The Gym Thread...

[munkee]

why so little reps/sets on deadlift?

if there isnt enough weight do partial deadlift for something like 10 reps 3 sets i always remember hating those days when i used to train. Theres also sumo deadlift which works your hips a bit more than regular so may be worth trying diffrent variations with the lighter weight

instead of squats? id probably say lunges with dumbells something like 30kg in each hand , lunging alternatly with each leg.. 6 x 4 or something also give 6 reps 4 sets a go on pull ups.. that was always perfect for me. A good set rep range to add weight to once it becomes easy as well.

Also you need to add something along the lines of dips to hit your triceps and chest errm also i reckon you are doing way too many compounds if you do that every other day.. although its personal preference.

I found sticking to 2/3 compound exercises then a couple of isolations worked well for 3 working days. But using different variations on each of those days and different variations of rep/set ranges. So like.. incline bench one day, regular on another, 3rd day dips so chest could have a day off but still getting a bit of work.. just simple stuff like that. Although if you are just starting out.. anything will work to be honest

Edited December 26, 2007 by Spacemunkee

[manxrider]

Ok, thanks for that. The reason for the 1 set on the dead lift is because the Rippetoe workout has it as 1x5, thats the only reason but I will change it to 3x5 like the others.

So I'll put lunges in as well, which does make the list look pretty long lol.

[Muel]

I found some discs at my Grandmas today, and bodged them into a dumbell with a headset press, it is supposedly 9kg. Which I think is pretty light, but it feels heavy to me.

What do I do with it? I've just been doing sets of what I think are called curls, But I don't know what else to do with them really, considering I only have one of them.

I'm getting a full set at the weekend I think.

[manxrider]

Once you get the set, go to Here and I dunno take one or two from each section and make that your work out.

9KG will probaly feel heavy as well, I was surprised how heavy a single 10 kg plate was.

[Muel]

Once you get the set, go to Here and I dunno take one or two from each section and make that your work out.

9KG will probaly feel heavy as well, I was surprised how heavy a single 10 kg plate was.

Cheers dude, it seems there's very little I can do with my single headset press dumbell.

[manxrider]

Yeh there isn't much you can do with just one weight lol, apart from curls.

I'm following the rippetoes now, except squats replaced with lunges

It's as follows- 3 days a week, with workout A and workout B, which are done alternating.

Workout A

3x5 lunges

3x5 Bench Press

3x5 Deadlift

5x10 press up

2x25 sit ups

2x25 dips

4x5 pull ups

Workout B

3x5 lunges

3x5 Standing military press

3x5 Pendlay Rows

5x10 press up

2x25 sit ups

2x25 dips

4x5 pull ups

[Sam F]

Meh, im a lazy f**ker. Im keeping fit by riding and my leg muscles and for the arm muscles i will get once i leave school and work for my pappa Requires lots of heavy lifting And i get paid for it too

Edited December 28, 2007 by i like eggs

[Muel]

I just went and bought the stuff, now I need to know what to do with it.

I promised it to myself for Christmas, so I got a 50kg set of freeweights, a bench and a pull-up bar.

These are my stats so far, please be kind, this is the first time I have ever used any weights, apart from pissing about at my mates.

Bench Press: 30kg, 5 reps. I tried 40kg, but I was too tired and sore by then.

Curls: 7.5kg on either dumbell, 10 reps. 2 sets.

Flys: 5kg on either dumbell, tried to do 10, managed seven.

The leg lifty thing, no idea what it's called, I sit upright and lift with the front of my ankles with the backs of my knees on the rests. 10kg, it's too light, I need to make a longer bar so I can add more weight.

Pull Ups: Pull up bar isn't fitted yet, but last time I tried I managed 8.

Sit-Ups: I can just about do 10 if I do them properly, like not rotate you hips, only go up to 45 degrees.

Press-Ups: About 7/8.

I'm 5'10" ish, 11 stone 3.

[Steve H]

I just went and bought the stuff, now I need to know what to do with it.

I promised it to myself for Christmas, so I got a 50kg set of freeweights, a bench and a pull-up bar.

These are my stats so far, please be kind, this is the first time I have ever used any weights, apart from pissing about at my mates.

Bench Press: 30kg, 5 reps. I tried 40kg, but I was too tired and sore by then.

Curls: 7.5kg on either dumbell, 10 reps. 2 sets.

Flys: 5kg on either dumbell, tried to do 10, managed seven.

The leg lifty thing, no idea what it's called, I sit upright and lift with the front of my ankles with the backs of my knees on the rests. 10kg, it's too light, I need to make a longer bar so I can add more weight.

Pull Ups: Pull up bar isn't fitted yet, but last time I tried I managed 8.

Sit-Ups: I can just about do 10 if I do them properly, like not rotate you hips, only go up to 45 degrees.

Press-Ups: About 7/8.

I'm 5'10" ish, 11 stone 3.

If you want to be serious about it get to a gym they can also help you out by putting you on programes to gain muscle mass or tone up or get strong ect!

Or

Just buy flex/muscle and fitness magazine, great training plans and dietry help!

Both of these can help you learn more, it is for me!

Steve

Edited December 31, 2007 by Steve H

[manxrider]

Muelio do you just have dumbells or do you have a proper bar as well?

[Muel]

The bar as well. I got them from Argos, and because I ordered them all online, I saved a load of money as well.

I got this for £30:

This for £30:

And a Pull-Up bar for £7. But I cba posting pics of that.

[Fishy]

Whats the bench like?

[manxrider]

In that case give This a read, I know it's really long but that it the best routine to start out on, and reading it will just widen your knowledge of weightlifting in general.

[Ali C]

The bar as well. I got them from Argos, and because I ordered them all online, I saved a load of money as well.

I got this for £30:

This for £30:

And a Pull-Up bar for £7. But I cba posting pics of that.

Thos benches are handy, I have one and its already paid for itself!

However, those weights are nowhere near as good as amore exspensive set. My bar cost me £60 (cheapest decent bar I could find) it alone weighs 20kg so that means I need fewer weights which takes up less room and the bar is built to last.

I also bought 140kg of weights for just over £100, they are nice one peice steel jobs, wont break and I can adjust the weight in small incraments.

[Muel]

Whats the bench like?

f**king excellent. The weights are a bit cheap but I'm not spending any more on my set-up.

[Fixed Pants™]

Bought a dungbell tree from sainsburys today because i could.

Only goes up to 4.5kg though, but it's still a bit of muscle tearage. Gonna be hench in a few days. lol

Any plans? 3x15 reps per day at first? Then 5x15reps a day? To build up my biceps.

[bhups]

Bought a dungbell tree from sainsburys today because i could.

Only goes up to 4.5kg though, but it's still a bit of muscle tearage. Gonna be hench in a few days. lol

Any plans? 3x15 reps per day at first? Then 5x15reps a day? To build up my biceps.

I wouldn't do it everyday, do it like 3-4 times a week that way you muscles have sometime to heal before tearing them.

[Fish-Finger-er]

Bought a dungbell tree from sainsburys today because i could.

Only goes up to 4.5kg though, but it's still a bit of muscle tearage. Gonna be hench in a few days. lol

Any plans? 3x15 reps per day at first? Then 5x15reps a day? To build up my biceps.

erm....once you can do 3 x 15 or more, doubt youll see any noticeable gains in size. 4.5 kg really is too light for much.

get a couple of 10kg from argos or something for like £20, actually be pretty usable then, at least for a good while.

[munkee]

erm....once you can do 3 x 15 or more, doubt youll see any noticeable gains in size. 4.5 kg really is too light for much.

get a couple of 10kg from argos or something for like £20, actually be pretty usable then, at least for a good while.

aye would have done himself a lot more favours buying a pull up bar and found somewhere to do dips. However.. there are proper cardio/slight muscle builder in general fat fighter routines like loughboroughs "hour of power".... the name says it all really. But i know they use weights around 5kg and people hurt for days.

Edited January 1, 2008 by Spacemunkee

[Bionic Balls]

But i know they use weights around 5kg and people hurt for days.

does that serve 'em for having too many pies or what?

[Fish-Finger-er]

aye would have done himself a lot more favours buying a pull up bar and found somewhere to do dips. However.. there are proper cardio/slight muscle builder in general fat fighter routines like loughboroughs "hour of power".... the name says it all really. But i know they use weights around 5kg and people hurt for days.

yea but the gains are very small, for that hour of work(taking a guess its kind of like a weight based circuit training class). its like anything you do it enough, itll hurt. youd probably see bigger gains in doing 10 minutes of 3 sets of dips till failiure,3 sets of chins up till failiure, and finishing off with a couple of minutes of slow press ups.

why do weights have to be soooo expensive(for decent ones) my york cheapy plastic ones got me started, but now to make them any use as dumbells, i have to have that many weights on them i cant fit me hand between the weights. want to get a set up at home, as im going on to a 4 day week soon. so that spare weekday off would be an ideal day to train like a mother.but its like mega bucks. anyone got any ideas.

really want an ez bar.(my new gym doesnt have one)

dumbells.

a bench with no rack for the bar.(ive found some of these for not too much)

got a bench with a rack for the bar, not too arsed about having a barbell really,as cant beast the bench press without a spotter, so can just switch it up do it on me days at work(as my gyms 17 mile away, right next to work)

but to get a decent set up of weights. is like £200+ (the york EZ bar in argos didnt actually look too bad, till i realised id need to put something like 2.5 times the weight it comes with on it, and you couldnt even fit 1.5x the weight it comes with on it(it comes with 7.5kg per side, considering i used to do 12.5 per side comfortably and dabble with 15kg per side, after a days work, and that was with an olympic style ez bar, i think 17.5 per side would be a sensible figure on the york bar)

[munkee]

mhmm

idd the stuff you buy out of argos etc is all bollocks. i considered the ez bar a long time a go but like you the weights provided are wank and the f**kers always make the bars a non standard size so only those plates fit on to them. I pref using dumbells for anything to do with biceps.. ez bar was good for french press and thats about all i liked it for really it.

Unless you want to spend a good amount of money its pretty shit trying to get the right equipment for home. For example.. i would have f**kin loved a squat rack, without it your pretty f**ked trying to do weights at home.. and if you do get one all you need is a bench and it can double as an area to do flat / decline / incline bench. Then just whip the bar out the rack and you can do deadlift. But squat racks i found are f**kin expensive also and always uber tall so dont fit where you want lol..

in the end i just found a proper proper old skool gym.. rusty weights massive blokes working there, it was like a dungeon but was closer to home and in the long run less expensive than buying all my own stuff.. its all way over priced nowerdays and 90% of it is plastic shite.

[Muel]

I'll probably need a squat rack at some point, but at the moment, I can't do them, because I overdid them on Tuesday and I can barely do them with no weight now. Grrr.

BUT, my Dad thought of a solution, make some brackets to fit either side of a doorway, or just on a wall. I was using 10kg on Tuesday, which is absolutely pitiful, but as it was my first workout, no wait, it's just plain pitiful. I don't need a rack, as I can lift it straight onto my shoulders.

I did bench 40kg though... The bar was bending.

Argos ***!

Here is my every other day routine so far:

Warm up 1 minute skipping rope.

Bench press 3 sets of 8 repetitions – 22.5kg barbell

Squat 2 sets of 10 repetitions – 10kg barbell

Press behind the neck 3 sets of 10 repetitions – 10kg barbell

Bent over rowing 3 sets of 8 repetitions – 22.5kg barbell

Calf raises 3 sets of 25 repetitions – 27.5kg barbell

Barbell curl 3 sets of 10 repetitions – 12.5kg barbell

Flys 3 sets of 10 repetitions – 5kg per dumbbell.

Sit-Ups 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Anything I should add? Seems a little short if I'm honest, when I'm donw, I feel like I need to do more on my back, abs and legs. Any Ideas of what I should add to it?

I should be adding pull-ups, once I have fitted the bar.

EDIT: I know the cheap weights are crap and useless and all that, but I have found they're brilliant for starting off with, especially as I can only bench 40kg. I also need to know about stretching, I don't know any I should be doing.

Edited January 3, 2008 by El Muelio

[manxrider]

Need to add a deadlift in there deffinetly. My squat rack, is so make shift its scary, infact it's an exercise bike and a set of ladders lmao. I have to go so low to get the bar onto my shoulder, just getting the bar up is by far the hardest part and I dont even count it as a rep.

Oh and Muelio do the situps weighted, even if it means less reps.

Edited January 3, 2008 by manxrider

[munkee]

The squat rack in my eyes is not there just to hold the weight, its mainly there for safety. Whilst i was trying to push past the 100kg barrier in squats for a couple of work outs solid i was failing on the last couple of reps (6x4) and the squat rack was definitely the only reason i tried to push through. Without the support bars you cant just drop the weight or infact release it when you are in the bottom of the squat and cant push out of it.

Also! those bars are awesome for ensuring you are going down low enough, the amount of times ive been at the gym and seen guys loading up 160kg+ of weight on to a bar in the squat rack, then placing their little golds gym belt on.. goes under the bar lifts it up and "squats" a grand total of 4 inches.. infact barely bending of the knees then placing the bar back on the rack and looking round like my god what a work out... its f**kin hilarious. Infact ive even seen that scenario happen with a guy who turned to his spotter and went "did i go low that time?" i f**king pissed it.. and the spotters reply was "it was a lot lower than normal definitely" .... i was crying.

It really pisses me off when people do squats incorrectly.. infact it pisses me off in general when people try and throw on as much shit as they can without correct technique. Im fine with people who have a good technique and are merely trying to push through a weight barrier but its like when you see people doing big weight on deadlift.. and their back is completely curled over your thinking to yourself.. you f**kin twat. Sad to say most the time no one mentions it to them through fear of being told to mind their own business or just wanting to see them curl up in pain from a f**ked back lol..

anyway rant over... was no need i know ermm yea squat racks,.. very useful