Serious Weight Lifting Questions

[mEtAlORc]

I am 17, 155 lbs, 5'11", and I do 5 sets of 10 reps of 20 lb dumbells on each of my arms every 2 days.

I work my biceps, sitting down doing bicep curls, holding in my breath for the first 5 reps, then breathing in and out for the 2nd 5 reps in the set.

Should I be doing this everyday or every 3+days?
How do I know when I should increase my weight lift amount?
When I try working my triceps and shoulders with a dumbell, my wrist, shoulders and elbows "crack" alot.

My friends say I need to drink more water which will lubricate the joint more. What do you suggest?

 

[Lord Lemons]

Every three days. You need to give the muscles time to rest and rebuild. And yes, drink tons of water.

 

[ekka]

uhm you should work out your whole body - go over to bodybuilding.com and lurk around at their forums. You should be looking at compound exercises and work your biceps directly once a week - the rest of the stimulation should come from your back exercises.

 

[Nebulous]

...and breathe!!!! You should be breathing in and out for every rep. Your body needs oxygen to function properly, I can't imagine that being a great habit if you get to lifting quite heavy weights.

 

[Trevor Lane]

I am 17, 155 lbs, 5'11", and I do 5 sets of 10 reps of 20 lb dumbells on each of my arms every 2 days.

I work my biceps, sitting down doing bicep curls, holding in my breath for the first 5 reps, then breathing in and out for the 2nd 5 reps in the set.

Should I be doing this everyday or every 3+days?
How do I know when I should increase my weight lift amount?
When I try working my triceps and shoulders with a dumbell, my wrist, shoulders and elbows "crack" alot.

My friends say I need to drink more water which will lubricate the joint more. What do you suggest?

From my experience as a Sergeant in the Army, I would make the following comments:
1. You should always exhale when the muscle is flexing/compressing and inhale when relaxing
2. All muscles except abs require only 24-48 hours of recovery, so abs can be worked every day and all other muscles every other day works the best
3. You really should work the entire body… my workout routine alternates as such: First day – Upper body, abs, 30 min of cardio; Next day – Lower Body, abs, 30 min of cardio, keep up every day ‘cept Sunday (YMCA hours not convenient) which I just do abs
4. Squats or leg presses are the most important exercise, regardless of the goal… your quads are the biggest and strongest muscle in the body, so you can work them more than any other which will actually help you burn fat and build muscle in the rest of your body
5. You should increase about once a week… either do 5 more reps per set or add 5 pounds
6. You should take a sip of water after each set and you should strech out before and after your work out

There’s my advice.

 

[Sexi Alexi 94]

i have no idea but why would you ask on a music forum

 

[Nebulous]

From my experience as a Sergeant in the Army, I would make the following comments:
1. You should always exhale when the muscle is flexing/compressing and inhale when relaxing
2. All muscles except abs require only 24-48 hours of recovery, so abs can be worked every day and all other muscles every other day works the best
3. You really should work the entire body… my workout routine alternates as such: First day – Upper body, abs, 30 min of cardio; Next day – Lower Body, abs, 30 min of cardio, keep up every day ‘cept Sunday (YMCA hours not convenient) which I just do abs
4. Squats or leg presses are the most important exercise, regardless of the goal… your quads are the biggest and strongest muscle in the body, so you can work them more than any other which will actually help you burn fat and build muscle in the rest of your body
5. You should increase about once a week… either do 5 more reps per set or add 5 pounds
6. You should take a sip of water after each set and you should strech out before and after your work out

There’s my advice.

Good advice. I can't imagine what sort of weight one would be lifting after a few months of #5 though

 

[Trevor Lane]

Good advice. I can't imagine what sort of weight one would be lifting after a few months of #5 though

Sorry, meant every 2 weeks... and it won't be that much, if it's either reps or weight and not just weight. Main thing is you should feel dog ass tired when you're done. If not, you need to step it up.