Working Out

[Exoduso]

Don't skimp on legs. I hate doing them, and you probably do (will) too, but you have to do them.

This. I can't stand workout days where I have to work on my legs, but it greatly contributes to my weight. (I've pretty much had a problem with gaining weight before and after I started working out, since I wasn't really eating anything except for breakfast/lunch/dinner, and even those would be halfassed heh.. now that I eat the way someone who works out should be eating, but I still want to gain more. I'm 5'10"~, but my new workout plan seems to work great...in approx. 8 months I got from a 130lb stick to 150.)

[Ryushii]

Okay so I read through a bit of one of the threads found in the link in the first reply, and found this:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay Rows

On a 3 workouts a week cycle (week 1 A-B-A, week 2 B-A-B). The thread also includes details of how to ensure you're using proper technique for each one. Does this seem like a good starting workout? Any suggestions/additions?

Also, /bow Tonko.

You all are talking a lot about diet. What do you usually eat to ensure you get enough protein?

[Daahan]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using machines, but you also should use free weights to help build stabilizing muscles.

There are a lot of great excersises that you can do on machines that are very difficult to do with free weights. From my experience, machines are a great way to excersise your back as well. Using wires (the ones attached to weights, not aerobics wires) are also a great way to get a work out.

For things like your chest, arms, triceps, and shoulders, you will want to do a lot more free weights than machines. Machines can still help you build strength and tone as well. Also, machines ease you in to working out when you're just starting to pick up weight lifting.

You all are talking a lot about diet. What do you usually eat to ensure you get enough protein?

Thanks for reading my post

Protein, Protein, Protein is very important. If you are taking protein supplements, you STILL have to go beyond that as far as taking protein goes.

Meat, Chicken, Fish, Eggs, Pork, Milk, Beans, Nuts, Cheese, and Yogurt are all good sources of protein. Try to eat a good and balanced diet consisting of those things.

[Exoduso]

I actually have a question.

I'm pretty happy with the way my arms and legs are coming along, hell even my shoulders. But no matter what I do, my chest isn't getting as big as I would've liked it to be. I mean I do have quite a bit of muscle there, but I am struggling with it.

Does anyone have any advice on specific exercises that can help other than the obvious bench pressing? (which is a bit of a pain nowadays since I go to the gym by myself now..)

[Tonko]

I actually have a question.

I'm pretty happy with the way my arms and legs are coming along, hell even my shoulders. But no matter what I do, my chest isn't getting as big as I would've liked it to be. I mean I do have quite a bit of muscle there, but I am struggling with it.

Does anyone have any advice on specific exercises that can help other than the obvious bench pressing? (which is a bit of a pain nowadays since I go to the gym by myself now..)

3 main exercises I use for chest: Flat chest press, incline chest press, and flat chest flys. All are done with dumbells (one per hand) and with PROPER FORM. This is big, when you're doing chest, you HAVE to pinch your shoulder blades down and back, which will push your chest out, the entire time you're doing reps. This will focus your efforts to the pectoral muscles. Another trick is to do biceps before you work chest. This will reduce the amount that your biceps are working when you're trying to focus on working your chest. Incline press and fly press work different portions of the chest, and are important for complete development.

[Ryushii]

You all are talking a lot about diet. What do you usually eat to ensure you get enough protein?

Thanks for reading my post

Protein, Protein, Protein is very important. If you are taking protein supplements, you STILL have to go beyond that as far as taking protein goes.

Meat, Chicken, Fish, Eggs, Pork, Milk, Beans, Nuts, Cheese, and Yogurt are all good sources of protein. Try to eat a good and balanced diet consisting of those things.

No sorry I did, but I meant more like what kind of servings do you normally eat per day in a conventional diet to ensure you get enough protein. I can eat eggs and yogurt and stuff all I want, but I have no idea how much is enough, and I do need other things in my diet besides protein.

[Marsala]

http://www.crossfit.com

[Exoduso]

I actually have a question.

I'm pretty happy with the way my arms and legs are coming along, hell even my shoulders. But no matter what I do, my chest isn't getting as big as I would've liked it to be. I mean I do have quite a bit of muscle there, but I am struggling with it.

Does anyone have any advice on specific exercises that can help other than the obvious bench pressing? (which is a bit of a pain nowadays since I go to the gym by myself now..)

3 main exercises I use for chest: Flat chest press, incline chest press, and flat chest flys. All are done with dumbells (one per hand) and with PROPER FORM. This is big, when you're doing chest, you HAVE to pinch your shoulder blades down and back, which will push your chest out, the entire time you're doing reps. This will focus your efforts to the pectoral muscles. Another trick is to do biceps before you work chest. This will reduce the amount that your biceps are working when you're trying to focus on working your chest. Incline press and fly press work different portions of the chest, and are important for complete development.

Okay, I do flat chest press and the flat chest flys on a regular basis, however I usually start with a machine first to get going, maybe i'll leave it for extras instead of using it as the focus exercise. I also start off with the chest on days where I work on those muscles and THEN go to shoulders and only then to biceps.

I'm pretty good with all the forms in general since I've worked with a personal trainer for about 6 months (had back surgery so a friend of my dad's worked with me to help me get started), but I will try to switch the order around. Thanks.

[Churchill]

You all are talking a lot about diet. What do you usually eat to ensure you get enough protein?

Thanks for reading my post

Protein, Protein, Protein is very important. If you are taking protein supplements, you STILL have to go beyond that as far as taking protein goes.

Meat, Chicken, Fish, Eggs, Pork, Milk, Beans, Nuts, Cheese, and Yogurt are all good sources of protein. Try to eat a good and balanced diet consisting of those things.

No sorry I did, but I meant more like what kind of servings do you normally eat per day in a conventional diet to ensure you get enough protein. I can eat eggs and yogurt and stuff all I want, but I have no idea how much is enough, and I do need other things in my diet besides protein.

Take Animal Pak and eat tons of protein. Whatever you weigh x2-3 is enough. Basically though, if you're a skinny guy trying to actually get big. A good strength/mass oriented program plus eating so much fucking food you'll want to throw up, and doing that every 3 hours, will get you huge pretty fast.

[Sanoske]

I have been trying to go as well. I'm not a big guy (5'8", 152 lbs) but I have some muscle and tone already. Right now I just want to get cut and tone what I have even further. I have a hard time getting into a routine, but this is what Ive been aiming for. 3 day cycle

(I use freeweights for everything I can)

Day 1: Chest, some shoulder and triceps
Chest Press - 10x4 (These I alternate btw arms shoulder width and bringing my elbows in to work inner and outer pec)
Incline Chest Press - 10x3
Decline Press using cables - 10x3
Military Press - 10x3
Fly - 10x3
Dips - 10x as many as I can
Tri pulldowns - 10x3 (1 w/ bar, 1 w/ split rope, 1 overhead)
Skullcrusher - 10x3

Day 2: Arms, Back, Shoulders
Pullups - 10x4 (wide grip, narrow, reverse, inside grip)
Front Raise - 10x3
Lateral Raise - 10x3
Barbell Curls - 10x3
Reverse Curls 10x2
Lat Pulldowns - 10x3 (behind the head, in front, bicep pulldowns)
Usually Im beat by the end, but if Im not I do bicep curls on decreasing weight until I cant rep.

Day 3:
This is a resting day, but I will usually try to go for a good run, and do pushups on my own time.

I havent been exhausting myself most times, but by the end of most reps its a struggle to finish. I feel if I exhaust myself on earlier reps, then the muscle that get worked on later reps wont see as much weight, and therefore less development. But Im also not going for bulk, Im going for tone/cut. My plan in to get comfortable with a certain weight, and then begin increasing reps. Biggest problem for me is eating, Im skinny and always have been... so I dont watch what I eat at all, and have no willpower when it comes to food. -.-

Any suggestions overall?

[Churchill]

You do too much at a time, there's a reason you're exhausted...lol. Your body, when doing anything above the waist, is actually for the most part using the same muscles for every single execise. The difference is only the focus, that's why when you're doing back you're also doing biceps and shoulders, not to mention abs at the same time. That's just one example, the rest are pretty obvious.

If you've been working out for a few months time, change your routine to one muscle group a day and do some research so you can tailor what you do to produce what you want. Also, eat like a gorilla.

My routine focused on strength and mass, so for two months I did exercises that allowed me to get strong but also get the burn needed to build mass. On the third month, we also added in 3-4 mass exercises on the tail end of a different muscle groups workout depending on which it was, since as I said earlier, certain muscle groups are going to extensively tear another at the same time.

[Ryushii]

Okay so, I'm planning on making my first trip to the gym today, and I'm trying to make sure I'm prepared. I'm eating as much protein as I can shove down my throat, and I feel like I understand most everything everyone has been talking about. My main thing right now is trying to figure out exactly what excersises to do. I've done some research and found most everything I need for upper body, with the exception of back, but I'm not quite sure what to do for legs. So far I've learned the following excersises with dumbbells: Shoulder Press, Triceps Extension, Hammer Curl, and Bench Press. I tried to pick 1 excersise for every area, so I guess my first question is if that sounds like enough, or if I should do two excersises in each area, or only in certain areas.

I looked at the dumbbells excersises for back, and they're there, but they seem rather annoying to prepare/do. Are there machines that work the back that are acceptable to use, or should I just stick with the dumbbells?

Also, the website I was using had the categories for hips and waist. Should I do excersises for those also?

I'm not quite sure what to do to work my legs. I saw a few dumbbells excersises, so would that be the way to go or is there a better way to do it?

Also, on the website I was using, they didn't mention abdominals anywhere. What should I do about those? Just sittups and such? Maybe steal that workout from the guy who posted his ab stuff on the last page?

Lastly, I'm trying to figure out how to actually schedule my workout plan. I know people are saying not to work the same group back to back, so I wanna make sure I'm doing everything in a way that won't cause injury. I think I'd like to go to the gym every other day, so how should I schedule this? Upper body one day, lower body the next? Or split it some other way and do half the exercises one day and half the other?

Sorry if it feels like you guys are having to hold my hand through this, I just get kinda nervous about stuff when I don't know exactly what I'm doing, so I'm trying to make sure I've got my i's dotted and my t's crossed. And again thanks for all the advice!

[Daahan]

Contrary to what some people are saying in this thread...stuffing yourself with food/protein till you're about to puke isn't very good for you.

You really don't need to stuff your body with protein with you workout. A balanced breakfast is good enough. The most important thing about consuming protein is making sure you eat a HEALTHY amount shortly after you work out; at least an hour after you work out is prime.

Here is what you really need to understand. Weight training, lifting, working out, and every other kind of exercise is a LONG-TERM activity. Stuffing yourself with food and protein is not good for you. Take it STEADY and EASY. You aren't going to see significant results for MONTHS.

Eat proper meals, don't over stuff yourself but make sure you are full. Eat a good breakfast, maybe some cereal, an egg, toast, and milk (the egg and milk have protein in it and are good for energizing you).

You can use machines to exercise your back, there are really good machines for that such as the Seated Row and Pull Backs. You could go ahead and get yourself some protein supplement but don't waste your money on those incredibly expensive ones that are loaded with crap. I use Muscle Milk which is simple enough.

Once again, if you take your body off balance by stuffing yourself needlessly and unhealthily, you're going to regret it. There is nothing you can do to be buff and super strong after a week, or even a month for that matter (unless you want to take steroids but people who take steroids are lazy fgts). Even after working out for a month, you'll notice a little bit of a difference but you still won't notice major change.

Simple and normal routines are key when it comes to working out. Just make sure you work hard in the weight room and don't be lazy there, but also don't get ahead of yourself and over do it. Pushing yourself is great but pushing yourself way too hard is not good for your body.

I'm not talking out of my ass when i say this, as i have been weight training since high school.

[Dantrag]

Proper technique is one of the biiiigest things. Bad form is probably the worst thing to start off with and the hardest thing to get rid of. Honestly I don't know how much of a benefit it is to intake protein before the work out. And like Daahan stated stuffing yourself will do more against than for you. Also working out on an empty stomach is better for you anyways. A light snack at most, a banana, apple, a granola bar, or a yogurt. The protein intake is for muscle repair after the work out. The amino acids that are in most protein shakes are what help rebuild the muscles faster than if you weren't taking them. Again, if you go to work out on a full stomach you're going to hate yourself and depending on how hard you push your self you might throw up and probably never want to go back.

As far as work outs. How many days a week are you willing to workout and for how long? That will truly dictate what kind of work out you should do. I know you said you wanted to build some muscle but again what kind of time commitment are you willing to make and what results do you want? I know a really really good ab workout routine that hurts like hell that I'm going to be using starting tomorrow(i've done it a few times but i had a vacation and that just threw off my workout plans so i have to basically start over )

[Norelco]

Really, I'd be eating carbs before a workout and protein afterwards, but that's just me.

Didn't read too much of this thread, but do yourself a favor and go for free weights instead of the machines. Also, if you're as serious as you say you are, spend a few bucks and have a personal trainer show you how to do each one with proper form.

You want to work legs? Do squats, deadlifts, and lunges.

[Rasengan]

I always give myself at least 2hrs to digest food before working out because eating right before hitting the gym increases the likelihood of puking during intense workouts. If you have to eat though, light carbs will give you a little boost of energy for the workout.

Pullups are great for lats (back) and hyperextensions for lower back. If you can't do pullups though, DB bent-over rows works nicely. You can sub in the pulldown machines for back, but I'd recommend DB bent-over rows over that.

As for hammer curls (and curls in general, really), I'm not much of a fan. Sure your guns will look hueg liek xbox, but the power just isn't there. My answer instead is chinups. They do the opposite of pullups; instead of focusing on lats and also getting a decent bicep workout, it focuses more on the biceps and you get a decent lat workout at the same time.

For legs, Norelco's suggestion of squats, DL and lunges is great. I just do squats because my legs are toast after squats alone (and it works out your core too if you have good form).

Ab routines strengthen the abdominal muscles, but you won't be able to see them pop if you have a layer of fat covering it. Targeted fat loss in the ab region is pretty hard to come by. Really, the best thing to do is to do cardio and eat healthy. Only when you get to the point where you can start to see your abs (all 6 of them!), is it beneficial to do ab routines. By far, the most painful (...and satisfying ) experience I've had is the ab workout in the P90X series. Lame name aside (Ab Ripper X), it's the toughest ab workout I've done.

[Ryushii]

I'm planning on working out 3x a week, and I could feasible add a 4th date if I wanted. I could do every day during the summer, but I want to get into a routine I can do throughout the school year, so I think 3-4 is feasible. Length I can be more flexible on. As for my goals, I don't really have any. If anything, my goal is just to maintain the workout and reap whatever benefits it brings.

I'm pretty skinny, not very much fat at all on my stomach, so I'd say it would be beneficial for me to do some ab work. And yeah, I need to put some cardio into my workout's as well, but I've done cardio, I wanna get this other stuff in my body first.

Um, I've been learning proper technique from this site (http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html) and practicing them before I do them with weights. I think I'm doing them mostly right at least. And I definately don't have the cash for a trainer, not with my tuition.

How can I tell if a machine is good to use for my back? People keep talking about how most machines let you cheat and allow your strong side compensate for your weak, so should I be looking for machines that separate the two?

Also, first day at the gym was nice, but I was running late and hate to skimp. Only got 25 min in, then had to shower and run next door to work. Going again Wed. I did only arms and chest today. Back and legs Wed then?

[Churchill]

Eating like godzilla if you're a skinny guy is the only way to get huge, sorry. Tested and proven, I've been weightlifting since I was 2 I would know.

Or you can take any of the examples of my routine, all of who in 4 months time put on 50lbs or more, usually starting between 150-170 and ending over 200.

If you're a big guy, you need to eat like godzilla for the first 3-4 weeks and cut down to more healthy, workout oriented foods. Always keeping on top of when to eat and what. Taking about 30-40g of Casien before sleep is also key.

[Norelco]

I've been weightlifting since I was 2 I would know.

lol wut?

[Meat]

Eating like godzilla if you're a skinny guy is the only way to get huge, sorry. Tested and proven, I've been weightlifting since I was 2 I would know.

Or you can take any of the examples of my routine, all of who in 4 months time put on 50lbs or more, usually starting between 150-170 and ending over 200.

If you're a big guy, you need to eat like godzilla for the first 3-4 weeks and cut down to more healthy, workout oriented foods. Always keeping on top of when to eat and what. Taking about 30-40g of Casien before sleep is also key.

that's some solid advice.

Instead of a 40\40\40 diet I like to do a 50\30\20. 50% carbs when I'm bulking and 50% protein when I'm cutting.