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Until recently, I haven't spent much time on direct arm work when lifting.... I just focused on my chest and back mostly. Now that I've just started training my biceps, they're strengthening up really fast! As relatively unused muscles: noobie gains, I guess?
Fun fact: androgen receptors (muscle growing thingies) are packed into the shoulders/upper back. The further down the body you go, generally, the less there are, so more training is required to develop muscle mass (aka calves and belly area taking forever 😫).
My current schedule: Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday are spent destroying my muscles for 1-1/2 to 2 hours each of those days. I spend the other 4 days being a lazy bum while eating and sleeping a lot while recovering and letting them grow.
I'm putting my body under more stress than ever these days with fun exercises that focus on constant tension and absolute failure. My favorite is taking 20lb dumbbells and holding the top of a lateral raise (wings up, parallel to the ground) and holding for as long as possible until I'm shaking violently and nearly screaming in pain lol - can't get much more time under direct tension that a couple sets of that! Plus it's amusing to onlookers 😢.
It's exercises that make you very uncomfortable and "burn" like crazy that actually are beneficial. If the goal is to get in shape, it takes effort.... A LOT OF EFFORT. If you can throw the weight around easily without exertion (like the person doing leg presses while texting 😂), increase the weight until it demands your total concentration. If you're only working out for ~1/24 of the day, you may as well put as much effort into it as the Instagram posts if you wanna see real results lol.
Dedication, determination, focus, and relentless pursuit are what make champions. Give it your best always and don't be afraid to fail - keep trying until you meet your goal. That's how to get in shape as quickly as possible! Never give up!
Even with a couple dumbbells in your living room, you can make massive amounts of progress by pushing yourself and making each movement count.... when it starts to hurt, that's when it's starting to work and that's when you push as hard as you can until the pain is unbearable.
Blah blah blah... Okay, Coach Chris is done rambling.
Hasta la pasta, kids.
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81.6 kg
Lost so far: 0 kg.
Still to go: 6.8 kg.
Diet followed: Reasonably Well.
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2747 kcal
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Fat: 60.06g | Prot: 220.88g | Carbs: 333.51g.
Breakfast: John Soules Foods Chicken Fajita Breast Strips, Bang Cookies & Cream Craze High Protein Coffee, Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt - Vanilla (150g), Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Milk, Publix Quick Cooking Oats, Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Strawberries & Cream (30g), Hidden Valley The Original Ranch Fat Free Dressing, Better'n Eggs Better'n Eggs. Lunch: Kellogg's Special K Protein Meal Bar - Strawberry, Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bars (New Recipe), Nature's Best Perfect Low Carb Isopure Whey Protein Isolate - Dutch Chocolate, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Casein - Cookie Dough, Coffee (Brewed From Grounds), Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder. Dinner: Boiled Egg, Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt - Vanilla (150g), Breyers Oreo Cookies & Cream Ice Cream, Stouffer's Chicken Enchiladas with Cheese Sauce & Rice. Supper: Multivitamins. more...
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2447 kcal
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Exercise:
Driving - 1 hour, Housework - 15 minutes, Sitting - 3 hours, Sleeping - 8 hours, Resting - 2 hours and 15 minutes, Showering - 15 minutes, Bus Driving - 9 hours, Cooking - 15 minutes. more...
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Gaining 1.6 kg a Week
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 Comments
I'm not so sure that "burning like crazy" is a good indicator of how effective an exercise is for tearing down muscel for a rebuild. I use to do a lot of planks. My personal best was 8 minutes. I gave them up when I read enough research that proved to me they were pretty much a waste of time. To be assured, I did planks until I was on fire, but I actually have much better developed abs since I've quit. I still do an extensive plank workout, but it has 9 different variations and the WO last 15 min. I was even doing this back when I did the basic plank. I'm impressed with your determination.
02 Mar 22 by member: adamevegod1
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Of course there's adaptation. That's why it's tough to make any long term progress whilst doing bodyweight exercises - you can't really add additional weight. However, with resistance training, if it loses its challenge, simply add more weight - the sky's the limit 💪
02 Mar 22 by member: chrisw77
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Lactic acid (the "burn") builds when oxygen is cut off (like holding your breath). When you do a strength training exercise, the process is to damage the muscle fibers but this is assisted by blood flow restriction. Once you take a break, the blood rushes back in and carries oxygen and nutrients to the affected area. If you don't feel any discomfort/pain until rep #10, then reps 11-15 (for example) will increase the blood flow return, the amount of oxygen saturation much more than the first 10 reps, and develop the tight "pump" that any bodybuilder will tell you is the holy grail of muscle development 😊. It's like taking a deep breath vs being suffocated for a minute.
02 Mar 22 by member: chrisw77
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02 Mar 22 by member: sandyeg
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Sorry AEG - I didn't mean to sound condescending towards your comment and I know where you were coming from. That said, there are things called blood flow restriction bands (BFR bands) or "Katsu bands" that were founded on this principal: a tourniquet to make the lactic acid build up from the start so there are no wasted reps.... more marketing than science though lol. Lifting is an anaerobic exercise which means you starve the muscles of oxygen to get the results vs aerobic which is driving oxygen into the muscles in a continuous flow. Different programs for different results 👍
02 Mar 22 by member: chrisw77
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adameve- I read they are useless as well. ;)
02 Mar 22 by member: davidsprincess
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honest question... is 3 days a week considered "Alot if effort" ?
03 Mar 22 by member: All_Pain_No_Gainz
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77, All's good--no disrespect taken. Good exchange of ides in my view
03 Mar 22 by member: adamevegod1
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Been lifting weights for over 50 years. it's the gift that keeps on giving. I'm 5'7", and still sporting 20" biceps at 71. don't get stuck in a routine! Very the weight, the movements, lift to max intensity, whether going light or heavy. Remember that your muscles respond to overload ! push past you mental limits, to your true muscle limits, and gain and refine forever. GOOD JOB !
03 Mar 22 by member: feo2man1
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LOL all pain. 1 day off is plenty. ;)
03 Mar 22 by member: davidsprincess
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I started a program last year, a routine I found online (LOL) on strength training for the pear-shaped woman. My goal is NOT to get big, I'm big enough already, but I do want to get stronger. At 61 I started feeling weaker & more wobbly when I walk, so the program has improved that. I wouldn't mind some definition in my arms, got the flabby gramma arm thing but that's also improved. About abs, well I'm too old to strut around in a crop top but I'd love to get rid of the muffin top. Smaller but still there, sadly. I'm barely able to lift 30 lbs overhead, & can manage 10 pushups on my toes. Hoping to increase the weight soon but like I said, the goal is to be stronger more than bigger.
03 Mar 22 by member: Toni Bourlon
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feo2man- that's outstanding! Congrats!💪🏼👍🏼
03 Mar 22 by member: davidsprincess
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All_Pain - 3 days of max-exertion, full-body gets each muscle group 15-20 hard sets/week.... I'd say that's pretty decent according to everything I've read.
03 Mar 22 by member: chrisw77
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Feo2 - my only regret is not starting before I hit 40, but as Tauriel mentioned, it's never too late to start 🤘
03 Mar 22 by member: chrisw77
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Diablo's wisdom finally sunk in and I'm doing more "winging it" than strict programming
03 Mar 22 by member: chrisw77
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chrisw77's Weight History
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