Possible noob question regarding training vs. workouts

[cartoonsfut]

I've never really been the athletic type up until now, so forgive me that I don't know all the secrets. I've been studying BJJ for a while now about 3 times a week, but I don't know where to fit my workout schedule in. I'm trying to gain weight/muscle so I want to lift, but I don't know if I should do it on my BJJ days or not. Will lifting on my off days cause my muscles to fatigue and not grow? Or will lifting on the days I do BJJ cause me not to perform as well in class?

I don't work out ALL that hard, but then again, I'm not ALL that strong as it is right now. I usually just do pushups, crunches, curls, and a run.

Thanks for your input!

 

[toonie]

I've never really been the athletic type up until now, so forgive me that I don't know all the secrets. I've been studying BJJ for a while now about 3 times a week, but I don't know where to fit my workout schedule in. I'm trying to gain weight/muscle so I want to lift, but I don't know if I should do it on my BJJ days or not. Will lifting on my off days cause my muscles to fatigue and not grow? Or will lifting on the days I do BJJ cause me not to perform as well in class?

I don't work out ALL that hard, but then again, I'm not ALL that strong as it is right now. I usually just do pushups, crunches, curls, and a run.

Thanks for your input!

I wouldn't really consider "push-ups, crunches, curls and a run" as lifting. The exercises you have listed are not useless, but if that's all you do, you're not going to gain much weight or muscle. Sure you'll gain some, but there are quicker and better ways to do it. Do you squat? bench? deadlift? press? row? These are the kind of lifts you want to be doing.

Check out the FAQ. It will help answer a lot of your questions.

 

[cartoonsfut]

@toonie

All I meant by that was that's what I do now, but I'm looking to do more things too, just not sure when.

 

[TheeFaulted]

Read FAQ.
Read Starting Strength.
Do Starting Strength on off days.
Eat lots every day.
Rinse.
Repeat.

 

[1standarduser**]

I'd recommend getting a personal trainer at the gym for a month.
Go 2 times a week. You can still do BJJ 3 days a week.
Get a full 2 days a week rest every week, and good sleep every night you can.
Make sleep a priority.

After the personal training for a month, you'll know all the lifts and have the basics down, and can decide from there how it's working for you.

 

[TeddyRoosevelt]

I'd recommend getting a personal trainer at the gym for a month.Go 2 times a week. You can still do BJJ 3 days a week.
Get a full 2 days a week rest every week, and good sleep every night you can.
Make sleep a priority.

After the personal training for a month, you'll know all the lifts and have the basics down, and can decide from there how it's working for you.

Depending on the gym and the trainer...I probably wouldn't recommend that. No need to hire a "professional" to give you incorrect/ineffective information, that you will then think is valid, because it was given to you by a "professional" you hired.

 

[LitteringAnd]

I agree with Joe that there is just too much free info out there to be paying someone that might or might not be giving you correct info.

 

[cXs808]

I'd recommend getting a personal trainer at the gym for a month.
Go 2 times a week. You can still do BJJ 3 days a week.
Get a full 2 days a week rest every week, and good sleep every night you can.
Make sleep a priority.

After the personal training for a month, you'll know all the lifts and have the basics down, and can decide from there how it's working for you.

Most gyms that you go to, a personal trainer will not teach you lifts or basics. You'll do lots of machine work and jump on bosu balls and whatever else the flavor of the month is in the fitness world. Save your money.

 

[1standarduser**]

Depending on the gym and the trainer...I probably wouldn't recommend that. No need to hire a "professional" to give you incorrect/ineffective information, that you will then think is valid, because it was given to you by a "professional" you hired.

Instead of getting professional advice, you could take the advice of people on Sherdog.
You could go to a doctor when you're sick, or a mechanic when your car is broke too, but then again, you could ask people on Sherdog.

What the posers above don't know is that you can request certain workouts, and you don't have to do everything they say.
If you are afraid they'll be telling you to do weird workouts on the balls or machines, then tell the trainer you don't want that.

Pick a muscle bound freak trainer (yes, serious) and tell him you want to know how to correctly do core workouts like bench, squat, olympic lifts (when you are ready), deadlifts, get advice on cardio, nutrition, form checks, etc.

Whatever you do, if you are working out with weights, it's better than doing nothing.

 

[contumacious]

You got curls in your list of core exercises, I wouldn't worry.

 

[Jester]

Instead of getting professional advice, you could take the advice of people on Sherdog.
You could go to a doctor when you're sick, or a mechanic when your car is broke too, but then again, you could ask people on Sherdog.

What the posers above don't know is that you can request certain workouts, and you don't have to do everything they say.
If you are afraid they'll be telling you to do weird workouts on the balls or machines, then tell the trainer you don't want that.

Pick a muscle bound freak trainer (yes, serious) and tell him you want to know how to correctly do core workouts like bench, squat, olympic lifts (when you are ready), deadlifts, get advice on cardio, nutrition, form checks, etc.

Whatever you do, if you are working out with weights, it's better than doing nothing.

um.....no......

ive had trainers at my "fitness" gym tell me not to squat to depth, not to deadlift more than your bodyweight, you "get more results" the more reps you do - so heavy singles arent good, and not to do any kind of overhead pressing because he messed up his shoulder doing them and its impossible to do them without getting injured.

and im supposed to pay this guy for his advice?

plus he never said to ask sherdog, theres other avenues besides asking a forum. But if you give me the option of trusting a "fitness trainer" or some of the knowledgeable posters on here ill pick sherdog everyday of the week

 

[Tosa]

Pick a muscle bound freak trainer (yes, serious) and tell him you want to know how to correctly do core workouts like bench, squat, olympic lifts (when you are ready), deadlifts, get advice on cardio, nutrition, form checks, etc.

Lol.

Oh. Wait. You're serious?




1) Mechanics and Doctors are regulated professions. It takes years of education and experience to become either. The same can not be said for becoming a "trainer". I easily have more relevant education and experience regarding exercise than many trainers.

2) "muscle bound freak trainer"? Really? How incredibly ignorant. There are many, many people, with ridiculous amounts of strength (and other athletic qualties), and who really know what they're talking about when it comes to strength training, yet you'd never know it to look at them.

 

[TheeFaulted]

If by a personal trainer at a gym you mean walking into Elite FTS and getting instruction from Jim Wendler, then yes, I am in full agreement with you.

 

[Jester]

If by a personal trainer at a gym you mean walking into Elite FTS and getting instruction from Jim Wendler, then yes, I am in full agreement with you.

that would be pretty sweet actually.....haha

you still lifting? havent been logging for a while

 

[JauntyAngle]

Instead of getting professional advice, you could take the advice of people on Sherdog.
You could go to a doctor when you're sick, or a mechanic when your car is broke too, but then again, you could ask people on Sherdog.

What the posers above don't know is that you can request certain workouts, and you don't have to do everything they say.
If you are afraid they'll be telling you to do weird workouts on the balls or machines, then tell the trainer you don't want that.

Pick a muscle bound freak trainer (yes, serious) and tell him you want to know how to correctly do core workouts like bench, squat, olympic lifts (when you are ready), deadlifts, get advice on cardio, nutrition, form checks, etc.

Whatever you do, if you are working out with weights, it's better than doing nothing.

Some good lulz here. A pleasant way to start the day! Thanks.

 

[1standarduser**]

OK, I'll give.
James Thompson watched DVD's and it worked for him.

For me, I liked having a class in highschool, and again taking a few lessons at the gym.
I did not go to a place where I did ball pushups. I got advice on my weak rotator cuff, better power clean and dead lift form, and the like which was beneficial.

Working with somebody at your level or more knowledgeable every day is a huge help.
Working alone is hard, especially at first.

People that get coached in all martial arts, sports and fitness competitions perform better than those that teach themselves over the internet.

That is in no way saying the internet is useless.
It's a wealth of information on sports science and nutrition.

 

[DanteAli]

That is in no way saying the internet is useless.
It's a wealth of information on sports science and nutrition.

A good coach can be one of the best things in the world - but a good coach/trainer is incredibly rare in commercial gyms. There is great danger in telling someone to go put their faith in a trainer, but not tell them how to identify and select a good trainer that is worthy of that faith.

Someone who is new to lifting is going to have a hard time separating useful advice from poor advice. A bad trainer can cause someone to go horribly astray in their early lifting career.

I totally agree that a good trainer is better than none, but totally disagree that going into a commercial gym looking for a trainer / "muscle bound freak" is going to be a good method for finding a trainer. Outside of the usefulness of in-person form checks, info really doesn't get much better than whats on SS/etc+Sherdog.

 

[TeddyRoosevelt]

Instead of getting professional advice, you could take the advice of people on Sherdog.
You could go to a doctor when you're sick, or a mechanic when your car is broke too, but then again, you could ask people on Sherdog.

What the posers above don't know is that you can request certain workouts, and you don't have to do everything they say.
If you are afraid they'll be telling you to do weird workouts on the balls or machines, then tell the trainer you don't want that.

Pick a muscle bound freak trainer (yes, serious) and tell him you want to know how to correctly do core workouts like bench, squat, olympic lifts (when you are ready), deadlifts, get advice on cardio, nutrition, form checks, etc.

Whatever you do, if you are working out with weights, it's better than doing nothing.

1. I haven't heard someone use that word since I was in approximately 6th grade...which was quite a few years ago.

2. Please, do explain your usage of that term. I am intrigued.

 

[1standarduser**]

1. I haven't heard someone use that word since I was in approximately 6th grade...which was quite a few years ago.

2. Please, do explain your usage of that term. I am intrigued.

1) Poster
2) Poser is not caught by spell check
3) Even if I meant to say poser I'd still look stupid for calling people names on the interwebs

Trainers are cool.
I'm out to Sun Lakes, WA!

 

[livingdeadmoose]

Instead of getting professional advice, you could take the advice of people on Sherdog.
You could go to a doctor when you're sick, or a mechanic when your car is broke too, but then again, you could ask people on Sherdog.

What the posers above don't know is that you can request certain workouts, and you don't have to do everything they say.
If you are afraid they'll be telling you to do weird workouts on the balls or machines, then tell the trainer you don't want that.

Pick a muscle bound freak trainer (yes, serious) and tell him you want to know how to correctly do core workouts like bench, squat, olympic lifts (when you are ready), deadlifts, get advice on cardio, nutrition, form checks, etc.

Whatever you do, if you are working out with weights, it's better than doing nothing.

Dude, I am a personal trainer and I agree with the above posts. If you tell someone to get a personal trainer and leave it at that they will most likely go to a Golds or 24 Hour and get the cheapest trainer they will find. Not to say that personal training is a bad proffesion, but the way the industry is right now about 90% of trainers our there today are complete horseshit. Even the muscle bound ones. Most of the time they are just meatheads with weekend crash course certifications and no real education or understanding of exercise.

My advice to TS is if you do want to hire a trainer (which I don't think you need to) is to go to local gyms and private studios and look up the backgrounds of the education of the trainers you talk to. Any good trainer is not going to be at a chain gym.