Weightlifting question

[imking4aday]

I've been trying to read up on how many reps/sets/weight to do to get bigger, so i'm just trying to get a general idea of what others do.

currently i'm doing 3 sets of 10, when I can finish all 3 sets without really pushing myself much, I add weight.

should i be doing sets of 6, 8, or 12?

whast the general rule?

[WYDD]

let someone with 6 to maybe 7 inch pythons tell you that 12 is acceptible for reps. But, snoil may be able to tell you with some more insight.

[slydevl]

Yeah,

If you want to get big, do no more than 6 reps. Do higher reps to get lean muscle.

I recommend a pyramid

8-6-4-2-6 to get big. Going up in weight each set and then dropping a little for the last set of 6. You should need a spotter on all but the set of 8. If you aren't using a spotter then the weight is too easy and you aren't getting the full benefits.

If you are familiar with negatives (basically you load up the bar with more than you can bench and let it down as slow as you can and have spotters help you back up) do a couple of sets of those after the pyramid. Maybe two sets of 2-4 reps with at least your max bench. You need to be doing dumbells and cable cross overs also.

[imking4aday]

ohh,...i forgot...does the set/rep ratio stay the same for upper and lower body?

[hasbeens99]

I usually do what I call 'pyramid' sets.

Set 1: 10 reps
Set 2: 8 reps
Set 3: 6 reps
Set 4: 4 reps
Set 5: 6 reps

I'll usually add some weight on sets 3 and 4. It takes a little longer, but for some reason I don't get as sore. I'm not sure about building size, to be honest, but I did get stronger following that program. So did my wife.

[slydevl]

Think of it this way.

To get big you want to be pushing your muscles to their strength limit, not their endurance limit. In other words, you don't want to fail because you get tired but because the muscle is just too weak to push the weight when rested.

Also, take a longer break in between sets. Most people take a minute to 1.5 in between sets when doing high reps. You need to take at least 2 minutes maybe 2.5 when doing heavy weight. You dont want fatigue to be a factor.

[imking4aday]

so what would recommend if i don't have a spotter, unfortunately I'm not blessed with friends who workout

[slydevl]

Use a smith machine or dumbells.

Cable crossovers.

[Shrapnel]

I had a stiffy that my wife could do chin-ups on. She could do 3 sets of 10 reps before,... well, you know.

[reb]

About a hundred pounds with a pussy attached is about all I can lift.

[slydevl]

Originally posted by Reb
About a hundred pounds with a pussy attached is about all I can lift.

I thought sheep went a good 250 up in the hills :D

[reb]

no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

[lj4three]

i've leaned up a good bit on my upper body lately. i'm doing 10-15 reps with 120lbs, about 6 sets. whats a good way, besides situps- to work your abs.. i've been running about 2-3 times a week (3 miles each time) and my gut is getting smaller.. but how do i get some definition without doing situps??

[Tiorted Snoil]

Shock the muscles. You'll reach a plateau sooner or later doing 10 reps (which IMO is probably 4 too many...you can do more weight). Doing drop sets is a good way. Say you bench 225 6 times (failure) take the one plate off a side and do 135 until failure. Dop that for four sets. This is also effective for people who don't have spotters. Machines are effective using this method too...try to keep a max of 5 seconds for you to drop the weight and start the movement again.

Another way to shock the muscles is to change your workout. Muscles will adapt to your workout and you need to change it up to shock them into growth again...ie change from barbell presses to dumbbell or machines....change from squats to leg presses. If you have access to more than one gym, change locations, each location will have equipment that is not at the others.

Another good way to bring in other excercises for the same muscle with no rest (pre-exhause). You'll do dumbell flies (again 6 - 8 reps) to failure to "pre-exhaust" the pecs, follow that up immediately with your bench press which brings in the tris and front delt to fatigure the pecs even more. You can use the same principles with all muscle groups. The more muscle burning pain you can take, the better results you'll get. You only need to do each muscle group once per week...when you aren't working out is when you are growing.

Eat to put on size. Lean protein. I take in at least 300 grams of protein per day...mostly from lean meats and chicken and supplements of protein powders and bars. I've found the workout is the easy part, eating is the hard part. You'll need to do some cardio to keep the fat off. You espcailly need protein right after your workout to prevent your body from breaking down muscle....whey protein gets absorbed the fastest.

Don't neglect your legs. Doing heavy squats will shock your whole body and get it into growing mode....this has worked great for me, by bench has gone up 40 pounds in the five months I've really been going heavy on legs.

No spotter? use dumbells and machines. It takes a little while to get used to balancing them. You have to use your knees and kinda throw them up for a shoulder press and balance as you fall on the bench for a bench press...but you do get a better more natural range of motion. Imagine anyone vs you doing a barbell press...the movement is almost the same, now imagine the your movement vs. their's doing a dumbbell press...they are comepletely different. You can use machines to self spot yourself by doing one arm at a time.

These are sizing gaining techniques, not strengthing techniques. There aren't any Olympic Gold Medal weight lifters that look like Arnold did in his prime are there? Most people work out to put on strength even though their goal is to put on size.

[Tiorted Snoil]

Originally posted by imking4aday
ohh,...i forgot...does the set/rep ratio stay the same for upper and lower body?

Everyone is different here. Most lifters do set after set after set. I've personally found that if I do only three sets of bench, I get better results than if I do five. Everyone's recovery time is different. You learn through trial and error. There have been a lot of studies that have showed one set done until complete failure is more effective than doing multiple sets...for gaining size, not strength.

Generally, the bigger the muscles, the more sets it can handle..so yes, you should be able to do more sets of squats (legs) and you do of bench press or shoulder press. 30 to 45 seconds max rest in between sets. I see people sometimes taking several minutes in between sets, they are just wasting their time and hogging the equipment from other people.

[barracuda]

As Sly indicated, you basically want to rip the muscles in order to build them not tier them out. Make sure you isolated and work on opposing muscle groups to make ensure good all-round definition, I've forgotten most of what I learned about the technical aspect of weight lifting, but you do want to make sure you have a spotter when doing it.

[imking4aday]

Thanks for the info fellas. I tried doing the pyramid sets last night, and i really felt twice as strong, i guess i had been doing the same routine for too long, so gave the body a good shock.

another question for you:

i heard you shouldn't drink coffee if you're taking creatine (not that I would), but a guy who told me that also said you shouldn't drink orange juice with creatine...has anyone else heard that?

also:

i've basically got a workout rountine as follows:

monday: upper body
wednesday: lower body
friday: upper body
saturday: play football
monday: lower body
wednesday: upper
friday:lower
saturday: play football

then start all over. these are really the only days i can devote to anything involving workouts. sometimes i play basketball on sundays. should i be doing anything else on those days?

[Tiorted Snoil]

that creatine stuff is jibberish. creatine, if not taken incorrectly goes right to the kidneys and out...ie expensive urine. if you take it right before or right after you workout, it will be absorbed....also first thing in the morning works well too. your body is like a sponge after a good workout and first thing in the morning...it won’t matter if you take it with coffee mixed with orange juice, it will be absorbed. Most of what you hear from people in the gym is re-hashed heresy based upon someone else’s ignorance.

Some companies have made claims that taking creatine with carbs helps the uptake...the jury is out on that, anything that comes from a manufacturer is going to be slanted. Most professional body builders mix it in a recovery drink taken right after working out that also contains protein and carbs. Some manufacturers even recommend you mix it with fruit juice.

What are your splits (body parts worked per workout)?

monday: chest/tris
wednesday: back/bis
friday: shoulders/abs/lower back
saturday: play football
monday: all leg muscles/cardio
wednesday: cycle starts again – chest tris
friday: back/bis
saturday: play football

If you can workout on Sunday, do some cardio or vary the splits too add another lifting session. You can lift on back to back days for different splits…You could workout Monday – Friday, play football on Saturday and take Sunday off.

This time of year really starts to sucks for lifting. Gyms are full of people who pay a full years membership so they can workout from now through Januray...it gets worse by the day until late January. I don’t even bother lifting until Thursdays….people who aren’t serious don’t “make it” to the gym late in the week. I’ll do one split at lunch, another in the evening on thrus and Fridays with Saturday being legs day….I just do cardio M-W.

[imking4aday]

ok, well at least i know i'm doing the creatine right.

as far as your splits goes, its alot better than mine...i think i am working out too many muscle groups at the same time, the pattern that you listed seemed a little more organized. if i wanted to add another day for legs, would you recommend doing it on sunday, or could i fit it in that schedule somewhere?

and i know what you mean about the rush of people in december, i've been going very regularly since august, and it seems in the last couple weeks, there has been about twice as many people and half as many available machines....good to know they'll be outta there soon

on a good note, a group of about 30-40 ladies about twenty years old were using the aerobics room to practice their dance moves...let me tell you there wasn't a bad lookin one in there, tight little spandex pants and sports bras...now that was the motivation i needed

[Tiorted Snoil]

Originally posted by imking4aday
ok, well at least i know i'm doing the creatine right.

as far as your splits goes, its alot better than mine...i think i am working out too many muscle groups at the same time, the pattern that you listed seemed a little more organized. if i wanted to add another day for legs, would you recommend doing it on sunday, or could i fit it in that schedule somewhere?


the theory behind the splits is that tris are used as secondary muscles when doing chest and bis are used as secondary muscles when doing back.

I actually vary my splits a lot, sometimes I do chest/back so my arms are fresh for a good workout.

Sometimes people do the opposite, chest/bis with the thought that the bis will be fresher than if you did them with back. I don't follow that logic because if you use proper form, you shouldn't be using your bis much at all when training back.

You could add a legs day on any day off. The only reason I do legs on Saturday is soley because there aren't many people there, I'm sure that's the case for Sunday as well. There's only one leg press, only one smith machine, only one hack squat, etc...if it is busy, you'll spend a lot of time waiting.

I hate the fuckers with the clipboards writing down everything they do...those fuckers last 6 weeks at the most.

Pineville Bally's? I haven't been to there in a long time but I do remember a lot of good looking women there. S blvd and Central locations are full of fat mexican woman. Is the class still taught by the hot peice of white trash her spandex wearing mullet sporting blond husband?

[imking4aday]

Originally posted by Tiorted Snoil




Pineville Bally's? I haven't been to there in a long time but I do remember a lot of good looking women there. S blvd and Central locations are full of fat mexican woman. Is the class still taught by the hot peice of white trash her spandex wearing mullet sporting blond husband?

ha ha, i know exactly who you're talking about! i actually go to the south blvd bally's cause its closer to where i live, but sometimes make it back to the pineville one, cause yes, there are some fine pieces of ass down there

there are tons of mexicans women, but the ratio of good looking ladies is getting better

but this class looked like a cheerleading/dance class...they must have brought them over from another bally's cause they were all hot...even the lead person was hot

i appreciate the input though, i'm sure i'll have some questions in another month or so about what else i can do...feel free to add anything else you think of