Need some weight lifting advice

Protein shakes are a great source of protein, as are cans of tuna and the pre coocked chicken and both are pretty cheap.

Milk is not a good source of protein.

Finally like Mahaffey says find what works for you.

One additional thing I will recommend though.
I like a core exercise for every body part and then rotate my ancillary exrcises to aid in muscle confusion.

For example Bench Press is a good base line chest exercise. So every chest day I will bench. But one workout I may dumbell fly and incline. The next I might bench, decline and chest pulls. Then maybe its bench, dumbell bench, incline.

Legs, Squats are always there, and I mix in maybe leg extension and leg curls. Then leg press and kickers. etc.
 
honestly the best thing to do is go talk to a personal trainer at a good gym. not a meat head but the guy thats 50 y/o and still looks like he did at 30. it all depends on what you want too. do you want to be physically fit or do you want to be a meat head. your bodys usually either gonna be muscular or your gonna be skinny. this is stuff i learned in an exercise/health class. thats actually documented in a book.
 
Nissan11 said:
Building mass is my goal. When you say I need to eat a lot, can you be a little more specific?
Click to expand...

you need to eat 25-35 times your body weight in calories every day. lots of proteins and carbs. shoot for at least 30 grams of protein per meal. lift heavier weights with fewer reps (6 per set, probably won't be able to finish the third set), and get lots of rest.

i went from 128.5 pounds on feb 13th of last year to 162.5 pounds on jan 29th of this year. same scales, at the doctors office. i got to much rest, and a lot of it is now belly.
 
central09er said:
honestly the best thing to do is go talk to a personal trainer at a good gym. not a meat head but the guy thats 50 y/o and still looks like he did at 30. it all depends on what you want too. do you want to be physically fit or do you want to be a meat head. your bodys usually either gonna be muscular or your gonna be skinny. this is stuff i learned in an exercise/health class. thats actually documented in a book.
Click to expand...


Not tring to push any buttons, but I think that most personal trainers know more about losing weight rather than building big muscle, just going by what I have seen at the gyms. Your girlfriend spotting you is fine as long as you trust her strenth, cause your spotter is not suppost to do the weight for you, just help on the last few heavy reps if needed. Main thing is stick with, I look at lifting as mandatory, I have to go train or my day is not complete.
 
oh yeah, taking a lot of craps is nothing to worry about. If you don't go at least once a day, something is wrong. If you are getting lots of protein, you won't be in and out quite so quick.
 
strange1 said:
you need to eat 25-35 times your body weight in calories every day.
Click to expand...


That has to break down at a certain point.

I weigh 285 that would be 7000-10,000 cals per day...nah)
 
I would rather lose the 15 lbs of fat I have been carrying around for years than add more fat, even if I increase muscle size. If I eat like that, arent I almost guaranteed to increase my body fat index? If I dont eat a ton of calories, but start eating more protien will I still be able to increase muscle size and get rid of my love handles and layer of fat over my abs?
 
you said build mass. thats a skinny guys rule to gain weight. i was told if i weren't gaining a pound a week, i wasn't eating enough. some people can eat a snickers bar and gain a pound, i was shooting for 4500 calories per day. and was pretty much on track. i just got lazy, and honestly couldn't afford to keep eating at that rate. i gained over 30 pounds and still wear the same dickies to work everyday, so it isn't all fat.
 
I just can not do back extensions without my hamstrings feeling like they are about to explode, especially after doing squats. Also, when I bent over the bench and start to lift up my upper body, it is extrememly uncomfortable for my dingle berries. Is there any better way to do them than to bend over a sideways bench and put my legs under the barbell?
 
not sure if this has been mentioned but i've been training with a austrialian rugby center and we always do an explosive exercise after reps. so after doing a chest workout, do about 10 or 12 clap push ups right after you put the weights down. or after doing squats, hold a 45 plate in each hand and do 6 controlled jumps. stuff like that. it'll wear you out but damn all my reps got larger and the weight got heavier. and dont be lazy about it and rest 4-5 minutes between sets....if you aint sweating, you aint trying
 
Nissan11 said:
I just can not do back extensions without my hamstrings feeling like they are about to explode, especially after doing squats. Also, when I bent over the bench and start to lift up my upper body, it is extrememly uncomfortable for my dingle berries. Is there any better way to do them than to bend over a sideways bench and put my legs under the barbell?
Click to expand...


do the extensions first.

easiest way to fix the "dingleberry" issue is to take the thong off, man up and deal with it.

lol. j/k...not much you can do about that. i had forgotten about that issue, its been so long since ive done em. now i remember why i hated them.
 
I don't use machines on anything....Heres my routine that has worked well for the last couple years. I have been lifting for about 10 years now.

Monday: Chest
Bench
Incline on 45 degree bench
Incline on 60 degree bench
Cable Flys or Dumbell Flys

Tuesday: Back
Bent Over Straight Bar Rows
Wide Grip Pull Downs
Close Grip Pull Downs
Triangle bar Pull Downs
Hyperextensions

Wed: Shoulders
Military Press
Side Delt Raises
Rear Delt Raises
Shrugs

Thursday: Legs
Squats
Hamstrings
Calf Raises
Groin Machine/Exercises

Friday: Bi's and Tri's
Straight Bar Curls
Alternating Dumbell Curls
Preacher Curls
Overhead Tri Extensions
Push Downs
Nose Breakers or Skull Breakers whatever one wants to call them

All my exercises are 4 sets of 8-10 reps except shrugs I do 4 sets of 12-15 reps.

I also get up every morning and do cardio as well as some MMA training at nights before or after the gym.
 
WCURoverd90 said:
I don't use machines on anything....Heres my routine that has worked well for the last couple years. I have been lifting for about 10 years now.
Monday: Chest
Bench
Incline on 45 degree bench
Incline on 60 degree bench
Cable Flys or Dumbell Flys
Tuesday: Back
Bent Over Straight Bar Rows
Wide Grip Pull Downs
Close Grip Pull Downs
Triangle bar Pull Downs
Hyperextensions
Wed: Shoulders
Military Press
Side Delt Raises
Rear Delt Raises
Shrugs
Thursday: Legs
Squats
Hamstrings
Calf Raises
Groin Machine/Exercises
Friday: Bi's and Tri's
Straight Bar Curls
Alternating Dumbell Curls
Preacher Curls
Overhead Tri Extensions
Push Downs
Nose Breakers or Skull Breakers whatever one wants to call them
All my exercises are 4 sets of 8-10 reps except shrugs I do 4 sets of 12-15 reps.
I also get up every morning and do cardio as well as some MMA training at nights before or after the gym.
Click to expand...


I like that workout because the only thing I would not be able to do in my apartment is the pull downs. Im going to mix in some of those exercises next week to change it up a little. Do you keep a chart of the weight you lift every week? It seems like a lot to remember for what you did last time.
 
Nissan11 said:
I like that workout because the only thing I would not be able to do in my apartment is the pull downs. Im going to mix in some of those exercises next week to change it up a little. Do you keep a chart of the weight you lift every week? It seems like a lot to remember for what you did last time.
Click to expand...

I was good about keeping a chart and with the weight but got to a point to where I remember all them all....I kept the chart about 4 weeks before remembering. If I go up on weight usually it takes about a week or two for me to remember exactly what weight I did the previous week. Doing that chest routine my bench press went from about 285 to 360 in about 2 1/2 months. I don't really "max" out often just occasionally to see the progress. I also am not so concered with the maxes because I do it more to cut/tone up.
 
I have a degree in exercise science and own/operate a sports performance company in Wilmington. MOST of the advice you have gotten is correct, but there are a few things that I would certainly not recommend to anyone.

First the GOMAD diet is a joke. Diet is 80% of weight loss or gain. 1 gallon of Whole milk= about 2400 calories, 5 grams of saturated fat per serving. You are trying to gain muscle not fat, so why would you add fat?? Fat will not help you gain muscle and it will never turn into muscle. Just like you cant turn an apple into an orange. You will gain weight doing the gallon but it will be fat and can cause damage to your heart and arteries in the process.

Second its true protein does help build new muscle but its important to also increase your carb intake b/c carbs will help fortify and rebuild existing muscle.
Protein for new muscle
Carbs for existing muscle

Third the weight gain theory of 1 pound a week

Scientifically speaking it is only possible for a human male to gain about 5-8 pounds of muscle in a YEAR without "assistance". Anyone who says they gained 15 to 20 pounds of muscle in a year is either juicing or lying. An Olympic powerlifter training 6-7 days a week for 3-4 hours per session is going to gain about 10-12 pounds of muscle in a year and I seriously doubt too many other people have that amount of dedication.

The schedule written by WCRoverd90 is great. Remember to start easy and work your way into a more strenuous routine. Being sore is your bodies way of repairing damage so its not a good thing to be so sore you cant move. To figure out your individual calorie needs take your body weight and multiply it by 13 and add 500 if your working out 5 days a week. If your not working out 5 days a week only add 250. Your foods should consist of somewhere around the following:
45% Protein
40% carbs
15% fats
Lastly dont forget to stretch. Your contracting the muscle so you need to stretch it back to its original position.
 
Just bustin balls but this made me laugh
WCURoverd90 said:
I don't use machines on anything....Heres my routine that has worked well for the last couple years. I have been lifting for about 10 years now.
Monday: Chest
Bench
Incline on 45 degree bench
Incline on 60 degree bench
Cable Flys or Dumbell Flys
Tuesday: Back
Bent Over Straight Bar Rows
Wide Grip Pull Downs
Close Grip Pull Downs
Triangle bar Pull Downs
Hyperextensions
Wed: Shoulders
Military Press
Side Delt Raises
Rear Delt Raises
Shrugs
Thursday: Legs
Squats
Hamstrings
Calf Raises
Groin Machine/Exercises
Friday: Bi's and Tri's
Straight Bar Curls
Alternating Dumbell Curls
Preacher Curls
Overhead Tri Extensions
Push Downs
Nose Breakers or Skull Breakers whatever one wants to call them
All my exercises are 4 sets of 8-10 reps except shrugs I do 4 sets of 12-15 reps.
I also get up every morning and do cardio as well as some MMA training at nights before or after the gym.
Click to expand...
 
soontobelifted 72 got it right, on the amount of muscle you can gain, when I read that 1pd a week thing it got me wondering, fact is depending on what you want, it's not what the scale says, it's what you look like in a mirror, I for exsample walk around about 10 to 15 pds lighter than what people think I weigh.
 
SkyHiK5 said:
Just bustin balls but this made me laugh
Click to expand...

I guess I should have clarified what I meant by "machines"...lol...I tend tonot use the machines that are supposed to simulate a bench press or curls etc. Technically, I do use some machines....
 
Today was the last time I am going to try back extensions. They are just too uncomfortable on my manhood. Im putting all of my body weight on my groin area and it just plain hurts. Is there another back exercise I can substitute in to do at the end of every workout?


BTW, I dont think there is a better song in the world to get pumped up for lifting like "East Bound and Down."
 
mahaffey380 said:
soontobelifted 72 got it right, on the amount of muscle you can gain, when I read that 1pd a week thing it got me wondering, fact is depending on what you want, it's not what the scale says, it's what you look like in a mirror, I for exsample walk around about 10 to 15 pds lighter than what people think I weigh.
Click to expand...


This is what you want. A good way to think about shape is comparing your shoulders to your waist aka "the V shape torso." Your shoulders should be 1.25-1.5 times the size of your waist.
32 inch waist= 48 inch around shoulders. I have done and trained athletes for bodybuilding contests and this shape was an important part of the scoring criteria.
 
Another thing with shape is total weight to body fat. A person who is 180 pounds at 30% body fat (which is not uncommon) is going to look COMPLETELY different from someone who is 180 pounds at 8% body fat.
 
You can estimate your BMI based on your height and weight. There are also several methods that are more accurate, including bio-electrical impedance (hand-held device), hydrostatic weighing, and skinfold measurements. We did the hydrostatic weight and skinfold measurements in one of my ESS classes. A guy I know that owned a gym had the BI tool and it always read a little high.
 
lol, a good rule of thumb...if you have to check your BMI to see if your fat, it's too high.
 
Back
Top