Questions about working out

[kingfish]

Question 1 :

 

I can lift between 15 and 25 lbs. When I lift 15 I can do curls 10 times, feeling a little bit tired by the 10th time, and I normally do this 5 times in sets of 10. I can lift 25 lbs, but I get tired after about 5 curls for both arms. Once I reach my 5th set I can barely do 4 curls. Which set up should I stick with? I want to get bigger and dont care about strength endurance or w/e.

 

Question 2 :

 

I am also working on abs and they have come along way. I think im supposed to eat more in order to get bigger (such as arms and chest), but I want to also get a six pack, and in order to do this you need to have not much body fat. So should I eat a lot or not? For whatever its worth I drink protein powder and dont eat junk or drink soda.

[Guru]

1. 20 for 8 if you can. Or 25 if you can't do 20.

2. Eat healthy, add cardio to your workout.

[Karl Malone]

If you want to get bigger, lift heavier weights, if you want to get stronger lift lighter weights with more reps. So if you wanna get big stick to the 25 lbs.

[Guru]

If you want to get bigger, lift heavier weights, if you want to get stronger lift lighter weights with more reps. So if you wanna get big stick to the 25 lbs.

...that's not how it works lmao.

If you are strength training you should be maxing out every set for about 5 reps. For getting bigger you should be doing 80-85% of your max weight for 7-8 reps. And 10+ reps would be for toning.

Edited April 11, 2011 by Guru

[ChosenOne]

...that's not how it works lmao.

If you are strength training you should be maxing out every set for about 5 reps. For getting bigger you should be doing 80-85% of your max weight for 7-8 reps. And 10+ reps would be for toning.

 

Thank you. He was completely wrong with that If you wanna get bigger you should be going heavy (not necessarily max every time but like guru said 80-85%) and hitting each muscle 2 times a week.

 

Question 1 :

 

I can lift between 15 and 25 lbs. When I lift 15 I can do curls 10 times, feeling a little bit tired by the 10th time, and I normally do this 5 times in sets of 10. I can lift 25 lbs, but I get tired after about 5 curls for both arms. Once I reach my 5th set I can barely do 4 curls. Which set up should I stick with? I want to get bigger and dont care about strength endurance or w/e.

 

If you are doing 5 sets go, 1)15lbs 12 reps, 2) 20lbs 10 reps, 3) 25lbs 8-10, 4) 20lbs 10 reps, 5) 30lbs 4-6 reps

 

Question 2 :

 

I am also working on abs and they have come along way. I think im supposed to eat more in order to get bigger (such as arms and chest), but I want to also get a six pack, and in order to do this you need to have not much body fat. So should I eat a lot or not? For whatever its worth I drink protein powder and dont eat junk or drink soda.

 

Well if you are looking you get bigger then you have to stick with the protein. It is best if you drink it before and after. Also you HAVE to get a good meal in about an hour before you workout and 30 minutes after you work out. Having a good high protein diet makes all the difference. You have to eat well, not necessarily alot.

 

Abs are hard man, the best thing i can tell you about abs is changing up your workouts and hitting something just about everyday. Here is what I do for abs and trust me it works, if you stick with it. Monday and Wednesday go hard, Tuesday and Thursday do a little something, Friday skip, Saturday (on an empty stomach) do an hours of endurance cardio, then hit abs as hard as you can, and after abs go sit in the sauna for about 15 minutes. I said only an hours worth of cardio because I play ball about 4 days a week for at least 2 hours a day, which makes up for most of my cardio, if you are not that active then you should do cardio more often around 3-4 times a week.

Edited April 11, 2011 by ChosenOne

[SRV]

I am curling 35 pounds for 8 reps....3 sets, sometimes 4 if I am feeling like Awnold that day. I have gotten bigger after just over 2 months. My chest isn't that big yet, and my abs come and go, but my arms have gotten bigger and its natural since biceps are the easiest muscle to see results in. I doubt I will be able to see my abs until I start cutting/toning, but I know they are there since doing crunches has become much easier lately.

 

Doing this...3 workouts per week, and eating as much protein as my body weight, I have gone from 155-165. I got stuck on 160-162 for about 3 weeks, but after the first month I went up 5 pounds really fast.

Edited April 11, 2011 by SRV

[Real Deal]

For abs, drink water, eat berries, and digest any protein you can find with every meal you have. Six meals a day, three small and three medium-sized (although I break that rule and eat three large, three small).

 

Milk right after a workout works wonders, also.

 

I'm not going to bother telling you how to work your abs, because it's really different for everyone...it all depends on how you eat before anything else. You have to lose the stomach first. I do 300 crunches every night, then grab a glass of milk, a chunk of cheese (yes, off the block) and a bottle of water.

 

Not going to take a new picture of my abs just for the topic, but they look exactly the same as they did in this picture:

 

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/13659_198687691652_502396652_3570234_176836_n.jpg

 

Don't break the routine, though. If you slip and get into lazy mode for a week, it's going to hurt you.

 

And, don't work out like crazy on two days a week (that weekend warrior stuff). It's very bad on your body, and you can easily tear a muscle, or end up with blood pressure/heart problems.

[kingfish]

Alright cool. Lots of information in this thread so far. Do you do any other ab exercises besides crunches? If I mainly do those will it be enough? Right now I have like a 2 pack and strong obliques, but I cant get the lower abs strong enough it seems.

 

Btw B is sexy

[SRV]

I don't think crunches work out lower abs...thats mainly leg raises.

[Real Deal]

I don't think crunches work out lower abs...thats mainly leg raises.

?

 

Ab crunches are called ab crunches for a reason. They are the most distinct ab-building exercises you can do. If we're talking just lower abs, bicycle crunches do the trick. People would rather do leg raises because they are easier, but there are numerous types of crunches you can do to work every inch of your abdomen.

[SRV]

I was saying just a standard crunch doesn't work out lower abs.....at least what I have been told.

 

Safe to say though, you won't see any results until you lose enough body fat. I can do crunches all day for the next 3 months, but my abs won't show until I get below 10% body fat.

[Real Deal]

Safe to say though, you won't see any results until you lose enough body fat. I can do crunches all day for the next 3 months, but my abs won't show until I get below 10% body fat.

That's basically the idea for anyone who exercises. I've got a friend who figured he was going to hit the gym six times a week, and keep eating like a pig, and he wasted his time. One or the other (diet or exercise) doesn't work alone, and that's where a lot of people make a mistake, especially those who go on diets with a starting weight of 250, expecting to end up 170. Nearly impossible if you don't exercise (unless you're starving yourself, which will cause major health problems).

 

I'm a little different. I can go months without exercising, eat junk food, and not gain a pound because of my diabetes. It would run my blood sugars up and hurt my overall health, but that's how it would work for me, if I went that route. At the same time, I can eat right and not exercise, and still maintain my current weight also because of my diabetes, and the way my body burns fat for insulin with just one single high blood sugar.

 

People are less fortunate (or, well, I don't consider myself fortunate due to having diabetes, but you know what I mean) and they have to work super hard to not only put on muscle, but to lose the fat and look better.