How many reps should I do when workout?? Like when I'm weight training,I usually do high-reps/low weight because I don't want to get too bulky,just get toned.
How high rep and how low weight do you lift? What exercises? How often? What are your stats?
What's up Naxis,I usually do dumbell exercises with about 20 pounds in each hand reps,I do around 150-200 all together,I can lift way more then 20 pounds in each hand,but I don't wanna get to bulky,also use a curl bar,same amount of reps with 60 pounds on it,I usally do this everyother day after cardio,on the other days I work my legs and abs.I'm about 5'10,my weight is about 170-175,my BF % is kinda high,so I'm doing alot of cardio with different intensity.I was doing abs everyday,but after reading the replys to the thread I made on here,I started doing abs every other day.
Way way way too high rep. You should be aiming for 3 to 4 sets of no more than 12 reps per set - meaning that you need to have enough weight on the bar so that the last reps of the last set are very difficult. Otherwise your workout is doing nothing for muscle development. You have to lift very *heavy* to get any real bulk unless you have genetics that are predisposed to quick muscle gain. And you need to work more than just arms if you want any real muscle tone. Do some presses, flys, rows, and pullups. What kind of leg workout do you do?
And when you are working with more weight, you need to allow more time for recovery. You shouldn't have to work any muscle group more than twice a week if you're working them properly.
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Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins
Way way way too high rep. You should be aiming for 3 to 4 sets of no more than 12 reps per set - meaning that you need to have enough weight on the bar so that the last reps of the last set are very difficult. Otherwise your workout is doing nothing for muscle development. You have to lift very *heavy* to get any real bulk unless you have genetics that are predisposed to quick muscle gain. And you need to work more than just arms if you want any real muscle tone. Do some presses, flys, rows, and pullups. What kind of leg workout do you do?
And when you are working with more weight, you need to allow more time for recovery. You shouldn't have to work any muscle group more than twice a week if you're working them properly.
What's up Naxis,so that's too many reps huh,I will do less I guess,I actually like working out my arms tho,that's probably why I do so many reps.I have alot of muscle underneath these extra pounds,I can lift heavy stuff and everything,I was a laborer for awhile,so I guess if my diet was better,I'd be in good shape already,my main thing now is getting in good shape for the summertime,for my legs,I use that leg extension thing on my weight bench and I have also been doing these exersices called "Donkey Calf Raises" that I see on the Muscletech website.I try to work every muscle everyother day,a few days ago tho,I was going through some of my old Men's Fitness mags and read this article about how after you train a muscle one day,the next you should do ligher weight and high reps the next day,and it helps it recover faster and get bigger as it pumps blood and nutrients into the recovering muscle,kno wanything about that?
Man,this getting back in shape is confusing,it was so easy as a teenager,all we did was throw on some loud music and lift weights in the backyard ,I miss those days.
Is your goal more toward weight loss then? If that's the case, you will still want to lift heavier, but adding a little cardio (maybe 3-5x a week) and cleaning up the diet will be key there. Lifting heavy will help you to *maintain* your lean muscle as you trim down so that some of your weight loss doesn't end up being muscle.
For legs, skip the leg extentions and stick with squats and deadlifts. Much more useful than working legs one muscle at a time - in this case, only one muscle. Keep exercises to the big compound movements and it will save you time as well as improve you muscle tome and strength.
Don't bother with the second lighter day of weights. That's what is called 'active recovery' and is really not necessary or useful unless you're a beginner dealing with soreness or lifting very heavy and really trying for more muscle mass. For your goals, lifting moderately heavy, less often will serve you better. If you do a full body workout every time, you can get away with 3x a week. If you want to do a split like and upper body day and a lower body day, doing something like Monday: upper, Wed: lower, Fri: upper, will work well also, and allow you more time to focus on each muscle group. At this point, you may as well do a full body workout each session though.
So if trimming down to *see* your muscle tone is the goal, you need to make sure diet is in check. What does a day of food typically look like for you?
__________________
Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins
Is your goal more toward weight loss then? If that's the case, you will still want to lift heavier, but adding a little cardio (maybe 3-5x a week) and cleaning up the diet will be key there. Lifting heavy will help you to *maintain* your lean muscle as you trim down so that some of your weight loss doesn't end up being muscle.
For legs, skip the leg extentions and stick with squats and deadlifts. Much more useful than working legs one muscle at a time - in this case, only one muscle. Keep exercises to the big compound movements and it will save you time as well as improve you muscle tome and strength.
Don't bother with the second lighter day of weights. That's what is called 'active recovery' and is really not necessary or useful unless you're a beginner dealing with soreness or lifting very heavy and really trying for more muscle mass. For your goals, lifting moderately heavy, less often will serve you better. If you do a full body workout every time, you can get away with 3x a week. If you want to do a split like and upper body day and a lower body day, doing something like Monday: upper, Wed: lower, Fri: upper, will work well also, and allow you more time to focus on each muscle group. At this point, you may as well do a full body workout each session though.
So if trimming down to *see* your muscle tone is the goal, you need to make sure diet is in check. What does a day of food typically look like for you?
I have been doing cardio everyday,usually 45-50 minutes or sometimes I will break it down to 25 in the morning and 25 at night,depending on how I feel,my diet is pretty clean I would say,no soda or juices except an occasional glass of O.J here and there,alot of water,hardly any junkfood,sometimes I will eat a candy bar,breakfast is usually a bowl of cereal and wheat toast,lunch a turkey sandwich or a salad,dinner can be anything,but I eat in moderation,I take green tea pills,that kinda helps with the appeitite(maybe it has that placebo effect,I don't know)I wanna lose at least 25 more pounds,be 150,I will do what you have recommended,thanks for the help Naxis.
