working out alone

[Willmac67]

Hey all

I'm 42 and have lifted on and off for the past few years now, my goal was more weightloss than geting bigger. Well most of my friends and family think I have lost too much weight, and I have to agree.

One problem I face is that I workout alone in my basement. Right now I can't afford a gym membership but I have a full set of plates and dumbells along with a pretty decent squat rack/bench combo. I know what lifts to do and how to do them. I live alone and out in the counrty so I don't have a lifting partner. Although I cannot do forced reps, I am doing a higher volume program 4 days per week. So my main question is; if I a still good and sore for the next 2 days after working a specific muscle group and I eat properly, will I gain the mass I desire. Keeping in mind I'm not shooting for a competion or anything, just a few more pounds of muscle.

Thanks in advance

Bill

[Most Muscular]

yes.

nuff said...

[Time2BulkUp]

I think it depends on what you define as "eating properly". If you're getting enough protein and calories and doing a clean bulk properly, then yes you should add some mass. I assume you're not currently cutting since you mentioned you lost too much weight?

What are your goals?

[bamazav]

Originally Posted by Most Muscular

yes.

nuff said...

^^^^ Not sure it could be said any more succinctly.

[Like It Or Not]

I would say you need to keep track of your macronutrient content. If you want to get bigger, you need to eat more calories than you burn (go figure). But, by keeping track of how much you eat, and if you are gaining or losing weight, you can fine tune it.

I use fitday.com great site.

[Fifty+]

Originally Posted by Willmac67

Hey all

I'm 42 and have lifted on and off for the past few years now, my goal was more weightloss than geting bigger. Well most of my friends and family think I have lost too much weight, and I have to agree.

One problem I face is that I workout alone in my basement. Right now I can't afford a gym membership but I have a full set of plates and dumbells along with a pretty decent squat rack/bench combo. I know what lifts to do and how to do them. I live alone and out in the counrty so I don't have a lifting partner. Although I cannot do forced reps, I am doing a higher volume program 4 days per week. So my main question is; if I a still good and sore for the next 2 days after working a specific muscle group and I eat properly, will I gain the mass I desire. Keeping in mind I'm not shooting for a competion or anything, just a few more pounds of muscle.

Thanks in advance

Bill

Working out alone has very little to do with the equation. I've been lifting alone for over 15 years and I'm sure many others have also, and although we may not be stepping on stage, progress has been made.

[ckbputt3]

Originally Posted by Willmac67

Hey all

I'm 42 and have lifted on and off for the past few years now, my goal was more weightloss than geting bigger. Well most of my friends and family think I have lost too much weight, and I have to agree.

One problem I face is that I workout alone in my basement. Right now I can't afford a gym membership but I have a full set of plates and dumbells along with a pretty decent squat rack/bench combo. I know what lifts to do and how to do them. I live alone and out in the counrty so I don't have a lifting partner. Although I cannot do forced reps, I am doing a higher volume program 4 days per week. So my main question is; if I a still good and sore for the next 2 days after working a specific muscle group and I eat properly, will I gain the mass I desire. Keeping in mind I'm not shooting for a competion or anything, just a few more pounds of muscle.

Thanks in advance

Bill

If safety is an issue...purchase a power rack...I also workout alone. I still consider myself relatively new to weight lifting...2 years...but I am finally getting to some wieght that if dropped could hurt, I am looking at getting a power rack next year.

[ygohome]

I also workout alone. I use something similar to this...



if I can't push up the bar when trying for one more rep and just can't make it... I just rotate the bar to hook it at whatever height it is at. This way I don't try to quit early... I can try to "force" a rep or two and if I can't do it I just hook the bar where it's at.

As long as I can still crawl out. lol.

[Old_Swole]

I workout alone but when I bench I use dumbells, so if I can't get that last rep it is never an issue.

[Iceman1800]

Originally Posted by Most Muscular

yes.

nuff said...

agreed

[SpadesOfIndia]

I workout alone in a rack.
I can't stress importance of a rack because now I am not afraid to push the last rep. Several times I had to rest the weight on the pins when I just couldn't push the last bench press rep. Same with squats.
Overhead press is another story though. I think one of the reasons I am not making any progress on the overhead press.

[StressMonkey]

I think someone did a poll here and most people worked out alone if I remember correctly.

[induced_drag]

I workout alone and at home too. Therefore.....I never do forced reps. I dont think it is hurting me. I also lift heavy (heavy being a relative term...what is heavy for me can be someone elses warmup). By heavy means I will go as low as 3 rep sets.

I bench on a normal bench without a rack. (I do squat in a rack though) I have never not been able to get the weight up. (sorry for the double negative )
I think once you have been training for a while, you can get a feel if you have another in you or not.

Yes you most definitely can add muscle. Diet is the key. Probably more important then the stimulus you provide is the building blocks you ingest. Almost ANY stimulus in the beginning will work. Take advantage of this 'newbie' time and eat as good as you can. Get enough protein. I think you will be surprised at the results.

[Bando]

You can grow without sets that would be better with a partner/spotter, ie: going to failure, negatives etc. Those are just tools in the BB'ing bag of tricks, if not available, use other tools.

[Wildtim]

Originally Posted by SpadesOfIndia

I workout alone in a rack.
I can't stress importance of a rack because now I am not afraid to push the last rep. Several times I had to rest the weight on the pins when I just couldn't push the last bench press rep. Same with squats.
Overhead press is another story though. I think one of the reasons I am not making any progress on the overhead press.

On OHP you can feel safer and have a place to fail to better if you place the bar in front of you on the pins. Lift over the pins in line with the uprights. My OHP is actually only about 2 inches away from the front uprights on my rack. If I can't get the rep I just let it back down onto the pins If I am totally failing I can tip a little forward and slid it down the uprights knowing it will hit the pins before my shoulders blow out too.

[BergMuscle]

I'm another home trainer and I've gotten bigger and stronger than I've ever been in my life while training at home. Not having a partner has nothing to do with your potential - unless it's used as an excuse.

[cozener]

Originally Posted by Willmac67

I eat properly

If thats true you're way ahead of the game. I'm still trying to master this aspect of it. Working out...that's the easy part for me. I work out alone too. That said, if you've really lost too much weight then you might want to reexamine how you're eating. Your diet might not be as proper as you think.

[JOHN GARGANI]

Originally Posted by BergMuscle

I'm another home trainer and I've gotten bigger and stronger than I've ever been in my life while training at home. Not having a partner has nothing to do with your potential - unless it's used as an excuse.

right: having a good partner is a luxury, but not a necessity.....

if you REALLY get the right one, you will make astounding gains....but they are few and far and hard to come by.....

so: for the most part, the vast majority of us will workout alone the bulk ( no pun intended, lol) of the time.....

[Arnoldfan]

Originally Posted by Willmac67

Hey all

I'm 42 and have lifted on and off for the past few years now, my goal was more weightloss than geting bigger. Well most of my friends and family think I have lost too much weight, and I have to agree.

One problem I face is that I workout alone in my basement. Right now I can't afford a gym membership but I have a full set of plates and dumbells along with a pretty decent squat rack/bench combo. I know what lifts to do and how to do them. I live alone and out in the counrty so I don't have a lifting partner. Although I cannot do forced reps, I am doing a higher volume program 4 days per week. So my main question is; if I a still good and sore for the next 2 days after working a specific muscle group and I eat properly, will I gain the mass I desire. Keeping in mind I'm not shooting for a competion or anything, just a few more pounds of muscle.

Thanks in advance

Bill

Absolutely. I worked out heavy for over a year and loved it. I always made sure I never lifted a weight unless I knew I could finish the rep out. But I loved working out by myself. I could concentrate better and had no distractions.