The Weight Lifting Questions and Answers

[Son-of-ODB]

Hey Guys, thanks for the imput, heres the answers to those questions
- I am 16, 5'11, and weight 180lbs. ( most of its muscle...right?)
- i do do bench presses
- i have access to curlings weights (about 20lbs each), a bar bell, and a 10lbs medicine ball
- i run a lot these days , about 4x a week (2-3 miles)
- my goals are to strenghten my chest and abs. ( i think i have the arms and legs down)

Thanks guys!

[Kevin T.]

Did you read the article I linked to? http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do;j... 05-104-training

Read it, especially #7. Also, stick to the compound lifts to start off: squats, deadlift, bench, rows, chins, dips.

I'm 15, 6' and 185#. My bf% is 12%, which means I have 22.2# of fat on me. The remaining 162.8# of me is muscle, bone, ligament, etc. Find out your bf% and you'll see a better picture of yourself. You can try www.mybodycomp.com, a scale, or calipers to name a few methods. Know that not all of these are perfect, but you'll get a general idea.

Do you have a weight set to go with that barbell? If not, check out a sports authority, or dick's or modells-you can get a 300# set for like $100. Seems liek a lot, but those 300# lifts will come fast with hard work.

What are your specific goals? If you're looking to add muscle mass, the 4 days of running will hamper that. Don't focus on body parts. Train movements, not muscles. Find a full body routine or try out the one i suggested in the other thread for a few weeks to get aclimated. The compound lifts will add muscle and strength. Do some isolation lifts if you want, but save them until after the compound lifts.

If you have any other questions, ask here or shoot me a PM. Always happy to help

[Son-of-ODB]

Well, i want to lose weight while i gain muscle, so i guess running is bad for that? i do have weights to go with the barbell, i do about 70lbs on the dead lift, but at a cardio pace. thanks

[Kevin T.]

Running will hinder your weight lifting progress. As a newbie lifter, you'll see newbie gains with almost any program you do, but its in your best interests to start off right. You won't necessarily lose weight, but you'll add muscle mass and lose bodyfat. I'm confused about what a cardio pace for a deadlift is. With 70#, you'll have to add to that to get bigger. Lift big to get big.

Honestly, I'd check to see if you could go to JP's fitness summit or whatever they're calling it this year. If you could go, minus the partying and stuff, it'd be a great learning experience just to lift with the guys and Alwyn and JP and just ask some questions. Observe what they do and check out their form firsthand. Watch Danny lift really really really big weights. Just being able to be there to soak in all the knowledge there would be priceless.

There's my 10 cents my 2 cents is free