.

[Q]

As you may or may not know, I'm extremely skinny and would like to add some definition or muscle whatever to my upper body.

I'm too lazy and will only do stuff that I can do in my room. So what would be better, pushups or dumbells?

In the past when I've tried pushups, this may sound lame but after I do them, I find the next day my arms feel extremely weak -- near the elbow area to be exact (like where you would get blood taken) Dumbells seem to not give me any real problems, so is it best to start with that? I've used 10LB ones which are pretty heavy for me, so is that good?

Thanks

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I'll be blunt with you: you're not gonna get definition or muscle with lazy being in the equation.

 

[MotF Bane]

If you seriously want to get in shape, you need to get over the laziness, set some goals for yourself, figure out a plan, and go to a gym.

 

[Deeko]

a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: Deeko
a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

Even if it's heavy for me? I'm very weak

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: Deeko
a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

Even if it's heavy for me? I'm very weak

I will tell you it's not actually heavy for you. If you can do a pushup, you're carrying much more weight than that. You're underestimating yourself quite significantly.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: Deeko
a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

Even if it's heavy for me? I'm very weak

What are you using that dumbbell for? If you're comparing a dumbbell curl to a pushup....uhhh, well, they work opposite muscle groups. If you're comparing a dumbbell bench to a pushup, then yes, a 10lb dumbbell is useless.

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: Deeko
a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

Even if it's heavy for me? I'm very weak

I will tell you it's not actually heavy for you. If you can do a pushup, you're carrying much more weight than that. You're underestimating yourself quite significantly.

Alright, well for the pushups, do I just do as much as I can do, then wait 30 minutes, do as much as I can, repeat for a few reps?

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: Deeko
a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

Even if it's heavy for me? I'm very weak

What are you using that dumbbell for? If you're comparing a dumbbell curl to a pushup....uhhh, well, they work opposite muscle groups. If you're comparing a dumbbell bench to a pushup, then yes, a 10lb dumbbell is useless.

curl

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: Deeko
a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

Even if it's heavy for me? I'm very weak

What are you using that dumbbell for? If you're comparing a dumbbell curl to a pushup....uhhh, well, they work opposite muscle groups. If you're comparing a dumbbell bench to a pushup, then yes, a 10lb dumbbell is useless.

curl

A) Your question is moot then. They are mutually exclusive exercises. If you're too lazy to go to a gym, you should do both, not one or the other (note this is not an endorsement - I think you should get off your ass and go to the gym)
B) To your previous response, 30 minutes is unnecessary. You should only wait a minute or two between sets.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Quintox

Originally posted by: Deeko
a 10lb dumbbell is virtually useless. Pushups aren't a bad exercise, but they aren't a complete exercise that will get you ripped or anything. Its a nice starting point, but that's about it.

Even if it's heavy for me? I'm very weak

I will tell you it's not actually heavy for you. If you can do a pushup, you're carrying much more weight than that. You're underestimating yourself quite significantly.

Alright, well for the pushups, do I just do as much as I can do, then wait 30 minutes, do as much as I can, repeat for a few reps?

Have you not read anything on this forum? I don't even know if I should answer you seriously, man. I feel you're messing with me. In all honesty, these exercises will do nothing to improve your muscle size, "tone," or overall fitness so what is the point?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Quintox
As you may or may not know, I'm extremely skinny and would like to add some definition or muscle whatever to my upper body.

I'm too lazy and will only do stuff that I can do in my room. So what would be better, pushups or dumbells?

In the past when I've tried pushups, this may sound lame but after I do them, I find the next day my arms feel extremely weak -- near the elbow area to be exact (like where you would get blood taken) Dumbells seem to not give me any real problems, so is it best to start with that? I've used 10LB ones which are pretty heavy for me, so is that good?

Thanks

You really need a basic gym to follow any of the effective beginner routines such as Starting Strength. Doing pushups and situps alone isn't going to do much for you in the way of size.

That leads me to my next point: how is your diet? Eating enough of the right foods is critical to building muscle mass. You could be 100% dedicated to your routine but you will see zero results in terms of muscle mass if you don't have your diet down.

 

[brikis98]

Your body will adapt exactly and specifically to the stimulus it is presented with. Let's look at some examples (obviously, exact adaptations will vary depending on diet, genetics and exact training done):

Stimulus: Doing nothing.
Adaptations: None. If you act like a lazy ass, you'll look like one too.

Stimulus: Very light exercise, such as push-ups or using 10lb dumbbells.
Adaptations: Very light improvements in muscular endurance, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, balance and coordination.

Stimulus: Cardio (running, biking, swimming, etc).
Adaptations: Huge improvements in cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, speed. Moderate improvements in agility, balance and coordination. Small improvements in strength and power.

Stimulus: Vigorous body weight exercises (gymnastics)
Adaptations: Huge improvements in flexibility, agility, balance, coordination, and strength. Moderate increase in muscle mass. Small increase in cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, power, and speed.

Stimulus: Heavy weight lifting (Starting Strength, Stronglifts, etc)
Adaptations: Huge improvements in power, strength, balance, coordination and muscle mass. Moderate improvements in speed and agility. Small improvements in cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, and flexibility.

Stimulus: A combination of all of the above (Crossfit)
Adaptations: Huge improvements in power, strength, balance, coordination, muscle mass, speed, agility, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, and flexibility.

 

[Mo0o]

Check out P90X. Good series of workouts that you can do from home without any real equipment.

 

[Eric62]

brikis98 put it better than I ever could.

I'll add that it's a lifestyle change. Do you want it bad enough to change your way of life?

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: Eric62
Do you want it bad enough to change your way of life?

He is a lazy ass that asks "How do I get big gunz" on this forum regularly then does nothing.

 

[Eric62]

^^^The world is full of people who want something without sweat and sacrifice. Muscle is the one thing that can't be bought or gifted - LOL.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: MegaVovaN

Originally posted by: Eric62
Do you want it bad enough to change your way of life?

He is a lazy ass that asks "How do I get big gunz" on this forum regularly then does nothing.

I see what you mean

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: Eric62
brikis98 put it better than I ever could.

Do you want it bad enough to change your way of life?

No -- and I 'don't want big gunz' I was just thinking about myself today and realize that I'm super skinny. Of course I am lazy, I'm the first to admit it. And yes I did post a thread just like this a while ago and haven't done anything since

Anywho, it's a fact, I'm not going to change so I just wasted your and my time, thanks for the responses