Can I have some advice on this?
Jamesy
Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,411
Location: Near London United Kingdom
I have been out of the gym for a few months becaue I ran out of money (I was a memeber for 2 years).
I am saving up to buy some free weights and dumbells. Can I have some advice on how to build a very strong muscular body using free weights?
Before I did have a muscular body becasue of the gym I was a member off but I am starting too loose it.
I stand between 5'11-6'0 and weigh 169 lbs.
I am saving up to buy some free weights and dumbells. Can I have some advice on how to build a very strong muscular body using free weights?
Before I did have a muscular body becasue of the gym I was a member off but I am starting too loose it.
I stand between 5'11-6'0 and weigh 169 lbs.
It depends on exactly what you are going for. Core body strength, strength, endurance, or hypertrophy.
Core body strength actually involves little in the way of weights and most workouts utilize one's own body to serve as the weight.
Strength and hypertrophy can be achieved with free weights. Dumbells, as you proposed are a good choice because of their versatility, and provide more of a workout for stabilizing muscles than barbells. You might want one or two barbells for squats though.
If you are going for more strength, you would do medium weight with more reps, and if you were going for hypertrophy, you would do something like 75-90% your maximum (maximum being the heaviest you can lift safely), and do less reps. If you are going for hypertrophy, you should have a spotter.
Most guys who go for hypertrophy also want to get ripped, so you will need to do a burn phase after a hypertrophy phase to burn off excess fat. Light weights with high reps and cardio are generally used for this.
I think most people can get a fairly good workout at home with dumbells and one of those tension bands, and some cardio.
Jamesy
Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,411
Location: Near London United Kingdom
Have a look at kettlebells, you only need one for an amazingly quick all body workout, it doesnt isolate your muscles but teaches you to use all your body with is a lot stronger working as a unit, and more importantly it will train your posture/core ie your back/stomach and glutes, done right you will never have back problems, it will melt fat away, not just for guys either. Dragondoor and Pavel are massive in the US, UK is playing catch up as usual
I do want to increase strength and also get ripped at the same time.
Being strong and muscular is a matter of putting on a serious amount of bodyweight.
Being "ripped" is about starving yourself, burning calories, getting smaller & weaker so your absicles show up.
It is contradictory to try both at the same time, you sort of have to pick one. But if you are desperate to be "ripped" best option is to get big & strong first, then lose excess bodyfat when you want to show off your body. Like just before a summer beach holiday or if you are actually entering a bodybuilding contest.
The absolutely most efficient & versatile tool to get big and strong is a barbell set. Go buy one (reasonable quality) olympic barbell, and about 2-3x your bodyweight in plates. And buy or build a safety rack for squatting and chin ups.
Squat, Bench & Deadlift your way to big and strong. A book called "starting strength" by mark rippetoe is a perfect guide.
And expect to spend a lot of money on meat, milk & eggs.
Use a door for pullups, decline push ups with a chair, dips inbetween two chairs. If you really want free weights, fill an old sack or two up with small coins or something, bucket full of bricks, or whatever you've got. Much cheapness! But you can make bodyweight exercises very effective with a little ingenuity.
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This kid of stuff is good for a little mild training to keep the shoulders & arms active. But to get really big and strong you need to overload the entire body with maximal weights.
The muscles in the legs are the largest, strongest and most important for us humans who designed to be running and walking. The muscles of the hip is the source of our power, what allows us to lift heavy objects from the ground or leap & sprint. So this should be the core of any training for size or athleticism.
Yet there is no effective way to train these with bodyweight exercise, and heavy random object lifting is dangerous. Barbells allow optimal technique/body positioning. Which allows the entire body to be stressed maximally all over without injury, which will cause maximum adaptation in the form of strength increases and muscle mass.
Yeah, I agree. I'm not entirely sure of Jamesy's desires. Maybe a little confused himself. At least he can keep training for no money with my plan, but fair enough, if he means big strong, he will need to do as you say, and do some proper weight lifting.
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