Answers to Common Questions

[BEGGINNNER]

Hi guys, I can't find precise answer on this question anywhere, so have to ask here:

Do I need to brace my core during every exercise? Or I should let my abdominals adapt themselves to the load without thinking about it? Or I should maybe consciously try to activate them as little as possible?
Lets take this Lying Leg Curls for example, how should my abs behave while performing it?

[StrawHatPatriot]

I don't have a dip machine at my gym, so can someone recommend me good form for decline bench presses?

And I feel more activation on my lats when I do kneeling lat pulldowns with the cable machine, so any advice there?

[staciemcdarby]

I'm nervous to ask a question :O

[krngirl743]

Thanks for this information. I have been working out for over 3 months now and having read this article, may have been overdoing it lol also I apparently have been doing many isolation exercises instead of working with compound exercises. Time to change my routine up a bit for the better. you are right, I am concerned with some of those compound exercises such as anything to do with the bench. Hope someone at my gym will help me. Thanks again!

[aswinfrancis]

Can someone tell me if this workout is worth following?
jefit.com/routines/workout-routine-database.php?id=21443

If not can someone suggest another intermediate workout plan for building proper lean muscles white cutting

[frostisall]

thanks this was very helpful!

[selsinko]

Hi. I am 17 years old and I have 18 months working out. But I see to myself that it is very difficult to get muscle mass. I eat 5 or 6 meals a day, i dont smoke, i dont drink alchool and i dont eat sugar. I see my friend at the same age that smoke, dont eat well and they have more results than me. Who can tell me what should i do?

[MedicChris3]

Hi guys, I can't find precise answer on this question anywhere, so have to ask here:

Do I need to brace my core during every exercise? Or I should let my abdominals adapt themselves to the load without thinking about it? Or I should maybe consciously try to activate them as little as possible?
Lets take this Lying Leg Curls for example, how should my abs behave while performing it?

By contracting the abdominals during other exercises, you're giving them a form of stimulation. Also, contracting the abdominals creates a solid core which does tend to decrease the possibility of injury. There are many accomplished lifters who have solid strong cores but never do any ab work, this is achieved by consciously activating them during other lifts.

[MedicChris3]

Hi. I am 17 years old and I have 18 months working out. But I see to myself that it is very difficult to get muscle mass. I eat 5 or 6 meals a day, i dont smoke, i dont drink alchool and i dont eat sugar. I see my friend at the same age that smoke, dont eat well and they have more results than me. Who can tell me what should i do?

If you mean that your not gaining weight then the answer is simple, you're not eating enough. If you're taking in the right amount of protein (1g per pound of body weight) and then filling in calories with healthy fats and carbs and working out consistently, then you should be gaining weight. If you're not, up your calorie intake by 50-100 per day until you start seeing a positive change in the scale, then eat at that amount until you notice your weight gain stop. You should be shooting to gain .5-1lb per week or a little less so that you dont tack on a ton of body fat.

[brsaicnaztrkou]

Hey there has been a question in my mind for a time and could not really find anyone to ask about it so i thought that i might ask it here, hoping you to responde :-) So, generally speaking, when lifting weights, muscle gets bigger and stronger as it add more muscle volume and to make it grow even further we simply use heavier weight so muscle needs to grow to take the stress, be capable of lifting that much of a weight. My question is what happenes if we keep the same amount of weight and do more repetition? For example if i do 3 x 10 bicep curls with 10 kg, what happens if i do 3 x 20? Does muscle also get bigger to take that much of repetition and be capable of doing one more rep? What happenes then? Thank you!

[Rodman1]

Amazing man, this is very useful. Thanks!!

[Marcuspw]

Thanks for the q & a's. I have been doing weight training off and on but want to start up again. But with more knowledge, then just lifting. So it really helps. thanks.

[PaulSmith32]

good post helpful

[IronKrazy]

Hey there has been a question in my mind for a time and could not really find anyone to ask about it so i thought that i might ask it here, hoping you to responde :-) So, generally speaking, when lifting weights, muscle gets bigger and stronger as it add more muscle volume and to make it grow even further we simply use heavier weight so muscle needs to grow to take the stress, be capable of lifting that much of a weight. My question is what happenes if we keep the same amount of weight and do more repetition? For example if i do 3 x 10 bicep curls with 10 kg, what happens if i do 3 x 20? Does muscle also get bigger to take that much of repetition and be capable of doing one more rep? What happenes then? Thank you!

This is more along the lines of muscle endurance, not so much regarding size. Yes you're stronger to be able to do 10 more reps but you won't be much bigger if at all.

It all depends on your goals. If you are looking to be athletic and lean looking you'll want to do low weight with very high reps and eat at maintenance or 200 calories below with a diet that's very well planned, sure you won't be strong but you'll look good as hell. If you want strength and size, you'll want to lift heavy, with reps of 3-6 per set and eat A LOT. Then when you have got to a certain strength level, you can cut some weight and do it again OR cut weight and STAY with a certain strength level/size and cut down to how you want to look.

[BillyNguyenFit]

This is a great post! Thank you

[nmunn525]

Hey guys I really am concerned with how my back is developing. I am new to forums but not new to bodybuilding. I am naturally an ectomorph, and I have been training for about 5 years now, started out at 150lbs, ate 4000 cals a day and bulked up to 185lbs. Now i am back down to 160lbs but much leaner. I like the lean look. I am 5'7". I have also competed in 2 physique shows, although I am partial to bb... So essentially I am pretty satisfied with the progress of my overall physique, but I am concerned with how my lower back has developed. I need someone who understands anatomy, and physique symmetry to give me some honest advice. Towards the bottom of my lats, near spinal erector, I do not like how my back looks. Now I know everyones genetics are different, but I have never seen anyones back that looks like mine. There are these 2 muscles that protrude significantly from my lower back when I flex, on both sides of my spine, I assume they are my lower lats? But I could be totally incorrect. I never really do hyper extensions, due to the fact that Ive been told by some pros that since I regularly perform the aforementioned movements, that hyper extensions aren't really necessary. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what I mean. Please someone tell me what is wrong and how I can fix it. I just want a balanced aesthetic physique, not one that looks like I broke my back. My back is broken. (mike tyson voice)

[ASP321]

Hi, I'm just getting into lifting, and I'm starting the stronglifts 5x5 program. I'm 14 years old, 6 foot 2, 70 kilograms and around 10% body fat. I'd say that one side of my family is rather muscular. What is a realistic goal for muscle gain in a year?

[bhavnaSahu]

Q: I may have an injury. (State nature of injury). What should I do?
A: Give it some rest, ask your mother, or see a doctor. Nobody can diagnose you over the internet and you're likely to hurt yourself further by listening to bad advice.

I am a baseball player ans suffered from elbow injury due to high stresses every time. After taking rest, at the end i joined a physical therapy in an Arthroscopy in Raipur. Now I am perfectly fine and go for fitness checkups every month.

[bsevans5]

I recognize the original post is old, but it has been helpful for years as evidenced by all the follow-up posts. I'm now a beneficiary as I've just stumbled across it, but I have some questions...I'm a 34 year old male. I've been active most my life playing sports. I have been in a weight room probably less than 10 times total in my life, so I feel pretty inexperienced. I enjoy studying health information and have read lots of articles and watched lots of videos, but am really quite inexperienced.

I had a friend transfer a prepaid (up until September) gym membership to me because he wasn't using it and I can't afford one. I've tried working out at home, but don't have much equipment and can't get motivated to do things with makeshift stuff.

I found a program on the bodybuilding website called "Rewired" that seemed doable, but its 5 days a week. I try to play pickup basketball or volleyball M/W/F and I don't know that I can do both. From the original post on here, it suggests that as a newbie, I shouldn't even be doing a 5 day a week program, but should stick to a 3 day one. Is that really the consensus? If so, what does someone suggest?

Also, is it better to drop the weight or modify an exercise to complete all reps in a set non stop, or try a weight or exercise that may be a little harder, but have to take breaks to complete all reps in a set? I went this morning and tried to do a chest workout. The workout has three sets of 15, 12, 10 reps. One of the exercises was chest version of dips. I couldn't complete that many so I had to take short breaks. Should I do that, or find one of those dip assist machines?

Another exercise I had trouble with was the incline bench. I had to keep dropping weight until it was 10# on each side and still had to take breaks. I know its form over ego, but I don't know if I can stand to do a workout with just the bar in order to complete all reps in the set without stopping. I guess if more experienced people tell me that's where I need to start, I'll do it, but it will be hard.

So here I am, putting myself out there, looking for some direction. Please help.

Thanks.

[VoxExMachina]

I recognize the original post is old, but it has been helpful for years as evidenced by all the follow-up posts. I'm now a beneficiary as I've just stumbled across it, but I have some questions...I'm a 34 year old male. I've been active most my life playing sports. I have been in a weight room probably less than 10 times total in my life, so I feel pretty inexperienced. I enjoy studying health information and have read lots of articles and watched lots of videos, but am really quite inexperienced.

I had a friend transfer a prepaid (up until September) gym membership to me because he wasn't using it and I can't afford one. I've tried working out at home, but don't have much equipment and can't get motivated to do things with makeshift stuff.

I found a program on the bodybuilding website called "Rewired" that seemed doable, but its 5 days a week. I try to play pickup basketball or volleyball M/W/F and I don't know that I can do both. From the original post on here, it suggests that as a newbie, I shouldn't even be doing a 5 day a week program, but should stick to a 3 day one. Is that really the consensus? If so, what does someone suggest?

Also, is it better to drop the weight or modify an exercise to complete all reps in a set non stop, or try a weight or exercise that may be a little harder, but have to take breaks to complete all reps in a set? I went this morning and tried to do a chest workout. The workout has three sets of 15, 12, 10 reps. One of the exercises was chest version of dips. I couldn't complete that many so I had to take short breaks. Should I do that, or find one of those dip assist machines?

Another exercise I had trouble with was the incline bench. I had to keep dropping weight until it was 10# on each side and still had to take breaks. I know its form over ego, but I don't know if I can stand to do a workout with just the bar in order to complete all reps in the set without stopping. I guess if more experienced people tell me that's where I need to start, I'll do it, but it will be hard.

So here I am, putting myself out there, looking for some direction. Please help.

Thanks.

3 days per week of lifting is fine, if you're playing sports in between as "cardio". Just make sure your 3 days are not full of isolation exercises (like just bicep curls), but instead feature a high percentage of compound lifts like bench press, squats, barbell rows, and so forth.

As for weight, let's say you're supposed to do 15, 12 and 10 reps of an exercise. If you pick a weight that you can do 15, 11, and 8 of, then just stick with that weight and work each week to get more reps. But if you only get 8, 5, and 3 reps, for example, then lower the weight until you're closer to the target number of reps.

It's not an exact science, and there is no "magical" number of reps you need to complete. For bodybuilding purposes, work in the range of 6-15 reps as a general guideline. The key point is that you're PROGRESSING by doing either more weight OR more reps (or both) one week than you did the last week. As long as you're making forward progress, you're on the right track.

[bsevans5]

3 days per week of lifting is fine, if you're playing sports in between as "cardio". Just make sure your 3 days are not full of isolation exercises (like just bicep curls), but instead feature a high percentage of compound lifts like bench press, squats, barbell rows, and so forth.

As for weight, let's say you're supposed to do 15, 12 and 10 reps of an exercise. If you pick a weight that you can do 15, 11, and 8 of, then just stick with that weight and work each week to get more reps. But if you only get 8, 5, and 3 reps, for example, then lower the weight until you're closer to the target number of reps.

It's not an exact science, and there is no "magical" number of reps you need to complete. For bodybuilding purposes, work in the range of 6-15 reps as a general guideline. The key point is that you're PROGRESSING by doing either more weight OR more reps (or both) one week than you did the last week. As long as you're making forward progress, you're on the right track.

I really appreciate the response. Maybe the 5 day a week program is a bit ambitious as I'm starting out. If I were to do a 3 day a week thing, is there a specific routine/program people suggest? I've looked a little on the forum, but quite frankly although this is a great resource, its a bit overwhelming with so much information to try and navigate.

Thanks!

[VoxExMachina]

I really appreciate the response. Maybe the 5 day a week program is a bit ambitious as I'm starting out. If I were to do a 3 day a week thing, is there a specific routine/program people suggest? I've looked a little on the forum, but quite frankly although this is a great resource, its a bit overwhelming with so much information to try and navigate.

Thanks!

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=169172473

^ That thread is part of an ongoing thread about one of the more popular beginner routines on the forum.

[bsevans5]

^ That thread is part of an ongoing thread about one of the more popular beginner routines on the forum.

Thank you for that. I had come across that program and that one seems reasonable and was thinking about switching from the "rewired" program available on the website to the one you linked. I think I understand the layout. I see that if the 5th week can't be achieved, the direction is to do it again. What if one of the other weeks can be hit (rep requirement) should the previous week be done over, or is it pretty realistic to hit those first benchmarks? I'm also wondering how many cycles of this someone should do? Is there a benefit to switching things up at some point?

I'm grateful for all the help. I fear I'm getting too late of a start in life on this as my life is now consumed by work and 5 young kids, but I figured it might be worth giving it a shot and see what happens.

[Athl3te]

What type of excercise should one do to prevent / reverse shoulders that curb towards the front of your chest vs keeping them back? Would it be one excercise or a combination?

Pullups will keep your shoulders in place , specially underhand pullups

[fermuo]

Here is a stupid newbie question, please be gentle or point me to where the right asking location is. I just started training a few months ago and have lost some weight and have seen some good progress. However I want to try new things but I dont really have good time, so I was wondering if doing this would be OK: Workout in the afternoon, after work, start about 7 PM, it would be cardio, (intervals or 4km running at high level) and/or weight lifting, one of the two or both at the same session. Be done by 8:45, 9 PM. Have a meal and/or protein shake, shower and go to bed, at about 10 PM. ( I can do this since I work at a camp monday through friday, no wife, kids or any other distractions). So here is the question, there is no time left for trying any other thing, so If I want to add some abs workout (or a 30 minute chest workout), can I get up at 6 in the morning and spend 20 minutes working out the abs and still have results? I mean, I feel like 20 minutes isnt enough for a training session, I feel like the muscles worked out wouldnt even notice. Thats why I think this is a stupid question. Thanks for reading this and also thanks if anyone replies.

[jaayaa]

Great information sharing with us...

[sfalih]

I have an a dot can we take creatine and bcaa before workout

[mjtanza]

Looking to cut from 275 to 220 I know big goal but I can do it. How fast and I know how hard it will be.can I cut 10 percent body fat

[Chitkd]

Hi all. Looking for some advice. I am left handed and therefore left arm stronger than right. I have just started to lift dumbells and am aware to 'lift heavy' problem is if I chose weight that my left arm can manage around 10 reps my right really struggles the first set and fails to get past 5 reps the second and 3rd sets. But my left stil manages to lift (not easily). So what do I do??
1)Do I keep doing this and my right arm will grow from it altho little reps done
2) make both lighter weights so right arm can do 10 reps altho this won't stress my left arm at all really
3) different weights different arms? Heavier weight for left than right arm? Am really lost and any advice (plus reason would b move as I like to learn but not necessary l) would be most great full. Thank you.

[aido66]

nice post