Weightlifting

[Gunny]

Is Stuart McRobert a Christian or what ?

Does it make a difference?

 

[catalyst]

Good sites for anyone who wishes to research any of the theory behind training and nutrition:

www.acsm.org

www.nsca-lift.org

 

[jiacstrap]

I've recently started and I don't have much experience with lifting. I would like to know some safety tips where I won't injure myself too terribly. Also, I'd like to know some rutines that will take around an hour to complete. I mainly want to work on my upper body. If you need to know anyother info just let me know. Thanks.

Start light and get form down. Find out what works best for you, some good sites are abcbodybuilding.com and bodybuilding.com for articles. abcbodybuilding.com is awesome! All the mods are christian. Educate yourself, but remember there is a lot of misinformation out there! I've been bbing for sports for almost 2 years now.

 

[Gunny]

Augmenting weight training with other forms of exercise can be very beneficial especially concerning "functional strength".

http://www.mattfurey.com/index.htm

 

[Blake]

The one think I'm having inconsistant results is on the bench. For instance, today I benched 115lbs 12 times in my last set and the previous day I lifted I benched 115lbs only 6 times. I follow the same workout routine every time I like (2 or 3 times a week) but I'm baffeled at the inconsistancy of my bench compared to my other lifts. Any sugestions?

 

[catalyst]

How often do you train? How often do you train the same systems/bodypart? How often do you vary your routine? Is your diet consistent?

 

[Blake]

I train 3 times a week regularly, but this week was only 2 because of school and work. I've been using the same lifting template for three weeks, its a full body workout with 10 different areas to workout. I'm planning on changing my routine at the end of the month. My diet if fairly consistant. For sure breakfast and lunch are supper on the other hand can begin at any time between 5pm-11pm, this is because of work. Thanks for your help catalyst.

 

[catalyst]

I personally am not a fan of whole-body routines, and one of the reasons is that it is hard to obtain consistent results due to the recovery demands imposed. Perhaps you could look into splitting up your routine.

What are your goals? Powerlifting or overall strength, or bodybuilding type goals?

 

[Blake]

My goals are to gain overall strength, bulk up a little bit, and to stay in shape. If I don't do a full body workout, would I have to go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week?

Yeah I think its my recovery time that is affecting my bench, because I do have a friend that comes and works out with me if our times match up. Should I set a standard recovery time between different lifts?

 

[catalyst]

By recovery time I mean time in between workouts. You grow outside of the gym, not in it. It is reasonably simple to do a three day split that will focus on the powerlifts (squat, bench, and deadlift) with decent results if that is the sort of thing you are interested in.

 

[Blake]

Ok, now I understand about recovery time. If you powerlift will you have a higher possibility of back injury? I'll go and read about powerlifting, because I know nothing over the subject.

 

[catalyst]

Actually, the incidence of injury with powerlifting is lower than that of bodybuilding. Olympic style weightlifting has a lower injury rating than either one.

 

[Blake]

Which is the way to properly bench. Here is a link from cnn (http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=6CFA0071-D9D5-4A26-8806E3F8CB14C7C4) about proper lifting and it has a video about some of the different lifts. My main question is about the bench video, because I have read to let the bar touch the upper part of your chest (ex. http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/PectoralSternal/BBBenchPress.html). I'm curious as to which is actuallly correct.

 

[catalyst]

Bringing the bar lower on your torso is actually safer. This not only cuts down on the amount of shoulder rotation, this makes it easier to keep the elbows tucked in, which does not open the shoulder joint to such a high degree.

 

[Detherk]

I've always heard to lower the bar until your arms are parallel with the floor. I've gotten fairly decent improvements this way.

One problem area I've always had ae my biceps. Doesn't seem to matter what I do to them, I'm just not gaining any strength there. Do you find it more effective to curl with dumbells or barbells? a complete curl from arms straight down to arms straight up, or only half of the motion?

 

[Gunny]

I've always heard to lower the bar until your arms are parallel with the floor. I've gotten fairly decent improvements this way.

One problem area I've always had ae my biceps. Doesn't seem to matter what I do to them, I'm just not gaining any strength there. Do you find it more effective to curl with dumbells or barbells? a complete curl from arms straight down to arms straight up, or only half of the motion?

Working out arms should always be thought of in terms of the biceps and the triceps. I have seen many people attempt to gain size of the biceps without proper time spent on the triceps.

I was instructed many years ago by a strength coach to always warmup the biceps by doing one set of isolated one arm bicep curls. I have a seated preacher bicep curl bench which really hits the biceps. I do sets of tricep exercises directly after completing bicep exercizes. I do various bicep dumbell/barbell and tricep(dumbell, barbell, and tricep pushdown/pulley with free weight) exercises to hit different areas of the bicep and tricep muscle groups.

 

[Kahnrtis]

At my school's gym, all the weight benches are always crowded w/ people, so I've been reduced to using the machines. I was wondering if there is a disadvantage in using machines as apposed to free weights?

 

[catalyst]

There is a distinct disadvantage to using machines and that is the fact that the strength gained does not transfer as directly to other activities. Also, the machines are made for a generic strength/biomechanical curve, not yours, so the load will never be optimal.

This is a critical factor on the bigger lifts, like squats, where the bar will never actually travel in a straight line, as well as the fact that the antagonists and stabilizers are never utilized to the proper degree. This will not only create a strength imbalance over time, but increases the potential for injury during a set.

 

[~Wisdom Seeker~]

I've recently started and I don't have much experience with lifting. I would like to know some safety tips where I won't injure myself too terribly. Also, I'd like to know some rutines that will take around an hour to complete. I mainly want to work on my upper body. If you need to know anyother info just let me know. Thanks.

Go to the bookstore and buy a how to book. That's what I did several years ago, just so that I could get the most out of my workout. And it helped me a great deal.

 

[Rising_Suns]

Working out arms should always be thought of in terms of the biceps and the triceps. I have seen many people attempt to gain size of the biceps without proper time spent on the triceps.

Exactly. 2/3 of your arms muscle mass is composed of the tricept muscle...so if you wants bigger arms, get bigger tricepts.

I was wondering if there is a disadvantage in using machines as apposed to free weights?

One of the main disadvantages is that machines don't train the stabilizer muscles (the muscles needed to hold and move the bar in proper form), so it isolates a smaller strand of muscle; only the muscle that pushes along that curve. nothing else.