Weight lifting gurus, QUESTION!

[Nocturnal]

how long does it usually take to get "buff?"

Would one need to lift weights everyday of the week?

What's the normal routine?

 

[Schadenfreude]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
how long does it usually take to get "buff?"

Would one need to lift weights everyday of the week?

What's the normal routine?

Well, I couldn't answer you on anything else, but I do know that muscles take 48 hours to recover - so a lot people lift weights everyday, they "isolate" different parts of the body (i.e. they work on arms one day, abs the next, and so forth . . ..)

 

[iamme]

geekfitness.com

you could try there

 

[PMoore]

To get buff, as in ripped, cut, defined?
Depends on your determination and commitment.

If you train 6 days a week for 2 to 3 hours a day, you should see results in three to four months.

Check out Arnolds "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" as a guide to all your questions!

 

[StevenYoo]

depends on genetics.

some people get big pretty easily, some just stay slim no matter what.

some people get cut, some people stay human tree trunks no matter what they do.

lifting every day isn't required, but it does help. Just don't do biceps for 3 days straight. ya gotta rotate ur workouts. circuit-training is nice.

you wanna have a well-rounded training regimen and stick to it.

depending on your body type, it will take at least a few weeks to see some real definition and size difference.

and doing cardio work is also important. you wanna lose the excess flab so your muscles stand out more.

oh yeah, and drinking LOTS and LOTS of water is key.

i'll post a sample training routine later. .......... if i feel like it.

 

[Mday]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
how long does it usually take to get "buff?"

Would one need to lift weights everyday of the week?

What's the normal routine?

a few weeks and you will get noticeable results. a few months of continuous weight increase for real bulk. if you want definition (cut), you will have to change your diet.

do not lift weights everyday. it's best to go with a weekly routine, with 2 days of upper and 2 days of lower. for example: monday = upper body, tuesday = lower body, wednesday = rest, thursday = upper body, friday = lower body, saturday = rest, sunday = light all body work out. you can work out during the rest periods, just dont do weights. do aerobic exercises or cardio. you should keep track of what weights and what exercises you did on days that you work. increase as you go, but not by too much.

there is no such thing as a normal routine.

if you dont know how to start, i recommend going to a gym with an expert to over see your activities, or hire a personal trainer.

it's very easy to hurt yourself with weights. and if you do an exercise wrong, you're not working your target group (exercise dependent) properly.

muscle growth is done by muscle injury then muscle repair. so you do need to rest.

 

[MrThermistor]

>Weight lifting gurus, QUESTION!

Yes, it does make you gay. No, it will not compensate for a small penis.

*After reading your question: several months, four times weekly
Speaking strictly as a biologist.

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: MrThermistor
>Weight lifting gurus, QUESTION!

Yes, it does make you gay. No, it will not compensate for a small penis.

*After reading your question: several months, four times weekly
Speaking strictly as a biologist.

Wow, somebody is rather sensitive, were you trying to compensate for something at one time Thermistor? Finally figure out it wouldn't work?

 

[Spamela]

Originally posted by: PMoore
To get buff, as in ripped, cut, defined?
Depends on your determination and commitment.

If you train 6 days a week for 2 to 3 hours a day, you should see results in three to four months.

Check out Arnolds "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" as a guide to all your questions!

whoa. 2-3 hrs/day isn't good advice for a novice, it's a recipe for burnout & injury.

i assume Nocturnal wants muscle definition. this requires low body fat
as well as exercise. talk to a qualified trainer in a gym.

 

[StageLeft]

One person's buff is not going to fit another's definition.

But a general definition of seeing some sort of ab muscle and having some other muscles stick out here and there depends on a bunch of factors:
- current weight
- age
- genetics
- quality of diet
- quality of weight routine
- etc

A whack of things If you've never worked out before and you adopt a solid weight routine with a good diet you'll be able to see fat loss starting quite quickly if that's your goal. If your goal is muscle you should see strength increases start immediately with a visible increase in muscle happening within a number of weeks. I know that some people can effect pretty big changes in themselves when they start. The younger you are the better, too, because your body will respond well.

go to geekfitness or bodybuilding.com and once you've nailed down a routine follow it and eat lots of protein. get lots of water and as much sleep as possible and you'll benefit well from it!

BTW thanks for the sig, but I don't see it happening in our lifetime

 

[Nocturnal]

The thing is I no longer want to work out to lose weight. Instead I want to work out to get buff or add muscle to my body. I have the build of someone who could probably get buff rather easily.

I don't want to become so buff that it looks sick but maybe a nice chest, some abs, etc would be nice.

 

[alkemyst]

it depends on genetics and how you push yourself.

Normal 'routine' is 20mins-30mins 3x a week.

I go from buff to cubby easy....3 months I am buff again. I workout 3x a week about 45-60 mins.....sometimes daily alternating muscle groups.

 

[Nocturnal]

What machines are best to work with? I'm currently enrolled at 24 Hour Fitness. What's the diff between using free weights and using the machine type weights?

 

[whaleskinrug]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
What machines are best to work with? I'm currently enrolled at 24 Hour Fitness. What's the diff between using free weights and using the machine type weights?

free weights help build stabilizer muscles are are far sexier

 

[dfi]

Years. Many years. Better get started.

Weightlifting goals, like many other goals, tend to become more ambitious the better you get at it. Once you've hit a goal you will realize that you now have a new goal. Steady does it I think.

The more you read about lifting, the more you realize that there is no "right" routine or "perfect" routine. You have to find out what works for you. Some like to work 6 times a week, splitting the bodyparts up among those days. Others like working out 1 time a week, doing a total body workout, and everything in between. One thing most lifters will agree on though: don't forget to work your legs. Also people seem to like compound exercises quite a bit.

dfi

 

[Isezumi00]

Try this...
It generally works pretty well considering its built specifically around the actual physiology of muscle tissue growth.

As mentioned previously getting Big takes years and years, practically a lifer goal. And it's not just all in the gym, for practical considerations diet is equally useful in attaining good size as gym time. The biggest part of muscle tissue growth is amino acids, or protein, thats what is used to rebuild muscle tissue so you are going to want a high(er) protein diet. A safe bet is usually around 1g/kg body mass. Anyway, just read around you'll eventually stumble upon your thing.

 

[Mrburns2007]

Originally posted by: PMoore
To get buff, as in ripped, cut, defined?
Depends on your determination and commitment.

If you train 6 days a week for 2 to 3 hours a day, you should see results in three to four months.

Check out Arnolds "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" as a guide to all your questions!

2 to 3 hours are you insane....weightlifters NOT taking steriods should never lift that long. After 45 minutes testosterone begins to drop and your workout is effectively over. I see so much mis-information about bodybuilding it drives me crazy. Natural bodybuilders need to do quick short workouts and actually keep the set counts down.

 

[upsciLLion]

Yeah, 2-3 hours is excessive. I work out maybe 30-45 minutes every other day typically and I've not done much bulking up, but I have become more defined. 2-3 hours in a gym per day is just asking for massive amounts of joint surgery later in life.

ups

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
What machines are best to work with? I'm currently enrolled at 24 Hour Fitness. What's the diff between using free weights and using the machine type weights?

Depends if you have a spotter or not....makes no sense to do less weight with free weights for fear of getting stuck.

I train with dumbbells instead of a bar any time I can. Number one you know you are using both sides equally and two if you get stuck you can drop the weights without a bar halving you (watch your toes though and be on a padded floor, tell any idiots standing around having a conversation do it elsewhere if they are in your weight clearing area).

I gave up on spotters in the gym....the die hard guys are usually in pairs and the rest are more interested in looking for women, I have been injured twice due to stupid spotters.

A couple machines are indispensible though....lat pulldown, leg press, leg curl, and a few more....there are free weight versions of these exercises but you'd need a good spotter most of the time dealing in legs and the massive weights you use (even a weak set of legs is moving more weight than even a 'strong' guy can manage with his upper body should you get in trouble)

 

[DumbQuestion]

I have been weight lifting for 8 years now and IMHO what you put in is what you get out.

If you train correctly and hard lift heavy but always controlled and push yourself you will
see good results. Having said that I remember to when I first started I was 16yo, I thought
I want to be this big and had that in my mind. If I look back now I am that big and it was 8 years work.
Now I'm not that big at all only 89kg.

The pro builders have said that even with roids and training hard in the end you can only put on between 3 and 6 pounds of lean muscle a year. That would have to be correct as I have put on about 30 pounds in the time I have trained. and I'm still gaining that each year. Even with roids and the like, my friends the same. The pro's well the are contently on roids and HGH and everything you could imagine to help and counteract the effects and side effects, but in the end it will take them 10 years to put on the 30 to 40 extra KG's to become elite. Just have a look at arnie from when he started training to when he was buig took years, same Dorian and all the pro's

Creatine and Protein are your best friends along with rest and correct training techniques.

I hope you do well as it is very hard and it sort of becomes a hobby.

Try and stay away from roids they are more of a problem then a solution!

The skinny guy will always be skinny is a load of crap, Genetics do have a roll, but my training partner was very skinny and he trains harder than anyone I know, puches himself to the point well you know bla bla bla... Basically he has grown huge amounts from dedication over the years.

Wish you all the best.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: PMoore
To get buff, as in ripped, cut, defined?
Depends on your determination and commitment.

If you train 6 days a week for 2 to 3 hours a day, you should see results in three to four months.

Check out Arnolds "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" as a guide to all your questions!

Arnold's book is a waste of time to anyone not taking steriods, and can actually be counter productive to a natural body builder.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: PMoore
To get buff, as in ripped, cut, defined?
Depends on your determination and commitment.

If you train 6 days a week for 2 to 3 hours a day, you should see results in three to four months.

Check out Arnolds "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" as a guide to all your questions!

Arnold's book is a waste of time to anyone not taking steriods, and can actually be counter productive to a natural body builder.

WTF? did you read it all?

Just the pictures of the way to do the exercises properly are worth it to most n00bs in the workout arena.

Sure the 'Pro' workout he gives is something best suited for steroid use or you can do like I did and go for maximum muscle endurance...

In my peak days I would train 2-3 hours per day (usually a 30 min run in there), I got incredibly strong and had incredible endurance...I didn't get big and bulky though like I do with shorter workouts.

I had to literally eat constantly though, I practically carried a purse of food.

Now the workouts you'll do will depend on your goals.....just fit and trim? possibly an all muscle group workout 45mins 3x a week....want to become a weight throwing monster? power moves, 6-8 reps, only 1 or 2 muscle groups at a time, every other day, keep food close by and make sure you get sleep.

Sleep is important as it's the only time your body really repairs the tissue you broke down during the training.

Also if you aren't breaking a sweat, or getting yourself fatigued in the gym you are wasting your time (so many people I see like that and everyday you see them they look the same, come back 2 years later and they are still there and have no results).

 

[DumbQuestion]

Listen to alkemyst that is good advise!