Some Weight Lifting Questions

[mEtAlORc]

I am 17, 155 lbs, 5'11", and I do 5 sets of 10 reps of 20 lb dumbells on each of my arms every 2 days.

I work my biceps, sitting down doing bicep curls, holding in my breath for the first 5 reps, then breathing in and out for the 2nd 5 reps in the set.

Should I be doing this everyday or every 3+days?
How do I know when I should increase my weight lift amount?
When I try working my triceps and shoulders with a dumbell, my wrist, shoulders and elbows "crack" alot.

My friends say I need to drink more water which will lubricate the joint more. What do you suggest?

 

[kmanick]

if you're trying to get bigger I wouldn't do it more than twice a week.
and why are you only doing biceps? what about the rest of your body?

 

[mEtAlORc]

if you're trying to get bigger I wouldn't do it more than twice a week.
and why are you only doing biceps? what about the rest of your body?

I'm just doing upper body for now. Will I get smaller if I do it 3-4 times a week?

 

[Makelele]

I've got a kind of 2 day program. I work out my chest and back on one day, and arms and shoulders on the second day. I usually do this program once or twice a week. I also try to do some leg excersizes once a week, but due to soccer games and practice, I haven't really been able to do them that often.

I'd really recommend splitting up your work out over different days, cause if the work-out session gets too long it won't really do any good. I've found that about an hour is a good length. Different muscle groups on different days.

 

[B Lopez]

Honestly, I'd revise your whole workout. And as Makelele stated, you should split up your work. I have my workout typed up somewhere, I'll find it and post it for you. It's done me well.

When you finish all your sets and you did everything on your own without a spot, then it's time to up the weight 5 pounds.

Here dude, try this for a few weeks.
I usually work out every other day, alternating workouts 1 and 2. Still running and doing core every day though. I put in my weights so you can have an idea of how much to increase weight in each successive set.

Workout 1
Bench
3 sets; 230x5 reps, 250x5 reps, 275x5 reps
2 sets; 225x7-10 reps

Dumbbell Flies
3 sets; 45x10

Dumbbell Press
3 sets; 60x10, 65x10, 70x10

Triceps Press (with bar)
3 sets; 80x10

Curls (with bar)
3 sets; 80x10

Lat Pull-down
3 sets; 160x10, 170x10, 180x10

Seated “Hammer” Incline Press
3 sets; 60x10, 70x10, 80x10

Seated “Hammer” Press
3 sets; 60x10, 70x10, 80x10

Triceps Press (cable machine)
3 sets; 90x10, 95x10, 100x10

Dips
2 sets; as many as possible

Core
Sit-ups, pushups, etc; 20 minutes

Run like hell; 20 minutes.

Workout 2
Power Press
3 sets; 145x10, 155x10, 165x10

Bent Over Rows
3 sets; 135x10, 145x10, 155x10

Shrugs
3 sets; 225x10, 245x10, 265x10

Seated Shoulder Press (dumbbells)
3 sets; 50x10, 55x10, 60x10

Upright Rows
3 sets; 80x10

Military Press
3 sets; 145x10, 155x10, 165x10

Cable Cross
3 sets; 50x10, 60x10, 70x10

Pull-ups
3 sets; as many as possible

Core
Sit-ups, pushups, etc; 20 minutes

Run like hell; 20 minutes.

 

[tehk]

Yes, like B Lopez & kmanick mentioned, you should work on your ENTIRE body, REGARDLESS of who you are. This is for 2 main reasons:

1. Hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is an anabolic (not relevant to steroids what so ever, it is a human bodies natural state of growth) is triggered more easily and is enabled for a better upkeep when large + compound lifts (lifts that involve more then 1 muscle group) are used, as oppose to isolation - which you are doing (bicep curls). Compound vs. Isolation explained a little more later on.

2. Balance. You want to keep your whole body balanced, also for 2 reasons - aesthetics and general health/performance. For example, if you worked on your arms and/or your chest a lot, and never touched your back, you will most likely begin to slouch and develop lower back pain. This happens because you're throwing your bodies core and center out of balance and out of proportion. This is a give and take situation though. Let's say, you have massive quads, should you still squat? Yes. Why? Because it'll help maintain your quad's overall strength, and it will help maintain hypertrophy. You would, however, train them differently.

Compound vs. Isolation - Powerlifter vs. Bodybuilder
Why do we lift? The 2 main reasons are usually strength and aesthetics. The power lifting style (more compound to isolation) and the body building style (vise versa). As a beginner, it is recommended that you train using the power lifting style to develop as much strength (with the aid of newbie gains) as possible within a certain amount of time, usually 12-15 weeks.

"But I want *muscle group* to look this way/get bigger." Yes, we all do. But to build muscle, you must first have muscle. Here's where the body building style kicks in. They train with many various isolation + specialized compound moves to specifically shape their body the way they want to, but it would be much more beneficial to train with a bench press of 8 reps x 225lbs, as oppose to 8 reps x 100lbs, don't you agree?

"When I try working my triceps and shoulders with a dumbell, my wrist, shoulders and elbows "crack" alot."

Is it an injury? Do you feel pain or strain? If so, then look into a different method of doing certain exercises, or perhaps stop for a while (if it is serious). Other then that, don't worry.

"My friends say I need to drink more water which will lubricate the joint more. What do you suggest?"
This is the first time I've heard this before (sounds ridiculous if you ask me). Reminds me of Tinman. Anyways, drinking water (a lot of water) is very beneficial. For people who train, it is recommended that they have a water intake of 1-2 gallons a day. Yes gallons. Sounds a lot? Well it is, but you DON'T drink it all at once (like most people think). Other then keeping us hydrated, water helps flush out toxins in our bodies, it helps keep our metabolism stable, and for those who consume an excess amount of protein (like your suppose to if you want to build muscle), then it helps protect your kidneys from the extra amount of stress.

Another very important thing is diet. Too much to explain, but trust me, it's vital (research).

I strongly recommend you do your research as appose to relying heavily on your friends and/or yourself for knowledge (that probably isn't there). If you want results, then you have to work for them.

You get what you put in.

P.S. Don't hold your breath when you lift, lol. It doesn't benefit you in anyway, if anything, it's a negative effect.

Oh, you have great lifts B Lopez, congrats! . Keep workin' on em'.

 

[B Lopez]

Thanks. Im glad you bumped this up Reminds me this week is the week I step up the weight

 

[tehk]

Awesome! Lifting big always feels great, hahaha.

My goals are to add about 50lbs to each of my big lifts (bench, dead, etc.......) within 1 more year. I just finished my cut cycle, and now I'm ready to begin bulking XD.

Tomorrow will be my first day of Bulk cycle 2 where I'm going to try out the 5x5 program for a bit. When I improve my lifts by 20-35lbs or so, I'm going to work on shaping. I can't wait to see myself in the summer of next year!

 

[Ancestor]

I am 17, 155 lbs, 5'11", and I do 5 sets of 10 reps of 20 lb dumbells on each of my arms every 2 days.

I work my biceps, sitting down doing bicep curls, holding in my breath for the first 5 reps, then breathing in and out for the 2nd 5 reps in the set.

Should I be doing this everyday or every 3+days?
How do I know when I should increase my weight lift amount?
When I try working my triceps and shoulders with a dumbell, my wrist, shoulders and elbows "crack" alot.

My friends say I need to drink more water which will lubricate the joint more. What do you suggest?

Don't hold your breath. Breath out on the contraction and in on the negative.

You will probably get a better result by lowering your weight to the point where you can do 15 controlled reps per set. The amount of weight you use should be about 65 or 70 percent of what you can "max" (lift for one rep only).

Your body will tell you when you need to exercise again. Some body builders recommend as much as 9 days recovery time. Of course, those guys are doing 6 hour workouts. For a guy your age, working out every other day is probably fine.

You should always drink as much water as you can. The lubricating the joints thing sounds sketchy, but water does help your liver and gall bladder function and it helps to detox.

Watch out for that cracking. You may eventually damage your joints. Especially the shoulders. I had a friend that eventually needed surgery on his shoulders as a result of too military presses or whatever it was that he did. You may want to take a close look at your form and adjust so there is no more cracking. A pop here or there is one thing, but there's a difference between air pockets in synovial fluid and tendons popping or rough pieces of cartilage making that sound. Here's a link:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/joint.html

Listen to your body and don't hurt yourself. But keep on exercising. It's good for you!

 

[Chris]

Keep in mind that your triceps are as, if not more, important to getting big arms as your biceps.

 

[tehk]

^

Great advice.

And Chris is correct. Triceps give your arms size in terms of looks, while the bicep compliments it with the grooves and the peak.

 

[oompa]

yep, chris is right about the biceps contra triceps.
and 5x10 reps is ok. as long as you are really worked out at the last ones.

dont be afraid to help yourself with the other arm, say you increase your weight alittle, and the last 2-3 reps on the last 2 sets are to hard, but just slightly, help yourself out with the other hand, you probably only need to use a very light touch. this way you make sure really really work the muscle all through.

and always make sure to do the full motion, at the last rep, follow through all the way back down again.

also, afterwards, you should be so tired that you cant do more than 3-4 reps. then go down to say half of the weight and once do as many reps as you can (say that be 20-40) just to even more really work that muscle to the fullest.

and id advice not to work the same muscle group more often than once every 3-4 days (someone mentioned twice a week = good i think).

only top athletes that devote their entire lifestyle including food sleep etc can work a muscle group more than that without eventually just getting weaker.

building musclemass is a very slow process, both in matter of strength and weight, and trying to rush it only leads to worse results. gotta be patient good training routine over a long period of time will grow muscles that last even if you stop working out for 2-3 months.

 

[tehk]

+1 for everything Oompa mentioned.

For weight lifting, form is EVERYTHING. This includes knowing what you're doing, how to do it, when to breathe, your personal limits, everything. And with proper form, comes control. You need to be able to properly control the weight as you move it.

If you can do this perfectly, and do reps up 20+, add more weight. If you're struggling with the first rep, reduce the weight. Simple.

Now, there's nothing wrong with cheating, everybody does it. BUT! Cheating is only acceptable on say the last few reps of your last set. The rest of the time, you must be in control.

This is important for 2 main reasons:
1. Injury Prevention! Pretty self-explanatory I think.
2. Your muscle groups (that you're exercising) receive a full workout because of the focus and attention you give them. And with proper form, you will know that you're working the muscle(s) correctly to ensure optimal results whether it be strength, size, or both.

I've mentioned this in another thread, but find ways to make things work best for you. Change and/or invent new ways of performing exercises if you believe it'll work for you. But, a word of caution. You should have a fair amount of weight lifting experience before you attempt to do so. This way, you can have a better idea of what works, and what doesn't.

For example: Changing the angle of your hand as you perform the dumbbell flyes. Instead of your palms being parallel and facing each other, turn them 45 degrees. Something like that.

Good Luck.

 

[Papa Shank]

-Eat 500-750kcal over maintenance calories (higher still if you throw cardio into your workouts) when bulking.
-Typical macronutrient percentages when bulking are 50% Carbohydrate-30% Protein-20% Fat.
-Good sources of CHO are wholegrain- rice, pasta, oats, sweet potato and dextrose (post-workout).
-Good sources of Proteins are poultry, red meat, fish, egg, whey and cottage cheese.
-Good sources of Fat are meat (animal fats), non-saturate oils i.e. olive/coconut oil.

So you want to bulk, you weigh 155lb so you multiply your weight by 17 to get an idea of how much you should be eating which is...2635kcal per day.

2635/100=26.35(kcal/%) and we know that your macros will be 50C-30P-20F so,
50x26.35=1317.5kcal Carbohydrate
30x26.35=790.5kcal Protein
20x26.35=527kcal Fat

How can we tell how much you need to eat from that though?
Carbohydrates = 4kcal/g
Proteins = 4kcal/g
Fats = 9kcal/g

Knowing that for every 4kcal of Carbohydrate/Protein and 9kcal for Fat we can work out how many grams you need to eat, from there we can begin to construct a diet.

So you'll be eating,
330g Carbohydrates
200g Proteins
60g Fats

How many g's of these are in my food? Here are some typical values of foods per 100g (you can also use fitday.com or nutritiondata.com to check values).
-Meats have on average around 20g of Protein. Eggs average at 7g Protein and most wheys are around 92g Protein.
-Pasta, rice and oats average at 60g Carbohydrate. Dextrose is all Carbohydrate and sweet potato is 20g Carbohydrate.
-Fats are all fat, pretty straight forward.

From this point all you really have to do is spread the nutrients through your day, focussing Protein and Carbohydrate intake around your post-workout shake/meal.

Breakfast- 4 Whole Eggs [0g C-30g P]
Post-Workout- 60g Dextrose, 60g Whey [60g C-60g P]
Lunch- 100g Pasta, 200g Beef [60g C-60g P]
Mid- 100g Rice, 200g Chicken [60g C-60g P
Dinner- 300g Sweet Potato, 200g Beef [60g C-60g P
Supper- 50g Oat, 30g Casein [30g C-30g P]

You can, if you like, take out one of the meals and replace them with 100g Oats and 60g Whey. When you cook these meals use good oils to flavour them as it beats taking a straight spoonful of the stuff.

And while I'm at it here's my workout for you,
(superset just means alternating between the two exercises within ~90-120 seconds of each other)

All 5x8 Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri
Chest/Tri
Incline Bench superset with Cable Crossover
Dip superset with Tricep Pushdown
Calf Raise

Squat/Quad
Squat superset with Leg Extension
Box Squat superset with Calf Raise

Back/Bi
Bent Over Row superset with Incline Hammer Curl
Pull-Up superset with Front Raise
Calf Raise

Deadlift/Ham
Stiff Leg Deadlift superset with Leg Curl
Good Morning superset with Calf Raise

If you use this regime begin to deload the weights you use at around the 8 week point and take the 13th week off from the gym to give your body that little bit more of a chance to recover.

 

[tehk]

Papa Shank! I was wondering where you were, lol. It wouldn't be a weight training thread without your expertise .

 

[Papa Shank]

Danke, I'm usually too lazy to post about fitness anymore but I'm semi-happy with that post and am glad to help out on occassion.

 

[tehk]

Cool stuff