how many times to life weights a week?

[SevenStar]

I mean right now for example, chest I do 4 sets of flat, 3 incline, 3 dips, 3 machine flys. Is that too much, to little, just right? I probably do about the same amout of exercises for my back, legs and shoulders, arms a little less. Thanks.

 

Why do you do inclines, flyes AND flats?

[CapitalKarate]

is there no purpose to doing different kinds of flys? i do 3 sets of machine bench and 3 sets of DB incline bench and 3 sets machine fly, and 3 sets DB fly. what should i not do or do more of?

[Hengest]

i guess everyone here is ignoring me but i'll say it again anyway, 3-4 times a week per body part exercised is the way to go. unless you're a professional body builder which i'll bet anything you're not. no offense of course

 

3-4 times a week per body part?! Way, way, WAY too much! What on earth would you recommend if he was pro?!

from a non-bodybuilding perspective, these serve no purpose. you need compound movements, not isolation movements.

 

Compound movements are of course the most important, but these exercises are not simply bodybuilding movements. In fact I'll give you 2-1 that most bodybuilders don't even do L-flys. However, they do serve to strengthen the smaller support muscles that are vital to injury prevention and good form. For example, if you're not incorporating L-flys into your routine (or another movement to strengthen the rotator cuff) and you're lifting heavy on overhead presses or pulldowns for instance, you're putting yourself at much greater risk of injury. I don't think I've ever heard anybody say "Whoa, look at the rotator cuffs on that guy!", have you? No. So how can it be a pure bodybuilding exercise?

also I am curious to what the problem is with kickbacks, it's very interesting to me because I have them in my routine (cables)

 

They put an enormous amount of stress on the elbow, plus, if you're training for strength, they serve little or no purpose.

Edited January 26, 2005 by Hengest

[CapitalKarate]

ok, how often per body part should i work out if i were to stress the muscles out as much as i physically could?

[Hengest]

ok, how often per body part should i work out if i were to stress the muscles out as much as i physically could?

 

If you're working that body part heavy enough, I'd say you only really need to hit it once a week.

[CapitalKarate]

so if i spent between 2 and 4 hours one day a week to work out my entire body, would that be good enough (for the weight lifting part) for the entire week? also, how can i work my body hard enough to only have to work each body part once a week?

[Hudson]

You can't. I've never seen a single guy train with full intensity his entire body in one day. That's why people split body parts up into different days.

 

I'm not saying you can't train without a split, but for full effectiveness (no matter what your goals) it seems a split is more effective. I know theres no way I could do legs and back on the same day and effectively work whatever came at the end.

 

That's why when I train certain parts have their own days (i.e. Back Day) and the ones that aren't singled out are not adjacent or are compounded (for lack of better terms. Example: Legs and arms, chest and shoulders)

 

As for whoever is doing inclines, flyes, dips, flats: That seems like a bodybuilder chest routine. I'm not knocking bodybuilders, they train a fairly balanced physique and they're not exactly weak guys, just different from what MA's need.

 

Once a week is baloney though. It's minimalist (which will get you minimal results) and no physical trainer I know will suggest you work out once a week. Would you practice your martial arts once a week?

[CapitalKarate]

i would never practice just once a week.... ok, can someone then tell me how to wisely figure out which body parts to workout on which days? and what exercises would be best for me to perform? i plan on joining a gym when i move granted theres one close enough to me. so i can do any exercise there is, i just need to know what which would be the best ones to perform, thanks

[Hengest]

Once a week is baloney though. It's minimalist (which will get you minimal results) and no physical trainer I know will suggest you work out once a week. Would you practice your martial arts once a week?

 

A ridiculous comparison. Training MA doesn't ware down the muscles to the point that they need to rest for any more than a day or two. Lifting, when done properly, requires a great deal more rest.

 

For the record, I never said workout once a week. I said work out each body part once a week. To get maximum instensity in that workout, you will need to split to some degree.

 

And a minimalist approach does not mean minimal results. Neither does it mean minimal intensity. The workouts you do are hard and that combined with greater rest periods and decent nutrition is where the gains come from. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

[SevenStar]

3-4 times a week per body part?! Way, way, WAY too much! What on earth would you recommend if he was pro?!

 

like I said, it will depend on how you train. Look into the power the people program by pavel tsatsouline. he advocates working the same bodypart daily. I do this and have never had a problem. I also bench close to 300.

 

 

Compound movements are of course the most important, but these exercises are not simply bodybuilding movements. In fact I'll give you 2-1 that most bodybuilders don't even do L-flys. However, they do serve to strengthen the smaller support muscles that are vital to injury prevention and good form. For example, if you're not incorporating L-flys into your routine (or another movement to strengthen the rotator cuff) and you're lifting heavy on overhead presses or pulldowns for instance, you're putting yourself at much greater risk of injury. I don't think I've ever heard anybody say "Whoa, look at the rotator cuffs on that guy!", have you? No. So how can it be a pure bodybuilding exercise?

 

I meant to edit those out like I edited the rest or your post. my bad.