gym

[cricketmad09]

I've been trying to gain weight. Free weights + machines pretty consistently for a while. Started by alternating push and pull for each session, but am going to start isolating each part for different day. So something like chest/arms/back/shoulders in a cycle.

Not gaining weight quickly although strength has improved, as I've gone up a couple of weights on the machines/weights I use. From what I've gathered from talking to proper gymmers, only way i'm going to see noticeable results is if i massively increase my protein intakes. Eat more meals, less carbs more meat and stuff, and importantly use protein shakes/easily absorbed proteins right after workout. And I'm finding that part very hard to maintain.

:/ Any advice?

It takes time before you start actually growing the muscles. How your muscles work is that when you do weights your muscle fibres will become fatigued, then react and become stronger since they are starting to get used to the weight lifting. After that you will start gaining muscle mass.

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Free weights is always better than machines because machines isolate a muscle while free weights hits the muscles around the muscle you are working. AND evolution has grown to pick up free weights, so free weights are ALWAYS better.

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When you eat you must eat a LOT and I mean A LOT. Because to put on muscle you have to be in a calorie surplus(having more calories than being burned). Don't worry about the fat you can cut that later. my image of you is someone who is extremely skinny and has trouble putting on weight. Buy a weight gainer and buy lots of meat. You should have 1lb of protein per bodyweight. If you weight 150lbs then you eat 150 grams of protein. Have protein every 2/3 hours. If you are putting on too much fat too quickly then slowly decrease your calorie intake.

Do everything I said and you will get bigger, don't be afraid to ask any questions.

How many sets and reps are you doing? You might need to alter your sets/reps so that they are more specifically focused on hypertrophy.

There is nothing wrong with using a machine. With a machine you don't have to focus on balance and co-ordination, so you can focus more on the exercise and working the muscle groups intended. Machines force you to perform the proper movement. It's not as effective and it's also dangerous to be lifting weights with an incorrect technique.

Personal choice. It's completely fine to do machines or free weights.

Also you shouldn't just eat "a lot." You need to eat a lot of the right foods. Like lean mean, fruit and vegetables. Instead of chocolate, biscuits and chips.

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haha. wtf man. Compound exercises have been proven to put on more muscle than isolation. Trust me if you want to save time and get more powerful just do those 5.

If you're looking to get as strong and as big as possible in the least amount of time, then yes, do compound exercises. But a proper bodybuilding routine requires you to isolate each muscle, so that each individual muscle gains mass and size. How do you not know that? That's one of the basic principals of weight training?



And by the way, I'm minoring in health at university and did a unit on weight training last year. I also do a bit of gym work myself. So I know what I'm talking about.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I found the second link CDM posted to be quite handy. Planning on following this now:
The WeighTrainer - Beginners: Practical Starting Routines for The Drug-Free Trainee

But might alter it a bit to focus on the parts I do want to develop more (back/shoulders/chest/arm/abs) over the parts I'm not looking to develop atm (lower body).

 

[pcfan123]

Zorax do you eat meat? cause it's going to be tough otherwise. Just look at the Indian cricket team, highschool football players are stronger than any of them

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I eat meat, just not beef. Can't stand being only vegetarian tbh.

 

[Cricketdude]

It takes time before you start actually growing the muscles. How your muscles work is that when you do weights your muscle fibres will become fatigued, then react and become stronger since they are starting to get used to the weight lifting. After that you will start gaining muscle mass.

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yes, of course.

How many sets and reps are you doing? You might need to alter your sets/reps so that they are more specifically focused on hypertrophy.

There is nothing wrong with using a machine. With a machine you don't have to focus on balance and co-ordination, so you can focus more on the exercise and working the muscle groups intended. Machines force you to perform the proper movement. It's not as effective and it's also dangerous to be lifting weights with an incorrect technique.

Personal choice. It's completely fine to do machines or free weights.

Also you shouldn't just eat "a lot." You need to eat a lot of the right foods. Like lean mean, fruit and vegetables. Instead of chocolate, biscuits and chips.

It isn't personal choice. Free weights are always more effective than machines. I can bring up studies to show it if you like. When you are doing a free weight you are isolating that muscle but also hitting the muscles that are supporting it. Machines are fine but if you want to gain mass then free weights is the way to go.

And no you need to eat a lot. To put on muscle you don't need vegetables and fruit in your diet. I eat them because they are healthy. Have a multi vitamin each day. However your body needs to stay anabolic to put on muscle. So that means being in a calorie surplus and if you are eating like a bird you will stay catabolic and not put on much muscle at all. Did you know Sumo Wrestlers have more muscle than a natural contest bodybuilder and they don't even lift?

So calories in calories out and you need more calories to put on muscle...how do you not know that?

If you're looking to get as strong and as big as possible in the least amount of time, then yes, do compound exercises. But a proper bodybuilding routine requires you to isolate each muscle, so that each individual muscle gains mass and size. How do you not know that? That's one of the basic principals of weight training?

I was telling Zorax what to do because he said he wasn't that dedicated. So if he just does the big 5 exercises, maybe 6 (add Clean & Jerk) he will gain strength and mass. You isolate each muscle true(which is what I do). But Zorax doesn't want to be a bodybuilder. If you want to isolate each muscle you will need to go to the each at least 4x a week. So yeah I isolate each muscle but I don't use machines except for Leg Press, Leg extension...so yeah machines do have their place.

And by the way, I'm minoring in health at university and did a unit on weight training last year. I also do a bit of gym work myself. So I know what I'm talking about.

And I have been lifting for almost a year, been taking it seriously for almost 6 months. Read a bunch of sh!t on it and I have got results(see pic). I know more than you when its putting on mass

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cricketdude do you take any protein supplements or creotine? my bro is all about that and he is massive, he benches around 230lb. I'm lucky to get 165 up

Protein is protein. If you get it from steak, fish it doesn't matter. Meat is better than protein supplements except for pre and after work out(where you need a fast absorbing protein). The fitness industry wants you to think you can take some supplement and get huge lol.

Creatine doesn't get you big. All it does is make more atp in your system which gives you more energy in the gym so you can lift more and heavier on your final few reps. I don't even take it and you don't need it. I repeat Does NOT put on muscle but may help by giving you a better pump in the gym to lift better.





I only bench 180lbs for 10 reps ha.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Yea I've pretty much deduced by now it's Compound for beginners and Isolation if you want to get more serious about it. Compounds suits me just fine tbh.

 

[pcfan123]

my bro says machines are useless compared to free weights and I'll take his word over most peoples. He played varsity football for 2 years in HS and is still a beast

 

[iridescentt]

^ What happened?

 

[Cricketdude]

my bro says machines are useless compared to free weights and I'll take his word over most peoples. He played varsity football for 2 years in HS and is still a beast

your bro knows what he is talking about

 

[Lee1981]

@ zorax

If you want to put on weight you need to basically eat a hell of lot more than you do now.

Last year i went through a big fitness moment re joined the local gym and sorted my eating plan out.

Basically if i remember correct i was taking in around 3000 calories a day,and a huge lump of that was carbs, carbs and more carbs, and a good amount of protein

I put on over a stone in 4-6 weeks.

Then i mullered my shoulder lifting weights i should have avoided, so the gym has not been used again, considering i use my arms a hell of alot for work couldnt risk taking anymore time off being im the sole provider at mine.

The eating part is so hard to do, it just plays on your mind all day how much you need to consume a day to get results, i just couldnt keep it up im afraid.

Respect to you gym addicts, its not the game for me anymore

 

[pcfan123]

^ What happened?

Are you asking why he doesn't play anymore? lol cause highschool was a long time ago, he works in finance now.

 

[Cricketdude]

@ zorax

If you want to put on weight you need to basically eat a hell of lot more than you do now.

Last year i went through a big fitness moment re joined the local gym and sorted my eating plan out.

Basically if i remember correct i was taking in around 3000 calories a day,and a huge lump of that was carbs, carbs and more carbs, and a good amount of protein

I put on over a stone in 4-6 weeks.

Then i mullered my shoulder lifting weights i should have avoided, so the gym has not been used again, considering i use my arms a hell of alot for work couldnt risk taking anymore time off being im the sole provider at mine.

The eating part is so hard to do, it just plays on your mind all day how much you need to consume a day to get results, i just couldnt keep it up im afraid.

Respect to you gym addicts, its not the game for me anymore

lol. i love it. getting results and the feeling you get when you train. love the pump.

too bad you don't enjoy it. But yes whatever you eat etc you are thinking about if it will help your bodybuilding goals etc :P

 

[MasterBlaster76]

About a year back, I picked up an issue of Men's Health, which had a running programme in it designed to get pretty much any guy out there to running 30 minutes non stop (at least). I'm now doing about 3.5 miles three times a week (just over ten miles a week, I'm aiming for twenty) - and I've got my Total Trainer 2000 out again:

so unlike before, when I was just doing strength training on the TT2000, I've now added in a decent amount of cardio, so I'm expecting to get better results than I did before.

Fantastic machine, you can do pretty much any exercise you care to think of and it has ten levels of resistance, so it'll be a while before you begin to 'outgrow' it and even when you do, you can either add more reps, or stick some free weights on the bar that comes with it. So what I'm doing now is about an hour on that (alternating between upper and lower body for each workout with a day's rest inbetween to allow for muscle recuperation/growth) and then a 3.5 mile run straight afterwards. I'm in my mid thirties, but I've never felt so fit and hopefully before too long, my body will reflect that (still some excess that needs to go. ) I don't want to pack on loads of muscle, just a bit - and get better definition. Y'know, look more athletic.

 

[Ollie_H]

I'm in my mid thirties,

And there was me thinking you were some 16 year old worried about his nephew. How wrong I was . I did always wonder mind.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Ha ha! No, the nephew thing is that he's always lived with us since he was a baby, so he's always felt more like a son to me.

Speaking of which he's fourteen now and is developing a good toned figure (a lot of which is probably down to him being quite sporty when he was younger - but he's more of an Xbox 360 kid now) - so I want to get him started with exercise; isn't it true that early to mid teens is the best time to start exercise because your body is still developing? He did come running with me once, but hasn't since - but I wasn't doing anything like 3.5 miles back then.

I suppose some rowing on the TT2000 at a low resistance level should be a good way to start? Rowing's a good total body exercise isn't it. As we all know, even if you are in decent shape, if you just stick yourself on the Xbox 360 all day, you won't retain it.