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2006/05/30, 02:59 AM
Hello all, I am just beginning my preplanned workout and the one that i picked is for bulking up and toning. My 1st question is should I warm up 1st with just 5-10 mins of cardio, or should I do more like 30-45 mins of cardio. 2ndly I want to gain muscle and bulk up what amount of wieghts should I begin with and 3rdly should I lift fast or slow. I am a member at the Ballys total fitness in my area so I will be using the machines there. I hope I dont feel uncomfortable using those free wieght machines they always look so intimidating. Thanks for all your help. If you read my profile you will see my goals. Thank you.
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Tyshea from Southern NJ
315/162/150
I want to bulk up, gain muscle mass and loose body fat.
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2006/05/30, 09:31 AM
Hi Tyshea, welcome to FT, you've come to the right place. To answer your questions:
1. Do a 5min cardio warmup before wt training. Longer periods of cardio, 30-45 min should be done on non wt training days.
2. The amount of wt you use depends on how strong you are. Use one of the FT exercise program from this site and make sure your using enough wt to make it challenging to finish each set. You just have to experiment to find out how much wt you can handle...but don't go too light or too heavy!
3. The best advice is to lift with controlled movements and perfect form. Slower is better to maintain good form. Also, your better to focus on free weights as opposed to the circuit type machines designed for the quick workouts. The free weights give you a wider range of motion. I find I'm more easily injured using the machines.
Spend some time reading the many posts on diet and exercise on this site. The search buddy works well too. Feel free to ask questions, there is tons of support and knowledgable people here to assist you!
Congrats on your initial wt loss, now it time to tighten up that body:) Good Luck!!
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Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.
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2006/05/30, 09:36 AM
Hey, welcome to freetrainers!
Warm-up with 5-10 minutes, otherwise you will waste all of your energy on cardio and not get the full benefit from lifting. especialy if you want to get bigger, you will want to keep your lifting and cardio seperate. If you don't have a lot of fat to lose you could wait to add cardio when you want to lean oiut more. Focus on lifting and resting inbetween sessions for full recovery and growth.
You should lift in a controlled manner - two count up, pause, two counts down. Though that is something you can vary to switch up your workouts.
Be sure to get an orientation on the equipment at Bally's. They should have a trainer give you a free walk-through and help you understand how the machines work, how much weight to use, etc.
I will go check out your profile!
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You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
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2006/05/30, 09:36 AM
you beat me to the submit button, flyonthewall!:)
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2006/05/30, 09:38 AM
HeHe...I win:big_smile:
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2006/05/30, 04:40 PM
Thank you for the answers. So 15 minutes of cardio is good then and if I want to do more cardio I should do it on days that I am not training. Also when it comes to the freewieghts I find that they intimadte me because I feel as though I dont know if I am doing it right.
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Tyshea from Southern NJ
315/162/150
I want to bulk up, gain muscle mass and loose body fat.
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2006/05/30, 06:25 PM
Only thing I will add to what these two lovely ladies have enlightened you with would be, with the programs the site gives you, they typically have 4 sets per exercise, the first is usually a high number, it is meant as a warm-up set, go lighter on that set. And don't let the free weights intimidate you, they are the way to go. Also, try keep your cardio light, 5-10 minutes like suggested. Good luck and welcome to FT!
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Days go by and life drags on.....
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2006/05/30, 09:24 PM
If you are really worried about using the free weights corectly, it may be wiorth the money to hire a trainer for 3-4 sessions. make it very clear that you just want to learn correct form and which exercises to do (bring your workout if needed). Make sure the trainer is really certified, not just Bally's certified, and don't hire the biggest, most muscular trainer, hire the one that you see really focusing on his/her clients during their workouts. You could also ask other memebers for help, but you are likely to get some bad advice that way.
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You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
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