Weight Training

[Dave Bryan]

I am 140 pounds 5'11 (skinny mofo) age 17 and I am looking for some weight training/workout tips or routines that I could try when I start lifting (Got a job so i can afford it now) looking for tips to build a workout routine that will build strength because I am weak but not to bulk up to giantness....I was shooting for 160 but thats a far along goal. I am basically looking for something to build off of my Judo/Juijitsu game plus to just bulk up abit.

[Tallsilkyslim]

I am 140 pounds 5'11 (skinny mofo) age 17 and I am looking for some weight training/workout tips or routines that I could try when I start lifting (Got a job so i can afford it now) looking for tips to build a workout routine that will build strength because I am weak but not to bulk up to giantness....I was shooting for 160 but thats a far along goal. I am basically looking for something to build off of my Judo/Juijitsu game plus to just bulk up abit.

FWIW:

I too used to be skinny and tall like you. Except for when i was 17 i was 6'5 and only about 160 lbs. :eek:

I would say that the best advice for you, at your age, would be to let time run its course. Your body is not done growing. We all put on a "20 something" weight that occurs when your metabolism slows down. You will be 160 easily by the time you are 20 mark my words.

For a great workout plan that is also great for your jiu jitsu visit this link below:

www.fitnessjiujitsu.com

It was made by the guy that runs Sub101....can't remember his name though.:cool:

Train hard bro. The size will come. Don't get discouraged. Besides girls like toned looking Abercrombie and Fitch models these days so being thin isn't always a bad thing.

That's just my 02 cents.

[Dave Bryan]

Haha thanks man I will take that into consideration and checkout that site.

[frank_shic]

dave, i've been lifting weights for the last 20 years and here's the most efficient workout that i've come up with:

upper body
bench press x 5 sets of 5 reps
bicep curls x 5 sets of 5 reps
tricep extensions x 5 sets of 5 reps

lower body
leg press x 5 sets of 5 reps followed with calf extensions x 5 sets of 20 reps (make sure the safety lock is on, ok?)
leg extensions x 5 sets of 5 reps
leg curls x 5 sets of 5 reps

i do hanging leg lifts whenever i workout upper body or lower body 20 reps first set followed by 10 reps second set. i increase my weights in a pyramid fashion so that i'm near maximal failure on the third set at which point i start decreasing the weight again. for example, for bench pressing, i start at 185, move up to 205 and then peak at 225 before moving back down through 205 then 185.

i usually alternate days of weight training with treadmill running. so a typical week will be:

monday upper body
tuesday running
wednesday lower body
thursday running
friday upper body

and then i switch up the following week to do two days of lower body and one day of upper body. currently i switch out a day of running with jiu jitsu practice. i limit my weight training and running to 20-25 minute sessions because i hate being in the gym for extended periods of time doing redundant exercises.

keep in mind that there was a time when i couldn't even do a single pull up so don't get discouraged!

[Dave Bryan]

Thanks for the workout tips Frank, Im guessing switching out some workouts every month or so with similiar workouts are fine?

[jasper_milktoast]

work your back, legs and shoulders. forget the chest and arms, they are beach muscles.

if you want strength you should lift heavy weights. use some undulating periodization to prevent some plateauing.

maybe use compound workouts like the squat, deadlift, clean, and pullup to save time in the gym.

best bet is to go to a gym and find a good trainer to show you correct form and spot you.

also nutrition is the biggest key in making gains.

[Spidaman]

Everyone has a workout that works for them.
Personally if you're an ecto-endo like me then you will find it very hard to bulk up.
First thing first for me would be nutrition; Lots of protein, lots of water and 5-6 meals a day.

I just started my nutrition plan and idealy it consists of 5-6 meals a day (protein in all of them), 2 liters of water and 2-3 protein shakes with Udo oil a day. With the protein shake I am having one in the morning and one right after Jiu Jitsu. Udo oil is just a bunch of natural oils containing omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

Once you have the nutrition down it will be much easier to bulk up. If you are looking for a workout that will make you the most effective at Jiu Jitsu and Judo I would definetly suggest Plyometrics.

Jiu Jitsu and Judo both require you to be explosive and this is exactly what plyometrics targets. Plyometrics builds up your power which I'm sure if you've taken physics you would know is mass times speed. So in other words its training you to move as much weight as fast as you can.

I haven't done too much research into the workout routines as I haven't done it yet but I have heard people say to work it into your already existing workout one a week. I have also been told that you can do it as your sole workout and go 3-4 times a week.

Lifting weights will definetly help but I don't believe it will to the extent plyometrics will. Lifting weights will do exactly what it is training to do, and that is to be able to lift more weight.

[Spidaman]

undulating periodization to prevent some plateauing

lol way to use some made up words :p

[Smitaay]

hahaha, are you confused, yet?

There are a bazilllllllllllion different workouts that people are going to recommend, as you've seen, already.

Listen, the best workout for you is the one you will keep doing. If you start out with 4 hour a day, pyramiding, split-routine, monster workouts, well, I'm not saying that you'll quit, but you'd be the rare exception if you stuck with it. Also, unless you are a genetic freak and pumping huge amounts of HGH and other fun drugs, you'll rapidly reach a point of overtraining, and you'll plateau in your body weight and the weight you are lifting, and then you'll get discouraged, and quit.

There is huge debate about what workout is best for strength and weight gains and all that. 10 different people will give you 10 different workouts. I think that the absolute primary factor in how big and strong you can get is your genetics. You and I could take every steroid on the face of the earth, work out 8 hours a day, and still not look like the professional bodybuilders, even if we wanted to.

This isn't to say that you can't get much, much bigger and stronger than you are, now. If I know a guy lifts weights, I assume that he is about twice as strong as a similar sized guy who doesn't lift weights, and that seems to be quite accurate, from my experience. I'd be surprised if the guys on here that lift have a different experience than me, but I know that I get about 2-3 times as strong when I've been lifting, depending on the exercise. But here's the deal. If you don't get in the gym (or your garage, or wherever) and actually lift, you're not gonna gain anything, obviously.

I personally do a full body workout (work all muscle groups) 3 days a week and do one set of each exercise to muscle failure. That's about 12-13 exercises per workout. There will be people that flame me for that, but the science says it's at least as productive at strength and size gains as any of the other multiple set workouts. I've done both types of workouts, multiple set per exercise and single set per exercise, and have had good results with both. The big thing for me is that I can slam out a single set workout in about 20-30 minutes, and I can get psyched up for a 25 minute, kill myself workout much, much easier than I can for a 4 hour, jack around out in the garage all day workout. In other words, I'll keep doing it.

Anyway, buddy, the bottom line is just to get in the gym and lift. Find a workout that you don't hate to do. Work all of your muscle groups. I wouldn't neglect any of them, if I were you. And if you don't feel like lifting that day, just go in there and have a crappy workout. A bad workout is better than no workout at all.

That's just my two cents. If people disagree, no biggie, just don't listen to me. haha Good luck, buddy.

[Dave Bryan]

hahaha, are you confused, yet?

There are a bazilllllllllllion different workouts that people are going to recommend, as you've seen, already.

Listen, the best workout for you is the one you will keep doing. If you start out with 4 hour a day, pyramiding, split-routine, monster workouts, well, I'm not saying that you'll quit, but you'd be the rare exception if you stuck with it. Also, unless you are a genetic freak and pumping huge amounts of HGH and other fun drugs, you'll rapidly reach a point of overtraining, and you'll plateau in your body weight and the weight you are lifting, and then you'll get discouraged, and quit.

There is huge debate about what workout is best for strength and weight gains and all that. 10 different people will give you 10 different workouts. I think that the absolute primary factor in how big and strong you can get is your genetics. You and I could take every steroid on the face of the earth, work out 8 hours a day, and still not look like the professional bodybuilders, even if we wanted to.

This isn't to say that you can't get much, much bigger and stronger than you are, now. If I know a guy lifts weights, I assume that he is about twice as strong as a similar sized guy who doesn't lift weights, and that seems to be quite accurate, from my experience. I'd be surprised if the guys on here that lift have a different experience than me, but I know that I get about 2-3 times as strong when I've been lifting, depending on the exercise. But here's the deal. If you don't get in the gym (or your garage, or wherever) and actually lift, you're not gonna gain anything, obviously.

I personally do a full body workout (work all muscle groups) 3 days a week and do one set of each exercise to muscle failure. That's about 12-13 exercises per workout. There will be people that flame me for that, but the science says it's at least as productive at strength and size gains as any of the other multiple set workouts. I've done both types of workouts, multiple set per exercise and single set per exercise, and have had good results with both. The big thing for me is that I can slam out a single set workout in about 20-30 minutes, and I can get psyched up for a 25 minute, kill myself workout much, much easier than I can for a 4 hour, jack around out in the garage all day workout. In other words, I'll keep doing it.

Anyway, buddy, the bottom line is just to get in the gym and lift. Find a workout that you don't hate to do. Work all of your muscle groups. I wouldn't neglect any of them, if I were you. And if you don't feel like lifting that day, just go in there and have a crappy workout. A bad workout is better than no workout at all.

That's just my two cents. If people disagree, no biggie, just don't listen to me. haha Good luck, buddy.

Yea I knew I would get a different answer for every person, but I asked for the different answers to help me collaberate on what I could make to be my own.

[CEB]

I am 140 pounds 5'11 (skinny mofo) age 17 and I am looking for some weight training/workout tips or routines that I could try when I start lifting (Got a job so i can afford it now) looking for tips to build a workout routine that will build strength because I am weak but not to bulk up to giantness....I was shooting for 160 but thats a far along goal. I am basically looking for something to build off of my Judo/Juijitsu game plus to just bulk up abit.

Lifting will not make you bigger if you do not eat for growth. Rest and eating is a huge piece of the formula.


If you are new I usually start guys with some light 3x10 schemes based around the Holy Trinity. (Squats, Deadlifts and Bench Press). You need to learn proper form. It would be really good if you had someone knowledgable to teach you hands on. Once you get going your loads will start to increase because of 'CNS' development. Your body learn how to do the lifts better. Your actual functional 'strength' gains may be minimal during this honeymoon period. I would judge that by how you feel on the mat.

Whatever you do, do correct form. The lifts that help you the most can hurt you bad if you do them wrong.

My favorite book on lifting technique was this book but it went out of print: It looks like they may be coming out with a new version though. It is supposed to be available in May.

http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Tell-All-Handbook-Weight-Training-Technique/dp/9963916325/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237383479&sr=1-4

You can get it used.
http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Tell-All-Handbook-Weight-Training-Technique/dp/9963616097

Just like martial arts, nothing beats first hand instruction. Also the biggest meat head in the gym doesn't necessarily know anything. Getting a mentor can depend on a lot of luck. Just like martial arts.

[frank_shic]

dave, the other piece of advice i can give you: don't blow a lot of money on supplements. i went through a brief period where i was drinking tons of whey protein and creatine but the only thing it did for me was give me major runs and i'm normally lactose tolerant lol. btw i'm 5'11 and i started out at your weight in middle school at around 135, packed on 30 pounds by the end of high school and now have slimmed back down to a very LEAN and sinewy 155 although part of that was probably due to those wonderful pubertal hormones!

[Martin]

The bigger the muscles the bigger the ego. Be careful.

[CEB]

You are kidding, right? :D
If that was true, I do not believe it is, it just isn't that easy. No one is going to do a set of squats then all of a sudden look like Scott "Big Papa Pump" Steiner. :D

It just doesn't work that way.

[Tallsilkyslim]

Consistency is the key.

Go to your local gym. There are probably 10 different personal trainers, and all of them are ripped. Yet all of them most likely follow different routines. What is the factor they all have in common? Consistency.

I personally don't think what you do is as important as actually picking something and sticking with it.

Just do it.

[PacificFlows]

just be sure whatever strength training regiment you adopt builds strength, and not just fluff muscle.

i could bench press all day and get double d pex. would that help my punching? i don't think so. i'm a firm believer in not only training the muscles, but to train them to work together effectively.

kettlebells, bro.
kettle.
bells.

it's just a fad, though. don't listen to me. :p

[flying gogo-plata]

all i've got to say is: seated row. i find it gives u a great clinch and really builds up squeezing strength in the upper body

[Dave Bryan]

Thanks guys you really gave me some insight on what I should do, I am going to look for a reasonable Gym that I will be able to afford. I posted this thread to get some extra information on what I should be doing because as you know..it is a very broad subject to just jump into with little knowledge of weight lifting.

[CEB]

all i've got to say is: seated row. i find it gives u a great clinch and really builds up squeezing strength in the upper body

Rows are great but, Why seated rows? Just curious.

I do a lot bent over barbell rows. Inclined lever rows are awesome if you have trouble with you bent over barbell form.

Is there something about being seated you think applies more directly with the clinch?

Thanks

[jasper_milktoast]

undulating as an intransitive verb means: to rise and fall in volume, pitch, or cadence

periodization is the is the attempt to categorize or divide time into named blocks

these were not made up by me, it was part of a study in the journal of strength and conditioning circa 2002.

[flying gogo-plata]

Rows are great but, Why seated rows? Just curious.

I do a lot bent over barbell rows. Inclined lever rows are awesome if you have trouble with you bent over barbell form.

Is there something about being seated you think applies more directly with the clinch?

Thanks

well i figure if he's staring out seated rows are the least intense and the easiest to get the proper form for. also the machine for a seated row is pretty common at every gym