Finn's Gym, Now with Free Encouragement!*

Fellow Members!

Welcome to the Grand Opening of Finn's Gym!

My Goal for this thread is to encourage an active lifestyle and help YOU meet your fitness goals!

So Let's Get Started!

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First off, some ground rules for this thread.
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1. This is an Open Thread for all members, anyone can post, but the goal is to inform, ask for help where you need it, help others improve, set goals, and relish in your own personal success, and others. Anything that deviates from those principals WILL BE REMOVED.

2. Pictures are optional. Follow the forum rules and we won't have problems.

3. Debating is fine, but Toxicity is not. Do not make this thread a flame-war of who is the biggest, what's the best gym, what is the best pre-workout, etc. Don't need that stress in my life. Again, this is supportive, not competitive.

4. Barring Admin/+ intervention, this is MY thread, and will be edited by me AS I SEE FIT. What this means is if you break the rules, your posts are gone, and potentially your posting privileges on this thread. Fitness can be extremely personal, the rules are in place so that people feel secure about sharing. Don't abuse that trust, or we'll have issues.

That's about it for now, the rules may be reviewed at a later point, depending on the need.

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So. Maybe your a gym noob just starting out, or a full on freak beast who hit a plateau and needs a new regiment to get his/her gains on. Or you just want to post some gym selfies. No Judge. You came to the right place. Below I will be outlining two different styles of working out, both of which I have tried and approve.

Disclaimer: I cannot stress enough that every body is different, and yes I meant that space to be there, because I'm talking about corporeal you. Not spiritual you. That isn't this thread. Always, always, ALWAYS, check with your Doctor before starting a new workout. I am not a Doctor, and I will NOT be held responsible for injury or death. For real, you could hurt yourself, and that would weigh really heavy on me, so please, double-check, because I want to see you healthy, not dead.

Hopefully you have already come to the conclusion that gyms are cheaper than machines, and that while calisthenics are a good workout, we don't have time to learn muscle yoga. We want gains now, and we want them cheap. I will be focusing on the standard gym/weight workouts, if anyone wants to post self-resistant workouts, go for it, honestly I know little to nothing about them. There, I said it.

Preliminary: My workouts have and will continue to have very similar details. The machines, the weights, and the workouts change, but the small stuff stays the same. Reps and Sets and what you do in-between is usually very different from person to person, but my own personal results came from 10 reps with 5 sets of everything. Occasionally I mix it up by maxing out with 8 reps of 3 sets. I take small breaks in-between, usually no more than 10-20 seconds, or basically a sip of water and a walk around the machine. I always bring a water bottle and bring a towel to wipe my own, and other, gross people's, sweat off the machines. It's just courteous. Personalize your workout, I will not be adding individual reps and sets to the workouts, but I would suggest the above, and I would suggest always mixing it up every now and then, and mixing in whatever you think will help yourself. Let us know too, that's why this thread is here! And remember, if you are maxing out, try to do one more than you think you can, but don't hurt yourself. It is more important to stay healthy than look stronger than you are.
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Weight Training.

Some of you are just beginning.

You have not touched weights in like, years. Or at all.

Some of you are somewhat regulars.

You workout, but you don't really lift.

Some of you are lift junkies.

But you could be bigger.

Time for weights.

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Bro. You are the canvas. And the artist. And the paint. Just gotta squeeze it out of the tube. You have everything you need to be a masterpiece. Not that "inside you" isn't already, you beautiful human being. But let's face it, you small brah. So let's get big, after all, that's why you are here. Whether you want to be a freak beast, or just a toned out lady/man killer, you'll need to lift some weights around.

With this workout I would recommend going to the gym, or using your own personal weights, three or six days a week. Each day should be a different set of muscles so that you touch them all, but you give them time to recuperate, either by taking the rest of the week off, or one days rest for them all. We want to see improvement, but we don't want to stress you out to much and see you fall off in your other responsibilities, and being too tired to work or study is bad for your overall health. Don't over do it.

Day 1 & 4 - Chest
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Today we will be doing a comprehensive chest, tricep, and shoulder workout. I won't tell you what weight to do, because we're all different, but you should probably start with something that is comfortable, and easy to breathe through. What this means is you shouldn't be huffing and puffing through most of your sets. You still want to challenge yourself, but you don't want to be exhausted after the first workout. We have a lot of work to do, so pace yourself.

Chest
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Start with Chest Presses. Not Chest Flies.

Spoiler

These will work your outer pectorals, and Pecs are the major muscle of the day. Approach one of multiple machines. You have a couple options, Flats, Inclines, or Declines. All the machines are labelled with Chest [thing] and have detailed instructions, but for the most part, you are pushing a bar away from your chest area and it is connected to a cable with multiple, adjustable, weight plates. You'll see a lot of these machines. I prefer Incline Press, as it isn't a flat press so you aren't fighting gravity, but it isn't as wrist breaking as a Decline. I would strongly recommend staying away from free weights for the beginners*, so Bench Press is off the table, it works out multiple muscle groups at once, and you want to isolate for now. You regulars and meatheads, go for the free weight versions of the machines, but don't forget about isolating either.

*If you want to go full yolo-mode and try to get as much gains as fast as possible, you can try free-weight workouts, but more often then not, it is actually slower than isolating.** You'll get more tired, faster, thus, less workout, though more badass looking. Choice is yours.

**Smith Machine is a good compromise, but we'll get to that later.

Once you see a machine you like, try it out at or close to the lowest weight possible. Feel the machine's mechanics, get a sense for the muscle group working out, confirm it is the right one (pecs, specifically outer) and then start bumping the weight until you feel comfortable that the resistance is easy to overcome, but still enough to feel a burn. Proceed to do as many reps and sets as you think is right, again as stated above I would suggest 5 sets of 10 reps, keeping the weight the same for all sets. Take small breaks between sets, but do not rest, you want to keep that heart pumping strong. I bump the weight one plate, or 10-15lbs., for the last set on every machine. Feel the burn. You free-weight people, always use a spotter. If you don't need one, you aren't doing enough weight.

Gold Star: Use the Smith Machine more and more as you get used to machines, this will give you more of a feel for the bench than any press, besides bench, and is also good for free-weight workouters, as you no longer need that spotter. Bit easier than bench though, so make sure to change the weight accordingly.

Alright so you finished your first machine. Hopefully you feel alive and ready to take on the world. If not, do not despair, we'll get you there. Even small steps will get you to the finish line, so remember, this is all about achieving whatever personal goals you set for yourself. Don't push yourself too hard, but do push yourself to reach those goals, because they are hard, and they won't come to you. In this life you have to win from within, and even though family and friends and STTT teammates can cheer you on, the real success comes from pushing yourself. So keep going! You can do it! On to the next machine, then the world!

Triceps
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This is the muscle group underneath the bicep. It is biggy, you newer gym bro's probably haven't felt it stressed out unless you played sports, and even then you probably attributed it to elbow pain. Time to teach you a lesson. Tricep machines are obvious, they look like this:

Spoiler

These guys sneak up on you quick, I would suggest a low weight and a lot of reps, with minimal sets at first, and then bumping the weight and sets, while lowering the reps until you feel like your arms are going to fall off. For the one a week gym bro's, this will be the only tri's you'll be doing this week, so go hard.

Dips
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Dips are a great way to get the full upper-body workout at once, you can do them at home on a chair, on a park bench, and, obviously, in the gym. Using your own weight might be too hard at first for beginners, but they have machines with adjustable weights like this;

Spoiler

they will work wonders. Push as much weight as you can on these.

Deltoids
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Another set of muscles you rarely use in day to day, not manual-labor jobs, the deltoids. Upper arm, where the shoulder connects, this muscle group will make you hate the gym. Embrace them. Machine looks like this:

Spoiler

Anything similar will do. Free weights can grab any dumbbells, both hands, place them at their sides, and lift sideways away from their body, like so:

Spoiler

I recommend a very low weight for this, and a lot of reps. This will suck, but keep going and see it through.

Shoulders
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Pretty simple idea, find any machine that will let you do shoulder shrugs, which is where you grab a bar or weight and just shrug it, straight arm style, or where you push a bar, similar to chest, but above your head, like so:

Spoiler

I like the incline shoulder press, though occasionally I feel like my shoulder blades get pinched. This is normal, do not fret. Same deal as chest really on the sets and reps, the key with these workouts is to work all the muscles the same so that you don't get lopsided. No use having a broad chest and no shoulders, your neck would stick out like a toothpick from a meat sandwich, a meat sandwich that is now you.

Chest Flies
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These will work out your inner-pecs. Cable crosses will work for this purpose, and most machines for flies are labeled flies. They look like this:

Spoiler

At this point you are probably pretty tired. Do as many of these as you can, and repeat that for 2 or 3 sets, or until you just can't. Seriously, you should be tired as hell by now. If not, next week, bump the weight.

Other Options
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For you full on meatheads, or if your gym doesn't have these options, or if you prefer free-weights, think about using the bench religiously, along with the smith. Also push ups. For days.

 

Day 2 & 5 - Back
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Today will be Back and Biceps. Most people do not recognize the importance of Back and focus on Chest and Biceps. Do not fall into this trap, being balanced is extremely important for your health, especially where back is concerned, as it is your primary support structure. Without a strong back, the body falls apart, so don't skimp here.

Lower Lats and Rhomboid
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Head to any row machine or cable row. If you don't have one of those, you can use one of these multi-machines:

Spoiler

Rowing is a simple way to work out your "Middle Back", Shoulder Blades, and Rhomboid/Lower Lats. I would recommend doing 2 or 3 different exercises, pulling at different heights to get the most range. For a visual, you should be pulling at chest level, elbows at about 90 degrees to body, and below chest level, right under pecs and before the end of the rib cage. Make sure to pull with the back, and not the forearms, trust me, you'll feel the difference. Think of pulling with your back like puffing up the chest.

Biceps
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Simple. Jump on the bicep machine, or grab a weight, and curl it. Easiest workout to explain, hard to perfect. Make sure to get a full curl, should be going back to straight every time, or as close as possible without having to start it every time, for you machine people. Squeeze the bicep at the end to get that full pump. We want blood in muscles so they grow up big and strong.

Lats
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So many machines. Honestly, you could just do pull-ups and chin-ups, chin-ups working out your Biceps as well. Frankly, Lat pull downs are the most common way to work out these big boys, and the machine is literally everywhere in every gym. It's a bar hanging down above a bench, you adjust the weight, and pull down to chest, and repeat. Alternatives including individual lat rows, which your gym may or may not have, and using standing lats, which I will explain in detail. Find an adjustable everything machine. No clue what they are called, they look like this:

Spoiler

Put the rope or small bar on. Stand arms length away, slightly bend back to isolate it from legs, stick rump out (don't want to use those glutes, cheater) and pull straight down, without bending the elbow. Don't feel it? Add weight. You'll feel the burn real quick.

Lower back
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Two ways I really know how to work out the lower back. This would be the part right above your Glutes. Deadlifts, and Rope (see directly above). Deadlift seems simple, grab a bar, either from curl or squat rack, or from the benches, put weight on it, and lift it. Make sure your feet are about shoulder length apart, bend your knees a bit, but focus on lifting with your back. The technique for this is very important though, so I would suggest research and youtubes, or a trainer, before trying this. Too much weight and/or the wrong technique will definitely get you hurt on this one, that's why everyone tells you to lift with the legs. Insane gains here though for those who perfect the Deadlift. For the rope, use the same method above in lats to set up, but instead of standing, kneel on the ground, rump out, legs folded up underneath, and use your back to pull you to the ground, then slowly back up to the max flexibility of your back, so before your legs start to unfold, then back down. Rinse and Repeat.

Spoiler

Be careful, you can either be working out lower back or abs, as the picture is titled. Focus, and achieve.

Other options
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Stated above, pull-ups and chin-ups are super good for your back, and really god damn hard. Up and Ups and pull-ups on steroids, look it up. Any form of rowing is good, if you have other lower back exercises, please post them below. Plenty of different styles for Lat pull down too, I would look up some different ones if you get bored.

 

Day 3 & 6 - Legs and Abs
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Legs and Abs are together because legs are boring. Let's face it, you really only need a few machines, and you use your legs all day anyways. But if you want to stay balance, you better keep your legs in shape. Gaining weight and not improving your legs will lead to bad knees and sore feet. Let's not go there, shall we?

Leg Press
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The goal here is to work out the glutes and your thighs. Most machines will look like a chair that you push away from, and the racks in the free weights are a bench you lay down on while pushing a pad attached to a bar with weights on it, like so:

Spoiler

Pretty simple, do this until getting up from sitting sucks.

Calf Press
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Couple options here. You could use the machines, usually one has pads that rest on your shoulders while you lift up, while the other is a chair you sit in while you push a small bar away, like this:

Spoiler

They work good, but remember to NOT lock your knees, no blood flow will make you pass out. Also, for you outdoorsy people, you can use any ledge, be it sidewalk, or a board, or really any sharp break in elevation. Plant your toes on the curb/edge, and heels on the lower flat part. Now lift yourself up from the toes so that your feet are level. Rinse and Repeat.

Abs
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So many workouts, Abs will get its own post later. Stay tuned, but for now, situps and crunches, and any ab machine you see. Just do all of them. Cannot stress the importance of a strong core. Hurts like hell, but abs-olutely worth it. Pun intended.

End of the Day
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Congratulations! You made it through another day, and should feel a pretty good pump. Remember to eat your vegetables and try to stay away from red meats. Protein shakes would be a good way to bulk, but I'll talk about that in a supplement post later. Hydrate so you can stay as far away from muscle soreness as possible, but you will feel sore. Embrace it, it means you are growing. For those of you who are doing this 3 days a week, I would suggest you bump it to 6 after about a month, or sooner if you feel really good after your last day. Keep it up 6 day people, but don't overdue it, that one day of rest is critical, your body will start to consume muscle if it needs to, and negative gains is not the goal. I personally can guarentee you will see results within a month, and major body changes by the sixth. If you feel you have gained enough muscle for your own personal achievement, head down to the next post for cutting the fat. but remember, keep up the weight too, muscles won't stick around if you don't work them.

 

Cardio done, keep scrolling. @Polt Alskar

 

I already go to weight lifting and track conditioning commonly. Right now, I need to gain weight in muscle.

 

Well, I'm 19, about 5'7 and weigh 120 pounds. Here are some of my accomplishments and goals:

Accomplished:
Bench Press: 135 pounds
Squat: 165 pounds
Power Clean: 110 pounds
Push Press: 115 pounds


Goals:
Bench Press: 150 pounds
Squat: 200 pounds
Power Clean: 135 pounds
Push Press: 135 pounds

Not bad for a small guy like me huh? I'll probably post a video of me training later

 

So I've been training for awhile now and I feel I can offer some advice.

Protip #1
Never do too much weight. Don't feel pressured into doing a heavier weight you can handle because people around you are lifting more weight. The weight should be challenge, but know and stay within your limits

Protip #2
Eat regularly and well. Always have a good breakfast like: Waffles with peanut butter or fruit, Hot or cold cereal, muffins, breakfast burrtito or sandwich. (I workout every weekday morning for an hour after breakfast, so after my workout I have a protein bar. My favorite are Vega Bars). Next, you wanna have a good lunch by noon. For lunch, some good ideas are: PB&J sandwich, ham or turkey wrap, ham and cheese with crackers, hard boiled egg, etc. Also, always try to have a side of some fruits with your lunch like oranges or strawberries. For dinner, make something fresh and homemade. Snack in between meals as you see fit, and drink PLENTY of water

Protip #3
Moving is healing. A day or two after a workout, you may be sore. That is a good thing, it means you worked hard. You may feel like not moving and lay in bed all day, but move around. Get that lactic acid broken up and worked out. Rubbing Arnica cream or gel on the sore area helps speed the healing process.

Hope that helped!

 

Protein shakes and cut out the cardio. Cardio kills gains, it is a great way to get cut, but you won't build mass. Your body uses a lot of energy when running, so any potential energy from proteins and carbs, and fats stored up in your body, are burned to feed the fire. Cut that part out of your routine for a bit, and you'll start to see bulk. Once you hit the muscle mass you want, start up with the cardio again to cut the fat and look jacked.

 

Excellent status dude! And I love the goals! Anytime you can push more than your own weight around with a single muscle group is a good showing.

Personally, I'm 6'4", 210 lbs. with a flat bench of 200lbs. and and a squat of 320 lbs. Haven't tried to max out anything else in the free weights.

My Goals are to hit 245lbs. and stay there, and push 250lbs. on the bench. Pretty comfortable with my squat.

Also, cannot agree more with the tips, only thing I would suggest in tandem would be nutritional supplements, like One-a-Day vitamins, and protein shakes. Shakes only if you are looking to bulk though. Vitamins are an always, some fish oil for the heart will do wonders too.

 

All of these exercises are from personal experience, and I unfortunately do not have the tool-set for these exercises. RIP.

 

Scrub. You are a week late

 

Cutting fat, a.k.a. Cardio
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So you want to lose weight, but you aren't looking to get massive

Or maybe you got massive already and you're looking to cut.

Well, here's what you need to do.
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Cardio. Cardio, cardio, cardio. You live by the Cardio, your fat will die by the cardio. What's Cardio you ask? Well, basically, anything that gets that heart racing faster than speed-freaks on red bull. Running, ellipitcals, and bikes are the three main ways to get your cardio on, I will be covering Running as the other two are pretty simple, and the workout can be integrated into either of those two. Cardio is perfect for cutting fat, and getting TONED. If you are looking to build mass, scroll away. This is not the workout for you, this WILL kill your gains. Cardio is for cutting the bulk away, and you need that bulk for gains, so I would advise only starting cardio once you are comfortable with your muscle mass. Seriously, don't kill your gains.

Running
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Pretty simple stuff. Grab a comfy pair of shoes, running or sneaker, and go for it. Pick a route, or get on a treadmill, and keep on keeping on 'til you can't. Bring a water bottle if you need it, and hydrate afterwards. Never give up, never surrender.

Seriously though, there are some workouts to mix it up if you really feel like getting as much of a workout as possible and/or are bored.

Tempo: Grab a stopwatch with easy access to the buttons, aka, not your phone. Run about half way out, so for beginners probably .5-1.5 miles, intermediate 1-2, hardcore 2-3, and then turn around, or if you are going in a circle/treadmill, at the half way point; every 5 minutes, run at full stride, NOT SPRINT, for 5 minutes, then run at normal pace for 5, and continue until you finish. Adjust time of rest for shorter periods as you get more accustomed to Tempo.

Sprints: Grab a stopwatch with easy access to the buttons, aka, not your phone. Run about half way out, so for beginners probably .5-1.5 miles, intermediate 1-2, hardcore 2-3, and then turn around, or if you are going in a circle/treadmill, at the half way point; every 3 minutes, run at sprinting speed for 1-2 minutes, then normal pace for 3 minutes, and continue until you finish. Adjust time of rest for shorter periods as you get more accustomed to Sprints.

Long Run: Run normal pace for 7-10 miles. Do this once a week, at normal pace. Bring water.

Hills: Find a rather steep hill. Obviously nothing that will get you hurt if you fall, you don't want to be running straight up a hill. Starting at the bottom, sprint up, preferably for 100-200 meters. Jog back down. Repeat 5-10 times.

Always hydrate after a run, I personally don't bring water unless I am going on a very long run, but I always make sure to hydrate very well afterwards. This will keep you from cramping up all the time, and getting serious sports injuries, like shin splints.

Also, getting a good pair of running shoes can be critical for your feet, knees, and lower back. I would suggest looking into investing in a pair with custom soles. Places like RoadRunner are great for this, I spent $150 on my shoes, but I don't regret it one bit, had them for 6 years and they are still going strong. Custom soles helped my feet's arch, and my knees felt great, where as before I was in constant pain. Very, very good investment. I used to be a varsity XC/Track athlete, so if you have any questions, absolutely ask, I am positive that I left some pointers out, secrets of the trade if you will.

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Anybody got any progress pictures to share?

 

Well since my face looks horrible in this picture, I decided to cover it up. But yeah typical bathroom flexing picture

Spoiler: WARNING TALL PHOTO

 

Protein shakes are doing some good for me. Gained 5 pounds.

Spoiler: Picture

Yeah, I took down the picture. Sorry

 

Love your workout guys and gals.

 

Take a break from the computer and walk or jog outside no matter how bad the weather is. You'll always feel great when you come back.

 

Update:

So I hit all my goals with the exception of squat. For squats I always go parallel, for some reason I have trouble getting there. Anyways here are my new PRs


Bench Press: 155 lbs
Push Press 140 lbs
Power Clean 135 lbs
Squat 185 lbs

I'm still at 120 lbs for bodyweight, so I'm pretty happy with my PRs considering my weight.

 

Yo random question to everyone who has posted on this thread, just curious to as do you all lift based on personal experiences and your own personal research, or have some of you gone to school to earn a degree (possibly become a personal trainer) just wondering. As to agree with a point finn makes and add on to it, reps will be different for everyone as well as rest. Also certain rep ranges do different things for the muscles such as hypertrophy, tone, power or strength, and endurance. So take that into considerations on what you want to do, you can find a lot of information out there on what to do and how to do it, However encourage you guys to all use scholarly sources for your lifting exercises.

P.S. I am a horrible writer, any grammar errors i apologize for