Weight training thread - Please no irrelevant comments.

[rwh11385]

Please don't confuse this thread with those other rather pointless survey ones. I actually am interested in other people's routines.

Right now, I'm closing up high school and soon my weights class will come to an end. We have the state's best weight training coach and his program is top notch. (Our school is power lifting state champions, hands down) Anyway, our system is heavily based on a computer program and planned workouts. I'm not sure how to lift without our sheets.

Our program worked like this: At the start of the nine weeks, students get tested and their max is found on each lift. This number is entered into the computer and it determines the workout. For example, a 270 squat max would have Week 1's workout be 195 x 8, 205 x 8, then 215 x 8. Week 2 might be 210x6, 225x4, 240x3, 250x2........ each weight is a certain percentage of your max, and the further into the program, the heavier the weight, but less reps.

Needless to say, this way does get you big! Only problem is, I don't see a way to carry this on myself. Unless I break it down and figure the weights by myself. Which might work.

What does everyone else do? (Primarily focusing on college)

I should be about a block from the Rec Center, and 3 big-lifting friends from my high school will be in neighboring dorms and hopefully will drag me there and keep me motivated.

If you don't have something helpful to say, keep it to yourself. Don't crap this thread.

[e30Matt]

I used to lift a lot back when I was racing bikes... I know it's not 100% related, but remember to go in moderation... my dad lifted weights in college and he's now in his fourth back surgery. Be careful and take weight training slowly with consideration.

With that, enjoy getting diez. :twisted:

[rwh11385]

I'm not planning on going extreme, just something to build muscle mass and increase calorie burning while idle. I think people can overdo it, but more commonly give up form for more weight.

Pulling from the "What you look like thread......"

I worked out for a while and gained 10-15lbs in like 6 months. Then it got boring and I never hit up the gym again..... I want to go back but I hate going by myself.

Man.....dont quit. I went from like 150 to 185 in a year and a half. No height change. Get going to the gym again, find some other skinny friend who needs to bulk up. I have the advantage of weights in high school, and the best weight training coach in the state. Me and my partner pushed each other and both improved. A little more shoulder, chest, and arm muscles can really change one's appearance.

I started a creatine cycle and went from 150 to 180 in 4 months.

Are you in college or out? At KU its great to go in the morning because that is when all the hot chicks go. Its great for inspiration and also a great way to meet girls who take care of themselves. Its nice to have a school that spent some money on a nice facility. I am doing it natuarlly instead of creatine or other supplements because its better for my body and creatine helps you gain weight by holding a lot of water.

Ryan, I totally agree with the chick part. Our weight class has a few girls in it. They definately help remind you what you're there for.

[Charlie]

What are your goals? You just going for endurance, decent cut, or massive bulk?

It sounds like you already have the regiment, it's just a matter of sticking to it. You know the weights & the reps, so I don't see the problem there. Your biggest challenge is going to be keeping a clean diet when you go off to college, avoiding the processed shit & alcohol that will be prevalant. Other than that, it's a matter of getting your ass to the gym each day and hitting your targeted areas.

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com Go ask those guys, interesting forum, kind of a hardcore powerlifting/Christian group, but they'll ride your ass and give you good info.

As for the creatine thing, I just started cycling that stuff again, hadn't done it in a while, I've bulked 12 pounds in a little over 3 weeks, all upper body too, kinda scary.

-Charlie

[rwh11385]

I'm in decent shape now, and I'd like to keep it that way, but just with a little more muscle. Maybe while toning down the stomach. I don't want to be some big bulk like my football buddies, but just in shape and stronger. If I can improve bench, clean, and squat by 5lbs every couple of months, that'd be cool.

I'm sorry, I left out the important part of our system. Each nine weeks you re-test, so all the numbers change. I'd need to get the formulas for the weights and then learn to calculate everything myself. I'll try to do that, get the % and all that. So the weights and reps both change to avoid plateau'ing. I've found 1 rep-max calculators, and could probably make an Excel spreadsheet of each week's weights, if of course I got the formulas......

Does anyone else use a system similar to this? Or is it just lift as much as you can?

I plan to try to eat good stuff, and not cheap out with the microwave 24/7. I also am looking to stick to spirits as I want to avoid a "beer gut" This year I have also tried to substitute Gatorade for soda, as it's much better.

thanks

[Rob]

my roommate in college was very serious about lifting, but got caught up in 'looking big', took a bunch of the 'safe' steriods, and ruptured two discs in his back. just an example of what can happen if you do stuff wrong.


I, on the other hand, didnt really care about looking cool, just wanted to be healthy and strong for soccer. Ate like a damn pig, worked out regularly, and gained 20 pounds my first year.

[Beau B]

I work out on a regular basis, 6 tiimes a week. But if you work out that much you have to be careful as to not over train which causes more harm than good. I have it worked out that I eat enough protein and food to not over train. I basically do one body part a day except for legs which I am trying to catch back up to my upper body since I broke my foot while I was gone for the Air Force, so I do legs twice a week. But basically it goes like this Mon- Chest Tues-Tricepts Wed-Back and Legs Thurs-Bicepts Friday-shoulders Sat- Legs Right now that has gotten me to 17 inch arms 48 inch chest and a 34 inch waist, not huge but big, I only take protein and cycle creatine on for 3 months off for 6

Beau

[Ryan Stewart]

So you just want to be a little bigger and stay in shape?

What is your metabolism like?

Most likely you will be better off with medium reps with higher weight. Try to alternate so each muscle group gets 48hrs between workouts and do more cross-training than just running for leaness. I play B-Ball or ride my bike.

Just gaining weight is easy, the strict regimen is only really nessecary for being massive or having a lot of endurance. Like Charlie said try and limit your intake of crap. For Breakfast I have a sugarless cereal (preferably a whole wheat) to fill me but also to help keep the system clean. For lunch its a protein bar, MLO Cookies and Cream because it actually tastes good. Then I try to eat a big bu lean (low fats) meal like cooked beef or chicken.

The best order is abs, legs, chest, shoulders, and then arms. The legs are a great for boosting adrenaline and testosterone, free steroids.

[rwh11385]

So you just want to be a little bigger and stay in shape?

What is your metabolism like?

Most likely you will be better off with medium reps with higher weight. Try to alternate so each muscle group gets 48hrs between workouts and do more cross-training than just running for leaness. I play B-Ball or ride my bike.

Just gaining weight is easy, the strict regimen is only really nessecary for being massive or having a lot of endurance. Like Charlie said try and limit your intake of crap. For Breakfast I have a sugarless cereal (preferably a whole wheat) to fill me but also to help keep the system clean. For lunch its a protein bar, MLO Cookies and Cream because it actually tastes good. Then I try to eat a big bu lean (low fats) meal like cooked beef or chicken.

The best order is abs, legs, chest, shoulders, and then arms. The legs are a great for boosting adrenaline and testosterone, free steroids.

Pretty much. I would like to increase my upper body muscles in particular. But more or less not get fat and not lose muscle.

It's pretty good, although I have sensed it's slowing a bit as I'm not growing as much. I don't want my eating habits to catch up with me, so I want to increase muscle mass to increase metabolism.

I prefer the weeks currently which have medium reps with about 8-10 reps per set. There is not as great as strain, but the muscles fatigue and get bigger. And I always try to go to failure on the sets that allow. But too, I really dig the sets of decreasing reps. (8 - 6- 4 - 3 - 2) really helps to give a good workout and also be sure to go to failure.

I will probably retain the schedule of lower body on Monday, upper Tuesday, cardio Wednesday, lower Thursday, upper Friday.......or perhaps something like that still to give the muscles time to repair and grow. I think I'll probably take up riding my bike up there.....especiallly as vehicle travel will be minimal, or none existant!

I've been trying to stop loving red meat, but it tastes great. I love Ham, and it's better than beef, so I'm trying to switch more of my diet to that or chicken, which I also like. I should try to eat a healthy breakfast more often. Currently, running out the door at 7:00am doesn't allow for cereal..... and the school lunch provides for fries.....and I cannot deny them. I hope there are not fries in college, as I would love to cut htem out of my diet!

Leg workouts seem pointless to some in my class as they are more concerned with upper body. :roll: Although I prefer working the upper, the lower matters as well and it feels good to have strong legs. Actually, the best order, according to my coach's book he's writing is moving from the "core" lifts to the auxillaries. Squat, and then leg extension, leg press, leg curl...... If I didn't pull my groin muscle during Spring Break and wasn't put out of commission, I'd be aiming for 300 Squat by the end of the year. Currently at 270.

[Jon325i]

I have to agree with Charlie's recommendation: determine what your goals are before you start a workout program. In addition, moderation is key.....DON'T OVER-DO IT!!! Several years ago I injured my back from trying to lift too much. This injury has resurfaced a few times over the years. It's something I will have to live with for the rest of my life.

My present workout plan is the opposite of yours. My years in school and lack of physical activity saw my body gain 20lbs....and now I'm in the process of working it off. Lighter weight and more reps plus a strong emphasis on cardio conditioning. I'm not taking any kind of supplements....just eating right and staying away from the bad stuff. My goal weight:175lbs. (FWIW I'm 5'11'').

Jon

[KenC]

I've been trying to stop loving red meat, but it tastes great. I love Ham, and it's better than beef, so I'm trying to switch more of my diet to that or chicken, which I also like. I should try to eat a healthy breakfast more often. Currently, running out the door at 7:00am doesn't allow for cereal..... and the school lunch provides for fries.....and I cannot deny them. I hope there are not fries in college, as I would love to cut htem out of my diet!

If you're going to eat meat, definitely cut out the red meat pronto. The fat content is extremely high. It'd be wise to cut out fish for the same reason (you can get all of the Omega-3 Fatty Acids you need from a tablespoon of flax-seed). If you want to increase the protein intake in your diet, consider eating a lot of tofu. It's cheap (like a buck fifty for a block), and it's one of the healthiest foods out there. It has a ton of protein, and the proteins in it are much easier for your body to digest and use than natural meat proteins.
I cut meat out of my diet about 2 years ago, and I've trimmed down a lot. It's a great way to shed fat and keep muscle.

*If you've ever seen Toby Maguire in Spiderman, he was able to bulk up like that on his vegan diet.

[schnitzer teil-jäger]

http://www.triathlon.org/

best overall fitness of any sport. and you can still walk without waddling and you can still scratch your back compared to weight junkies.

[318daily]

I have the genetics of a skinny lanky weeny and made minimal gains throughout high school and college.

After learning how to train smarter, and not harder I've been making better gains now than I ever have. No supplements.

My biggest mistake in my youth was overtraining. Now i'm doing better by hitting each muscle group hard, and giving those muscles 7 - 10 days to heal before attacking them again.

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/

good luck.

[Nitrox]

Sounds like the program that you were on in high school was more sports-specifc.

Training for size and training for strength are somewhat different. Total work (higher reps) tends to build size while lifting heavy tends to build strength (through increased neuromuscular efficiency). There is some interelation though but pound for pound, a powerlifter is stronger than a bodybuilder.

As you have seen good programs dont have you training heavy all the time. Heavy lifting is more taxing, hard on the joints, and you need some growth stimulation (an 80% efficient large muscle is prob better then a 100% efficient small one).

You'll need to decide how dedicated you want to be. If you want something more simple then you could try something like your HS routine but one day do reps of 10-15, the other do 5's, one light, one heavy. If you want maximum gains then you will have to be dilligent and use a more focused program.

Here are some good resources (for routines and diet). You may have to search articles and forums where necessary.

http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/hst_index.html

http://www.t-mag.com/

http://bodybuilding.com/fun/index.html

Of course diet is the other side of the coin. Bottom line, if you want to gain muscle size and strength, you need to have a surplus of protein and calories.

People with significant fat reserves (particularly beginners) can lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously but that is not the norm for steroid-free, experienced athletes, with healthy bodyfat levels. You either eat and build muscle (with some fat) or you diet (lose fat while preserving muscle.)

If you're going to eat meat, definitely cut out the red meat pronto. The fat content is extremely high. It'd be wise to cut out fish for the same reason (you can get all of the Omega-3 Fatty Acids you need from a tablespoon of flax-seed). If you want to increase the protein intake in your diet, consider eating a lot of tofu. It's cheap (like a buck fifty for a block), and it's one of the healthiest foods out there. It has a ton of protein, and the proteins in it are much easier for your body to digest and use than natural meat proteins.
I cut meat out of my diet about 2 years ago, and I've trimmed down a lot. It's a great way to shed fat and keep muscle.

I have to disagree. Red meat is one of the best foods for strength athletes, great source of natural creatine. Should you eat it all the time? No, you shouldnt eat anything all the time. A balanced diet is key.

IMO soy is bunk for male athletes. It is an incomplete protein (edit - my bad, it is 40-50% useable). It is full of isoflavones that have estrogenic properties (eat lots and trade your E30 in for a VW cabrio and start watching chick-flicks). Going Veg for moral reasons is understandable, but not for health reasons? Debatable.

Fat is not the enemy. Total caloric intake and carbohydrate (ie starch and sugars) consumption are more improtant overall for controlling bodyfat levels. Gatorade is soda with some salts in it. Only time it is beneficial is during or after intense exercise. Desk jockeys who think they are making a healthy choice with their 600mL gatorade over soda are quite mistaken.

HTH

[808BMW]

My biggest mistake in my youth was overtraining. Now i'm doing better by hitting each muscle group hard, and giving those muscles 7 - 10 days to heal before attacking them again.

I hit every group once a week.