Some beginner's questions - please help!

[Mantis2K]

EDIT: I don't seem to be getting any help in the Workout forum, so maybe my questions are better related to this forum.

I bought a Dumbell-Barbell set of weights a couple of weeks ago, and I'm trying to come up with an effective training program to build my muscles, but ultimately burn fat as fast as possible! I'd be very grateful for your opinions/answers to any of these questions or any other tips/advice you'd like to share, based on my one goal--burning fat.

1) When performing multiple sets, should the same exercise be repeated in a row, or the whole program repeated? How much time should one rest between each set? If performing each set to exhaustion/failure, should I be using multiple sets during the same workout, at all?

For example, if I perform 3 sets of 5 specific exercises for 5 different muscle groups, what is the most common sequence?
M1,M1,M1,M2,M2,M2,M3,M3,M3,M4,M4,M4,M5,M5,M5.
OR
M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M1,M2,M3,M4,M5

This may sound like a stupid question, but in all the beginner's guides I've come across, there is no definition of "Set". I atleast understand what a repetition means!


2) I notice certain muscles in my arms get tired when working on other muscle groups in the upper body, limiting my number of repetitions; therefore, what is the best order to train the major muscle groups? Should I start on the back first, the chest, or the arms etc?


3) Within the same workout, should each muscle group be worked on by several different exercises designed for that specific group? For example, should I perform both Flat and Inclined Chest Presses during the same workout, in order to work the muscle at different angles etc? Or do bodybuilders normally just pick one exercise from each group?


4) Is this "Alternate Curls" exercise dangerous at all; could it potentially cause an injury?
http://www.maxmuscle.com/index.cfm?f...=workout_guide

When raising the dumbells from each side, I have to twist my whole arm and wrist about 90 degrees, so I'm wondering if this is safe?


5) When I first started weight training, I noticed some extra "clicking" inside my left elbow, but now it seems to have gone; anyone please explain this?


6) How many muscle groups are there? In my guide, it lists:
Shoulders
Upper Back
Thighs and Buttocks
Triceps
Biceps
Chest

Can they be broken down into smaller groups, targeted by different exercises? What are the other muscle groups? How do these ones fit in?
Trapezius
Leg
Calf

Can anyone provide a complete list of all muscle groups at the most detailed level?


7) What rare types of exercises are there for body builders to target obscure muscles that aren't normally worked during conventional exercises, in order to truly achieve a full body routine? Is there any muscles that cannot be trained effectively, at all? What's the most exercises I can do in a single workout?


Any help with these questions would be much appreciated! Also, if you happen to know any good website links for beginners, detailed list of all muscles/muscle groups, comprehensive lists of exercises (etc), please share!

[JOHN GARGANI]

Mantis: you are being overwhelming here!!!

I am one of the leading guys here for helping out newbies, but you are asking for a soup to nuts!

this borders on silly as a first request: have you checked the bookstores: there are MANY beginner books that answer every single one of your questions in detail....I know, because I was just looking through what was currently available in a Barnes and Noble just the other day.....

[GETIN_ HUGE]

EDIT: I don't seem to be getting any help in the Workout forum, so maybe my questions are better related to this forum.

I bought a Dumbell-Barbell set of weights a couple of weeks ago, and I'm trying to come up with an effective training program to build my muscles, but ultimately burn fat as fast as possible! I'd be very grateful for your opinions/answers to any of these questions or any other tips/advice you'd like to share, based on my one goal--burning fat.

1) When performing multiple sets, should the same exercise be repeated in a row, or the whole program repeated? How much time should one rest between each set? If performing each set to exhaustion/failure, should I be using multiple sets during the same workout, at all?

For example, if I perform 3 sets of 5 specific exercises for 5 different muscle groups, what is the most common sequence?
M1,M1,M1,M2,M2,M2,M3,M3,M3,M4,M4,M4,M5,M5,M5.
OR
M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M1,M2,M3,M4,M5,M1,M2,M3,M4,M5

This may sound like a stupid question, but in all the beginner's guides I've come across, there is no definition of "Set". I atleast understand what a repetition means!


2) I notice certain muscles in my arms get tired when working on other muscle groups in the upper body, limiting my number of repetitions; therefore, what is the best order to train the major muscle groups? Should I start on the back first, the chest, or the arms etc?


3) Within the same workout, should each muscle group be worked on by several different exercises designed for that specific group? For example, should I perform both Flat and Inclined Chest Presses during the same workout, in order to work the muscle at different angles etc? Or do bodybuilders normally just pick one exercise from each group?


4) Is this "Alternate Curls" exercise dangerous at all; could it potentially cause an injury?
http://www.maxmuscle.com/index.cfm?f...=workout_guide

When raising the dumbells from each side, I have to twist my whole arm and wrist about 90 degrees, so I'm wondering if this is safe?


5) When I first started weight training, I noticed some extra "clicking" inside my left elbow, but now it seems to have gone; anyone please explain this?


6) How many muscle groups are there? In my guide, it lists:
Shoulders
Upper Back
Thighs and Buttocks
Triceps
Biceps
Chest

Can they be broken down into smaller groups, targeted by different exercises? What are the other muscle groups? How do these ones fit in?
Trapezius
Leg
Calf

Can anyone provide a complete list of all muscle groups at the most detailed level?


7) What rare types of exercises are there for body builders to target obscure muscles that aren't normally worked during conventional exercises, in order to truly achieve a full body routine? Is there any muscles that cannot be trained effectively, at all? What's the most exercises I can do in a single workout?


Any help with these questions would be much appreciated! Also, if you happen to know any good website links for beginners, detailed list of all muscles/muscle groups, comprehensive lists of exercises (etc), please share!

1) yes do straight sets as in M1,M1,M1,M2,M2,M2 etc.

2) start with the big compound movements first, such as presses and pulls for chest and back, then move on to the isolation excersises like arms and calves

3) it depends what works best for you, that said, i wudn't go overboard on excersises, so if you are doing multiple sets per bodypart then dont do 20 sets for chest, 20 sets for arms etc, i find that 3-6 sets per bodypart work the best

4) it is perfectly safe when exectuted corectly, using a weight you can handle and not swinging wildly

5) probably just cartalidge getting used to movement under weights, i get it in my elbow and knees sometimes, nothing to worry abou (feel free to correct me on this anyone)

6) the muscle groups are:
chest
back
legs
biceps
triceps

use that as the base, legs can be divided into quads, hams and calves, back into lats, traps and lower back, thats about it

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html enjoy

7) most muscles are hit my the big compound excersises, my big 7 are:
ATG back
ATG front squats
deadlifts
bent over rows
incline dumbell press
shoulder press
full squat clean

also i do skull crushers, latterall raises and occasional curls


i hope this helps, remember to keep reading and as your main goal is to burn fat, do cardio, keep your diet clean and on a deficit but DON'T go high reps, light weight etc. train heavy and on a decent split, this way you will maintain most muscle and may gain some, hope this helped

[Mantis2K]

Mantis: you are being overwhelming here!!!

Sorry if my post looks overwhelming, but it's just 7 simple questions, indicated clearly by numbers.

I am one of the leading guys here for helping out newbies, but you are asking for a soup to nuts!

It's always children's questions that seem to stump the adults more than the technical questions.

this borders on silly as a first request: have you checked the bookstores: there are MANY beginner books that answer every single one of your questions in detail....I know, because I was just looking through what was currently available in a Barnes and Noble just the other day.....

Books are generally meant for finding out in-depth information about a given subject, but I just need to know a few basics to gain an overview of bodybuilding, yet I cannot even find out the definition of a "set" among beginner's guides published on the net. Some of my questions are too specific to be answered by books, such as the "clicking" inside my elbow. For exercises and background information on muscle groups, it would be easier to suggest a couple of good websites; no?

[Mantis2K]

Thanks GETIN_ HUGE; yours is the first genuine reply!

1) yes do straight sets as in M1,M1,M1,M2,M2,M2 etc.

If performing to exhaustion/failure, does it make sense to repeat the same excerise immediately? How much time should one rest in-between a set? Does straight sets work better than performing 3 circuits of single excercise sets?

3) it depends what works best for you, that said, i wudn't go overboard on excersises, so if you are doing multiple sets per bodypart then dont do 20 sets for chest, 20 sets for arms etc, i find that 3-6 sets per bodypart work the best

I'm not talking about number of sets, but number of different types of exercises for the same muscle group, ie. Standard and Inclined Bench Presses; should the same body part be exercised from different angles within the same full body routine workout, in order to gain maximum muscle growth and fat loss?

4) it is perfectly safe when exectuted corectly, using a weight you can handle and not swinging wildly

I read somewhere that muscles are designed to be worked in a straight line, and that it's dangerous to twist during weight training exercises. I still feel apprehensive about including that Alternative Curls within my workout; it just doesn't seem right on the wrists and elbows.

[WillDeadliftForFood]

http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow...20Descriptions

There is some excellent information in this site.

[Mantis2K]

http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html enjoy

This site seems pretty good; thanks! However, it doesn't include many exercises for each muscle group; for example, take Biceps...
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/Arm...#anchor1910082
The single recommended exercise is Curls, but then I'm reading elsewhere that the best exercise for the Biceps--for maximum mass--is a variation of the basic Curls, called "21s". RU4A69 then recommended using Preacher Curls for definition; therefore, is there any other websites with a more compehensive list of exercises for Biceps and other muscle groups?

[GETIN_ HUGE]

don't do 21's, theyre ****, just do a couple sets of curls

sure incline bench and flat bench are both good, but only 3 or 4 sets of each, try dumbells aswell

if you don't like the look of alternating curls, don't so them, no-one says you have to

just do straight sets and take them one or two reps short of failiur, the link posted by WillDeadlift is a good one, just keep reading and learning.

good luck, keep asking if you have anymore quiestions

EDIT: rest times should be about 90 seconds for isolation work and 2 or 3 minutes for heavy compounds

[HoosierBoy]

the muscle groups are:
chest
back
legs
biceps
triceps

And neck, shoulders (including rotator cuffs, front, side, and rear deltoids), and midsection (lower back already being mentioned).

[papi93]

This site seems pretty good; thanks! However, it doesn't include many exercises for each muscle group; for example, take Biceps...
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/Arm...#anchor1910082
The single recommended exercise is Curls, but then I'm reading elsewhere that the best exercise for the Biceps--for maximum mass--is a variation of the basic Curls, called "21s". RU4A69 then recommended using Preacher Curls for definition; therefore, is there any other websites with a more compehensive list of exercises for Biceps and other muscle groups?

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/slide...id=16&subId=37

[Mantis2K]

http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/slide...id=16&subId=37

Perfect!