Weights/weight lifting

[Visitor Q]

Just joined the gym as ive lsot abit of weight over summer and want to continue that.

Therefore i think im the only 6+ guy in there actually doing fitness.
Infact possibly the only guy but never mind.

I do of course go on the weights too, might aswell tone while there and the machines are fun.

What i would /love/ for someone to explain to me as im pretty green when it comes to the whole posing in mirrors while straining routine... whats the appeal of free weights versus machines?

The machines are controlled, quicker, completely safe and allow complete concentration on the actual lift/push.
Because of the ingenious way they are designed you generally cant fuck up an exercise from what ive seen.

Why then do people flock to the free weights (my mates included) and do chest presses and lifts etc with dumbells?
I mean i know a gym isnt exactly known as the best place to find logical rational thinkers, but still surely people must realise the bench press machine is identical to getting someone to spot you whilst you wobble a pole left and right...
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From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[jackw72]

Machines only use isolated muscle groups i.e. one maybe two muscles at a time.

Free weights, and there many different uses, use more than two muscle groups because you basically have to balance as well in most of them.

My friend told me something about cardio...

Apparently doing cardio will not make you skinnier, it will only improve your cardio-vascular system because the calories you lose from doing the exercise is usually burnt off in lean mass i.e. muscle.

So free weights and a good diet FTW
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[Visitor Q]

[cc123]

Train hard, eat right and you will lose weight....


I've recently started back doing training and its coming off with hard work.

I've dropped a stone in weight from playing my regular 5-a-sides every week but I'm also doing circuits at the gym 3 times a week with 30 mins hard, fast cardio on a machine after my circuit.


If you start to look into training too much you'll trip yourself up...


As I said, train hard, balance the diet and cut out the sh1t and you'll notice a difference.
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[NickD]

Not only do machines allow your strong side to compensate for your weak side, but the extra control required with free weights is of real benefit to core muscles, problems only really arise when people are lifting more than they are capable of. For serious body building machines can only take you so far.
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[Visitor Q]

[Visitor Q]

[pa_broon74]

As has been metioned before, machines target certain muscle groups where as free weights excercise the muscle and surrounding secondary muscles.

I prefer free weights, as long as you keep good form it makes a difference. The thing to look out for, if you are trying to lift free weights that are too heavy, any form (when bicep curling, don't drop your shoulder) goes out the window.

Some folks in my gym do bench presses with free weights on one of those big gym ball things: Feet flat on the ground, knees at 90 degs and the ball between your shoulder blades. I avoid the ball, last time I tried using it I fell off, embarassing.

Within a couple of hours after being in the gym, try and get some protein in your system. Eggs, chicken or white fish are good, muscles need it to recover and grow during rest days.

Cheers
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[cc123]

Free weights are easier to cheat on but your only cheating yourself if you don't maintain good form.

You only need to go into any gym and see some idiot swing there back like fcuk doing bicep curls rather than singling out the muscle and doing it right.

Depend on what you want to get out of the gym really. I used to go with a mate that is thinking of competing next year, thats just not my thing. I got right into weight training a few years ago but prefer to be able to run about for a bit without getting out of breath. That and losing the weight I've put on since I moved in with my GF!!!
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[Kaben]

Bonny, i do love the way you have asked for advice/information and then have proceeded to shoot it all down in a "i know best" way. Strange for someone who introduced themselves as completely "green".

Free weights, as said above, are for more versatile. The issue of balance allows your core muscles to be exercised at the same time as the muscles you are isolating in a particular lift. This is something that machines don't do as you are usually sat on your arse.

Don't get me wrong, machines are great for leg curls, seated rows etc, but free weights kick the arse out of them if you are focusing on strengthening / building muscle in your chest, shoulders and upper/lower back. Just dont get intimdated by others and add more weight than you are capable of. If you have to take off all theyre weights and replace with much smaller ones, then so be it. You will see much quicker and more widely spread gains through freeweights.

If you do variations of squats (especially overhead) you will also build your abdominal muscles very rapidly. Just be sure to do inverted sit ups/crunches to avoid getting the bulging look instead of the washboard look you are probably after.

As for cardio - cardio is good for increasing fitness but will not make you lose fat unless you massively cut down your calorie intake and increase cardio hugely. meaning you will have to watch your diet which you have said you don't want to have to do.

Muscle tissue is the key part of your body which burns fat. Increasing muscle mass increases your basal metabolic rate. Thus more muscle means more energy being burnt, even when you are sitting down doing nothing.

Training you muscles induces a HUGE anabolic response and they release of Testosterone, GH IGF1 and a whole host of other goodies. The more muscle used the bigger this response. The more of this good stuff you have the more the whole body will grow, burn calories and GET lean!

The cross trainer is great - that little calorie counter tells you that you have burnt 350 calories in your 20 minute exercise. That may be so, but as said above also - those calories are being taken from lean mass. This is because its energy needed immediately.
The problem with the cross trainer is that it doesnt stress/build your muscles as it doesnt allow your legs to move very far.
Building/stressing muscle on the other hand, induces energy consumption for hours after the excercise as it is used to repair your muscles etc.

Squats are a far better exercise for example ( you dont even need to use weights!). Lower your nice office/bedroom chair so your legs are just below 90 degrees. Now stand up and sit down for 20 mins. I bet my left gonad you will burn more calories than spinning your legs around in a biomechanically perfect ellipse whilst watching diagnosis murder.

You should be doing cardio so that you are not out of breath when doing the weights or running to catch the bus.

Focus on weights if you want to lose fat and trim up.If you are worried about bulking up too much then increase the reps rather than the weight you will gain muscle strength rather than size.

Remember to eat plenty of protein before and after gym sessions (or use whey shakes if you want) and don't eat carb heavy meals like pasta after 6pm. Drink plenty of water and you will see a difference withing a month of going to the gym 3 times a week.

Kaben
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Yamaha Fazer 600Now dead, MZ 125 SM
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[jackw72]

[GodzGift]

Watch your diet, easy on the pies, you dont want to be taking in too many calories
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[Visitor Q]

Lol sorry. Dont mean to start.
All advice on weight lifting is very welcome and as i said im very green on that.

With regards to the weightlifting vs jogging burning more fat i'll agree to disagree until i've had a chance to do some reading.

Again on the gloves though? How much of a muppet do i look

Oh and i know what you mean about bad form on bicep curls. Thats another thing that concerns me, as i did catch myself doing bicep curls throwing in my back and had to force myself not too. And that was only after seeing other people do it and realising my mistake. If i hadnt i would of been wasting my time and possibly causing myself damage.
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Kaben]

Bonny, read up about the difference between catabolic and anabolic metabolism and you will see why cardio is potentially not so good for building muscle/getting lean. ( Dont get me wrong, still do cardio! Just dont favour it over weights unless you have a particular fitness target)

Gloves are personal taste. If you are hitting big weights on the machines then you will look Ok. If you are lifting 20kg then maybe its a bit silly.
But at the end of the day you go to the gym to look good outside of the gym. Unless you have some hot birds to impress whilst you are there who cares? Especially if it helps you get more out of your exercises etc.

Yeah avoid using body momentum to lift weights etc. The other benefit that free weights have over machines is that you cant favor you stronger arm/leg whatever like you can in the machines. To keep is steady/correct you have to be even which is better.
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Its Not a Melon, Its Clearly a Lime!!
Yamaha Fazer 600Now dead, MZ 125 SM
My Deviant Art homepage https://robabloke.deviantart.com/

[_Will_]

As a general rule.

Cardio + watching caloritic intake = Lean, low body fat %, Toned appearence, normal muscle.

Hypertrophy + lots of calories (not shite) Build in muscle mass (you are likely to put on a certain % of fat)
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[Reevo8]

Less in more out = losing weight.

More in less out= staying the same. Just apply these basic rules if you dont want to get too deep!

And muscle does increase metabolism!

[Shay HTFC]

Thats a bugger because I'm a skinny shit and my metabolism is already high. Put on any muscle and I'll just wither away if my metabolism gets any bigger

Luckily I have a good muscle / weight ratio (i.e. I can do shadda loads of press ups and pull ups etc).

Just need to start piling on the calories and going at it with the weights for a few months now!

[pa_broon74]

[Visitor Q]

Well im built like a bear anyway and eat pretty healthily yet still put on plenty of weight cos im sedentary (usually) so its a bit bizarre.

Seriously i can do all the leg ones on full weight for ten reps.

Then again knowing me im using my back or something bizarre.

Anyhew, thanks for the advice guys. I'll give the free weights another shotty when i go down today.

One last thing? Creatine is on offer in H+B again, 15 quid for a shit load of caps, but they want you to take 6 every time you train so they will only last about 60 times at that volume (if i remembed the quantity right). Is it worth the punt? I get quite bad fatigue, especially in my arms and quite bad acidosis when im trying to do heavier weights so it could be useful.
Anyone use it?
____________________
China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Reevo8]

H+B supplements are shite! Really shite!

The creatine powder you get from there is a fair % sugar I think.

In general the bulk suppliers such as www.myprotein.co.uk will be better to use, there is a product called pulso on there which contains creatine and helps energy flow and focus! Seems raved about on www.muscletalk.co.uk That forum is well worth a look for any kind of nutritional or training queries!

Myprotein is usually about the best you can get for unflavoured protein too, but prices are up right now, so for a good bargain there is this:

www.affordablesupplements.co.uk/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=42&products_id=1113

Strawberry doesnt taste too bad!

[Kaben]

https://monstersupplements.com are really really good.

I buy all my stuff from them and its very good value and very prompt delivery. You also get lots of "reviews" / Q&A's about each product so you can really tell if its the right stuff for what you want. Very handy if you don't really know what stuff does!

Creatine is good and promotes muscle growth/ energy but will also make your body take on shit loads more water. Its the water that accounts for allot of the extra size and it may just make you look a little bloated, especially if you are a big guy already with a bit of extra weight that you are looking to shift.

The 6 caps is likely for the loading phase which is "usually" over a week. After that i would expect it to be 2-3 caps. You should not take creatine for longer than 8 weeks at a time though and give yourself 4 weeks off of it. Thus you body wont become Dependant. Other than that it has no known side effects as it is a natural substance that you also get in beef etc.

Protein wise, Phd Pharma Whey is very good. Chocolate Cookie flavour is very nice indeed! Much better tasting than allot of other protein powders i have tried. https://monstersupplements.com/store/p/782/1/PhD-Nutrition-Pharma-Whey---5lb-/-2.27kg-+-FREE-SHAKER-CUP.html

I would say get teh protein to make sure you get as much as possible from you weight sessions. Give the creatine a miss for the moment.
____________________
Its Not a Melon, Its Clearly a Lime!!
Yamaha Fazer 600Now dead, MZ 125 SM
My Deviant Art homepage https://robabloke.deviantart.com/