[Ugly Bastard]

Pliedes, firstly I think it's cool that you are starting to lift weights...you'll probably thank yourself one day.

Secondly, I'll offer a little advice, but please take it as a grain of salt because I know very little compared to some of the people on here who lift (bert, buckeye, Trout...others).

Orgazmo and I started lifting last semester, our routine is as such:

Day One: "Push" day. We do any lifting that involves pushing. This helps your Pecs, Triceps, and Shoulders mostly...along with a few other negligable muscles. Some of the exercises we might do include Bench Press (almost always), Other types of bench pressing (incline, decline, dumbbell), Skull Crushers (these are hard to explain how to do on here, but they help your triceps), Shoulder Press, Pectoral Flies, Dips (Triceps)...maybe a few other things I'm forgetting.

Day Two: "Pull" day. We do bicep curls (usually sitting down with a curl bar, but you can do them standing up or with a straight "bench" style bar), Lat Pulldown (we do many variations on Lat Pulldown; regular grip, reverse grip...a few others that are hard to explain), Seated Row (the exercise that is like rowing a canoe), and some other exercises using the pull-cables that basically work your biceps.

Day Three: "Leg" day. We do squats (In my shitty and humble opinion, squats are the most important exercise we do, period. They work so many different muscles, calf, buttock, hamstrings, other miscellaneous shit. I started doing squats this summer, I could barely touch the rim on a basketball hoop, now I can dunk...I attribute about 90% of this solely to squats...no joke), Toe Raises (works the calfs), Leg Extention (Thighs), Reverse Leg Curs (Hamstrings). And yeah...that's about it.

Day Four: "Rest" day. We do no lifting on this day.

I'm not saying you should follow this plan...it's worked alright for me, but there are several different ways to work out, just ask around and see what you think you'd like the most.

A few things to know about weightlifting:

*(Again, in my opinion), the most important part of lifting weights is your diet. It is essential to eat a lot of protien (especially right after you lift). You could lift all the weights in the world, but if you aren't eating enough food (namely food high in protien), then you are pretty much wasting your time in the weight room. Good things to eat that have protien include (but are not limited to): Milk, Tuna, Egg whites, Peanut Butter, Protien Bars and Shakes, Chicken, Beef, Most Seafood (don't over-eat on the seafood...toxic), Nuts, shit...there's tons of other things you can eat, I just can't think of any. And if you can, try to eat like 5-6 small meals throughout the day instead of 2-3 large ones.

*Resting is extremely important. You'll notice that we go four days between exercising each muscle. If you are lifting with the same muscles everyday, then you are basically countering all of the work you did on the day before. I would recommend at least 48 hours between working out each muscle group...but something more like 72 or 96 is probably smarter. You could even lift each muscle group one day per week, and probably get along just fine.

*Drink a lot of water.

*Never lift more than you can handle. I know you pliedes, and you're not the strongest guy in the world (there's nothing wrong with that at all), so if you're in the weight room and you see these dudes lifting a ton of shit; don't try to lift that much thinking you'll impress people. No one cares how much you are lifting. Don't feel like people are laughing at you if you're benching under 100. Most people can't bench 100, it's not a big deal...at least you're in there trying. You'll be surprised how much you'll be able to lift after a couple of months anyway.

*When we lift we do five sets of five repititions. Basically, if you want to build mass and bulk, try doing lots of sets, few reps, lots of weight (this is all relative). If you want to tone up and build lean muscle, try doing a couple sets, lots of reps, not a ton of weight. You always want your last rep of your last set or two to "fatigue" you. This means that you try to lift the weight, but fail to do so, 'cause by now, it seems too heavy. This is where you might want to find someone to lift with of equal strength, so you can have a spotter.

The most important piece of advice I think anyone could give you about weight lifting is: Be safe, and do only what you can handle. If some guy with a jacked up upper body and tiny legs comes up to you and starts explaining to you this "new, amazing" shit that you take once every morning that helps you get strong...it's probably steriods. People who care enough about how they look to start taking steroids have some serious mental issues...don't be a douchebag. And likewise, don't lift more than you are comfortable lifting. "Looking good" isn't worth getting a hernia or cancer for.

I know this was really fucking long, and I'm sorry for that...but it goes to show how much knowledge is required to safely and effectively lift weights.

I'm sure I left a ton of methods and advice out, but I'm confident that someone who knows more than I will be able to add on or take away from anything I may have said that isn't too smart.

-Ugly Bastard

[ January 15, 2004, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: Ugly Bastard ]