dojj

iTrader: (3)

for the past 6 or so months now i've been doing a general "getting healthy" sort of workout involving nothing more than my own body weight and a pair of 5kg dumbells which basicaly consisted of doing some press ups, some squats some curls and some lifty above the head things (shoulder press?) and i was getting to the stage where i would do 20 of each in each set fairly comfortably, so nothing too taxing but at least i was getting somwhere

over the past few weeks though i've been tidying up the garage and have now freed up the multi gym that i've got tucked away in the corner which has weights which go from 10kgs all the way to 90 kgs in increments of 5kgs and i can do curls, tricep extensions, pulldowns, rowing stuff bench pressing crunches as well as leg extensions and god knows what else as i can't find the instruction manual

so i've been giving it a go with some light weights

for example, 15kg curls, 15kg tricep extensions, 20kg pulls and 30kg bench which i would have thought would have been fairly easy to shift as i didn't want to give myself a hernia by going in mega heavy and breaking something

but here is where i have run into some problems

if i go 5kgs above these weights for anything, i simply can't shift them, no matter how hard i try they just won't move for me, but if i go 5kgs lower they really are way too light for me

i'm 6 foot tall and weigh roughly on average 165 lbs so i'm not huge by any stretch of the imagination, but i'm not some scrawny wimp either so how come after 2 or 3 sets of any of the above i'm knackered? absolutly cream crackered and dropping with sweat?

is this just the natural progression that guys who have started to use heavier weights, even slightly, feel until they get used to them? or is this totally normal for you gym bods?

i use it after i've finished work so i will have already been up for 13 hours before i hit the weights so i'm expecting that to be the underlying cause but need so sort of reassurance from those in the know

sorry for the length of the post, thought i'd get everything covered in one go rather than dotted about the place

James B

Sounds like you have got too familiar with 5kg dumb bells.

Its best to find a weight that isnt easy to the extent of you just going through the motions for the sake of it but not that hard that you cant complete say 3 sets of 8-10 reps without failure or bad form.

Keep at that weight for say, 2-4 weeks? Depending on how often you train and what other muscle groups you exercise (for instance, back and biceps, chest and triceps, legs, abs..). Dont over do it just for the ability to say yeah.. i did 1000 reps yesterday. Do an hour on said groups like back and biceps and just progress it.

Also consider your diet and nutrition.

***
http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/
http://www.bodybuilding.com/

Lots of stuff worth reading on them sites.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

only be doing it for 3 days, today included so it's not been for ever

might just drop down a weight for each movement and then i'll start on some sort of routine as the weeks progress

just didn't want to start doing stuff worng and not know what was going wrong

cheers for the links, i'll have a look

James B

That would be why.

I was told by a hench guy at the gym its not a sprint but a marathon. You cant expect massive jumps in weight instantly because its a massive shock to your body.

Good luck though

v man

Sounds to me the muscles are just depleting

20 reps is a lot
I'd drop each set to 12 reps for 4 sets per body part with a good stretch and warm up before

Most important now you have started training is food food food

dojj

iTrader: (3)

i was doing 20 of each before i started on the machine stuff, i was getting 10 reps out of each but then it was the point of hitting the physical wall

then i had a bit of a brainwave and tried to give myself 5 minutes rest between sets and that's been fine and dandy and i've been able to get 10 wihtout fading to nothing because before i was only giving myself a minute or so before getting onto the next set, just like i was doing when i was doing press up and squats with my own bodyweight

i can't lift too heavy a weight though as my knees are shot, as is my back and both shoulders, and after a while my left wrist starts to hurt where i broke it about 10 years ago so i really can't go any heavier

i have been eating a lot more though, not because i've been eating more to give me more energy, but because i'm a lot hungrier

Kieron

I'm a bit lost with all this tbh. Not sure I fully understand what you are trying to say Dojj.

If you lift the weights you mentioned above how many reps do you get? Then when you add 5kgs, how many reps?

5 ,inutes rest is far too long btw. Those rests of a minute or two are plenty. Less if you want more cardio and fat burning properties as apposed to muscle growth.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

i was so used to doing light weights and using my bodyweight that when i went onto a machine, i used the same rest periods and was knackered after just a few sets

so i lengthed the rest stops and now it's fairly comfortable to do 5 sets of each

the second part of the question, as to how much weight i can lift confortably, the machine seems to have 10kgs worth of unloaded weight on it already in the shapr of pulleys and elastic and stuff which iw why the weights go up in 5kg increments, at first i thought i'd simply used the wrong weights in the build up of it (it's second hand but seems fine)

what's strange though is that i see to be fairly easily able to shift one weight, for example, 30kgs for 10 reps, but if i put the pin 5kgs further down the slot to 35kgs, i can hardly move it at all, but 25kgs and it's as light as a feather and i feel i could do 50 reps easily

is it just that 5kgs is too much to be adding in one lump? it is an addition of 18 odd % so is that too much of a jump in weight you think?

i think that, after a week of trail and error, i have to admit to being a weakling and can't bench more than 30 kgs although i do have my fucked shoulders, back and knees to blame for that

Kieron

TBH it just sounds to me like you are weak and the jump is too much for you.

Can you add 2.5kgs to the machine? Either place a DB on the weight stack or add a plate to where the pin goes through?

If not just keep at it mate. This game takes a long time and we all start somewhere. Just keep pushing the boundries.

James B

TBH each muscle group only really needs at max 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Especially small muscle groups like the bicep. Over wise you will 'overwork' them and then your not going to gain anything from it.

Also try and only take 30 secs to 1 min breaks. Your workout shouldnt really take no more then 1 hour.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

Never thought of just sticking a free weight into the mix, will try that later today

I'll try some various different rest stops and report back over the next few days, but I'd like to know why I shouldn't take too long a stop between

Cheers

Kieron

Only if being training properly but lets be a bit more realistic. I very much doubt anyone on her trains balls to wall every session! and certainly not someone new to this that trains at home, alone, with sand filled weights in a spare bedroom. No offence Dojj. The intensity will just not be adequate for set sets for one bodypart.

3 sets per exercise and 3 exercises is a bit more realistic!

dojj

iTrader: (3)

None taken mate

I'm glad that there are peeps here who are willing to impart advice to peeps like me

3 sets of everything for the time being and in a few months time I'll give an update, possibly post a pic up if I've got the guts

R5FORD

iTrader: (1)

I do 3 exercises per muscle group.. Work 3 groups per day. 1st set is a set i can do without much strain.. Then i add about 20kg.. Do that set with 10 reps.. Add another 15-20kg do a set of 6 reps and then add another 5kg and do 2 reps. If i feel like it i then do a burn set.. This method works for me, i started gym a week ago again and started off on 20kg bicep curl machine and now am on a comfy 45kg-50kg as my comfy starting set.

Free weight isnt as much but thats because the machines are very well balanced. Its always good to do free weights and i find they give better results.