Weightlifting

[Rodey]

Originally Posted by LaunchOne

Alright, so I've been working out consistently for about 10 weeks now. Before that I wouldn't say I was inconsistent, necessarily, just wasn't taking protein or eating as well as I am now. Also wasn't doing nearly as much while at the gym as I have been since the beginning of August (unemployment has its advantages ).

I know 2 1/2 months isn't exactly a long time (especially considering the 4 extremely unhealthy years of college that just ended), but I feel like I should be seeing more significant changes. I mean, I'm getting stronger, slowly but surely, but I really don't see any major improvements in physique yet. I'm about 5'8ish, 130 pounds or so, and since getting out of school/moving back home in May I've actually lost like 10+ pounds without drinking heavily 3 days a week anymore (which goes with eating shitty, etc.).

My week usually consists of Chest on Monday, Biceps/Triceps Tuesday, Shoulders Thursday, Back/Chest Friday, and cardio Wednesday, Saturday, and sometimes Sunday. I never go into a day with a specific set of exercises planned, I kind of just wing it based on what I did the week before, availability of machines, etc. I guess my main thing is - would I benefit from cutting down the variety of exercises to a select number rather than trying so hard to switch it up each week? Maybe not an exact blueprint plan to follow, but more consistency at least. Or should I just be patient and keep doing what I'm doing?

Edit: I should probably add - I'm not really looking to put on a large amount of mass/muscle. At my size I think I'd just look bulky and ridiculous. Toned/general strength is probably more like it.

Thanks for any input, much appreciated.

I'm a little late, but doing split routines is pointless if you have fat to lose. You'd be much better off focusing on full body workouts and cardio.

[LaunchOne]

Originally Posted by Rodey

I'm a little late, but doing split routines is pointless if you have fat to lose. You'd be much better off focusing on full body workouts and cardio.

I don't think I have much fat to lose, honestly. I'm around 5'8, like 130 pounds, tops. In other words, I'm definitely not working out to lose weight.

[Rodey]

Originally Posted by LaunchOne

I don't think I have much fat to lose, honestly. I'm around 5'8, like 130 pounds, tops. In other words, I'm definitely not working out to lose weight.

Looks like I missed that part of your post.

[LaunchOne]

Originally Posted by Rodey

Looks like I missed that part of your post.

Yeah dude, I was gonna say. If I lose weight I'd be in trouble.

[cry_minarets458]

Alrighty, so I guess I just finished up my 6th week of lifting after taking a year and a half off. I've gained around 10 pounds. I'm 5'11 1/2" - 6'0", and weigh 175. My question is ... how do I know that the weight I'm gaining is predominantly or mostly all muscle? I've been eating quite balanced and haven't been eating crap. Mostly rice, stir fry, chicken breast, beef, the occasional burger and whatnot, fish, etc. I've cut mostly all soda from my diet (except the occasional quarter glass here and there to help with passing a headache), and drink skim milk or 1%. My physique has changed substantially, but it doesn't look like I'm getting fat or anything

[achtungbaby]

If you trained and ate the right way it's quite certain to be mostly muscle you have gained. Unless your diet is incredibly strict there will be some fat gain with that weight but from what you've said it doesn't sound like much, especially since you see big changes in your build. After such a long break its normal to have relatively quick gains ionce you start training consistently again so expect them to taper off somewhat in the coming weeks. If you change your workouts every so often it will help you avoid plateaus and keep the muscle coming. Great work man

[jpevear]

Originally Posted by cry_minarets458

Alrighty, so I guess I just finished up my 6th week of lifting after taking a year and a half off. I've gained around 10 pounds. I'm 5'11 1/2" - 6'0", and weigh 175. My question is ... how do I know that the weight I'm gaining is predominantly or mostly all muscle? I've been eating quite balanced and haven't been eating crap. Mostly rice, stir fry, chicken breast, beef, the occasional burger and whatnot, fish, etc. I've cut mostly all soda from my diet (except the occasional quarter glass here and there to help with passing a headache), and drink skim milk or 1%. My physique has changed substantially, but it doesn't look like I'm getting fat or anything

Gaining 10 lbs of muscle in six weeks is highly improbable. For someone starting out like yourself and from what I've read, 25 lbs of muscle gain per year is normal (or 12.5 lbs/6 months).

[MDrums54]

Originally Posted by Rodey

I'm a little late, but doing split routines is pointless if you have fat to lose. You'd be much better off focusing on full body workouts and cardio.

this. full body workouts are solve just about every problem there is.

Originally Posted by jpevear

Gaining 10 lbs of muscle in six weeks is highly improbable. For someone starting out like yourself and from what I've read, 25 lbs of muscle gain per year is normal (or 12.5 lbs/6 months).

gaining 10 lbs of muscle alone in 6 weeks is borderline impossible, but an entire year for 25 lbs is a little low if youre doing the right routine.

when i was 18, i got put on my first full-body workout routine. i was eating 5 meals per day and lifting only 45 minutes per day, three days a week. in three months, i had put on 30 lbs.

now granted, probably 12 lbs of that was fat, but it is literally impossible to ONLY put on lean muscle. when you gain weight, youre going to gain fat, which is why people cycle their workouts and diets so that after they put on the weight, they cut down and shed that excess fat so that only their muscle gains remain.

[jpevear]

Originally Posted by MDrums54

this. full body workouts are solve just about every problem there is.



gaining 10 lbs of muscle alone in 6 weeks is borderline impossible, but an entire year for 25 lbs is a little low if youre doing the right routine.

when i was 18, i got put on my first full-body workout routine. i was eating 5 meals per day and lifting only 45 minutes per day, three days a week. in three months, i had put on 30 lbs.

now granted, probably 12 lbs of that was fat, but it is literally impossible to ONLY put on lean muscle. when you gain weight, youre going to gain fat, which is why people cycle their workouts and diets so that after they put on the weight, they cut down and shed that excess fat so that only their muscle gains remain.

Hence my usages of 'highly improbable'.

.5 lbs of muscle a week, which calculates to 26 Lbs a year, is a realistic number (backed by research) and not low by any means.

[MDrums54]

Originally Posted by jpevear

Hence my usages of 'highly improbable'.

.5 lbs of muscle a week, which calculates to 26 Lbs a year, is a realistic number (backed by research) and not low by any means.

oooo right right, i just saw that you wrotet 25 lbs of MUSCLE per year, not just 25 lbs in general.

yea, id agree with you then. 25 lbs of muscle would probably equate to around 50 lbs total weight gained over the course of a year, so that sounds about right.

[cry_minarets458]

So what do you say I've gained muscle wise in the 6 weeks? Around 6-6.5 pounds?

[gonz085]

Originally Posted by cry_minarets458

So what do you say I've gained muscle wise in the 6 weeks? Around 6-6.5 pounds?

honestly, for just starting back up? 4ish? that's my guess.

edit: back in mid may I started lifting seriously for the whole summer b/c I had a free membership at home and had the time to do it. Seriously changed my body physique, and didn't gain any weight. I actually weigh less now than I did at that time and was 6' 1.5'' 185 when I started the summer. Now I'm about 180 and lift 3 days a week, as compared to the summer when it was about 6 days.

So who knows really.

[jpevear]

Originally Posted by cry_minarets458

So what do you say I've gained muscle wise in the 6 weeks? Around 6-6.5 pounds?

That all depends on your diet and how hard you work out. I can't remember your initial post, but are you transforming current fat to muscle or are you packing on additional lean muscle through conscious eating and good workouts?

[jpevear]

What are you guys benching?

Growing up I never really benched. I remember benching in about 7th or 8th grade but that was about it. In the 20 + years that's passed without doing any bench presses, I've done push ups and dumbbell flys to keep my chest in shape.

Well, about 3 months ago, and only because my gym has several smith machines, I decided to give regular bench and incline bench a try.

Today I started off with..

1st set: 15 reps of 140 lbs.
2nd set: 10 reps of 160 lbs
3rd set: 7 reps of 180 lbs
4th set: 4 reps of 200 lbs
5th set: 2 reps of 220 lbs

The 'lbs' above are representative of only the actual weights put on the bar. From what I read, the smith machine bar weighs nothing - so, 4, 45lb weights should be 180 lbs. Am I right?or does the bar weigh something?

Anyway, I jump to incline after that. Do about 5 sets/8 reps of 120lbs.

I weigh 175 and am 5'9. Since I don't know much about MY limits and I don't have anything to based MY results on, how am I doing so far given the information supplied.

[achtungbaby]

I've seen a few Smith machines with a label stating 15 pounds for the bar

I've been up as high as 245 (on regular flat bench) in the past but usually top out at 225 for now. I don't focus too much on strength honestly but I do try to increase it little by little if I can.

[LaunchOne]

I also use a smith for bench and incline. I like to do pyramids on it every couple weeks. Pretty sure my gym has a weightless bar, and even then I don't feel comfortable putting on more weight than I know I can get up at least 3 times. I wish I had a spotter every now and again so I can use the actual bench instead of the smith, but until then I'm good with not killing myself.

But sometimes, I do bench/incline small amounts of weight not on the smith and do "burners" with free weights. For example, I'll free weight press 60 pounds 10 times, drop the dumbbells, and immediately bench like, 80 pounds as many times as I can with the olympic bar. Three or four sets of that and I'm dying.

[mechman]

Originally Posted by jpevear

What are you guys benching?

Growing up I never really benched. I remember benching in about 7th or 8th grade but that was about it. In the 20 + years that's passed without doing any bench presses, I've done push ups and dumbbell flys to keep my chest in shape.

Well, about 3 months ago, and only because my gym has several smith machines, I decided to give regular bench and incline bench a try.

Today I started off with..

1st set: 15 reps of 140 lbs.
2nd set: 10 reps of 160 lbs
3rd set: 7 reps of 180 lbs
4th set: 4 reps of 200 lbs
5th set: 2 reps of 220 lbs

The 'lbs' above are representative of only the actual weights put on the bar. From what I read, the smith machine bar weighs nothing - so, 4, 45lb weights should be 180 lbs. Am I right?or does the bar weigh something?

Anyway, I jump to incline after that. Do about 5 sets/8 reps of 120lbs.

I weigh 175 and am 5'9. Since I don't know much about MY limits and I don't have anything to based MY results on, how am I doing so far given the information supplied.

Most standard olympic bars are 45 pounds.

When I was at my strongest last spring (before the partial hernia) I was pushing around 255 max, usually with 5 sets x 5 reps at 215.

I'm back in a normal lifting routine now, after losing 30 pounds over the summer through running and eating right (mostly fat). I'm still able to get 185 consistently, and got 3 reps at 195. Hoping to get back to the strength level where I was, but at this new (healthier) body weight.

[cry_minarets458]

Originally Posted by jpevear

That all depends on your diet and how hard you work out. I can't remember your initial post, but are you transforming current fat to muscle or are you packing on additional lean muscle through conscious eating and good workouts?

I think I'm packing on, I don't think there's much fat to transform, so to speak. I was 165 at almost 6 feet tall. Maybe my percent body fat six weeks ago (when I began working out) was around 10.0%? I'm doing a body density test within the next few days in the exercise science department, so I'll know for sure then.

[DMBand520]

You can't really compare the weight you bench on a smith machine to what you'd do on a real bench press. You need to use a lot of stabilizer muscles for regular bench that you don't build up by doing the smith machine. Doing smith machine is pretty much just like using one of the regular chest press machines. Also its kind of a lame excuse to say you can't do normal bench b/c you don't have a spotter. Just stick with lifting a weight you can handle for a few sets in the 5-8 rep range and you can always judge by how each rep feels if you can handle doing another one. If you ever want to work with weight in the 1-4 rep range or if you are feeling fatigued from a previous set just ask someone at the gym to spot you. I have random people spot me all the time and no one seems to mind. Just ask someone who is working out near you that is resting between sets.

Some advice I can give for bench is make sure you are using good form. A lot of people can increase their bench press max immediately just by improving technique. Make sure you are always progressing. For a beginner every workout you should either be able to add weight to the bar or do more reps for the same weight. Make sure you are getting enough total calories and enough protein to support muscle growth. You can't build muscle out of nothing and you can't turn fat into muscle despite what some people say. You need to eat to put on muscle! All through college whenever I would workout I would always be dieting and doing lots of cardio to lose weight/tone up at the same time. I could never progress past 185 lbs on bench and I'm a pretty big guy (6'4 215 lbs). Finally I started reading up more online and decided I should try eating more and realized that I needed to put on weight to gain muscle (some fat will come with it but you can burn that off later). I also switched from training in the 10 rep range to the 5 rep range with heavier weights. Within a year my max was up to 280 lbs and a year after that my max was up to 315 lbs.

One last bit of advice is get a good routine (don't make up your own!) and be consistent. Find a routine with a number of days you will be able to make every week no matter what (ideally either 3 or 4 days a week) and then don't miss any workouts. Not just for a month or 6 months, but for a year and then multiple years. Obviously its ok to take a week off here and there for a vacation or something, but you can't have regular periods where you don't make it to the gym for weeks at a time. You get out what you put in and if you are inconsistent with your workouts AND your diet you'll get inconsistent results.

[jpevear]

Originally Posted by DMBand520

You can't really compare the weight you bench on a smith machine to what you'd do on a real bench press. You need to use a lot of stabilizer muscles for regular bench that you don't build up by doing the smith machine. Doing smith machine is pretty much just like using one of the regular chest press machines. Also its kind of a lame excuse to say you can't do normal bench b/c you don't have a spotter. Just stick with lifting a weight you can handle for a few sets in the 5-8 rep range and you can always judge by how each rep feels if you can handle doing another one. If you ever want to work with weight in the 1-4 rep range or if you are feeling fatigued from a previous set just ask someone at the gym to spot you. I have random people spot me all the time and no one seems to mind. Just ask someone who is working out near you that is resting between sets.

Some advice I can give for bench is make sure you are using good form. A lot of people can increase their bench press max immediately just by improving technique. Make sure you are always progressing. For a beginner every workout you should either be able to add weight to the bar or do more reps for the same weight. Make sure you are getting enough total calories and enough protein to support muscle growth. You can't build muscle out of nothing and you can't turn fat into muscle despite what some people say. You need to eat to put on muscle! All through college whenever I would workout I would always be dieting and doing lots of cardio to lose weight/tone up at the same time. I could never progress past 185 lbs on bench and I'm a pretty big guy (6'4 215 lbs). Finally I started reading up more online and decided I should try eating more and realized that I needed to put on weight to gain muscle (some fat will come with it but you can burn that off later). I also switched from training in the 10 rep range to the 5 rep range with heavier weights. Within a year my max was up to 280 lbs and a year after that my max was up to 315 lbs.

One last bit of advice is get a good routine (don't make up your own!) and be consistent. Find a routine with a number of days you will be able to make every week no matter what (ideally either 3 or 4 days a week) and then don't miss any workouts. Not just for a month or 6 months, but for a year and then multiple years. Obviously its ok to take a week off here and there for a vacation or something, but you can't have regular periods where you don't make it to the gym for weeks at a time. You get out what you put in and if you are inconsistent with your workouts AND your diet you'll get inconsistent results.

I'm fully aware of the differences between working out on a smith machine and a regular bench. And while you think the regular bench press may be better for me because it works more stabilizer muscles, I take care of my stabilizing muscles during my DB presses.

As for me using a smith machine based on a lame excuse..... Well, I suppose your entitled to your opinion. But many, many people use a smith machine for the same reason as I do. I'm not comfortable doing bench without a spotter and I never felt the inclination to bother someone while they were working out so they could spot me.

[jpevear]

So what are your guys ab routines?

I've been doing abs 3-4 times a week as of two weeks ago, but since then have been doing 2 days of abs and 2 days of cardio. How many crunches are you guys doing in your workouts. I do about 15-20 minutes which equates to 300+ various sit ups/crunches. I have a four pack but am having real trouble getting the lower stomach to where I want it to be. It's probably more of a matter of losing the fat through cardio than crunches.... but it's highly frustrating to bust my ass for the past 3 months of doing abs and not seeing much of a difference. I know diet is a key component of a flat stomach but damn, I've been on a diet that promotes a healthy, lean body for a year now and am not seeing the results I should be getting. I'm going to give it till January with the cardio/ab routine I'm doing now.... and I hope to see better results.

[DMBand520]

Originally Posted by jpevear

So what are your guys ab routines?

I've been doing abs 3-4 times a week as of two weeks ago, but since then have been doing 2 days of abs and 2 days of cardio. How many crunches are you guys doing in your workouts. I do about 15-20 minutes which equates to 300+ various sit ups/crunches. I have a four pack but am having real trouble getting the lower stomach to where I want it to be. It's probably more of a matter of losing the fat through cardio than crunches.... but it's highly frustrating to bust my ass for the past 3 months of doing abs and not seeing much of a difference. I know diet is a key component of a flat stomach but damn, I've been on a diet that promotes a healthy, lean body for a year now and am not seeing the results I should be getting. I'm going to give it till January with the cardio/ab routine I'm doing now.... and I hope to see better results.

This. Your ab routine has very little to do with how well your abs show. Its all about low body fat. Try some alternative cardio like interval training. Reevaluate your diet. Try carb cycling (basically medium to high carbs on your lifting days and low to no carbs on non lifting days. its a little more complicated than that but you can google it to learn more.)

Also having more muscle will make you burn more fat even at a resting state. Maybe you should spend 4-6 months putting on a few lbs of muscle then trying to cut some fat and see if you get better results. If you've been dieting for a year this might be the best approach b/c your body has adapted to reduced calories so it may help to get your metabolism used to consuming more again for a few months and then going back to your current diet. Just make sure you lift hard and consistently while still allowing enough days a week for rest so most of the weight gain you get will be muscle.

[jpevear]

Originally Posted by DMBand520

This. Your ab routine has very little to do with how well your abs show. Its all about low body fat. Try some alternative cardio like interval training. Reevaluate your diet. Try carb cycling (basically medium to high carbs on your lifting days and low to no carbs on non lifting days. its a little more complicated than that but you can google it to learn more.)

Also having more muscle will make you burn more fat even at a resting state. Maybe you should spend 4-6 months putting on a few lbs of muscle then trying to cut some fat and see if you get better results. If you've been dieting for a year this might be the best approach b/c your body has adapted to reduced calories so it may help to get your metabolism used to consuming more again for a few months and then going back to your current diet. Just make sure you lift hard and consistently while still allow enough days a week for rest so most of the weight gain you get will be muscle.

Man, I think I've tried it all.

Earlier this year i started doing steady state cardio - running about 20-30 miles a week. The weather got too hot and humid so I had to quit running outside unless I wanted to go when it was dark (which I didn't).

I've been going to the gym religiously for 10 months now and have changed up my routines 3 times since. I've packed on as much muscle as I could without gaining too much weight. The only part of me that is not muscle is my lower abs. It's not like I'm fat... I have a 32" waist, but getting that part of me in shape has been nothing short of frustrating.

Right now I'm doing 40 minutes on the treadmill twice a week. Here's my routine (

0-5 minutes: warm up (6.0 - 7.0 mph)

5-10 minutes: extended warm up (8.0 - 8.5 mph)

10 - 20 minutes: Sprint at 9.0 to 9.5 mph for 1 minute followed by 1 minute rest of jogging at 6.5 to 7.0 mph.

20-25 minutes: Sprint at 9.5 to 10 mph for 1 minute followed by 1 minute rest of jogging at 6.0 to 6.5 mph

25 to 27.5 minutes: Sprint at 9.5 to 10 mph

27.5 to 30 minutes: Rest (jog at 6.0 mph)

30 to 31 minutes: 7.0 mph
31 to 32 minutes: 8.0 mph
32 to 33 minutes: 9.0 mph
33 to 34 minutes: 8.0 mph
34 to 35 minutes: 7.0 mph

36 to 40 minutes: Cool down (6.0 mph or below).

[thom hudson]

cannot wait to lift later...i do full body routine 2-3x/week, and it's fine, but i really feel like my arms need to get bigger...i'm satisfied w/everything else, because the other 2-3 days that i'm exercising (running, ab circuit) which tones me up really well...
but i have doubled up on the arm exercises during my lifting days, and raised the weight, so i'm hoping that makes a difference...i'm seeing minor improvements, but nothing crazy, yet.

over the past year and a half, i have dropped about 45 lbs, so i am about 5'10, 185...my diet is great, but i feel like i need to do something to take me to another level...anyone else ever feel stagnant even though you workout/run at least 5x/week? give me some suggestions...

[Luther College]

Originally Posted by jpevear

So what are your guys ab routines?

I've been doing abs 3-4 times a week as of two weeks ago, but since then have been doing 2 days of abs and 2 days of cardio. How many crunches are you guys doing in your workouts. I do about 15-20 minutes which equates to 300+ various sit ups/crunches. I have a four pack but am having real trouble getting the lower stomach to where I want it to be. It's probably more of a matter of losing the fat through cardio than crunches.... but it's highly frustrating to bust my ass for the past 3 months of doing abs and not seeing much of a difference. I know diet is a key component of a flat stomach but damn, I've been on a diet that promotes a healthy, lean body for a year now and am not seeing the results I should be getting. I'm going to give it till January with the cardio/ab routine I'm doing now.... and I hope to see better results.

I would try more leg lifts, where you lay down on a bench and lift your legs up to a 90 degree angle while keeping them straight and together. Using an decline bench backwards has helped me a bit too. I can always feel a burn in my lower abs when I do these types of exercises.

If you ever have workout partner, try laying down on a mat and doing the leg lift exercise that I mentioned above, except every time you get your legs fully up in the air, your partner pushes them back down as hard as he/she can. The idea is essentially for you to keep your legs up, and your partners objective is to keep pushing your legs back down. You can also lift your legs at side angles to work your lower obliques. A friend of mine his college basketball strength coach and it has really worked for me. Sorry that i can't remember what it's called, because it would probably be easier to google and see it than to try to understand my explanation of it.

[Crush086]

Originally Posted by Luther College

I would try more leg lifts, where you lay down on a bench and lift your legs up to a 90 degree angle while keeping them straight and together. Using an decline bench backwards has helped me a bit too. I can always feel a burn in my lower abs when I do these types of exercises.

If you ever have workout partner, try laying down on a mat and doing the leg lift exercise that I mentioned above, except every time you get your legs fully up in the air, your partner pushes them back down as hard as he/she can. The idea is essentially for you to keep your legs up, and your partners objective is to keep pushing your legs back down. You can also lift your legs at side angles to work your lower obliques. A friend of mine his college basketball strength coach and it has really worked for me. Sorry that i can't remember what it's called, because it would probably be easier to google and see it than to try to understand my explanation of it.

First move sounds like Reverse Crunches. Second one sounds like Hanging Leg Raises (that might not even be the right name for it lol).

[jpevear]

Originally Posted by Luther College

I would try more leg lifts, where you lay down on a bench and lift your legs up to a 90 degree angle while keeping them straight and together. Using an decline bench backwards has helped me a bit too. I can always feel a burn in my lower abs when I do these types of exercises.

If you ever have workout partner, try laying down on a mat and doing the leg lift exercise that I mentioned above, except every time you get your legs fully up in the air, your partner pushes them back down as hard as he/she can. The idea is essentially for you to keep your legs up, and your partners objective is to keep pushing your legs back down. You can also lift your legs at side angles to work your lower obliques. A friend of mine his college basketball strength coach and it has really worked for me. Sorry that i can't remember what it's called, because it would probably be easier to google and see it than to try to understand my explanation of it.

I do those. I lay on a bench with everything on my body except for my legs and there is a gr ip behind my head where I can hold on to. What I do is, while keeping both legs together, I lower my legs till they almost touch the ground, and as like you said, bring them up to a 90 degree angle where the bottoms of my feet are facing the ceiling. Once I do that, I use my stomach muscles to push up my feet even further to the ceiling. I do 3 to 4 sets of 15. Usually by rep number 10 your abs are on fire.

I attached a video of the exercise I do, except that when I go to the top, rather than bringing my legs back down, I push my ass up to the ceiling using my stomach muscles, then go back down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ0u7B0fxAU

[mr.MikeD]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html

If you believe this guy, and if I'm understanding it correctly, the leg raise alone doesn't really work the lower abs particularly well - the movement jpevear mentions above is needed to really work the abs, where the butt is lifted to flex the spine - otherwise you're doing a hip flexor exercise that only isometrically uses the abdominals.

but i'm really no expert, i promise you that.

[jpevear]

Originally Posted by mr.MikeD

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html

If you believe this guy, and if I'm understanding it correctly, the leg raise alone doesn't really work the lower abs particularly well - the movement jpevear mentions above is needed to really work the abs, where the butt is lifted to flex the spine - otherwise you're doing a hip flexor exercise that only isometrically uses the abdominals.

but i'm really no expert, i promise you that.

If anyone is interested in doing these, you must use your abs to lift your body. I sometimes find that when I'm tiring from these I start to use my upper body to lift my ass up in the air. It's important to keep your form for these, otherwise you're wasting your time.

[pokerguy19]

Originally Posted by cry_minarets458

So what do you say I've gained muscle wise in the 6 weeks? Around 6-6.5 pounds?

fuck no, the average gym rat can put on approximately 1 pound of muscle a month, and that is with consistent training and proper diet. ( which the majority of people don't )