Any gym rats out there?

[drewdawg727]

I guess i'm really asking for advice more than anything..

I'm trying to tone up my chest a little bit, and i have kept saying to myself for about 2 years that i was going to do this...but i have finally taken a stand to do it.

What is the best exercise for toning up my chest and abs? I'm 19 years old, i weigh 180 lbs. and i'm 5'10. I have some serious man-boobs and i have a little bit of chub, but it's less than what i used to have.

I have thought about what exercises would help me the most, and i've been doing pushups and situps more than anything (things i can do at home without going to a gym). Do you think a culmination of these exercises will show some sort of improvement? Or should i head to the weight/cardio room?

I have been cutting out a lot of unnecessary food out of my diet too. I have stopped eating snacks in between meals, and i only eat fast food once if not zero times a week for dinner. I've stopped drinking soda (for the most part) and i drink water or iced tea for meals instead, so i am hoping that will help out some too. I work at Dunkin Donuts however, and that is sort of my "fatty" foods (since i work there during meal times).

Any advice would be great, thanks.

[viper_man]

Cut out as many fatty foods and fizzy drinks as possible, and alcohol doesnt help either if you happen to drink a certain amount of that.

With regards to diets, the best foods to have at meal times are skinless Chicken, Jacket Tates (esp the skins), tuna, lots of pasta, and once in a while steak. Also drink lots of water.

Before you exercise a banana and a cup of black coffee will give you a massive boost of energy, protein shakes and the like do help a bit as well, but the best thing to use is creatine, preferably in powder form. It is the bodies natural energy and using suppliments of this help prevent lactic acid build up and will allow you to train longer and harder. Straight after you train (but only after you train) eat a chocolate bar, it will replenish the energy you have used up.

With regards to your specific area - the chest, press ups are good but sit ups are mainly for the abdominal region. You can substitute weights at home using anything you can find, pots of paint, tins of beans etc, just use your imagination. Then simply laying on your bed you can 'bench press' these to your hearts content.

But you are definately best going down the gym. There are a large number of exercises for the chest area, just ask the gym instructor. Obviously bench pressing does the best, as well as other variants such as incline bench presses etc all using barbells. Using dumbells you can do exercises like 'flys' where you lay on a bench with your arms stretched straight outwards away from the body to the side, and raise the weights to meet in the middle. But there are hundreds of different exercises and machines that will help in different ways. Theres only so much you can do at home and your best off going down the gym.

As for intensity and duration its as simple as this:

Low weights and large number of repetitions = muscle definition

High weights and low number of repetitions = muscle mass

[oily oaf]

Please don't listen to the well meaning but deeply flawed ramblings of crocked Phys Ed graduate Viper man.
While he is technically spot on with his advice I am firmly of the opinion that you will be much better served by mixing 2 ml of Dianabol with 5 ml of Stanazolol and injecting the cocktail into your gluteal muscle (ar$e) every 3 days. If you should hit the sciatic nerve by accident dont let this put you off as you will regain the use of both legs in 2 to 3 days :)
Then simply do one pressup a month and Hey Presto the body of a Greek God and you'll be beating the totty off with a golf club.
It worked for me and it can work for you too.
I hope this helps

Yours faithfully
Big Albert B!tcht!ts
23 Impotence Way
Hairy Palm Town
Liverdiseaseshire

[Storm]

Cant fault what viper_man said...I have started (again) going to the gym in the last few months and if you stick to it for a while it soon gets enjoyable too!

[Jefe Máximo]

Too lose weight I would recommend you concentrate on a more cardio based workout. Start jogging regularly and complement it with skipping (absolutely the best excercise to lose weight and build muscle).

When you're finally a little happy with your weight and reduction of flab, you can start some light weight training. Being a novice you'd naturally start with a low weight scale. Concentrate on getting the technique right before you try and increase the intensity of your workout. Don't get carried away seeing people lifting heavy weights before you're actually ready to increase your level.

Again, excercises not involving weights like push-ups, sit-ups, pull up-s and chin-ups will greatlybenefit you. You'll begin to build resistance, strength and stamina.

There is nothing as satisfying as seing your body get toned and fitter after all the hard work you put in. And before you know it, it won't be work - it'll be an addiction - a fun addiction.

[EuroTroll]

What's skipping, Jefe?

[viper_man]

Please don't listen to the well meaning but deeply flawed ramblings of crocked Phys Ed graduate Viper man.
While he is technically spot on with his advice I am firmly of the opinion that you will be much better served by mixing 2 ml of Dianabol with 5 ml of Stanazolol and injecting the cocktail into your gluteal muscle (ar$e) every 3 days. If you should hit the sciatic nerve by accident dont let this put you off as you will regain the use of both legs in 2 to 3 days :)
Then simply do one pressup a month and Hey Presto the body of a Greek God and you'll be beating the totty off with a golf club.
It worked for me and it can work for you too.
I hope this helps

Yours faithfully
Big Albert B!tcht!ts
23 Impotence Way
Hairy Palm Town
Liverdiseaseshire

Well all that stuffs good for race horses, but each to his own!

[oily oaf]

Well all that stuffs good for race horses, but each to his own!

Hey don't knock it 'till you've tried it :)

Yours faithfully
Castrolease Boy
3rd Stable on Yer Left
Newmarket.

[ioan]

Too lose weight I would recommend you concentrate on a more cardio based workout. Start jogging regularly and complement it with skipping (absolutely the best excercise to lose weight and build muscle).

When you're finally a little happy with your weight and reduction of flab, you can start some light weight training. Being a novice you'd naturally start with a low weight scale. Concentrate on getting the technique right before you try and increase the intensity of your workout. Don't get carried away seeing people lifting heavy weights before you're actually ready to increase your level.

Again, excercises not involving weights like push-ups, sit-ups, pull up-s and chin-ups will greatlybenefit you. You'll begin to build resistance, strength and stamina.

There is nothing as satisfying as seing your body get toned and fitter after all the hard work you put in. And before you know it, it won't be work - it'll be an addiction - a fun addiction.

Almost fully agree with this.

Only thing I would change it's that part with glosing weight with cardio exercise first.
From my experience, the more muscles you have the more fat you will be able to burn.

So my advice is to start going to gym and in the same time do some aerobic training 2 times a week for 1 hour.

All what viper_man said applies to!

[Jefe Máximo]

True there.. Aerobic excercises are another good way to start a fitness regime. And watching your eating habits won't hurt either.

But skipping is THE WAY TO GO! :D

studiose,

http://www.naturesscene.com/artists/daly/skipping-rope.jpg ;)

[EuroTroll]

Well, the girl does seem to be in fairly good shape, and have no man-boobs whatsoever! :\

[drewdawg727]

Thanks for all the ideas, guys. I've been doing 60 pushups (3 sets of 20) a day for the past few days. Hopefully within a few weeks i'll see a little bit of something.

Oh i hate running :( I have horrible knees and even a weak ankle

[viper_man]

Oh and with regards to weight, if you do go down the gym and start building up the muscles you might notice that you actually put on weight, dont worry, muscles weigh more than fat!

[EuroTroll]

Oh i hate running :( I have horrible knees and even a weak ankle

Try cycling, then. ;)

[oily oaf]

Drewdawg I'm not being deliberately rude here but your regime sucks and is doomed to fail
This type of "spot targeting" of a single muscle group such as pecs is best left to the serious bodybuilder who has reached a training "plateau"
You will be best served by adopting a full body workout where ALL the major muscles are brought in to play.
Invest in a set of dumbbells which you can add to as your strength increases and a cheap supine bench for stability and variation during your workout and away you go :)
There are many good books on weight training NOT bodybuilding available and these will give you lots of pointers with regards to correct form, progressive resistance training, diet and will provide a good platform to build on.
Incidentally the fellas you see in the muscle mags with the protruding veins are ALL ripped to the t!ts on steroids and you will never look like them , and lets face it who'd want to, as long as you have a hole in your ar$e.
Initial gains should come swiftly in the first month or 2 then you will need to shake up your workout to "surprise"the muscles and stimulate new growth.
A good beginners routine could be:

1) 1x12 warmup chest presses followed by 2 sets of 8 to failure

2) 1x12 warmup single arm rows followed by 2 sets of 8

3) 1x12 dumbell curls followed by 2 sets of 8

4) 1x12 warmup dumbell military presses followed by 2 sets of 8

5) 1x12 warmup dumbell lunges or squats (better) followed by 2 sets of 8

Finally a core workout out with some ab crunches and hyperextensions and then hit the shower.

By the way skipping is a great for stamina and lung power but will NOT build muscle. It's great for fighters trying to sweat off a few pounds to make the weight but totally counterproductive for someone trying to bulk up.
Likewise jogging and cycling. When did you ever see a well built marathon runner?
By all means introduce some light cardio work into your routine after a few weeks when your gains have been made as the heart is a muscle too but steer clear of cardio until then.

I've been training with weights for over 30 years both as a young boxer and a serious bodybuilder so I do have a small insight into this complicated subject.

Lastly any gains you make will depend largely on a few factors
Intensity and frequency of workout (3 workouts a week is ample do NOT try to do more)
Diet - 5 or 6 small meals per day which include all the food groups
Rest and recuperation - The body builds muscle when you sleep NOT in the weights room
And lastly genetics. Is your father or grandfather well built? If so the prognosis is good and gains will come thick and fast. If however the opposite is true and your dad looks like Popeyes girlfriend you can train and eat until the trump of doom but you will not even approach the successes of a genetically "gifted" trainer. You will gain tendon strength but muscle mass gains will be a virtual stranger sadly.

Good luck and by the way I was joking about the anabolic steroids. They are to be avoided at all costs.
Trust me ;)

[Jefe Máximo]

Mate you're 19, and your body has at least 12-15 years of 'peak time'. So don't get too worried, mind your eating and more importantly drinking habits, excercise regularly and dedicatedly - keeping your entire frame body in mind, and you'll be just fine.

Don't get psyched into becoming a body builder before you're actually a little happier with your body!

[oily oaf]

Mate you're 19, and your body has at least 12-15 years of 'peak time'. So don't get too worried, mind your eating and more importantly drinking habits, excercise regularly and dedicatedly - keeping your entire frame body in mind, and you'll be just fine.

Don't get psyched into becoming a body builder before you're actually a little happier with your body!

Who's trying to psyche him into being a bodybuilder?
I hope you're not referring to me as I specifically advised the boy to avoid bodybuilding literature and concentrate instead on a healthy low intensity weight training regime and stop wasting his time and effort on bloody press ups.

If you wish to discuss the finer points of English literature with me then I would afford you the courtesy of listening due to your no doubt superior knowledge on the subject however if you should attempt to "educate" me on mechanical engineering or health and fitness I would be sorely tempted to advise you to mind your own ****ing business.
Merry Christmas

[Woodeye]

I cannot give you near as good answer as Oily did, but with some 10 years or so experience from gym, I can still give few tips.

When going to gym, start first with annoyingly little weights. If you start with too heavy weights the possibility of injury is big and if you hurt yourself it gets harder to go back to the gym even when you're ok again. I can tell that from experience.

Concentrate only on your own workout. Don't care what the others do on the gym.

Remember to train all your muscle groups. You will find great instructions almost anywhere. As I have time to go into gym 2-3 times a week I try to train all possible groups on those times. Concentrate on different muscl groups on diffrent days. You will find tips to this also from the gym or from books, internet and so on.

Do not eat any proteins, carbohydrates or creatine if you want to lose weight. Those will only increase your body mass. Eat something before going to gym so you have energy to do your workout. If you eat normal, home-made food that should be quite enough.

Good luck!

[555-04Q2]

I cannot give you near as good answer as Oily did, but with some 10 years or so experience from gym, I can still give few tips.

When going to gym, start first with annoyingly little weights. If you start with too heavy weights the possibility of injury is big and if you hurt yourself it gets harder to go back to the gym even when you're ok again. I can tell that from experience.

Concentrate only on your own workout. Don't care what the others do on the gym.

Remember to train all your muscle groups. You will find great instructions almost anywhere. As I have time to go into gym 2-3 times a week I try to train all possible groups on those times. Concentrate on different muscl groups on diffrent days. You will find tips to this also from the gym or from books, internet and so on.

Do not eat any proteins, carbohydrates or creatine if you want to lose weight. Those will only increase your body mass. Eat something before going to gym so you have energy to do your workout. If you eat normal, home-made food that should be quite enough.

Good luck!

Good advise. This is the way I started to do training at gym. Stick to this routine and you will find the whole gym experience no longer becomes a chore but an enjoyable routine just like brushing your teeth is a routine every morning and evening. If you can get into that "zone" you will be amazed at how quickly your body changes into a fit, muscle toned machine.

[oily oaf]

I cannot give you near as good answer as Oily did, but with some 10 years or so experience from gym, I can still give few tips.

When going to gym, start first with annoyingly little weights. If you start with too heavy weights the possibility of injury is big and if you hurt yourself it gets harder to go back to the gym even when you're ok again. I can tell that from experience.

Concentrate only on your own workout. Don't care what the others do on the gym.

Remember to train all your muscle groups. You will find great instructions almost anywhere. As I have time to go into gym 2-3 times a week I try to train all possible groups on those times. Concentrate on different muscl groups on diffrent days. You will find tips to this also from the gym or from books, internet and so on.

Do not eat any proteins, carbohydrates or creatine if you want to lose weight. Those will only increase your body mass. Eat something before going to gym so you have energy to do your workout. If you eat normal, home-made food that should be quite enough.

Good luck!

Spot on Woody :up:

[Jefe Máximo]

Who's trying to psyche him into being a bodybuilder?
I hope you're not referring to me as I specifically advised the boy to avoid bodybuilding literature and concentrate instead on a healthy low intensity weight training regime and stop wasting his time and effort on bloody press ups.

If you wish to discuss the finer points of English literature with me then I would afford you the courtesy of listening due to your no doubt superior knowledge on the subject however if you should attempt to "educate" me on mechanical engineering or health and fitness I would be sorely tempted to advise you to mind your own ****ing business.
Merry Christmas


What the f*** is wrong with you, Rocky?

Have I referred to you? No. Read my earlier posts where I have advised him not to get carried away by serious bodybuilders IN GYMS. I have seen people do that and pay for it. Why the heck would I be alluding to you? If I wanted to I'd quote your post and argue your statement, not dig at you behind your back, toughguy. To add to that I never had a problem with your post anyway, so I don't know why you're so jumpy. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't care to educate a West Ham fan about anything btw.

[oily oaf]

What the f*** is wrong with you, Rocky?

Have I referred to you? No. Read my earlier posts where I have advised him not to get carried away by serious bodybuilders IN GYMS. I have seen people do that and pay for it. Why the heck would I be alluding to you? If I wanted to I'd quote your post and argue your statement, not dig at you behind your back, toughguy. To add to that I never had a problem with your post anyway, so I don't know why you're so jumpy. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't care to educate a West Ham fan about anything btw.

Now come on calm down sweet cheeks you're putting a terrible strain on your fanny :s mokin:

There's only one way to settle this little contretemps :mad:
(trumpet fanfare blares as the house lights dim at York Hall Bethnal Green)

Announcer - Ladeeeeez and Chennelmen and to all the millions of fight fans watching around the world.
In the red corner he weighs in at a ready 120 pounds and wearing a genuine sharkskin mortar board and gown nicely accessorised with a pair of diamante high heeled slingbacks. He has a record of 9 in depth essays on Chaucer and once discussed the works of Thomas Hardy in front of the entire class with only a 5 minute break for a wee wee. Preeeeeeezenting and introducin' to you. The Prince of the pithy put down, The Lord of Literature and the undisputed Emperor of English Lit. Jefe "To Flee Or Not To Flee" Maaaaaaaaaaaaximoooooooooooooooo.

And in the blue corner tipping the scales at a slightly musclebound 227 pounds and wearing a claret and blue low cut, peek a boo bib and brace overall and carrying a 10lb breaker bar. His proud record points to 5 convictions for violence in the 1980s with over 40 rival football supporters hospitalised or severely maimed with 35 by way of knockout Ladies and Chennelmen he is the Oligarch of Oil, The Prince of he Prybar, the undisputed Baron of The Ball Joint, Oily "Inspection Lights Out" Oaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff f.

Seconds out Round 1

The rest of this post has been savagely censored by the mods to protect the sensibilities of younger members and Australians who faint at the sight of blood :mad:

Rusty nails and a gallon of battery acid for tea tonight boys :s ailor:

[drewdawg727]

I can see that there are several different ways to look at this depending on how everyone's body is constructed. Thanks for your advice, everyone

[J4MIE]

Starting my new exercise regime later this afternoon ;(

Free food at work today though....

[jim mcglinchey]

whats that line from Airplane ? " I picked the wrong day to give up..."

[J4MIE]

whats that line from Airplane ? " I picked the wrong day to give up..."

:laugh: :up: