Question:
Is this workout any good?
Daniel
2010-11-24 05:56:49 UTC
Hi,
I just want to know if this workout routine is any good. I basically want to build muscle on my arms & chest. Would this work??


Cardio x 30mins. 3 times a week
Concentration Curls x 3 sets - max reps. 3 times a week
Seated tricep dips x 3 sets - max reps. 3 times a week
Pushups x 3 sets - max reps. 3 times a week


I'll do this, as well as incorporating a fair amount of protein into my diet!

At the moment i'm quite skinny and need more definition. That's all I'm after:)

Thanks people!
Four answers:
beautyspot23
2010-11-24 06:48:14 UTC
Hi Daniel,

According to my husband who is a personal trainer the program above will probably achieve some results more than doing nothing but he did comment that the weights/resistance part of the program is really unbalanced and needs to be changed slightly. Here's a bit of theory behind getting stronger and larger muscles for you so you understand why the following recommendations are being made. Building muscle relies on three major factors (excluding diet and sleep).



1, Obtaining the full range of motion or as close to full range as your body will allow, To get a little technical when your muscles are placed under stretch (your full range of normal motion) during weight training, your tendons which attatch muscle to bone and allow for movement when a muscle shortens stretch allowing for an increase in potential energy which in turn allows you to lift weights more forcefully and more powerfully similar to that of a rubber band being stretched. This allows for more tension and weight to be used. Which brings us to the next point.



2. "time under tension" is often mentioned by many big guys and body builders a like when talking about building muscle strength and getting bigger muscles. Although this is true, muscle tension will be higher with heavier weights, It is this tension that is the most important part of getting bigger and stronger. The factor is due to the number of repetitions performed. So why not do heaps of reps then??? Well the more reps you do the less tensions you will have. It's kind of a balancing act with the final point.



3. Adequate metabolic stress. If you've ever read a body building book where they mention about "chasing the pump", this is what they are talking about. Lactic acid and other waste products of short, intense bursts of weight training seem to achieve the best amounts of muscle growth and strength which is backed up by reasearch. Too many reps however and you will achieve high metabolic stress but low levels of tension will result (kind of like a see-saw).



To make it easier to on you he would suggest something similar to the below program would better suit your goals of increasing muscle and definition.



Dumbbell Bench Press

Dumbbell Rows/Bent-over Dumbbell Rows

Dumbell Squats

Overhead Dumbbell Shoulder Press.

Unassisted Sit-ups (feet unhooked)



All of these exercises use big muscle groups which are also shown to build the most amount of muscles and chest and back exercises will help you to achieve those guns your so eagerly wanting to work on without spending large amounts of time isolating your arms (my husband is very big on time efficiency for workouts). Aim for a weight that can be done for 3sets of 8 - 12repetitions maximum with the chosen weight. This will ensure that your muscles have adequate tension and metabolic stress as discussed above. Rest between sets should be 2 to 3mins and should NEVER be compromised. This allows for adequate recovery to lift the higher tensions for each set rather than the first or the last (depending on your mental toughness). Leave at least a days break between sessions to allow adequate musclce recovery. As far for speed of each repetition (incase you have been doing a bit of reading or other comments relating to speed of reps) so long as it is controlled the repetition speed is not too important.





If dumbbells and barbells and other gym equipment is not able to be used then body weight exercises will suffice initially such as chin-ups, push-ups, high step ups, squats and lunges, etc.

He did say however that the cardio 3 time per week is fine so long as you don't do more than 30 - 45mins per session of intense cardio and a higher protein diet is recommended but also you should look into consuming more unprocessed carbohydrate such as breads, rice, cereals and pastas also to allow for enough energy to fuel your muscles and other organs.



Good luck and I hope this helps you out.
2010-11-24 06:02:27 UTC
I would say you need a wider variety of exercises, and to spread them out between your different work out sessions. You should do 3 sets of 8-10 reps at the maximum weight you can manage.



If you want a good routine I suggest reading Starting Strength if you have gym access, or if you haven't read Brain over Brawn, which you should read either way. It's full of useful advice for beginners, and will help you understand what you need to do to get the most out of your work out.
Luke L
2010-11-24 06:05:51 UTC
eat a lot rice and pasta, chicken breasts ,skimmed milk and train hard.

i do 30 min / 5km /500kcal burned - rowing for fitness

,4 series 12 - 15 reps of ( 85-90% weights i can use ) for all parts of muscles ,and i go to the gym 4-5 times per week for 120 minutes.

good diet is the key,and work until you feel you cannot do more.

first you need mass,then you can work on definition.
Joe
2010-11-24 06:00:13 UTC
Yeah you'll tone up some, but youll never gain without isolated workouts.

Try an isolated muscle grouping schedule.

Work certain muscles on certain days for recovery and development.

Example schedule:

Monday: Chest and Triceps

Tuesday: Back and biceps

Wednesday: Legs and abs

Thursday: Shoulder and traps

Friday: biceps and triceps

Weekend off, or add in a chest day like I do =)


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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