View Full Version : How often do you lift weights during the week?
I try to lift regularly. A co worker has gotten into body building. He's about my age, 42, and has placed 2nd in a competition.
I saw a pic of his arms on facebook and proceeded to ask him about his arm routine. I was surprised when he said he did not go to the gym as much as he did. Where he use to work out 4 hrs he now works out 20 min. He gave up benching all to gether:shocked: He said it is mostly diet.
Anyway, may be I hit the gym too much. I hit a body part hard about twice a week. Maybe I should go to once a week.
How often do you lift?
BSA
Averageman
10-09-2012, 07:34
You have to experiment a bit with your routine and see what works best for you.
Three days of rest between major muscle groups may work fine in your 40's, a younger Man will recover much faster and can actually recover over 36 hours.
Over training can be a very individual thing.
John Rambo
10-09-2012, 07:52
3 day rotation. Usually Mon/Wed/Fri for about an hour - I try to work my muscles until they feel like they're going to burst. I've found I get burnt out on that very quickly if I try a 6 day rotation, but if you worked out with less intensity and didn't try to kill yourself every day a 6 day schedule (2x3 day rotations) per week could be doable.
Regardless, diet and sleep are what you really need to focus on for maximum gains.
Each body part twice a week. But I do a lot of cardio. I'd really like to get "bigger" but everytime I start to put on some more mass my 10K time suffers so I run more and lose it. I'm 6 feet tall and stay at about 170-175 pounds. I will turn 50 this year so my days of putting on much more muscle is I think behind me. Guess I should be happy my body fat is under 10%.
I cross train but would like to actually do Cross Fit, anybody here do that?
Rancher
I lift Tues-Thurs-Sat and do cardio daily. For cardio, I balance running, the elliptical, bicycling and Core Power Yoga Sculpt along with a little hiking.
At the beginning of Summer, I did a boot camp through my Yoga Studio that was totally awesome. It combined yoga, cardio and weight training, but changed up what you did daily to shock your muscles for fast results. It consisted of two one hour sessions per day for seven days, a one day break, followed by six more days of training.
The training concept was train to failure. This formula reminds you that your mind quits before your body, so continuing to the point of physical failure results in building character as well as muscles.
Heartily recommended.
Gym- (powerlift oriented) 4 days a week
Work-freight 5 days a week
Other- bicycling 1-2 days a week.
SouthpawG26
10-09-2012, 13:55
Five day cycle, 50minutes per session, i mostly do German Volume Training (10 sets of 8-10 reps) opposing mucles per workout, alternating sets between the opposing muscle groups.
Day one: chest/biceps
Day two: legs
Day three: off
Day four: back, triceps
Day five: off.
I supplement shoulder work as needed, but my main tric exercise is parallel bar dips and main back exercise is pull ups, so very little extra shoulder work needed.
I'm 41, 5-11", 185lbs, 7%BF.
monday ,wed , friday , weights
tuesday ,thursday and weekends cardio and raquetball ball
racerford
10-09-2012, 14:09
I try to lift regularly. A co worker has gotten into body building. He's about my age, 42, and has placed 2nd in a competition.
I saw a pic of his arms on facebook and proceeded to ask him about his arm routine. I was surprised when he said he did not go to the gym as much as he did. Where he use to work out 4 hrs he now works out 20 min. He gave up benching all to gether:shocked: He said it is mostly diet.
Anyway, may be I hit the gym too much. I hit a body part hard about twice a week. Maybe I should go to once a week.
How often do you lift?
BSA
Hundred times a day....oh you like gym sessions. I don't and it shows.
20 minute workout must be few reps heavy weight. I sense there could be steroids or testosterone or HGH in his regime. Or possibly VERY gifted genes. Diet can you cut, but bulk means tearing down and rebuilding muscle and that needs lifting (tearing down). I suppose one could use muscle stimulators, but I think the skin voltage required for STRONG contractions would be painful, or maybe even leave a mark.
Bushflyr
10-09-2012, 14:37
Stronglifts 5x5. 3 days a week roughly 30 mins. On one off day I'll do weighted chins and on another weighted pulls. Nothing crazy. And try to play every day when work doesn't get in the way. Hike, SUP, kite, run, paraglide, surf, swim, whatever.
LASTRESORT20
10-09-2012, 14:46
Cardio 4 times a week.....
Light hand 7lbs weights mostly *high-Reps of punching / elbow strikes / twisting / and rotating (different movements) Dont like big arms and / or "Gorilla look".... prefer tone,endurance, agility and speed.....also include stretching....
weights: twice a day every day morning and night 20 minutes each.
What is your goal?
Do you want big muscles or functional muscles?
I've come to believe over time that bodybuilding is pretty much a waste of time unless you just want to look strong. If that's the case, have at it.
Your time would be better spent doing crossfit or something like that if you want functional strength.
If you'd rather lift, Starting Strength is a great program for novices (even body builders are considered novices in this program).
It's a good program because it's simple and it works. It consists of only barbell exercises: Squat, Deadlift, Bench, Powerclean, and Press. Other things like pull ups/chin ups are thrown in depending on the specific program.
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki This website has everything you need including a logbook calculator that maps out each workout for you. It's an A/B workout schedule 3 days a week (MWF).
This is also pretty entertaining: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Quotes
I do a 4 day split for weights...
A push day ( chest, shoulders, triceps)
A pull day (Back, biceps, forearms)
A Leg day (squts, deads, etc)
A core day (a core circuit of various exercises)
But I agree with your friend... it really boils down to diet.
I'm big and strong... but don't have much vascularity and have a beer gut. I do cardio... but I eat and drink too many calories to get ripped. :crying:
If what you want to do is just trim down, my nutritionist says that it's 75% diet, 25% exercise.
The Gym for heavy weight - Sun, Tues, Thurs
The Park for running/biking - Mon, Wed
The bar for getting drunk - Friday, Saturday
On occasion I mix the bar part in during the week in place of one of my cardio days. :supergrin:
What is your goal?
If you'd rather lift, Starting Strength is a great program for novices (even body builders are considered novices in this program).
It's a good program because it's simple and it works..
This is the right answer.
If it doesn't work... YNDTP!:supergrin:
Buy the book.
jdavionic
10-09-2012, 19:51
4 days per week. I do other activities as well - e.g., play basketball on some of the off days.
This is the right answer.
If it doesn't work... YNDTP!:supergrin:
Buy the book.
Yeah, I somehow forgot to mention the book.
I'm 36 and my muscles can recover from a somewhat intense workout in 48-60 hours, but my connective tissues require longer... I may do 4 sets of 8-12 reps, then I'll rest that muscle from any targeted workout for no less than 4 days... I'm giving up strength gains for sure, but I feel much healthier and without as many nagging pains which is what makes it difficult for me to stay on a long term routine... I'm recovering slowly and lightly from a rotator aggravation right now, so nothing heavy or too frequent..
I do some sort of workout 5-6 days a week. Typically Mon Wed Fri lifting, with Tue Thur Sat for running and swimming. Ill also do some lap swimming on lifting days also. Its great for a pre workout or a cooldown. I used to lift every day, but am getting away from that. For bodybuilding, Diet has a ton to do with it. Abs are made in the kitchen and supplemented in the gym.
I need to change my lifting up though. I only have around an hour and I typically dont get any ab work(outside of deadlifting) in.
AK_Stick
10-09-2012, 21:07
I try to lift regularly. A co worker has gotten into body building. He's about my age, 42, and has placed 2nd in a competition.
I saw a pic of his arms on facebook and proceeded to ask him about his arm routine. I was surprised when he said he did not go to the gym as much as he did. Where he use to work out 4 hrs he now works out 20 min. He gave up benching all to gether:shocked: He said it is mostly diet.
Anyway, may be I hit the gym too much. I hit a body part hard about twice a week. Maybe I should go to once a week.
How often do you lift?
BSA
Body builders are mostly "show" and very little go.
Louisville Glocker
10-09-2012, 21:19
Everybody is so different, as you can tell from the responses. But:
1. Don't over lift. Your body needs time to rebuild muscle. I do three days a week, basically every other day, with one break being two days off. My schedule sometimes messes with me, but I really like to not take more than a day off. Even if I'm tired or not feeling 100 percent, I'd rather get the workout in than miss it.
2. Some people get fancy, but I stick with a few basic exercises. Squats, bench presses, and military press. I toss in a few others, that I rotate around with. I'd like to get dead lifts back into my mix too. I also do plenty of situps (well, really crunches, or variations). I'm usually around an hour for weight lifting. I just crank up some music and have a good time. Nice olympic set in my man cave.
3. I'm into martial arts also, which really could take the place of weights entirely. Sparring is a complete workout. And my sensei often has us exhausted BEFORE we hit the sparring rings. So by the end, almost all of us are wiped out.
4. I run too. As often as I can. Not daily, but the more the better.
5. I've got kids. They wear me out. Really, between coaching a soccer team (practice plus games equals a ton of running twice a week), and then the older boy wanting to play baseball or basketball at every waking moment, I feel like I've got the full body workout thing going on.
In short, do what you can. You can do most of the stuff I mentioned daily, but weights you definitely want to do one day on, one day complete rest. At age 46, I'm still hanging tough (and fighting the twenty somethings, both in the sparring ring, the jiu jitsu mat, and the basketball court - yeah love pickup hoops games too)...
The more the merrier, but listen to your body.....(Words of wisdom from an old timer ex-marathon runner)
3. I'm into martial arts also, which really could take the place of weights entirely. Sparring is a complete workout. And my sensei often has us exhausted BEFORE we hit the sparring rings. So by the end, almost all of us are wiped out.
We do the same thing at the gym I go to.
I think it's a good thing to do, physical exertion tends to calm the mind(endorphins or whatever) and that helps when you're just sparring.
I give my Bowflex a workout every other day. Bench, flys, traps, curls. 100 reps of each. Then I do 100 crunches and 100 leg lifts. On opposite days, I was running 3 miles but my knee has been bugging me so I haven't ran much the last 2 months. I am starting to notice it in the waistline. I am going to the doctor about my knee on Friday. My diet is not great. Not terrible, but definately should be better. Diet has always been the most difficult factor for me.
Well , I lift my 180lbs. mother-in-law 300 times a week , does that count..?
Everybody is so different, as you can tell from the responses. But:
1. Don't over lift. Your body needs time to rebuild muscle. I do three days a week, basically every other day, with one break being two days off. My schedule sometimes messes with me, but I really like to not take more than a day off. Even if I'm tired or not feeling 100 percent, I'd rather get the workout in than miss it.
2. Some people get fancy, but I stick with a few basic exercises. Squats, bench presses, and military press. I toss in a few others, that I rotate around with. I'd like to get dead lifts back into my mix too. I also do plenty of situps (well, really crunches, or variations). I'm usually around an hour for weight lifting. I just crank up some music and have a good time. Nice olympic set in my man cave.
3. I'm into martial arts also, which really could take the place of weights entirely. Sparring is a complete workout. And my sensei often has us exhausted BEFORE we hit the sparring rings. So by the end, almost all of us are wiped out.
4. I run too. As often as I can. Not daily, but the more the better.
5. I've got kids. They wear me out. Really, between coaching a soccer team (practice plus games equals a ton of running twice a week), and then the older boy wanting to play baseball or basketball at every waking moment, I feel like I've got the full body workout thing going on.
In short, do what you can. You can do most of the stuff I mentioned daily, but weights you definitely want to do one day on, one day complete rest. At age 46, I'm still hanging tough (and fighting the twenty somethings, both in the sparring ring, the jiu jitsu mat, and the basketball court - yeah love pickup hoops games too)...
The more the merrier, but listen to your body.....(Words of wisdom from an old timer ex-marathon runner)
This is pretty solid advice. I think people would be really surprised at how exhausting martial arts training can be... the effective forms anyway. It's great that you're getting some jiu jitsu as well as sparring.
Instead of doing the military press, try just doing a press. That'll work your abs... and legs, core, back, traps, triceps, along with your shoulders.
bchandler
10-09-2012, 22:40
Three days a week, centered around the big three: deadlift, squat, bench, with an ancillary exercise or two each day (pullups, calf exercise, dips, respectively).
Anything else is totally unnecessary! There's a whole new "keep it simple" movement that is working out great for those willing to try it. Focusing all your effort and energy on the exercises that matter mean you can progress much more rapidly.
automatic slim
10-10-2012, 05:41
:popcorn::tequila::drink::cake::grill::nsb:
<<<Man of Iron....
automatic slim
10-10-2012, 05:51
Seriously, I've been out in the garage for about 2 months. Bench press, curls, squats, dumbell press, crunches...
I try to do something every day, but I have to be careful with my hernia. I can't do to many push-ups...
I can be hard to make the time with two youngun's running around, it takes discipline!:cool:
John Rambo
10-10-2012, 06:55
Couple of mentions about Crossfit here. Crossfit, so I'm told (this could be wrong), was created by powerlifters to blend some cardio into their workouts, and then adapted by the skinny kids who didn't want to lift weights. Regardless, Crossfit is VERY hard on your body when done right. Abusing your body is always something to be mindful of, because you've only got one. You screw it up, and you're done.
Burpees, for example, are the fast track to an injury. In general, its the same idea as a regular gym workout. Bouncing around while weighted and slinging weight around like some kind of nutcase gets you hurt.
Couple of mentions about Crossfit here. Crossfit, so I'm told (this could be wrong), was created by powerlifters to blend some cardio into their workouts, and then adapted by the skinny kids who didn't want to lift weights. Regardless, Crossfit is VERY hard on your body when done right. Abusing your body is always something to be mindful of, because you've only got one. You screw it up, and you're done.
Burpees, for example, are the fast track to an injury. In general, its the same idea as a regular gym workout. Bouncing around while weighted and slinging weight around like some kind of nutcase gets you hurt.
That has always been my view of it as well. I have dislocated my right shoulder several times, so there are some exercises(like bench press), that I just hate, and suck at. My right knee isn't the best either.
Every time I see a crossfit video I see them doing moves that would without question re-dislocate my shoulder, or at the very least re-aggravate it. While it seems fun, the fast jerky movements they do with the weights are just asking for people to get injured.
jason10mm
10-10-2012, 09:51
I do mostly bodyweight so I can "lift" pretty much everyday. I limit the kettlebell presses to three times a week with a low/med/high volume rotation and a steady ladder progression on the high day. Keeps the intensity up!
Most of the time spent on a bodybuilding routine is wasted in terms of developing strength, it is about generating muscle hypertrophy, especially in the support muscles, and creating a specific look (that may not correlate with a physique optimized for lifting heavy things). I wouldn't call it useless (as I did it for decades) but it is certainly inefficient if your goal is strength or fitness.
And remember that a guy who already has lots of muscular hypertrophy can maintain it with far less effort than a guy trying to build it. If you want to look like a specific person, you gotta do what he did for the past 5 YEARS, not what he is doing today.
Couple of mentions about Crossfit here. Crossfit, so I'm told (this could be wrong), was created by powerlifters to blend some cardio into their workouts, and then adapted by the skinny kids who didn't want to lift weights. Regardless, Crossfit is VERY hard on your body when done right. Abusing your body is always something to be mindful of, because you've only got one. You screw it up, and you're done.
Burpees, for example, are the fast track to an injury. In general, its the same idea as a regular gym workout. Bouncing around while weighted and slinging weight around like some kind of nutcase gets you hurt.
It sounds to me like you are just looking for/have found an excuse to avoid strenuous physical exertion you're not comfortable with. Injuries, as described above, are a different matter.
I have not heard any serious strength trainer raise any of your concerns, nor have I experienced what you're talking about. What evidence do you have that burpees are the fast track to an injury? I'd like to read it.
I'm by no means a huge @fitter, in fact I've only done it a few times. But properly performed exercises are not harmful for you. Most of my workouts with the military are very similar to @fit and tabata style. My roommate is a college strength and conditioning coach, and he loves @fit. He knows what he's talking about and he doesn't do things that are harmful for his body.
"…we have not spent the last 65 million or so years finely honing our physiology to watch Oprah. Like it or not, we are the product of a very long process of adaptation to a harsh physical existence, and the past couple centuries of comparative ease and plenty are not enough time to change our genome. We humans are at our best when our existence mirrors, or at least simulates, the one we are still genetically adapted to live. And that is the purpose of exercise.
The sooner everybody—both halves of the population—accepts the fact that effective exercise is more like training for athletics and less like lying around on the floor, more about performance and less about appearance, the sooner it will be understood that women really don’t need their own figure salon." - Mark Rippetoe
Green_Manelishi
10-10-2012, 13:34
Effective exercise of any type is strenuous. Accept the fact though that depending on the routine, some folks "have it" and can do half the work you do, and make 3 times the progress. You need to find the routine that meshes with your potential and leads to maximum gains.
John Rambo
10-10-2012, 14:00
It sounds to me like you are just looking for/have found an excuse to avoid strenuous physical exertion you're not comfortable with. Injuries, as described above, are a different matter.
:rofl:Uh huh....I'll be sure to remember that the next time I'm benching more than my bodyweight 3x10. When I do my cardio/leg/ab circuit after work, I'll remember your words about how I'm avoiding strenuous physical exertion.
I have not heard any serious strength trainer raise any of your concerns, nor have I experienced what you're talking about. What evidence do you have that burpees are the fast track to an injury? I'd like to read it.
Of course you haven't unless you know them and are around them. They're not going to talk bad about it because they don't want to accept that they're damaging their bodies. These mysterious injuries they're always down with which a person who exercises like a regular human being hardly gets also have nothing to do with swinging the weight around, right? :upeyes:
C'mon, I hear this kind of crap every day. Our bodies weren't made to be endlessly jolted around under weight. Thats why you don't swing weight around when you work out, you do so in a slow and controlled manner.
I'm by no means a huge @fitter, in fact I've only done it a few times. But properly performed exercises are not harmful for you. Most of my workouts with the military are very similar to @fit and tabata style. My roommate is a college strength and conditioning coach, and he loves @fit. He knows what he's talking about and he doesn't do things that are harmful for his body.
Uh huh. High impact, weighted workouts almost every day are just fine and dandy on your joints and tendons, huh? Think about that. Its basic physics. What happens if you beat the hell out of a wheel bearing day in and day out? Wears out pretty quick, right?
Its not necessarily the injury right then (although I see plenty of those), its the long-term damage to your body. Why do they tell you in many exercises not to go over a 90 degree angle? Read up on that.
Glotin - I find it a little ironic that you are using Mark Rippetoe to support your views on Crossfit considering Rip is well-known in his criticism of Crossfit for many of the same general reasons John Rambo raised. As practiced by most Crossfitters, Crossfit is relatively ineffective at best and a recipe for injury at worst.
So as not to totally derail this thread, I lift three times a week with no particular push/pull or body part split.
:rofl:Uh huh....I'll be sure to remember that the next time I'm benching more than my bodyweight 3x10. When I do my cardio/leg/ab circuit after work, I'll remember your words about how I'm avoiding strenuous physical exertion.
I said you're avoiding strenuous physical exertion you're not comfortable with. Bodybuilders can do a lot of different things with heavy weights too... that doesn't really mean anything.
Of course you haven't unless you know them and are around them. They're not going to talk bad about it because they don't want to accept that they're damaging their bodies. These mysterious injuries they're always down with which a person who exercises like a regular human being hardly gets also have nothing to do with swinging the weight around, right? :upeyes:
C'mon, I hear this kind of crap every day. Our bodies weren't made to be endlessly jolted around under weight. Thats why you don't swing weight around when you work out, you do so in a slow and controlled manner.
Uh huh. High impact, weighted workouts almost every day are just fine and dandy on your joints and tendons, huh? Think about that. Its basic physics. What happens if you beat the hell out of a wheel bearing day in and day out? Wears out pretty quick, right?
Its not necessarily the injury right then (although I see plenty of those), its the long-term damage to your body. Why do they tell you in many exercises not to go over a 90 degree angle? Read up on that.
Can you point to any credible expert that echos your own personal sentiments? I already recommended a 3 day a week routine with an A/B workout split. That's not "almost every day"... in fact that's not even every other day.
I'd rather listen to my roommate, someone whom I know to be an expert, than some guy on the internet boasting about how he can bench press more than his own bodyweight, like that's an amazing feat.
Glotin - I find it a little ironic that you are using Mark Rippetoe to support your views on Crossfit considering Rip is well-known in his criticism of Crossfit for many of the same general reasons John Rambo raised. As practiced by most Crossfitters, Crossfit is relatively ineffective at best and a recipe for injury at worst.
So as not to totally derail this thread, I lift three times a week with no particular push/pull or body part split.
Really? Why did he work for them? Can you show me any said criticisms?
"CrossFit has the potential to change the popular cultural perception of what exercise actually means over the next decade, and I will watch with delight as selectorized leg machines are melted down into more useful items like re-bar and manhole covers." - Mark Rippetoe
Rip's criticism of @fit has everything to do with Glassman and the organization and almost nothing to do with the system of exercise. He has some times criticized strength gains when using @fit, but the purpose of @fit is not strictly strength gains.
John Rambo
10-10-2012, 15:04
Can you point to any credible expert that echos your own personal sentiments? I already recommended a 3 day a week routine with an A/B workout split. That's not "almost every day"... in fact that's not even every other day.
I'm reminded of an article I read.
I tellya what, go ask your roommate about rhabdomyolysis as a starting point. THEN read on...
...Now, as for dudebro workout experts, I don't care to hear what they have to say. After enough of them told me how safe and effective steroids are, bro, I just shrugged them off.
But, David Geier, Jr., an orthopedic surgeon and the director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, sees more injuries with CrossFit because of the high-speed, high-impact approach.
Mark Peterson, an exercise physiologist from the University of Michigan’s department of physical medicine., said “I have always taken the stance that training to failure causes useless fatigue, ... Whereas fatigue is a normal side effect of certain types of metabolic training, I do not believe it has a time or place in training for strength and power.”
See, these are people who's opinions matter, because they know what they're talking about. And they're saying the exact same thing I've just said to you. Slinging around weight like a nutcase gets you hurt.
Oh, and if you have any doubts about the source, its from Livestrong, but the same article has been reposted on a few blogs aroun the internet. http://www.livestrong.com/article/545200-the-fall-of-fitness/
Really? Why did he work for them? Can you show me any said criticisms?
"CrossFit has the potential to change the popular cultural perception of what exercise actually means over the next decade, and I will watch with delight as selectorized leg machines are melted down into more useful items like re-bar and manhole covers." - Mark Rippetoe
Rip's criticism of @fit has everything to do with Glassman and the organization and almost nothing to do with the system of exercise. He has some times criticized strength gains when using @fit, but the purpose of @fit is not strictly strength gains.
I'm not going to search for Rip's public statements on Crossfit because you can do that yourself if you care to. Besides, it sounds like you are already aware of the criticisms.
As far as why he worked with Crossfit, you'd have to ask him or do your own research. Rip has continued to credit Crossfit with exposing more people to barbell movements.
While there may be a personal component to Rip's criticisms (e.g., Glassman), the statement that his criticisms have "almost nothing to do with the system of exercise" is nonsense. One of his biggest issues with Crossfit is the terrible programming, if you can even call it that. Also, he has repeatedly criticized Crossfit for the lack of attention to good form in the different movements.
TactiCool
10-10-2012, 15:59
Each body part twice a week. But I do a lot of cardio. I'd really like to get "bigger" but everytime I start to put on some more mass my 10K time suffers so I run more and lose it. I'm 6 feet tall and stay at about 170-175 pounds. I will turn 50 this year so my days of putting on much more muscle is I think behind me. Guess I should be happy my body fat is under 10%.
I cross train but would like to actually do Cross Fit, anybody here do that?
Rancher
I do a similar training program to crossfit, albeit modified, because my program is geared towards endurance.
Ideally, I do three days (MWF) cardio - cross country run or treadmill, depending on the weather. The other days of the week I lift.
I say ideally because it doesn't always work out that way. My work schedule has been screwing up my routine quite a bit lately.
I powerlift or powerbuild three days a week.
I'm reminded of an article I read.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/545200-the-fall-of-fitness/
Thanks for the article, I'll do some reading. Anything specifically about burpees? They are incorporated into our PT plan a lot.
While there may be a personal component to Rip's criticisms (e.g., Glassman), the statement that his criticisms have "almost nothing to do with the system of exercise" is nonsense. One of his biggest issues with Crossfit is the terrible programming, if you can even call it that. Also, he has repeatedly criticized Crossfit for the lack of attention to good form in the different movements.
I agree that good form is imperative, as I mentioned before.
I still think crossfit is more beneficial than most other so-called "workout routines", if being performed properly. They probably do have a lot of people who don't know what they're doing hurting themselves in bad gyms though, can't disagree with that.
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