weight train? get the following. or perish in your struggles:


-cytosport muscle milk (ON's Gold Standard 100% Whey for budget concerns)

-animal pak (GNC megamen may be substituted for those on a budget, but rigorously advise AP for everyone)

-glutamine (ALWAYS get flavorless, trust me)

-creatine monohydrate (micronized recommended) (cycled or loaded, to be explained in another thread)

-diet

-rest

-water
























good luck out there.

amen to this...if youre not making sure you have all of the above, youre lifting in vain.

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unless you're trying to slim down like yours fat-ass-truly, you don't need all of those

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Whats glutamine do?

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the above optimize pretty much any routine. so yeah you do.


even the protein can be used as meal-replacement. the AP fortifies your cut-back calorie intake diet. and you always need rest and water.

recovery agent. helps stifle soreness to a degree. your body will naturally increase production of glutamine over time. but for beginners and anyone training, having a steady intake from your diet is a great help.

yeah that's why I said not ALL cuz I'm sure not takin' creatine

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Ok so I read the thing about mucle milk but I don't really understand, what will it do for some one who does some free wieghts twice a week?

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well, twice a week.. how is your routine those days? i assume you do full-body right? intensity? duration? i need more info.

telling me you only train twice a week is disheartening. but thats what happens when you have a busy life (but dont tell that to the bodybuilders who train 7-days a week from 10pm to close at gold's, full-time careers, families, same as everyone)

muscle milk isnt anything special. its another protein, but its unique in that its formulated after human milk, contains good fats, and tastes better beyond anything on the market by far.

depending on the goals a person has, only the last 3 are absolutely necessary. but if the goal is to just get ripped, and spend atleast an hour a day lifting, then yeah, a good protein supplement, omega 3s, a multivitamin, etc, will help.

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"Racing is a matter of spirit not strength."

I do dumbell curls (3sets,10/8/6 reps)
Then I dont the same but hold the dumbell like I would hold a can of beer

Push ups (2sets of 10 as slow as I can go up and down, I do the first as my first exercise and the last as my last exercise if that makes sense)

Shoulder press (2 sets of 10)

Dips (2 sets of 10)

I the middle somewhere I will do 20 sit ups and 15 crunches

Sometimes I will go outside and do some pull ups usually about 10

As for the push ups, dips and pull ups I wieght 220lbs to give you an idea of the weight I have to lift there.

And I do the things where you put one knee on something and lean over and hold your arm out then use your tricepts to lift the wieght.

I don't know what most of the stuff is called. lol. If you have any suggestiongs let me know, but I'm pretty much limited to a dumbell as far as wieghts go. But I'm not tring to get huge but I would like a little bigger chest and bigger biceps, mainly though everywhere else I'm just tring to trim up a little. And as far as legs go I do enough steps and walking a day to make up for them I think.

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you can do a lot with a set of dumbells.


flys: lie on a bench and do arm flys (without bending the elbows), develops chest.

presses: very similar as flys except you do a press motion as if the dumbell handles are a bar. also chest.

sitting shoulder flys: you sit on a low chair or bench, lean forward (chest to knees), bring weights below your thighs bring them to shoulder level without moving elbows. excellent shoulder exercise.

arnold press: hold dumbells against chest, parallel to shoulders. bring weights over the head in a smooth motion, brining elbows out during movement to maximize shoulder movement. (shoulder exercise invented by guess who)

forarm dumbell twists: use the dumbell as if a glass of water you are pouring out. start with handles parallel to the ground, palms facing up, end with handles once again parallel, and palms facing ground. (a 180 degree turn)

tarzan/gorilla curls: standing, with a slightly leaned forward stance, start with dumbells at sides handles and palms agains the body, bring to chest with palms ending facing up. (one arm at a time)




there are lots more things you can do with a set of dumbells, perhaps a bench and a bar. i suggest investing in the modern bodybuilding encyclopedia ($10 on ebay new) it has photos with dozens of exercises of each muscle group. its what i used to learn most of them, and it stresses using proper form.

Now with things such as flys, can you do them just one side at a time? I only have one dumbell bar lol

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depending on the weight you'll probably need something for your other arm to hold on to. but damn man, get yourself another handle.

is it a good idea to take bcaa's on your off days? today is my day off and i havent taken em yet just because i wasnt sure if it was a good idea.

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dont forget that your muscles dont grow until AFTER they have been torn down in a workout and THEN are allowed to rest for atleast 24 hours. so therefore they will still need a steady supply of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, glutamine, etc etc even on your days off...

Everyone i know says machines (not electronic) are for pussies, but I feel like i can isolate muscles better with them than free weights and it feels like the muscles are working harder. What are your thoughts Striation?

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depends on what you're going for, strength or looks. machines which do isolate only the major muscles will give you larger, impressive looking muscles. however, you are only as strong as your weakest muscles (the stabilizing ones) and can build those using free weights. with free weights, you can develop muscle memory for handling heavy loads.

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"Racing is a matter of spirit not strength."

werd what mac said to an extent...i remember not doing any free weights for chest for like 2-3 weeks and i could barely finish out 3 sets on the flat bench which 2-3 weeks before that i could do easily

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no no no....





today... machines and freeweights MUST be used together. in the sport of bodybuilding, escpecially, every muscle group must be trained in every angle, combination, and even using a machine in a certain way which it may not be intended (as long as it is safe) may also be necessary. ask anybody, that if you were to stick strictly to freeweights, after a few years, after reaching a certain body fat percentage, you'll have a RETARDED/Weak-Point physique.

(weak-points btw are the touch of death in body building, everything must be perfected)



so dont let hearsay like "machines are for pussies" influence your routine. the machines today are crucial in exercising a muscle group in every variation possible.



and dont come to me saying "i dont want to be a bodybuilder, just get in shape"

i will quote arnold from his encyclopedia... "i hate when people say this, would you tell your tennis instructor to make you better but not to make you "venus williams good" ? or your gold instructor, would you tell them "teach me to hit the ball, but dont make me tiger woods good?"

aim for perfection, train perfect.



i hope that helped you realize that gyms dont put machines in a gym for the women, and anyone who sticks to freeweights forever wont ever achieve a winning physique.