Weight Lifting Advice for a newbie - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Y2KDREAD · 07-20-2004, 09:33 PM

I am a 19 year old skinny guy who is looking to learn about lifting weights. I have been doing a tiny bit of weight lifting that I learnt from a friend, though I am not sure how much he actually knows.

Right now I want to work on my upper body and I was wondering if someone could help out on what types of exercises to be doing (keep in mind I know next to nothing about weight lifting).

The Exercises that I am doing now are as follows...
-Bench Press
-Bicep Curls
-Pull downs
-Rower
-Crossovers

I have been doing 3 sets of them, increasing the weight each time, and reducing the numbers of sets as i increase the weight. I have no idea if these are the real names but I suppose it is a start. I want to do some exercises that do not really need a spotter (I am working out by myself).

Any and all advice is much appreciated

gorilla · 07-20-2004, 10:18 PM

bench press needs a spotter doesnt it? anyway, if you want to pack on the muscle do a few reps ( 6 and under ) of a heavy weight... if you want leaner muscle do high reps with low weights. the number one thing I could say is that muscle is not built in the weight room, it is built during your rest period. If you lift to often then you wont give your muscle time to rest and recover and all of your work will be lost. take at the very least one day in between workouts. I'm sure if you browse around here you can find threads on different workouts and muscle groups... chest, abs, biceps, etc. If you are really desperate for bigger arms read my thread "Grow one inch in a day, possible?" It might not be the best idea for a beginner, but you can modify as you see fit.

Y2KDREAD · 07-20-2004, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gorilla
bench press needs a spotter doesnt it?

Yeah, I just don't go to my max without a spotter.

KMA-628 · 07-20-2004, 11:03 PM

Might want to try seperating your muscle groups--it gives one group a "rest" while the other is being used (that is the general theory of bodybuilding - you are breaking down your muscles so that they repair bigger and stronger--at least how it was explained to me back in the day)

If you are doing bench, then also do other exercises that work your triceps, chest, shoulders.

The next group (how I did it) would involve biceps, legs, stomach.

Also, I would use the above recommendation for more reps/lower weight.

Take it from a big guy, it gets much harder as you get older to keep the "big muscles" shapely. You will be able to maintain tone muscles a lot easier than big muscles.

IMO, the best Bicep exercise was what we called "21's". With a medium weight, you do seven reps from the bottom to half-way up, seven reps from half-way to full-up and then seven full curls. You do this whole series without stopping or breaking--it will burn.

coash · 07-21-2004, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by KMA-628

Take it from a big guy, it gets much harder as you get older to keep the "big muscles" shapely. You will be able to maintain tone muscles a lot easier than big muscles.

what are the differences between 'tone' muscles and 'big' muscles physiologically?

KMA-628 · 07-21-2004, 09:56 AM

My layman's opinion - size and mass.

Tone muscles, to me, are not bigger, but more defined. So, as you get older, married, kids, etc and you don't work out like you did when you had free time, you don't have to maintain size and shape, just shape.

And even if you let the shape go, you won't get "saggy".

As your muscles get bigger, the skin expands, etc. If you don't work out like you use to the size stays but it just becomes flabby.

The 20" guns that one was so proud of still stay in the 20" range (drops a couple inches or so), but the muscle that used to stand up at attention, slowly creeps down and waggles underneath.

Does that answer your question?

Cowman · 07-21-2004, 10:37 AM

Ya but as soon as you gain a little weight you lose your toned muscles..

coash · 07-21-2004, 04:14 PM

sorry KMA not really. take a muscle out of the body put it on a lab bench. it is just muscle..it can't change shape, can't get flabby, can't get more defined. what's the difference between this and in the body...is that the body has fat. higher the bodyfat the more it covers the muscle making it less defined.

1st page of google

http://www.stumptuous.com/gymlies.html
http://www.teamflex.com/firm_tone/firm_tone_myths.asp
http://www.wannabebig.com/printarticle.php?articleid=11

KMA-628 · 07-21-2004, 06:20 PM

You know, the guy was just asking for opinions, I gave mine. I was very clear, up front, that I was giving out an opinion, not fact.

If I could go back, I would have gone for definition instead of bulking up. Muscles do get bigger. Why or how, I don't know. I know that I was able to increase my biceps four inches and lower my body fat. I know that it is hard to maintain the size. I know this from personal experience.

I wish that I had not fallen for the bulk fad, but I did, now I pay for it.

I was enjoying this thread until you came and looked for an argument. Thanks, people like you really make me *enjoy* this board.

coash · 07-21-2004, 07:23 PM

and I was giving you the factual reason for your opinion on sag/tone/shape. Part of any forum includes discussion and debate, surely.

skinnymofo · 07-22-2004, 12:54 PM

Quote:

IMO, the best Bicep exercise was what we called "21's". With a medium weight, you do seven reps from the bottom to half-way up, seven reps from half-way to full-up and then seven full curls. You do this whole series without stopping or breaking--it will burn.

ill second this one, i tend to do this at the end of a work out though to get the maximum burn i can get with my fatigued muscles.
if you want more info on body building try www.abcbodybuilding.com

Cowman · 07-22-2004, 03:00 PM

Don't cry about it KMA, Coash has become one of the more helpful members of this forum and was pointing out where you flawed. Nothing wrong with that.

rekinom · 07-23-2004, 03:47 AM

Post removed.

coash · 07-23-2004, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rekinom
I think this is 90% true.

The 10% in that I think its wrong comes from the way body fat works. If you have a lot of body fat, this fat is distributed all over your body. It's around your waistline, but its also around your organs, such as your heart (which is way having a lot of fat is unhealthy) and also in and around your muscles

for sure..just like any other visceral fat, not counting the lipids for cell membranes and whatever....part of this is what gives the muscle on a guy a different look (subjective)

st33lr4t · 07-25-2004, 09:00 AM

start off with the proper nutrition. if your not eatting enough calories your not going to gain any weight. if your not eatting the correct amount of protein, carbs, and fat your not going to gain muscle.

get your diet in order then focus on compound lifts just like this guy did. http://johnstonefitness.com/ read his section on nutrition also. also check out www.bodybuilding.com for more compound lifts and their forum is awsome.

Y2KDREAD · 07-25-2004, 02:42 PM

Sweet, thanks for the advice I'll check it out.

Bentley Little · 07-26-2004, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by coash
sorry KMA not really. take a muscle out of the body put it on a lab bench. it is just muscle..it can't change shape, can't get flabby, can't get more defined. what's the difference between this and in the body...is that the body has fat. higher the bodyfat the more it covers the muscle making it less defined.

1st page of google

http://www.stumptuous.com/gymlies.html
http://www.teamflex.com/firm_tone/firm_tone_myths.asp
http://www.wannabebig.com/printarticle.php?articleid=11

coash... excellent article finds.

07-20-2004, 09:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Y2KDREAD Crazy Location: College Station, TX	Weight Lifting Advice for a newbie I am a 19 year old skinny guy who is looking to learn about lifting weights. I have been doing a tiny bit of weight lifting that I learnt from a friend, though I am not sure how much he actually knows. Right now I want to work on my upper body and I was wondering if someone could help out on what types of exercises to be doing (keep in mind I know next to nothing about weight lifting). The Exercises that I am doing now are as follows... -Bench Press -Bicep Curls -Pull downs -Rower -Crossovers I have been doing 3 sets of them, increasing the weight each time, and reducing the numbers of sets as i increase the weight. I have no idea if these are the real names but I suppose it is a start. I want to do some exercises that do not really need a spotter (I am working out by myself). Any and all advice is much appreciated __________________ Signatures are for chumps.

07-20-2004, 10:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
gorilla Insane Location: USA	bench press needs a spotter doesnt it? anyway, if you want to pack on the muscle do a few reps ( 6 and under ) of a heavy weight... if you want leaner muscle do high reps with low weights. the number one thing I could say is that muscle is not built in the weight room, it is built during your rest period. If you lift to often then you wont give your muscle time to rest and recover and all of your work will be lost. take at the very least one day in between workouts. I'm sure if you browse around here you can find threads on different workouts and muscle groups... chest, abs, biceps, etc. If you are really desperate for bigger arms read my thread "Grow one inch in a day, possible?" It might not be the best idea for a beginner, but you can modify as you see fit. __________________ I'll bet you $5 that you read the previous word...

07-20-2004, 11:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
KMA-628 ....is off his meds...you were warned. Location: The Wild Wild West	Might want to try seperating your muscle groups--it gives one group a "rest" while the other is being used (that is the general theory of bodybuilding - you are breaking down your muscles so that they repair bigger and stronger--at least how it was explained to me back in the day) If you are doing bench, then also do other exercises that work your triceps, chest, shoulders. The next group (how I did it) would involve biceps, legs, stomach. Also, I would use the above recommendation for more reps/lower weight. Take it from a big guy, it gets much harder as you get older to keep the "big muscles" shapely. You will be able to maintain tone muscles a lot easier than big muscles. IMO, the best Bicep exercise was what we called "21's". With a medium weight, you do seven reps from the bottom to half-way up, seven reps from half-way to full-up and then seven full curls. You do this whole series without stopping or breaking--it will burn. __________________ Before you criticize someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. That way, if they get angry at you.......you're a mile away.......and they're barefoot.

07-21-2004, 09:56 AM	#6 (permalink)
KMA-628 ....is off his meds...you were warned. Location: The Wild Wild West	My layman's opinion - size and mass. Tone muscles, to me, are not bigger, but more defined. So, as you get older, married, kids, etc and you don't work out like you did when you had free time, you don't have to maintain size and shape, just shape. And even if you let the shape go, you won't get "saggy". As your muscles get bigger, the skin expands, etc. If you don't work out like you use to the size stays but it just becomes flabby. The 20" guns that one was so proud of still stay in the 20" range (drops a couple inches or so), but the muscle that used to stand up at attention, slowly creeps down and waggles underneath. Does that answer your question? __________________ Before you criticize someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. That way, if they get angry at you.......you're a mile away.......and they're barefoot.

07-21-2004, 10:37 AM	#7 (permalink)
Cowman Psycho	Ya but as soon as you gain a little weight you lose your toned muscles.. __________________ You don't like my point of view..but im insane

07-21-2004, 04:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
coash Banned	sorry KMA not really. take a muscle out of the body put it on a lab bench. it is just muscle..it can't change shape, can't get flabby, can't get more defined. what's the difference between this and in the body...is that the body has fat. higher the bodyfat the more it covers the muscle making it less defined. 1st page of google http://www.stumptuous.com/gymlies.html http://www.teamflex.com/firm_tone/firm_tone_myths.asp http://www.wannabebig.com/printarticle.php?articleid=11

07-21-2004, 06:20 PM	#9 (permalink)
KMA-628 ....is off his meds...you were warned. Location: The Wild Wild West	You know, the guy was just asking for opinions, I gave mine. I was very clear, up front, that I was giving out an opinion, not fact. If I could go back, I would have gone for definition instead of bulking up. Muscles do get bigger. Why or how, I don't know. I know that I was able to increase my biceps four inches and lower my body fat. I know that it is hard to maintain the size. I know this from personal experience. I wish that I had not fallen for the bulk fad, but I did, now I pay for it. I was enjoying this thread until you came and looked for an argument. Thanks, people like you really make me enjoy this board. __________________ Before you criticize someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. That way, if they get angry at you.......you're a mile away.......and they're barefoot.

07-21-2004, 07:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
coash Banned	and I was giving you the factual reason for your opinion on sag/tone/shape. Part of any forum includes discussion and debate, surely.

07-22-2004, 03:00 PM	#12 (permalink)
Cowman Psycho	Don't cry about it KMA, Coash has become one of the more helpful members of this forum and was pointing out where you flawed. Nothing wrong with that. __________________ You don't like my point of view..but im insane

07-23-2004, 03:47 AM	#13 (permalink)
rekinom Crazy	Post removed. Last edited by rekinom; 06-04-2006 at 06:10 AM..

07-25-2004, 09:00 AM	#15 (permalink)
st33lr4t Psycho Location: Dallas, Tx	start off with the proper nutrition. if your not eatting enough calories your not going to gain any weight. if your not eatting the correct amount of protein, carbs, and fat your not going to gain muscle. get your diet in order then focus on compound lifts just like this guy did. http://johnstonefitness.com/ read his section on nutrition also. also check out www.bodybuilding.com for more compound lifts and their forum is awsome.

07-25-2004, 02:42 PM	#16 (permalink)
Y2KDREAD Crazy Location: College Station, TX	Sweet, thanks for the advice I'll check it out. __________________ Signatures are for chumps.