Looking to increase upper body without with body weight

brtgl

DanSanthomes wrote: »

Try darebee - they have some great 30+ Day programs using bodyweight only.

I'm still researching programs, but checked out Darebee and might try their "30 Days of Gravity" program, which accents chest and triceps. Thanks for the heads up.

AnvilHead

bgowder wrote: »

Thanks for all the posts. I can't get this forum to send me a notification when someone replies.

Anyway, I ended up meeting with a personal trainer at LA Fitness yesterday (free voucher). My body fat is 25% and I weigh 193 at 5'11". The trainer suggested three sessions a week M (upper body), W (core) and F (legs) to focus on replacing 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of muscle. I was wondering if that was actually enough with working an area only one time per week.

He mentioned not being able to achieve my goals working out at home without weights, which includes building up chest, tightening up stomach, etc. My arms, legs, etc. all respond positively and quickly to strength conditioning, but my chest has always been that one area that I've always wanted to improve.

I really don't want to fork out the money for training and don't see me making the drive to LA Fitness three times per week, so I'd be willing to buy kettlebells or whatever, if that would help me stay home for workouts.

Working bodyparts one day a week on a split such as that is commonly referred to in the vernacular as a "bro split". It's far less than optimal for a beginning lifter. You'd be much better served by doing a full-body routine three times per week at this point, maybe choose a routine from the list in this thread.

Not only that, but you don't "replace" fat with muscle - you lose fat and build muscle, and putting on 10 pounds of muscle is a fairly significant task that isn't going to happen quickly. If your trainer is giving you false hope that it's going to happen within a span of weeks, he's peeing down your leg and telling you it's raining.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of working out at home unless you have the room (and finances) to put together a decently equipped gym. I tried it a few years ago with some miscellaneous equipment and a set of adjustable dumbbells (5-52.5 lbs.) and the results were pretty craptacular.

You don't necessarily need a trainer, but it would be best to start with a professionally designed routine (such as those in the thread I linked above) so you're not wasting your time in the gym doing a bunch of what amounts to nothing.

[ETA:] As a beginner, a good bodyweight program could take you quite a ways toward your goals, but again I'd highly recommend using a professionally designed program rather than trying to roll your own.

brtgl

AnvilHead wrote: »

bgowder wrote: »

Thanks for all the posts. I can't get this forum to send me a notification when someone replies.

Anyway, I ended up meeting with a personal trainer at LA Fitness yesterday (free voucher). My body fat is 25% and I weigh 193 at 5'11". The trainer suggested three sessions a week M (upper body), W (core) and F (legs) to focus on replacing 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of muscle. I was wondering if that was actually enough with working an area only one time per week.

He mentioned not being able to achieve my goals working out at home without weights, which includes building up chest, tightening up stomach, etc. My arms, legs, etc. all respond positively and quickly to strength conditioning, but my chest has always been that one area that I've always wanted to improve.

I really don't want to fork out the money for training and don't see me making the drive to LA Fitness three times per week, so I'd be willing to buy kettlebells or whatever, if that would help me stay home for workouts.

Working bodyparts one day a week on a split such as that is commonly referred to in the vernacular as a "bro split". It's far less than optimal for a beginning lifter. You'd be much better served by doing a full-body routine three times per week at this point, maybe choose a routine from the list in this thread.

Not only that, but you don't "replace" fat with muscle - you lose fat and build muscle, and putting on 10 pounds of muscle is a fairly significant task that isn't going to happen quickly. If your trainer is giving you false hope that it's going to happen within a span of weeks, he's peeing down your leg and telling you it's raining.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of working out at home unless you have the room (and finances) to put together a decently equipped gym. I tried it a few years ago with some miscellaneous equipment and a set of adjustable dumbbells (5-52.5 lbs.) and the results were pretty craptacular.

You don't necessarily need a trainer, but it would be best to start with a professionally designed routine (such as those in the thread I linked above) so you're not wasting your time in the gym doing a bunch of what amounts to nothing.

[ETA:] As a beginner, a good bodyweight program could take you quite a ways toward your goals, but again I'd highly recommend using a professionally designed program rather than trying to roll your own.

Thanks for the insightful post. Yes, I was wondering if that three-day workout plan was too infrequent for each (upper body, legs and core). I'll check out that link and see if I can find something that's right for me and will help me increase chest size (as well as everything else, but chest has the most catching up to do) and trim down my waist.

stanmann571

AnvilHead wrote: »

bgowder wrote: »

Thanks for all the posts. I can't get this forum to send me a notification when someone replies.

Anyway, I ended up meeting with a personal trainer at LA Fitness yesterday (free voucher). My body fat is 25% and I weigh 193 at 5'11". The trainer suggested three sessions a week M (upper body), W (core) and F (legs) to focus on replacing 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of muscle. I was wondering if that was actually enough with working an area only one time per week.

He mentioned not being able to achieve my goals working out at home without weights, which includes building up chest, tightening up stomach, etc. My arms, legs, etc. all respond positively and quickly to strength conditioning, but my chest has always been that one area that I've always wanted to improve.

I really don't want to fork out the money for training and don't see me making the drive to LA Fitness three times per week, so I'd be willing to buy kettlebells or whatever, if that would help me stay home for workouts.

Working bodyparts one day a week on a split such as that is commonly referred to in the vernacular as a "bro split". It's far less than optimal for a beginning lifter. You'd be much better served by doing a full-body routine three times per week at this point, maybe choose a routine from the list in this thread.

Not only that, but you don't "replace" fat with muscle - you lose fat and build muscle, and putting on 10 pounds of muscle is a fairly significant task that isn't going to happen quickly. If your trainer is giving you false hope that it's going to happen within a span of weeks, he's peeing down your leg and telling you it's raining.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of working out at home unless you have the room (and finances) to put together a decently equipped gym. I tried it a few years ago with some miscellaneous equipment and a set of adjustable dumbbells (5-52.5 lbs.) and the results were pretty craptacular.

You don't necessarily need a trainer, but it would be best to start with a professionally designed routine (such as those in the thread I linked above) so you're not wasting your time in the gym doing a bunch of what amounts to nothing.

[ETA:] As a beginner, a good bodyweight program could take you quite a ways toward your goals, but again I'd highly recommend using a professionally designed program rather than trying to roll your own.

The thing is, a good program is the same regardless of who is presenting it.

SS, SL5x5, PTTP, etc Full body--deadlifts, squats, Bench, OHP, Row, Pullup 2-5 days per week. 3-5 reps, 3-5 sets,

Convict Conditioning, Naked Warrior, YaYoG, Pushups, pullups, rows, Pistol Squats.

The thing that makes quality programming worth using is the details that go behind it.

Okiludy

bgowder wrote: »

AnvilHead wrote: »

bgowder wrote: »

Thanks for all the posts. I can't get this forum to send me a notification when someone replies.

Anyway, I ended up meeting with a personal trainer at LA Fitness yesterday (free voucher). My body fat is 25% and I weigh 193 at 5'11". The trainer suggested three sessions a week M (upper body), W (core) and F (legs) to focus on replacing 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of muscle. I was wondering if that was actually enough with working an area only one time per week.

He mentioned not being able to achieve my goals working out at home without weights, which includes building up chest, tightening up stomach, etc. My arms, legs, etc. all respond positively and quickly to strength conditioning, but my chest has always been that one area that I've always wanted to improve.

I really don't want to fork out the money for training and don't see me making the drive to LA Fitness three times per week, so I'd be willing to buy kettlebells or whatever, if that would help me stay home for workouts.

Working bodyparts one day a week on a split such as that is commonly referred to in the vernacular as a "bro split". It's far less than optimal for a beginning lifter. You'd be much better served by doing a full-body routine three times per week at this point, maybe choose a routine from the list in this thread.

Not only that, but you don't "replace" fat with muscle - you lose fat and build muscle, and putting on 10 pounds of muscle is a fairly significant task that isn't going to happen quickly. If your trainer is giving you false hope that it's going to happen within a span of weeks, he's peeing down your leg and telling you it's raining.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of working out at home unless you have the room (and finances) to put together a decently equipped gym. I tried it a few years ago with some miscellaneous equipment and a set of adjustable dumbbells (5-52.5 lbs.) and the results were pretty craptacular.

You don't necessarily need a trainer, but it would be best to start with a professionally designed routine (such as those in the thread I linked above) so you're not wasting your time in the gym doing a bunch of what amounts to nothing.

[ETA:] As a beginner, a good bodyweight program could take you quite a ways toward your goals, but again I'd highly recommend using a professionally designed program rather than trying to roll your own.

Thanks for the insightful post. Yes, I was wondering if that three-day workout plan was too infrequent for each (upper body, legs and core). I'll check out that link and see if I can find something that's right for me and will help me increase chest size (as well as everything else, but chest has the most catching up to do) and trim down my waist.

A 3-day full body might actually be more volume than a bro-split for most of the body. You are basically hitting everything 3 times a week. @AnvilHead is pointing you in the right direction.

For scientific evidence read work by Schoenfeld.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28834797
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20847704
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24714538

The last one shows that frequency is almost as important as total volume. With a 3-day full body novice program you would be golden, if you follow the actual program.

brtgl

I ended up joining LA Fitness today and will kick things off tonight. I still am not sure what route to go for my strength conditioning, but am leaning towards full body workouts Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

se015

bgowder wrote: »

I'm a mostly healthy 50YO male looking to increase upper body muscles, primarily chest and arms. Any recommendations with no weights, except for a pair of 20-pound dumbbells? Is SWORKIT a good option? Since I've been jogging for the past five years, my legs are already in decent shape, so I think I'll spend two-thirds of my effort getting my upper body to catch up. Thanks.[/quote

You could buy a belt with a chain link and attach dumbells to the belt for weighted pull ups and weighted dips. Get one of those pull up bars that have a different variety of grip positions. If you had plates as opposed to dumbells you could put those on your back while you do push ups. That can be a start I guess, but I'd stil recommend finding a gym or getting a weight room set up at home. You can also make weights like using bags with items in them like books, I work in a prison and inmates seem to get good work outs with actual weights since they took them away. They get pretty creative

brtgl

Thanks for all the good advice. Now that I'm with LA Fitness, I started doing the following every three days for chest:

Incline Press Startrac
Nitro Vertical Chest
Freemotion Chest
Pectoral Fly
Nautilus Lat Pulldown
Hammer Strength ISO Lateral Incline Press

So I'm thinking the plan is to do chest one day, then legs another day, core on the third day, etc. I need to nail down a workout plan and will search the Community for some advice, since this discussion is titled "with body weight" (no weights).