I'm trying to form a new schedule, mine is boring the shit out of me. What are some different workouts that seem to work for you?

12oz. curls, I swear by 'em.

push/pull

heeeeeeve
ho!

pam said:
Haha, I do plenty of those.

Good man.

Run, run, push ups, run, sit ups, run.

Running is probably the best thing anyone could do.

Mess said:

Push / Pull is good. We did a tricep / bicep push/pull yesterday. Chest and back combo is another good push / pull. Do them as a superset:

Chest: Bench press 10 reps or whatever
NO REST -- GO IMMEDIATELY TO -
Back: Bent over rows 10 reps

You get the idea. Working counteracting muscles simultaneously gets you the best pump so you can walk around feeling wide for the rest of the day. Also try 1 or 2 months of superburn sets -- do only weight that will allow you to do 15 reps, no less. That will trim you down and rip you up without having to do too much miserable cardio.

largefreakatzero said:

yeah, i'm just trying to get myself out of this slump. i'm going to do those types of splits after about a week of cardio. hopefully.

Yeah, I quit smoking so I went from weighing 235 to 250 in a matter of a few weeks, so in theory I should be doing cardio for my fat ass. But, I did bench 345 last week for 1, and I got 900 for 4 on the leg press. That's fat power!

largefreakatzero said:

you're a huge d00d. so 250 doesnt look like anything on you.

i'm trying to find myself decent free weights and a bench for a budget price so i can finally just get monstrous. anyone know of a cheap set of free weights and a bench?

Pushing up as much weight as you can does very little for you except risk hurting yourself, tearing tendons & ligaments. Also, shows very little of how "strong" you are, since it's merely a test of how quickly you can rip the shit out of your fast twitch fibers.

Inversely, 900lbs on a leg press is really not that much, compared to being able to push over a third of that with your chest. I would concentrate on your legs for a while.

After a while, most people will hit a "plateu", and find themselves unable to continue making gains in their exercises. The best thing to do is to switch up the individual exercises, attacking the same muscles in a different way (i.e. - substitute hammer curls for isolation curls), or even to simply take 1 week off. It takes about 4 weeks before muscle will start breaking down, so a week off will not hurt your progress so far.

After I finish my coffee, I'll go see if I can find my old lifting schedule I had a trainer set me up with. It's got a breakdown of exercises by muscle group, which would be great for what you need. Just pick a different exercise out of each group than what you usually do.

Also, as much as people dis cardio, it's 90% of what makes you LOOK muscular. Lifting will build muscle, but it's the cardio that trims the fat out from on top/in between the muscle, making it look more "ripped". ESPECIALLY with abs. So many people do 9 million crunches a day, and wonder why they don't get that perfect ripped 6-pack. They have it, they just can't see it under the layer of fat.

While I DO endorse cardio, avoid running like the person above suggested. You'll find that the damage to your knees and cartilage will catch up to you as you age, and is not worth it. I preferred those 0 impact eliptical machines, however a nice looooong walk will do the same. Bicycles are a little more impact than an eliptical machine, but work well also.

As for schedules, I've always done a 4 day cycle. 3 days of lifting + 20 minutes of cardio, followed by a fourth day of all cardio. On your 3 lifting days, be sure to switch up muscle groups so you're not working any of the muscles you used on the previous workout. Also, leave a day between workouts! Half the progress you make is on the days you DON'T lift, where you muscles have time to repair themselves.

Finally, diet is important. Protein, amino acids, and carbs are all necessary ingredients for your body to repair and build muscle.

thegreatspaldino said:


Wal-mart has cheap shit you can get. Buy a nice set of dumbells and around 40lbs of weight for around $30, and get around another 100lbs of assorted 5, 10, and 20 pound plates. (although you can skip the 20's for now, since you won't be ready to use them as your just starting out.) Get a good bench that has the ability to adjust for incline AND decline. You can get one with a leg extension for around $60 at wal-mart as well.

The important part when you start out is form. Don't throw 50lbs on your dumbells and start jerking them around like an asshole. You'll benefit little, and probably hurt yourself. Start with 10lbs (seriously) and learn the exercises. Concentrate on keeping good form. Don't lock elbows or knees, smooth movement, and keeping the weights straight. It's harder than you'll think, because your body has tons of tiny little stabilizer muscles that won't be used to the movements. Don't feel like a pussy if you start getting shaky after a few reps with a mere 10lbs. It's normal.

ArrowHead NLI said:

Dude, please. I'm 33 and have been lifting for a long time. I know by now where the line is between hurting yourself and pushing yourself -- I have gotten hurt before and learned the hard way. All the weight I do, I have gradually trained up to doing. My lifting partner owns the gym and is a personal trainer. We do cycles of heavy weights and cycles of light weights. You are correct, 900 on the sled is not that much, but it's alot for me -- I'm 6'4" and have really long legs. Leg workouts are a chore for me, but I do work legs every week.

You are correct about switching up excercises -- we do the same body parts every week, but something different for them every time.

I disagree about pushing heavy weight -- yes, you can hurt tendons and ligaments if you are lifting incorrectly. But if you have a good spotter (few people know how to spot properly) and you push or pull through properly, heavy weight will actually help strenghten and stretch tendons to break through said "plateaus" (note my correct spelling of "plateau") and eventually help build mass. If you do start feeling tendon issues starting, that's when it is time to reduce the weight and do higher reps. It's amazing how well that helps to repair any problems as well as volumize muscles.

i've got a question for LFAZ: how many times a week do you drink? and how much a day?
over the winter i've been drinking 6 or 7 days a week until i pass out sometimes.
that really doesn't go over well with any work out. hahahaha.
the day after getting hammered is like pulling teeth trying to get to the gym. argh.

largefreakatzero said:

Showoff.

largefreakatzero said:

Pushing 345lbs ONCE is not lifting heavy weight. It's not enough to stretch anything, nor strengthen anything. I do agree that high-weight, lower rep will build muscle faster, but anything under 6 reps is really pointless and potentially hurtful.

By the way, I'm 31, and my brother is a pro-trainer and athletics instructor. I think our credentials are pretty comparable.

ArrowHead NLI said:

hahahahh.

have to post again, as I can't edit when not logged in:

I said under 6 reps as a reference to regular strength training. If you're training for the olympics or some sort of competetive bodybuilding, it's pretty common practice to do 4 rep sets and powersets. Sounds like you're doing some pretty heavy training, so 4 is understandable. However, if you hit 1 and that's all you got, you should be dropping weight and aiming for 4-6.

ArrowHead NLI said:

i've learned to deal with people's retarded way of lifting. i usually keep to my own and concentrate on what works for me. if the asshole ape swinging dickhead feels good about lifting like a moron, so be it? i've had to beal a few people out from dropping the bar on their neck and that sometimes gets annoying. they should know that lifting is like learning and you can't become a pro the first time you step foot in a gym.

You guys should settle this by benching each other.
Ive never met Arrowhead, but Andy is a fucking Hulk.
Paint that fucker green and you got a serious dilema on your hands.

i look like Homer

King Kong Bundy, here. *Steak Icon*

I like andy.. except when he get's angry. trust me, you wouldn't like him if he were angry.

Im actually a rare cross hybrid of King Kong Bundy and Jim the anvil Neidhart.

the_reverend said:

hahahaha. Ive been calling him 'the Hulk' 'Hulkster' 'Hulk at Zero' for years now.
BANNER ANGRY!!! ANDOLS ANGRY VITH ZE DRUMMINK!!

powerkok said:

lol. You've got the wrong impression. I haven't worked out in close to 10 years. I found getting stoned and eating ellios pizza is a better way to invest my time.

BTW, note my proper spelling of "dilemma"

Mess said:


A spotter is ALWAYS a good idea. Even a pro is going to get tired or hit a wall on occasion. Plus, just having someone to help push the bar up on those last two reps can make a huge difference in a workout. Yeah, spotting can be boring and sucky at times, but hopefully that person you're spotting will return the favor when it's your turn.

The best possible workout I can think of is watching the Rambo trilogy and eating steaktip subs. You'll be ripped in no time.

no, i've actually seen kids about to drop the bar on their neck so i'd have to run over and beal them out. they should either have a spot or stay in the cage or something.

Yes. I never, EVER used a bar without a spotter. When I was working out at the gym, I'd either get a spotter, use a machine, or use dumbells. Working out at home, I never even bought a bar - since I lived alone and had no one to spot me.

As for using the machine at the gym, it didn't quite give the same results as freeweights, but it was right in front of the mirror across from that machine where the hot chicks sit down and spread their legs repeatedly. At least ONE of my muscles grew from those workouts.

ArrowHead NLI said:

Damn it!!!!!!! I knew that looked wrong.
Showoff!

lol

The real question is, are you strong enough to be my man, Arrowhead?

currently, 20-30 minutes on a rowing machine is building more muscles on me than all of the lifting I did.

I think Mr. Arrow and I are saying about the same thing. I really wasn't giving out advice to go out and load up the bar, machine, whatever, that's just what I do at times to push myself. When you finally do work up to one rep of a heavy weight, that will eventually turn into 2, 3 then 6 reps, then you are ready to increase again.

Haha -- weed and food are good part of my life as well!

powerkok said:

Only if I get to be on top.

Mess said:

Haha -- yeah dude the drinking doesn't help! I'll have a 5 or 6 beers maybe a couple of weeknights, maybe a few more on the weekend. Too much booze makes me "unpleasant", and that doesn't help my marriage. If you want to get back into lifting, I would cut the booze in half, for it also limits muscle development. I find weed doesn't hurt too much, though, in moderation.

largefreakatzero said:

I think I like this guy. I'll bring the Ellio's and Cape Cod Potato chips, and you can whup my ass back into shape.

When I did work out, I did pretty well. I went from around 120-125 pounds (yeah, seriously, I was once even smaller than I am now) to topping out at 165 after about 4-6 months. Unfortunately, I just couldn't keep up the retarded 4000+ calorie a day diet, and the steam room at the gym broke down one too many times, so I stopped going to the gym. Seriously, why would anyone go to a gym with no steam room? No farts and menthol smell? C'mon, that's the whole point!

I tried working out at home, but without removing myself from distractions like at the gym, I found myself doing a whopping 10 minutes of lifting once or twice a week. I dropped all that muscle faster than I'd gained it, and ended up about 20 lbs fatter than when I'd first started working out. Since then I've toyed with starting up again, but if my first time landed me an extra 20lbs of belly and ass flab, I'd hate to see what happens NEXT time I lose motivation.

ArrowHead NLI said:

That schedule would be fantastic man! As for cardio, I run once a week, but I've heard that doing cardio before lifting decreases how much you can lift so I avoid that. Also, how many excercises do you fit into one day? I usually split each day into 2 muscle groups and do 4-6 excersices doing 3-5 sets.

always lift then cardio. my brother is lifting a lot now and in the past 8 months put on over 40 lbs (30 of which is since the middle of january). he can't put his arms down at his sodes or touch his back. he works out every day, but only hits one set of muscles once a week.

I was lifting a lot, but then I got sick and stopped. now that I'm going back, I'm lifting lightly once a week and the reast cardio stuff so I can burn of the junk in the trunk.
speaking of which, I'm styepping in the gym right now.

the_reverend said:

i was doing one set per group last summer. it was good because i was out of there in 45 minutes. any longer and that's no good. they say you should do cardio one day and lift the other.
today i tried to get back into the swing of things with cardio.
60 mins. on the elypto isn't too shabby.

370 Calories down so far. that's like a slice of pizza or something....mmmm... pizza.

i did the bruce lee workout for a while. i think there is a copy online somewhere but here is the gist of it:

30 minutes of cardio everyday
tons of abs (3 sets of sit ups, side ups, frog kicks, leg lifts, and russian twists 50-100 times each) <--- this part takes like a half hour to do!
2 sets of 12 bench with as much weight as you can handle for twelve
3 sets of 16 squats
3 sets of 12 deadlifts
3 sets of 12 good mornings or back raises
2 sets of 12 lat pulldown

its slimming so make sure to buy a belt, but it will give you a good back spread

for cardio play basketball! even if you suck it's alot funner than running laps and just as good for you

ArrowHead NLI said:


well its not like im JUST starting... when i was 17 i lifted a lot and was getting huge. then i stopped... i started up again when i was 18 almost 19 and have been on and off ever since. i know the stabilizer muscles are a bitch at first. i was pushing up 250 on a machine a few times when i was 17 for a "max" then when i went to do free weights... i tried my rep weight, 150, and could barely do it like 5 times. it was embarassing. i just bought a 170 pound weight set at Sports Authority. long bench bar, two 14" dumbell bars, all thread locks, two 25s, 6 10s, 6 5s and 4 2.5s and there might be something else. 89 bucks. im getting a bench for free. im tired of hearing "dude i wish i was your size, i would be so huge!" or "you're wasting your size!" so im going to get huge. im going for size but i still want to be athletic and throw a punch really fast (because i have fast hands for a huge mook) so i can do amateur fighting.

do you recommend anything diet wise and any specific exercises to make me huge? im looking for a more natural way... but if the only way to get really huge is some form of non asspoking roids... im down.

DrewBlood said:

isnt that lyrics to a tough guy hardcore band?

thegreatspaldino said:

As I remember from my one time meeting you, you're a bit husky. I don't think diet will be too much issue for getting bigger. After you start turning shit into muscles, Then you might want to eye your diet a little more closely to make further gains.

I really couldn't help you with what to eat though. I'm quite the opposite, a little bean-pole man who couldn't gain weight for shit. I had to consume 4000+ calories a day. I was eating a pound of pasta, a pound of beef/chicken, a gallon of milk, and two of those 1800 calorie dutch chocolate shakes. 1 for the weight, the other because I was usually stoned, and they taste good.

A word to the wise about those weight/protein shakes. Your body can only absorb so much. After that, it makes the rest into poop. Do not drink one before a date. Unless your date is into that. In that case, give us her number.

As for exercises, big guys got it easy. Do lots of cardio and stretching. Other than that, just grab big weights and throw them around a lot. Try 3 sets of 3 exercises per muscle group. Do 2 groups a day, plus cardio. Aim for 8-10 reps per set at first, and use lower weight, then move up to higher weights and 6-8 reps on the last set. After a few weeks just do the higher weight for 6-8. Take every other day off to rest.

Other than that, I just recomend you sit near the mirror where you can see the machine where the chicks do the splits. I've noticed EVERY gym puts that thing right in front of the mirror, I love it.

Those guys on ESPN2s World's Strongest Man seem to have a lot of luck in building muscle mass by picking up monster truck tires and logs. Do that.


P.S. On second thought I think that plan only works if your name is Magnus Rasmussenson or Uter Magnusson

the_reverend said:

rowing is awesome. we have one measly rowing machine in my gym and i seem to be the only one that uses it. i try to do 5 mins hard rowing then 15 min elypto, back to rowing 5 mins and back to elypto 15 mins.
the nautilus row machine (the one with the weight stacks) are really good. i like to do heavy rows on that.

on the rowing machine, I watch my calories per hour. I keep it at 900 to 1000 Cph and then every other minute, I rage it up to 1400 Cph for 15 to 30 seconds (what ever I feel like at the moment). then I take a break every 10 minutes. I found out almost the hard way that if I try to go 1300+ straight, after 5 minutes I get to that point where you are about to black out, puke and shit your pants.

the one thing I need to do is bring a laptop or something and watch some simpsons. they always have some stupid sports bullshit on in that room so I end up staring at the sky out the window.

the_reverend said:

hahaha
that's what the little girls are there for

the average age at my gym is like 60. carina was my eye candy, but see left.

jesus. i have the high school cheerleaders schedule all worked out and everything. great motivation!

I started doing free weights a few weeks ago. I feel like I could punch through walls when I'm done now. I'm still in the process of experimenting with it. I've been doing 2-4 different exercises per muscle group with 2-4 sets ranging between 8-15 reps (depending on the excercise and how much I can lift), with at least 2 ab exercises per session. I'm hovering around 180 right now which is 10 lbs heavier than I was just a few months ago.

shit BEFORE you start working out.

atleast a half hour before. drink a coffee or something. force that shit out! force it!

also, if you are going to go into the shower, don't start day dreaming about banging your girlfriend.

Nick your makin me all jealous, i gotta get back into the fuckin gym with you damn it!

Aegathis said:

Then start going with me! I can always use another person to lift with.

i need money 1st