Calisthenics vs. weight training

[malakas]

Originally Posted by Rickson

Noone can be forced into liking an exercise so if you hate pullups, you're not gonna do them. I have never done lunges in my life and I probably never will so yeah, if you don't like a particular exercise, don't do it. Have fun with your workouts.

*sigh* Pullup is my last fitness goal for this year.I can't do any,but I hope by the end of the year. -don't laugh at me-

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by malakas

*sigh* Pullup is my last fitness goal for this year.I can't do any,but I hope by the end of the year. -don't laugh at me-

I was a personal trainer, I'm not allowed to laugh. I've trained a lot of women and how many of them do you think could do a single pullup? Try some assisted pullups for now. If you can do them with 80 lbs. of assistance, keep lowering the assistance until you can get them with 20 lbs.. By the time you're using just 20, you can bet that you can do your bw. Good luck.

[malakas]

Originally Posted by Rickson

I was a personal trainer, I'm not allowed to laugh. I've trained a lot of women and how many of them do you think could do a single pullup? Try some assisted pullups for now. If you can do them with 80 lbs. of assistance, keep lowering the assistance until you can get them with 20 lbs.. By the time you're using just 20, you can bet that you can do your bw. Good luck.

In my gym only one girl can do them.It's very frustrating,because even when the gym trainers see me near the weights they give me some 3 kilos pink dumbells,tell me to do 15x4 "because this will help you tone up and not bulk up" and come near me yelling when I put them down and tell them I know don't worry. It's very stereotypical.I had them made me a program focused on upper body and the trainer actually laughed.Good thing I will change gym for the summer.I wil try the assisted pull up machine for now I was only doing lat. pullups.:/ ok,rant over lol.

[Klatu Verata Necktie]

Originally Posted by Rickson

Klatu! I'm shocked that you don't include dips and pullups in your routine! Whatever you do, Klatu, make those workouts count and keep the intensity high.

You'd better believe I do dips and pullups. Sometimes I do them on their own, other times I include them in supersets toward the end of a long workout. I thought the idea here was to choose between the two forms of exercise.

[Klatu Verata Necktie]

Originally Posted by malakas

*sigh* Pullup is my last fitness goal for this year.I can't do any,but I hope by the end of the year. -don't laugh at me-

Rickson provided great advise. Another thing I would try is to invert your grip. Many people find it more difficult to do pullups with the palms facing out than with them facing in. Try both ways. You can also try using both wide and narrow grips.

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by Klatu Verata Necktie

You'd better believe I do dips and pullups. Sometimes I do them on their own, other times I include them in supersets toward the end of a long workout. I thought the idea here was to choose between the two forms of exercise.

That's great news, Klatu! Dips and pullups are great exercises and are the staple of my calisthenics. BTW, you have option number 3 on the poll.

[NotAtTheNet]

Originally Posted by malakas

*sigh* Pullup is my last fitness goal for this year.I can't do any,but I hope by the end of the year. -don't laugh at me-

When i started seriously working out 10 years ago, i was in the same boat. since I was only 15 i didn't have access to an assisted pull up machine. What I ended up doing is jumping up, use the jump momentum to get my chin over the bar, and hold the pull up position as long as I could. Either that or use a stool or something. After a good week of that you should build up enough to get to at least one. Once you're there, the sky's the limit! Oh and you can build a pull up bar in your backyard on the cheap. Some 5x5 posts, a sturdy metal tube, cement, drill and shovel! Thats what I did bc as a skinny twerb in my younger years I was embarrassed in not being able to do one.

[malakas]

Originally Posted by NotAtTheNet

When i started seriously working out 10 years ago, i was in the same boat. since I was only 15 i didn't have access to an assisted pull up machine. What I ended up doing is jumping up, use the jump momentum to get my chin over the bar, and hold the pull up position as long as I could. Either that or use a stool or something. After a good week of that you should build up enough to get to at least one. Once you're there, the sky's the limit! Oh and you can build a pull up bar in your backyard on the cheap. Some 5x5 posts, a sturdy metal tube, cement, drill and shovel! Thats what I did bc as a skinny twerb in my younger years I was embarrassed in not being able to do one.

wow thank you!That's very good advice,and something I can easily do and at home!!Without having the stares and ridicule too thanx!

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by malakas

wow thank you!That's very good advice,and something I can easily do and at home!!Without having the stares and ridicule too thanx!

Stares and ridicule? Why care what they think? I was working in the gym when I had a serious back injury. I took several days off and when I came back to rehab my back, I was doing squats with 95 lbs.. I normally squatted 315 at the time, but I knew I had to rehab slowly. One guy even asked me why I was going so light and I told him I was injured. He gave me his condolences and continued his workout. The only reason he asked me was because he knew how I trained in the past, but otherwise, he wouldn't have looked twice. If a big guy like me can resort to using children's weights, you don't need to be embarrassed about a thing. Trust me, people are doing their own thing in the gym and if they're not, they need to get a life. Even as a trainer, I never corrected anyone outside of my clients unless they specifically asked me for advice. It's not my business and correcting people's forms is not a good way to land new clients.

[malakas]

Originally Posted by Rickson

Stares and ridicule? Why care what they think? I was working in the gym when I had a serious back injury. I took several days off and when I came back to rehab my back, I was doing squats with 95 lbs.. I normally squatted 315 at the time, but I knew I had to rehab slowly. One guy even asked me why I was going so light and I told him I was injured. He gave me his condolences and continued his workout. The only reason he asked me was because he knew how I trained in the past, but otherwise, he wouldn't have looked twice. If a big guy like me can resort to using children's weights, you don't need to be embarrassed about a thing. Trust me, people are doing their own thing in the gym and if they're not, they need to get a life. Even as a trainer, I never corrected anyone outside of my clients unless they specifically asked me for advice. It's not my business and correcting people's forms is not a good way to land new clients.

I don't know,probably you are very well trained and such,but when you're like the only woman in the weight room who actually tries to break a sweat and lift really ,then you get a lot of stares. From guys and girls equally.I don't like it,and when most times I try and ignore it but if I can I will avoid it.So,it won't stop me from going there and do my stuff,but if there's another way,and an easy one that I can do at home,then I'm all for that.

[Rickson]

Malakas, are you circuit training? If you're going to the gym and jumping from the leg press right to a bench press, you are circuit training. If you are, then stop that and focus on training individual bodyparts. Do legs one day, and chest on another.

[JRstriker12]

Originally Posted by Rickson

Malakas, are you circuit training? If you're going to the gym and jumping from the leg press right to a bench press, you are circuit training. If you are, then stop that and focus on training individual bodyparts. Do legs one day, and chest on another.

Rickson - just wondering. Is there something wrong with circuit training?

I do circuits with free weights and body weight exercises.

something like - squats, bench press, lunges, pull-ups, straight leg dead-lifts, abs, shoulder/rotator cuff exercises. - repeat circuit 3x.

Right now, my main goal is to lose weight and to gain a little strength for tennis.

Just wondering.

To answer the OP - I do a bit of both.

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by JRstriker12

Rickson - just wondering. Is there something wrong with circuit training?

I do circuits with free weights and body weight exercises.

something like - squats, bench press, lunges, pull-ups, straight leg dead-lifts, abs, shoulder/rotator cuff exercises. - repeat circuit 3x.

Right now, my main goal is to lose weight and to gain a little strength for tennis.

Just wondering.

To answer the OP - I do a bit of both.

Circuit training was designed to combine aerobic and anaerobic exercise and it's not a bad thing if your goal is conditioning, but for muscle hypertrophy, you might want to break down your bodyparts because keeping the blood flow in one area of the body will get you more muscle breakdown than jumping from one bodypart to another. If you want to condition yourself then keep doing what you're doing, but if you want to improve your overall muscle development, break down your bodyparts to 2 a day such as chest and back one day, and legs and shoulders on another day.

[malakas]

Originally Posted by Rickson

Circuit training was designed to combine aerobic and anaerobic exercise and it's not a bad thing if your goal is conditioning, but for muscle hypertrophy, you might want to break down your bodyparts because keeping the blood flow in one area of the body will get you more muscle breakdown than jumping from one bodypart to another. If you want to condition yourself then keep doing what you're doing, but if you want to improve your overall muscle development, break down your bodyparts to 2 a day such as chest and back one day, and legs and shoulders on another day.

Rickson,I break into upper and lower but I jump from one to other straight!What is it called? Also,my aim is muscle maintaining not gaining (since I'm in catabolic state) and strength gaining.I almost can lift my weight after only 2 months of weightlifting-which from my starting lifting weight is very big improvement .Only 2,because I was in the only cardio trap because of misinformation.

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by malakas

Rickson,I break into upper and lower but I jump from one to other straight!What is it called?

It's called don't do that anymore! Here's a sample day of what you could do:

Chest: 1 set of 15 reps Flat bench press with 45 lb barbell, 1 set of 15 reps incline dumbbell presses with 15 lb. dumbbells, 1 set of machine assisted dips for 15 reps, and you're done with chest.

Back: 1 set of lat pulldowns with 40 lbs. for 15 reps, one set of seated rows with 40 lbs. 15 reps, one set of hyperextensions for 15.

You keep the blood flow in the same area and you're not jumping bodyparts. Good luck.

[malakas]

Originally Posted by Rickson

It's called don't do that anymore! Here's a sample day of what you could do:

Chest: 1 set of 15 reps Flat bench press with 45 lb barbell, 1 set of 15 reps incline dumbbell presses with 15 lb. dumbbells, 1 set of machine assisted dips for 15 reps, and you're done with chest.

Back: 1 set of lat pulldowns with 40 lbs. for 15 reps, one set of seated rows with 40 lbs. 15 reps, one set of hyperextensions for 15.

You keep the blood flow in the same area and you're not jumping bodyparts. Good luck.

Thanx very much for the advise.That's almost like I do only 2-3 sets of 8-9 reps because in that last couples reps I'm really exhausted and I know I have to stop.I don't want duration,so I do heavy,few reps.I have read,the way you lift,you train different kinds of muscle fibres and can go either for duration or strenght or bit of both.Anyway,thank you very much for the advice.You help people with weights,and people help you with friends.

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by malakas

Thanx very much for the advise.That's almost like I do only 2-3 sets of 8-9 reps because in that last couples reps I'm really exhausted and I know I have to stop.I don't want duration,so I do heavy,few reps.I have read,the way you lift,you train different kinds of muscle fibres and can go either for duration or strenght or bit of both.Anyway,thank you very much for the advice.You help people with weights,and people help you with friends.

If you're familiar with a particular exercise, you can do 2 sets, but most people make the mistake of doing way too many sets. Personally I do 2 or 3 sets max. I usually do 15 reps with a very light weight for my standards and 10 reps with a weight that's somewhat challenging to me. If I do a 3rd set, I'll do 8 reps with a challenging weight and by that, I mean a weight that most people can't do. Sorry to brag there. Don't do multiple sets of the same exercise. That's a no no. Do 1 to 3 sets max and always start with 15 reps with a fairly light weight for you.

[malakas]

Originally Posted by Rickson

If you're familiar with a particular exercise, you can do 2 sets, but most people make the mistake of doing way too many sets. Personally I do 2 or 3 sets max. I usually do 15 reps with a very light weight for my standards and 10 reps with a weight that's somewhat challenging to me. If I do a 3rd set, I'll do 8 reps with a challenging weight and by that, I mean a weight that most people can't do. Sorry to brag there. Don't do multiple sets of the same exercise. That's a no no. Do 1 to 3 sets max and always start with 15 reps with a fairly light weight for you.

I didn't think the warming up-easy set was necessary if you're already warmed up,but you probably know better than me.I will try that,and see the results. Thanx again.

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by malakas

I didn't think the warming up-easy set was necessary if you're already warmed up,but you probably know better than me.I will try that,and see the results. Thanx again.

Actually, I shouldn't have put always before the 15. 15 reps is what NASM set as the number of reps a beginner should do to acclimate during a set. I do 1 set of 15 reps if I've taken more than a month off from the gym. By the 2nd week, I move back to 2 sets and if I somehow make it to the 3rd week, I do 3 sets starting at 15, 10, and ending with 6-8 reps on the last set. When I powerlift, I skip the 15 starting set altogether and do only 8 reps for my 1st set with a light weight. I move to a decent weight for the 2nd set, but I do only 5 reps, and I finish the last 2 sets with 2-3 reps. I save my strength that way for power sets.

[JRstriker12]

Originally Posted by Rickson

Circuit training was designed to combine aerobic and anaerobic exercise and it's not a bad thing if your goal is conditioning, but for muscle hypertrophy, you might want to break down your bodyparts because keeping the blood flow in one area of the body will get you more muscle breakdown than jumping from one bodypart to another. If you want to condition yourself then keep doing what you're doing, but if you want to improve your overall muscle development, break down your bodyparts to 2 a day such as chest and back one day, and legs and shoulders on another day.

Thanks for the answer Rickson. Right now, I think I'll stick with the circuit - I could use the conditioning for my tennis game and the aerobic element also seems to help me slim down a bit. Also, it lets me get my work-out in since I can usualy make it to the gym 2x or 3x a week.

But in the past, once I got bored of circuits and was able to get to the gym
4x a week, I usually broke things out into a push/pull split or an uppper and lower body split.