Weight Lifting

Chacha

Active member
Feb 11, 2015
160
165
43
Websites are good and all, but if you are inexperienced in weight training find local gym (even a community center to start). Hire a personal trainer to show you the basics of proper lifting techniques. This might hurt your ego a bit but it will save your body from injury.
 

Jethro Bodine

Well-known member
Feb 17, 2009
4,368
1,356
113
Beverly Hills. In the Kitchen eatin' vittles.
Any good sites that explain workouts, how to do them, etc.
There are lots of them. Like anything some good some bad.

As WW says, you need to first define your objective.
Are you working out to lose weight, get fit, gain mass?

Do you have target areas or are you looking to improve your entire body?

What kind of equipment or facilities do you have access to? For example i work out alone, in a gym I have set up in a storage area at my office. Thus my work out involves a lot of strength exercises where I don't even use weights such as pull ups, push ups, balance and core work along with free weights.

While videos are great my opinion would be for you to hire a reputable trainer. They can give you excellent advice on proper exercises for you, proper form (essential for gains and to reduce risk of injury) and most importantly nutrition and rest. You can work out like a freakin' mad man but if you don't rest and eat properly your gains will be shit. After a while you can back off from the trainer and run with what they have given you but go back occasionally for a tune up and to change up your routine. It is important to have a bunch of exercises for each muscle group and rotate them. That is again where a reputable trainer can help. If you are doing arms, do not do the same arm exercises each work out. Muscles need to be challenged and sometimes just changing the angle of your arm curl for example makes a huge difference.

Don't forget your legs. Too many guys especially, concentrate their work out on their upper body and not the legs. We've all seen them in the gym. Huge arms and skinny little legs.
Also legs are very important if you are trying to lose weight. They are your biggest muscles and the largest consumers of energy. If you work your legs hard they significantly increase your body's energy demands while they repair and grow (again while you are sleeping). This will help you to burn fat if that is your objective. Leg work gives you a six pack.
You want nice abs? Don't waste time with sit ups. Do core exercises, cardio and leg work.

Hope this helps.
J
 

johnnydepth

Average Sized Member
Nov 14, 2015
1,686
451
83
winnipeg
Nice to see so many guys interested in this. There are so many ways you can approach this depending on your present shape and ultimate goals. The guys above are right; give some background information about yourself and what you want to accomplish and I'm sure some solid advice will follow.
 

UhOh

Well-known member
Dec 11, 2011
1,971
294
83
surprised to read someone not knowing how to lift weights but people come from all sorts of backgrounds I suppose. I wouldn't spend money on a personal trainer, I just don't think they're necessary or provide much good advice.
Get yourself a Weider training guide and follow all the exercises, don't skip any. Start out light, like lighter than you think you can lift just going through the motions. Add weight gradually. Start by exercising Mon, Tues, Fri hitting every muscle group each day for only 2 sets. Do that for 2-3 months.
Then move on to upper body 3 sets Mon &t Thurs, lower body 3 sets Tues & Fri. Do that for 2-3 months. After that you'll have an idea of what you're doing.
Don't be one of those guys that does only chest and arms, they're clowns and not to be mimicked.
 

FreeG

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2015
551
335
63
Re abs: abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.
Agreed, but don't take that to mean skip out on core-exercises. I'm a firm believer that the core is the most important part of a long-term, healthy (injury-free) body. So many sports rely on it, so much motion relies on it.

Can't help you on the gym part - I come & go with the gym, and find I stay far more motivated with outdoors activities: biking, running, paddling, etc. But if I was more serious, I'd do more core exercises.
 

80watts

Well-known member
May 20, 2004
2,420
625
113
Victoria
I was looking for websites that tell you how to do exercises. I have used bodybuilding dot com. It is good, I was wondering if there are better ones out there.

Thanks for everyones input.

Weight loss/fitness is what I'm looking for. I need more cardio, using treadmill and elliptical trainers for low impact. But more important is the diet, or what I eat. I need to stay away from carbs... hard to do sometimes. Eat more veggies and salads. To lose weight its engery out > engery in.
For legs I use incline leg press, I find that I can work up to 2X body weight. Goal in bench press is 2 plates per side, 5 rep - 12X. Aim to get there in a year.

I need to do more more core exercises and stretching.
 

UhOh

Well-known member
Dec 11, 2011
1,971
294
83
I was looking for websites that tell you how to do exercises. I have used bodybuilding dot com. It is good, I was wondering if there are better ones out there.

Thanks for everyones input.

Weight loss/fitness is what I'm looking for. I need more cardio, using treadmill and elliptical trainers for low impact. But more important is the diet, or what I eat. I need to stay away from carbs... hard to do sometimes. Eat more veggies and salads. To lose weight its engery out > engery in.
For legs I use incline leg press, I find that I can work up to 2X body weight. Goal in bench press is 2 plates per side, 5 rep - 12X. Aim to get there in a year.

I need to do more more core exercises and stretching.
A bench press goal of 2 plates has nothing to do with successful weight loss/fitness. Any fat slob can train themselves to press 2 plates without ever losing a pound.
Treadmills and elliptical trainers are the most boring means of getting cardio. Its a physiological battle to tolerate either one of those for a sufficient enough period to be effective.
Of course you're going to do your own thing but you'll get better results doing pushups than concerning yourself with how many plates you're pushing. But if its number of plates that matter than squats will separate the serious from the posers.
 

johnnydepth

Average Sized Member
Nov 14, 2015
1,686
451
83
winnipeg
I was looking for websites that tell you how to do exercises. I have used bodybuilding dot com. It is good, I was wondering if there are better ones out there.

Thanks for everyones input.

Weight loss/fitness is what I'm looking for. I need more cardio, using treadmill and elliptical trainers for low impact. But more important is the diet, or what I eat. I need to stay away from carbs... hard to do sometimes. Eat more veggies and salads. To lose weight its engery out > engery in.
For legs I use incline leg press, I find that I can work up to 2X body weight. Goal in bench press is 2 plates per side, 5 rep - 12X. Aim to get there in a year.

I need to do more more core exercises and stretching.
Not to pry but can we get some stats. Your age, height, weight, how much weight you feel you want to lose, any injuries or health conditions. It sounds like you want to lose some pounds but not necessarily want to get too muscular/ cut up. I think you will find it is much harder to get your diet right than it is to find exercises that will help.
 

FreeG

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2015
551
335
63
Lots of good recommendations already; ultimately, you'll have to find what works for your body and your mind (ie, what keeps you interested). Like so many things, working out is most definitely NOT a 'one-size-fits-all' path.
 

J-Dogg

Member
Jun 15, 2012
134
2
18
start easy but continue to progress at harder difficulty levels.

On the treadmill ramp up the incline to max and low-moderate speed (¬3km/hr) walk for longer periods. It's a fucking workout at a low impact.
If you really want to burn, try a HIIT workout/tabata (20 sec on, 10 sec rest) of straight burpees for 4 min

Legs I would recommend doing dumbbell lunges and bodyweight squats (progressing to goblet squats/kettlebell squats). The incline leg press is bad for your back if you're not used to it.

As for diet, a whole chicken from walmart/costco/superstore can go a long way
 

LalaniElectrica

Active member
Oct 1, 2010
1,269
24
38
Nanaimo
I usually do 15-20 mins cardio, then weight train. A personal trainer is invaluable especially if you are looking for guidance with your form and angles... learning the correct techniques is important so you don't get hurt...

Core exercise such as pushups, planks, burpees are good, but start with planks and pushups.... form is very important so you don't injure your back and get the most out of your workout... get a trainer to do a month of classes with you so you can get the correct information and maximum benefit to your workout.. Looks like you got some of your diet on track. :)
 

FreeG

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2015
551
335
63
I usually do 15-20 mins cardio, then weight train. A personal trainer is invaluable especially if you are looking for guidance with your form and angles... learning the correct techniques is important so you don't get hurt...

Core exercise such as pushups, planks, burpees are good, but start with planks and pushups.... form is very important so you don't injure your back and get the most out of your workout... get a trainer to do a month of classes with you so you can get the correct information and maximum benefit to your workout.. Looks like you got some of your diet on track. :)
Another advantage of a trainer (or joining a club of your choice for cardio, like a running or cycling club) is that once you commit to meeting someone/team at a given time/place, you're less likely to skip it. It definitely helps get me out of bed in the cold, dark, rainy winter mornings when I know there are a handful of other nut-balls who are also getting up to do the same dumb-ass thing! (misery really does love company!)
 

Peyton Alexander

West Coast Paramour
Dec 14, 2016
275
2
0
Vancouver, BC
www.PacificParamour.cc
I’ve been weightlifting in various forms for almost 6.5 years now, anywhere from competively to lighter circuit work. While I’m currently doing my first dedicated leaning out phase, there are noticeable fat loss benefits from lifting alone (amongst others).

Lifting weights basically creates a bigger motor. As your muscles grow, they require more energy (calories) to “run”. If you time your rests appropriately during your lifting sessions it’s also a massive calorie burner. So in a sense, you have a longer + more sustained burn of energy as opposed to the sudden drop from cardio alone. The 5x5 is a good program for 90% of people, don’t fall into the stress of 5x a week body builder programs from the start.

Macro counting isn’t really necessary unless you have strict goals you want to achieve. If you’re eating in a significant (>20%) deficit, don’t do it for an extreme period of time and ensure you’re eating at least 1.2g/LBM lb to prevent muscle loss. Ketogenics are great (I specialize in athletic ketogenics) however many find it difficult to lift heavy while in ketosis over time as your glycogen stores get completely tapped. YMMV. A good place to start is a standard recomp structure (+20% on workout days / -20% on rest days), the 1percentedge calculator is a very solid free resource for this.

Just always remember that there’s no way to “tone” or spot fat loss. If you don’t have muscle under the fat, losing the fat alone will do nothing to give you a six pack or whatever. Men have the benefit of testosterone which makes adding muscle mass far easier compared to women. Know that it is not an instant change, though the physical and mental benefits are extremely rewarding and satisfying.
 

The Countess

Amy Weiss
Mar 26, 2018
25
1
3
Hiring a qualified Personal Trainer would be a wise investment. A trainer is not merely a rep counter. A good trainer teaches form, provides creative variety, and will design a program that is not only tailored to your goals, but will fit in with your lifestyle so that you can stick with it. PT's can monitor and help with progression throughout your fitness journey. It is crucial to make sure that your stabilizers are strengthened before lifting heavy. If they're not, you risk injury. A well-developed program goes a long way to preventing this. If you have existing injuries or issues, then a PT can work with that to improve. There's a lot of misinformation out there perpetuated in part by bodybuilding forums etc. Some of that information doesn't apply to regular people just wanting to get in shape, unless you're competing.
 
Vancouver Escorts