General training questions

[New_to_Sports]

I have broad questions about weight training , provided that my ultimate objective is toning & shaping up , but I am NOT INTERESTED AT ALL in getting bulky muscles.


1- Is it better to train with heavy weights for a small number of repetitions ,
or with light weights for a large number of repetitions ?

2- Pain & weight training , should I push myself to the very end of abilities ,
or should I go easy on me?. some people say that you should exhaust
yourself utterly to get results..is that correct?

3- Does cardio training contradict with weight training ? That is , does running
lead to muscle slimming?

 

[Madcow2]

I'd really suggest buying the book Starting Strength if you are going to begin a program. It lays out all the exercises in detail and provides everything you need for basic programing. The author is one of the best coaches of beginners on the planet. www.startingstrength.com

1. Happy medium. Somewhere in 4-8 reps seems to be pretty solid for most people. There is also a work factor, meaning number of sets X reps per set X weight used that is very important and this has to be in line.

2. Failure is a CNS event (central nervous system), it hits it pretty hard and this component of fatigue is what leads to overtraining (although you can overtrain by not going to failure too). There is nothing wrong with failing but pushing every set to failure is a poor doctrine to train by.

3. It's a very different stimulus so a ton of cardio will make it hard to put on muscle (your body can only adapt effectively to so many things at once and cardio is close to polar opposite) and it will also impact your caloric requirements. Not saying you can't do cardio but looking at extremes can be helpful in understanding. You might also look into interval training (can be done running, swimming, biking, eliptical, whatever). HIIT is the bodybuilding acronym but it isn't all that complicated and shorter intervals at higher intensity keep the stimulus closer to that of weight training.

 

[Ozz2001]

Plan and simple buy nothing! If your looking to just tone up you..use light weights for a large number of repetitions.....Gl

 

[bignate73]

one point: you won't just wake up after a hard workout all bulked up. it takes hard training, specific training and specific eating. you could train in the low rep ranges all you want and not grow if you arent eating sufficient amounts of food to grow "bulky". you will gain strength as your CNS becomes more efficient at recruiting muscle. there is no hard and fast rule for rep ranges, it all depends on your goals and interests. I don't bodybuild anymore, but sometimes like that style of training. I primarily train for strength so I keep my rep ranges lower but dabble in the higher rep ranges. The main thing is I don't eat a surplus of calories and its allowed me to stay relatively the same weight and increase in strength. thats MY goal, and its allowed me to make progress without growing. for you you have to look at your own specific goals and ask more pointed questions about it.

hope that helps.

 

[Madcow2]

Plan and simple buy nothing! If your looking to just tone up you..use light weights for a large number of repetitions.....Gl

Please provide the specific mechanism for "toning"?

Also please provide why light weight and high reps are supperior for this to a solid program of increasing the squat, dead, press, row, and overhead in a hypertrophy range while at the same time managing one's diet and caloric intake properly.

This is why I said to buy Starting Strength. That way he learns how to do the most effective exercises properly and at the same time avoids spending 5 years figuring out that most of the BBers on these boards don't have a clue and that the magazines available are unbelievably even more horrid. Had I even 1 ounce of faith that he could learn to properly do these exercises from people at a commercial gym and get solid info on the internet, I'd never tell him to spend money. That said, I've been lifting for almost 20 years now and although things have gotten better (i.e. BBers are actually doing free weights again thank God they for anabolics to get them through the hard times) it's still horrendous.

Specific to the 2nd review from Jim Wendler on this page: http://www.k3k.de/Info/startingstrength.html

If you have a young child or are a coach of junior high or high school athletes; get this book. Get them lifting correctly before someone has a chance to screw it up. If you are coaching collegiate or professional athlete; get this book. It's never too late. If you are a personal trainer, training the "average" person; get this book. It will give you coaching cues and allow you to teach the fundamental lifts that most people should do for overall strength training.