I don't mean to discourage you Flint, I was just fucking around. I really do think it's cool that you're so into it. And I'm sure the ladies would like to see pics of the results.

I wish I was as excited by it as you are actually.

Requests have been made, but all we got were pics of the equipment...... no not that equipment....

Nothing is going to discourage me in my obsessive state. Well, nothing could be more discouraging than having to ice my wrists and wear comprsssion bands all the time.

For the record, it's easy to be excited about it when all you have to do is walk to the garage. It's no wonder I never made this much progress having to drive across town to a gym, and wait in line to use the piece of equipment I want...not being able to superset the things I want to superset, etc.

All you really need is a few dumbells and the knowledge of what to do with them. Adding more equipment comes as you stick with it and need to increase the number of sets & the different angles you hit each body part with.

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Yesterday had "light back" day. As lower back may take as long as 100 hours to fully recuperate, I realize that with a "back" day a "chest" day and a "leg" day I am going to have scheduling conflicts as lower back gets hit with deadlifts on back day, and heavy squats/stiff-legged deadlifts on leg day. If I went heavy every time I would wear down my lower back (this is starting to happen) OR simply have to take days "off" until I have something I can do safely. I don't want to take days off.

Yesterday I got a "seated row" handle (like this) so I can do pull downs and rows in a better position for my wrists. I used this to superset closegrip pulldowns with seated rows (using the rope attachment). Then I did some light-ish bent over rows with dumbells instead of barbell (again, better wrist position), then finished biceps with incline bench curls.

Wanted to do some more "pulling" so I supersetted upright rows with shrugs from a low pulley, until the weight got too heavy for my shoulders then I continued with more sets of shrugs. After that, I just walked inside my house and ate dinner.

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Today I did a "light leg" routine that I am going to start doing every 48 hours, when that doesn't fall on a specific other body part day. This is basically my warm up for leg day: 5 x 50-rep supersets of leg presses and calf raises (25 each). It has to be high-rep because my machine doesn't go heavy enough for a real leg workout.

With dumbells, try to add variety and work different parts of the same muscle. Chest is usually the only muscle most people do that with. Instead of just doing regular bench press, many mix in some inclined, decline, wide, and close grip bench presses as well. This will work different areas of the same muscle. The same philosophy can be applied to almost every other muscle and it is much easier with dumbells.

For example, most people just do the regular bicep curl. For variety, work on the inside and outside part of the bicep. For example, when you do your bicep curls, keep your elbows near your side like you normally would, but instead of keeping your arms shoulder distance apart, extend them wider and do some curls that way.

Or, you can go the other way and move your hands towards your body. For example, start with the regular bicep curl pose with your hand by your thigh. Then, make sure the outside (side your finders do not bend) of the wrist facing towards you. Then, lifting one arm at a time, lift the dumbell in a corkscrew motion so now your wrist are facing sideways, kind of a hammer curl motion but your wrists are facing the opposite way.

A third technique are hammer curls. Basically hold the dumbells so the inside of your wrists are facing each other. Do bicep curls that way. You can also use different combination of these as well. For example, normal bicep curl up, hammer curl down. Or, extended hammer curl up (first bicep variation with hammer grip), regular grip down.

This may make it easier or harder on your wrists and elbows if you have issues with those. Just play around with movements for a bit and see what you like or dislike.

Right now, I'm doing light aerobic dance and strength training 40-50 minutes a day 4-5 days a week. That's above average for me. but I can't do much arm work because of the tennis elbow/ pinched nerve thing on the left, which is pissing me off.

and I agree--I love working out at home where it's quiet and I can concentrate.

Funny, that's one of the main reason I like working out at the gym. I call it sweaty meditation (I put my tunes/tv on and work out, I don't do classes. Not that there's anything wrong with them...) Plus having to pack up and go there makes me take it more seriously and I get a solid workout with no interruptions. Having tons of equipment handy makes it easier to change up my routine, having other people using the equipment sometimes forces me to change up my routine.

Lately I've been doing 30-60min of strength and 60-90min of cardio 5 days a week, while my kids are off playing with the afterschool program kids in the "jump zone". I/we would never do that at home, I would get sidetracked with laundry and shrinky dinks within minutes...

. . . and nobody looks at you if you are looking dorky. and I can work out nekkid if I want AND it's free!

If I were a fit guy and needed lots of heavy weights and machines then I would go for the gym. But I like bouncing around my living room. I've got plenty of equipment.

Srsly? You work out naked?

well, usually not (especially if I'm on my porch!), but minimal clothing is my standard at-home wear.

Did you conduct an informal poll on this or what? Look at common back movements as mirror images of chest movements: decline bench (or dips) = bent over barbell rows or low pulley rows (close grip version), incline bench (or military press) = lat pulldowns, flat bench press (or dumbell press) = machine rows or one-arm dumbell rows. Unless you have a poor back routine, you're getting just as much variety, i.e. recruiting/stimulating more muscle fibers.

I agree that pronation/supination is a point on which dumbells are superior.

Another reason to love/hate dumbells... say you are doing heavy incline presses. With a barbell, you simply lift it off the rack and put it back when you're done. With dumbells, you have to figure out how to wrestle them into position. This develops "whole body strength" ...

Well from observation but you are right about the back. But much more often than not, I see people work on one muscle group for three or four sets then move on the next muscle set.

I weighed 268.2 today. I did 4/5 of a pull up, and held it for 5 seconds. I think If I had tried it before the curls and bench, I might have cleared my chin.

Woooo Hooo GO JIM!

Got the whole way up today, and 1/3 of a second one, lol. Pre workout this time. ;)


Eta: 265.2 lbs

Yea!

I got 30 push-ups done before my elbow burst into flames again FUUUUUUUUUCK.