I'm wondering if someone got some good tips on how to build biceps and get better conditioning. I used to work out 3-4 times a week at this epic gym/swimminghall in my homecity, but now as I have left due to work I have stopped all workout. In addition before I worked as a janitor and got good physical excercise in conjunction with working out often, now I work in a office in a city with a very shitty gym with only 1 shower in the men's change room and very few freeweights (you have to wait 10-20min in line). So I stopped exercising and I have gained 15kg in one year 

I know where are as many different theories on muscle growth as there are religions in the world, but it is always good to do comparative analysis to make a more informed judgement.

In my home I have one long barbell and two small barbells, a cardio treadmill of decent quality. But I dont have a bench or anything else.

So anyone got any tips for reps/sets and what I should buy for a complete home gym to pump iron effectively?

Quote from: Mountainshield on May 22, 2013, 10:38:45 AM
I'm wondering if someone got some good tips on how to build biceps and get better conditioning. I used to work out 3-4 times a week at this epic gym/swimminghall in my homecity, but now as I have left due to work I have stopped all workout. In addition before I worked as a janitor and got good physical excercise in conjunction with working out often, now I work in a office in a city with a very shitty gym with only 1 shower in the men's change room and very few freeweights (you have to wait 10-20min in line). So I stopped exercising and I have gained 15kg in one year 

I know where are as many different theories on muscle growth as there are religions in the world, but it is always good to do comparative analysis to make a more informed judgement.

In my home I have one long barbell and two small barbells, a cardio treadmill of decent quality. But I dont have a bench or anything else.

So anyone got any tips for reps/sets and what I should buy for a complete home gym to pump iron effectively?

I owned several health clubs/gyms, so I have years of experience in the field.
First off, throw away the bar bells, get free weight dumbbells, and I suggest you get a 20, 30 and 40 or more pound set, so you don't have to stop and tear them down.
Depending on whether you want to build muscle or just firm up, high reps will create strength, heavy weight will build mass.

Let me know what your needs are and I will give you some tips.
The reason I say throw away the bar, is because it forces your joints into unnatural positions, putting strain on shoulders, wrists and elbows, free weights do none of that.

Quote from: Solar on May 22, 2013, 12:59:12 PM
I owned several health clubs/gyms, so I have years of experience in the field.
First off, throw away the bar bells, get free weight dumbbells, and I suggest you get a 20, 30 and 40 or more pound set, so you don't have to stop and tear them down.
Depending on whether you want to build muscle or just firm up, high reps will create strength, heavy weight will build mass.

Let me know what your needs are and I will give you some tips.
The reason I say throw away the bar, is because it forces your joints into unnatural positions, putting strain on shoulders, wrists and elbows, free weights do none of that.

yea what Solar says... I am down to 4.5 days a week on the average.. summer is here.  Free weights for that...all I can say is dont forget your core.

Quote from: Solar on May 22, 2013, 12:59:12 PM
I owned several health clubs/gyms, so I have years of experience in the field.
First off, throw away the bar bells, get free weight dumbbells, and I suggest you get a 20, 30 and 40 or more pound set, so you don't have to stop and tear them down.
Depending on whether you want to build muscle or just firm up, high reps will create strength, heavy weight will build mass.

Let me know what your needs are and I will give you some tips.
The reason I say throw away the bar, is because it forces your joints into unnatural positions, putting strain on shoulders, wrists and elbows, free weights do none of that.

What's your opinion on resistance bands? I've been told they're pretty good for toning. I've got one I picked up pretty cheap and there are loads of exercises you can do with it. I guess one of the main things I like about it is it's easy to carry along when going out of town on vacation.

As for weight lifting, if you only had ~30 minutes per day to devote to lifting, what workouts would you suggest?

Quote from: JTA on June 04, 2013, 03:06:00 PM
What's your opinion on resistance bands? I've been told they're pretty good for toning. I've got one I picked up pretty cheap and there are loads of exercises you can do with it. I guess one of the main things I like about it is it's easy to carry along when going out of town on vacation.

As for weight lifting, if you only had ~30 minutes per day to devote to lifting, what workouts would you suggest?

Bands are great, it's pretty hard to injure yourself.
As to a 30 minute workout, that's pretty hard, I'd do cardio if I only had 30 mins.
But you could do a bunch of dumbbell curls, some triceps work and some presses for upper body, legs and abs are another animal for another different set of exercises, just never use weights to do crunches, unless you want a big belly.

I say 30 mins is too short, because stretching is even more important than the weights.
If you don't stretch, your muscles will become bound and you will be at least 50% less flexible in the long run.
I know, I was so big, I couldn't scratch my own shoulder.

Quote from: Solar on June 04, 2013, 05:24:07 PM
Bands are great, it's pretty hard to injure yourself.
As to a 30 minute workout, that's pretty hard, I'd do cardio if I only had 30 mins.
But you could do a bunch of dumbbell curls, some triceps work and some presses for upper body, legs and abs are another animal for another different set of exercises, just never use weights to do crunches, unless you want a big belly.

I say 30 mins is too short, because stretching is even more important than the weights.
If you don't stretch, your muscles will become bound and you will be at least 50% less flexible in the long run.
I know, I was so big, I couldn't scratch my own shoulder.

I'm crunched for time during the week with work eating up much of my weekdays.

I usually alternate between cardio one day, weight lifting the next. Probably should make time for stretching, it's not something I do regularly. I feel like I've plateaued when it comes to bulking up anyway. Maybe it's time to step it up a notch and make more time for working out, or alter my diet or something.

Quote from: JTA on June 04, 2013, 05:54:41 PM
I'm crunched for time during the week with work eating up much of my weekdays.

I usually alternate between cardio one day, weight lifting the next. Probably should make time for stretching, it's not something I do regularly. I feel like I've plateaued when it comes to bulking up anyway. Maybe it's time to step it up a notch and make more time for working out, or alter my diet or something.

Take a stretching class, some colleges offer them for a small fee once or twice a week, and I guarantee you'll sleep better after.
But I understand the time issue, like anything, it takes dedication.

Sam's club has an excellent whey protein cheap, tastes great and is a good source of extra protein.
If memory serves me correctly, the body needs roughly half a gram of protein per pound of body weight daily, and that's just to stay healthy, working out with weights need about a 4th more to build muscle.
Avoid all the hype on health supplements, just eat right and you'll see noticeable improvement.

Quote from: Solar on May 22, 2013, 12:59:12 PM
I owned several health clubs/gyms, so I have years of experience in the field.
First off, throw away the bar bells, get free weight dumbbells, and I suggest you get a 20, 30 and 40 or more pound set, so you don't have to stop and tear them down.
Depending on whether you want to build muscle or just firm up, high reps will create strength, heavy weight will build mass.

Let me know what your needs are and I will give you some tips.
The reason I say throw away the bar, is because it forces your joints into unnatural positions, putting strain on shoulders, wrists and elbows, free weights do none of that.

Have things changed that much? I first got into weight training 40-45 years ago with my uncle, who was serious with his free weights. Based on what he told me, and based on a lot of what I read at the time, high reps built mass and high weight built strength.

Quote from: TboneAgain on June 04, 2013, 07:32:52 PM
Have things changed that much? I first got into weight training 40-45 years ago with my uncle, who was serious with his free weights. Based on what he told me, and based on a lot of what I read at the time, high reps built mass and high weight built strength.

Same here, my dad started me at 12 yrs old, kept at it for 30 years.
But no, it's the opposite, high reps build strength and endurance, high weight builds larger muscle, in turn, mass which makes your muscles even stronger.

Depends what one is trying to achieve, lean and strong is by far healthier all around, big and bulky is all about ego.
For me, it was about the business as an owner, so I needed both, and before that I needed the size for the job I was in, intimidation.

I'm lucky, I learned from the best, and to this day I have no joint issues related to weight lifting.
I wish I could do it again, but my heart just doesn't agree.

Quote from: Mountainshield on May 22, 2013, 10:38:45 AM
I'm wondering if someone got some good tips on how to build biceps and get better conditioning. I used to work out 3-4 times a week at this epic gym/swimminghall in my homecity, but now as I have left due to work I have stopped all workout. In addition before I worked as a janitor and got good physical excercise in conjunction with working out often, now I work in a office in a city with a very shitty gym with only 1 shower in the men's change room and very few freeweights (you have to wait 10-20min in line). So I stopped exercising and I have gained 15kg in one year 

I know where are as many different theories on muscle growth as there are religions in the world, but it is always good to do comparative analysis to make a more informed judgement.

In my home I have one long barbell and two small barbells, a cardio treadmill of decent quality. But I dont have a bench or anything else.

So anyone got any tips for reps/sets and what I should buy for a complete home gym to pump iron effectively?

I like to combine cardio with weight training.  I had injured my right forearm lifting about 15 years ago and it flairs up still.  I use 12 reps as a way to measure.  If I can't do 12 on the first set, it's too heavy.  More than 12 means its too light.  I do three sets on each exercise.  People have a tendency to train the areas of their body that is the strongest more often.  Not only concentrate on the weakest areas, train your midsection to strengthen your core.  You will be surprised how much stronger you will get.  Remember to warm up first.  I don't like to run anymore.  I enjoy the elliptical.  I use a treadmill and after 10 minutes I put it on an incline.  Mark what you can do and then slowly increase your time until you can do an hour comfortably.  Good luck.

Quote from: Solar on June 04, 2013, 08:00:12 PM
Same here, my dad started me at 12 yrs old, kept at it for 30 years.
But no, it's the opposite, high reps build strength and endurance, high weight builds larger muscle, in turn, mass which makes your muscles even stronger.

Depends what one is trying to achieve, lean and strong is by far healthier all around, big and bulky is all about ego.
For me, it was about the business as an owner, so I needed both, and before that I needed the size for the job I was in, intimidation.

I'm lucky, I learned from the best, and to this day I have no joint issues related to weight lifting.
I wish I could do it again, but my heart just doesn't agree.

My son started a week before his 15th bday.  Lifting was the first thing he ever stuck with.  He's 30 now and weighs 200 pounds.  He couldn't lift my 45 pound bar when he started.  His best bench?  465 pounds.  I thought he was full of shit but he was home a couple of weeks ago and he went to my gym with me.  He's a beast. He gets to train as part of his job and takes full advantage of it.