Need help designing my strength workout. (fitness experts!!)

[rEdHoBBeS]

ok i think i've got my plan in place. i just have one last question though. regarding weight, my friend (who lifts regularly) says that i should start off with really heavy weights that i can only do a few reps on. he says that this builds the muscle. then he tells me to do less weight and more reps in order to tone this built-up muscle. is this true? or should i just go from around 10-12 reps and build my weight?

[Ruff Ryder]

ok i think i've got my plan in place. i just have one last question though. regarding weight, my friend (who lifts regularly) says that i should start off with really heavy weights that i can only do a few reps on. he says that this builds the muscle. then he tells me to do less weight and more reps in order to tone this built-up muscle. is this true? or should i just go from around 10-12 reps and build my weight?

No. Don't start with heavy weights. Start light and go up. Did you figure out what all of those excersizes were?

[rEdHoBBeS]

well, i kinda looked at whut u guys all said and what my own friends said and i ground out a plan. whut do you think of it?

DAY 1

- chinups
- lat pulldowns
- i don't know what it's called, but it's a thing that works my lower back.
- barbell biceps curls
- preacher curls
- dumbbell curls
- leg curls
- leg presses
- leg extensions
- calf raises

DAY 2

- bench press
- vertical chest press
- dips
- triceps pulldown
- french press
- lateral raises
- shoulder presses
- crunches

DAY 3

- wrist exercises

DAY 4

same as day 1

DAY 5

same as day 2

DAY 6

rest

DAY 7

rest

[Little_Big_Man]

Those are great exercises but I would recommend doing the strength training first to gain some strength. Once you notice your strength increasing then start doing lighter weights with more repetitions to increase conditioning and to get a more cut appearance. I just recently did some strength training and now I am doing the conditioning part to get a more cut appearance. A good way to gain weight is to nap after your meals so that you don't burn off the carbs and calories. I did this, though severly overdone, and it worked wonders. I am very short at 5'5" tall and I weighed around 130lbs at first, then I shot up to 180lbs using the technique mentioned earlier. Don't do it as much as I did as it is hard to work that much weight off. Try to gain around 10-15lbs or so and then start conditioning. I have trimmed down to 165lbs now and I am starting to get my quickness back and strength along with a more toned appearance. I also gained 2" on my biceps.

[rEdHoBBeS]

so you're saying that i should go for the really heavy weights first, and then tone it with the lighter weights afterwards?

[Ruff Ryder]

Start with more reps at light weight and work up to less reps at heavy weight for example.

Bench(Assuming you bench 115 lbs(USA)

1x10 at 60 lbs (1 set of 10)
1x8 at 75 lbs (1 set of 8)
1x5 at 85 lbs (1 set of 5)
etc.

I do it that way anyway. I'm 15 and can bench 195 lbs.

Also I recommend after you lift for maybe a couple of months, Max-Out.

That means do the most weight that you can at one time on each of the core lifts (Bench, Squat(you might want to add that to your regiment), hang clean, push press, and incline.)

Then you can do it like this

1x10 at 50% (1 set at 50% of your max)
1x8 at 65%
1x5 at 75%
etc.

Change it each week and then max out again in another 2 months. I increased my bench by 25 lbs over the last 2 months doing a regiment similar to that.

[rEdHoBBeS]

ok guys. i just got back from the gym. bad news . but for now, let me write down my final workout plan.

DAY 1

Bench 12-10-8-6
Incline Bench 3x10
Dips 3x20
Triceps Pulldowns 3x10
French Presses 3x10
Pushups 3x20
Shrugs 3x10
Lateral Raises 3x10
Crunches 3x30
Hanging Crunches 3x8
Weighted Crunches 3x10

DAY 2

Chinups 3x4
Lat Pulldowns 3x12
Back Extensions 3x8
Barbell Curls 12-10-8-6
Preacher Curls 5x5
Dumbbell Curls 3x10
Leg Curls 3x10
Leg Presses 5x5
Leg Extensions 3x10
Calves 3x15

DAY 3

Wrist Rolls (a stick that has a rope coming out of the middle. at the end of the rope is a weight. i just roll the rope around the stick and then unroll it. killer.) 10x
Wrist Curls 5x5

DAY 4

Repeat Day 1

DAY 5

Repeat Day 2

DAY 6/7

Rest




it seems like a lot (especially to me ) but i have all day so.. yeah. anywyz, back to the problem i ran into. i used to lift a bit so i was able to bench around 110 or so. but i haven't done anything for like 3 months because i kept pushing it off and saying "wait til summer, wait til summer". now that it's summer, i'm finding that i can't do ANYTHING. like i struggle with stuff i used to be able to do in the past. for example, my plan with the benchpress was to do 5 sets (12-10-8-6 with the weight increasing each set). i did 12 of 95 lbs fine. then i was BARELY able to do 10 of 105. by the time it got to doing 8 of 110, i couldn't even get past my 3rd rep. i always seemed to do this in the past too, simply pooping out after just a few sets. eh call me weak but what should i do to fix this?

[Wall St. Peon]

*shrug* Everyone has to start somewhere. Start at 85 and work up to 100...start small. In two weeks you should be able to do 110, and two weeks after that 120....baby steps, my friend, baby steps. It's safer and it garuntees results. Do that with everything.

Also, you may want to cut back on the abs until you have greater endurance. The weighted stuff can cause abdominal strains. Just a note.