Weightlifting - Getting in Shape

[JadeMonkeyStang]

In search of faster 1/4 mile times both in and out of the GN, I'm looking to undertake a serious weightlifting/training/fitness program. I know that many of you have experience in this area and I've read some older threads on the topic. Being that I'm a relative beginner (lifted before but never been taught to do it the right way) and I want to learn to train properly and effectively I was hoping that someone had suggestions for books/magazines/websites that I could check out to get me started right. Any suggestions or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

-Jade

 

[striker_29]

I usually do chest and tries one day, skip a day then back and bis, skip a day and then nothing but shoulders. Work in legs, abs, and cardio as you can. Eat a good diet with plenty of protein, and get plenty of rest.

 

[ThikStik]

Just doing something VS nothing is 90% of it. I have done my same routine (flys, curls, benching -3 sets x 10 reps) for over 15 years now. It helps my looks by offsetting the beer belly and gives me the strenght to do all my heavy auto stuff. If not for sleep problems, Id like to do it more seriously.
Its also funny to beat a youngster at arm wrestling. Always under estimated.

 

[TRBON8R]

Just get the "Body for Life" book by Bill Phillips. It is all you need and will do you more good than spending money on a personal trainer. It's easy reading and concentrates not only on the physical aspect but mental as well.

 

[slimm]

For the love of pete, stay as far away from anything Bill Phillips has to do with. Your diet is absolutly the most important part of a lifestyle change. Do not undersestimate it. Steer clear of routines in any bodbuilding magazine, as they are not for the Genetically Typical Trainee. Decide exactly what you want to accomplish, and achive it. a good place to start is here:
www.gotswole.com
I belive in this person, and gain nothing by telling you to go to his site. take a look at the before and after results. If you are serious and desire more information about anything to do with training or diet email me and I will at least try to point you in the right direction.

 

[Captain Mark]

I used to do a lot of weight lifting. I was benching well over 300 lbs and usually used 55-60 lb dumbells doing flys. My shoulder started giving me a lot of problems so bench on a regular basis is out. Now I run and do a LOT of push ups daily. I will run 2 miles (cardio is very important) and do somewhere between 200-400 pushups a day, depending on how I feel. Normally I will run a lap, stop and do 50 push ups and continue this routine for 8 to 10 laps. I also still do curls and triceps. I will occasionally do bench just to see if the pushups are doing any good. I can still bench close to 300 by just doing the pushups, and my shoulder doesn't hurt. I guess I will keep doing them.

Running is a all around workout. Running coupled with weightlifting is the best way to go IMHO.

 

[TRBON8R]

Originally posted by slimm
For the love of pete, stay as far away from anything Bill Phillips has to do with. Your diet is absolutly the most important part of a lifestyle change. Do not undersestimate it. Steer clear of routines in any bodbuilding magazine, as they are not for the Genetically Typical Trainee. Decide exactly what you want to accomplish, and achive it. a good place to start is here:
www.gotswole.com
I belive in this person, and gain nothing by telling you to go to his site. take a look at the before and after results. If you are serious and desire more information about anything to do with training or diet email me and I will at least try to point you in the right direction.

Yeah, tell that to myself and several of the people at my gym that have had great results with the Body for Life program. I guess we must all be getting results by doing it the wrong way.

 

[Cheeseburger]

Your shoulder will take a long time to get back to normal,mine took about 6 years before i could lift without getting that strain (stretch)feeling in it.
I myself have a hard time getting motivated,if i did not waste so much time or did not have a gn i would definitly join a gym again.
I may get flamed for this but i have thought about doing a cycle to get me going.......i am 6'1'' and 210 at the moment and lazy LOL.
When i was younger i worked out like crazy and did not see real big results because i could not put on weight........times have changed.
I here that if i did do a cycle i would either need a bj 3 times a day or have a real bad temper........maybe someone can chime in on this?
I know that to see gains you have to eat alot of protein..........there goes the grocery bill through the roof!

 

[JadeMonkeyStang]

Just for a little info on me. I'm definately into trying to eat right; I normally cook for myself and tend to eat pretty healthly (lots of fruits/veggies, chicken, yogurt, rice, nothing too fatty on a regular basis, only snack on fruit/veggies) but I have the occasional pizza, ice cream, whatever. I do drink a little more than I should, that's probably my biggest intake problem.

I've got a rather big build, 6"2-3, about 290 or so right now, was over 335 last year. There is a nice gym in the basement of my apartment building I'm trying to make to most of. Lifting about 4 times a week and trying to do cardio at least 5 times a week. My cardio has been mostly the excercise bike for about 20 minutes a session or a 15 warmup, 10 cooldown split. I have really crappy ankles so running isn't really my thing, I wish it were. I've done a little of the rowing machine as well, seems like a good workout for me. Been trying to walk wherever I go just for a little added boost instead of taking the tram around town.

I need to get in decent cardio shape for some big backpacking trips next month; though my main goal is that I'd like to get in the best shape I can by the end of June when I head back to the USA. If anyone out there has any more specific suggestions/tips/approaches I'm open to them. Thanks again guys.

-Jade

 

[slimm]

Originally posted by TRBON8R
Yeah, tell that to myself and several of the people at my gym that have had great results with the Body for Life program. I guess we must all be getting results by doing it the wrong way.

Sheeple...................

 

[AsphaltAnihil8r]

Originally posted by slimm

www.gotswole.com


ANYONE else's computer get all Fu@ked up when going to this site.....
please be careful,,could have been a fluke accident ,,but watch out....

 

[Big Mike]

I have been lifting since i was 10 years old.I was a fat little guy.Now I'm 33 years old 6 foot 5 and off season I'm around 310lb and when I go hard i drop down to around 285lbs.I did all the protien and all the other fads of the day.I got some small gains but later i just relized that they were just getting rich off me.My most incline bench was 525lbs for 2 reps. and 310 shoulder press behind the neck for 6 reps.Breakfast = 16 egg whites and toast.luch a chicken and kiddney beans and fruit.dinner steak or a chicken.Save your money and just eat good food. trained 5 days a week and the odd weekend .usually two hours a day.I did track and field(shot put and discus) untill my knee went out.I did lots of stretching and plyometric's and power lifting.Went for the olyimpics trials and place 5th my first time.Now was off training for a year(working hard, own company) and trying to heal.
Best motovation for me was watching the movie Pumping Iron every time I felt lazy.
Another help for me was working out with a bigger and stronger person.ZYou will pass them quicker.

 

[denn454]

i didnt' take a ton of time to read everyone elses post so if i step on someones toes i'm sorry.

your best bet is to get someone at the gym to help you out. you WILL need someone there with your regardless to spot you, never lift without a spoter! The idea is to work major muscles first, and then split your workouts into lowerbody and uper body. my workouts consist of:
one day- bench, lat pulls,deltoids(sholders),traps (up by your neck) triceps, and then biceps. in that order
next day- squats, lunges, power militarys or hang cleans(look them up on the internet, time consuming to explain), both thigh muscles, and calfs. again in that order.

the reason for doing them in a set order is you want to work large muscles first. they recruit fibers from smaller muscles...kind of tough to explain and make sence of it, but trust me it works out.
I take a rest inbetween my two days although you don't need to, and it would be better if i didn't, but i dont' like lifting much. you never want to lift with the same muscles two days in a row, you won't get any benefit other than more muscle endurence from doing that. you need at least a day off for each muscle.

thats a good way to start lifting, although you really should get some help from someone else at the gym, they will have a better idea of what will work for you.

and you also said you want to get in better shape, lifting alone wont' do that. you need to add some aerobic exercise. you can run, bike, or i'd strongly sugest swimming, problem is you need someone to help you out so you don't hurt yourself swimming (it happens all the time). biking is probably the best bet, running is tough on your knees... all you need is a bike, some time, and some water lots and lots of water

I also do about 10 minutes of ab work without rest, all different types of situps. you could start out just doing 100 situps a day, take a little rest if you need to (keep it under 30 sec.) and just build up from there. push ups and pullups will only help too.

and my last and biggest bit of advise, stretch! you should spend at least 10 minutes stretching before you workout, and stretch a little after you workout too especially when you start, it will help keep you from being as sore.

good luck!

 

[Cheeseburger]

Originally posted by denn454

your best bet is to get someone at the gym to help you out. you WILL need someone there with your regardless to spot you, never lift without a spoter!

Not only that have someone competant to spot you!!
I screwed my shoulder up because of a couple guys that were goofing off while i was doing seated incline presses with a machine that was missing some parts.(typical condo gym)
I was doing all the plates on the machine and there is supposed to be a piece you kick out with your feet to start(it was missing), anyway to start the bar was right at my neck.......so my buddies would lift it to a comforable position and i would do my sets.
Well on my last set and rep they were not there and i let it back my self and felt something funny in my shoulder.......forgot about it went for a swim and it felt odd.........when i woke up the next day.........i was like holy crap what the hell,i could not lift my arm...........long story short,i could not lift heavy for the next 6 years.....So be carefull!!
Hope i did not bore you guys with my story,some of you will know what i am talking about!

 

[slimm]

Originally posted by AsphaltAnihil8r

Originally posted by slimm

www.gotswole.com


ANYONE else's computer get all Fu@ked up when going to this site.....
please be careful,,could have been a fluke accident ,,but watch out....

I don't know what the hell happened to you but there is nothing wrong with that site. No pop-ups no ads no nothing. You do need flash though.
Jade there are a few folks in Aus. that I know, I wish you luck. Do your cardio, first am on an empty stomach. 30-45 mins walk on a tredmill, or jump on a recumbant bike. Get about 70% of your max heart rate. You can do that every day, even the days you lift IF you are lifting in the evening.

 

[Crazed1]

Here is another site that will help.
There is so much information here it is easy to get lost.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/index.html

I say the number one most important thing to do is eat well and drink plenty of water to ward off cramped muscles.
Protien powders and such are for people who are pushing the edge.

The egg whites, and a small protien drink in the morning is very popular, along with cottage cheese.

 

[Racer X]

Originally posted by Crazed1
Here is another site that will help.
There is so much information here it is easy to get lost.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/index.html
....

Great site! These guys actually sponsor me and my racing effort! Thanks for the plug!

Look Jade, it's pretty simple. Just eat a well balanced diet. You know like the one they taught in school. Problem with today is too much crap in our diets. Stay away from the fad diets. I try (and I say try ) to only eat things that have been grown. Like meat, chicken, fish, veggies, etc... Stay away from the twinkies and Krispy Kremes.

You need some weight lifting to build muscle mass. Muscle mass will increase your metabolic rate which means you will be burning fat faster. No need to go nuts in the weight room.

Get in about 30 minutes of cardio, preferable on an empty stomach. This way you will dip into your fat reserves faster.

There is no one way that will work for every one. We all have different body types that require different things. For example, you have that one friend who can eat all kinds of crap and never hit the gym and he never gains a pound. Then there are those that just get a sniff of ice cream and they gain 5 pounds. You get the point...

Start with *something* and make slight adjustments to your routine until you feel good and you're dropping pounds. Most of all it just takes some dedication to a program and stick with it.

Good luck man!

 

[2 QK 4 U]

STEROIDS MAN...LOTS OF STEROIDS !






No, just kidding.

Dieting is the biggest part.

How much you lift isn't as important as how you lift. technique is everything.

Starting out, I would work one muscle group once a week. There are about 6-8 different excercises for every body part so don't hesitate to explore!

Have fun. Oh yeah, after a year or so lifting you'll have to beat the hoes off with a bat

 

[Captain Mark]

Any of you guys that are over 35 years old should go to your doctor and get your testosterone level checked. Once you hit your 30's it starts going down. That's just the way it is. Anyway, my Doc is really up on all the latest studies with testosterone levels. He is 6'6" and weighs about 265, and was a great athlete back in his day. He was also one of our firefighters years ago.

Anyway, here is what he has discovered about male hormone.

An 18 year old male has a test level of about 1200. Once you reach your 30's (may be younger or older, depending on your body) the levels start dropping dramatically. This will obviously affect you in numerous ways. My Doc tested his own level and it was a very low 165! He is 40 years old. That is when he started studying all the latest findings on male hormone therapy. He started applying a testosterone cream (1 ml twice a day) and his level came up to around 1000. Now that his level is where he wants it, he has cut back to just 1 ml a day, and that amount keeps him there.

So, I went and had him check my levels. My number was 375. I started the same regimine as he did, with basically the same results. Except at 2 ml a day my levels went to 1400! My face started breaking out in pimples and I'm 47! But, I was also stronger than I had been in years and had more energy than most guys in there 20's. I have now backed down to 1 ml a day and have leveled off at around a 950 test level. No down side to raising your level this way. You will want to keep an eye on your estrogen levels (it goes up with your test level) and keep an eye on your PSA numbers. (prostate)

Another problem you will encounter.....not all Docs are up on this. Most are old school, and haven't studied all the latest findings on male hormone therapy. It will eventually be as wide used as female hormone therapy in the future.

 

[sixgun86gn]

Hey Mark,did that help your energy level much.I am a pretty active guy and do alot of heavy lifting at work.I am nowhere near the level of strength and energy I was at a few years ago.just my luck though,I turn 30 this year.Now you gotta go and tell me that my testosterone level is gonna start dropping!Shame on you,LOL.Really though,that sounds like something I may have to look into.How would a person have such a thing checked out?