Thanks for the info guys! I'm going to try to stay away from squats, or any type of exercise which involves standing up because I hear this will stunt your growth. Is this true?
yeah squats stunt your growth. Bench Press if done alot with big weights stunts your growth. Do some Pull Ups, they can help you grow and its a good work for your arms and upper body.
Big weights is how much? My max? And also, is it better to bench more of the lighter weights, or less of the heavier weights? (i.e. bench 100 lbs 20 times, or 120 lbs 10 times)
The general rule is that to add raw bulk and muscle mass, go for heavier weight with less reps. For definition, or to strengthen tendons, or to even burn fat to an extent, use a lighter weight with more reps. Oh, and you should never "max out." It's way to easy to injure yourself that way (busting a tendon is a bad scene), and you can get the same result by just dropping down a few pounds and doing more reps.
I think form is one of those keys to working out that a lot of people overlook. There really isn't one most important thing (because there are so many), but there's nothing more important than form. --------------------------- What a load.... To answer the original question, YES. Squats can stunt your growth, if you do 700 lbs by the age of 13. The truth is, without performance enhancing drugs it's more likely that you'll win two Texas Lottos in a row than stunt your growth from lifting weights. There are plenty of skinny short people. Height has everything to do with genetics and next to nothing to do with natural weight lifting. What's important is to not try to do too much. But, truthfully, you probably (especially at age 17) will never be able to do enough weight to have any effect on your growth. --------------------------- There are (generally) three ways to work out: To gain strength - use medium to medium heavy weights and 8 - 12 reps To gain stamina/lean muscle - use light to medium light weight and 12 - 16+ reps To gain size/mass - use heavy weights and 2 - 8 reps You can also "pyramid". This technique blends all three types of lifting. In a pyramid workout you start out using light weights and high reps (like a warm up set), then progressively add weights while reducing reps. EX: 14, 10, 8, 6, 2 Hmmm, I've NEVER injured myself from "maxing out". But, another (general) rule is that only the larger muscle groups should be "maxed out". Smaller muscle groups (Hamstrings, triceps, biceps, shoulders) have less room for error when working with heavy weights. Also, lifts that put your joints in an awkward position (ie. butterflies) should not be maxed out on. One other thing, maxing out on any bench exercise with dumb bells (instead of a straight bar) has a higher risk factor, because your joints are more mobile during the exercise. The lifts I have maxed out on are: Flat Bench, Decline Bench, Incline Bench, Squats, Hip Sled. One warning from personal experience: Stay away from preacher curls if you plan on using any kind of heavy weights. I really messed up my elbows doing this. Nearly all the weight and pressure is placed on the elbow joint. Preacher curls is a great exercise, but it should be done with lighter weight than what you use for normal standing curls.
If you can achieve muscle failure without maxing out, then why do it? And don't even <b>consider</b> it without a spotter. That would be suicide.
For some reason this thread made me think of the age-old caffeine myths. Does it really stunt your growth? Does it really "make you slow"?
As you can see, you will get any number of different opinions on this topic. I will throw in my personal prejudices. Stone Cold Hakeem and DREAMer are basically right on. What is "good form," you might be asking. Work out with an experienced friend. Hire a trainer if you can. Read. I find alot of good stuff in a magazine called Men's Health. Basically, if you do all of your repetitions very slowly and smoothly, trying to concentrate on a specific muscle group, you are headed in the right direction. For example, back flat on the bench on bench presses. No swaying on curls, etc. If you have a good diet, you don't need any supplements. If you get in the habit of eating well, you will benefit for the rest of your life, and not just in the gym. Personally, I like free weights better than machines, but I use machines occasionally for variety. Variety is good. Vary your exercises. Vary the order you do them in. Vary between heavy sets and light sets. Variety keeps it interesting, too. Don't go out too hard at first. If you do it well and like it, you will have many years to hit the heavy stuff. Try to enjoy it. This will seem weird, but weight lifting is VERY mental. It takes focus and concentration. It is not the time for socializing, although there is nothing wrong with having a good time while you are doing it. Some days you will be strong, others you won't. Don't get too upset about it. A good, reliable, and complementary partner is a huge help. Cross train. Have fun.
fadeaway, There are many reasons. One reason is to know how to design your workout. By maxing out, you can figure a percentage of that weight and work with that knowledge. Also, there's the "goal" aspect of a max. Many people want to get to a certain level. I totally agree. Don't ever try to max, or heck lift heavy weight, without a spotter. Funny (luckily) personal story on that note. I was trying to bench 255lbs at my friend's house. Only thing was no one was home, but I was sure I could get it. (This was many many years ago) Unfortunately, I did not get it up, and had to put it back on my chest. I thought about just letting the weights slide off the end, but I was in his garage and there was a bunch of breakable stuff laying around that belonged to his parents. So, I rolled it down my chest, stomach, and hips. The bruises on my hip bones hurt the worst and lasted the longest..... Oh well, I learned my lesson . -------------------------- Pipe, Good advice. There are some machines that I prefer over free weights. Lat pull down, seated rows, butterflies, tricep extension, and cable curls are a few of my favorite "machine" lifts. A good rule to follow is to start your workout on free weights and move to machines, especially if you're working the same muscle group. This way you utilize the safety aspect of machines more when your muscles are tired. I hear this a lot. And, truthfully it is true, but it's not something a beginner should have to worry about. Variety (to me) is more of an advanced aspect of weight training. It should be used to combat boredom and when you're plateauing. Then again, when I am in the gym my workouts have a lot of variety to begin with. Another thing a lot of people fail to do is working the lower body. Some people just focus on their large muscle groups and ignore some of the smaller or lesser known ones. The back and hamstrings are two very overlooked areas. This is probably due to the fact that both muscle groups are located on the part of the body that people don't look at regularly (on themselves). Anything you can see in the mirror is more likely to get some attention in the gym. I was lucky enough to have some very good football coaches who stressed form. I learned a lot from them, coach Huffstetler in particular. I've also taken weight training as a class about 6 times at UH and North Harris C.C. Some of those instructors were terrible, but a couple were very good.
Awesome info! I'll will mainly be utilizing my mini home gym, which consists of bench pressing, butterflies, and preacher curls. However, you guys are telling me to concentrate on one thing. So, it's not smart to be doing all those things at the same time? If not, would benching be best to concentrate on? And is there a certain time span between which I should eat and work out?
Fadeaway -- Man I go through lemon juice like crazy. Even at restaurants I'm squeexzing a whole lemon into a glass and asking for more. I and all the friends I had at the gym all broke our workouts down like this: Monday: Chest Wednesday: Back Friday: Arms and Shoulders Sunday: Legs and Glutes We all did about 3-4 different exercises for each group. Every day at the gym we also did Abs and Cardio. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday were off days. Since you're doing the home gym thing (which is fine), just work with what you've got and concentrate on upper body one day, lower body the next, and arms and shoulders the next. Make sure to leave a day between workouts. The way it works is when you're weight training, you're essentially creating small tears in your muscles, causing your to be sore. By giving yourself a day off between weights, your body is healing those small tears with more muscle, which is what makes you bigger and stronger. Jesus man, what I wouldn't give for the metabolism I had when I was 17! Keep in mind that you're still growing. As you get more mature, the bigger and stronger you'll get anyway. Working out will only benefit what you've already got as you get older.
Why do you all say to eat alot of fruits and veggies to gain weight? I know it's healthy, but how does it help gain weight? Also, I know people drink lots of water when they take creatine, but they piss it all out. What's the point of drinking alot of water otherwise? I have alot of problems gaining weight, and am starting to do 3 sets of 8 with heavy weights (for me). HOw long do you all think it will take for me to see a difference? What are good protein supplements to look into?
You don't eat fruits and vegetables to gain weight, you eat them because they are healthy for you. All those vitamins and fiber keep you clean and efficient. You just want to stay away from eating crap like McDonald's all the time. As for creatine, I don't know much about it as I wouldn't mess with stuff like that. Drinking water is good for you primarily, and just keeps you hydrated. If your urine is stinky and yellow (gross, sorry!), it's because you're not drinking enough water. If you're really wanting to get serious about working out, you really CANNOT drink enough water.
Tozai -- The point of a healthy diet is to keep your body running at %100 efficiency. As for your work out program, I'd be interested to know exactly what is you're doing. Generally, I noticed the small things right away (more energy, increased strength, more definition) but size is something that came over time.
Boy oh boy is my life about to change. I live off Jack and the Box and McDonalds. Guess I better cut down on that..... Also, I just bought 5 12-packs of soda from Randalls. Five packs for 10 bucks mannnn, who wouldn't pass this up?!?!?! Guess I better give all this soda away now........ Anyways, I had a nice workout last night. I am sore as hell right now. So I'm gonna take a break tonight and and "let my muscle heal with more muscle." I think Lynus said that. I did only one set of medium light bench weights (10 reps), one set of light preacher curls (15 reps), and one set of light butterflies (10 reps). So is this considered a relatively light workout? Cuz I feel like I just benched my freakin CAR a couple of thousand times. Maybe I should've did a lighter workout to let my body get used to this. Well, thanks ALOT everyone. Appreciate all the time you took to give a future Hulk Hogan some advice.
The nice thing about having a high metabolism at that age is the ability to burn off anything you eat. You could eat a steady diet of motor oil and tires at that age and still be a damn stick. You don't necessarily have to give up junk food, just don't eat it all the time. I've read that even (some) serious weight lifters have one day a week where they don't worry about what they eat. I think what you did was a good way to start. Don't worry: If you're sore, that usually means you've done it right.
Stone Cold Hakeem-- 5 a week 3 sets of 8 curls 3 sets of 8 hammer curls 40 wrist curls 2 a week 3 sets of 10 bench 2 sets of 20 tricep exercise(dont know name) this is all with 20lb dumbbells i'm only 130, what else you suggest?
Tozai -- Wow -- you arms must be sore as hell by the end of the week! I'm not sure where you're working out or whether or no you'd have access to a straight bar, but if you do, I'd start integrating some full body motions into your work out. Squats -- Despite what people say, squats work wonders for your body and imho, are a crucial part of any mass building work-out program. Clean and Press -- I swear by this. Since I began clean and pressing at the end of last semester, I've noticed drastic improvements in all of my other exercises, as well as nice, thick Goldberg like neck. It works everything -- back, legs, arms, you name it. Trap Bar Deadlifts -- If you have access to a trap-bar, this is another great full motion exercise that works your back, arms, and legs. You'll defintely need a spotter for these exercise, if not just to watch your form. Start VERY light and work your way up slowly. Here's a couple other exercises you might find useful too. Negative Curls -- You can use a preacher bench for this one. Hold the bar in upright curl postion, flexing your biceps, for as long as you possibly can. As your muscle gives, let the bar down slowly until its about at a 60 degree angle, and then bring it back up and repeat. You will need a spotter for this one (you should have a spotter for everything really). Negative Flat Bench -- The idea is to bring bar down to your chest as slowly and controlled as possible. Dips w/Weight Belt -- A nice way to cap off your work out. You should be progressing in weight every week -- thats the only way your muscles will grow and get stronger. And EAT. Eat as much as you can
Stone Cold Hakeem, You're making me want to get back into the gym even more than usual. With school, tutoring, waiting tables, and everything else, I don't have time to visit the gym like I want to. I do work out at home every other day. I started just doing curls and slowly integrated a few more exercises over the weeks. Now, I'm doing 4X10 hammer curls (50lb dumb bells) + 1X10 curl bar (100lbs) 3X10 tricep extension (100lbs) 3X25 push ups (started at 10 reps, will move to 30 within next couple weeks) 3X50 crunches (started at 20 reps, will move to 60 within next couple weeks) 3X22 straight leg back lifts (don't know the real name) (100lbs) (I have a bad back and I've found that this helps a lot. It's like touching your toes, while holding the 50lb dumb bells) I do it in a circuit: hammer curls, triceps, crunches, back lift, push ups, repeat... ending with the curl bar set as a burn out. The next exercise I plan on adding is either shoulder press or a variation called "Arnolds". I'm very limited though as all I have at the house is my 50lb dumbbells and a curl bar. My all-time favorite lift is squats. My legs are turning to goo the longer I go without doing them. I've done 480 in the past, and my "lifetime goal" is still 600, which I think I can get over the next 5 years. Another lift I used to love and miss a lot is lat pull downs. I just can't wait for school to end so I can get one job with normal hours and get back into a gym routine.
