Weight Training: For Beginners - Critique my program/Q & A

[cptkirk]

3 - 4 x 10kms on the roads? madness, no wonder your knees are shot

here's what i would do:

- get in the gym and hammer the posterior chain with deadlift variations, glute ham raises and single leg work and possibly squats if the knees allow
- get off the road and get on grass
- 1 of those 10kn runs is fine but i don't think you need 3 - 4...mix it up so maybe do a short sprints session, a longer sprints session, an aerobic interval session and a long run...footy requires more anaerobic running at amateur/local level, at least the same, because of more stoppages

deads should be fine as the knee doesn't move at all

 

[showdownhero]

3 - 4 x 10kms on the roads? madness, no wonder your knees are shot

here's what i would do:

- get in the gym and hammer the posterior chain with deadlift variations, glute ham raises and single leg work and possibly squats if the knees allow
- get off the road and get on grass
- 1 of those 10kn runs is fine but i don't think you need 3 - 4...mix it up so maybe do a short sprints session, a longer sprints session, an aerobic interval session and a long run...footy requires more anaerobic running at amateur/local level, at least the same, because of more stoppages

deads should be fine as the knee doesn't move at all

The running was more of a fat loss thing than for fitness. Which has worked mind you

Truth be told I don't play footy either, just want to look like I do

 

[cptkirk]

10km runs don't work as well for fat loss as sprints do, and aren't anywhere near as efficient

 

[showdownhero]

10km runs don't work as well for fat loss as sprints do, and aren't anywhere near as efficient

So I have read, does this seem like a decent outline for HIIT?

 

[cptkirk]

yep, again mix them up so have a short interval day (15 - 30secs) and and a longer interval day (60 - 120secs)

 

[Mofra]

10km runs don't work as well for fat loss as sprints do, and aren't anywhere near as efficient

Cptkirk, a fundamental question of sprints on the flat vs hillsprints.
Is there an advantage over one or the other, and will hillsprints place greater stress on the knee than sprinting on flat grass?

Bear in mind I only run twice a week, and the sprints are normally once a week just to keep it interesting/burn a few cals and not for sport.

Cheers.

 

[cptkirk]

inclines are easier on the knees than flats but that being said the ground contact times for sprints is so short that they should be fine for the most part but if they hurt, go the hills

 

[Mofra]

Cheers cptkirk
Hills it is

 

[Sir Eddie Menuek]

Re: Weight Training: Building Muscle

My nephew just turned 17 and is really tall but very lean. I'm going to get him to join my gym. He is around 6' 4 and 70kgs. Any tips for a starter workout? He can put on weight quickly but than lose it quickly. He went interstate for 2 months and did no gym and lost 10kgs.

 

[cptkirk]

Re: Weight Training: Building Muscle

with his limited recovery abilities then i'd have to go with starting strength and he has to eat everything her can and then some more everyday

 

[RU_]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

You guys seem to know what your talking about, I am 14 and I like going to the gym - trying to get fit, but I want to build some muscle, I have torn my ligament in my right hand so its hard to support weight with it, but I have a large chest, like a bit of fat there, and I cop some teasing from it. Whats a good workout?

 

[carltonblue]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

You guys seem to know what your talking about, I am 14 and I like going to the gym - trying to get fit, but I want to build some muscle, I have torn my ligament in my right hand so its hard to support weight with it, but I have a large chest, like a bit of fat there, and I cop some teasing from it. Whats a good workout?

Run. I noticed in another thread you mentioned you play footy so you're probably on the sidelines atm so just run. If you cant properly support the weight in your hand just wait until it is right.

 

[RU_]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

Yeah that was 2 years ago when it happened. Been running the past 10 weeks or so and I can proudly say I have lost 7 or so kilos. Went from 75 to 68. Extremely happy. I did a heap of weights tonight down the gym, hoping I dont wake up too sore tomorrow, just getting a little pissed by everyone having biceps and me not aha. Hopefully it will be right.

 

[purpleblood29]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

Yeah that was 2 years ago when it happened. Been running the past 10 weeks or so and I can proudly say I have lost 7 or so kilos. Went from 75 to 68. Extremely happy. I did a heap of weights tonight down the gym, hoping I dont wake up too sore tomorrow, just getting a little pissed by everyone having biceps and me not aha. Hopefully it will be right.

Yeah running is a great thing to do, I am 15 and am extremely light at only 48 kilos. But the only place where I have any sort of fat is my stomach, which isn't exactly flat. But in my case it is just genetics. Also do some rowing, you don't need to join a club but get on the ergo (rowing machine) and attempt a 2km. Trust me, they will wreck you. Rowing is a FULL body work out. You work your abs, arms, chest and particularly your legs. As most people assume rowing is mainly your arms when in reality it is the opposite. You will burn your fat fast if you take it up. But if you try and run 3-4 times a week you should be right. Maybe even try up something else, boxing perhaps? My schedule is Boxing twice a week, rowing 4/5 times a week, running 3-4 times a week and soon footy probably 2-3 times a week. It is an exhausting schedule but it certainly keeps you fit. I don't even touch weights as there is a risk that they can stunt your growth, I haven't fully developed yet so I stick to running, rowing and other exercises such as pushups/situps/bridges/lunges to keep me in cheque. Also it would help if you watch what you eat. I probably am not the best person to say that as I am quite reckless with the amount of sugar and carbs I consume. But exercise generally helps you burn those off. Try and eat more wholesome fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, and good fats such as nuts. Banana's are a fantastic source of good sugar, carbs and potassium (helps prevent cramp), it is great snack before sport.

Hope this helped.

 

[blues4flag]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

Surely rowing will target your back far more than your chest?

 

[Syphoncom]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

Yeah that was 2 years ago when it happened. Been running the past 10 weeks or so and I can proudly say I have lost 7 or so kilos. Went from 75 to 68. Extremely happy. I did a heap of weights tonight down the gym, hoping I dont wake up too sore tomorrow, just getting a little pissed by everyone having biceps and me not aha. Hopefully it will be right.

Don't worry about biceps mate, especially at 14. Maybe I sound lame saying that, and somehow I feel old thinking of someone in year 8 being so young (how am I not still 18?), but it's so not important.

If you're going to do weights you'll build up in general, and focusing on strength in general will help you get a better physique.

And as previously said, running. Exercises to target your chest (I'm thinking you mean your abs) can help, as they'll make the muscle bigger, but you need to focus on lowering your body fat percentage. As stated everywhere like it's gospel, you can't spot reduce fat, so you can't lose fat on your stomach whilst not losing it elsewhere.

So focus on doing some running, and at 14, if you've got a bad metabolism/just somehow put weight on easily, do a lot of cardio and watch what you eat to some extent. At such a young age, you can probably run all day if you're fit, so get on that.

Also, and most importantly, anyone who teases you can go **** themselves. Most of those guys will turn out to be either pretty unintelligent, have a really shit adult life, or a combination of the two.

 

[Syphoncom]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

Surely rowing will target your back far more than your chest?

You would think so. The sport itself will target more than just the back obviously, but I agree, considering the "row" exercises (t-bar row/bent over row etc) target the back primarily.

 

[prankmonkey]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

if they tease him, just go all casey the punisher on their asses.
and if you're planning on doing weights, go easy on yourself and dont push yourself like crazy. you're still quite young and still probably have another growth spurt coming.

 

[purpleblood29]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

Surely rowing will target your back far more than your chest?

Yes, you do get noticeably broader shoulders, but it is a full body workout. You can't target a specific area to burn fat, (you cannot "spot reduce fat") you have to burn your whole body fat %. Rowing helps with this significantly. I have found it really effective for myself and other of my mates trying to get more toned or lose a bit of excess fat etc. But running is obviously a cost free form of exercise that you can do anywhere, so I guess it is more convenient.

EDIT: Gee Syphoncom beat me to it!

 

[Slattery_20]

Re: Irritating people/things that annoy you in the gym

There's a difference betewen rowing & the seated row weights machine.

Rowing, you're using legs & more. Seated row you're meant to keep your spine/torso steady & pinch the back muscles in at the spine - only using them.

Still not sure how the chest comes into it, it wouldn't be doing any work with either as far as I'm aware.

 

[cptkirk]

1 - genetics isn't the reason your stomach is fat

2 - wt training doesn't stunt your growth

3 - rowing machine is a cardiovascular based exercise, not toning or muscle building...working and building a muscle are too different things

 

[kaydub]

I completely agree that weight training will not stunt growth in young people BUT there are definitely a few things any young person should consider when training for sport..

Some of the important ones:

- The risk of bone fractures, growth plate and soft tissue injuries increases during growth spurts
- Early specialisation reduces overall athleticism and can lead to burnout, so make sure you partake in a wide variety of sports, e.g not soccer than indoor soccer in the offseason
- Youth that under-eat while training intensely run a greater risk of stress fractures and osteoporosis later on so get your diet right! Maybe speak to a nutritionist if you think you need pro help.
- Everyone grows different! Only judge your performance by your stage of development, not what other people the same age are doing, focus on individual improvement!
- Activities should be changing to suit the youngster's needs progressively, especially during growth spurts when bones/soft tissues are most vulnerable

Young people training intensely should have qualified coaches who plan training accordingly and can monitor individual progress..

Training juniors is NOT the same as training Adults, so be careful about what advice you are taking/giving kids.

 

[DTRAIN87]

1 - genetics isn't the reason your stomach is fat

2 - wt training doesn't stunt your growth

3 - rowing machine is a cardiovascular based exercise, not toning or muscle building...working and building a muscle are too different things

You're having a laugh aren't you with points 1 and 2 aren't you? I can show you plenty of examples where people have weight trained heavily and have not grown to their full potential. On the first point, there have been many many examples scientifically of genetics causing people's fat to exist in and around the stomach especially due to the way an individual's body stores and uses fat(s).

 

[cptkirk]

no i am not

 

[kaydub]

You're having a laugh aren't you with points 1 and 2 aren't you? I can show you plenty of examples where people have weight trained heavily and have not grown to their full potential. On the first point, there have been many many examples scientifically of genetics causing people's fat to exist in and around the stomach especially due to the way an individual's body stores and uses fat(s).

In an effort to have an actual conversation about this instead of just being smug for no reason ("no im not") I will attempt to clarify my opinion on the 2 points..

#2
Obviously if you start squatting when you are 8 you will not be shorter(that would be ridiculous), BUT there is scientific evidence (Ramsay et al 1990) that pre-puberty there is not enough testosterone to gain strength via muscle hypertrophy, therefore any strength gains are always attributed to improvements in the neuromuscular system.

"Because most of the children's strength studies have not shown a corresponding increase in fat-free mass with an increase in strength, it is believed that increased motor unit activation, coordination, recruitment, and firing rate are all responsible for increased strength"

References worth reading:
-http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Weightlifting/YouthMisconceptions.html
-http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-91915681.html

Also teens get hurt doing weights often because they get carried away with lifting programs and follow advice that is intended for training adults.

#1
Contrary to the Expertconfused Kirks opinion, its a fact that some people are genetically predisposed to storing fat around their stomachs more than others. However with a dedicated exercise regime and good diet habits these hereditary barriers can be overcome, albeit a bit slower for some than others.