newb questions

Doman26

Ok, I have skimmed through alot on this site in the last two days and i am still trying to soak it all in. There are some things I am still trying to completely understand but for now I have 3 questions to ask and I would greatly appreciate some insight.

Oh, some of my confusion comes from the fact I am not looking just to body build but to gain strength also, so I keep assuming most posts on here are for the extreme body builder, and yes I went through the powerlifting section and there was some helpful stuff but not alot of powerlifters on here.

Alot of this is for future reference, as I am a newb....

First, seems like alot of you train each body part once a week. I am still a beginner and would not do this yet, or maybe not at all depending on the answers I get. Is the purpose of this cycle strictly for bodybuilding or will it help with strength gains also? And again I know its different for everybody but I am going for equal strength and build at the same time. What would you recommend for someone in the middle of the road for frequency of each body part per week. I currently do the beginners routine provided from this site, with some ad lib.

Second, I have read alot about different work outs and sets and reps etc... and again I understand everybody is different and certain things work for each person. But anyways, what is the difference between doing lets say for an example
4 sets, starting with light weight with higher reps, and then each set raising the weight and lowering the reps compared to the opposite of 4 sets with heavy weight with lower reps and then each set reducing the weight and higher reps? Or changing the weight to do the same amount of reps each time.

Is one more for bodybuilding compared to strength training, or is one of these philosophies just a waste of time? Since I want to be in the middle of the road I would assume 8 reps but should I incorporate some type of pyramid scheme, or stay with the 8 reps and change the weight when necessary. I currently do 8 to 12 per set. Again I know everybody is different and changing it up helps when someone plateaus but as a general guideline what would be recommended for my goal of
strength and size? Then I could adjust accordingly for better results.

Lastly, I have not seen much or any mention of glutamine on this site. I don't use it but I have read about it on many other sites, is it recommended? This is an amino acid correct? If it is recommended, why am I taking it and when would I take it? Or is there something that is a better substitute?

Sorry for all the words, but I am very curious on the philosophy of weight training. I would greatly appreciate some stellar insight though!!! Thanks in advance.

crazycal1

my training style is more akin to strength training-check out my journal
by all means take glutamine,but it supposed to be badly absorbed by the body and no one really knows how effective it actually is-
stick with protein and creatine for know with a good multi vit and maybe some flax seed oil/fish oil.
hi reps-low reps-its kinda like apples and oranges-imo rep or weight progression is the key.

einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know.

www.extremenutrition.co.uk

SoulCard

generally bigger muscles do equal stronger muscles, so in that sense, body builders are strong, however there is a big difference between strength training and bodybuilding...generally the strength training rep range is 2-4 reps, and bbing is 6-8 or 10 reps...I have never been a fan of pyramiding (going up in weights and then back down within the same exercise) but some swear by it...I prefer a light set (warmup), medium set, and then two heavy (work) sets on my first exercise, second exercise is medium, heavy, heavy then for the next 3-4 exercises/body part it is two heavy (work) sets only...it is not a good idea for beginners to train a body part more than once per week as this is a slippery slope to potential overtraining...hope this helps some...good luck!

Young Gun

Glutamin is a complete waste of money.

http://www.musclechat.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=2357

Iv'e posted this in the supplement article section which may be helpful to you.

Any help you require on supplements please feel free to ask away either directly to me or as a general question.

As far as your training If you do not wish to train seperate bodyparts again there is an article I have placed in the training section database called Garry's beginner routine which is a three day per week full body workout.

Whilst you are free to focus on weights lifted increases if you want to train for pure strength I think the approach you are seeking is a bodybuilding one. As you grow so will your strength. As a bodybuilder you need to focus on far more aspects than weight lifted. This is only incidental to your goals. True your weights will increase as your muscle mass does but you need to focus on increasing your mass and lowering your bodyfat which is achieved and measured in numerous ways not simply by increasing weight lifted IMO. Sorry Stuart McRobert.

Cheers YG

crazycal1

thas cool-just a different way of looking at it.

einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know.

www.extremenutrition.co.uk

Doman26

hey crazy where do i go to see your journal?

crazycal1

http://www.musclechat.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3708

in the journal section- 8)

einsteins mind was the key to all things...to understand more than to know.

www.extremenutrition.co.uk

SoulCard

LMFAO...ask and you recieve...welcome to MC bro...