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The Neogaf Working Out Thread

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D

DSWii60

Member
Seeing as we have a thread every few days about exercising, I thought keeping all the questions in one thread would be more appropriate. This time I've also given an appropriate name to the thread so it survives.

Let me start off with a question then.

I'm trying to balance my strength a little bit as I do a lot of bench press and a little shoulder press but not much else. I have a bench and weights to work with. What other exercises should I be doing to balance my upper body strength especially my (upper) back. The reason I feel that I am weak apart from my chest and triceps is that when I was doing some incline bench press, I couldn't lift the bar off the stand, but when I got some help and was actually doing the exercises, the weight was easy for me to do.
 
G

Google

Member
Seriously: Pushups.

Pushups will help your upper body, as well as your core. Doing 2/3 sets a night will totally help.

Which part of your back are you looking to strengthen?
 
D

DSWii60

Member
Google said:
Seriously: Pushups.

Pushups will help your upper body, as well as your core. Doing 2/3 sets a night will totally help.

Which part of your back are you looking to strengthen?
Click to expand...

Upper back (by that I mean the area which is used when e.g. rowing).

I do do pushups occasionaly, but how many should I be doing in a set? I can manage 20-30 consecutively without a problem.
 
T

tombur

Member
BLEEP TEST!

I need to know how to completely own at the bleep test - would normal jogging sessions with sudden sprint bursts be the most effective way of boosting my score?

Amatuer question I know, but it needs to be answered!
 
G

Grifter

Member
Am I bench pressing wrong? I hold at about shoulder level.

For flys, should I lock the angle of my elbows?

I tried some Protein Plus today and it almost came back up. People drink that multiple times a day?
 
Cauliflower of Love

Cauliflower of Love

Banned
Myths:

-Spot Reduction ( It doesn't work, your fat gets used and deposited randomly)

-High reps/Low weight = definition (Low body fat = muscle definition)

-Muscle "Shaping" (You're genes defint your muscle shapes!)
 
D

DSWii60

Member
Grifter said:
Am I bench pressing wrong? I hold at about shoulder level.
Click to expand...

Personally, I hold it a bit lower, probably about halfway down my chest, sometimes even lower than that. I don't think that there's anything wrong with what you are doing, but holding the bar where you do probably works out your upper chest more than where I would hold it.
 
W

WrathOfOtaibah

Banned
- Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.

- A good number of supplements are ineffective at the dosage recommended on the bottle. Supplements aren't all bad but outside of the essentials (whey, multivitamin, Omegas, creatine), you're paying some good money for something with few benefits.

- Free weights are best because it also targets stabilizer muscles. Free weights >> Machines

- Consistency is key. If your lifting is sporadic, you will rarely, if ever, see any substantial gains.

- Lifting is one of those "go all out or not at all" type things. Ever see people that lift for years on end but never really change in appearance? They don't go all out. They go through the motions. So push yourself as hard as you can (while maintaining form and stretching well beforehand).

- Stretch, stretch, stretch

- Be on the lookout for overtraining (irritability, insomnia, etc.). Personally every six weeks, I take a week off. Let my body rest and recover. Then hit it hard again for the following six weeks.

- Squats, deadlifts, bench presses are the bread and butter of workouts. Do not neglect them.
 
D

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
What are some good not-too-conventional compound exercises you can do with dumbbells? (I have 140lbs in plates) One thing I like to do are farmers walks. Just stuff to mix up my routine and work muscles in different ways. I always hear about how doing the same exercises over and over makes you plateau more.

- Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.
Click to expand...
You mean visible abs are made in the kitchen. Building ab muscle is done the same way as other muscles.
 
G

Grifter

Member
DSWii60 said:
Personally, I hold it a bit lower, probably about halfway down my chest, sometimes even lower than that. I don't think that there's anything wrong with what you are doing, but holding the bar where you do probably works out your upper chest more than where I would hold it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just worry that I'm hitting my arms instead of my chest, cuz I don't really feel a burn in the middle of my chest.


I also worry about deadlifting and anything that involves holding weights as I bend over or lunge my knees out. Seems dangerous but guess I just need to go for it.
 
N

neptunes

Member
2 questions

Do these really help build your forearms?

Hand_Grips.jpg


and do these really work in general?

pushbar.gif
 
P

psycho_snake

I went to WAGs boutique and all I got was a sniff
tombur said:
BLEEP TEST!

I need to know how to completely own at the bleep test - would normal jogging sessions with sudden sprint bursts be the most effective way of boosting my score?

Amatuer question I know, but it needs to be answered!
Click to expand...
Whats your highest score?
 
D

DSWii60

Member
ElectricBlue187 said:
I like working out and I really should do it more due to my new desk job and expanding waist line....

Alas, I am lazy.
Click to expand...

A reason for us to exercise:

Edward Stanley said:
Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.
Click to expand...
 
Cauliflower of Love

Cauliflower of Love

Banned
neptunes said:
2 questions

Do these really help build your forearms?

Hand_Grips.jpg


and do these really work in general?

pushbar.gif
Click to expand...


The hand thing is the equivalent of doing 5lb curls. It's low weight, it wont' build muscle.

The pushup handlebars help if you have wrist problems (I do and they help me not hurt).
 
D

DSWii60

Member
Cauliflower of Love said:
The hand thing is the equivalent of doing 5lb curls. It's low weight, it wont' build muscle.

The pushup handlebars help if you have wrist problems (I do and they help me not hurt).
Click to expand...

What exercises are good for building forearms then? I've only ever used the "hand things" for building my forearms.
 
O

OpinionatedCyborg

Member
demon said:
What are some good not-too-conventional compound exercises you can do with dumbbells? (I have 140lbs in plates) One thing I like to do are farmers walks. Just stuff to mix up my routine and work muscles in different ways. I always hear about how doing the same exercises over and over makes you plateau more.
Click to expand...
You can do a lot of lifts you do with a barbell with dumbbells. Squats, bench press, military press, etc. The added benefit is that more stabilizers are engaged when you use dumbbells.

Avoid plateaus by varying the rep ranges. I suggest you find a program instead of aimlessly mixing things up from time to time.
- Squats, deadlifts, bench presses are the bread and butter of workouts. Do not neglect them.
Click to expand...
This is the approach I take and advocate, but others work as well. To me, working the big 3 compound lifts into my life is simple and very effective.
 
S

Sullen

Member
few questions:

I've been running for about 6 months now (about a mile a day, helped me lose a ton of weight) and even though I've lost alot of weight and it still feels effective, I've never built up much stamina. What I mean is: I still cant run the entire mile without having to stop here and there because I'm winded. What is the deal here? I try to push myself, so I'm pretty sure it isnt a mental block. Is there some kind of other exercise I can do to help prevent becoming winded so quickly when running?

Secondly, is it a bad idea to lift weights and do sit ups and that sort of thing after running? Should I do it before or after? Should I do it on a different day entirely?

edit: I should note I dont stop entirely when I get winded on my run, I just power walk until I've got enough breath back to run again.
 
Cauliflower of Love

Cauliflower of Love

Banned
DSWii60 said:
What exercises are good for building forearms then? I've only ever used the "hand things" for building my forearms.
Click to expand...

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/WristFlexors/DBWristCurl.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/WristExtensors/DBReverseWristCurl.html

Just found this: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html Looks pretty comprehensive for exercise reference.

Treat it as any other muscle. You forearms muscles are a little harder to build since they get used all the time, and everytime you lift something with your arms. They rarely get time to rest.
 
O

OpinionatedCyborg

Member
Sullen said:
few questions:

I've been running for about 6 months now (about a mile a day, helped me lose a ton of weight) and even though I've lost alot of weight and it still feels effective, I've never built up much stamina. What I mean is: I still cant run the entire mile without having to stop here and there because I'm winded. What is the deal here? I try to push myself, so I'm pretty sure it isnt a mental block. Is there some kind of other exercise I can do to help prevent becoming winded so quickly when running?

edit: I should note I dont stop entirely when I get winded on my run, I just power walk until I've got enough breath back to run again.[
Click to expand...

Your aerobic system needs to be engaged for at least 15 - 20 minutes for it to improve. That means if you are unable to run for that period of time without getting winded, you need to slow down. A mile isn't very far... you're probably trying to run it very quickly. If you want to increase your stamina run for at least 20 minutes.

I would suggest that part of it is a mental block. If you must stop, don't come to a dead stop. Slow to a more comfortable jog and continue until you can increase your pace again. Or do what I've said and increase the duration of your run, not intensity, to build up your cardiovascular system.

Secondly, is it a bad idea to lift weights and do sit ups and that sort of thing after running? Should I do it before or after? Should I do it on a different day entirely?
Click to expand...
If you need to do them on the same day, weights should precede cardio. If you do them after, you wont' be able to put forth your max effort, and your max effort is required to make consistent gains.

Situps and pushups can basically be done any day as long as you aren't overdoing it.
 
D

DSWii60

Member
Cauliflower of Love said:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/WristFlexors/DBWristCurl.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/WristExtensors/DBReverseWristCurl.html

Just found this: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html Looks pretty comprehensive for exercise reference.

Treat it as any other muscle. You forearms muscles are a little harder to build since they get used all the time, and everytime you lift something with your arms. They rarely get time to rest.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Another question. In an arm wrestle, which muscles are engaged? I know your bicep is obviously, but are there any other muscles involved as I arm wrestled a guy who cannot bicep curl as much as me, but beat me pretty comfortably.
 
W

WrathOfOtaibah

Banned
demon said:
What are some good not-too-conventional compound exercises you can do with dumbbells? (I have 140lbs in plates) One thing I like to do are farmers walks. Just stuff to mix up my routine and work muscles in different ways. I always hear about how doing the same exercises over and over makes you plateau more.
Click to expand...

I alternate with dumbbells or alternative lifts every week. For example:

Bench Press/DB Bench Press
Squats/Front Squat + ATG Squat (Ass to Grass)
Deadlift/Hyperextension + another set of barbell rows
Military Press/DB Arnold Press

Some weeks, I'll fail on my last set, do an alternative lift the following week, and then break past the plateau the next time I try the weight.

Works for me. One week is more BB based, the next DB.

You mean visible abs are made in the kitchen. Building ab muscle is done the same way as other muscles.
Click to expand...

True but my message is for those who do 600 crunches and then heads off to Burger King and is pissed that a six pack isn't coming in.

What exercises are good for building forearms then? I've only ever used the "hand things" for building my forearms.
Click to expand...

Palm Up Wrist Curl, Palm Down Wrist Curl, Reverse Barbell Curl
 
O

OpinionatedCyborg

Member
DSWii60 said:
Thanks.

Another question. In an arm wrestle, which muscles are engaged? I know your bicep is obviously, but are there any other muscles involved as I arm wrestled a guy who cannot bicep curl as much as me, but beat me pretty comfortably in an arm wrestle.
Click to expand...
A lot of it's technique.

That said, far more than the biceps and brachialis are used. Pecs, serratus anterior, lats, triceps (yup), anterior deltoid, forearm pronators, etc. It's a compound movement towards the midline of the body; there's far more going on than just the biceps.
 
D

DSWii60

Member
OpinionatedCyborg said:
A lot of it's technique.

That said, far more than the biceps and brachialis are used. Pecs, serratus anterior, lats, triceps (yup), anterior deltoid, forearm pronators, etc. It's a compound movement towards the midline of the body; there's far more going on than just the biceps.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Next question :D . How do I build up my serratus anterior without buying a punchbag? I've got the rest pretty much covered.

Edit: Actually, an exercise for the forearm pronators would help as well.
 
O

OpinionatedCyborg

Member
DSWii60 said:
Thanks. Next question :D . How do I build up my serratus anterior without buying a punchbag? I've got the rest pretty much covered.
Click to expand...
They aren't the prime movers, so I wouldn't worry about them too much. After all, if you do compound upper body lifts, the muscles involved in arm wrestling will be targeted at some point or another.
 
D

DSWii60

Member
OpinionatedCyborg said:
They aren't the prime movers, so I wouldn't worry about them too much. After all, if you do compound upper body lifts, the muscles involved in arm wrestling will be targeted at some point or another.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help. It just that my ego took a hit when I lost and that has made me increase my muscle-building efforts.
 
A

AlteredBeast

Fork 'em, Sparky!
I have once again started to do 20 lbs. hand weights to tone and add mas to my arms. I have been doing this for about 2 weeks now (after about a month of much more casual 15 lbs. weights) The effect has definitely already been seen. There is much more definition and the size of my bicep is definitely increased.

Of course, I have begun doing my push-up and correct sit-ups routines, too. This helps immensely to tone what was a very flabby body.

At work, there are two registers placed about 2.5 feet from each other, I usually go between them in off hours and lift myself up and down in between them to make my chest burn.

Then, too, I am walking around much more now, each day, due to my job. I have started looking at calories, protein, and carbohydrates. I usually buy an apple, a litre of Choc. Milk (reduced fat has more protein and fiber and like 2 grams of fat and still tastes really good.) and then I usually buy like some microwaveable to eat.

I try and keep my calorie intake stable day-to-day.

This is my easy and lazy diet and exercise plan. If you can choose between Lean of something or normal, go with lean. The taste is usually about the same, unles we are talking about diet pops, which I refuse to drink.

Anyway, I will be posting some pics later tonight maybe and that way, we can see how well it is working for me. If anyone wants to do the same, I think it would be informative to know your diet and workout plans and see some before-in progress-after shots. :)
 
D

DSWii60

Member
Truelize said:
Chins/ Pullups.
Click to expand...

I can't do them at home :( I can only do gym once a week.

Edit: Would a bent over row be a good enough exercise if thats the only back exercise I'm doing.

Also does doing pullovers flatten your chest or increase your chest cavity?
 
H

Hollywood_mIRC

Banned
I'm going ot make a routine and going to have to make a new meal plan of about 4000 calories to gain muscle. Anyonie wanna throw me a cheap meal plan that can get it all, I have a good idea of what to get, but if anyone has already done a plan like this a while I'dd like to hear what you ate.
 
P

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
I've got about 10 minutes per day, and a growing (but still small) chub on the belly. I'm about 5 lbs over where'd I like to be, 10 lbs over godly perfections--I'm 6' and 176...and should be around 165. I'd like my arms to be a little bigger but I'm actually in pretty good shape (good genes, I guess), but this belly has gained some width and spill since I've gotten married.

So, what should I do? I won't go to a gym and don't have the motivation to do much--no aerobics, weightlifting, or running for me thank you very much. I use a backpack with a lot of books in it (50 lbs or so) for curls. You can see about how much I'll dedicate. I have about 10 minutes per day.

Just stick to pushups and situps and curls or what? I do crunches randomly when I feel low self esteem, but can never stick with it. My wife and I walk a couple times per week. I bust out some pushups once in a while but never enough to where I am able to do more the next day.

I guess what I'd like to know is if you guys have any no-weight exercises that work for you and give the results I'd like (flatter stomach and bigger arms/chest -- "mirror muscles"). I'm looking for a daily plan that can be done on a workout mat. Assume I know nothing about sets or reps or anything. For a starting point, I can do about 10 pushups at a time, 30-40 crunches at a time, and around 10 curls of 50 lbs at a time.

Thanks guys.
 
D

Deleted member 12837

Unconfirmed Member
I know how important the "big 3" compound lifts are, but I'm 3 months off of surgery on a herniated disk in my lower back. While it's completely better and the pain is all gone, the doctors have told me it will never feel quite the same, and they're right. I always feel wary about using it or putting a lot of stress on it even with no pain.

So basically, that definitely rules out deadlifts and it makes squats very uncomfortable and difficult to do without me being too nervous. I was never all that comfortable with squats anyways and could never get a good placement of the bar on my back without it really digging in being painful, the back surgery has just pushed them completely into the undesirable zone.

Any advice on modifications to these 2 exercises or replacements that put less stress on the lower back?
 
H

Hollywood_mIRC

Banned
Dumbbell press is a pretty good replacement for bench press. Actually a lot of people agree that dumbbell presses do a couple things that bench presses don't - with the stabilizer muscles since you have to balance each one. I'm not exactly sure what advantage bench presses have over dumbbell presses, except you can pump out more iron I think. Frankly, I'm afraid to do a bench press when I goto the gym because I work out by myself and don't have a spotter and I don't want to get stuck under the bar on muscle failure.

BTW - Leg press seems like a good replacement for squats. Also, you could use a back brace if thats possible.
 
Cauliflower of Love

Cauliflower of Love

Banned
404Ender said:
I know how important the "big 3" compound lifts are, but I'm 3 months off of surgery on a herniated disk in my lower back. While it's completely better and the pain is all gone, the doctors have told me it will never feel quite the same, and they're right. I always feel wary about using it or putting a lot of stress on it even with no pain.

So basically, that definitely rules out deadlifts and it makes squats very uncomfortable and difficult to do without me being too nervous. I was never all that comfortable with squats anyways and could never get a good placement of the bar on my back without it really digging in being painful, the back surgery has just pushed them completely into the undesirable zone.

Any advice on modifications to these 2 exercises or replacements that put less stress on the lower back?
Click to expand...


May I ask what the herniated disk stemmed from?
 
F

Fairly Incredible

Member
Cauliflower of Love said:
The pushup handlebars help if you have wrist problems (I do and they help me not hurt).
Click to expand...
My problem with pushups is that my elbows snap horribly every time I get to 90-degrees. I swear it sounds and feels like bones are snapping into and out of place. What device can I use to fix that?
 
A

AlteredBeast

Fork 'em, Sparky!
PantherLotus, it souns like you are more worried about the fat creeping up on you more and more than anything. You and the wife ought to have more really engaged sex to get that heart rate up for 30 minutes like 3-4 times a week.

That will be my planned cardiovascular workout each day as soon as I am married in November. :p
 
M

MikeOfTheLivingDead

Grapetastic!
404Ender said:
I know how important the "big 3" compound lifts are...
Click to expand...

You could do squats holding dumbells or plates at your sides. You don't need to have 400 pounds on yor shoulders to get an effective workout for you legs. Just squat slowly, keep your back as straight as you can, your head up and foward, and slowly squat down until your upper legs are parallel to the ground then slowly stand back up. I had minor back problems a while back and I find that squatting this way not only feels more effective, but also has a much lower impact on my back and knees.
 
D

Deleted member 12837

Unconfirmed Member
Hollywood_mIRC said:
Dumbbell press is a pretty good replacement for bench press.

BTW - Leg press seems like a good replacement for squats. Also, you could use a back brace if thats possible.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, a weight belt or back brace is a great idea, I didn't really think about that. Bench presses are ok for me to do since my back is flat and supported on the bench. I don't arch it too much while doing my presses, that's bad form isn't it?

Cauliflower of Love said:
May I ask what the herniated disk stemmed from?
Click to expand...

Not quite sure, the symptoms began when I woke up the next day. I believe it was from doing dumbbell presses on a decline bench and picking one up and twisting with it the wrong way while I was holding myself up in a half-crunch rather than being flat on the bench. I know, I know, a stupid rookie mistake. It's the first time I've injured myself lifting if indeed that's where it started.

The twisting motion can be a killer with the torque it puts on your back. However, I actually was feeling a lot better about 2 weeks later but I rushed into playing some basketball, grabbed a rebound, came down on my left leg (the side with the symptoms), and heard/felt this pop and crunch in my back and the pain came back. That's when I knew something was definitely wrong.

MikeOfTheLivingDead said:
You could do squats holding dumbells or plates at your sides. You don't need to have 400 pounds on yor shoulders to get an effective workout for you legs. Just squat slowly, keep your back as straight as you can, your head up and foward, and slowly squat down until your upper legs are parallel to the ground then slowly stand back up. I had minor back problems a while back and I find that squatting this way not only feels more effective, but also has a much lower impact on my back and knees.
Click to expand...

I did this with really light weights as part of my rehab. My biggest problem was balancing with holding the weights at the side versus above my shoulders. It's a slightly different form isn't it? I couldn't find good demonstration pictures to make sure I was doing it right, but my back should be flat but not straight up and down, right? It's supposed to be tilted forward a bit, so long as my knees don't pass over my feet during the squat?

I also sometimes have trouble keeping a good grip on heavier dumbbells but I can buy some gloves or something to help solve that.

Thanks for all of the tips guys!
 
P

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
AlteredBeast said:
PantherLotus, it souns like you are more worried about the fat creeping up on you more and more than anything. You and the wife ought to have more really engaged sex to get that heart rate up for 30 minutes like 3-4 times a week.

That will be my planned cardiovascular workout each day as soon as I am married in November. :p
Click to expand...

:lol

Put a penny in a jar for every time you fuck your wife for the year. After that, take a penny out every time you fuck her. Tell me when you get to the bottom.
 
D

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
I have a question. I was just doing squats, and after my second set I put the weights down and all of a sudden I had this rush of pain through m head. It took a couple minutes to go way. what the fuck was that?
 
Cauliflower of Love

Cauliflower of Love

Banned
demon said:
I have a question. I was just doing squats, and after my second set I put the weights down and all of a sudden I had this rush of pain through m head. It took a couple minutes to go way. what the fuck was that?
Click to expand...


What kind of pain?

You may have been resting the bar on the wrong part of the shoulders (assuming you were doing it with a barbell.
 
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