Fitness guru's help!!!

I have been lifting weights for some time now and i've always been steadily increasing in strength. But lately i've been on a plateau now i'm starting to get weaker. I still work out just as much as i used to if not more but i'm not getting stronger. The best i can hope for is to just stay where i'm at. I don't smoke, do drugs, and i've drank very little alcohol in my life (never been drunk) and my diet is pretty healthy. I rarely eat sweets and some times have greasy foods. Any advice from those who've been doing this for a long time and know their shit would be greatly appreciated. Spike, Bigshady, and even Makismo, help. I used to be able to bench 205lb 3x12 but now i'm lucky if i can even pull off 3x10.

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Originally Posted by neo>all

Spike, Bigshady, and even Makismo, help. I used to be able to bench 205lb 3x12 but now i'm lucky if i can even pull off 3x10.

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I heard Chris Mullins is ace too

you should try to get a hold of him

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Originally Posted by neo>all

I have been lifting weights for some time now and i've always been steadily increasing in strength. But lately i've been on a plateau now i'm starting to get weaker. I still work out just as much as i used to if not more but i'm not getting stronger. The best i can hope for is to just stay where i'm at. I don't smoke, do drugs, and i've drank very little alcohol in my life (never been drunk) and my diet is pretty healthy. I rarely eat sweets and some times have greasy foods. Any advice from those who've been doing this for a long time and know their shit would be greatly appreciated. Spike, Bigshady, and even Makismo, help. I used to be able to bench 205lb 3x12 but now i'm lucky if i can even pull off 3x10.

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Shawn, yes the owner of this website, used to compete in weighlifting...

If you're really into becoming some weight-obsessed style of work out, you'll probably have to up your protein intake and do some change-ups in your routine to challenge your muscles. I assume you know that serious strength building requires regular changes in your regimen?

I don't lift to get strong (I think there are lots of reasons not to, actually), but that's the basic technique for those that do. I'll let those that are more into this add the specifics..

While I don't recommend 90% of the crap that's advertised in it, I think "Muscle & Fitness" has good articles for a person like you. I read it on occasion and I think its workout advice is pretty decent.

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Originally Posted by Bobak

Shawn, yes the owner of this website, used to compete in weighlifting....

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I did not know that, interesting. Well I don't really want to compete i just want to get stronger. It's depressing working your ass off and staying in one place strength wise, feels like i'm wasting my time. I have 2 work out routines that i alternate and i usually take a day off. I'm not taking any suppliments and the only protein i get is from meat. I used to have this whey protein mix but it ran out and i haven't gotten around to buying some more. Anyone know anything about creatine? A medical person told me it's better not to take it but i'd just like to hear your opinions. I don't want to ruin my body and suffer for it later in life but i'd like to beef up. I weigh about 215 on average.

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Originally Posted by neo>all

I did not know that, interesting. Well I don't really want to compete i just want to get stronger. It's depressing working your ass off and staying in one place strength wise, feels like i'm wasting my time. I have 2 work out routines that i alternate and i usually take a day off. I'm not taking any suppliments and the only protein i get is from meat. I used to have this whey protein mix but it ran out and i haven't gotten around to buying some more. Anyone know anything about creatine? A medical person told me it's better not to take it but i'd just like to hear your opinions. I don't want to ruin my body and suffer for it later in life but i'd like to beef up. I weigh about 215 on average.

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Think about it this way: you don't lose muscle. It just stays on you and turns into flab --especially later in life when you can't keep up with your muscle. This can get dangerous because it will put stress on your circulatory system. I'm already a very big guy (210-20 in great shape, 230-40 out of shape), so I just go for tone. My purpose for working out is to (as one fitness center's slogan used to say) "look better naked". Can I lift a lot? Naturally, yes. do I try to max it out? Never. Still, varying up the routine will help you keep your muscles developed to their peak potential.

Again, I keep a somewhat conservative opinion.

As for creatine, I've had a friend use it with mixed results: he got stronger but there were side effects he didn't specify that made him get off of it.

You might also want to increase the weight and lower the number of reps you do in a set, neo>all. You probably already know about that, but since it's not in either of your posts I thought I'd mention it.

Instead of doing 3 sets of 10 or 12 reps with 205, up the weight and try 3 sets of 4 reps. That'll really work on your power and mass. You'll want to increase your recovery time between sets.

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Originally Posted by neo>all

I have been lifting weights for some time now and i've always been steadily increasing in strength. But lately i've been on a plateau now i'm starting to get weaker. I still work out just as much as i used to if not more but i'm not getting stronger. The best i can hope for is to just stay where i'm at. I don't smoke, do drugs, and i've drank very little alcohol in my life (never been drunk) and my diet is pretty healthy. I rarely eat sweets and some times have greasy foods. Any advice from those who've been doing this for a long time and know their shit would be greatly appreciated. Spike, Bigshady, and even Makismo, help. I used to be able to bench 205lb 3x12 but now i'm lucky if i can even pull off 3x10.

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Are you doing a lot of cardio? How about over-training. I won't bench more than twice a week, and only one of said days is a "heavy day." Your body can only repair itself while resting, so do that. Make sure you eat enough as well. If you're looking to get cut and big, that could also be your problem. Eat enough, and you'll be fine... but that's mostly for power. My one friend can out bench almost everyone, but he's a pretty fat fella, too. Tell us a bit more. I say take some time off... maybe a week if you're not already doing so. If it's THAT important to you, take creatine for a few cycles. (EDIT: just read the other posts after this one. Creatine is a natural substance found in red meat and other foods. It is actually to help strengthen the bones, but also adds to muscle as well. It helps store more water in the fibers, giving them a bit more of a boost. However, the "side effect" I don't like is it makes you a tiny bit bloated looking, as it stores water under the skin. However, it does make you look a slight bit bigger, and helps in the strength department. I, myself, don't take the stuff anymore, but did for a few months. Made me a bit sick to my stomach, to be honest.

Finally, if you're doing all of that, try to lift "heavy", but more often. If you want to do 205 3X12 (which is a lot, even for me with that many reps), try to cut it to 3X10 for a while. Or, better, yet, do 225 3X10. Keep in mind you also need to show your body new things to grow. Do flies. Forget bench for a month. Do cables, flies, pec decks, under hand bench... anything to give your chest a new look. Try super sets of 10 on bench, then quickly 10 flies with pretty heavy weight. You'll plow through your goals in no time.

Let us know how it goes, and good luck! If you like, feel free to even PM me or call me, if you wish. I know the rest here will help out, too.

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Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel

Are you doing a lot of cardio? How about over-training. I won't bench more than twice a week, and only one of said days is a "heavy day." Your body can only repair itself while resting, so do that. Make sure you eat enough as well. If you're looking to get cut and big, that could also be your problem. Eat enough, and you'll be fine... but that's mostly for power. My one friend can out bench almost everyone, but he's a pretty fat fella, too. Tell us a bit more. I say take some time off... maybe a week if you're not already doing so. If it's THAT important to you, take creatine for a few cycles. (EDIT: just read the other posts after this one. Creatine is a natural substance found in red meat and other foods. It is actually to help strengthen the bones, but also adds to muscle as well. It helps store more water in the fibers, giving them a bit more of a boost. However, the "side effect" I don't like is it makes you a tiny bit bloated looking, as it stores water under the skin. However, it does make you look a slight bit bigger, and helps in the strength department. I, myself, don't take the stuff anymore, but did for a few months. Made me a bit sick to my stomach, to be honest.

Finally, if you're doing all of that, try to lift "heavy", but more often. If you want to do 205 3X12 (which is a lot, even for me with that many reps), try to cut it to 3X10 for a while. Or, better, yet, do 225 3X10. Keep in mind you also need to show your body new things to grow. Do flies. Forget bench for a month. Do cables, flies, pec decks, under hand bench... anything to give your chest a new look. Try super sets of 10 on bench, then quickly 10 flies with pretty heavy weight. You'll plow through your goals in no time.

Let us know how it goes, and good luck! If you like, feel free to even PM me or call me, if you wish. I know the rest here will help out, too.

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He is completely right about overtraining... I forgot to bring that up too. Twice a week is plenty for major strenght muscles. Abs can be done 3 or 4 times, calves too (if needed) since you're probably not trying to grow those areas but make them shapely..

Here's my biggest hurdle, i don't have a spotter. I know what you're thinking, "well get one!" Easier said than done. I don't know many people who would be willing to work out with me. I read some where that to get a spotter you need to find some one just as dedicated to the iron as you and i'm pretty dedicated. I'm affraid of doing low rep high weight for fear of hurting myself. I've never majorly injured my self and i don't want to do it with over 200 lbs on my chest. The reason why i do so many reps with so little weight is because i know i can do it with ease and won't risk injury. As for my cardio, it could be better. I bike to and from work and bike to the gym mainly because i don't have a drivers liscense(don't ask) and on very rare ocassions i jog. I'm gonna go work out in a minute and i know exactly how it'll go. No improvements :moan: It's not like i've never plateaued before but this time it's really bad. By the way if you haven't noticed my main event is bench which is why i work on it so much. Maybe i just need to sweat it out and eventually i'll move up a weight. In highschool i almost made it up on the record board for bench, talk about chasing lost dreams :kekeke:

Do you have this problem in other areas? What is you work out routine?

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Originally Posted by Bobak

I don't lift to get strong (I think there are lots of reasons not to, actually), but that's the basic technique for those that do.

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The only things that you lift regularly are your enormous man boobs.

That being said you must be very strong.

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Originally Posted by Funk Buddy

Do you have this problem in other areas? What is you work out routine?

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3x12 bench 205lbs

3x15 curls 30lbs

3x15 shoulder shrugs(hold weights at my sides and shrug shoulders) 30lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm down 12.5lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm up 12.5lbs

3x15 toe raisers 270lbs

3x12 don't know the name but you lie on your back hold a weight up and sort of do a reverse curl. It's supposed to work the back of your arm. 30lbs.

3x12 hold dumbell at side and raise to 90 degree angle. 12.5lbs

Ocassionally i switch things up but that's pretty much it. Definitely need to work on my legs.

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Originally Posted by Bobak

"look better naked".

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Quote of the year candidate? Why would you want to look better naked unless you walk around all day naked. The only instance i can think of is if you're having sex but then again you must have already done something to get her to like you, that and swimming at the pool which i don't do so often. Just recently i've been doing more sit ups but before then i didn't because they're only visible with your shirt off. Why did i start? Mainly because i box nd having a six pack is like wearing armor. Do you realize how dangerous you'd be if your stomach wasn't a vulnerable area?

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Originally Posted by neo>all

Do you realize how dangerous you'd be if your stomach wasn't a vulnerable area?

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I'm going to go out on a limb and say no more dangerous than a person with a vulnerable stomach.

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

I'm going to go out on a limb and say no more dangerous than a person with a vulnerable stomach.

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that's simply insane

neo>all, hit the roids, dude. There's no substitute. :cool:

just dont clamp the weights on the bar and if u get the OMFG IM GONE DIE! mode just rock the bar back and forth til all the weights fall off.


plus do roids. lots and lots of roids injected into various parts of the body to bulk up nicely. i think they are made of hormones and that is natural since we all have hormones in our body.

I'll rock your bar back and forth.

If you want to bench heavier and don't have a spotter, you may want to consider benching on a smith machine. Might make you worry a little less. It kinda sounds like you may be overtraining a little or just not giving you body a chance to rest enough. Plus if you lifting pretty seriously, you should be eating about 6 times a day. I would also say that maybe before you lift have a meal that has a decent amount of complex carbs, just for the added energy for your workout. May help. And if you decided to do creatine, make sure you take it with something like grape juice. The sugar in the juice will send it to you muscles faster, although it may spike you insulin levels a little. Do a cycle of loading, and then just take it regularly. Make sure you drink a lot of water though, cause if you don't you could cramp up. But like spike said although your muscles will look fuller and bigger, you'll be smoother and not as toned, at least for a period of time, but that also has to do with your diet.

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Originally Posted by neo>all

3x12 bench 205lbs

3x15 curls 30lbs

3x15 shoulder shrugs(hold weights at my sides and shrug shoulders) 30lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm down 12.5lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm up 12.5lbs

3x15 toe raisers 270lbs

3x12 don't know the name but you lie on your back hold a weight up and sort of do a reverse curl. It's supposed to work the back of your arm. 30lbs.

3x12 hold dumbell at side and raise to 90 degree angle. 12.5lbs

Ocassionally i switch things up but that's pretty much it. Definitely need to work on my legs.

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Your body will try to keep proportion. You need to work on back, stomach and legs as well. Do dead lifts and squats. Check out http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html to see what exercises do what. Far far too often people ignore back and legs.

I have a question too. I recently started lifting weights, but I have a bit of a problem. Around last Thanksgiving or Christmas I weighed around 180-190. I was getting kind of fat, but I was also fairly strong. I lost a lot of weight since then, I only weigh around 150 now. But I also seem to have lost a lot of strength. Now, when I do bench pressing, it seems like it takes a lot out of me and I have trouble with the rest of the workout. I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to cut the benching out completely for a little while until I can build arm strength back up?

150? Are you a midget?

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

150? Are you a midget?

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Only in the pants.

Well fucking let him out of there he's going to suffocate!

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

Well fucking let him out of there he's going to suffocate!

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I would, but my arms are so weak I can barely unbutton my pants.

You're built like a T-Rex, small fry.

By the way I forgot to ask you how the weather is down there.

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

By the way I forgot to ask you how the weather is down there.

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I wish I had some kind of witty reply, but I have no idea what you are talking about.

hey genjiglove i would recommend laying off the bench for a while but not too long. I find that if i work myself too hard too often on it i'll get weaker but if i take a short say two day break i recover. If i wait too long though my muscles become too relaxed.

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Originally Posted by genjiglove

I wish I had some kind of witty reply, but I have no idea what you are talking about.

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Here, come stand by my chair so I can sit down and rest my feet on your head.

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

Here, come stand by my chair so I can sit down and rest my feet on your head.

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I think I'm starting to understand. You think I have a foot fetish.

You're so small and cute it's like you came in a very small box from Cutesville!

I'm so tired and burnt that is all I came up with.

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

You're so small and cute it's like you came in a very small box from Cutesville!

I'm so tired and burnt that is all I came up with.

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I'm actually six foot tall, I'm just a skinny looking freak. Which I'm trying to remedy by weight training.

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Originally Posted by genjiglove

six foot tall

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Ahahahaha.

The pigs got out again Abner!

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

Ahahahaha.

The pigs got out again Abner!

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What do you want from me, I'm from fucking Indiana.

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Originally Posted by genjiglove

What do you want from me

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You're like the genie that comes out of the spittoon.

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

You're like the genie that comes out of the spittoon.

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Don't you ever edit my quote again.

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Originally Posted by genjiglove

Don't you ever edit my quote again.

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DO yooouuu come with the quote?

That works on sexy ladies selling cars.

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

DO yooouuu come with the quote?

That works on sexy ladies selling cars.

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I am pretty sure you stole that from The Simpsons. The Mr. Plow episode I think. You shameless fucking thief.

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

DO yooouuu come with the quote?

That works on sexy ladies selling cars.

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ohhh you, hee hee hee heeee!

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Originally Posted by genjiglove

I am pretty sure you stole that from The Simpsons. The Mr. Plow episode I think. You shameless fucking thief.

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I've been doing that before the Simpsons dude!

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Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

I've been doing that before the Simpsons dude!

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I tire of this spamming, I'm going to bed. I think this thread has been fully derailed now, I can rest happily.

Before LWK goes to bed he has to drop food in his nightmare farm (that's what he calls his ant farm.)

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Originally Posted by neo>all

3x12 bench 205lbs

3x15 curls 30lbs

3x15 shoulder shrugs(hold weights at my sides and shrug shoulders) 30lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm down 12.5lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm up 12.5lbs

3x15 toe raisers 270lbs

3x12 don't know the name but you lie on your back hold a weight up and sort of do a reverse curl. It's supposed to work the back of your arm. 30lbs.

3x12 hold dumbell at side and raise to 90 degree angle. 12.5lbs

Ocassionally i switch things up but that's pretty much it. Definitely need to work on my legs.

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How many days a week do you do this and how long does it take? I used to do the tricep curl lying on the bench too, but now if/when I lift I just do it standing up or sitting on the bench. Doing it this way doesn’t allow for as much of a stretch, but I can do more weight since I have a slight shoulder problem from lifting for many years when I was young.

Like Spike said you really should work on the legs and back too. I did chest and shoulders one day, legs the next, arms and back then repeat five days a week (at least three).

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Originally Posted by genjiglove

I have a question too. I recently started lifting weights, but I have a bit of a problem. Around last Thanksgiving or Christmas I weighed around 180-190. I was getting kind of fat, but I was also fairly strong. I lost a lot of weight since then, I only weigh around 150 now. But I also seem to have lost a lot of strength. Now, when I do bench pressing, it seems like it takes a lot out of me and I have trouble with the rest of the workout. I was just wondering if it would be a good idea to cut the benching out completely for a little while until I can build arm strength back up?

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That's a question that cannot be answered unless I see your form. Furthermore, try to mix up your workouts. A body will get used to the same thing over and over and not grow as much, if at all, from the same thing over and over and....

Try doing flies. Maybe do some bench at the end. Or, skip flat, and do incline and decline (giving the top and bottoms of the pec a new look. They ARE to different muscles, afterall). If you go to a gym, do cable pulldowns (you look like you're doing the "most muscular" pose, as you pull down on the cables). Try many things. Losing that much weight, you can pretty much bet you DID lose muscle, and not just fat. Try to work it back up, and get it growing again. Small steps, you can't bench a house right away if you lose a lot of power/muscle.

Anyhow, back to your form. The bench does the chest and triceps. Try working on chest only exercises, and then do tris.... Problem is, you just have to keep doing different things 'till you find your workout. Everyone's bodies are different, and different things will help some more than others. Take these opinions as helpful hints, and not as strict guides.

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Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel

That's a question that cannot be answered unless I see your form. Furthermore, try to mix up your workouts. A body will get used to the same thing over and over and not grow as much, if at all, from the same thing over and over and....

Try doing flies. Maybe do some bench at the end. Or, skip flat, and do incline and decline (giving the top and bottoms of the pec a new look. They ARE to different muscles, afterall). If you go to a gym, do cable pulldowns (you look like you're doing the "most muscular" pose, as you pull down on the cables). Try many things. Losing that much weight, you can pretty much bet you DID lose muscle, and not just fat. Try to work it back up, and get it growing again. Small steps, you can't bench a house right away if you lose a lot of power/muscle.

Anyhow, back to your form. The bench does the chest and triceps. Try working on chest only exercises, and then do tris.... Problem is, you just have to keep doing different things 'till you find your workout. Everyone's bodies are different, and different things will help some more than others. Take these opinions as helpful hints, and not as strict guides.

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Thanks for the tips man.

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Originally Posted by neo>all

3x12 bench 205lbs

3x15 curls 30lbs

3x15 shoulder shrugs(hold weights at my sides and shrug shoulders) 30lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm down 12.5lbs

3x15 wrist curls with palm up 12.5lbs

3x15 toe raisers 270lbs

3x12 don't know the name but you lie on your back hold a weight up and sort of do a reverse curl. It's supposed to work the back of your arm. 30lbs.

3x12 hold dumbell at side and raise to 90 degree angle. 12.5lbs

Ocassionally i switch things up but that's pretty much it. Definitely need to work on my legs.

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That's it? You really need to expand your regimine.

at least 3 excercises per muscle group. The major groups for working out are (1) Bicep, (2) Shoulder (3) Tricep (4) back (5) chest (6) legs (7) abs. I try to work at least two per work out session.

You're completely overworking your chest in comparison to the rest of your body (especially in weight). You'll end up hurting your posture because your chest will be too strong.

Watch out for that decline bench! I have short arms and I had the worst time controlling the bar. I did it very little because of that, but flat and incline all the time. The cable pulls work great. I mean you can get the back, arms and shoulders. If you are tired of the weights try adding pull-ups, push-ups and dips. Use weight attached to you if you’re one of those guys who can do 80 dips or 50 pull-ups already. I couldn’t do dips or pull-ups to save my life because I’m a fat ass, but I could do tons of push-ups.

For legs: squats, hack squats (leg press), lunges and leg curls/extensions. Those will beef up your legs quickly, especially leg press and curls/extensions. It doesn't take much for legs from my experience, but of course everyones different. Riding the bike will give you big legs and good cardio.

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Originally Posted by Bobak

That's it? You really need to expand your regimine.

at least 3 excercises per muscle group. The major groups for working out are (1) Bicep, (2) Shoulder (3) Tricep (4) back (5) chest (6) legs (7) abs. I try to work at least two per work out session.

You're completely overworking your chest in comparison to the rest of your body (especially in weight). You'll end up hurting your posture because your chest will be too strong.

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I agree with everything but the posture part. I used to do a lot of bench and it never hurt me in any way. Well, except for having less range of motion across my body.

I have a little more time than my last post, so here are some good sets of exercise to do for each body part (incidently, Muscle & Fitness magazine, despite its ads for crazy suppliments, also has good work out regimines for body parts).

If you need instructions on how to do these, ask a personal trainer or ask and somebody here will try to give a good explanation (EDIT: I found a decent website which I posted at the bottom). Please remember that I don't do a lot of the super-sets, pyramid sets and things that people do to maximize muscle mass, I just do routines for sculpting and tone (but they do use large amounts of weight when I'm in shape... I just don't keep pushing it up past a certain point).

First off:
STRETCH!!! Either before, after or both. You'll get more out of your work out and reduce chance of injury and soreness --and increase range of motion (and keep it! Once you start to lose range of motion it takes time to get it back... if possible)

Bicep
(I use the biggest variety in this area)

• E-Z Curl Bar (the ergonomically bent bar for 2 hands): 3 sets, 10-12 reps
• Single arm alternating dumbbell curls: 3 sets for
• Hammer Curls, 3 sets, 10 reps
• Concentration Curls (usually with a substantially lower weight), 2 sets per arm, max out
• [OPTIONAL]: One arm Preacher curls (use the special bench for bicep support to life more weight): 2-3 sets per arm, 8-10 reps.
• [OPTIONAL]: If you want to work on your "peaks" (the top of the bicep), you can work in a bicep routine with the cable crossover: place yourself in the middle and use the upper pulleys with the D-grip. From that position have your arms parallel to the ground (your body is in a "T") and do nice full curls, squeezing at the end to work your peaks. 3 sets, 10 reps.

Shoulders
(your shoulders have 4 major muscles, I usually do individual exercises followed by a solid "all shoulder" exercise -all below)

• Alternating Anterior (front) Shoulder Raise: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Lateral Shoulder Raise: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Posterior Shoulder Raise (this uses a bench and is done 1 arm at a time): 3 sets per arm, 10 reps.
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 sets, 10 reps (user a bench for back support!)
• Shrugs, 3 sets, 10 reps (NOTE: I can't emphasize this enough: there is no need to "roll" your shoulders in this exercise. All trainers and, more importantly, orthopedic doctors I've spoken with will tell you that rolling will only wear away cartlidge! If you want to try different angles, simply use different starting positions for each set)

Tricep
(I don't do French Curls very often, but they're good and consider them an option if you really want to hit your triceps hard. It goes quick)

• Cable Push Down Heavy (also called other things, basically your going to also use your shoulders to pull down): 3 sets, 10 reps
• Alternating one-hand Push Down (palm down): 3 sets per arm, 10 reps
• Alternating one-arm pushdowns (palms up) (less weight than palm down): 3 sets, 10 reps

Back
(always pay extra attention to your form so you don't accidently hurt yourself --a little mistake can be serious in any back excercise. Also remember to do as much to your back as to your chest... if not more!)

• Cable Pull Down (front or back): 3 sets, 10 reps
• Cable Seated Row: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Barbell Pull over: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Side Bends: 3 sets each side, 10 reps (this is an oblique exercise, but its good for back day)
• Back Extensions (aka reverse sit-ups): 3 sets, 10 reps.
• [OPTIONAL]: Close Grip Pulldown: 3 sets, 10 reps
• [OPTIONAL]: Seated High Row: 3 sets, 10 reps

Chest
(if you're not aiming for massive size and strength, you generally don't need to do barbell reps very often. I usually do only dumbbells to work on form, balance, and sculpting. Obviously all the presses below can be done with the barbell. Regardless, I usually follow this general order)

• Incline Dumbell press: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Flat-Bench Dumbell press: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Cable Decline Fly: 3 sets, 10 reps (or you could try the below)
• [OPTIONAL] Decline Dumbbell Press: 2-3 sets, 10 reps
• Fly (dumbbell on flat bench, or machine): 3 sets, 10 reps.

Legs:
(If you want to up your leg work, do the leg press. I do adductors and abductors, I don't think enough guys do. I don't believe in non-machine squats because, unless you're a pro athlete, the damage you can do to your knees, back and other permanent injures like that are not worth the benefit)

• Leg extension: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Hamstring Curl: 3 sets, 10 reps
• Abductor Machine (inwards): 3 sets, 10 reps
• Adductor Machine (outward): 3 sets, 10 reps
• Calve raises (however you do them)

Abs:
(there's a lot of ways to do abs. Getting the best results depends a lot on picking the right routine for your body type. For instance: Arnold, in his hey day, didn't build muscle in his abs because his waist was always a bit big (that's why he'd twist in so many classic "Arnold poses"). Thus this routine is for someone not trying to pack on size but just keep things toned and in order. Just don't do abs on back day, otherwise put them on any day)

• Vertical Leg-Hip Raise: 3 sets, 15 reps
• Lying crunch (machine "guided" or on floor): 3-5 sets, 25-50 reps
• Roman Chair Sit Up (if you can find a way): 3 sets, 15-25 reps (this is a great exercise but involves finding something that can replicate the position you need--it's THE ab exercise for not growing your waist as you grow muscle)
• Standing Twists (with a stick or a bare barbell): 1 set, 100 reps (side to side in a controlled, methodical manner)

BONUS: I was looking around the web for the proper term on one exercise and I found this decent website which shows off how some exercises are done (more or less): http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bobak

BONUS: I was looking around the web for the proper term on one exercise and I found this decent website which shows off how some exercises are done (more or less): http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

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Uh... I already gave this url in this very thread. Welcome to yesterday. :loco: