope Extension

Day 2: Back - Straight Seated Row (same)

- One Arm Bent Over Row (same)

- Lat Pull Down (same but alternating grip)

Biceps - Barbell Curl (same)

- Dumbell Hammer Curl (same)

- Preacher Curl (same)

- Cobras (Lower Back Extension)

Day 3: Shoulders - Seated Military Press (same)

- Seated Lateral Raise (same)

- Shrugs (same)

Legs - Sqauts or Leg Press (same)

- Leg Extension (same)

- Leg Curl (same)

- Calf Raise (same)

Do abs every third day (crunches and sit-ups) and cardio (eg swim, bike or jog) 3 times a week.

Dont forget to stretch and consult a physision prior to working out !!

;)

Drink extra protein and practise holding your breath every night before you go to sleep (helps you relax and fall asleep quickly and brings down resting heart rate)

:p
 
Your workout should depend on your goals. Sound like you're looking for definition and fat loss vs. bulk up.

A few thoughts to consider:
1. Atrophy begins to set in within 72 hours. Your body's goal is burn a minimum of calories (that's it's survival mechanism). If you don't work out an area within 72 hours, it will begin to atrophy (don't get too carried away with the term--it doesn't disappear, it just tries to cut down on the amount of muscle it carries around because it takes a lot of calories to maintain muscle).

2. You'll minimize your gains if you work minor body parts before major ones (i.e., don't do curls before doing bench press). Always work the major groups first.

3. You'll burn more calories sooner with aerobic workouts, but you'll burn more calories over time with muscle mass. However, increased muscle mass will increase your need for calories (read: make you hungry), so you'll have to be more disciplined about your eating habits or you'll add muscle and fat...

4. Stretching will add bulk by allowing blood to flow through tissue more quickly. When stretching, I recommend doing dynamic stretches, starting with minor muscles and then going to major muscle groups (opposite of weight lifting).

5. When weight training, studies show that these are the most effective exercises, in decreasing order: exercises "move the body through space", then free weights, then machines that use weights, then resistance machines. This is theorized to be because you're actually training your nervous system as much as you are training your muscles. There is higher synaptic response when you exercise and stimulate the smaller control muscles that provide stability.

Just a few thoughts that will help.

--Rip
 
I notice Brendan doesn't have any ankle excercises in his list. :D

Splurging once a week is 14.29% of the time. So it's what you do 85.71% of the time that counts. :)
 
Well far better advice has already been given than I can give (I'm actually trying to figure out a good program for myself so that was all useful), but I felt that I should say one can't underestimate the value and necessity of stretching. Sometime when I was younger and fat I must have done something to mess up the ligaments and whatnot in my knees (which from what I heard never fully recover on their own, and if my knees are any indication that appears to be true). Then last spring I helped a friend of mine move and due to overworking (didn't want to back down) I seem to have totally messed up my left elbow.

Actually I suppose that a better lesson is "if your body is telling you to stop then stop or you'll regret it". But theoretically at least the elbow injury could have been avoided if I had been in the habit of stretching daily and possibly if I would have warmed up first. The other day I helped this same friend (don't know when I'll learn my lesson) move something between 5 and 10,000 pounds of cookware around and even though I was sore as hell for three days afterwards, since I have recently started a stretching regimen and I properly warmed up I didn't injure myself.

*cough well... I bought this book on stretching that I like which I belive is by Sang H. Kim called something like "Ultimate Flexibility for the Martial Arts". I found it to be very informative and the stretches very effective. Although any good martial arts instruction program (which I haven't done for years) includes good stretching (mostly dynamic stretches) as should any respectable physical trainer but that I don't know about from personal experience (I don't drive, have much money and I'm shy/don't like being around other people so I don't go to a gym).
 
BruiseLeee said:
Splurging once a week is 14.29% of the time. So it's what you do 85.71% of the time that counts. :)
Click to expand...

I meant that you can splurge on one meal once a week; 3 meals a week is super splurging...! :eek:

Dan
 
I'll say that I was intrigued by the supersets suggestion on this thread. I've known what they were for a long time, but never tried them. I gave it a try today, linking up bench press/tricep extensions and seated curl/preacher curl. On my last set of preacher curl I came to complete failure on the second rep--obviously would need to decrease the weight just a tad were I to keep going with it.

Overall impression-- Just about killed me! In a good way, though. :)
 
Timpani - The way I do it is 8 reps of one exercise and 8 reps of the other (no break), then you take a 2 min break. Then you do 7 followed by a 2 min break, and then 6.
 
Thanks Skeletor--that would indeed help. I did three sets of eight of both exercises back to back without a break, waited a couple minutes and then (tried) to do the same with the next pair. Like I said, I didn't quite make it to 8 on the last one. ;)
I can already feel it this morning, which means I'm going to be all but immobilized tomorrow. :(
 
Sorry Timpani, I wasn't too specific originally because I figured anyone wanting to try it would ask about it. The other thing is to try to maximize the variety of exercises. This combined with supersets keeps it interesting and fast paced.
 
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