Help pick a workout program for me based on my pathetic excuse for gym equipment. - General

There's this gym that I have next door. This is what it has and I don't think it's enough to follow any program. [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/fuhFies.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/cdJNZ6U.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qTPOZIR.jpg[/IMG] Could anyone here prove me wrong?

no dude you can become big and ripped in 30 days trainers HATE this (for real though, looking at that makes me sad inside. im going to look at photos of real gyms now to feel better) [editline]4th May 2014[/editline] also there is absolutely no program you can do that will make you benefit from this you will max out those weights in about one week, if not sooner

aznz888 doesn't know what the fuck hes talking about. Go on bodybuilding.com and look up exercises that would work for your limited dumb bells. Try high reps + good form when you become to strong for the weights and find workouts that use you body weight. Use the machines as instructed as well. But other than that you could always sell that equipment for 1000-2500 dollars and buy a membership at a gym for life.

[url]http://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/zc0uy/a_beginner_dumbbell_program_the_dumbbell_stopgap/[/url] [quote]What this program is not This program is not for people with a single pair of fixed-weight dumbbells. This program is not an optimal way to get strong or build muscle mass. This program is not a long-term training program. What this program is As the name implies, this program is a stopgap until you can gain access to one of the above options. If you are motivated to grow stronger and want to do so immediately, this program will get you started before your motivation dries up as you wait for equipment or books. This program requires that you have access to a set of dumbbells (meaning a progression of dumbbells, usually at 2.5 or 5 lb intervals) or a pair of adjustable dumbbells. You will be working out 3 times a week. You will probably look silly and do exercises that no one else in your gym is doing. This is okay. The only person judging you in the gym is yourself. If someone in the gym is looking at you funny or giving you dirty looks or even talking about you, they don't matter. You are in the gym to grow stronger and healthier. Anything else in the gym that doesn't contribute to these goals is meaningless.[/quote]

[QUOTE=Llamalord;44734249]aznz888 doesn't know what the fuck hes talking about. Go on bodybuilding.com and look up exercises that would work for your limited dumb bells. Try high reps + good form when you become to strong for the weights and find workouts that use you body weight. Use the machines as instructed as well. But other than that you could always sell that equipment for 1000-2500 dollars and buy a membership at a gym for life.[/QUOTE] I don't know about you, but I'm not going to endorse a set of dumbbells that range from 10-40 lbs, a seated press machine, and an incline press machine as a legitimate gym. Am I going to argue with you in that you absolutely need a power rack, olympic bars, and a mountain of plates to build strength? Of course not, because to your body, resistance is resistance. I guarantee you, however, that anyone worth their salt when it comes to strength training and fitness will find this 'gym' extremely underwhelming. Alright, fine, I exaggerated -- you [I]can[/I] make gains with the given equipment. Yes, there [I]are[/I] programs which could utilize what he has on hand in order to make progress. Any proper strength program would put this gym out of use extremely quickly though. I see no point in encouraging OP to settle for minimal equipment when he could be getting a gym membership(the only part I agree with you on) and training more parts of his body than just biceps and chest. The developmental ceiling is very low, and I'm not going to support that as a legitimate way to train.

bro listen to llamalord, I one rep max 40 lbs deadlift with the dumbbell shit is toughhhh bro takes like 9 years to max out on 30 pounds i think he knows what hes talking about he can do like 8 push ups dude i cant even do that much after 9 years bodyweights are tough

short answer: no long answer: noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I forgot deadlifting, flat bench, squatting, and powercleaning was all you guys know how to do. He didn't ask if this equipment was enough to become a bodybuilding professional, he asked what programs he could work with. This is a Fitness subforum not strictly a bodybuilding one so how about you guys stop acting like know it all's and provide useful information?

its pointless, like azns said he'll max out those weights in no time. how are you supposed to gain mass doing 40lbs db press for 100 reps

[QUOTE=Llamalord;44739623]I forgot deadlifting, flat bench, squatting, and powercleaning was all you guys know how to do. He didn't ask if this equipment was enough to become a bodybuilding professional, he asked what programs he could work with. This is a Fitness subforum not strictly a bodybuilding one so how about you guys stop acting like know it all's and provide useful information?[/QUOTE] Why don't you provide useful information then? I've yet to see you offer more than just sheer conjecture and logical fallacies. Your lack of knowledge on fitness is extremely evident in that you fail to recognize the basics of bodily well-being and training. Like you said, this is a [I][B]fitness[/B][/I] subforum, and he is not going to get [B][I]fit[/I][/B] through meager programs which offer very little to the user. Compound lifts, combined with cardiovascular exercise, are going to make you exponentially more in-shape than some simple curls and presses. If [I]anything[/I], [B]you[/B] are the one who needs to stop acting like a know-it-all and provide something tangible. I respect the OP's wishes to achieve a state of fitness, to be healthier and stronger overall, and so far all I've seen you do is tell him to do "high reps and good form". That literally tells him nothing on how to exercise.

He'll max out on that 40 pounds on ALL exercises within like a month too. Llamalord, are you one of these girls who "tone"?

cardio bunni 4 lyfe hehe dont stare at me silly boys xoxo

I'd still have him do the dumbell stopgap until he has access to better equipment simply because something is better than nothing. Even if he sees only like a month of gains he will have started the habit of exercising which is more important for a beginner. [editline]7th May 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Llamalord;44739623]I forgot deadlifting, flat bench, squatting, and powercleaning was all you guys know how to do. He didn't ask if this equipment was enough to become a bodybuilding professional, he asked what programs he could work with. This is a Fitness subforum not strictly a bodybuilding one so how about you guys stop acting like know it all's and provide useful information?[/QUOTE] The OP is asking for a strength training routine. If 40lbs is your max weight, you will not progress past that point. It's not about any method being better, it's about not being able to keep the progressive overload up, the foundation of strength training. We're telling him, honestly, that with his current equipment he will reach a limit and stagnate quickly.

this is what he has to get by..... progressive overload and time under tension is achieved in many ways some might say you can increase reps not necessarily the resistance over time, slow down the movement to get more out of it ... he can make do for a few months just fine.

[QUOTE=Seith;44749530]this is what he has to get by..... progressive overload and time under tension is achieved in many ways some might say you can increase reps not necessarily the resistance over time, slow down the movement to get more out of it ... he can make do for a few months just fine.[/QUOTE] this is coming from a guy who says squats are not a necessity, so im not sure how credible this wisdom is

Seith is one of the most educated guy here, with that being said though I'd like to know his reasoning behind saying that, it seems really out of place but I'm inclined to believe him since he usually really knows his stuff.

im not convinced that doing a movement slower gives any real benefits [editline]7th May 2014[/editline] i mean if you do a pushup at an inch a minute its still a pushup

I believe he's talking about the eccentric portion of a lift. Like letting the weight fall slowly against gravity. I'm not entirely sure eccentric contractions increase muscle hypertrophy any more than concentric contractions, but for obvious reasons everyone should understand why it's a lot harder to decelerate a lift with weights you could normally lift many times through normal acceleration.

i suppose through basic physics, you could argue that one's body could achieve the same amount of work done through doing lighter weights much more frequently over a longer interval, as compared to a heavier weight in shorter intervals unfortunately im pretty sure the human body is smarter than that, and adapts to the amount of power it needs to generate in the brief moment you are exerting force. if someone could link me a paper/article that says otherwise though, i'd be more than willing to accept that side of the argument

[QUOTE=aznz888;44751540]i suppose through basic physics, you could argue that one's body could achieve the same amount of work done through doing lighter weights much more frequently over a longer interval, as compared to a heavier weight in shorter intervals unfortunately im pretty sure the human body is smarter than that, and adapts to the amount of power it needs to generate in the brief moment you are exerting force. if someone could link me a paper/article that says otherwise though, i'd be more than willing to accept that side of the argument[/QUOTE] "unfortunately i'm pretty sure" is hardly scientifical proof or even remotely anecdotal. Truth is, you do squats blindly thinking it will give you amazing results because....... SQUATS MAN! No. There are no arguments, no papers just listen; how squats came to be, history; Squats were adopted years ago by bodybuilders who sought after and/or came from powerlifting circles, a long time before people even focused on SPECIFICALLY GETTING HUGE and it just stayed. Naturally, people would follow blindly after people who put their money where their mouth is aka powerlifters who are super big but in the end it was just a poor understanding which lasted through the ages.... what are squats good for, then? ; Squats are just like any other movement. It does not output anything special in comparison to any other exercises, or at least something measurable so that we can say "you must do it". You don't feel anything special and you just go up and down. So am I saying, DON"T DO IT? No. I'm not. I'll just ask you this: why is it that squats are a must but bench press is not? in reality, people barely know how to squat properly or even bench, yet squats get so much credit, probably because again it's history where it's been mentioned every time a new world record is set. In reality, it's a relic. And don't get me wrong, I do it, but the reason I do it is entirely different. It has it's place. It's a relic because back in the day you had nothing to do with it, which is exactly this situation so everybody just throws around "SQUATS". You have so much machines that target muscles beautifully, allow isolation of specific muscles brilliantly, that squats are nothing but a relic that's stayed through the ages of amazing old school bodybuilders. In 2014, you don't need squats. In reality, people need to learn how to do squats because most people CAN"T. People are sitting around all day which creates problems that the squats aggravate massively. In reality, there are so many better options where you can get the best 'bang for buck' with machines and/or new exercises that isolate, which is just what bodybuilding is all about.... In reality, you really don't need heavy ass weights and to illustrate look at kai greene. There are still too many misconception on what works. In reality, squats are just an exercise and bodybuilding has 3 rules; progressive overload, time under tension and volume ([url]http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/2_mechanisms_for_rapid_muscle_growth[/url]) and that's why squats are not a nessecity. In reality, nowadays, squats are just not the best bang for buck. And a proof of that, is alberto nunez a pro natural bodybuilder who mentions and uses exercises mostly composed of isolation and explains why in a lot of his videos. In reality, a lot of people just don't do it and are fucking big. SO SHOULD I JUST DROP SQUATS? It depends. It depends on what are your goals and if you are a beginner. Because if your goals are bodybuilding the only reason I'd do it is because; 1. I feel it extremely well in my target areas, 2. I want to get an indication of how well I function through a full natural movement. If you are a beginner, then in my opinion, you should do it for a few months at least to let your body perform as a whole in harmony under resistance to see what are your limitations and to accustom you to weight training in the cleanest and most efficient way (in terms of time mainly and really using a lot of muscles) If your goals are strength based, then sure putting as much weight as possible using squats would be a good idea. That's it. That simple. Nothing special. No magic pills. I used you as a scapegoat to talk about squats. BUT to explain what I meanted by slowing down the movement.... it's just to stall time, an option in case he's starting to run out of weights. Just to increase time under tension with any said amount of resistance and possibly squeeze a bit more. He has enough for a few months I reckon and he could always do some bodyweight training. That's some's only option.

[QUOTE=aznz888;44751540]i suppose through basic physics, you could argue that one's body could achieve the same amount of work done through doing lighter weights much more frequently over a longer interval, as compared to a heavier weight in shorter intervals[/QUOTE] I think you misunderstood. If you decelerate a lift like I mentioned you shouldn't be able to lift a lighter weight more frequently than a normal lift with heavy weight. If you have your doubts, try it the next time you're benching. Take your 5 or 8 rep max and press normally, but on the way down resist the weight by slowly lowering the bar. Don't cheat either. Take that bar through your full available range of motion. Perform 3-4 sets of those. You could do the same thing with bicep curls.

[QUOTE=Seith;44752644] squats post [/QUOTE] well why didnt you say so the first time :v in that case, i apologize for misinterpreting you. i thought you meant that leg training is completely unnecessary, as compared to the actual movement of squatting. this thread is pretty much becoming tl;dr -- train however the fuck you want to train [editline]8th May 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=schnibbles;44755040]I think you misunderstood. If you decelerate a lift like I mentioned you shouldn't be able to lift a lighter weight more frequently than a normal lift with heavy weight. If you have your doubts, try it the next time you're benching. Take your 5 or 8 rep max and press normally, but on the way down resist the weight by slowly lowering the bar. Don't cheat either. Take that bar through your full available range of motion. Perform 3-4 sets of those. You could do the same thing with bicep curls.[/QUOTE] i actually do this all the time! what i originally thought you meant was [I]overall[/I] taking more time to do workouts, ie 10-15 sets of a lighter weight @ higher reps over, say, an hour, as compared to doing 4-5 sets of heavier weight @ lower reps. god im misinterpreting everyone today

jesus christ aznz get your act together ok

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[QUOTE=ericjenkins98;46029558]I think it is perfect for you![/QUOTE] are you fucking retarded

fuck me all this autism just lift shit dude. When you can lift it alot, lift something heavier, when theres nothing heavier to lift, lift that something a lot of times. Mike Tyson got to 215lbs off a program consisting of quite literally thousands of pushups, pullups, dips and crunches. You're fresh off the fucking boat, you're nowhere near a stage where you need to specialize or have some fucking program developed by NASA computers. I started out with a pair of dumbbells and a few heavy plates. If you can upgrade to a proper gym great, if not, dont fucking worry about it.