Arkk's Weight Lifting / Fitness Thread

So, what's your height?

Dabamf_sl said:

I think split routines are dumb. Switch to starting strength or choose an intermediate routine that evolves from SS.

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???

Deathwing_sl said:

I don't frequent this thread at all, so I apologize if this is the wrong thread for my questions.

I'm basically a gym "casual". I go primarily to keep my wife motivated and the health benefits of being active for about an hour 3 times a week. I don't have any intention to bulk up or anything, especially since maintaining that seems like a pain. But, I think overdid it, unintentionally, and lost a bit too much weight. I'm looking to put on about 10lbs, hopefully more muscle than fat.

I do 15 minutes of elliptical to get my heart rate up, then ~45 minutes on various weight machines. I don't remember the specific names, as I said, I'm a casual. That worked for a bit, but I've been stuck around 160lbs for a while. I think what I'm struggling with is how much to overeat on days I workout. What's a good way to figure out how much you should eat a day if you're looking to add muscle?

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First, don't worry so much about what you eat on workout days. Look at the overall amount for the week, keeping in mind that 1 pound is 3500 k/cals (this is especially true since you don't sound like you're serious about putting on mass, you just want to get bigger casually).

Second, I recommend moving away from the machines. Machines do have their place, but they're vastly inferior to free weights. Since they're on a fixed plane, machines force your movements into a set line. That means your stabilizer muscles, as well as tendons and ligaments, aren't getting the workout they need. The one that bothers me the most is almost anything on a smith machine (the only thing I do on a smith is calf raises). On bench press, you're forcing your arms to go in a completely vertical movement that more than likely puts additional stress on your shoulder. Do it heavy enough and you're at risk of tearing something. Squats are another bad one, where you're going to put unneccessary stress on your lower back or hips in order to bend in that awkward line.

I cringe when I see people doing stuff like machine fly or bench. As someone who in the past had shoulder injuries, it just looks like a torn rotator cuff waiting to happen. The other one that really bothers me is leg extensions. I know lots of people do them for extra quad work, but I always feel like it's just putting a crazy amount of cross pressure on your tibia, and possibly knees.

Elurin_sl said:

What's wrong with split routines? It makes sense to divide up muscle groups so you're not overworking anything. I've been doing a 4 day split for a long time.

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The best exercises use such a large combination of muscles it isn't really possible to split them up. Plus you can't squat 3x a week if you're doing a split routine, and squats were designed by jesus.

I should clarify that if you're bodybuilding and doing a bunch of isolation exercises, I can't argue.

Dabamf this is the internet, we're all fucking bodybuilders.

I'm squatting twice a week on my 4 day split. Leg day (Sat) and back day (Tues). Be more creative.

Deathwing_sl said:

I'm looking to put on about 10lbs, hopefully more muscle than fat.

What's a good way to figure out how much you should eat a day if you're looking to add muscle?

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Go here:http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Get your maintenance calories and add 250 - 500 to that. Take measurements, pics and weigh yourself to gauge progress. If you're not gaining after two weeks or so bump it up. Make sure you get enough protein.

You should do an established program if you want to gain muscle. Starting Strength is a popular one and it worked for me.

Yeah I planned on squatting on back day lol.

Honestly if someone is looking to add muscle for the sheer visual aspect of things, they should follow a typical bodybuilding routine. 5x5 or 5-3-1 or anything along those lines is geared towards strength, crossfit is more well rounded, so on and so on. Typical broscience routines are for hypertrophy and that alone.

What do you mean by typical bodybuilding routine? 12-10-8 routine?

Itlan_sl said:

What do you mean by typical bodybuilding routine? 12-10-8 routine?

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Rep scheme is going to vary, I mean shit with isolation exercises. Like a typical magazine routine with the whole body hit over the course of a week or 6 days, if someone's only goal is putting on muscle for vanity sake.

arkktheseaotter_sl said:

Rep scheme is going to vary, I mean shit with isolation exercises. Like a typical magazine routine with the whole body hit over the course of a week or 6 days, if someone's only goal is putting on muscle for vanity sake.

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I hate isolation exercises.

I've been taking CL White Flood for years. My insides are probably festering with pre-cancer, but the caffeine and simple act of making and then drinking a shake are extremely motivating.

Dabamf_sl said:

Plus you can't squat 3x a week if you're doing a split routine, and squats were designed by jesus.

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As your weight in squats goes up, you'll find you'll have no desire to squat even twice a week. I do high reps, ass-to-grass with 400-500 pounds. By the time I get done squatting, I barely have the energy to do anything else in the rest of that gym session.

Well my goal was to bench 410 10x by summer. That aint gonna happen. I am stuck at 2x. Been that way for 4 weeks now. Adding ANY weight at all, even 5 pounds brings my rep to 1x. So I am not even going up incrementally in weight.

Not sure what to do at this point. I've taken breaks, dropped weight for more reps. Had spot help etc. Nothing. Any suggestions?

Negatives?

Work on your press, eat more. That's all I can think of. How are your other lifts?

Brahma_sl said:

Well my goal was to bench 410 10x by summer. That aint gonna happen. I am stuck at 2x. Been that way for 4 weeks now. Adding ANY weight at all, even 5 pounds brings my rep to 1x. So I am not even going up incrementally in weight.

Not sure what to do at this point. I've taken breaks, dropped weight for more reps. Had spot help etc. Nothing. Any suggestions?

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You may be hitting the ceiling of your potential. Agree with Dashel though, are you pressing?