Strength training

law1558

Looking for some good strength training exercises I can take into our work gym and see results. Any great ones out there? I'm looking more for upper body and core; my legs get enough work out with running and spinning.....

julesan902

wat. i don't even. running/spinng =/= decent leg exercise. you should squat.

lacurandera1

wat. i don't even. running/spinng =/= decent leg exercise. you should squat.

you should squat. You should always squat. YSAS.

lacurandera1

But to really answer your question, I've found dead lifts to be fantastic for your core. Whoodathunk?

law1558

OK - squats I can do...I like them (lunges...ugh). Any upper body?

law1558

Dead lifts - will add those to the list. I know the first couple times in the gym will be spent just figuring out good weight limits, etc. I've not done a lot of dead lifts in the past, so I like the new challenge.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

pushups, bench press, chinups, pullups, overhead press

Cr01502

Squats do work your core.

Running and spinning aren't strength training for your legs

Check out Stronglifts 5x5 or Starting Strength

alexdrost

One thing you must consider is your ultimate goal. If you are currently still in a stage of weight loss, you should complete full body lifts at a higher rep and lower weight, but don't expect to see muscle growth. The reason for lifting is to ensure your body does not cannibalize all your muscle. If you want to put on mass, you must be ready to put on fat. I personally have gone through these stages, I started in Feb of 2012 at 245lbs (5' 11"). I decided enough was enough and became very serious about my eating and exercise. From Feb to May I dropped down to 180lbs. I then increased my kcal intake and became a very active cyclist. I unintentionally dropped to 175lbs. Around August of 2012 I took up light lifting in an effort to improve my cycling. I was told by a very close friend that I look great from all the weight I loss, but that I also resembled a "twig". This motivated me to mass. After many hours of research I started on an intense supplement and lifting plan.

Details of my Plan:

Diet: 3500+ kcal a day
Protein: 300+ grams a day
Healthy carbs, min sugar high fiber

Cardio: NONE, Notta, NOTHING! Yes, absolutely no cardio from September through December of 2012. This was a huge change and was hard to put the bike down, but I did it in an effort to mass.

Lift: I followed a strict 5 day a week lifting routine that would leave me dead after about an hour in the gym. I would lift in the 4-6 rep range for 3 sets. The key was to ensure that you burn out after EVERY lift, this means lift to fail. If you can rep out another you did not have enough weight.

While I will not take the time to list ALL my lifts, here were some of the most important ones.

Lift 8 weeks on, 1 week break then 8 weeks on. DONT EVERY MISS A LIFT; DONT EVER DO AN EXTRA LIFT

Bench (free bar and dumb bells)
Squat (these suck)
Dead lift (best full body lift)
Weighted Dips
Military Shoulder Press (Dumb Bells)
Leg Presses (EXTREMELY HIGH WEIGHT - as of now I am repping out around 750lbs)
Calf Raises

It is essentially to lift your lower body, regardless of your goals. This is because when you lift such a large muscle group your body will produce a massive amount of growth hormones, these will spur growth in your entire body.

Supplements: (I use all Optimal Nutrition Products, they are the best)
Whey: 3 scoops a day (upon waking, pre and post workout)
Micronized Creatine: with every serving of Whey (this will aid recovery and give you an extra pump)
Glutamine: with every serving of Whey and before bed. This is the most abundant amino acid (BCAA) in your body. Taking this supp work wonders, it will increase recovery to about 36 hours, promote growth through protein synthesis, and prevent muscle cannibalism.
Fish oil: 5 a day, 2AM 1 mid day, 2PM
C4 pre Workout
Casein Protein: this is a very slow digesting protein, take it right before bed so give your body nutrients all night long.
Animal Pak: 1 a day in the AM
Now I am 23 years old and did not use a T-booster, but if you are older, you might want to.

Rest: LOTS OF IT 8-10 hours a night, muscles are torn in the gym and grown in the bed.

Okay, I know that was a lot of info, but let me tell you about my results.

I just ended my 16 weeks session. I now weight 200lbs. Yes, 25lbs of body weight added, and yes SOME of it is fat. But I am also bigger than I have ever been. I would be willing to say that 17-19lbs of the weight is muscle. I get comments all the time of how big I look and I feel amazing. I have more strength that I have ever had. I am now in a cutting stage and cant wait for summer to show off my new sexy muscles.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions. Best of luck to you in your journey. YOU CAN DO IT!

law1558

Wow!! Thanks for all your responses! I'm not going to avoid the leg machines/squat rack anymore. I'm still in the fat losing stage, so not ready to add bulk yet, but when I am, I'll be right back here re-reading your work out!

jayche

I tend to feel Deadlifts more in my back (lower and upper) than I do my legs.
Standing Overhead Press is now my favorite upper body exercise (works your shoulders, upper chest, arms, back and core all in one movement) so I'd definitely recommend that. I usually super-set Overhead Press with pull-ups which besides your back also work your core considerably.