Most effective stretches and workouts?

Actually pushups are a very good workout. You not only work your arms but you also work the core.

What are you trying to accomplish with working out? What are you short term (6 month) goals? Long term?

citius altius fortius!!!!

lol just kidding but umm, i just want to be sexier.and stronger. pretty much..

LOL yeah , i sorta like thicker girls, and i want to be able to pick them up easier.

i know, perverted but whatever.

I want to gain thickness im to scrawny

And my goals are um, just workout everyday the same routine but adaptable when i reach the limits of it.

Ok.....lol.

I'll tell you what I would do; please realize that I am not a trainer or anything, I've just read a half dozen books and have a Mens Health subscription.

1) Get LEAN (6-7% bodyfat). Even if you are a weakling, having a low bodyfat % will make you look stronger. Look at Brad Pitt in Fight Club, he probably weighs 145lbs in that movie, but looks huge. That's all about low BF%. Getting down to 6-7% is a long term goal (for me anyway, you may already be there). You'll need to approach that in stages (depending on where you are now). There is an old saying that six pack abs are not made in the gym, they're made in the kitchen.

1.1) Get lean by finding out how many calories you need each day. (see here http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/cron1.html) and create a 500-1000 calorie deficit each day (whatever you can stomach). If you need 2000 calories each day, you can create this deficit by either eating 1500 calories or by eating 2000 calories and running off 500 calories (or any combination).

1.2) It is HARD (read: almost impossible) to get lean and get strong at the same time. I wouldn't even try it. Drop a few pounds of fat, gain a few pounds of muscle, drop a few more pounds of fat, gain a few more pounds of muscle, and so on.

2) So, to get strong all you really have to do is lift and eat. You body can put on about a pound of muscle / week. So to do this you need to lift at LEAST 2 days per week (preferably 3 days/week). Do not lift 2 days in a row as a beginner. You are a beginner for at least 2 years. AND, this is important, you must EAT an EXTRA 500 calories/day. I would eat a balanced diet of nutrient rich foods (no candy or sugar drinks). Make sure you include protein in your diet, but don't avoid carbs.

2.1) If you just want to get stronger and are not looking for any sports specific workouts. Then I would suggest the following training program.


3 sets of 6-10 reps for each exercise (select a weight that you can only lift 6 times, increase that weight by 5-10lbs once you can lift it 10 times)


Workout A
Squats
Deadlift
Bench Press
Dips
Crunches

Workout B
Squats
Shoulder Press
Bent Over Rows
Pullups
Crunches

Day 1 - Workout A
Day 2 - Workout B
repeat




You should focus on doing olympic style exercises (squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc). I personally hate the bowflex or any machine for that matter. I don't think they work nearly as well as free weights or even body weight for that matter.

maporsche, shouldn't he also be doing some cardio? Not for muscle buildup but more because (a) it's good for him but also (b) because it'll help to burn calories. No equipment needed for that, just running or walking will do.

PS A 500 calorie/day deficit means a pound lost/week (1 pound = 3500 calories so 7 days * 500 calorie deficit/day = 3500). 1000 calorie/day deficit would mean 2 pounds lost each week. Very hard to do more unless you are taking a medication like I am (and you aren't overweight, so you shouldn't be taking it, it's alli, also known as orlistat) or really, really doing not much else with life but working out. Starving yourself does not make weight come off faster and, in fact, makes it come off a lot more slowly.

Cardio and muscle gain don't really mix well together.

What I was describing was his program in several phases.

His first phase would be to get lean (lose 2-3% body fat until he's down to 6-7%, probably 4-8 weeks). During this phase he should be doing a ton of cardio and eating a calorie deficit. He should also be lifting to help stop muscle loss.

His 2nd phase would be to pack on the muscle (add 6-8lbs of muscle, probably 4-8 weeks depending on his diet). During this phase I would stay away from cardio, but make sure you stretch to maintain flexibility and prevent injury.

And repeat these phases until he's happy with his body fat % and happy with his strength. Once he's at this point he will need to adjust his workouts (and his diet) to maintain his muscle mass, his body fat %, and his cardio performance. His workouts at this point will probably be 3-4 hours of cardio / week and 2 weightlifting sessions.

i was pretty much starving for a few months, i think im set on the calorie deficit LOL, seriously tho..

thank you so much!

i DEFINITELY most SERIOUSLY appreciate this post.. ive been googling and its just garbage ive been finding, this is very informative.yeah i hate the bowflex, it sucks. lol i haven't done crunches for like 6 months and my abs are pretty ripped, i think that's what your talking about in fight club with the low body fat, MY FAVORITE MOVIE BY THE WAY!

thanks again!

You get a thumbs up for Fight Club being your favorite movie.....#1 on my list too.

woooo i am SO on my way to bein sexy!

The best ones are those which are normally perfomered in each and every ballet class prior to the floor exercises.

Do you own a ballet bar?

Are you in a city/town that offers ballet classes?

Try ballet, if you've the time and some money.

The workout I gave you is pretty much the same thing that you'd be able to find in the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805405).

If you have the cash I would recommend getting this book. By far the best weight lifting book I've ever read.

Miller's comment refers to stretches, not weight lifting

(I hope)

I've never been in a ballet class that offered weight lifting, although most male performers do have to be able to lift their female partners during a performance.