The Official Fitness Training / Weightlifting Thread

[Epidemechanical]

Originally Posted by Jawaharal

you recommend 8-minute arms

I don't think I need to say more

right cause push ups and shoulder flies dont work wow dude ur a fitness genius u must be ripped

[Jawaharal]

Originally Posted by Raayl

right cause push ups and shoulder flies dont work wow dude ur a fitness genius u must be ripped

good luck gaining muscle lifting soup cans and eating 3000 cals a day

[Epidemechanical]

Originally Posted by Jawaharal

good luck gaining muscle lifting soup cans and eating 3000 cals a day

I don't do the 8 minute arms workout personally I am a heavy lifter

It is absolutely effective you don't need massive weights to burn fat, use energy and tone muscle - but of course you'd know that

or wait maybe you don't

[Jawaharal]

Originally Posted by Raayl

I don't do the 8 minute arms workout personally I am a heavy lifter

It is absolutely effective you don't need massive weights to burn fat, use energy and tone muscle - but of course you'd know that

or wait maybe you don't

oh god you're one of the muscle "toning" crowd

[Epidemechanical]

yet again the mentality persists that the more weight you move the stronger you are

this couldn't be more false you don't need anything more than a 15 lbs weight to do effective upper body exercises if you do them correctly

of course there is no substitute for bench press and if you read the thread you'll clearly see that I recommended those exercises because of the lack of heavy lifting options

I encourage everyone to do bench press, shoulder press, and bicep curls with heavy weights with 8 minute arms perhaps supplementing the workout. That isn't to say it isn't effective on its own. It most certainly is.

[Epidemechanical]

Originally Posted by Jawaharal

oh god you're one of the muscle "toning" crowd

...I just said I am a heavy lifter personally.

[Jawaharal]

Originally Posted by Raayl

yet again the mentality persists that the more weight you move the stronger you are

this couldn't be more false you don't need anything more than a 15 lbs weight to do effective upper body exercises if you do them correctly

of course there is no substitute for bench press and if you read the thread you'll clearly see that I recommended those exercises because of the lack of heavy lifting options

I encourage everyone to do bench press, shoulder press, and bicep curls with heavy weights with 8 minute arms perhaps supplementing the workout. That isn't to say it isn't effective on its own. It most certainly is.

Right so the guy who is moving less weight than me is stronger than me. Makes a whole lot of sense.

[Epidemechanical]

Originally Posted by Jawaharal

Right so the guy who is moving less weight than me is stronger than me. Makes a whole lot of sense.

Certain exercises don't require massive weights and as you increase strength you obviously move past soup cans even the video denotes soup cans are for beginners please try to keep up

[misterfitch]

please stop arguing and join together in helping me become a better human being instead

[TheDarkHorse]

Originally Posted by Raayl

your pyramid is inverted i do it the opposite way as the reps get fewer the weight increases

oh shi

yeah i just noticed I typed it wrong. So you do pyramid weights, then.

[Jawaharal]

Originally Posted by Raayl

Certain exercises don't require massive weights and as you increase strength you obviously move past soup cans even the video denotes soup cans are for beginners please try to keep up

show me one person who has gained a respectable amount of muscle and strength from 8 minute arms, just one

[Epidemechanical]

Originally Posted by TheDarkHorse

oh shi

yeah i just noticed I typed it wrong. So you do pyramid weights, then.

yes i do

On the bicep curling machine today, for example:

10 reps at 100.
8 reps at 120.
6 reps at 140.
2/4 reps at 150 (maximum weight on the machine)

Of course it's a machine so its calibrated to the weight and its difficult to gauge the actual amount you're moving so I do freeweights as well at roughly the same intervals. Always moving rep number down by two and the weight in either 10 or 20 pound intervals

[Epidemechanical]

Originally Posted by Jawaharal

show me one person who has gained a respectable amount of muscle and strength from 8 minute arms, just one

I linked the video to showcase the actual exercises which are legitimate and as you increase strength and fitness you obviously increase the weight this is such a stupid argument you're trying way too hard to be contrary for no reason

and if you want to see results from the exercises depicted in the video the answer is pretty much anyone who has ever been to a gym now plz stfu

[Dr. Jake Destructo]

How tall are you nungman?

PS: I decided to start doing Russian Bear. Sounds legit and I'm trying to get big for lacrosse. I got so ****ed up last year. I'm pretty damn quick but unless you have Allen Iverson-style speed, there is no 165 lb weight class, heh.

[nungman]

i'm 6'0 with really long limbs

russian bear is really nothing groundbreaking, but i got great results from it. it's a lot like mark rippetoe's starting strength routine, or at least that's what i'd liken it to

i don't know how to do power clean and presses but i want to learn. they'd be an excellent addition to the upper body part of russian bear. but really, free weight compound movements are the best for you. eat big, lift big, get big

my personal routine is as follows, i added a few exercises to help some lagging body parts (which happen to be my rear and side delts):

every exercise is done as follows:
warmup 5 reps (usually 50% of my 5 rep max)
100% 5-rep max 5 reps 1 set
90% 5 rep max 5 reps 1 set
80% 5-rep max 5 reps 3 sets

day 1
squats
flat bench/incline bench (depending on what i did last time)
upright rows/rear delt raises (depending on what i did last time)

day 2
deadlifts
db shoulder press
pullups/rows (depending on what i did last time)
db shrugs (if i have energy. for some reason my traps are naturally gigantic)

done 3 days a week. so day 1 monday, day 2 wednesday, day 1 friday, then start next week with a day 2 program on monday, day 1 on wednesday, etc. basically i have an A and B routine and i alternate them

the point of the routine is to not go to failure on every set. you're supposed to have a little left in the tank. that way, according to pavel, you avoid overtraining even though you're working the same muscles multiple times a week

Originally Posted by misterfitch

i am very skinny, like 6'0" and 138 lbs and i haven't worked out for like three weeks because i've been sick and i feel like **** when i work out when i'm sick

for a skinny person to become slightly more muscular does this seem like a good nightly workout:
running about a mile
50 pushups
80 crunches
30 bicep curls, 30 tricep push-up things (i don't know what they're called), and 30 vertical lift things (i don't even know if this is a real exercise but i basically just lift up the weight like i'm picking up a suitcase or something) all with a 15 pound weight

this is what i work up to, it usually takes like a week for me to go from not exercising at all to being able to do this without hurting myself

i don't really want to be buff because that's just not me but maybe just not quite so skinny. so i don't know what the **** i'm doing, do the experts in this thread think this seems right/have any suggestions

generally, none of those exercises will put on a lot of weight. and trust me, you won't get big for a LONG time. you don't blow up overnight. you have to eat a ton and get tons of rest. and of course lift a ton.

you, like anyone else, would be better off sticking to compound movements like benching, squatting, deadlifting, pullups, and shoulder pressing. why? they work numerous muscles at once, unlike curls and "tricep pushup things." benching will hit your shoulders and tris in addition to your chest. pullups hit your whole upper back, deadlifts work basically the entire back of your body, shoulder presses work your whole shoulder girlde, and squatting works almost everything under the bar.

50 pushups, while quite a feat if you're going after muscular endurance, are useless if you're trying to get big. same with the 80 crunches. if you can do that many pushups and crunches, you should add some kind of weight to make it harder to the point where you can only get out 10 or so reps

and keep the running to a minimum. you can't be burning needed calories

[Stig Caraveo]

well i'd rather be overall physically fit than "big." slightly more muscular would be nice but i don't ever intend to be or look like a serious weight-lifter because i don't see the practicality and it doesn't fit my personality. with that in mind does my regimen seem appropriate?

ps i want to look good naked

[nungman]

like i said, you won't get big unless you want to. you'll put on some muscle, but you won't get big. i've been at it for 2 years and i look nowhere near like a bodybuilder. people don't realize how hard you have to try to look like that.

to give you an idea, most people agree that the maximum amount of muscle someone can put on in a month is 5lbs. any more weight is just fat. and to put on 5lbs of pure muscle on in a month, you have to have a terrific routine suited to your unique body, have a perfect diet, and generally do everything right

you won't look like a bodybuilder. that's such a crazy paranoia that a lot of people have. just because you pick up a heavy weight won't make you 225lbs with >6% bodyfat and 20 inch arms. i don't want to look like one either, tbh. i'd just like to work my way up to MAYBE 200 lbs and keep a solid body

[Dr. Jake Destructo]

Here's what I just did, following the most basic Russian Bear template:

Bench Press:
170x5
155x5
135x5 (14 sets)

Bent Row:
115x5
105x5
100x5 (14 sets)

I could have probably done 16 or 17 sets before failing to get 5 reps, but I got bored. I feel like I started off with the right weight because I repped 170 7 times last week (bent row was more of a guess) but when I dropped to 90% and 80% of my ~7rm it was just too easy...Since you're experienced with it, how did it work out for you when you started and what should I do differently?

[nungman]

move up. i just use my 5 rep max

i think i started out just barely able to get 155 for 5 reps, so i kept with that and then moved down to 145 and then 135 for my 90% and 80% sets. did those weights 2 workouts in a row, then moved up again

generally, i think the 14 sets is too much. in power to the people, pavel says that some guys can do 25 80% sets and some only 5. i think 3 is perfectly suited to mostly everyone. so up the weight a little on those extra sets. i modified it a little because it felt too easy for me too, so i just upped it a little past 90% and 80%. next time i would try something like

bench:
175x5
165x5
155x5,5,5

bent row:
125x5
115x5
105x5,5,5

but i would do deads instead of bent over rows if you're only going to do the basic russian bear template

and you should be moving up the weights every workout. if you stall, keep trying the weight you stalled at until you get it or move back down a little then work your way up to a new high

and i would grab pavel's book power to the people. it has both the power to the people routine and the russian bear routine. he can explain things far better than i can

[Stig Caraveo]

Originally Posted by nungman

like i said, you won't get big unless you want to. you'll put on some muscle, but you won't get big. i've been at it for 2 years and i look nowhere near like a bodybuilder. people don't realize how hard you have to try to look like that.

to give you an idea, most people agree that the maximum amount of muscle someone can put on in a month is 5lbs. any more weight is just fat. and to put on 5lbs of pure muscle on in a month, you have to have a terrific routine suited to your unique body, have a perfect diet, and generally do everything right

you won't look like a bodybuilder. that's such a crazy paranoia that a lot of people have. just because you pick up a heavy weight won't make you 225lbs with >6% bodyfat and 20 inch arms. i don't want to look like one either, tbh. i'd just like to work my way up to MAYBE 200 lbs and keep a solid body

I don't think I ever want to be over maybe 155 pounds.

Oh and thanks for the advice. I'll go learn weight-lifting terminology.