Weights?

[Sy_Accursed]

Having been working for a couple of months now on improving my fitness I wanna start stepping things up more, so I'm thinkin about getting some weights to start working on my arms a bit.

My minds gone blank to the name but I mean the little one handed sort not the big two handed ones.

 

But anyway I don;t really have much in the way of arm muscles, but I wouldn't say I'm totally weak; I mean I can move heavy furniture and bags etc for people and always had to carry a weeks worth of groceries over a mile last year at uni. But yeah not especially strong either.

 

So with that in mind if I was to get some weights what do you guys think would be a reasonable weight to start with and what kind of weight should I look to working up too? (I don't wanna get like huge body builder arms, just reasonable shape and definition)

[Iamdan]

You're thinking of dumbbells.

 

Get the adjustable ones with wing nuts. If you aren't strong maybe start with 40kg in weights, get them used because new weights are expensive and used are just as good.

[Sy_Accursed]

I assume you mean a 40kg set? So only 20kg per bar at max?

[stevepole]

I don't know what kind of weights are available over UK but, yeah, I would recommend those adjustable weights. PowerBlock and Bowflex are the two big brands I know. The Powerblock is a little cheaper and probably be your best option.

[Sy_Accursed]

I've ended up getting some york ones. That go from about 2.5kg right up to 20kg per bar

[Bloodstain]

Shoulda just got a gym membership. You're going to look really weird with big arms and regular everything else

[Sy_Accursed]

Clearly someone didn't read the fact that I don't want massive arms and don;t intend to get massive arms.

[Hydraides]

Clearly someone didn't read the fact that I don't want massive arms and don;t intend to get massive arms.

 

Trust Me you're not going to get Bodybuilders Arms, for that you need Perfect Genetics, Diet, Rest and of course "Supplements".

 

Here are a few tips

 

Work your Triceps just as much as your Biceps, if not more. Triceps take up roughly 2/3 of your Arm Muscles. Dips, Tricep Kickbacks with the Dumbells are an ok excerise (You won't be able to move much weight with this excercise though so start Light) , Would be much better to do Dips, Close Grip Bench Press (Need a Barbell + Bench for this).

 

For Biceps just do Standing/Seated Dumbell Curls. Also you could do them on an inclined surface to Isolate the Bicep more

[Hobgoblinpie]

In terms of exercises:

 

Biceps:

 

Bicep curls (fairly obvious), Hammer curls, Negative bicep curls (negatives are actually quite good for most exercises).

 

Triceps:

 

Triceps Extensions, French Press, Tricep kickbacks.

 

Chest:

 

Dumbbell Flies (incline and flat) and Chest Press (basically a bench press just with a dumbbell in each hand rather than a barbell).

 

Traps & Shoulders:

 

Shrugs, Shoulder Press, Lateral and front raises and reverse flies.

[Sy_Accursed]

Thanks for the excercise tips I'll be sure to work out what the heck they all are soon lol

[Bloodstain]

Clearly someone didn't read the fact that I don't want massive arms and don;t intend to get massive arms.

 

If you don't want arms that are noticeably big then why lift? You're not going to turn into Schwazenegger over night, that takes ALOT of dedication and strict diet.

[Sy_Accursed]

Clearly someone didn't read the fact that I don't want massive arms and don;t intend to get massive arms.

 

If you don't want arms that are noticeably big then why lift? You're not going to turn into Schwazenegger over night, that takes ALOT of dedication and strict diet.

 

You really are narrowed minded hey?

 

Loads of people have defined arm muscles that aren't "noticeably big" from doing a little bit of weighting lifting and of course that is the benefits of being stronger and fitter from doing so.

[Vulxai]

Bloodstain's original argument is basically telling you that you need to work your arms, chest, back, core, and legs, and not just your arms. Your muscles WILL get bigger if you lift, and if you just work your arms, your arms will be bigger than anything else, and you'll look a little lopsided.

[Hobgoblinpie]

This site gives you a rough idea of how to do each exercise (plus extra for back etc):

 

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/dumbbellexercises.html

 

Also, if you want to know why Bloodstain said that, search Greg Valentino (fair enough he was actually a steroid abuser).

[Sy_Accursed]

The issue with what bloodstain's argument is I never remotely said I was only working my arms. I was merely asking about dumbbells and referenced working on my arms as dumbbells are primarily seen as an arm exercise and risk of me looking lopsided is a loooooonnnnnngggg way off my arms are literally skin and bone atm.

[OldJoe]

This site gives you a rough idea of how to do each exercise (plus extra for back etc):

 

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/dumbbellexercises.html

 

Also, if you want to know why Bloodstain said that, search Greg Valentino (fair enough he was actually a steroid abuser).

Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't he inject oil or some crap into his arms?

[Bloodstain]

The issue with what bloodstain's argument is I never remotely said I was only working my arms. I was merely asking about dumbbells and referenced working on my arms as dumbbells are primarily seen as an arm exercise and risk of me looking lopsided is a loooooonnnnnngggg way off my arms are literally skin and bone atm.

 

But if you don't want any serious muscle why bother lifting weights at all? If you're literally skin and bone, you're going to look really weird with a couple pounds of muscle on your arms and skin and bone every where else. And while you never said you're only working on your arms, you never mentioned any other working out which led me to assume you don't work any other part. Do you? From what I gathered you don't go to a gym and didn't own weights prior to this thread

 

e: And for finding exercises, I love exrx.net

If you want to know how to do a specific exercise and don't want to go through the website's menus and crap, just google (exercise name) exrx and it should pop up

[123puref2p]

What is your goal in working out? If it is just to "be/live healthy" then weight training is not necessary. You should watch what you eat and do sessions of cardio (burns fat, and great for your heart). If it is something more than being healthy, say so and we can provide the proper advice.

[Bloodstain]

What is your goal in working out? If it is just to "be/live healthy" then weight training is not necessary. You should watch what you eat and do sessions of cardio (burns fat, and great for your heart). If it is something more than being healthy, say so and we can provide the proper advice.

 

Well so far, he says he is skin and bone (no cardio) and wants arms =\

[Sy_Accursed]

What is it with you an making assumptions?

 

1) I said I'm working been working on getting fitter and was thinking about getting weights to work on my arms a bit, so automatically you assume I'm only gonna do work on my arms? Never mind the fact dumbbells can do shoulders, chest, back and arms if you utilise them correctly. Thats the most stupid assumption ever nothing implied ONLY arms, all that was implied was getting dumbbells with a view to including arms in what I've already done.

 

2) You don't have to want "serious muscle" to lift weights, you can lift weights just to get some muscle definition and improve general fitness to do with strength etc.

 

3) I said my ARMS were skin and bone, not the entirety of me

 

4) I never said I wasn't doing cardio you again assumed this.

 

It's pretty pathetic that I ask for one aspect of advice which for the most part I've got helpful responses with but someone has to ruin it by making stupid assumptions that can only be made if you ignore key words in my posts and its so closed minded they don't comprehend not everyone who lifts weights wants to get "serious muscles" or does.

[Jeffwilson99]

I swear we had this argument last time you asked for advice...

 

But trust everyone, even you you go nuts, you're arms really aren't going to get that big...

[Sy_Accursed]

No last time I asked for advice on basic cardio to get me started since my fitness was a bit dire and I had a few extra lbs; but people came out with waaaaayyy over complicated routines and insisted I should go to the gym and do loads of complicated excercises then got territorial and why ask if ur gonna ignore us when I said it was too much for me at that point as I wanted slow beginnings to do at home due to circumstances like being very rural for the summer etc. But once they took that on board it all was okay.

 

This time its one ridiculous kid who is making wild assumptions by ignoring various parts of what I've said and insisting I'm going to get "serious muscles" because why else wuld i lift weights? and therefore im gonna be out of proportion because by asking for advice on 1 thing to ADD to what im already doing I'm clearly doing nothing else.

 

But this post does follow on from that one as I'm introducing weights and more exercises now I've gained better stamina based on advice in the previous thread.

[Vulxai]

Paw, stop starting arguments on EVERY thread you're involved it. Point it and be civil about it. I know you're going to reply saying you were civil and you didn't start anything. Yeah, I've heard it before. Fact of the matter is, that last post was starting to attack him. If you don't want the advice, don't take it, don't respond to it. There's plenty of other advice on here.

 

You didn't in fact specify what you already do, so naturally we have to assume it's nothing. That's how it works. If you want better answers, you need to give more details, saying "this is what I'm currently doing, this is the results I want, what should I do?" That's the kind of post that'll get you the best answers.

 

As for the last time having complicated answers, I read that thread, they weren't complicated. This is fitness, bud, it's not a walk in the park, you have to want it and have to be willing to work at it. If you aren't, you won't get the results.

 

The only advice I can give is when you're doing curls, mix it up a bit. Hold the weights from the middle, hold them from the inside (pinky is touching the weight), hold them from the outside (thumb touching the weight), just to mix it up a bit. Make sure you work your minor muscles as well as your major muscles.

[Sy_Accursed]

I hardly start arguments on every thread. On the few instances arguments do start I am only defending myself for unjust attacks, I don't aim to start anything.

 

As for the previous thread, please don't hack up what I said I made clear they were too complex for what I wanted at that point in time. Prime example being half of them insisted I should go to the gym, when I'd already explained I couldn't feasible attend a gym in my current situation.

 

As for this thread the very first thing I wrote was "Having been working for a couple of months now on improving my fitness I wanna start stepping things up more" what part of that remotely leads to the assumption of I'm not doing anything else? Sure I haven't specified what, but it's hardly relevant to what I was asking so I didn't deem it necessary I did however deem it necessary to make clear this was an addition to what I was already doing to avoid such useless assumptions that lead to un-need comments about what else I should do.

[Bloodstain]

What is it with you an making assumptions?

 

1) I said I'm working been working on getting fitter and was thinking about getting weights to work on my arms a bit, so automatically you assume I'm only gonna do work on my arms? Never mind the fact dumbbells can do shoulders, chest, back and arms if you utilise them correctly. Thats the most stupid assumption ever nothing implied ONLY arms, all that was implied was getting dumbbells with a view to including arms in what I've already done.

 

2) You don't have to want "serious muscle" to lift weights, you can lift weights just to get some muscle definition and improve general fitness to do with strength etc.

 

3) I said my ARMS were skin and bone, not the entirety of me

 

4) I never said I wasn't doing cardio you again assumed this.

 

It's pretty pathetic that I ask for one aspect of advice which for the most part I've got helpful responses with but someone has to ruin it by making stupid assumptions that can only be made if you ignore key words in my posts and its so closed minded they don't comprehend not everyone who lifts weights wants to get "serious muscles" or does.

 

1. Working on getting fitter. Not working out. Usually when someone says working on getting fitter that means cardio and diet. HAVE you been lifting weights? Dumbbells can do all that, but with only 40 lbs per bar it won't be long at all until you need heavier weights, especially for stuff like bench press. That's why going to the gym is good, they have more weights, and more equipment.

 

2. No, but it sounds like you want well defined and big muscles, without looking like a bodybuilder. You won't look like a bodybuilder. You'll look like a guy who lifts weight. You can decide to stop lifting or lift for maintenance at any point you want if you're happy with how you look or don't want to get bigger

 

3. Is the rest of you muscular, or do you just have some meat on your bones? Muscular arms with a regular everything else will still look weird

 

4. You never said at all what you WERE doing, which leaves us with having to assume. Just give us more details. What have you been doing? Have you been dieting? Have you been lifting? What's your height and weight, and goal weight? Would you say you've got a lot of fat, or are you muscular? etc, the more details the better

 

On the few instances arguments do start I am only defending myself for unjust attacks

How am I attacking you?

 

Anyway, try some of these:

Triceps: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/DBKickback.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/DBLyingTriExt.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/DBTriExt.html

 

Biceps

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Brachialis/DBConcentrationCurl.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Brachialis/DBPreacherCurl.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Brachioradialis/DBHammerCurl.html