Squats - 60lbs!

[veggie]

Ok, 60 lbs is not a lot. But when I last posted (less than a month ago) I was only doing 30. So this is a big gain for me.

 

Thanks, Ryan - couldn't have done it without you!

 

So... any upper body tips you want to share now?? :-)

[Ryan]

Ok, 60 lbs is not a lot. But when I last posted (less than a month ago) I was only doing 30. So this is a big gain for me.

 

That last sentence says it all....it is a big gain for you. So long as your form is holding together (feel free to review the material I posted about squatting as often as necessary), then keep on pushing. Progress in the first couple years is largely about overcoming mental blocks and really challenging your body.

 

 

So... any upper body tips you want to share now??

 

I'd be more than happy...but specific questions would be easier. Nonetheless, I'll offer some semi-vague points of order.

 

The main focus of the upper body is the back....back back back. Chest is of secondary importance. The musculature of the back (mainly being the latissimus dorsi and trapezius) is far larger, stronger, and has a great potential for improvement. Full chin-ups are the hardest upper body movement to do...and the most productive. Chins (or pulldowns), rows, pullovers, deadlifts.....any good routine should have 1 or 2 of those.

 

Chest gets a lot of hype (whether it be muscle on men or round fatty deposits on women) but it is the smallest and LEAST important of the major muscle groups of the body. This category would be better named "upper body push" anyway. People get caught in the notion that they need to do bench press (or chest press) if they want adequate chest training and development. Dips are an excellent upper body push movement that have allowed many to train harder and more successfully than benching. Overhead Press is another fantastic movement that is often relegated to a "shoulder" movement. Strongmen of the early 1900s developed fantastic drug-free physiques and awe-inspiring strength by pressing heavy objects overhead. It is entirely possible to have full and effective "upper body push" training without doing a single bench or chest press.

 

Arms are an afterthought...if thought of at all. The pulling, pushing, and gripping musculature of the arms will be trained quite thoroughly if you are giving 100% to your upper body training. A little here and there is ok...but it's the sort of training that is supplementary and goes at the end of a workout only.

[veggie]

I am already dipping and chinning (not full) and pressing but I need to add more back work. What is a pullover? I just started rowing, but this seems to hit my biceps more than anything else (perhaps because they are weak?). I have much more lower body strength than upper (must be those calves ).

 

Thanks again, Ryan. I am feeling happily sore (the good sore, not the overdid it sore) from my workouts and seeing some nice changes.

[Ryan]

I am already dipping and chinning (not full) and pressing but I need to add more back work.

 

If you are doing chins and rows, you're fine. You don't have to do ALL back movements....and you really shouldn't do all of them.

 

 

 

What is a pullover?

 

A pullover is a movement that is much like a chinup, except it takes your arms out of the movement. Typical machines for this will have pads you put your elbows on. You start with your arms above your head and push down with your elbows...rotating your arms down to parallel with your body.

 

You don't need to worry about doing it right now. You're fine.

 

 

I just started rowing, but this seems to hit my biceps more than anything else (perhaps because they are weak?).

 

Are you pulling far enough? A row should go to at least the point where the upper arm is parallel against the side of your body. Your feelings could also be just because it's a new movement. Progress in weight when you can perform your target repetitions...regardless of where you feel it most.

 

 

 

I have much more lower body strength than upper

 

This is common for women. The typical untrained woman will have a greater proportion of lower body strength when compared to upper body strength. A similarly untrained man will not have as much of a disparity.....and of course many "trained" men have a huge disparity (chicken legs).

[veggie]

one more question.

 

Is it typical to gain weight as you put on muscle? I am hoping that's what accounts for the roughly 2-3 pounds I've gained since I've started going to the gym. Clothes all fit the same (or better) and I look tighter but I guess I can't believe that I've added 2 pounds of muscle! Is this possible?

[Ryan]

Is it typical to gain weight as you put on muscle? I am hoping that's what accounts for the roughly 2-3 pounds I've gained since I've started going to the gym. Clothes all fit the same (or better) and I look tighter but I guess I can't believe that I've added 2 pounds of muscle! Is this possible?

 

Absolutely. New trainees often have a quick spurt of growth in their first few months once they get to the point of training hard and regularly. Typically you won't see continuous size gains as rapidly as you do in the first 6 months of training. Strength gains can continue though.

 

If your clothes fit fine and you like the way you're looking....then the number on the scale isn't all that important, is it?

[veggie]

Originally posted by Ryan

 

If your clothes fit fine and you like the way you're looking....then the number on the scale isn't all that important, is it?

 

No, not at all. I never even had a scale until about 5 years ago and I don't get on it very regularly. I use it mostly as an "early warning system" for the radical metabolism slowdown that all my friends and relatives have claimed would occur since I turned 30.

 

By the way, to go back a little in this thread. I mentioned that I am doing rows, presses, chins and dips and asked about pullovers. You replied that I don't need to do all back movements, just some. And I realize I forgot one: Lat pulldowns. Is this too many? Are there some I should drop or alternate? I don't mind working hard or long as long as it is effective.

 

Thanks!