Weightlifting tips?

AudioSavior

I have been weightlifting for a month or so now and I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for upper body training and a routine/schedule that I could follow.

I have been looking for something that I could have to print out and check off as I workout but haven't found anything I like on the net so far. I workout 3-4 times a week. I don't do my legs because I have a lot of muscle in them and want to wait before I start working the legs.

I like doing 3 sets of 10 reps when I do my sets.

Simon

Founder/Admin

To gain the most muscle in a decent amount of time there are a few thigns you need to do. No offense because I am right there with you, but the older you get the harder it is, especially if you havent done it before or for many years.

You also have to be dedicated to it. You can't do it for 2 weeks and then decide to slack off for a week. To build decent muscle you must never let it rest to much. It is based mainly off the theory of constant tearing and healing with new stronger muscle.

But I am sure you already knew most of that shit, so here is the basic power lifting routine.

Also, this is what I did a few years ago and I added about 40 pounds of muscle and have maintained most of it over the years. Of course, the beer and occasional pizza make it a little harer to see sometimes. :lol:

Ida, when you leave the gym, you must be physically exhausted and shaking almost in your first few months. After you teach your body that you will be working it, it will become second nature, thus making it harder for you to get tired. blah blah blah, you get the point.

Here is the routine i did. And I also didnt do legs weightwise but plenty of tough cardio.


I stretch just enough to get the muscles going, the best thing to do to get the blood going is to do 30 minutes of cardio before lifting. I guaruntee you will be stronger if you do the cardio first.


All weight exercises 3 sets . 1st set do 12 reps medium weight, 2nd set 10 reps add 20% or so. 3rd set max out at 8 reps. If you can do more than 8 reps of any last set you dont have enough weight on. If you have access to a spoter that would be best, but not necessary. I hate working out with strangers at the gym.

So all the stuff I list below is considered 3 sets.

Also always use free weights. It measures your real strength and balance. Often times machines let you help balance out a weak left arm or whatnot.

Monday - Chest - Bench Press, Incline Press, Decline Press, Butterfly (not sure of right name, but lie down on bench, take two dumbells and extend your arms all the way out, then bring them up to touch each other, then back down etc etc), dumbell bench press.

If you can do anymore than that, well then you crazy bitch !! Sit in the sauna for 10 minutes

Tuesday - Shoulders - This is the one body part that I use machines with. The shoulder is a very complicated body part and can be damaged very easily when using heavy weights, The ones that have machines I will put (m) next to. (m)Shoulder Incline. Front of neck, bring down to chin. Remove bench and lift bar from waist to nose.(m) This is a very hard thing to do and you should start off with 15 pounds on each side. Trust me.
Dumbell lift - lift your arms to your side for 3 sets and then to your front 3 sets. You will find that the lifting to your sides is very hard as well. 10 pounds to start.

Your done with Tuesday.

Wednesday - Back and Biceps - The more I realize it the more i use machines. lol. (m) Lateral Pulldown, (m)Row Machine , again I dont know what the hell this thing is called. Its like rowing a boat though.
Biceps, lots and lots of reps of the traditional bicep curl. The more the merrier. Biceps are a very sturdy muscle.

(I friggin hated doing back, so I never really did much there. Most chest excersises incorporate the back, thus making it stronger alone the way.)

Thursday - Lots of Cardio, lots of cardio. Then do some cardio. No weights.

Friday - Tune up anything you didnt feel you got down 100& during the week. And if your up for it do the Monday program again.


Anyway, thats what I did and I was went from being 6'3'' and 250 pounds that couldnt bench 140 pounds (no lie) to 190 pounds back up to 235 that I weigh now. So it worked for me, will it work for you? Maybe not 100%, but it damn well will do something.


Also, if you are lifting alot, feel free to eat all the carbs and protein you can get your hands on. Carbs and protein are great fuel for healing torn muscle fiber. Eat plenty of grilled chicken and drink yo milk fool !!


I also know a friend that was considered scrawny that ended up working out with me for a couple years, he put on a good amount of muscle within months.


Keep in mind, without the use of steriods, this takes time, you have to be patient and determined. Otherwise its just a huge waste of time that you could be spending here with us at KYN.

Hope that helped.

Simon

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

This is my routine...some people consider it a little weird, but it works for me. Every exercise I do, i do three sets (except bench-pressing, where i do a fourth "Max" set), with 12, 10, and 8 reps, increasing weight each time. When i can do 10 on my third set, i move up in weight next time i work out. For any exercises where you can pinned underneath a weight (like bench-pressing) you should use dumbells.

If you havent been lifting long, start out very light, and make sure your form is good. When i first started i pushed too hard and hurt myself doing shoulder presses, and my shoulder still hurts from time-to-time

Day 1: Chest

Exercise 1: Bench press
Exercise 2: Incline Bench
Exercise 3: Decline bench
Exercise 4: Fly machine

Day 2: Back and Shoulders

Back Exercise 1: Lat pulldowns
Back Exercise 2: T-Bar rows
Back Exercise 3: Seated cable rows
Shoulders Exercise 1. Shouler presses
Shoulders Exercise 2. Dumbell front raises
Shoulders Exercise 3. Dumbell side raises

Day 3: Biceps and Triceps

Biceps Exercise 1: Flat bar curls
Biceps Exercise 2: Preacher curls
Biceps Exercise 3: Alternating Dumbell curls
Triceps Exercise 1: Triceps pushdown
Triceps Exercise 2: Triceps extension machine
Triceps Exercise 3: Single-arm triceps pull-down

If you dont know what a certain exercise is, just let me know. For most body parts, you can switch in different exercises, as long as you do three of them. Its good to have a set routine that you do every time though

AudioSavior

Awesome, I knew you would be the one to post to this (Simon, and now Mister D ) lol. There is a sauna and hot tub but no bench press. It is a Condo Gym so it is limited.) There are free weights and cardio stuff like tredmill and bikes and this weird runnning machine that is pretty funky.

The weight machine we have has the chest presses, straight arm presses, chest pulls, back and shoulder pulldowns,curls,( which I can't use because of my short arm length lol ),and a pully; floor level. As you can see I am somewhat limited but I can do a lot with free weight. I have bulked up pretty fast in the past month I have been doing It. Been a long time since I weightlifted but I still had the muscle memory so it didn't take me too long to feel the juice.

I like the idea of ending with fail weight instead of just doing the same weight for 10 reps. I seem to be all over the place with my routine though. I work 2 days on 2 off 3 on 2 off 2 on 3 off. I workout on my days off.

Not sure if any of that helps but I get lost as to where I am when I go to workout because I basicly wing it lol.

I know the exersces Mister D, but putting the names to them makes me unsure exacty what they are.

Dr. Giganto

Sports Moderator

If you've got free weights you can do almost anything...there are some things i prefer using machines for, just for stability

Yuo should also do sit-ups every day...every second day at least. i dont do that, and thats why i have a beer gut. well, that and and all the beer i drink, i guess

The important thing is to just give yourself a routine. if you do the same thing every week, it will feel natural for you to do it, and it will be easier to keep yourself motivated. For me, going to the gym is as natural as brushing my teeth or going to work...its just a part of my daily routine