The decline of free weights

[Warrior74]

From what I notice around here, the men all go to crossfit and the "gyms" are all for women. There's women at crossfit too but they don't get all feminist about it, they know it's about bringing it.

 

[sigma335]

No offense backbreaker but your routine is awful! Also you seeing no one using free weights at your gym is a function of the day/time of day you workout and the demographics of the gym/area where the gym is located.

 

[backbreaker]

No offense backbreaker but your routine is awful! Also you seeing no one using free weights at your gym is a function of the day/time of day you workout and the demographics of the gym/area where the gym is located.

i'm not trying to get bigger. If i were trying to get bigger i'd go to 1 body group a week to give my muscles more time to heel /recover. But I'm not trying to get smaller either I like my body the exact way it is now. if anything maybe lose another 1% of bodyfat but muscle wise i like exactly where i am now; good enough to fit anything skinny stylish clothes and still have a body where women double take when i take my shirt off but not so small to where i look like a runner/ emo

my workout routine does just that; keeps me in shape, keeps my muscle mass the way it is while allowing me to swim and eliptoical 5-6 days a week, while not putting on more muscle mass OR losing any. i don't want more muscle mass. I've been up to as high as about 185 muscle mass (i'm 168 now) wise and while i looked good i don't like the look on me i'm not a meathead. i'm a pretty boy.

it's more of a crossfit program just with free weights rather than machines. i try to knock it all out in less than 45 minutes so i' busting it while i'm there and even today i'm usually pretty drained when i'm done

keep in mind i've been doing this since i was 22. i got this lol.

 

[AmIAFC]

I think the decline of Free Weights at commercial gyms is also due to legal/insurance reasons. By reducing the amounts of free weights available, and instead steering their clientele towards using the machines, they accomplish two things:

1. They minimize their risks of being liable for any injuries that their gym members may suffer. And...

2. They increase their ability to advertise and appeal to a more gender-neutral client-base. As you know, the good part about weightlifting machines are that they can be more easily used by women as well as men.


V.U.

Plus, with machines, there's very little clean-up involved at the close of business day. Employees are not working extra minutes reorganizing discarded plates and dumbbells.

 

[Velor]

This happens because someone goes to the GYM not to train but to pickup girls..

WRONG WRONG WRONG

Gym is made for training

Pickup comes later as a result of the training.
It's NOT that Training comes later as a result of the pickup.. Sh!t just doesnt make sense.

 

[MatureDJ]

I think the decline of Free Weights at commercial gyms is also due to legal/insurance reasons. By reducing the amounts of free weights available, and instead steering their clientele towards using the machines, they accomplish two things:

1. They minimize their risks of being liable for any injuries that their gym members may suffer. And...

2. They increase their ability to advertise and appeal to a more gender-neutral client-base. As you know, the good part about weightlifting machines are that they can be more easily used by women as well as men.


V.U.

BINGO!

 

[Dedication]

This is my present routine. I circuit train while doing this. In other words I do one set of lets say incline DB press, go right to bench press, then right to incline flies, and so and so on with maybe 10 seconds rest between each exercise. Then when I finish a circuit I start it over again. This not only gives you a cardio workout as well, but also I can get done in 45 minutes or less. Don't know how these guys who do one thing like lets say a bench press, wait 3 minutes to rest, do another bench press, wait 3 minutes, do another bench press, then move to another exercise do it. Takes hours for them to work out. Have added around 10 pounds the past 4 months doing this, up to around 205 now. I will start cutting in a week or so down to 190. I also add in one session of cardio a week with this, and one day with an hour of yoga.

Monday: Chest/Biceps

4 sets of Incline Dumbbell Press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Bench Press, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Incline Flies, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Chest Dips until failure
3 sets of Barbell Curls, 8-10 reps
3 sets of Preacher Curls, 8-10 reps, then drop the weight to half, and push out another 8

Tuesday: Legs/Calves

4 sets of Squats 8-10 reps
3 sets of Lunges 8-10 reps
3 sets of Leg Press 8-10 reps
3 sets of Leg Extensions till failure
3 sets of Leg Curls 8-10 reps

Calves are self explanatory, just use some of the machines till failure, a lot of reps, feel the burn.

Wednesday: Back

3 sets of Lat Pulldowns 8-10 reps
4 sets of Deadlifts 8-10 reps
3 sets of Bent Over Rows 8-10 reps
3 sets of Dumbell Rows 8-10 reps
3 sets of Hyperextensions 8-10 reps

Thursday: Shoulders/Triceps

4 sets of Shoulder Press, alternate with Barbell & Dumbell every week 8-10 reps
3 sets of Upright Rows supersetted with Lateral Raises 8-10 reps
3 sets of front raises 8-10 reps
3 sets of Lying Rear Delt Raises 8-10 reps
3 sets of Close-Grip Bench Press 8-10 reps
4 sets of Pulldowns 8-10 reps
3 sets of Skullcrushers 8-10 reps

Saturday: Full Body

3 sets of Deadlifts 8-10 reps
3 sets of Squats 8-10 reps
3 sets of Clean and Jerk 8-10 reps
3 sets of Weighted Pull ups 8-10 reps

Isn't this way overkill? I'm new to Fitness and looking to grow since i fall into the skinny range. I've been using this workout by going 4 times a week to the gym and alternating between the two:

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay Rows

I'm growing, but i'm not nearly getting all my muscles exercised. I've been doing this for 4 weeks now, would you advice me to take on more muscle groups?

 

[backbreaker]

you actually are working just about all your muscle groups

you are basically doing starting strength in fact that's it verbatium. the only grip i have about that is the ajount of reps it really doesn 't max you out.

in other words like i actually just got home from the gym and i lift heavy, so I do my reps of say, incline bench. but if i wait 1 mintue or 2 mintues, instead of moving on to the next set beucse i "maxed out" i can actually get 1-2 more sets in if i just give myself some rest time

but that's the format i follow


Go to push / pull / leg. your problem is that all your upper body workouts are push exercises. add some dips to your push, add some concentration curls and barbell curls to your pull, add some leg extensions to your leg

also add reverse lat pull down to your pull

leg extension machine is the only machine i use the rest i do free weights

it's not so much that you aren't hitting all your muscles, for the most part youare, the problem is that you aren't working the muscles to what they can be worked. even when you lift heavy if you allow yourself to rest a little bit between sets you can get more out of it

 

[Zarky]

I'm curious what percentage of men on this forum lift weights. I don't and have little interest in doing so. I do keep myself fit with sports, swimming, and a generally healthy lifestyle. But other than that I'm pretty skinny.

I'd just be curious to know what percentage of men lift weights because it seems to be a fairly high percentage.

 

[betheman]

me lift the free weights

 

[In2theGame]

I lift and stay in shape for me. I have the V shape and has taken 6 years to get where i am. Slim waist, broad shoulders and delts, Big arms triceps/biceps, Chest, Quads..etc... Women love it no matter how much they say they dont care for a man like that but i train for me, i like the look and feel of being big and lean.

 

[Jitterbug]

BB goes to loser gym, complains about losers.

 

[Nutz]

From what I notice around here, the men all go to crossfit and the "gyms" are all for women. There's women at crossfit too but they don't get all feminist about it, they know it's about bringing it.

When the weather warms up my affiliate has way more women than men.

 

[CaliMan007]

Depends which gym you go to. Where I'm at the free weights section is always busy busy busy.

 

[BMX]

http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=PD&cid=114&pid=1793
just arrived in the mail

 

[MaddXMan]

I hate when someone goes up to the dumbbell rack grabs a couple and starts doing flys right in front of the rack. No one can get to the ****ing rack until the jackass is through. It's like, dude. There that's my contribution to this, I have no idea what the point of the thread was anyway.

 

[yyc12]

^^curls in the squat rack are worse.

 

[backbreaker]

I'll see your curls on the squat rack and I will raise you a sholder shrugs on the smith machine guy.

how much of a fvcking beta dweeb do you have to be to be to ***** to do freaking sholder srugs on the smith machine. you aren't even lifting the fvcking weights.

 

[yyc12]

How about tricep extensions in the 45 degree leg press machine!! is this thread turning into "dumb things we see in the gym"?? lol.