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Weight Training - Am I doing enough

2,975 Views | 14 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by TwoMarksHand
TXAGGIES
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During my career I worked long hours and advanced to a stage where I am pretty successful, but my body has paid the price.

I recently bought a Marcy home gym 9010G and some free weights. I am currently lifting for 20-30 minutes a session and 3-4 sessions a week.

I usually try and break them up as follows, usually 3 sets of 10-15 reps:

3 chest exercise and 2 triceps exercises
2 back exercises, 2 shoulder exercises, 2 bicep exercises
Squats, extensions, leg curls and calf raises

Is 4 to 5 exercises a night enough to make a difference? I know it is better than I was doing but will I really see any difference.
BallerStaf2003
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AG
How old are you? How difficult are these sets for you? What is your goal? Weight, height, and overall fitness level would also be good to know.
TXAGGIES
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Early 40's

Sets are still challenging around rep 8-10
I could probably do more if I had more time but with family and kids limited to 30 minutes most days

Goal is weight loss, old man gut, and will be starting cardio on a stationary bike on non lifting days

Overall fitness now-a-days is pretty poor as I spend 2 hours commuting to and from work on a daily basis, but in my early years I worked our religiously and played sports until my late 30's.
CTGilley
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AG
Yes. That is the short answer.

If only doing 2 back exercises, Deadlift and Bent over row are best.

Hopefully you at doing incline as a chest exercise and over head press for shoulders.

If possible, lower the reps and increase the weight.

IMHO. Weight loss is best done 4 days a week doing an upper-lower split. But any additional activity helps and nothing will do any good if you eat like crap.
bigtruckguy3500
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I think deadlifts are really a leg exercise. At least most variations of it.
CTGilley
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If done correctly it will work the entire posterior chain.

I understand the arguments for both. My typical back day is Deadlift, bent over row, pull ups. One arm row, then a couple bicep workouts. With some variety.
Hoosegow
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What difference are you looking to see? Yes you will get stronger as your body adapts neurologically. Probably any increased muscle definition you see will probably be more from any weight loss.

Base all of your sessions on compound lifts and you can't go wrong. Body weight exercises are great, too. Dips, chinups, push-ups, etc.

On a side note... The older I get and the more damaged I get, I lean more towards practical strength work. Pick up heavy crap and move it around. Get you bags of sand and move it from one end of the lawn to another. Load up a wheel barrow and push it around the block. Get you a heavy log and pick it up and push it over your fence. Grab a sledge hammer and hit a tire. Probably one of the best things you can get is a Prowler and all the accessories you need. For about $400, you can get a prowler and all the accessories you need and have a helluva strength and conditioning set up.

https://www.elitefts.com/e-series-prowler.html

Class of '94
Thomas Sowell, PhD
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AG
You need to fill a gallon milk jug with water and keep it with you and wear a muscle shirt to make maximum gains. Puffing out your chest helps and walking around bowed up at the local nursing home can help you feel the gains. Jelly filled donuts can help replenish sources of energy on your way home from the gym and isn't junk food since you are simply helping to restore hungry damaged muscle tissue. Well this works for me anyway and my bench press is 115.
Broncos
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TXAGGIES said:

Goal is weight loss, old man gut


Diet. Diet. Diet.

I'm not talking weight watchers or some other nonsense. Just eat clean. Stick to chicken, lean beef, bison, turkey. Add a sweet potato or rice for carbs. Green veggies or tomatoes.

Limit your alcohol intake. Stay away from deserts and junk food.

You'll see results a lot faster than just working out and eating what you want.
Matsui
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AG
Agreed. 100% true. I don't start seeeing real results until I cut out all of the junk.
Ag12thman
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AG
Broncos said:

TXAGGIES said:

Goal is weight loss, old man gut


Diet. Diet. Diet.

I'm not talking weight watchers or some other nonsense. Just eat clean. Stick to chicken, lean beef, bison, turkey. Add a sweet potato or rice for carbs. Green veggies or tomatoes.

Limit your alcohol intake. Stay away from deserts and junk food.

You'll see results a lot faster than just working out and eating what you want.
THIS. I've done both (eaten whatever I wanted while trying to workout and eaten clean). Not only do I not get results very quickly when I eat whatever I want, but I sometimes don't see a change at all. When I eat clean, the results happen FAST and I look and feel tons better. I also perform (exercise sessions go) better when I eat clean. I think this is more the case as one ages. Just my 2 cents from experience.

Cut out:

All carbonated beverages as much as possible.
Anything processed.
Sugars (table and all of its fake varieties).
Alcohol.
Fast food and a lot of high-calorie restaurant foods.
TwoMarksHand
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AG
Ag12thman said:

Broncos said:

TXAGGIES said:

Goal is weight loss, old man gut


Diet. Diet. Diet.

I'm not talking weight watchers or some other nonsense. Just eat clean. Stick to chicken, lean beef, bison, turkey. Add a sweet potato or rice for carbs. Green veggies or tomatoes.

Limit your alcohol intake. Stay away from deserts and junk food.

You'll see results a lot faster than just working out and eating what you want.
THIS. I've done both (eaten whatever I wanted while trying to workout and eaten clean). Not only do I not get results very quickly when I eat whatever I want, but I sometimes don't see a change at all. When I eat clean, the results happen FAST and I look and feel tons better. I also perform (exercise sessions go) better when I eat clean. I think this is more the case as one ages. Just my 2 cents from experience.

Cut out:

All carbonated beverages as much as possible.
Anything processed.
Sugars (table and all of its fake varieties).
Alcohol.
Fast food and a lot of high-calorie restaurant foods.
Gotta question for yall suggesting cutting alcohol. I drink beer most of the time, and some whisky every now and then. Would it be in my best interest to cut the beer and switch to whisky for my main alcohol? I think the beer drinking is keeping me from dropping more weight. I don't want to cut all alcohol out.
Matsui
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AG
Yes. Ideally cut the beer. Those craft or darker beers are highly caroloric.

Do you mix whiskey with anything?

I do agree you need to live a little. Maybe only drink at events or certain days of the week and don't just Have 1-2 every night type deal.
Ag12thman
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AG
I agree with Matsui. Cut it back for sure. Maybe weekends only? Get your fill of it during the holidays and then see if you can scale it back some. Think you'd get a lot better results if you can do so. It's hard, I know.
TwoMarksHand
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AG
Matsui said:

Yes. Ideally cut the beer. Those craft or darker beers are highly caroloric.

Do you mix whiskey with anything?

I do agree you need to live a little. Maybe only drink at events or certain days of the week and don't just Have 1-2 every night type deal.
Yeah I do love Shiner and other craft beer.

I mainly drink whisky with just an ice cube, but sometimes I'll have a Old fashioned or the like.

I don't drink during the week. I feel hungover when I wake up without drinking the night before anyway, and don't like to compound it before work(whole other problem).
TwoMarksHand
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AG
Ag12thman said:

I agree with Matsui. Cut it back for sure. Maybe weekends only? Get your fill of it during the holidays and then see if you can scale it back some. Think you'd get a lot better results if you can do so. It's hard, I know.
I only drink on weekends as noted above (unless during holidays or days off when I don't have to work).
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