My aim is just to put on more mass. So I know that means to do less reps of more weight. - What's a good # of reps to do? I'm currently doing 10 reps until I'm fatigued, but I think that's too many reps. So I think I'll increase the weight so that 5 reps will fatigue me. Is this a good move? - What are so good mass building exercises? I'm currently concentrating on benches, butterflies, and hand curls. That pretty much works out my whole upper body. And I'm leaving a day or two in between each session for recovery. Any answers/suggestions appreciatd. Thanks.
3 sets of 6 to 8 reps, rest 30 seconds in between, proper warm and cool down are essential to bulk up without losing agility... don't want to look like your head won't turn. On upper body off days, do yourself a favor and get a leg routine. Don't end up lookin' off balance, with chicken legs! Put in an ab routine every single day... crunch, crunch, crunch. A more defined abdominal area will accentuate the upper body and leg developement, especially help the appearance of your biceps, triceps, delts and lats. I used to do that stuff... ya' know, lift weights... then I became one.
Actually, your question is difficult to answer. How old are you? That makes a big difference. You don't want to injure yourself by doing too much weight if you are still growing.
I'm 16, of course still growing. So I think I'll just do 1, maybe 2 sets of 6-8 reps. I kinda wanna take it easy cuz I'm a little scared it might affect my growth. I'm always reading conflicting info though. Some say it won't affect your growth, some say it will. As long as I take it easy, I think I'll be ok. BTW, what are some good warm up/cool down execises?
The best advice I can give you is to talk to your family doctor prior to doing anything. I'm 29 and I do 2 sets of 10. You are energetic and motivated now, but what I have found is that you are one injury away from saying to hell with it. But DEFINITELY talk to your doctor BEFORE you decide anything. They will have the best information. As for warm ups...cardio cardio cardio....and then stretch stretch stretch.
Simple calesthenics will do the trick for warm up... but it's best to find a high school coach or trainer, or even somebody at a gym to seek in person tips from... warm up helps avoid injury to muscles, as in huge tears and rips, cool down help avoid loss of movement and allows for continued, on schedule, training There's also a ton of info under "Weight Lifting Beginner" as a search on webcrawler.com, but again I wouldn't attempt any weight training strictly solo... high school trainers are around your age group, and are trained in how to go about bulking up safely... plus they get paid by the school system to provide you with correct info, most schools won't have whacko's on staff for fear of lawsuits, plus they'll usually help you for free if you're a student seeking to better yourself physically... I know, I was a student football trainer, and my head trainer (adult) was great at helping off season footballers, as well as just individuals not in any particular sport, get a good work out regimen going. You might also try your local actual brick and mortar library for some info... stay away from websites and magazines with mostly product advertisements... go for real content, not a sales pitch.
I agree with IROC...you need to get actual information. A doctor and/or trainer is a good way to go. The rule here is...don't do anything stupid. You have to keep in mind that this is a lifestyle, not a flash in the pan get your results and never go back kind of thing. Rome was not built in a day my friend.
Refman and IROC have given the best answers. However, I will say that I do this routine: Mondays and Thursdays - Back, Biceps, Abdominals Tuesdays and Fridays - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps Wednesdays and weekend - rest My body has responded well to the exercises for biceps, triceps, shoulders, and back. But I'm not happy with my chest development. However, each person is different....some respond to certain exercises better than others.
5 sets of 6 reps with a spotter. Pyramiding with a spotter to build mass for the advanced lifter. Always have a spotter. Work up to mass building slowly. If you're having problems on bench, work your triceps a little harder. Triceps are an important part of bench pressing. Oh, and when working for mass, Always use a spotter. Sorry so brief...very busy right now.
One note on this... Physicians are NOT required to study fitness or nutrition in college. The vast majority do not, in fact, which is why there are nutritionists, physical fitness experts, trainers, etc. Any physician worth his mettle will send you to someone like that before they start handing over advice. If you want to take a physical to check for any potential problems - heart murmur, hernia, etc - that is not a bad idea. If you try out for sports in high school you'll most likely have to do that anyway. But don't assume that your MD (particularly your family doctor) will have all the answers. Hell, I know some fat doctors who smoke! I'm not sure I'd want any part of their health routine.
Yes! Good job, Falcons! Triceps ARE very important to building your bench press. I love working my triceps especially doing 3 sets (of increasing weight) of 10 reps each of close-grip bench presses. Since doing these, I noticed improvement in my regular bench right away. Unfortunately,I have sorta hit a wall with my bench at a max of 195 (think I could do 200 but 195 is what I have "officially" done). But considering when I first started at the end of January and was only doing like 130, then I think I'm doing well to get my bp as high as it has gotten.
Hey tomato can, I mean Manny Don't be afraid to mix in some leg work. You're probably like me and hate "leg day", but I guarantee it will help you reach your other goals, especially in the weight gain department.
LOL, Pimp! My legs have always been developed, so I have not concentrated on them. But you are right, I will eventually have to do some leg work although I was running 2 miles every other day & using that for my leg work. Unfortunately, I could not sustain running. I really need to do some cardiovascular stuff. I'm looking at jumping rope 20 minutes every other day. Another problem about trying to work out legs is that I only have an hour each day to get my workout in, and I'm lucky to get the upper body stuff in. But I know what you are saying.
Geez Jeff, I hate to see our string of agreements end so soon. You may be right as to MDs, but any DO worth his salt has studied this stuff in depth. I know my father in law did. He is a neurologist DO in Fort Worth. He really knows the stuff about what will put you in danger while exercising.
RocketKid, You are 16 man, don't worry too much about mass.. it will come. My recommendation for lifting weights and getting much much stronger is periodization. Its a 4 step process with different weights/reps for a specific duration. Period 1: Hypertrophy High reps/Low weights Duration: 4 weeks Sets & reps: 1 set of 10 with warmup weights, 1 set of 10 with intermediate weights, and then 3 sets of 10 with your target weight. On the last of those 3 sets, you want to just be able to squeeze out that last rep. Period 2: Basic Strength Moderate reps/Medium weights Duration: 4 weeks Sets & reps: 1 set of 5 with warmup weights, 1 set of 5 with intermediate weights, 3 sets of 5 with target weight, and 1 set of 10 with 70% of your target weight. At first, this period will be easier than hypertrophy. However, you need to bump up the weights a good amount to prepare yourself for the next period. Period 3: Power Low reps/Heavy weights Duration: 2 weeks Sets & reps: 1 set of 10 with warmup weight, 1 set of 3 with light-intermediate weight, 1 set of 3 with intermediate weight, and 3 sets of 3 at target weight, 1 set of 10 with 70% of target weight. Be prepared to work hard! You only need to do 3 reps, so bump that weight up! Remember, this is only a 2 week period. Period 4: Rejuvination Active Rest Duration: 1-2 weeks Do no organized weight work. Experiment with new exercises: cycle, play racquetball, basketball, swim, etc. Do not try to keep making gains. If you do want to lift weights, do exercises that you normally don't do. Trust me on this one, the second time around on periodization, you are soooooo much stronger. If you have any questions, just ask.
Thanks for the responses all. Franchise2001 - sounds like a plan. Have you tried that plan? How well does it work? I was planning on just adding weights every week or so. That plan is pretty complicated! BTW..I don't exactly have a family doctor right now.. ..and the coaches at my school aren't exactly on the nice side. If you're not a 250 pound jock on the football team or some big ballin hoopster they don't give the slightest crap about you. So those two options are out. How easy is it to hurt yourself? If I take it easy (i.e. 2 sets of 6-8 reps....butterflies...curls) I should be ok....right??? Damn it sucks being skinny.
