weight lifting

Start at just about any age. But, the older you are the more you should be talking to your doctor just in case you have health issues. I am going on 32 and getting into lifting weights to strengthen my upper body.
 
so its good for what exactly? getting muscles and looking better? 8) or getting more power and strength?

I got many question heh, well some :)
 
getting muscles and looking better? :cool: or getting more power and strength?
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I used to lift a lot more than i do now and yeh lifting does do some good for your looks but somepeople are just naturally ugly :p
 
Im into toning...I dont do a whole lot for strength but Ive been told I have the best-looking body....Im proud of it but Im reeeeeaaaaallllyyy shy about it. Which is why y'all dont see anything on my myspace...i just dont think its cool...boastin about somethin that anyone can attain. Anyway, back to your question. It depends on what your doing. If you are training for looks and health, then just do a little bit every day untill youre satisfied. If you are doing it for strength, you keep on untill you have reached your goal. What is it by the way?
 
Mk. Well, for toning I do low weights(40lbs) and high repetitions.(5 sets of 30). For strength all I can tell you to do is high weight,low rep. If your trying to max. then you might want to get a spotter...What I did is to increase strength so my muscle mass would be greater and it would be easier to mold and tone. Its like metal-working a little...If you have more iron to work with, then it becomes easier to work with. With a lot more muscle mass, there isnt as much fat in the way of your toning. But if you try to start out with toning, then you have to get rid of alot of fat before toning becomes noticable. So I started with strength training and when I lost body fat and started gaining muscle mass, I started with 25 lbs and did high reps...when 25 became too easy, i moved to 30. then 35 when that got too easy, and so on and so forth up to 40lbs.
 
MightyMacbeth said:
is it good?
when is the best age to start?

thanx :)
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It's great. Back in 7th grade, I was tiny. weighed something like 85lbs, of which all that was brain. Sure, I did a lot of work outside, but then I got into lifting weights. I'm 4 years older, weigh 108 and bench about 140. I can't tell you how much happier I am because of that bench press and curl bar.

I have more energy, I'm healthier, and happier. My physical endurance has increased- I have greater lung capacity and can plow my way through most obstacles. Start at any age- it's good no matter how old you are. Depending on age, however, it may affect the growth rate.

If you're working with the heavy stuff, always get a spotter. I had to throw a squat bar with 175lbs of weight over my head because I lost my balance and tripped. My trainer (who trained Casey Viator, the youngest Mr. America and a homeboy from my area) said that he saw a guy about 15 years old in powerlifting catch his foot on a nail int he clean and jerk, lose his balance, and compound fracture both elbows. So caution is needed.
 
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okay so am 18 and wight about 145ish and is about 5'6ish :mrgreen:

what all that u say? curl bar and all? etc etc.. heh, and umm, like how much to do etc etc.. where to concentrate first..? for how long?
should I join a health club this summer? will it help?

thanx
 
It depends, if its a workout health club then sure it'll help. But if its a wellness club, probably dont wanna do it. Firstly, do you have your own weight set at home? Or will you be going to a gym? If you have one at home, then you can go to my post. What I meant by low reps/ high weight is just that. You use around 40-50 lbs. and do small numbers of repetitions. You might want to use 40lbs and then do 3 sets of 5 repetitions. If you are doing a bench press, that means successfully pushing the bar up and down five times with a break, five more times, break, five more times, stop.Once you finish losing fat and gaining weight from muscles, you move to toning your body. If you're using your home set, you can use smaller ammounts of weight at higher repetitions. Like, instead of using 40lbs, use 25-30 to start with and do 3 sets of 15-20 successful repetitions. Get me?
 
oh, yeah- try half and third reps- it really works the muscle groups. IM me if you want the full skinny.
 
hmm, thanx fellas.. I shall see what can be done..

Anyway, whats the difference beween the workout health clubs, wellnsees ones and gyms? arent they just "a health club" or somehting? what should I be searching for then?

hey thanx :)
 
Wellness clubs are just for the wellness...They have like aerobics and cardiovascular things...not really good for tough physical training
 
hmmm, I'd suggest scoping the places out before making a dedication. I started out working out at home, then got a personal trainer who was a Mr. LA and trained a mr. America. This dude is cheaper than most health clubs and a helluva lot cooler. I can also dispense osme nutritional wisdom as well as the straight dope on a lot of herbal supplements.
 
hmm I see..

About the personal trainer, where can u find them?

and about the clubs, well do the clubs say if they are for wellness or for working out? lol

hey sorry if I sound a bit dumb :mrgreen:
 
no, no, the only stupid question is the one left unasked. You'd have to ask around. I was referred to this 64-year old weight lifter who started at age 14 by a baseball player buddy of mine. Like I said, scope things out at the clubs, and I recommend freeweights all the way.

Buddy of mine is a bouncer- benches 300 freeweights, 500 on cables. Granted, as long as you don't have a block and tackle system or some type of huge letoff, cables are real good- I use them for lats, triceps, biceps, chest, etc. Of course, this machine is homemade- nothign storebought.
 
When I started lifting weights, I mixed isometric with dumbells. You will have to spend about 2-3 hrs per day in a routine from the web or magazines. This will outline muscle groups and how to work them. I posted a picture of when I was starting out and I got there from a 90 lb weakling. A lot of protein and stick to a routine. I built most of my equipment myself, you don't need fancy equipment, you need persistance and dedication. My isometric apparatus was two pieces of board and a piece of chain between the two. Fix one end of the chain to a board to stand on and the other end to a dowel and make it adjustable to work at different lengths. If you don't concentrate on your body, and a goal to reach each month, no personal trainer or Gold's Gym will help you. Work in front of a full length mirror to watch which muscle is under load.
 
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