Just Another Day At The Gym

Archive for the ‘At The Gym’ Category

Everyone considers the gym some time in their lives whether it’s because you see someone else that has those muscles you want or you get a reality check and realize that you are gaining way more weight than you thought you were. Either way it goes everyone has thought about or will think about going to the gym. It is almost impossible to compare or contrast exercises since each one does its own job independently on the body. Now there are too many exercises out there for just one post you are in luck, because in this post I will explain how two exercises compare next to each other and ultimately show which is my recommendation for the best workout.
The dumbbell bench press is an exercise used to get that pump into your chest muscles so that they pop out a little further. The muscle group involved is mainly the chest muscles. The secondary muscle group is the shoulders. The grip position is very simple. Once you know which weight you want to lift grasp the dumbbell with an over the hand palm grip. This type of grip is helpful when pushing the weight up because it gives you more leverage and control of the weight. You can also use this grip because it is easier to let go of the weights after a set rather than setting the weights into a stand or on a bench.
Rep timing is a term used when you are performing an exercise. It is the amount of seconds you take to push the weight up and guide the weight down. When performing the dumbbell bench press you must take about two to three seconds to push up the weight and another two to three seconds to guide the weight down to complete the rep. Now the entire point of the dumbbell bench press is to use dumbbells or any kind of free weights you can find. Free weights can consist of books, dumbbells, medicine balls, or anything that you can have a separate but equal amount of weight in each hand. That is the entire point of being a free weight. Being able to freely move your arms in the guided direction is how you will get the entire benefit from the exercise.
The barbell bench press is an exercise used to gain the mass effect of the muscles. The grip position of the barbell is very similar to the dumbbell. The overhand palm grip is used as an extra push of the weight since the thumb under grip is used so often. The over handed grip causes comfort of the wrists which you need since you’re bringing the weight down to your chest muscles. The biggest difference between the two is that you’re using a barbell instead of a dumbbell. The form used for the barbell is to use a two second rep timing and, not bounce, but tap the barbell to your chest so that you can the maximum range of each rep.
The main muscle group involved is the chest muscles. When squeezing at the full extension of the rep you will be working on the tension between the chest muscles with secondary muscle groups of the shoulders and triceps. This is how you achieve the ripple effect between the chest cavities. The weights being used in this exercise is the barbell itself and the separate weights that attach to the ends of the barbell. There are only a set number of weights that are used with the barbell but used with a bunch of them, the barbell can be very effective. When the barbell is being used you must have a spotter regardless of the weight being used. The spotter is a person who is standing right behind you with their palms facing upward just below the barbell in case you slip off the barbell. The weights are more diversified in this exercise than the dumbbell exercises.
The two exercises explained above are the dumbbell bench press and the barbell bench press. The similarities are that they work the same primary muscle groups. The secondary muscle groups are almost alike except that the triceps get involved in the barbell exercise because the arms are closer into the body. The exercises both use benches and they both can have the same handed grip positions. The grip positions are used according to the comfort of yourself. The over handed grip is used so that you wouldn’t have so much tension on the wrists and injure yourself. They both involve raising the weights above your chest and down to your body. The rep timing is sequential in both exercises and should be performed with great concentration.
As for the differences of these exercises; the form is almost identical except for the dumbbell bench press. The dumbbell weights allow you to get more of a squeeze at the top of the rep and more of a stretch at the bottom causing the muscles to rip a little further than the barbell can. The barbell is also using more than the muscles desired instead of isolating the chest for maximum effort. The barbell is great if you are performing more than one routine per day that you are at the gym. The dumbbell is the perfect choice to isolate that part of your body for maximum rip and concentration on those muscles. The differences between the two exercises make an immense impact on the way that you work out at the gym.
To conclude these explanations you can see that there are a lot of similarities such as the muscle groups involved, such as the chest and shoulders, the positions of the grips and arms above the chest, and the rep timing in which you have to perform perfectly so that you can get the maximum burn from each exercise. There are plenty of differences which include, the preferences in grip positions, weights being used, the range of the arms motion throughout the exercise, and the point of squeezing. Even though there are a lot of differences and similarities these exercises benefit the body in their own way. I personally recommend the dumbbell bench press because of the range of motion and the isolation of the chest muscles with very little shoulder work. Even though these exercises modify the same parts of the body, the exercise have their own way of working and according to your workout schedule you must choose them wisely. The dumbbell bench or the barbell bench press, compound or isolation, tremendous stress or multiple body part stress; which will you choose?

Form is what makes or breaks you in weightlifting. I’m not a professional or anything but I do know that if you don’t do your form right when you’re working out then you can eventually pull a muscle or rip something you weren’t supposed to rip. Form is how you perform an exercise. If you’re doing the military press and it tells you to raise the dumbell or barbell straight above your head with a slight bend at the elbow and slowly bring down the weight to shoulder level and then raise again. Do exactly that! Do not stretch too far down then shoot straight up cause then your muscles could over extend and you’ll pull something easy. When it tells you to slightly bend your elbows don’t just bend them all the way and then try to shoot up with all your force just for one rep cause then you’re wasting energy and your muscles aren’t getting the workout you intended to give them. When you go to the gym you’re there for one reason only and that’s to make a difference whether to build muscle, tone yourself, or lose weight, am I right? YEA! So do the exercises right and don’t forget about form! I see plenty of poeple out there that are swinging the weights up and down and not getting enough tension in the muscles or too much tension by over extending or holding a position in which they can’t rest enough for the next rep. Don’t be that guy in the gym where you suck at form and you want the best workout ever. Trust me, I did the preacher curls incorrectly and was out of the gym for a month because my biceps wouldn’t heal from being pulled so hard and long. (just a note: 90 degrees on the preacher curls and do weight that you know you can complete the allotted number of reps with). if you’re reading this post you’re maybe wondering if I’m gonna start with the whole form for every exercise and that’s not the case. You’re going to have to go to the pages up there ^^^^ and click an exercise to see how it’s done. Sorry guys but this is just a reminder post to do the form correctly so you won’t be that guy to injure yourself the first day at the gym and then de-motivate yourself to ever go back. Good luck and remember, perform the rep correctly.

Okay so for the next couple of days I’m setting up those pages that you see at the top that are blank. Those are to show you the certain exercises for each muscle group and some workouts. It’s really simple not that hard to follow once I get them up but there’s been so many crazy things going on here and there with work and constant changes! IT’s really annoying bu I promise I’ll do about one page a week I know that’s slow but work with me, I have no money, no time, no alone time, nothing at all. This weekend I will which will give me plenty of time to do what I gotta do, but still, hopefully I’ll finish what I started right? Do you guys like what you’re reading so far?

What Not To Do And How To Do What You Can
Ok so I know that some of you guys out there are trying to go to the gym and you have all your workouts in order, supplements ready to take, and motivation to get to the gym. But you don’t know what to do when you get there and how. Am I right? Well that’s what I’m making this page here for. I know that on the way to the gym I’m always asking myself questions as to what exercise am I going to start with first, how much time am I going to give myself between sets, or how heavy do I have to do right now to get anything out of the workout? So for everyone’s convenience I’ve came up with some tips and tricks that you can use at the gym. So I guess let’s get it on!

Go to the gym with a well written purpose.

When you go to the gym it is important to have a well written plan as to what exercises you’re gonna do, how muich weight for each set you’re gonna perform and the number of reps per set you’re gonna push out. You should know exactly what exercises you’re gonna do, how much weight you’ll lift, and how many reps and rest you’re gonna have. That way everything is ready to be pushed out at the gym when you get there. Just walk in with a purpose and goal set in mind and on paper.

Be ready to lift mentally.

Being focused going to the gym is the main goal for everyone who goes. If you’re trying to gain weight and increase your numbers, you need to be focused walking through those doors at the gym. In a workout or routine that you perform, you need to put all the effort that you can to get anything out of it. You get what you put into it.

Get the right pre-workout nutrition.

Right before you go to the gym you need to make sure that you get your carbs and protein so that your muscles have something to build on once your tear them up at the gym. You’ll get all the energy you need to complete the routine with the carbs and protein. Make sure you consume these nutrients about 30mins – an hour before the workout. Make sure you drink a lot of water at least half of your own body weight in ounces everyday.

Remember that your body needs to be ready for what you’re gonna put it through regardless of the workout. You can’t consume 160g of protein one day and then 60g of protein the next and expect something to happen.

Bring a copy of your workout to the gym.

You don’t want to be that guy deciding what to do at the gym and can’t remember what you wrote down on your log back at the house. First of all it’s embarrassing. Second, you need something there to tell you what’s next. Something has to imform you of the weight you’re about to lift. And you always need something to write down your weight and progress on.

Train, don’t socialize

You’re at the gym to improve yourself not to make a relationship with someone by conversation. Don’t get distracted by someone who walked right through the door that you think looks great. Keep your mind on the goals you’ve set. Focus on that next rep!

Stick to what you can do.

I’m no professional or anything, so don’t go head and listen to me all the time about what to do and what not to do concerning exercises at the gym. I tell you my experiences and you can build off of them. If you can’t do a particular exercise that I do or find something on the internet in a workout, that you can’t perform correctly. Then don’t do it. All you’re gonna do is hurt yourself doing it or in the long run. Stick to what you can do.

When you go to the gym, you should have your workout with you and nothing should be left out. You should already

know what you’re gonna do before you do it. Keep that in mind when you’re done your last set of whatever exercise that you’re doing. You don’t want to overtrain your muscles doing what you think is a cool down exercise of 20 reps with a low weight. You’ll stretch your muscles and tear them too bad and get injured rather than see any gain. You’ll b

e sore as hell for the first few days and then you’ll just feel burnt out. Pain and nothing but pain and not the good kind. So be careful as to how much of a weight you’ll use and how many reps you’re doing. Even if you can still bust out another set or two, hold yourself back. Sometimes, the les you do is the best.

Leave the gym, let your body grow and rest, and then over do it on the added fat burning muscle tissue.

Make sure that your body has rested itself before you go to the gym again and workout.

Post work out nutrition and meal.

You basically have 45mins to an hour after you workout to get your post meal and nutrients into your body so that you can start to gain muscle and lose fat. You get to replenish all those glycogen levels which in turn aids the build of muscle and recovery process is sooner. For the best results in my efforts, use this time in two parts complex or simple carbs w/ one protein part. I’ve read other places that this is proven for the aid in build and recovery process. Seems to work for me.

All these tips are from other sites that I’ve actually done and there will be more regardless. There’s never too many tips to use at the gym. After I try a tip that I’ve read on the internet or a book somewhere, I’ll post it up here if it’s a good one or not. So keep checking the page to see what’s up.

If you’re reading this blog you obviously have questions about going to the gym or questions concerning exercises or something. Well at least you did the right move. You’re already thinking about going to the gym and have a workout plan in mind and if you don’t, then you’re definetely in the right place. When you have a perfect workout routine, in which you can check my post on how to pick the perfect exercise, go to the gym and do it. You can’t be scared.

When someone fairly new to the gym actually steps foot in the gym for the first time, they really don’t know what to do whether it’s exercising, asking if someone is using a bench, or what weight to start out on. Whatever the case is, you can’t be scared. You might want to use the weights someone else is using at the time, so just walk up and ask how many sets he/she has left. If anything jsut jump in his sets, and don’t be scared to because you’re all there for the same reason and that’s to get fit. If you’re scared to sart something new or not advance when you should be pushing yourself then what are you doing at the gym?

Well here’s a simple way to think about everything. You’re the one who went to the gym and you’re the one who is trying to further themself and you’re definetely the one that’s trying to set yourself up for success. You can’t be scared to improve especially if you’re just starting out. Don’t be scared to just lift a weight and start to do reps. If you’re working out off of a previous week’s info then make sure you’re increasing the weight if you’re trying to get mass or maintain the weight with more reps to get toned. Don’t be scared if you’re still struggling on the same weight as the week before. You’re perfectly fine. Don’t be scared to move up either. Cause you always have a spotter at the gym. Ask someone to spot you cause really that just makes that person feel bigger and better since you’re asking them for help. Don’t be scared to do it!!! Everything at the gym is your pace unless you’re in a program that sprouts you up like never before but nonetheless, it’s your pace and it’s up to you to set your goals.

How to set up your goals will be the next post coming to ya.