hi...
i'm here to help with my limited knowledge (Eric first said that - and i feel like saying the same thing)... now, my knowledge is wwwaaaayyyyy more limited than eric's, but i'm here to help nonetheless
before we begin, i want to you to read this post.... reading my recommended reading list is important because these articles contain most of what your asking... and you MUST get into the habbit of reading so you know what your doing... merely making a post here asking for everybody's input with zero effort from your side is hopeless...
well, #1 we have an article by 0311 and to me, its THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLE EVER..!!! i wish i had read it when i first started lifting weights.. it would have saved me a LOOTTT of trouble:
http://www.bodybuilding.net/training...wing-1451.html
ok, lets start from the beginning..
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
I lift 2-3 times a week, for about an hour.
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there is no hard and fast rule that you must lift only 2-3 times a week... that too for only an hour... there are program which have you lifting upto 5 days a week..
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
I have been doing it for almost a year now.
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you have been following the SAME PLAN for a YEAR..!?
wow, you definitely have determination.....
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
I eat a lot of junk food it seems.
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now, i might get flamed for this... but: eating isnt everything.. your program isnt that good either...
keep one thing in mind, your energy output must be large enough to sustain your energy input so that you attain your goals.. now, by that i mean, its ok to eat junk food as long as your having good food along with and your working your butt off in the gym....
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
I don't want to be all huge and buff, but pretty much toned.
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your 6' @ 145 lbs... you ARE "toned"... toned = ? whats your definition of toned...? having larger muscles with lesser fat %..? then thats being huge as well... i think your under the illusion that if you lift heavy, you'll get HUGE like ronnie coleman in a few days.. i hope its not so... you NEED to lift as heavy as possible so you become strong...
dont worry so much about becoming big and all.. focus more on getting STRONG... although mass will be taking a back seat, it WILL come with your strength.. see, in the end, its your muscles which are doing the work... so, if you lift heavy (and you eat
some good food), they will grow large to sustain that load.. now, when i say "grow large" i do not mean your arms will become 22" in 3 workouts.... my point here is, dont "overanalyse" on what you think you should be... start focussing on strength and hope for the rest to follow.. if it doesnt, we can always alter your goals and bring everything upto date..
this is what 0311 has to say:
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Originally Posted by 0311
9. You have no clearly defined goals. Most people just “lift to get bigger”, and while this is a fine goal, not having and strength related goals will kill your progress in the long run. Your primary goal should be getting stronger on the big lifts on a CONSTANT basis. Setting short and long-term strength goals and achieving them is what equals a big strong trainee in the long run.
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
I don't do legs and back because I just feel like no one looks at those and they aren't really important so I don't do those.
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ok, NEWSFLASH: if you have a weak back, your bench will suck because of musclular imbalance...! legs are essential because they release TESTOSTERONE (something which you will want and enjoy no matter WHAT your goal is)... Triceps are secondary muscles for the bench which improves your chest.. if you dont do them then your chest wont be impressive (whether buffed or toned)...
for triceps, this is what Chad Waterbury has to say:
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Originally Posted by Chad Waterbury
A competitive powerlifter recently contacted me to correct his woefully pathetic bench press. After a few tests and some obvious visual clues, I realized that his triceps were holding him back from pressing up big numbers.
When he was finished, his bench press increased 5% and he added 3/4" to his upper arm measurement. That's a lot. In fact, you can't beat that in 6 weeks!
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so now you know the importance of TRICEPS.... if you read 0311's article carefully, then you'll know by now the importance of back and legs:
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Originally Posted by 0311
4. You MUST squat and deadlift if you are going to reach your bodies growth potential. Think it through. Doing squats or deads activates 70-85% of the bodies overall musculature in one move. Doing a set of curls maybe 3-5%. Which sends a big signal that the body better get better at synthesizing protein and better at handling the need to grow as a unit? You will NEVER reach your potential without doing the squats and deads.
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
Here is the thing I hate. It's hard mixing in lifting weights when I play tennis too.
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if you cant handle it, then dont workout on the days you have tennis.. as simple as that... now, if your playing tennis 6x a week, then you need to cut down on tennis if you are serious about becoming toned...
i used to play squash 3x a week for an hour and after that i used to workout for another hour... and i used to train 6x a week.. now i'm not saying that what i did is what you should do.. i am saying that everybody is different and you need to know what your body can / cannot handle.. judging by what you said about tenns, i dont think your body can handle it.. so drop it or reduce it or dont workout on tennis days...
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
How often do you guys go to the gym a week?
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i wish i could go to the gym 8x week
, but right now, i hit the gym 3x a week.... however, like i mentioned before, each training program has its own principles... some have you at the gym 4x, 5x and even 6x a week... it depends upon your program...
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
I know friends who eat junk food and they have a great body.
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yeah.. i know... i am one of those guys.... the trick is, you need to eat good food AND junk food, but MORE good food than junk food....
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Originally Posted by jagsfan05
Every other guy can just stand there and you can see they have muscle in there bicep, but I have to flex just to show it.
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how many guys in this group are not toned and have buff...? i guess all... because to have LARGE biceps, you HAVE to be huge... well, not huge, but you cant be skinny can you...? if you want your biceps to show, then that means your goal is mass... and if your goal is mass, then it contradicts with your theory to be toned.. therefore, you have conflicting goals... my advice: get your goals in order ASAP
this is what Glenn Pendlay has to say:
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Originally Posted by Glenn Pendlay
im so sick and tired of hearing people who just started training who say they cant gain weight. jeez ive heard this crap so often. every day it seems i have some stupid kid ask me about how to gain weight... in resturants, at the grocery store, you name it. for some reason there seems to be a sign on my back or something. usually i know its worthless to talk to them, sometimes i actually waste my time. talked to a kid at the golden corral a couple of days ago. took almost an hour when i should have been enjoying my all you can eat steak night... 3 days later i see him in the gym when i just happened to go in to talk to a friend who i knew was there... kid was there doing preacher curls. said hi to me, then said well i talked to my friend about what you said and he said he tried it once and overtrained so i decided to do this thing i read about... on the other hand about 6 months ago i talked to this 6' tall, 150lb kid who wanted to know about getting stronger. kid had done well in judo, won some titles, also after that had done cycling, turned pro then quit a year later, quite a good road racer. he actually did what i told him i guess, about 3 months after i saw him the first time i saw hiim again, he weighed about 185... he wanted to try olympic weightlifting so i let him train with the team i coach. now hes weighing 204 and clean and jerking about 300lbs, 54lbs gained in 6 months. no drugs. olympic squat from 175lbs to 385lbs, front squat from 150lbs to 330lbs. hell be a good lifter, has a good work ethic. needs to be 240 and fairly lean, will compete eventually in the 231 pound class. will take about another 12-15 months i suppose. why is a kid like this the exception and not the rule? why will kids do the same old thing for years in the abscense of results, and not try anything new? what the hell is wrong with people. there is a gym in town, i know the owner so i go and talk to him sometimes, there are all these kids in there, skinny little ****s, doing curls. they never progress, you see the same faces one year to the next, same bodies too.
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so what does this all mean...? here's what you need to do ASAP:
1.) Get a Goal you have to find out what it is your after.. as i pointed out before, you have WWWAAAAYYYY too many conflicting goals and so you need to sort those out, find a goal and stick to it...
2.) Read i cannot emphasise enough how important this is.. you MUST read as much as you can - not from muscle mags, but from books by strength coaches like Bill Starr, Mark Rippetoe, you need to read posts on other boards (well, first read everything out here and then move on) and you need to read other people's journals...
3.) Find a program you think you can do it is important for you to hunt on your own for a program because it will make you read other people's journals and gain more knowledge
4.) You primary goal right now should be to gain mass IMHO.. your 6' @ 145 lbs.. you cant get "toned" @ 6' @ 145 lbs
5.) your focus should be on gainng maximum knowledge from the boards where your a memeber.. have you read all the stickies out here and at bb.com...? if not, then read them....
now, i know this has been long and hopefully you've benefitted.. if you have, get one thing clear: it wasnt my intention to help you so much.. i did this because
verbatimreturned was kind enough to point out that you have a problem.. but apparently i've written a lot and hopefully your closer to the right path than before.... this board is WWAAAYYY better than bb.com, so i would take the advice of people here rather than from .com... i have already mentioned a few things in your post on bb.com, but this post here is for this website only...
i wish you best of luck and if you have any questions, feel free to post them here... just remember one thing: people appreciate it more when you PROVE that you've done sufficient homework regarding your problem and because you cant find what you want, your making a post...
once again, best of luck
anuj
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