how do YOU work out with weights?

[MaxDSP]

workout 3-4 times a week: chest, biceps/triceps, back/shoulders, legs/abs. I try to walk/jog at least a mile after the workout every day.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I will cut myself if I ever again read how toning can be attained by different rep amounts. I am serious.

Yeah the only way that works if you do it as a cardio exercise such as doing supersets without any rest in between for 20 or 30 minutes.

 

[PingSpike]

My biggest problem is sticking too it. Eating right after that.

The working out part isn't that hard, and pretty enjoyable. Preparing quality meals all the time is a real fvcking hassle though.

As skoorb said, according to most modern approaches, less weight/more reps for 'toning' is generally seen as a waste of time...akin to doing extra situps to lose your gut. Tone is a result of low body fat.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Meh. I don't use weights.

I *do* however work out - just I don't use weights (I really should).

 

[edro]

yhpm

 

[GasX]

12oz at a time

 

[PunDogg]

i got to the gym and use every machine in there. To tell you all that I can do with weights would take forever. Good luck working out

Dogg

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I will cut myself if I ever again read how toning can be attained by different rep amounts. I am serious.

Yeah the only way that works if you do it as a cardio exercise such as doing supersets without any rest in between for 20 or 30 minutes.

Yeah, and then you'd probably be better off just splitting your workout with weights followed by real cardio!

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: AndrewR
I do two body parts per session, trying to do two sessions of each per week with one day off. Right now, I've been doing legs/triceps, chest/shoulders, and back/biceps, but I might be switching to chest/triceps and legs/shoulders. I do about three exercises per body part so six per session, varying numbers of sets depending on how I feel that day but generally around 3-4. I half-pyramid the sets, typically 12-10-8 or 10-8-6 (or 12-10-8-6). Each session has one big compound movement -- squats for legs, bench press for chest, and deadlift for back. That compound exercise is done first at the peak of my energy level, and I usually do 4 sets not including a warmup set at low weight.

Best advice for starting out? Don't go heavy on your first tries. You WILL regret it and can hurt yourself fairly badly. Learn the exercises with easily handled weight and train your muscles to respond to the new stimulus. You also will need to start slow to build up the small muscles that are probably very weak, like your forearms. If you try to sling some heavy weight on bicep curls, for instance, the top of your elbows will be in massive pain for days, and you won't be able to extend your arms.

You are KILLING your possible gains with that split. You train your triceps, then the day after with no recovery time you hit your chest and shoulder workouts, both which use the triceps as a major supporting muscle group. A better split would be the one you suggested - triceps/chest, biceps/back, legs.

My current workout is one muscle group per day - I do chest, back, shoulders, legs, arms with abdominals and cardio warmups worked in every day. I usually bike or row on my days off. This way each targeted muscle group and the secondary trained muscles have at least 48 hours before they are used again.

Edit: What are your goals? Mass? Endurance? Performance in athletic activity? Strength? Weight loss? Lower risk for disease? Depending on your goals, you will need an exercise program tailored for your needs.

 

[GrassR00t]

Monday - Chest/abs
Tuesday - Arms/30 mins cardio
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - Legs/30 mins cardio
Friday - Shoulders/Abs
Saturday - Back/30 mins cardio
Sunday - Rest

 

[edro]

Monday - Back/Bis/Forearms
Tuesday - Chest/Tris
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Legs/Abs
Friday - Shoulders

 

[AndrewR]

i'm not trying to be an a$$ but i thought I would give you some advice. first of all, working out (as in lifting weights) 6/7 days a week is too much. you want to work out the same muscles like once every 5 or 6 days, not once ever 3 or 4 days. thats too quick and you aren't letting your muscles fully recover. second, you don't have abs in there at all. yes i know everyone says "oh i do abs real quick between exercises" which is a huge misconception. your abs are just like any other muscle. they n eed to be worked like any other muscle. however, they are the hardest to physically see because the fattiest area of your body is your belly.

Funny, I see plenty of routines in M&F with 6 days per week, and I get plenty of good results with my workout. That being said, since we have a kid now, I rarely get to the gym more than three times per week lately so it's basically a one session per week thing right now. Not as much as I would like, but it's the best I can do.

As for abs, there are multiple philosophies on them, much like forearms and neck. Some people think like you do that you need to work them separately; others think that you don't need to separate them completely since they work to stabilize during various compound movements (my abs tighten considerably when I go for max pushups). Also, I didn't include various other sets I throw in there to mix things up, like leg lifts and situps.

You are KILLING your possible gains with that split. You train your triceps, then the day after with no recovery time you hit your chest and shoulder workouts, both which use the triceps as a major supporting muscle group. A better split would be the one you suggested - triceps/chest, biceps/back, legs.

Actually, I didn't post them in the order I do them. I start with chest/shoulders, then back/biceps, then legs/triceps. Since I use a relatively wide grip for bench, I don't emphasize the tris and don't really hit them that hard (chest is sore, tris are not). With the day rest in between, I have no problems getting a good tri workout.

When I tried to do those on the same day, I found that either one or the other would be lacking in intensity. I'm still experimenting with this split and am assessing its usefulness for me. So far, it seems to be working fairly well.

 

[ribbon13]

High-powered TENS machine.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: TheLonelyPhoenix
I typically do my whole body in one workout, 3-4 times a week, hitting as many different muscles as I can (two sets each, both done to failure). I typically aim to be lifting just enough weight that I can break 10 reps the first time and 7 reps the second time. Usually I know that I did a good job if I'm having difficulty walking or carrying my backpack by the time I leave.

On alternate days with my lifting I do cardio, usually treadmill. Sometimes I'll go play basketball instead.

I'm not a big fan of whole body workouts because the more compound exercises you do, the less energy you have. I used to have a four day split with two different workouts that had legs, back and biceps and chest, shoulders, and triceps on alternating days. While it was comprehensive, I found that the biceps in particular were not getting a full workout because by the time I had done squats, seated cable rows, lat pulldowns, and leg presses, I had very little left for some good reps on barbell curls and seated dumbbell curls.

Full body workouts are good for starting out to get a baseline fitness, but after that stage, you want to start separating out the body parts. Even then, I don't like them because you'll tend to favor the exercises that come first.

Whatever works for you though!

I build muscle more easily than most, so the full-body workout does work pretty well for me, and I like the general sensation of having worked out all my muscles in a day rather than just a few. I generally start off with the exercises that hit my weak points (arms and chest for me), so although the first few exercises are the ones that get favored, it can work to my advantage.

I know that seperating out muscle groups is supposed to be more effective, but I'm still gaining strength at a fairly steady pace, so I guess I found what works for me. If I do plateau, I'll probably try switching up my routines.

Originally posted by: AndrewR
If you try to sling some heavy weight on bicep curls, for instance, the top of your elbows will be in massive pain for days, and you won't be able to extend your arms.

Hehe, I made that mistake when I first went back to the gym almost a year ago. Couldn't straighten my arms for 2 weeks, and if I didn't move them every 10-15 minutes, they'd stiffen up and become incredibly painful when I did try to move them. Made getting out of bed in the morning really awful.

 

[Zysoclaplem]

I do everything at once, and I do it every other day. I work out my arms, abs, legs, shoulders..etc...etc.
I only stay at the gym for about 40-45 minutes though. By then, I have done 3 sets of everything there, at 12-15 reps per set.

I hear alot of guys talk about going to the gym for 2 hours. But from what I have seen, most of the guys at the gym do about an hour of working out. Then walk around, talk, and bullshit the rest of the time. I find I can work everything I need to work in about 45 minutes.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem
I hear alot of guys talk about going to the gym for 2 hours. But from what I have seen, most of the guys at the gym do about an hour of working out. Then walk around, talk, and bullshit the rest of the time. I find I can work everything I need to work in about 45 minutes.

Agreed. I usually take about 45 mins as well, never more than an hour.

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Kaido
I've decided to buy a bar and some weights and get in shape. So how do you work out?

You're supposed to alternate days, right?

I do short workouts four or five times a week. Works well enough. Just don't burn out the same muscle group two days in a row and you'll be fine...

[Edit] Here's a link to my whole plan - Link

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I will cut myself if I ever again read how toning can be attained by different rep amounts. I am serious.

Yeah, but my fat is mostly concentrated around my (Insert body area here). Is there a weight lift to burn just those pouds?