Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below I’m a noob to working out. I was hoping you guys could help me out with a weight lifting program. I recently bought http://cannonsports.com/product.php?model=16218&PHPSESSID=f78fe9ebe5befb5fc830dd6136ab3374 I do bench, squats, and cleans. I also have a free bar that came with the weights. I don’t want to bulk up but I want to look muscular.
Help with weight training routine
- Thread starter kaos13
- Start date
calitrainman
New member
right.....talking with a personal trainer and nutritionist could help with an effective routine and nutrition plan to get you started. Patience is a key factor in reaching your goal, muscle doesn't "happen" overnight.
Guinness5.0
New member
kaos13 said:
How do you plan to pull THAT off?
rbtrout
New member
I'd recommend getting a gym membership. More access to more free weights. Free weights are the way to go to put on muscle. Do mostly compound movement exercises - deadlifts, bench, standing military press, squats, bent over rowing, etc. This will help you build some size and strengh.
Depending upon what you exactly mean by 'look muscular', depends on how you eat/train. Start by eating 5/6 meals of clean food of fairly equal size - no fast food, donuts, etc. Eat more cals than you burn, so you can add some size and work on building a bit of muscle and then lean down by cutting cals from each meal, a bit at a time. Unless you just want to be skinny with some muscle showing, this is what I'd do.
Depending upon what you exactly mean by 'look muscular', depends on how you eat/train. Start by eating 5/6 meals of clean food of fairly equal size - no fast food, donuts, etc. Eat more cals than you burn, so you can add some size and work on building a bit of muscle and then lean down by cutting cals from each meal, a bit at a time. Unless you just want to be skinny with some muscle showing, this is what I'd do.
Guinness5.0
New member
You're being sarcastic, right?Keep Left said:
Guinness5.0 said:
If he doesnt want to get a bigger body then no. He says he doesnt want to "bulk up" so if he just isolates muscle groups then he will add muscle mass without the thickening of the bones that happens when you do heavy load bearing lifts.
If he just wants to "look good naked" there really is no need to do things like power cleans, etc. It all depends on his goals. He said he doesnt want to get bulky but wants to be muscular. So just work on the areas he wants the muscles.
Guinness5.0
New member
I've never heard of bones growing b/c of lifting weights. They can get denser, but I'd be pretty surprised if anyone had an appreciable change in bone size based on weight lifting.
Is there anyone else who thinks bones will grow from lifting?
Is there anyone else who thinks bones will grow from lifting?
Guinness5.0
New member
How old are you?
Guinness5.0
New member
I asked your age b/c I thought perhaps you were attributing normal male growth to weight training. I don't think it's unusual for men's shoulders to get broader (structurally) into their twenties, regardless of weight training.Keep Left said:
Again, I'm not saying you're wrong but it would be news to me if bones grew due to weightlifting.
blut wump
New member
First off, don't worry about turning into some man-mountain behemoth overnight. If that could happen then everyone who went to a gym would be enormous. It takes a lot of hard work and time to look freaky so just work hard at the weights and let your muscles grow. You'll have plenty of time to decide on what look you want them to have while you're doing it.
My personal opinion is that machines are useful for rehabilitaion after injury and for isolating muscle groups if you're a bodybuilder. As a fresh lifter, you should do pretty much all of your work with free weights. A lot of your overall strength comes from the interaction between muscles and muscle groups and using a machine to workout on doesn't encourage disparate muscle groups to work together.
Ideally you want a program with bench-pressing, squatting, bent rowing, overhead pressing, abdominal work and something to work your hamstrings. Cleans are a pretty good choice. Take a look at this thread:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375215
and especially the Single-Factor program:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4497774&postcount=15
If you have any questions on anything there, post in the main 5x5 thread itself. Lots of people check in there and are usually eager to help.
Overall, you'd be better off joining a gym or getting yourself a flat bench and a power rack than trying to start your weightlifting on the machine.
My personal opinion is that machines are useful for rehabilitaion after injury and for isolating muscle groups if you're a bodybuilder. As a fresh lifter, you should do pretty much all of your work with free weights. A lot of your overall strength comes from the interaction between muscles and muscle groups and using a machine to workout on doesn't encourage disparate muscle groups to work together.
Ideally you want a program with bench-pressing, squatting, bent rowing, overhead pressing, abdominal work and something to work your hamstrings. Cleans are a pretty good choice. Take a look at this thread:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375215
and especially the Single-Factor program:
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4497774&postcount=15
If you have any questions on anything there, post in the main 5x5 thread itself. Lots of people check in there and are usually eager to help.
Overall, you'd be better off joining a gym or getting yourself a flat bench and a power rack than trying to start your weightlifting on the machine.
Keep Left said:
I'm speechless. I simply don't know what to say to that.
No, wait. I've got it. Here's the question: Isn't every weightlifting exercise, from squats to kickbacks, a load bearing lift? Hmmm... So if you shouldn't do load bearing lifts, you'd better just stick to calisthenics, then. Hold on, ... wait a sec ... Then you'd be bearing the weight of your body. Damn. That won't work either. Bear with me, now ... I can do this.
Okay. Got it. Here goes:
To a certain extent, "looking muscular" IS "bulking up." The only way you're going to look muscular is to, well, build muscles. How is that different from bulking up? (rhetorical question). It's not, of course. It's really just a question of degree. The difference is largely one of degree. The point is to work to advance your strength and physique levels in accordance with YOUR goals. You don't have to turn into a 300 pound behemoth. Listen to these other guys. Use heavy, compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, power cleans, bench, military press, bent rows. Eat lots, but eat smart. Pay attention to guys like Blut Wump, Guinness and Madcow. You will become "muscular."
Oh, and don't listen to 24-year old wingnuts.
mpc
"Think of Tiger Woods out there hitting a bucket of balls. He's not swinging the 5-iron to get stronger -- he's swinging it to hone the groove. Hone the groove."
Keep Left said:
Just like when going to summer camp caused you to grow 4 inches that summer, right?
Sheesh.
mpc
"Think of Tiger Woods out there hitting a bucket of balls. He's not swinging the 5-iron to get stronger -- he's swinging it to hone the groove. Hone the groove."
Guinness5.0
New member
Oh now I get itkaos13 said:
.Basically a muscle either grows or doesn't. The degree to which it grows will NEVER come too fast to be detrimental, so get over not wanting to get "too big" b/c you ain't gonna wake up as some bulk-monster from a couple lifting sessions. If anything you're gonna wish the gains would come faster.
