Best part is, if your workouts are on form e.g. your back doesn't accidentally extend forward when you're benching, you'll feel really good when the ache in the muscles (and not the joints) start to kick in. I agree too in that having a gym close by is really good motivation. I really don't like going to the gym unless it's within walking distance. Too much time wasted in traveling.
How many sets are you doing now? I used to be content with 3, but now I try to push for 4. Typically on the 4th set, I just do to failure, because I'm just too wasted to push on for 8 reps.

My personal progress is roughly -30 lbs of weight, and 3 belt loops. Running for 3500 calories a week helps. I cannot recomend "Endomondo" enough for smart phone users.

Thanks brah I'll keep that in mind. My brother can spot me, though he doesn't work out often (he does 30 mins of cardio every 3-4 days).

General guideline is 15-21 sets per workout if you split chest, back, shoulders, legs. For arms and abs 15-17 sets.

If ou split differently, aim for 200 reps total.

Generally, the more complex motions require 4-5 sets, and isolation exercises like bicep curls or crunches just 3 sets.

Sample shoulder workout:

Military press 4x10
Upright row 4x10
Lateral raise 3x12
Front raise 3x10
Reverse pec deck 3x10
Shrug 4x10

That's an intermediate/advanced workout, which if done 1-2 a week will significantly increase shoulder strength.

A chest workout could resemble:

Chest press 4x10
Dumbbell fly 3x10
Bent Dips 3x10
Incline press 3 x10
Incline fly 3x10

As with many other things, it also depends on a few factors such as your goals and your level / training background. An intense / explosive concentric phase (i.e. lifting a weight) is a basic guideline for strength training, I guess. The amount of reps can be adjusted according to individual goals / needs and so on.

I'm not sure it's really necessary to include so many different exercises in a single session. Conventional bench press (or similar exercises) with a suitable grip width should help activate most of the pectoral muscles pretty well.

To be sure, a beginner could get great results just with:

Chest Press 4x10
Pec Deck Fly 4x10

But the pectoral muscles have a distinct upper and lower as well, all with multiple heads. After 5-6 months, a new user will need to incorporate incline, decline and other advanced.movements. In my experience it's better to work in some of these from the start, even as supplementals, such as:

Chest press 4x10
Pec Deck OR Dumbbell Fly 3x10
Incline Press 3x10

Just that small inclusion at the end can trigger additional muscle fibers that still have a ton of energy left.

Also, as a note, weight lifted is *never* important, as long as it's challenging and you are not seeing a decrease in overall ability.

Also, as a general guideline, roughly one hour of weight training per session is ideal. Anything more will produce diminishing returns, and may over fatigue you.

+1202938

This instructor I know who can do one-hand pullups tells me the same thing. It's not the weight that matters - it's how (+ well) you lift them.

In short, it's the muscle, not the weight, that matters. If you can get an intense burn from lifting 10 pounds, all the better, as it leaves you tons of room to grow!

The form, the breathing, and the control are the important things. People who let their ego's cloud their judgement will try to lift heavier than they can handle, which will lead to bad form and a lack of control, which makes the lift easier and almost completely worthless.

After a good workout, you should feel like you were in control, that you fatigued the muscle fibers, and a rewarding sense of a job well done. You will see signs of this when you get out of bed the next day or so!

As long as you are doing yourworkout properly, you will get results. Never be afraid to study another weightlifter, or to ask advice, or inquire about a movement foreign to you, but don't feel a need to "keep up" with the weight others are lifting. Even after my 8 years or so of experience, I will notice a new movement, or a neat variation performed by a fellow lifter about once a week.

I used to keep my weights in the basement and do my lifting on the main floor. I ended up burning a ton of calories. It did hurt some of my lifts, but I did end up with good strength.

Downside was I was burning a ton of calories lugging those weights around.

You could use that as a part of your workout! Try to walk/run up the stairs faster each time while carrying the other downstairs weights up!

Regarding the excess calorie burn, usually just eating a little more will compensate for this. I find drinking a gatorade halfway through an intense session, a small amount at a time really works wonders in this regard. There are nights we will do 1.5 hours of weights followed by a thousand calorie treadmill session, and then a 15-20 minute sauna session, all fueled by gatorade and some other basic supplementation!

For weight loss, or just maximum intensity in a workout, a calorie deficit is essential. The key indicator is your strength level. If it's the same or growing, the calorie deficit is not negatively affecting you. If you are growing weaker, you should either eat more volume, more frequently, or revise your program.

I have a hard time getting enough to eat generally as it is. I tend to have a fairly fast metabolism, but I'm just a big guy and it gets really tough eating enough to burn that many calories. I think I'm generally looking at 2000 calories or so just for my BMR.

Right now it's tougher than usual because I'm on a carb heavy diet and I'm probably getting full too soon. I'm sure I'll get used to the local cuisine in the near future, but right now I'm already losing a bit of weight. Not really a goal, and not really a problem as long as it doesn't continue indefinitely.

Also, I don't really work with weights any more so, I have to settle for just running up and down the stairs. :-)

Perhaps you're right (at least partially). Unless I'm mistaken there are a few studies showing that the pectoral muscles are adequately activated by e.g. bench press with a reasonable grip width (i.e. shoulder width). Also, as far as I know, some experienced strength coaches such as Mark Rippetoe think it's unnecessary to use a range of different exercises (for a single muscle group) at the same time. One or two barbell lifts (performed correctly) should suffice for many. But, as often elsewhere, to each his own.

Personally I prefer floor press in order to limit the ROM and focus more on the chest and less on the shoulders. I don't have an ideal torso for conventional bench press.

How the body/nerves/muscles actually perceive things is important, yeah.

I agree that one hour of intense and effective exercise can be enough. Sometimes I stretch it a bit due to things such as a prolonged warm-up, stretching, core exercises, waiting in line for access to the right equipment etc. I'm mostly OK as long as I've rested and eaten enough prior to the session. 1-1,5 hours is usually enough for me.

Fully agree.

I prefer to use an autoregulation routine in order to adjust the weights/load from day to day. Look up keywords such as Mike Tuchscherer, Reactive Training Systems (RTS) and Rating of Perceived Effort (RPE) if you're interested and haven't heard about it before.

Primate, I subscribe to a bodybuilding philosophy, and as such a barbell press will not activate all of the pectoral system.

OK. I'm more into strength-specific training (though not strictly powerlifting). Not sure about potential differences in exercises when it comes to bodybuilding, though.