Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with weighttraining

Wait for the weights?

Rykey — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:31:51 -0800

2/3 of the way to my target weight, thanks to cardio exercise and eating better. Start building muscle mass (via weight training) now, or wait until I hit my target weight? Started out about 80 lbs. overweight. For about 7 months now, I've been losing weight steadily by running and cycling, walking, and elliptical machine. Combined with a commitment to eating better (I don't starve myself, but eat good portions of nutritious food, cut out sugar, booze, grease, etc.), I've lost about 60 lbs. so far and feel great.

I've never lifted weights before, but I recently bought a weight machine. I want to continue my cardio exercises, and gradually add weight training into my exercise regimen. My question is, should I start weight training now, or wait til I've lost most or all of the weight I want to through cardio?

My goal is to have a trim, muscular physique, not bulging muscles (think dancer, not football player). I know that in addition to burning more calories, muscle weighs more than fat, so I don't know whether I should start lifting to burn more calories, or lose the last 20 lbs. via cardio and then not worry about what I weigh after starting weight training (i.e., as long as I look in shape and stay that way, it doesn't really matter what the scale says). I guess I'm trying to avoid looking too thin without muscle tone, but also avoid looking bulky with the un-lost fat "padding" my muscles.

I'm male, 35, and have a naturally stocky build (5'9", wide shoulders, big chest, short legs) if that matters.

I need a workout routine

alligatorman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:31:30 -0800

I'm looking for a 3-day-a-week workout routine that only uses a bench, a bar, adjustable dumbbells, and weights. My goal is to gain muscle mass. I have a bench, straight and curl bar, adjustable dumbbells, and a sufficient supply of weights.

I would be working out alone 3 days a week: Mon, Wed, Fri.

I'm looking for ideas for a balanced workout routine.

I'm planning on incorporating the following exercises (at least):

dumbbell bench press
dumbbell squats
bent over rows
shoulder press

What should I add/remove? How should I split them up? Any suggestions on reps/sets/etc.? Any advice would be appreciated.

Potentially relevant information: 22 year old male, 5' 7", ~ 130 pounds .. not a total beginner to working out, though its been a while.

Thanks.

Weight Training Filter: Is it time to start weight training again?

elsietheeel — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:37:02 -0800

Weight Training Filter: Is it time to start weight training again? Short backstory: In January I had gastric bypass surgery. My highest weight was 265 pounds. I am currently at 195 pounds with about 30% body fat. This gives me a lean body mass of about 135 pounds. I have not been weight training for the past few months because I worry that if I build muscle I will have a harder time hitting my goal weight of 160 pounds and 22% body fat (124 pounds LBM). It looks like I've got about 10 pounds of extra muscle that will have to go if I want to make it to goal. But I really miss weight training and I often wonder if it would actually help me lose my last 35 pounds faster.

So is my logic flawed? Can I start doing squats again? Or is the concern of muscle gains a legitimate one?

Help a novice with weight training!

muxnaw — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:21:44 -0800

Beginning weight training advice: I have recently begun a cardiovascular exercise program, and want to add weights to my routine. My goals are as follows: 1.) Lose weight 2.) Improve endurance 3.) Increase strength. Any advice re: number of reps/sets... I have quite a bit of weight to lose, and am not starting from a place of high endurance. My primary goal is to drop weight (in a healthy way). I do aerobic exercise daily, but am a total novice when it comes to weights. Trolling around here, I've found some somewhat confusing info, so please tell me- lower weight/more reps, right? How many sets per machine? Cardio before or after weights? Remember- I'm in no position to become "ripped," just want to add weights to routine. Thanks!

Suggestions for a natural preservative/stabilizer for smoothies?

refactored — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:53:30 -0800

Suggestions for a natural preservative/stabilizer for smoothies? I'm recently started weight-training again, and I'm making a lot of fresh-fruit smoothies. Its becoming problemattic though; I live in a shared house and I'm waking everyone up in the morning with the sound of the blender, and there's some waste as I tend to make more than I need to drink.

I'm wondering whether there's a natural stabilizer I could add to the smoothies so I could prepare a batch to keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days without them separating.

Any suggestions?

Nutrition for weight training.

2or3whiskeysodas — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:59:46 -0800

Favorite books or websites dealing with good muscle-building nutrition? I have seen the light, maybe: I've been weight-training to add some muscle but eating to lose weight, and that's not working. I'm thin enough at this point, so I'd like to try a new diet or two and see what works.

I'm down to hear the hive's general advice, tips and such, but am more interested in books and web resources. I do best with "programs". Also, this isn't terribly important, but I'm not really into the macho bent at sites like t-nation.com; if that could be avoided, great. But if there's exceptional information within, I could put up with it.

Thanks in advance!

Help a weakling achieve her first push-up!

geekgirl397 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:25:15 -0800

I'm a 35 yr old female, 5'6", 120lbs, in good general shape (walk loads, work out) who has never been able to achieve a single-push up. It's a key move to many of the workouts I want to do, but most strength-building programs assume that even the weakest can do at least one. What should I do? I want to include yoga and pilates in my routine, but the yoga "chaturanga" pose escapes me, making it hard to do "sun salutations" which are the core of many routines. Part of my routine is the interactive game "Yourself Fitness" on the PS/2 - this features fitness tests every 10 workouts, which include pushups as a measure. I just sit them out and enter fake info, which is frustrating.

I am in good general health. I walk between 15 and 20 miles a week and do yoga/pilates/weight routines for 30 mins about 3 times a week (hoping to ramp up to more). In the past, I've devoted a lot of time to staying fit, and for several years worked out six days a week for at least 45 mins, once a week with a trainer for an hour. Even at my fittest, I was unable to do a single push-up. I could/can do chest presses, flys, etc. with lightish weights. I can hold the yoga "plank" position and "side plank" for a decent amount of time.

I am thinking of finding a yoga teacher and getting an individual lesson to see if that helps me finally get chaturanga, but I don't have a lot of time/money and I don't currently know of a teacher I trust. (Also, gym trainers and yoga/pilates class teachers in the past have not been able to teach me to do a push up or achieve chaturanga.)

Has anybody else out here had this problem? I feel like a freak. Has anyone been able to overcome it? How? Are there any "tricks" or tips that might help me to do my very first push up, and work up from there?

Like totally wicked biceps

bitteroldman — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:15:16 -0800

How can I get Keanu's forearms? What exercises do I need to do to get Keanu's arms, and more specifically forearms as depicted in this movie poster:

Whoa.

I have been doing barbell curls forever and seem to have peaked at 30 pounds on each side (70 if I am using the olympic bar). I do 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps. But I can't seem to even get 1 rep at a higher weight without cheating (i.e. arching my back). My biceps look like little mosquito bites.

I do a variety of tricep exercises, but I think I am not working on mass here, but rather toning (i.e. I am doing the pull down and French curl) - I can't do dips because of a chest injury that stubbornly refuses to heal... How about closed grip bench press? Any other mass builders?

I also to wrist curls for the forearms, but they are as flat as a pancake. Should I be doing something else?

How about frequency? Is twice a week enough? Would three times a week be too much (since it is a relatively small muscle)

Awesome!

Post workout sleeping disorder

Sharcho — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:50:08 -0800

After heading for the gym, I only manage to get a few hours of sleep. After the gym, I don't have any problems falling asleep, but I wake up for seemingly no reason after 4-5 hours of sleep. And I need about 7.5 hours of sleep. After waking up, I'm not tired enough to fall back asleep again for about two hours, but I get really tired later in the day.

I started going to the gym over a month ago. I go there in the evening after work twice a week. I run for 15 minutes and do weight training for 50 minutes. I go to bed 5 hours after returning from the gym.

Anybody experienced something similar, or has ideas how to prevent the post workout sleep disorder?

running and weights

honeyx — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:22:11 -0800

Is it best to weight train before or after a run? I would like to add weight training to my fitness regimen. Since I only have one period during the day on weekdays that is available for me to exercise in, the weight training will have to either be immediately before or immediately after my run. Does the timing matter? Is one more beneficial than the other?

Gimme a break?

Nathanial Hörnblowér — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 08:13:53 -0800

Sore muscles. Should I work out anyway? My arms and upper back are sore from working on some projects around the house over the weekend. Today is when I normally do my weight routine, either a muscle fitness class or reps on the weight machines. Would working out help with the soreness or do I need to let my muscles recover before working them again? I can always just do another cardio day today instead, but would rather stick to my routine if I can.

Help me design a home push/pull routine

sirion — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:27:22 -0800

Help me design a good home push-pull workout with minimal equipment. Goals: Mass and definition I'm trying to get a good weight-training workout set up in my new apartment, but have fairly limited moneys to invest in it. As such, I'm planning on getting some adjustable dumbbells, maybe a balance ball, and if I can find a used workout bench, that too (suggestions on cheap equipment appreciated).

My current push/pull is as follows: (basically all upper body, as I have shitty knees. Will be walking/biking quite a bit, so not too worried about leg atrophy) Please feel free to comment, and then help me find replacement exercises that will be effective at home.

Push (8-12 reps, 2-3 sets)
-Incline bench press (any good replacements when lacking an incline bench)
-Barbell Pull-overs (tried this with dumbbells, which works, though it's fairly taxing on the wrists)
-Assisted Dips (I guess chair dips or reverse incline bench press?)
-Fly Machine (How many variants on dumbbell flys can I do?)
-Dumbbell bench press(works fine at home)
-Dumbbell fly(works fine at home)
-Shoulder press(works fine at home)
-Side raises(works fine at home)
-Front raises (works fine at home)
-Barbell skullcrushers
-Cable pushdown
-Situps
(Anything missing from a full upper body push routine?)

Pull
-Assisted Pull-ups (how do I replace this, as I need 100 lbs of assistance to do 8-12 reps x 3)
-T-Bar Row (Replace with 1-arm row?)
-Lateral Puil-down (Still not sure what to do)
-Cable row (More 1-arm rows?)
-Reverse Fly Machine (Could use some dumbbell versions of this.)
-Reverse curls (works fine at home)
-Hammer curls (How do I better isolate my biceps? When using a bicep bench, I can only curl about half the weight, so I'm clearly using a decent amount of back in my current form)
-Back extensions

Help me change my exercise routine.

2or3whiskeysodas — Tue, 29 May 2007 05:27:59 -0800

While I'm still super enthusiastic about exercise, both my motivation and fitness level have plateaued. Suggestions? I've been running for 30 minutes at a time fairly consistently for years and still enjoy it greatly. I moved from weight training at home with a bench and some cheap dumbbells to a wonderful gym last year. Since then, I've mostly been doing variations of the 3 Day Split Workouts found here. While I haven't seen any huge muscle gains, I'm fairly happy with the results. But the amount of weight I can lift hasn't increased in I don't know how long, and I'm starting to feel just a little burned-out.

So obviously, a change is needed, and I'm open to just about anything. Ideally, it would be something that would build some muscle and/or help me break through the walls I've hit when I return to the sort of weight training I've been doing. A friend has recommended the Bodypump classes offered at my gym, but I'm not much of a believer in low-weight/high-rep stuff, which is what this sounds like. And I've meant to take swimming lessons for a long time.

How do I switch from losing weight to building muscle?

Pontius Pilate — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 15:56:29 -0800

Switching from losing weight to gaining muscle. What do I do? I'm a 5'10 guy in my early 20s. After about 2 months of doing daily cardio and limiting my calories to ~1,500 a day, I got down from 185 to 165 pounds, which is about what I had aimed for when I started. At this point, I'd like to switch from losing weight to building muscle mass, and I have a slew of questions.

I am assuming that since I'm aiming to increase muscle mass, I'll need to up my caloric intake. What should I aim for, and what is the right fat / protein / carb ratio for weight training? How can I avoid simply putting the weight I had lost back on and instead build up my muscle mass? How many times a week should I try to work out, and about how long should each session be? Should I go for fewer reps with more weight? Do I need to bother with protein shakes, etc., or should I just concentrate on maintaining at least a semi-healthy diet? Should I still keep doing cardio on a regular basis? Any other general tips / suggestions for beginning weight training?

Oh, and since I'm a total noob about this, any good web sites or good books you could suggest would be much appreciated as well. Thanks!

Weight training at home

zippity — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 20:32:06 -0800

I want to be stronger and more physically fit. So I've heard weight training is the way to go. As a complete n00b, where/how do I start? I would really like to start weight training as part of an ongoing effort to become healthier. But I have not the first clue as to what weight training actually entails (the only thoughts that come to mind are bicep curls, bench pressing and other things that would certainly require gym equipment). Is that all there is to it?

Is there some sort of weight training routine I could follow at home that doesn't require purchasing some insane exercise equipment? What kind of equipment should I buy and what kind of "weight training" exercises could I easily follow at home? Any recommended books or links?

What am I doing wrong, I lift weights, but don't get stronger.

Ezrie — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:12:18 -0800

Fitness Filter: Please help. When I lift weights, I lift to failure but still see no gains in size or ability to lift. This also applies to push-ups and sit ups. I can sit all day and do sit-ups for example. I fail at about 15 reps. If I rest even a short time, I can go all the way to 15 before I fail for a second time, but then I have to rest again. Also, when lifting, say seated press, I use enough weight to cause failure by rep 4, this is how I was told to do it to get bigger faster, I do this 3 times with 30 seconds rest, and I have yet to increase the weight in many months, no matter what I still fail at 4 but don't get any size gains. Also, I never experience feeling sore the next day. I am just not getting stronger. Please help.

When weightlifting, should I use a single set or multiple sets?

jason's_planet — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 08:05:03 -0800

What are the benefits of a multi-set weight training regimen vs. a single-set weight training regimen? The weight training I've done in the past has always followed the HIT protocol: one set, 8-12 reps, mostly performed on machines. This has worked adequately for me in the past but I've gotten a little bored with it. I'm also frustrated with the training plateaus I encounter with this approach.

I'd like to try something different this time, maybe a multi-set regimen. Are there any benefits to doing multi-set training vs. single-set training? Please bear in mind that my goal is not bodybuilder-esque bulk and definition. I'm just a normal guy in his mid-30s who wants to look good and have a stronger, healthier body. Strength is more important than bulk.

And while I'm on the topic -- why would I use free weights instead of machines? All the muscleheads seem to favor free weights. Is there an actual training advantage in doing this, or does it just look more macho?

Weight training with a Mitral Valve Prolapse

bigspoon — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 00:20:16 -0800

Is it really dangerous to lift weights with a mitral valve prolapse? I was diagnosed as having a mitral valve prolapse when I was 12 or 13 and my cardiologist repeated over and over again that I should avoid static activity such as water skiing or wrestling. However, I also soon learned that Arnold Schwarzenegger had the exact same condition and didn't have to have surgery on his heart until years after he was Mr. Universe. My doctor tells me I should lift more than 50 pounds when working out, and I have started lifting regularly and find this to be a huge impediment on my progress. I trust my doctor well enough but I also know doctors err on the extreme side of caution, also my doctor treats mostly small children (I'm almost 18) which I would think would make him even more cautious. Would lifting heavier weights seriously endanger my body and if so how? In addition what exactly is MVPS (mitral valve prolapse syndrome)? Do I automatically have it because I have an MVP?

Pilate my Body

schroedinger — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 11:59:56 -0800

Please recommend a good Pilates book with a focus on mat exercises. I've done Pilates before so I have a pretty good idea of many of the moves, but I can't fit the classes into my schedule so I'd like to do them at home. Among the thousands of Pilates books out there, are there any ones that are recognized as masters in the field? Extra points for clear illustrations and/or explanations of the moves, and gradiated exercises so I can adjust the difficulty levels as I go. I don't have any of the fancy equipment (nor does my gym), so a focus on matwork would be great.

I'd prefer a book to a tape or DVD as I don't have the facilities for the latter and the book is more conducive to working out while traveling.

Does anyone have any experience with the PHI Pilates instructional manual? Is it any good?

Veins moving when I work out. Help.

dino terror — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 20:01:11 -0800

When I work out, sometimes my veins move as I do reps. It feels uncomfortable. It doesnt always happen though... Is it because Ive been doing reps incorrectly, or will this lead to damage to the veins if I continue? For example Ive got a big vein that starts to become visible at my elbow joint and travels the length of my forearm. When I do pullups this vein gets twanged like a guitar string or something, somehow.

Weight training, veins, bodyfat, and more

dead_ — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 08:34:34 -0800

Why do some people have veins that pop out of their biceps and shoulders, while others who work out don't? A little background: I've been working out for years, and for the first few I was mainly a runner. I had 4 - 6% bodyfat and ran half-marathons and 10ks. I weight trained daily, combined with my running regimen.

For the past year, however, I've cut the running down a lot and have been on a strict weight traning program that has bulked me up from 175 to 200lbs.

What I don't understand, is why I can't seem to get that cut look (neither as a runner, nor as a lifter) where the veins stand out. Is it a purely biological thing? Is it related to bodyfat? Please enlighten me.

Why are there red streaks on my shoulders?

catfood — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 06:18:29 -0800

What are these weird marks on my shoulders? I started a new weight training program yesterday, and now there are red streaks on my shoulders! A trainer at my gym set up a weight training program for me, since I usually only do cardio, and yesterday I did the upper body segment for the first time. When I got home from the gym, I noticed there are bright red streaks on my shoulders, as if there is blood under the skin. It looks like a cross between bright red stretch marks and like I scratched my shoulders too rough.

I'm going to ask my trainer about it tonight but in the meantime I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced anything like this, has any clue what it's from, and whether they will go away? Thanks!

Gaining muscle mass

Gyan — Tue, 18 May 2004 10:02:10 -0800

A fitness question re: gaining muscle mass. [more inside] I'm skinny (upper body). My legs are in pretty good shape, since I've been a fast walker since childhood and I walk quite a bit throughout the day. I weigh 145 pounds and am 5' 11" tall. I intend to start on weight training at home. Luckily, a friend of mine, with extensive gym experience (and results), is my new roommate for the summer.

He mentioned creatine. After some Google-browsing, it seems there are plenty of products and methods to use creatine. Generally, what should I know? Specifically, which method is preferable (loading-maintenance or gradual intake)? How much water should I consume daily? Any creatine-based product or type in particular that's recommended? I've heard that creatine can also promote fat loss. Losing weight (overall) is *not* desired. Will consuming any protein shakes help? My current diet consists of a Subway meat-based sub pretty regularly, some Chinese, some Indian and some Middle-Eastern rice-based dishes.
I consume about 2 cans of regular soda daily, with no coffee or tea. I've started taking those multivitamin supplements (Equate) every other day. My other indulgences are pretty moderate (ice cream: rarely, chocolates: very occasionally..etc)

I feel *fine*. I just want to bulk up. Recommendations, please.