Is my gym workout effective

[Azza13]

Hey im trying to gain some muscle and just get bigger in general so il just explain to you my routine in the weights room and i just need an opinion on anything else i can do or anything else

For leg press i can go 40kg with just maintaining form usually 3 reps of 10

Chest press i can do 12.5kg 3 reps of 10 with good form

Lat pulldown i can do 37kg 3 reps of 10 good form

with dumbells i bicept curl 10kg one arm at a time with 3 reps of 10 right arm good form left arm sometimes when finninished rep arm fatigues consideribly

for tricept i do that thing where im on the bench hands behind my butt and legs out and go down and up for 3 reps of 10

For shoulder i do 7.5kg forget what its called but i use 2 dumbells and start back of my head and push up then like pull them on top of my head and back down sort of thing

for abs i do sum crunches with leg raised and some oblique twists with either some free weights or the medicene ball

any muscle groups im missing out on? any suggestions

thanks in advance

[top bloke]

Exercise is only part of it. Rest and food is also very important. You need plenty of food .calories and nutrients to grow.. I have found that when doing weights it is most important to pump the muscle and feel it when I stop..it works for me but you have to find what works for you.

[angellight]

When building muscle you need to work each specific group and allow at least 24 hrs for the muscle to heal..Muscles are made of fibers, when you lift heavy weights you essentially create small tears in the muscle fibers, then they heal and rebuild stronger and bigger therefore creating larger muscles. It should go something like this:

Day 1 - Shoulder back and biceps
Day 2 - legs
Day 3 - chest and triceps
Abs can be done each day
Day 4 - rest or just cardio

You should do 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps of the heaviest weight you can handle with the proper form

You should also do a few different exercises for each muscle group.

Shoulders - Side deltoids - start with weights by your side and lift your arms straight out and back down - Rear Deltoids - bend over with weights hanging in front of you then lift your arms straight out and shoulder presses which is what you described earlier.
Back - pull downs - grab the bar with a wide angle while seated and pull down to shoulders. Then kneel one knee on bench and one hand on the bench and a dumbell in your other hand and pull the weight up to your body. Seated rows and good mornings (place bar on your shoulders and bow or bend forward then stand) for your lower back
biceps- seated curls with dumbells two at a time then alternate one at a time then one at a time with your elbow resting on your knee
Triceps - tricep kickbacks kneel on bench with knee and hand (same as with your back earlier) hold a dumbell by your side and kick it straight back (someone at the gym might have toshow you the proper form for this one) Then tricep push downs hold the triangle shaped bar connected to the weight machine and push it straight down.
Chest - Bench presses laying flat and bench presses with your seat in a sitting position but leaning back and chest flies - lie on the bench with dumbell held straight in front of you and let your arms fall slowly straight out then back together.
Legs seated leg curls for the front of the leg, leg presses, calves and rear leg (forgot what they are called) Stand by the machine and curl your leg up then back down..
Also eat lots of lean protein ie eggs fish chicken and even beef with whole grain breads and complex carbs. Taking amino acids would help to build muscle too.

[Azza13]

I usually do all these every 2nd day at the gym so do you recomend the

Day 1 - Shoulder back and biceps
Day 2 - legs
Day 3 - chest and triceps
Abs can be done each day
Day 4 - rest or just cardio

would that be more beneficial as to what im doing now

and yep im into all that protien rich foods atm

[angellight]

If you dont give your muscles time to heal and rebuild all you are doing is breaking them down...they will heal but you will see minimal results...you will also find eventually you are too tired to work out and lose interest..I used to bodybuild and learned from Mr. East Coast...He won many titles...so yeah you definitely need to change your routine...

You can do upper body one day and lower body the next and cardio and abs the third with a day off also..The key is to allow each muscle group to completely heal before breaking the fibers down again.

Reread my previous post since I added more exercises while you were replying...lol

Also muscles are made up of proteins, proteins contain amino acids...diet is extremely important...

[chocolatemilk]

This isn't exactly efficient, I suggest you find yourself a copy of starting strength and get right into it.
Here's a link to the wiki [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Basic advise is to put your emphasis into compound exercises eg, bench press, military press, squats and deadlifts, either read up carefully or get a instructor to help you with correct form. Chins and pull-ups are great too, Isolation exercises eg. bicep curls are really wasted effort, (unless you are especially lacking in a particular area) when those muscles can be adequately targeted in compound exercises. Also Bigger weights, fewer reps. eg, 7-9 reps X 3 sets. It should be heavy enough that you struggle to get the final rep done but maintain good form.


This page has lots of great general guidance on fitness: diet, cardio, weights and so on:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Read, read, read is my advice. Even people that have been working out for years are still looking for new ideas and workouts.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Good luck.

[angellight]

Originally Posted by chocolatemilk

This isn't exactly efficient, I suggest you find yourself a copy of starting strength and get right into it.
Here's a link to the wiki [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Basic advise is to put your emphasis into compound exercises eg, bench press, military press, squats and deadlifts, either read up carefully or get a instructor to help you with correct form. Chins and pull-ups are great too, Isolation exercises eg. bicep curls are really wasted effort, (unless you are especially lacking in a particular area) when those muscles can be adequately targeted in compound exercises. Also Bigger weights, fewer reps. eg, 7-9 reps X 3 sets. It should be heavy enough that you struggle to get the final rep done but maintain good form.


This page has lots of great general guidance on fitness: diet, cardio, weights and so on:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Definitely get some help, either an instructor or a book but I disagree about isolated exercises...Each muscle needs to be worked individually along with compound exercises for body symmetry. For instance, all the squats or leg presses in the world will not build your calves..They need to be done separately...same with abs and lower back muscles..

Either way you should get someone who can help you in person for correct form and instruction on your exercises...Its really hard to explain an exercise online without at least a picture.

[veneratio]

Definitely read up some. Browse t-nation.com or bodybuilding.com..check out nutrition articles, routine sections and the forums.

Also experiment. I'd say try to focus your splits based on the larger muscle groups, like angel suggested. Monday - Chest/tris, Wednesday - Back/Bis, Friday - Legs/delts, and maybe do a few ab exercises each time you go, or just mon and wed. But that split may not work for you.

Just make sure you eat accordingly and rest up.

[ghost69]

i'm confused when you say 'reps of 10'. im assuming you mean 'sets of 10'.

anyways, the workout will only be affective if you eat right. eat as many times a day as you can. don't eat too much fat as you will see what it does to your body...make you fat. if you can hit the gym twice a day, morning and night, do it. do variations of the same muscle group at night that you worked in the morning. eat like a bear. seriously, cram your face with anything you can get your hands on. you will gain tons of muscle that way. otherwise, it will be a slow increase. that's how i did it when i was body building. i couldn't take it anymore though. too strict of what you can, can't eat, the workout routine was strict too. at least try and eat 2g of protein for each lb that you weigh. (you might have to convert to kg). if you eat like i say, just watch your cholesterol.