Building Muscle/Working out

Just a word or two on the strength and amount of weight you lift issue.

How much weight you need to lift to achieve certain muscle gains is a fairly personal thing. Sure, as your strength develops with time the amount you are able to lift will also increase. But it is good to remember that you do not have to lift competitive power lifter weights to achieve your workout goals.

The guys and girls you see in the gym lifting what seem like huge weights are either on a short trip to injury-ville, or have been doing it for several years and have slowly worked up to it.

Correct form, and intensity, is much more critical than the number of plates hanging off the bar. Heavier weight will come with time.

Even then, how much you can lift is not completely reflective of your strength. Other things come into play as well, like fulcrums and muscle attachment points. I mean, if it were just down to training alone, everyone would be lifting the same weights and there would be no world records etc.

So listen to your body when you lift - a 50kg bench press done properly can be as effective for one person as a 100kg bench press is for another. It is all about what works for you, not trying to compete with the guy down the way. There be dragons!!

James.

+1 to what Jimbo said. it is SO SO SO important to know your limits and use good form when lifting.

sometimes, I'll get under the bar after putting a few extra plates on, push, and then realize I'm about to hurt myself. it's a blow to my pride to take those plates off and replace 'em with something smaller, but I don't get to train if I'm at home with a blown shoulder or something, so in the long run it's better.

also, form is super important. on isolation exercises like the bicep curl, it's easy to cheat and curl more weight by using momentum instead of just your biceps. while it may be an ego booster, what you've just done is turn an excellent arm exercise into a very crappy back exercise. it doesn't really make you stronger, and it opens the door for easily-preventable injury.

I'm just as guilty of doing these things as anyone, you gotta have constant vigilance on your form.

one thing i have realised lately is that there is a big difference between gym strength and real world strength. *NOTE* i am in no way saying that you guys who go to the gym are not strong (i have gone in the past and think the gym is great). but it is very true that technique and variety are VERY important. i have known guys who can out bench me or out squat me but don't do enough variety, are they really strong? not to me cuz those are the guys who are always getting hurt and in practiacl applications of strength (ie climbing a tree, hiking) they are toast.

i know this seems a bit like commun sense but i have also realised that once i started doing and practicing things for practical strength (again, like chin ups and pushups and climbing) when i got back into the gym i was a lot stronger and technique wasn't a issue because my support muscles were so much better.

i listed this before but i will try to put link
http://www.bwculture.net

when i first watched the videos on these things i thought "those are cool but they wouldn't be that hard" and i was very wrong. they have made the most difference out of any piece of equipement i have tried.

also a great piece of exercise equipement is a unicycle. you can't coast so your legs are constantly tense and balance and support muscles are obviously getting used. i go for a 20 min ride every other day when we don't have the snow and it is great.

I have Bean working out six day a week since 2000 ,I'm 42 eat well 6 meals Daly .Just for a change of paste I started P90X about 3 weeks ago, and let me tell you it's great, muscle confusion always confusing the muscles Monday yoga, Tuesday leg and back and abs,Wednesday kenpo karate, Thursday rest, Friday chest and back, Saturday arms and shoulders and abs, Sunday plyometrics have a look at P90X it's great !

When I worked out in the gym a long time ago, I did things differently.
Low weights, but lots of reps.

For example: with bench pressing I used 30 or 35 kg (70 ish pounds) but I did 3 times 30 reps.
I even did one bicep excercise with just the bar.
That got me some laughs until I challenged a muscle guy to follow my rythm doing 120 explosive reps. After that, everything was cool :D

I supplemented my martial arts training, and I didn't need or want bulk or raw power. I cared more for muscle speed and endurance.

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Originally Posted by Bruno

I supplemented my martial arts training, and I didn't need or want bulk or raw power. I cared more for muscle speed and endurance.

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agreed, your training will need to be tailored to fit your goals. if you want strength, you go for high weight and low reps. if you want endurance, you go for low weight and high reps.

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Originally Posted by jockeys

agreed, your training will need to be tailored to fit your goals. if you want strength, you go for high weight and low reps. if you want endurance, you go for low weight and high reps.

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Yes, I like to cycle through these different goals. If you spend a few months working on strength, and then go back to endurance, you're that much stronger.

Jordan

I will agree with many of you above.

Form is the most important thing in weight training. If you cant lift the weight with perfect form then your weight is too high. When I am going for muscle mass ... meaning my bulking up phase. I will try to hit the 8 to 12 rep range with slow smooth reps. When going for strength...I go for the 3 to 5 rep range slightly less controled negatives with explosive positives. When I am trying to lean out or cut up I go for the 12 to 15 rep range with slightly less weight and a fairly quick rythm. But at all times keeping my form.

Another thing i will agree with is variety. You need to keep your muscles guessing and hit all muscles...not just a few...

One thing I will say that might get some opposition is that if you are a few pounds or many pounds over weight...cardio is not the answer. Dont hop on the elliptical for an hour and think you will lose the weight. You need to do weight and strength training. Start slow with body weight exercises and evolve into weights... Then after your workout do 15 to 30 min of cardio to help burn some fat that was mobilized by strength training. 3 days a week strength and 2 of just cardio will get the weight off faster than cardio alone.

O yeah and my one word of advice for anyone that is planning to join a gym...dont do what i see some do...look at the big guys and watch what they do and try to copy...they have been doing it for a while and actually many of them dont do things properly...they may be big and strong but they may be 1 lift away from serious injury.

talk to a doctor or a trainer at the gym...many gyms will give a free training session when you join...and ask them about things to do...

start with body weight exercises ... these are safe and actually very effective for even advanced weight lifters...

and be realistic with your goals...if you have 20 lbs to lose give yourself at least 15 weeks to lose it...that is 1.5 lbs a week which is a realistic goal...

and remember that the people on the BIGGEST LOSER are very over weight and can lose 18 lbs a week cuz they have hundreds to lose and most if not all is water weight from just sweating and cutting out the salt in their diet.

there is no substitute for hard work. if the diet pills worked no one would be over weight.