wimp needs bigger chest

Hi all. I'm new here and need advice. Am 53 yrs old and just started
exercising 6 months ago. Was not in very good shape. Have now been
going to gym 3-5 times weekly doing cardio and weights. I would like a
bigger chest and more strength. I'm currently bench pressing a
pathetic 95 lbs, 3 sets of 10 reps, with 1 minute rest between sets.
Last rep of last set is at or near failure. I started 6 months ago at
60 lbs so thats improvement but I seem to be stuck at 95 lbs for last
2 months. My other chest exercises are pec deck, and pull ups and
dips on a Gravitron. Just started doing inclined bench. After 6
months my chest looks the same and now I can't lift past 95 lbs. I
wqnt bigger chest and to bench 135lbs by end of year. What to do? As
I said I am very new to this so any suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks. Dave

<dmiyatake@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:0ceca86e-5434-4ed2-9863-5c625c04c8b6@h11g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> Hi all. I'm new here and need advice. Am 53 yrs old and just started
> exercising 6 months ago. Was not in very good shape. Have now been
> going to gym 3-5 times weekly doing cardio and weights. I would like a
> bigger chest and more strength. I'm currently bench pressing a
> pathetic 95 lbs, 3 sets of 10 reps, with 1 minute rest between sets.
> Last rep of last set is at or near failure. I started 6 months ago at
> 60 lbs so thats improvement but I seem to be stuck at 95 lbs for last
> 2 months. My other chest exercises are pec deck, and pull ups and
> dips on a Gravitron. Just started doing inclined bench. After 6
> months my chest looks the same and now I can't lift past 95 lbs. I
> wqnt bigger chest and to bench 135lbs by end of year. What to do? As
> I said I am very new to this so any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks. Dave

1. Squat or Deadlift in addition to what you're doing now. Save the
machines for last in your workouts.

2. Get a powerlifter to show you good bench press technique.

3. Cycle your workouts, e.g., rotate over the course of 4-6 weeks,
dropping the reps and increasing the sets so that you're doing 10 sets
of 3 reps each with 1 minute rest by the end. The idea is that the
weights will get heavier, and when you finish the cycle, take a few days
off or easy before starting it again - you should be able to handle more
for your 10 rep sets. E.g.,

Week 1 - 10 reps x 3
Week 2 - 6 reps x 5
Week 3 - 4 reps x 8
Week 4 - 3 reps x 10
Week 5 - rest
Week 6 - start over again

Just my opinion.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com

On Feb 25, 11:37 am, dmiyat...@comcast.net wrote:
> Hi all. I'm new here and need advice. Am 53 yrs old and just started
> exercising 6 months ago. Was not in very good shape. Have now been
> going to gym 3-5 times weekly doing cardio and weights. I would like a
> bigger chest and more strength. I'm currently bench pressing a
> pathetic 95 lbs, 3 sets of 10 reps, with 1 minute rest between sets.
> Last rep of last set is at or near failure. I started 6 months ago at
> 60 lbs so thats improvement but I seem to be stuck at 95 lbs for last
> 2 months. My other chest exercises are pec deck, and pull ups and
> dips on a Gravitron. Just started doing inclined bench. After 6
> months my chest looks the same and now I can't lift past 95 lbs. I
> wqnt bigger chest and to bench 135lbs by end of year. What to do? As
> I said I am very new to this so any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks. Dave

Sometimes what a newbie needs is a "magic pill"...so here, check this
out and play with it: http://www.geocities.com/~slopitch/mm2k/....

On Mon, 25 Feb 2008, dmiyatake@comcast.net wrote:

> Hi all. I'm new here and need advice. Am 53 yrs old and just started
> exercising 6 months ago. Was not in very good shape. Have now been
> going to gym 3-5 times weekly doing cardio and weights.

That's not five days of bench pressing a week, i assume. How many days of
rest do you have between chest sessions?

> I would like a bigger chest and more strength. I'm currently bench
> pressing a pathetic 95 lbs, 3 sets of 10 reps, with 1 minute rest
> between sets.

I'd suggest taking longer than one minute between sets. I take three. If
you only take one, you're not really fresh for the subsequent sets, and
you won't be pushing your strength to the limit, but rather your anaerobic
endurance.

Also, two sets is pretty much as good as three sets, and will save time
and keep you fresher during your workout.

> Last rep of last set is at or near failure.

So you can do 3 x 10 of 95? What happens if you try to lift 100? How have
you been managing your progression?

> I started 6 months ago at 60 lbs so thats improvement but I seem to be
> stuck at 95 lbs for last 2 months.

It happens. I hate that!

> My other chest exercises are pec deck,

Not really worth bothering with, IMHO. Bench presses, done right, will do
what you need.

> and pull ups

Good.

> and dips on a Gravitron.

Isn't that some kind of particle accelerator? Odd choice of thing to dip
on.

If chest is most important to you, make sure you're doing your dips in a
way which isn't letting your triceps do all the work.

> Just started doing inclined bench.

Good. I like incline bench presses. If you're doing incline benches and
dips, you don't really need to bother with flat benches as well. No harm
in doing them, of course.

> After 6 months my chest looks the same and now I can't lift past 95 lbs.
> I wqnt bigger chest and to bench 135lbs by end of year. What to do?

I suspect the problem is that you're not getting enough calories. Try
eating more, including more protein - add a big protein shake (or cheese
steak sandwich or something) a day to what you're eating and see if it
helps. Seriously, putting on muscle is so much about nutrition it's not
funny. And i don't mean eating healthily - i mean eating more than you
need, to encourage your body to build muscle.

It's also possible that form is holding you up. I've had this with
shoulder presses in the past; getting better at the action let me break
through a ceiling. As Steve suggested, get someone more experienced to
troubleshoot you. Ideally, two or more people, so you don't just get some
idiot's misguided opinion.

You might find some exercises targeting the auxiliary muscles used in the
bench press help; if weakness there is the limiting factor, making those
muscles stronger will help. That would be triceps and anterior deltoid, so
tricep extensions or dips, and shoulder presses would be good. You might
already be doing these, of course.

Something i've tried to get past plateaus is adding an extra set of the
exercise using either a heavier or lighter weight, and aiming for fewer or
more reps respectively. Giving your muscles a go at lifting 120 lb for
five reps may help them to lift 100 lb for ten or whatever. Ditto, adding
a high-rep set on the end will develop your local muscular endurance more,
helping you to maintain your strength through to the end of a ten-rep set.
There's even some research supporting the latter idea - the former is
based purely on my experience!

tom

--
The most successful people are those who are good at plan B. --
James Yorke

On Feb 25, 1:44 pm, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> Sometimes what a newbie needs is a "magic pill"...so here, check this
> out and play with it:http://www.geocities.com/~slopitch/mm2k/....

Oh, BTW, I know the lowest 1RM that program starts out with is 100-
lbs., whereas you seem to indicate that yours is 95-lbs., but you can
tinker with the set-up a bit and make it work for your own situation.
Make sure to eat properly, rest adequately, and keep a positive
attitude but also a realistic perspective (I mean, you're 53 and out-
of-shape besides). Good luck!

"Prisoner at War" <prisoner_at_war@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:aa0d82e5-9927-4a84-b134-d3e1ff6fe922@72g2000hsu.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 25, 1:44 pm, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Sometimes what a newbie needs is a "magic pill"...so here, check this
>> out and play with it:http://www.geocities.com/~slopitch/mm2k/....
>
> Oh, BTW, I know the lowest 1RM that program starts out with is 100-
> lbs., whereas you seem to indicate that yours is 95-lbs., but you can
> tinker with the set-up a bit and make it work for your own situation.
> Make sure to eat properly, rest adequately, and keep a positive
> attitude but also a realistic perspective (I mean, you're 53 and out-
> of-shape besides). Good luck!

Actually he said he can do 95 pounds for 3 sets of 10 with 1 minute rest
between sets. I would guess his actual 1RM would be around 150 pounds or so.

On Feb 25, 11:37*am, dmiyat...@comcast.net wrote:
> Hi all. *I'm new here and need advice. *Am 53 yrs old and just started
> exercising 6 months ago. *Was not in very good shape. *Have now been
> going to gym 3-5 times weekly doing cardio and weights. I would like a
> bigger chest and more strength. *I'm currently bench pressing a
> pathetic 95 lbs, 3 sets of 10 reps, with 1 minute rest between sets.
> Last rep of last set is at or near failure. *I started 6 months ago at
> 60 lbs so thats improvement *but I seem to be stuck at 95 lbs for last
> 2 months. *My other chest exercises are pec deck, and pull ups and
> dips on a Gravitron. *Just started doing inclined bench. *After 6
> months my chest looks the same and now I can't lift past 95 lbs. *I
> wqnt bigger chest and to bench 135lbs by end of year. *What to do? *As
> I said I am very new to this so any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks. *Dave

Plateaus are inevitable, but using periodization might help.
Basically, it means going 3 steps forward, 2 steps back
I.E, take your 3 sets of 10 back to 65, but do 12's first workout.
Next workout try 75x12's for 3 sets, then 85/s for 12's.
On workout # 4, go back to 75, but do 10's, workout 5 do 85x10x3 sets,
then 95x10x3. Next phase do 85x8, then 95x8, then 105x8. Final phase
do 95x6, then 105x6, then115x6. You can keep adding weight and
dropping reps or go back to
12's with more weight than orig. cycle at this point. The tricky part
is going back on that phase change week, because it feels to easy.
This routine will allow you to go much longer before a plateau if done
correctly,IMO

On Feb 25, 2:59 pm, "Homer Simpson" <homersimp...@springfield.com>
wrote:
>
>
> Actually he said he can do 95 pounds for 3 sets of 10 with 1 minute rest
> between sets. I would guess his actual 1RM would be around 150 pounds or so.

I stand corrected, sir!

I hope the guy gets his max up a good forty or fifty pounds with that
MM2K program. What's particularly interesting about his case is that
he's taking up weights so late in life. If he can get a good spotter
(you know, I've never had an old guy ask me for a spot, come to think
of it -- though I've only seen like three doing free-weights anyway),
he could be working out closer to his current max.

Oh! I forgot: OP, use the power rack! Even if you have a spotter!

"Prisoner at War" <prisoner_at_war@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:b517120d-14f5-4053-8040-c7af5dcafd44@d62g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 25, 2:59 pm, "Homer Simpson" <homersimp...@springfield.com>
> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Actually he said he can do 95 pounds for 3 sets of 10 with 1 minute rest
>> between sets. I would guess his actual 1RM would be around 150 pounds or
>> so.
>
> I stand corrected, sir!
>
> I hope the guy gets his max up a good forty or fifty pounds with that
> MM2K program. What's particularly interesting about his case is that
> he's taking up weights so late in life. If he can get a good spotter
> (you know, I've never had an old guy ask me for a spot, come to think
> of it -- though I've only seen like three doing free-weights anyway),
> he could be working out closer to his current max.
>
> Oh! I forgot: OP, use the power rack! Even if you have a spotter!

First lets cut this "old guy" stuff out Being 52 myself I consider him in
his prime. Second he should still see significant newbie gains. I get "young
bucks" to spot me at the gym all the time.

Also being 52 years old I would be concerned about the mm2k bench routine
being a bit too intense. The only difference between training for me now and
training for me 30 years ago is I don't recover as easily, I don't heal from
injuries as quickly, and I get injured a lot easier. For the past several
years I have had to coax my gains rather than force them. The routine I used
to get my benchpress to move from 250 to 300 pounds is here
http://www.weighttrainersunited.com/gaugler.html

This was also the routine I used to move my squat from 350 to 400 pounds and
it got my deadlift from 400 to 445. It did take a year of 16 week cycles to
accomplish those numbers.

On Feb 25, 3:47 pm, "Homer Simpson" <homersimp...@springfield.com>
wrote:
>
>
> First lets cut this "old guy" stuff out Being 52 myself I consider him in
> his prime. Second he should still see significant newbie gains. I get "young
> bucks" to spot me at the gym all the time.

Okay, I have no experience with weightlifting past age 36, but I'm not
sure what kind of gains the OP can expect to make. I think he can do
135, even 150, perhaps 185...but I would be surprised if he were to
hit even 225 this year, unless he's somehow been inadvertently over-
or undertraining all this time or something like that....

In a way, I'm looking forward to old age myself simply out of a morbid
sense of curiosity to see how my lifts might peter out...I mean, what,
I'll be doing less and less reps until doing less and less poundage?
Like one day will be the absolute last day I can do 335-lbs. on the
bench (though I hope to hit 405 later this year) and then one day will
be the absolute last I can do 275-lbs. and so on...just like that? I
mean, yeah, but wow, what a strange feeling that must be, just sort of
noticing one day, hey, I haven't been "making the reps" lately, gee,
where did those last three reps go anyway....

That's why I'm going to get more into golf (especially now that more
people are getting out of it!) and such so that by then I'll have
something else to attract my attention!

> Also being 52 years old I would be concerned about the mm2k bench routine
> being a bit too intense. The only difference between training for me now and
> training for me 30 years ago is I don't recover as easily, I don't heal from
> injuries as quickly, and I get injured a lot easier. For the past several
> years I have had to coax my gains rather than force them. The routine I used
> to get my benchpress to move from 250 to 300 pounds is herehttp://www.weighttrainersunited.com/gaugler.html

Yes, I replied much too hastily to the OP; it's true, that MM2K
program needs to be intelligently tweaked by individuals WRT their
particular physical development...perhaps instead of moving along
weekly, he could progress on a biweekly or even on a monthly basis.

> This was also the routine I used to move my squat from 350 to 400 pounds and
> it got my deadlift from 400 to 445. It did take a year of 16 week cycles to
> accomplish those numbers.

Congrats, it's always nice to see results, but especially with a
program you follow. I've never been on any program per se; simply
increased weight in twenty-pound increments (one 10-lb. plate to a
side) whenever reps on a lift get to the six to eight range
consistently, but I'm thinking about finally following one since I'm
starting to get bored of my old simplistic way of doing things.

So are you looking to make any further progress? I actually have
definite numbers for various lifts where I say to myself, with that,
I'll be satisfied. I've never factored in age, though, even if I'm
thinking more and more about it these days!

<latina_liebhaber@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:7807e452-d598-4e9e-a1f3-7ec960fff9e7@28g2000hsw.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 25, 3:47 pm, "Homer Simpson" <homersimp...@springfield.com>
> wrote:
>>
>>
>> First lets cut this "old guy" stuff out Being 52 myself I consider him
>> in
>> his prime. Second he should still see significant newbie gains. I get
>> "young
>> bucks" to spot me at the gym all the time.
>
> Okay, I have no experience with weightlifting past age 36, but I'm not
> sure what kind of gains the OP can expect to make. I think he can do
> 135, even 150, perhaps 185...but I would be surprised if he were to
> hit even 225 this year, unless he's somehow been inadvertently over-
> or undertraining all this time or something like that....
>
> In a way, I'm looking forward to old age myself simply out of a morbid
> sense of curiosity to see how my lifts might peter out...I mean, what,
> I'll be doing less and less reps until doing less and less poundage?
> Like one day will be the absolute last day I can do 335-lbs. on the
> bench (though I hope to hit 405 later this year) and then one day will
> be the absolute last I can do 275-lbs. and so on...just like that? I
> mean, yeah, but wow, what a strange feeling that must be, just sort of
> noticing one day, hey, I haven't been "making the reps" lately, gee,
> where did those last three reps go anyway....

If it is any encouragement to you I was 49 when I hit my best numbers. I had
a friend back where I came from who hit his best numbers at 66 years of age.
He weighed 220 and hit a 600 pound squat, 300 pound benchpress, and 600
pound deadlift in competition.

> That's why I'm going to get more into golf (especially now that more
> people are getting out of it!) and such so that by then I'll have
> something else to attract my attention!
>
>> Also being 52 years old I would be concerned about the mm2k bench routine
>> being a bit too intense. The only difference between training for me now
>> and
>> training for me 30 years ago is I don't recover as easily, I don't heal
>> from
>> injuries as quickly, and I get injured a lot easier. For the past several
>> years I have had to coax my gains rather than force them. The routine I
>> used
>> to get my benchpress to move from 250 to 300 pounds is
>> herehttp://www.weighttrainersunited.com/gaugler.html
>
> Yes, I replied much too hastily to the OP; it's true, that MM2K
> program needs to be intelligently tweaked by individuals WRT their
> particular physical development...perhaps instead of moving along
> weekly, he could progress on a biweekly or even on a monthly basis.
>
>> This was also the routine I used to move my squat from 350 to 400 pounds
>> and
>> it got my deadlift from 400 to 445. It did take a year of 16 week cycles
>> to
>> accomplish those numbers.
>
> Congrats, it's always nice to see results, but especially with a
> program you follow. I've never been on any program per se; simply
> increased weight in twenty-pound increments (one 10-lb. plate to a
> side) whenever reps on a lift get to the six to eight range
> consistently, but I'm thinking about finally following one since I'm
> starting to get bored of my old simplistic way of doing things.
>
> So are you looking to make any further progress? I actually have
> definite numbers for various lifts where I say to myself, with that,
> I'll be satisfied. I've never factored in age, though, even if I'm
> thinking more and more about it these days!

I can't lift the numbers I could in 05 in any of my lifts. 2 hernia
surgeries took it out of me. First there was 6 weeks each time of complete
inactivitie. Then afterwards my training was drastically lighter. My goals
are different now. I like seeing how many times I can benchpress my
bodyweight. So far my best has been 20 reps. I like seeing how much
different I can make myself appear in the mirror. My training is more
physique oriented now than strength. I haven't lost interest because I like
being the best I can be physically at any given time. It helps with my self
confidence.

"Steve Freides" <steve@fridayscomputer.com> schreef:

>>After 6 months my chest looks the same and now I can't lift past 95 lbs.
I
>> wqnt bigger chest and to bench 135lbs by end of year. What to do? As
>> I said I am very new to this so any suggestions would be welcome.
>> Thanks. Dave

> 1. Squat or Deadlift in addition to what you're doing now.

NO_NO_NO_NO!

No.

The human body can only synthesize a certain amount of muscle. That amount
was fixed long before you were born.

Where you gain musclke was not (not almost, amyway...) fixed.

The guy wants a bigger chest.

Next time, ask a gymnast why they never squat and deadlift. Or why an
olympic lifter doesnt do specific exercises for lats and pecs.

>Save the machines for last in your workouts.

Why?

Please clarify yourself.

> 2. Get a powerlifter to show you good bench press technique.

Sounds good.

But again, he said he wanted a bigger chest. I would ask a bodybuilder
also...

--
Pete

<dmiyatake@comcast.net> schreef:

> What to do? As
> I said I am very new to this so any suggestions would be welcome.
> Thanks. Dave\

Give low inclines and dips a try for a while.

Try to stay in the 5-8 range and focus on getting stronger in that range.
3-5 sets each will do.

Try to stay short of failure and rest about 2 minutes in between.

At the end of the workout, add some flyes, whichever you prefer, for 3 sets
or so in the 12-15 range.
Go to failure and add some partials on the last set.

--
Pete

"Homer Simpson" <homersimpson@springfield.com> schreef:

> Actually he said he can do 95 pounds for 3 sets of 10 with 1 minute rest
> between sets. I would guess his actual 1RM would be around 150 pounds or
> so.

135 would be closer, i think...

--
Pete

Thanks everyone for your comments, I have read and studied all of
them. So I think I will try this MM2K program that a few
reccommended, using 130 as my 1RM. Will start drinking protein
shakes, (even though I'm trying to loss a few pounds around the
tummy). Also will rest longer between sets, 3 minutes. Thanks
everyone for contribting, if all goes well I should be lifting 145 in
7 weeks! Dave

Dnia 2008-02-26 Uncle Bob napisa³(a):
> "Steve Freides" <steve@fridayscomputer.com> schreef:
>
> >>After 6 months my chest looks the same and now I can't lift past 95 lbs.
> I
>>> wqnt bigger chest and to bench 135lbs by end of year. What to do? As
>>> I said I am very new to this so any suggestions would be welcome.
>>> Thanks. Dave
>
>> 1. Squat or Deadlift in addition to what you're doing now.
>
> NO_NO_NO_NO!
>
> No.
>
> The human body can only synthesize a certain amount of muscle. That amount
> was fixed long before you were born.

Well, while I wouldn't call that statement extremely precise, it gives a
certain picture I tend to agree with.

But I'd tell it differently. Our bodies can tolerate a certain amount
of training stimulus before they go into system failure mode. Hence
training squats and deadlifts if you want a bigger chest is quite
stupid, frankly speaking. You drain yourself off precious recovery
resources while stimulating growth everywhere *but* chest.

Still, it happens that people do better _overall_ while they don't focus
all their energy on a chosen muscle group. There is something to be
said for balance, both from aesthetic and health oriented point of
view. Besides, it's hard to get into system failure mode while training
small muscle groups. All upper body muscles are rather small in humans.
People who divert their attention from injuring themselves while doing
endless curls can do better progress if they squat a bit between pec-dec
flies.

[...]
>>Save the machines for last in your workouts.
>
> Why?
>
> Please clarify yourself.

Pavel said so, I'm afraid.

--
Andrzej Rosa 1127R

ABS everybody wants them.* Then why don't people do something about
it? i made a blog that i really hope will help and motivate you to
achieve this goal www.superrippedabs.blogspot.com* The key to getting
abs is through Patience and Persistence. If you put your mind to it
you can achieve anything (i know, its cliche, but very true!)