What is Digg?Sponsored by Travelzoo
All-time Low Fares for Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year view!
travelzoo.com - Flights $52 and up. Nifty all-airline calendar identifies absolute cheapest dates to fly.
331 Comments
- Upon66, on 08/07/2008, -0/+135Step 1. Actually make it to the Gym
- granolajoe, on 08/06/2008, -1/+55I met a guy at a gym that was ripped and going through different workouts and weight sets much faster than everyone else. I stopped to talk to him and he said he hated working out for long periods of time, so he just comes in, does what he feels is a balanced workout, and gets out. Judging from the way he looked, I think it can be an effective approach.
But then again, I don't know much about "proper" lifting. I just do what I feel my body needs to stay in balance, or prep for a certain sport. - jaybol, on 08/06/2008, -0/+52i just want to look like ahnold!
- Daniel591992, on 08/07/2008, -4/+43That's what fat people say
- Hixz, on 08/07/2008, -5/+39Lets be real diggers... how many of you actually goto the gym?
- Borgcube636, on 08/07/2008, -0/+28It's a place where you fight Pokemon trainers
- _Ty_, on 08/07/2008, -0/+25I want to be far away from that guy.
- Narcism, on 08/07/2008, -0/+19- Don't compromise good form for the sake of doing more weight
- Stretch before and after
- How you eat outside the gym is as important as working out - Dday141, on 08/07/2008, -4/+23What is a gym?
- cjung89, on 08/06/2008, -0/+18This really is a great article for non-athletes. Many times have I seen people overeager to gain muscle that they lift for hours a day, and when they do not soon see the results they think the deserve, quit.
- inactive, on 08/07/2008, -0/+18Supersets.
Say you do bicep curls: when you're done with your set, instead of waiting 30seconds to one minute, you do tricep extensions, when you're done with that set: bicep curls. Until you do 3-4 sets of each.
Same for everything: leg extentions: hamstring curls.
Abdominals, lower back
Pectorals, upper back
Shoulders, middle back
You just never stop.
You can do an entire body workout in 45 minutes and your heart will be pumping the whole way through. It's very hard, but it's the most effective method. - RebeL5K, on 08/07/2008, -0/+18Dude, that's basically cleavage - ***** that!
- obsolite, on 08/07/2008, -3/+19I like the comment on the page:
"usually when i want a workout i just got beat the ***** out of homeless ppl" - kaplanfx, on 08/07/2008, -1/+17Step 3. Profit!
- redbytex, on 08/07/2008, -2/+16Painful.
I just picture a hot lady in my head whilst I'm pumping the iron. That motivates me a lot. - techdever, on 08/07/2008, -0/+13that's the kind of thing you learn after many years of gay porn acting
- spoonchucks, on 08/07/2008, -0/+12It depends on if you have a "grunter" in the gym with you.
Grunters ***** it up for everyone else. Think "My New Haircut." - 5plic3r, on 08/07/2008, -0/+12It's like a job, but your pay cheques are all for negative amounts.
- obsolite, on 08/07/2008, -0/+11Your friends are just lying to you to make you feel better. You know the truth about yourself. If you don't see results, there aren't results. Sit down with me, I'll make you feel better.
- Your friend, Big Mac - inactive, on 08/07/2008, -0/+11Step 2. ????????
- Palaceguard, on 08/07/2008, -0/+8Stop staring at the women and you can workout faster
- Verugan, on 08/07/2008, -0/+8Working out in a gym is not that bad. Sure it can be intimidating at first but then you realize that most of the people there are in the same situation you are. You'll find there are regulars who are super fit but most of the time they don't want anything to do with you anyway, or they can be really nice, it just depends. I switched from a gym to my apartment "fitness center" and the only problem is that sometimes the machine I want to use is taken. I am in no way "cut" though.
- leerayIG88, on 08/06/2008, -4/+12I thought having a great body has to do with your genes, right?
- TEHxINTERWEBS, on 08/07/2008, -4/+11THE coolest thing I've ever seen in a gym was a guy holding a water bottle with his pecks....*****! I want to be that guy...
- spaceshipsix, on 08/07/2008, -0/+6A Gime? what the hell is a Gime?
OH a Gime! - ostracize, on 08/07/2008, -3/+9Feels like you're actually doing something with your life.
- inactive, on 08/07/2008, -0/+6how do you spell it wrong twice? were you too lazy to re-type the word "steroids" again, so you just copied and pasted?
- StuartGibson, on 06/14/2009, -0/+6If you can achieve better results by spending less time working out I should be like the Hulk by now.
- nytejade, on 08/07/2008, -3/+9This guy's on the right track, but his "full body" workout isn't as complete as I would like. I would add:
biceps: barbell curls or preacher curls
triceps: dips
abs: decline situps, whatever works for you
calves: calf raises
There tend to be 2 schools of thought on workout schedules for the common person:
1. Isolate muscle groups
2. Do full body workouts.
I think the best plan is to not stick to any one plan for too long. Start off doing full body workouts, with the exercises in this article, plus what I've provided above, 3 days a week. M,W,F, take the weekend off. Do that for 3-6 months, and change it up. Start isolating muscle groups. Longer, more thorough workouts isolating back/bi, chest/tri, legs/shoulders. The idea is you will be working those areas harder, and then will have longer in between working them for recovery. At this point you can setup a plan like 3 days on, 1 day off, or whatever you feel works for you.
Just remember, you need at least 48 hours between working muscle groups to get benefit from the workout. You 'rip' muscles at the gym, the actual 'growing' happens when you're not lifting, and the tissue is repairing itself. Just don't stick to anything. Don't stick to something you read and get upset when the results aren't produced. Keep your options open, everyone's body is different. If you don't see results in 2-4 weeks, you need to change your routine.
The last thing, which I'm surprised this guy made no mention of (unless I'm forgetting) is DIET. Diet is even MORE critical than your routine in the gym. You can have the perfect workout routine and gain absolutely nothing if you're not eating right.
Your body needs X amount of calories each day just to stain itself. In order to GAIN muscle you need to be in a calorie surplus EVERY day. On top of that, you should be eating at LEAST your body weight in grams every day. If you weight 165lbs, eat 165grams of protein EVERY day.
I see guys at my gym who are there every day, and have been bench pressing the same weight for the past 3 years because they don't eat right.
Sorry for the novel, but some people may find this information useful, because a surprising amount of people still don't understand that diet is 50% of any weight gain plan. - f4nt0m4s, on 08/07/2008, -1/+6Genetics play a large roll in determining your build, your metabolism, and to an extent your endurance. People with favorable genetics can eat unhealthy and gain no weight. I know a few people who hang at a constant 2% body fat regardless of what they eat. This is a genetic rarity.
But yes, genetics play the largest roll in determining your health. Any doctor will tell you that. It goes, genetics, diet, exercise. Exercise is lower on the list than genetics and diet, but you can't control your genes.
So, the first step to being healthy is a good diet. The next step is exercising.
But, to respond to your original comment...some people will always have a big build regardless of how much dieting and exercising they do, because of their genetics. And, some people will always have a smaller build and a fast acting metabolism. - KMartSheriff, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5CHOPPPAAAAAA!
- inactive, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5CrossFit
- WhiskeyLemur, on 06/30/2009, -0/+5My Wii Fit tried to do that... it would guilt-trip me if I skipped a day. Haven't touched the goddamn thing in over a month as a result - the last thing I need in life is a piece of plastic with separation anxiety.
- armyabn1, on 08/07/2008, -1/+61200 situps a week is not overdoing it....abdominal muscles can easily handle that. 6 days a week and that is only 200 a day.
- kaplanfx, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5Also it's a good idea to do barbell curls in the squat rack, where there are 15 places to do barbell curls in your gym but only ONE F*%&#^G SQUAT RACK.
- mohsenxp, on 08/07/2008, -1/+6The article fails to mention the importance of your diet.
So many people I know go to the gym, and follow it by a takeaway meal. "oh I deserve this after my workout..."
Dieting and exercise go hand in hand, just doing exercise doesn't excuse a poor diet.
If after 4 weeks you are not seeing any progress then you are doing something wrong. - gu0d, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5Good article. It also helps to get someone to go to the gym with you on a regular basis to help keep you on track. Sort of like an accountabilibuddy.
- Sebach, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5Simply gaining muscle mass isn't really gonna do it if you wanna look like AHnold. Diggers don't have that much muscle so you'll have to build a mofo amount of muscle in order to boost your metabolic needs to the point where you start to burn significant amounts of body fat during the day spent not at the gym. That's a lot of working out and time until you get any ripped-esque payoff. In the mean time, you'll still look and feel to the touch like the Michelin Tire guy, you'll just be able to squat more weight. Looking like Arnold is also about not having 50% body fat (sorry Diggers). Cardio can help you lose weight (or at least fat), and also help you not feel like your heart is going to 5-point-palm-exploding-heart-technique in your chest when you climb those 3 steps into the comic book store.
In the end, simply try going to the gym. It's intimidating as *****, yeah but even if you don't do things perfectly at first, and stand out like a stormtrooper at a trekkie convention, at least you're on the right track. Gyms tend to have a self-normalizing effect on technique/routine by talking, observing, inspiring reading, and all that stuff. Get out of your black leather chair, and instead of spending that 70 bucks on your wizard hat downtown, go to the gym and see what's up. At least try it. - kaplanfx, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5Barbell Squats are the single greatest exercise in the gym period. You will get the most total mass gain, total strength gain, and fitness improvements from the SQUAT (and deadlift). Sure they aren't the only exercises, but for a beginner program, to keep it simple, they are simply the best.
- inactive, on 08/06/2008, -1/+6You are absolutely right. Great tips!
- wildkats74, on 08/07/2008, -0/+5that wasn't a guy
- clogmoney, on 08/07/2008, -1/+5I started a regime like this about 4 weeks ago now, I am yet to see a major results myself but this is a routine that I can and will keep doing. And although I haven't noticed any real changes (high expectations maybe) others have so I must be doing something right!.
- rectifier, on 08/07/2008, -2/+6Says no more than 40 minutes but he talking about bodybuilding it seems. What about cardio work (treadmills, ellipse, rowing etc) in the gym where you start to burn fat after 20 minutes or so? Saying 40 minutes, 3 times a week with that simple list and no mention of cardio work is a bit dickfacey.
- 1807, on 08/07/2008, -1/+5I read a story on that...people who work out, but eat really Crappy food. Basically it said that though they may look healthy, physically, people that eat crappy food can still develop the same health problems as the fat guy who eats that stuff and DOESN'T work out.
- imLissy, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4what about cardio? you should only be doing strength training three days a week, but you can fill in the other days with running on the treadmill
- mohsenxp, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4You misunderstood me.
Yes if you have a low body fat then your abs will show clearly. That goes without saying.
I was talking about the actual look of them. If you have seen as many body builders as I have, you will have no doubt realised that some of them have weird looking asymmetrical abs. This is what I meant about good genes/bad genes. - whorunbartertwn, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4I believe the old "evening stroll" (or morning) is the most neglected simple form of exercise people could commit to and stick with. It's free, it's great to get outdoors, and all it takes is 1/2 per day.
- MysticSavage, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4No you don't.
- redbytex, on 08/07/2008, -2/+6If by gym you mean raids then, every ruddy day.
- reddikilowatt, on 08/07/2008, -0/+4That's the hardest one.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 344 discussions
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is