# multigym



## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

So i bought a multigym , tonight was my first go using it . Tbh in only interested in increasing strength and bulking muscle . So any tips ? Turns out i could bench press more than i expected but butterfly less .

I cant afford supplements and diet wise all in doing is cutting out sweets etc . I don't drink etc my downfall is bad foods !


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Check out strong lifts 5x5 Craige. I'm not familiar with multi gyms and what they have but the best way to increase strength is compound movements. 

Squats, deadliftd, benches, presses etc.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Yeah been on there very handy , trouble is i don't have that equipment! But can do some of it on the multigym.


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## Rollinlow (Sep 25, 2013)

Multigyms don't help you stabilising muscles much do all the bits you want to do nice an slow to push your muscles harder an keep upping the weight weekly


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

heres what im doing 
5x10 buterflys
5x10 bench 
5x10 lat pull 
5x 10 leg curl 
5x10 tricep pulldown
5x10 bicep curl 

weights are as much as i can do , sometimes i start off heavier and have to drop for the last 2 sets of 1 or 2 . doing this 3-4 times a week only just started but really enjoying , im in the privacy of my own garage , and dont feel the embaresment i used to when i tried to go the gym years ago . just got to crack on now


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## Leebo310 (Sep 30, 2013)

craigeh123 said:


> heres what im doing
> 5x10 buterflys
> 5x10 bench
> 5x10 lat pull
> ...


Would definitely suggest you add in more leg exercises mate.

Have you got any sort of free weights all? 
Dumb bell squats, weighted lunges or weighted step ups would be my suggestions. 
If you don't have any dumb bells then just doing the same exercises without the weight will also be ok, you'll just need to do a few more reps.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

No free weights as yet its on the cards , issue is i do have grief with my knees so don't want to bust out to much leg work as im an mot tester and use pits do up and down stairs all day ! 

IM a bit disappointed with the weight i can bicep curl and butterfly , but as my workmate said Rome wasn't built in a day and any weights better than the tv !


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## Leebo310 (Sep 30, 2013)

craigeh123 said:


> No free weights as yet its on the cards , issue is i do have grief with my knees so don't want to bust out to much leg work as im an mot tester and use pits do up and down stairs all day !
> 
> IM a bit disappointed with the weight i can bicep curl and butterfly , but as my workmate said Rome wasn't built in a day and any weights better than the tv !


Exactly mate, don't be disappointed about anything, the main thing is you're doing something and that's more than a lot of others will! 
To be honest I wouldn't even bother with a bicep curl anyway as it's such a targeted exercise on such a small muscle it really doesn't make too much difference (other than to the ego muscle  ) 
Stick in some pressups, both regular and diamond ones instead. 
Do lunges hurt your knees?


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

isnt the bicep curl a necessity for bigger arms though ? yeah lunges hurt my knees , squats the lot . my knees crack practically everytime i crouch and get up . im only 31 !!! but ive been in the motor trade from school and 16 years of kneeling on floors and lifting gearboxes in and out has taken its toll ! now im an mot tester but we use pits and up and down teh stairs can make them ache ! 

i only started march the first but i do 3 times a week and inbetween im desperate to get out on it , really enjoying it


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## AS_BO (Sep 29, 2013)

craigeh123 said:


> isnt the bicep curl a necessity for bigger arms though ? yeah lunges hurt my knees , squats the lot . my knees crack practically everytime i crouch and get up . im only 31 !!! but ive been in the motor trade from school and 16 years of kneeling on floors and lifting gearboxes in and out has taken its toll ! now im an mot tester but we use pits and up and down teh stairs can make them ache !
> 
> i only started march the first but i do 3 times a week and inbetween im desperate to get out on it , really enjoying it


Not really chap. If you want bigger arms then focus more on the triceps as it makes up 2/3 of your arm. Bigger triceps = bigger arms. Then focus on the ego muscles. Lol. I feel your pain with the knees, take your time and work through it slowly. Gradually your knees will strengthen.


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## Leebo310 (Sep 30, 2013)

Incidentally how are you doing bicep curls on a multi gym anyway? If you're using a cable that comes up (if that makes sense!) then there are loads more exercises you could do with that such as upright row, front raises, shrugs, side raises, seated rows etc etc


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Bicep curls Exactly how you just said mate , using a cable pulley from the bottom and pulling up . Im doing this lot for 6 weeks then will be doing others to change it up . 

Enjoying it meant to be out there tonight but ive ended up eating to late and ill end up feeling sick , so out there tommorow . 

Another thing ive read is you should rest days inbetween . But due to work and wifes work it would be handy if i could do days back to back on occasion is this ok ?


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## Leebo310 (Sep 30, 2013)

craigeh123 said:


> Bicep curls Exactly how you just said mate , using a cable pulley from the bottom and pulling up . Im doing this lot for 6 weeks then will be doing others to change it up .
> 
> Enjoying it meant to be out there tonight but ive ended up eating to late and ill end up feeling sick , so out there tommorow .
> 
> Another thing ive read is you should rest days inbetween . But due to work and wifes work it would be handy if i could do days back to back on occasion is this ok ?


That's good then mate as means you can ditch the bicep curls and do some of the other exercises I mentioned! :-D
Your routine at the moment isn't balanced as you have two chest, one back, one leg and two arm exercises. If you think of how big each of the muscle groups that you're working on are then it shows how unbalanced it is!
Ditch the curls and add in some front and side raises as well as some shrugs and seated row. That'll work your back and shoulders, all of which are massively bigger muscles than your biceps.
To be honest with the weights you're shifting and the workout you're doing you will be fine to not have a day rest between every one. Saying that, the fact that you are doing identical workouts every day doesn't help. You'd be much better off just splitting it into even just two different workouts if you ask me. Especially if you plan on introducing some of the additional exercises I've mentioned.

Out of interest why are you planning to only do this for 6 weeks and then change?


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I apologise in advance as I don't know your circumstances but it's becoming quite common for people to say they have leg/knee issues when a lot of it is down to flexability/actual movement etc. 

My knees creek occasionally. They did it more frequently before I exercised them more. Now I squat 3 x a week with weight and do various other exercises. Guess what - next to 0 clicking and no pains anywhere except for DOMs (the pain you get 12-24 hours after you've had a good workout). 

I am in a running club. There is a lady there who has previous had sciatica (really bad back pain - spasms etc). Since running her symtoms have improved and her time for a 5k has gone from just over an hour to 40 minutes. She still finishes in the bottom 5% but shes come such a long way considering. 

What I'm trying to say is that sometimes movement can help symtoms of pain. As I said, I don't know your circumstances, nor am I a doctor. I'm just trying to show that pain doesn't always have to stay there. 

Also I've always worked on the principle that if I exercise one part of my body I have to do the opposite (usually in the same workout). EG if I do chest press then I do something for the back muscles - pull downs, rows etc. I've heard stories of people folding over on themselves because the greater muscle in the chest for example has pulled their back over etc therefore, giving them back issues/pains.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Cheers for your help guys . Yeah was planning on sticking to this for 6 weeks and then adding as i improve . Reason for targetting chest and arms is they ate the areas im most unhappy in ( i have moobs long story but ive been 12 stone and ive been 17 stone they don't shift ) Drs felt them said they need surgery but refuse it . So im training to look better hopefully get more muscular as I've always wanted to be , and i can show the Drs again . But that's not my only reason for training im unhappy ive always wanted to be bigger but ive never got round to it . 

As for my knees my job sees me on my feet all day constantly moving so you would think they would get exercised ! Ill try more leg work and see if it helps .

Time constraints are biggest issue , i can only train on the days my Mrs is home , she works 3 eves a week which gives me 4 opportunities, but some are back to back as shes in Tuesday Wednesday and Saturday Sunday .


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## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

Pretty much agree with everything said in here. I normally actually prescribe a 2-1 ratio of back to chest work so your doing twice as much back work. This is the exact opposite of what most people do but this is so much better for shoulder back health etc.

Try and add in leg work, just start really light and see how you go. My girlfriend has had physio every 2 weeks for years for her hips and I said if its not going away its probably a muscle imbalance, 2 months after starting a weights program, the pain has completely gone. The entire reason i got into weight lifting was after I had to spend a few weeks in hospital after seriously hurting my back playing rugby and being told i will always have problems with it, my back has been 100% pain free for years.

And moobs are just fat, if you put on muscle and lose weight then they will disappear. 

And the best way to build your arms is to stay away from arm exercises and concentrate on the big compound exercises, these will make your arms grow fast. People always think this is madness but if you go from benching 20kg to benching 100kg, there is no way your arms, chest, shoulders wont be bigger. Just look at any of the raw power lifters like Dan Green.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Sadly i wish my moobs were just fat , Drs have had a good old grope and said i have gyno , tbh i know dropping weight and building muscles gonna help them though . 

I will add in more leg and back as i go . Tbh if i had the money id buy a power rack and do 5x5 training 

I started out at 97 kg in now 93 that's in 3 weeks . The weight loss is just coincidental as I've dropped chocolate , crisps and pies and pasties for eggs , porridge , and soups for my lunches and breakfasts . Dinners are whatever the Mrs cooks but in also having porridge about an hour before bed . 

Ive also got a set of resistance bands to try out


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

Sounds like your going in the right direction buddy, diet is 80% of it in my opinion. Eat clean and below your total calorie expenditure and you will loose weight. Be careful though as some will end up being muscle mass if you don't eat right. Get plenty of protein down you and continue to lift. Since my chest press has started getting heavier I've noticed my man boobs have really started to shape up. For a long time they'd just get tense but now they are actually changing shape. Getting flatter but bigger at the same time.they are what I hate most about my body- rather feminine like. I always said they are not your typical fat mans boobs they are more perky lol.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

O yeah mine are perky allright , even if they don't totally go through exercises (which they didn't in the past) the dr cant argue putting me forward of everything else is in check ! I looked in to private years ago 4grand !!!! Although i cant eat a perfect diet i know what not to eat so avoid it , did eat pizza at the weekend but that's as bad as I've been and it was dinner !


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## Rollinlow (Sep 25, 2013)

Do some floor work if you have no weights aswell mate, so simple stuff like press ups and sit-ups pull-ups anything like that will help with your core an stabilising muscles just mix it all up, I've just started using a trx an mixing it up with other bits an running or biking for cardio


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Had a go with resistance bands last night . Seemed ok didn't think theyd done a lot . Then i woke up this morning acing like a ******* lol . Gonna do resistance bands on days i cant use multigym ( its in garage and i have the kids while wifes at work and while the garage is attached to the house i feel uneasy out there with them in bed ) . So 3 times a week on gym 2 times resistance bands and 2 rests seems good .


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## Rollinlow (Sep 25, 2013)

It's all work mate do what you can when can do some press ups with ya legs on the chair or bed make it harder an sit-ups with a ball or something weighty in you hands an do side to side as you sit-up


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Guy i bought the gym off found the ankle strap which has opened up more exercises , leg and arm pulls and shoulders . Quiet enjoying it , not really seeing any changes yet but its early days . 

now doing multigym 3 times a week and 20 minutes to half hour resistance band work on the other days with 1 or 2 off . I eat porridge breakfast , mackerel/turkey eggs or soup at lunch , whatever the wife cooks for dinner and porridge before bed . Drink mostly sugar free squash but been a bit naughty and had a few isotonic drinks which i know are bad and will drop


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## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

craigeh123 said:


> Sadly i wish my moobs were just fat , Drs have had a good old grope and said i have gyno , tbh i know dropping weight and building muscles gonna help them though .


Women bodybuilders dont have any boobs during a competition as they are such low body fat. They are meant to have them and can lose them at low body fat levels so Im sure you can as well. Just stick with it.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Cheers for the encouragement everyone &#55357;&#56842; , on the nights i cant get on the gym in resistance band training . Diet could be better for sure but no cake and chocolate or sweets


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