Topic: Lifting Weights

[nickclone]

I've been sober for three weeks now (well, not drinking), but for the last several months I've lost a lot of weight and muscle mass because I was drinking instead of working out or eating. So I started working out again and lifting weights. My question is: can I lift weights (curls) everyday? I've done some online research and I've gotten a lot of different answers. I don't feel sore after lifting, so maybe I can do it everyday without hurting myself or impeding muscle growth?

[iPPi]

I don't think there's anything wrong with lifting everyday, though it is probably a good idea to have at least one or two rest days a week.

[angrykeebler]

you can work out everyday but i think its a good idea to work on different muscles..like maybe 2-3 times a week on each

[gpw11]

My question is: can I lift weights (curls) everyday? I've done some online research and I've gotten a lot of different answers. I don't feel sore after lifting, so maybe I can do it everyday without hurting myself or impeding muscle growth?

You can work out everyday, but you don't want to be doing curls every day.   Like Keebs said, you want to switch up your muscle groups in order to give them time to heal. Working your arms, for example, every day will (at best) hinder growth and have less results than if you were to take a day off or (at worst) lead to muscle injury somewhere down the line. Chances are it'll be former and you'll just end up doing a whole lot of curls you don't need to do and plateau far sooner than you otherwise would.

Mix it up and do an upper body day and then a lower body day.  The main point of confusion you'll find on the internet is the length of rest you need between working out a specific muscle group (one day or two).  Really, it depends on how intensive your workouts are.   For someone doing upper body one day and lower the next, you're probably fine just switching off back to back (as long as you're sure to get at least one full day of rest in a week...preferably two) as long as you're not completely busting your ass.  Some, however, recommend a constant cycle of Upper-lower-rest day-upper-lower-rest day, rinse/repeat.

Either way, if you're focusing on one group, don't do it every day; it won't really do anything for you.

[shock]

I'm starting my new training regiment today too!  Best of luck to the both of us.

[Pugnate]

I lift as well. I started a few years ago, and got a lot of useful advise from GPW. In fact, he was the first person to give me sound advise, which I appreciate.

There is a lot of crap on the internet, some of which seems baseless. In fact, a lot of people seem to take things as fact because it is generally accepted and not out of some scientific basis. I'd listen to GPW. It isn't complex, and it should be logical, that's it. Most of the generally accepted facts seem to be correct though. GPW's entire paragraph about working specific muscle areas and stuff is correct.

Here is what I do, and if someone feels I am incorrect, please point it out:

* Work on chest doing standard and decline benchpresses Day 1
* Work on chest doing standard and incline dumbbell bench presses, dumbbell fly presses, on Day 2
* Work on forearms, shoulders, and biceps using heavy weights Day 3
* Take a break Day 4.
* Work on forearms, shoulders, and biceps using lighter weights with longer reps Day 5.
* Work on triceps and shoulders Day 6
* Either take a break Day 7 or do a light workout.

I probably should be doing more for the triceps and legs, but I don't find that fun. I normally hit the exercise bike before every workout though.

If you are going to pump heavier weights with shorter reps, then you will increase mass. The more reps you do, the more tone you will achieve, but obviously you will have to lighten the load with lighter weights.

Some of my favorite exercises, that seem to have benefited me the most:

1. Benchpress. Might seem like a cliche or whatever, but there is nothing like it. Different grips can work different chest muscles. You can also do standard, inclined, and declined benchpresses to work different areas of your chest. It also does well for your shoulders.

2. Arnold Dumbell press: I love this exercise.

http://www.exercisegoals.com/arnold-press.html

3. For forearms, simple forearm curling is amazing. I didn't do it before, but my brother got me into it, and it really does work those muscles without making you feel like you are taking on a big exercise.

[nickclone]

Unfortunately, all I have is a dumb bell, so I make the most of it for now. What I was doing was push ups one day and curling the next. Would that effect my muscle growth negatively as well?

[gpw11]

Unless you're doing retarded numbers of reps you'll be fine.  The only thing I'd suggest really would be to do wider-stance push ups so that it shifts some of the focus onto your chest and shoulders rather than your triceps and biceps. 

Everyone is different, and recovery times fall in line with that.  Working out every day, even on the same muscle group should still have benefit (think about guys on the shovel all day:  they still get pretty jacked pretty quickly, it's just not a very efficient way of doing it).  Just listen to your body a bit...if you're too sore (not really "stiffness" sore, but "dull ache" sore), take a break for a day or so.  Likewise, if you find that you're able to do less and less on successive days, you're getting muscle fatigue and need a break.

[PyroMenace]

So I have lost 30 pounds over the summer just strictly doing cardio, but now I think its time to hit up the weights because I'm looking a bit on the skinny side. Pug you look like you have a good regiment down. Though I don't plan to lift every day, probably more like every other day since I am relatively busy. I just got back from working out for the first time and I didn't push myself super hard and just did a general upper body workout; arms, shoulders, chest, and abs. I'll keep doing cardio but just be on a once a week thing.

So having not done any lifting in a long time, should I take a few days off depending how my muscles feel? Or just go right into the every other day workout that I'm planning to? Also recommend some exercises since I kind of don't know much of anything.

[ren]

The first few days of lifting will be absolutely brutal for soreness and recovery time. But when you're in the gym lifting, you won't really feel tired at all. I would suggest to either cut your first workout short or do lighter weights than you think you're able to, just to make it past the initial stages.

[Pugnate]

So I have lost 30 pounds over the summer just strictly doing cardio, but now I think its time to hit up the weights because I'm looking a bit on the skinny side. Pug you look like you have a good regiment down. Though I don't plan to lift every day, probably more like every other day since I am relatively busy. I just got back from working out for the first time and I didn't push myself super hard and just did a general upper body workout; arms, shoulders, chest, and abs. I'll keep doing cardio but just be on a once a week thing.

So having not done any lifting in a long time, should I take a few days off depending how my muscles feel? Or just go right into the every other day workout that I'm planning to? Also recommend some exercises since I kind of don't know much of anything.

Sorry Pyro. Just saw this now. First of all congrats dude.

I am down to 78 from 116 a few years ago and in the best shape of my life. It feels good to run every other day for an hour.

I think you can work out one group of muscles a day, and still work out a few days in a row? Honestly, I'd say when you hit the gym, talk to the trainer there and tell him what you want to achieve. I think you want tone and not mass, so tell him that, and he will work out a plan for you. Don't listen to the gym rats.

One key thing to keep in mind is that form over weight. Lift what you can but make sure you are doing all your reps in the correct form. It is better to do 10 proper bicep curls for example of 5kg than do 5 irregular curls of 50kg. Hope that makes sense.

I normally do biceps, triceps, and forearms, touch shoulders. Then shoulders the next day, touch the triceps or whatever a bit. Then I focus on something else like legs etc.

Then I take a break, give my body a day to recover and rebuild. If you are just working out, then it may take longer.

After that is done, I like to hit the chest work outs like the benchpress. I'd say there is nothing better than a free weight barbell benchpress. The reason I take a break before hitting it, is because it exercises some biceps, triceps, and shoulders as well.

Remember for the first few weeks to take it easy. Your first goal is to easily do your exercises and erase the days rested between each work out day. Once you are at optimal level and comfortably have enough strength to do your routine, start pushing yourself. You can add more weights, try a few more reps, etc.

For the benchpress, OK, don't do the decline. It is a waste of time. Better to lessen the weight and continue benchpressing with more reps. I normally do four sets of the max I can do. Then I lower the weight and do four more with a lot more reps, suddenly feeling like superman. I am not sure if this is the right way, but it is what I do.