How often do you workout?

[kinnell]

i jus started i new routine for chest like a week ago n it seems to be workin gud
incline bench wit db- 5 sets- 12,10,8,6,4 n i go up 2.5
tricep dips 3 sets 10 8 6- i start wit no weight n go to 25 then 45
bench- 3 sets 10 8 6 go up 10
narrow grip bench- 3 sets of 10
chest flies wit db- 5 sets- 12,10,8,6,4 go up by 2.5
wut u guys think of it

As CDJ said, ditch the narrow grip bench. You're not hitting anything new. I've seen a lot of people do a lot of exercises and unfortunately either a) lose energy and can't give it 100% on all the exercises or b) overtrain.

Order of the workout will also make a difference. If I was you, I would do this:

1. Incline Bench Press
2. Flat Bench Press
3. Weighted Dips
4. Chest Flies

Honestly, the workout is nothing new. Those exercises have been staples of chest workouts forever. But that's also because they work. Chest workouts are easy.... what do you do for back, hamstrings and quads?

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

i really dont warmup, i run for half a mile to get the muscles loose, then i just go in the order i put em in
n i use that belt with the weight on the bottom, before i used to do it with the machine which u can take off weight but now i can just do it manually, the only thing i dont like is that the weight swings a lot n messes me up n it also hits the ground

Always do a couple of warmup sets, nothing too heavy. Just something like 50 percent your max for 2 sets of 5 or something. Less chances of injury that way. Yea I feel you on the weight swinging, it can get annoying. A solution I found was getting a longer chain and trying to squeeze the weight between my feet so it did not swing around as much.

 

[Gabru13]

any better way to increase bench press rite now im doing 245 kinda stuck on it, goal is 315

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

any better way to increase bench press rite now im doing 245 kinda stuck on it, goal is 315

Depending on how much you weigh 245 is pretty good. 315 might take you a couple more years atleast. 70 pounds is a pretty big jump. When in your workout do you bench? Beginning, middle or end? Usually if I stall on a lift for a long time I will switch it to the beginning or drop an exercise or two to have more energy for that one, usually works. Also creatine supplementation will give your muscles more ATP to work with and can usually get you through a place where you get stuck.

Another thing I have seen sometimes is people are limited on the bench not because of their chest strength but because of their triceps or shoulder strength, which actually shows up a lot once you get higher in weight. Do you have any lagging body parts that maybe hold the bench back? A little added emphasis to lagging parts usually solves the trick.

 

[sb123]

Hey compton,
i dont know that much about lifting but i still dont get why your so against machines. like some i understand arent natural movements but what about stuff like the chest press.

Well there are a few main reasons why. One reason is that people think they are safe but the fact that they are putting you in a set range of motion is unnatural and will actually lead to injury faster. The Chest press machine is one of the more notorious ones for shoulder injuries because the seat settings they have for it are not applicable to everyone even if there are different gears and cranks to adjust it. Essentially you put a crazy amount of stress on the rotator cuff and put damage into it. Another machine people use that screws them up is the Pec Fly machine, known as the pec deck. To get your strength to translate to real life you need full range of motion and free weights accomplish that.

Machines also don't work the small stabilizing muscles we have in our bodies and that is a main reason why any strength gains people think they make with machines do not carry over into free lifts or even real life. The only situation where these machines are beneficial are for senior citizens or people who are rehabbing from an injury. For the normal person its just inefficient.

People gotta realize why the machines are there in the first place. Ever since the 80s the 'gym' business took off like crazy. Most traditional gyms before that had free weights only, there was no such thing as the machines. The gyms employed actual people who knew how to do proper weight lifting and strength exercises. When these places like Ballys/24/Whatever started opening they hired anyone and did not want to spend the money it took to train them in actual weightlifting. Putting machines in and just instructing them to use the machines was much cheaper for them. This is why when you go to the gyms all the 'personal trainers' are either fat/skinny/bros from a fraternity who carry around a clipboard and just walk from machine to machine with their client.

Thanks dude.

 

[Gabru13]

thx bro, ya i weight 215 rite now, 6'3 , i usually do my chest on chest day thats about it, but right now doing light weight more reps. i do feel like im stuck on certain weight and i know i cant jump 70 pounds really fast, its gonna take time if i go to gym all the time, one more question should i take any prework out stuff like super pump all that and post workout?

 

[terabaap]

i jus started i new routine for chest like a week ago n it seems to be workin gud
incline bench wit db- 5 sets- 12,10,8,6,4 n i go up 2.5
tricep dips 3 sets 10 8 6- i start wit no weight n go to 25 then 45
bench- 3 sets 10 8 6 go up 10
narrow grip bench- 3 sets of 10
chest flies wit db- 5 sets- 12,10,8,6,4 go up by 2.5
wut u guys think of it

can't really tell you anything unless you tell us your goals. what do YOU want to accomplish.

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

thx bro, ya i weight 215 rite now, 6'3 , i usually do my chest on chest day thats about it, but right now doing light weight more reps. i do feel like im stuck on certain weight and i know i cant jump 70 pounds really fast, its gonna take time if i go to gym all the time, one more question should i take any prework out stuff like super pump all that and post workout?

A 245 bench is pretty damn solid, around 1.15x bodyweight. You can usually make faster gains with strength with lower reps. Try doing 3x5 a couple of workouts for your chest to see if it adapts and you can get unstuck. Sometimes what happens is the volume that you are used to doing on chest wears down on you and you can't fully recover fast enough.

As for superpump I don't have any experience with it but from what I have heard people say its more hype than anything. A protein shake with 5 grams of creatine and some complex carb before working out should do you well.

 

[Varun]

Oye Compton Di Jatti, two questions

1. I bought this thing http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gym-Total-Upper-Workout/dp/B001EJMS6K
You can do pull ups, push ups, sit ups, and dips with it. Is it good to just workout 3-5 times a week, doing like 1-2 sets of each exercise?

2. Is that Harjinder uncle in your pic? badassss if so.

 

[jsandhu]

well kinnell, i really dont work on my hamys or quads, i usually try to bike 2 or 3 times a week, for about 5 miles
n i know that my chest routine is very widely used for many years, i just try to switch up my routine so my muscle dont get used to it, ya feel me

compton, i usually keep my my knees at a 90 degree angle, u sayin that i should try to hold the weight between my feet?

n mera baap, well im bout 5' 10" n 150lbs, im tryin to get to 170-180 thaats what i wanna accomplish in the gym

o n ur guys thought on this, theres this [Asian guy] thats goes to my college n hes buff, [content removed], he has a good built body, no homo, n i swear to god, every time i c him, metrx protein bar, he buys a 12 pack of protien bars couple of days, n i think thats his diet, that cant be good

Moderator's Note: Please refrain from using racial slurs and derogatory remarks when posting on the forum. You can refer to the rules and regulations for more information on our policies.

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

Oye Compton Di Jatti, two questions

1. I bought this thing http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Gym-Total-Upper-Workout/dp/B001EJMS6K
You can do pull ups, push ups, sit ups, and dips with it. Is it good to just workout 3-5 times a week, doing like 1-2 sets of each exercise?

2. Is that Harjinder uncle in your pic? badassss if so.

1. Iron gym is pretty good from what it looks like. The dips and pullups/chinups will give your biceps/back and triceps/chest a good workout. After a while though it might become easy so if you want to add resistance you would get a weight belt like the dudes at the gym had with the weights hanging off of it. Those sitting dips are pretty useless though, a real dip you gotta have your chest pass the height of your shoulders. It should help you get back into shape quick and then you can move onto better things after.

2. This is actually my real father, Mehdi Hassan, I forgot to tell you I found out I was adopted this week.

well kinnell, i really dont work on my hamys or quads, i usually try to bike 2 or 3 times a week, for about 5 miles
n i know that my chest routine is very widely used for many years, i just try to switch up my routine so my muscle dont get used to it, ya feel me

compton, i usually keep my my knees at a 90 degree angle, u sayin that i should try to hold the weight between my feet?

n mera baap, well im bout 5' 10" n 150lbs, im tryin to get to 170-180 thaats what i wanna accomplish in the gym

o n ur guys thought on this, theres this chink thats goes to my college n hes buff, yea i know a chinses buff ha, he has a good built body, no homo, n i swear to god, every time i c him, metrx protein bar, he buys a 12 pack of protien bars couple of days, n i think thats his diet, that cant be good

Try doing squats and deadlifts. Your arms and chest will grow bigger. Yea I know it sounds weird but nothing releases more growth hormone and testoserone in the body than those two exercises.

I think this video gives a better idea on how to do the weighted dips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TYqBMXxBHM

He might be squeezing the weights between his legs to stop it from swinging.

At 5'10 150 you should eat alot too, tell your mom or bebe to make you aloo paraunthay all the time if you can. You will find it lot easier to lift when you eat alot too.

A 12 protein bar a day diet would lead to some major nutritional deficiencies after a while, so he probably eats something else. If he doesnt then he just may not be human.

 

[jsandhu]

usually when i get back from the gym i drink 2 glasses of milk n try to eat something that has some protien

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

usually when i get back from the gym i drink 2 glasses of milk n try to eat something that has some protien

That is good. Milk (especially whole fat milk) has carbs, protein and fats in it. Pretty much gaining muscle can be dumbed down to two things: eat big, lift big.

 

[jsandhu]

o shit u already now, go BIG or go home

 

[Arjun Barua]

Pretty much gaining muscle can be dumbed down to two things: eat big, lift big.

CDJ is right about those two components, but there is another equally important one -- "Rest big" i.e. get adequate sleep. Muscle repair and growth occurs during sleep. Poor rest amounts to poor muscle gain.

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

Pretty much gaining muscle can be dumbed down to two things: eat big, lift big.

CDT is right about those two components, but there is another equally important one -- "Rest big" i.e. get adequate sleep. Muscle repair and growth occurs during sleep. Poor rest amounts to poor muscle gain.

Werd, very good point. This is why newbies to the gym who work out everyday don't see the progress they want. On the flip side most people working on a split routine might be taking too much time off between workouts since they hit the muscle groups less often. 3-4 days is a good time frame between workouts that work the same area usually, but it is up to the person to listen to their own body and see what works for them.

 

[sb123]

oh, if u want to figure out what your daily calorie intake should be, if u go to mypyramid.gov u type in your info and it gives u a pretty accurate number

 

[COMTONDAJATT]

http://www.beastskills.com/

this website is gold. lots of fun stuff on doing things like the one leg squat, one armed pullups and grip training.

 

[DjDhol-E]

whey
creatine
roids
what do you use ?

 

[jsandhu]

i started on the roids at 14 got clean at 16 nah jus playin
dudh it what im on
n doesnt creatine jus fill u up wit water