# Weight Lifting Question



## emt786 (Jun 10, 2008)

Hi All, 

I have a question about weight training. 

So I had two sessions with a personal trainer and since then have worked out on my on about two times now. However, when I worked out with the trainer I felt like I was gonna die (In a good way?), because the workout was soo intense, and I was sore for like 3 days. 

But now that I'm working out on my own I don't feel sore. I do feel like I've worked out though. Is this because I'm getting used to it, or am I not working myself as hard or doing something wrong? 


Any advice would be appreciated, I'm clueless about this stuff. Thanks!


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## akflightmedic (Jun 11, 2008)

possible couple reasons

1.Mentally you are not allowing yourself to be pushed to your physical potential as you are solo. It is very easy to cheat yourself. I can ALWAYS lift more when I have a partner.

2.Improper form. If you are new to lifting, form is more important that how much.
Example: I can lift x more pounds in several different exercises however I will use poor form to do so. A simple correction and suddenly I can not lift half of what I was with bad form and you feel it where you should.


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## cookiexd40 (Jun 11, 2008)

make sure you add weight...you will get stronger so you need to add pounds.....and plus one on the mentally not pushing yourself...talk to your trainer see if he can work out with you every OTHER time...that way you can know you have good form even when your trainer isn't around


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## mikeylikesit (Jun 11, 2008)

If there is no pain to push past then your not pushing hard enough.. remeber the number one rule of weight lifting form is "if it looks stupid...you're probably doing it right."
plus if it was our first time working out in a while then that make a huge difference.


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## LE-EMT (Jun 12, 2008)

mikeylikesit said:


> If there is no pain to push past then your not pushing hard enough.. remeber the number one rule of weight lifting form is "if it looks stupid...you're probably doing it right."
> plus if it was our first time working out in a while then that make a huge difference.



I have to disagree most all of this..  first of all if you are pushing past pain it could be because you are doing something wrong.  Make sure it is the right kind of "pain" you are pushing past.  
Second and most important RULE #1 of any and all training especially weight training Safety first.  As you know you can get really hurt or damage something very important with a minor error.  
Third as far as looking stupid..... well I never looked at it like that because everyone else in the gym is doing the same thing.
Finally to the question at hand.... I would personally suggest that you seek out your trainer again...  I have to agree with the fore mentioned that you probably aren't pushing yourself as hard as you were with the trainer.  Get your trainer to out line a work out for you.  Then get a motivated partner to go to the gym with you.  I know I always lift harder when I have some one pushing me for that extra 5 or 10 reps.
Good luck have fun


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## TASH84 (Jun 12, 2008)

Yes a motivated partner will definitely help you push yourself harder during your workouts.  Also, if what you're doing becomes too easy, maybe it's time to increase the weight a bit, but remember form is important, and safety is most important, especially to protect your back, a partner can also help in identifying when you are using good or bad body mechanics.


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## MSDeltaFlt (Jun 12, 2008)

LE's right.  One other thing that promotes a motivated partner is that they can also watch your form.  Technique is more important than the amount of weight or number of reps.

I'm currently having to figure out how to workout without using my forearms because I lifted a dumbell wrong resulting in tennis elbow.  It hurts, but I'm talking with an occupational therapist, and I've started the healing process.  She agrees with what and how I'm doing things.  It's just going to take a while.

Translation: the voice of experience says to do it right.


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## akflightmedic (Jun 13, 2008)

MSDeltaFlt said:


> I'm currently having to figure out how to workout without using my forearms because I lifted a dumbell wrong resulting in tennis elbow.QUOTE]
> 
> Uh huh....suuureee I believe ya.


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## LE-EMT (Jun 13, 2008)

I speak from experience as far as lifting wrong.... story time....
I was in an motorcycle accident and damaged my right shoulder pretty bad.. interarticulate fracture of the glenoid fossa.  ( I remember that because its kind of fun to say ) which required emergency reconstructive surgery.  in which they had to detach the deltoid from my scapula and peel it back over my shoulder to effectively access the area needing repair.  Blah blah (insert a bunch of medical mumbo jumbo I don't understand) after that was all said and done basically they inserted a lot of metal and stuff in me to make everything function....I think there is even some super glue and duct tape in there and suchered (sp) the deltoid back to my scapula and they stapled me shut.  VERY LARGE scar.  constant pain, and I was informed that I may never regain full mobility if any again.... I was in formed to keep my arm mobile but not use the muscles at all so that I wouldn't tear the suchers.....  Long story short I had to teach myself for the next 3 months how to keep my right arm( I am right handed ) mobile with out moving it.  
after 3 months I could begin to move my arm again.  well being as I had 3 months worth of atrephy (sp) ( that doesn't even look right sorry)  I started lifting as much and as hard as I could.  I set myself back 6 months.  causing more pain then even imaginable.  
so a word from the broken.  do it right or don't do it at all...
ps.  My right arm is fully mobile even more so then my left at this point, and considerably stronger.  all done with will, determination, and no help from physical therapy.
Good luck stay safe and have fun


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## MSDeltaFlt (Jun 13, 2008)

akflightmedic said:


> MSDeltaFlt said:
> 
> 
> > I'm currently having to figure out how to workout without using my forearms because I lifted a dumbell wrong resulting in tennis elbow.QUOTE]
> ...


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## snaketooth10k (Jun 13, 2008)

I don't lift weights. I lift myself. As far as building strength and endurance goes it is the best thing all around. Lifting weights is good for weight lifting competitions, however the body mass you add to yourself makes you slightly less... mobile. I can do 30 pull-ups, while some football players I know actually can't do one. 

You might say, "But Snake! I have to lift patients that always seem to be three times my weight! Shouldn't I train for that?" Yes, but train for that by being strong enough to practice doing it. What I mean is, be strong without being a giant muscle. A strong body is a safe body.

Stay flexible too, do some stretching. Yoga will make you strong as well as flexible, so when that new guy on your crew drops the patient on you on the way down the stairs, you will hopefully just bend without tearing tendons and ligaments. Being flexible is good for other things too. Street performers can make a lot of money.

Do not completely ban weight lifting from your life. Some muscles, like those in your back, can sometimes be difficult to exercise without picking something up. But you can do it with something that doesn't weight too much, just do more reps. Doing this will make you less prone to injury.

You also mentioned being sore for three days. That is a good thing. When you work your muscles really hard, they get tiny tears. Those tears create that sore feeling. Your body tends to do a little excess repair on your muscles, that way they will be less prone to tearing under the same abuse in the future. This is why you don't have to lift huge weights to get strong, you just need to do enough to weaken the muscles structurally. If you are sore the next day, you have worked hard enough.


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## emt786 (Jun 13, 2008)

thanks for all the great advice everyone. 

I think I'm doing great. I feel so much more energized after working out and I feel more focused than ever. I think I need to start doing more reps and perhaps adding more weight because I feel like I can do a lot more without getting as tired

I really wish I had money to hire my personal trainer for a couple of more sessions, but unfortunately I'm on my own. I'm trying to be as safe as possible, i.e. watching my form, stretching, warming up, so hopefully I'll be fine and ready to lift 140lbs for my physical soon! 

Oh, I was also wondering what major muscle groups as worked when lifting the stretcher and loading it onto the ambulance (I had a hard time with that) and what machines would be best to build these muscles?


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## mikeylikesit (Jun 14, 2008)

LE-EMT said:


> I have to disagree most all of this.. first of all if you are pushing past pain it could be because you are doing something wrong. Make sure it is the right kind of "pain" you are pushing past.
> Second and most important RULE #1 of any and all training especially weight training Safety first. As you know you can get really hurt or damage something very important with a minor error.
> Third as far as looking stupid..... well I never looked at it like that because everyone else in the gym is doing the same thing.
> Finally to the question at hand.... I would personally suggest that you seek out your trainer again... I have to agree with the fore mentioned that you probably aren't pushing yourself as hard as you were with the trainer. Get your trainer to out line a work out for you. Then get a motivated partner to go to the gym with you. I know I always lift harder when I have some one pushing me for that extra 5 or 10 reps.
> Good luck have fun


i don't mean pain as in your arm hurts after the first rep! i mean taht as you get sore after a long workout then keep going...after you tear the muscle too much though your really not doing too much good. Mind over body i said it once i'll say it again push past the pain.


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## akflightmedic (Jun 14, 2008)

emt786 said:


> Oh, I was also wondering what major muscle groups as worked when lifting the stretcher and loading it onto the ambulance (I had a hard time with that) and what machines would be best to build these muscles?




Major muscle groups worked when lifting a stretcher....

Hmmm, all of them??

You need to focus on the core. The core is essentail to everything you do. A strong stomach and a strong back are key. I do not mean you need flat rock hard abs, but they need to be strong.

These are your stabilizer muscles, they keep you from turning the wrong way or tweaking something.

But muscles used from ground up are:

Ankles for stabilizing
Calves for weightbearing
Quads for the MAJOR part of lifting
Glutes assist with the lift
Low Back/ABs used for stabilizing
Chest, upper back and arms for lifting strength
Forearms and hands for squeezing the handles and gripping the stretcher as you load it in or pull it out
And last but not least, the HEART...


So basically, it seems all the muscles groups are used.


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## LE-EMT (Jun 14, 2008)

AK made a good point but didn't really answer as far as what and where to lift to help.  I will attempt to go by section here.
Legs
calves.  find a wooden box or even a low step something about hmmmm 6 to 8 inches off the level ground.   Stand on that with your heels over the edge.  Start with reps of standing flat and then lifting to your tippy toes and back flat.  do this several times.  then Start flat and lower your self so it almost feels like you are going to slide off the edge of the step and then raise yourself back up.  Several reps of this as well and once you feel strong with that combine the two into one.  you can also hold dumb bells in your hands for additional weight.  
quads.  Standard squats, clean and jerks, power lifts and so on.  
Abs- there are a million and one sit ups, crunches and so forth that you can do to get that strong stomach.  
low back-its like a reverse sit up.  you basically lock your legs into something bend over the edge of the bench touch your face to the floor and come back up
middle back-  that nifty little bar that hangs down.( I forget what its called) sit on a bench reach up and you pull it down.. the closer your hands are together or further apart they are all works different muscle groups.  also sitting straight up with a bench bar or dumb bells start at shoulder height. raise your arms straight above your head.  
upper- I think its called a military press.  not possitive.  there are two handles sticking out parallel with the floor about chest height.  you grab those push yourself up lower yourself down and so on.  also works your middle back and stomach as well as your tricepts and deltoids.  this one is really good.  

these are just a hand full.  there are a million more and possibly better ones that I can't remember.  I use all of these regularly..  Look online, buy a fitness mag, read learn become better.  
good luck


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## MSDeltaFlt (Jun 14, 2008)

These are good advice.  There are other places to find out about weight lifting, as well as talking to a certified trainer.

www.muscleandfitness.com

www.bodybuilding.com

These websites have forums. moderators here are serious body builders.  The forums have several stickies regarding workout regimen and so forth.  *Read them all*.

I would also get a gym membership if you don't already have one.  You can either talk to a trainer there, or talk to one of the die hard guys who are particularly strong/ripped.  They would have good advice, too.  You can't teach experience.

Good luck.


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## emt786 (Jun 15, 2008)

wow that you all soo much, this is great advice! 

I worked myself a bit harder today, and really do feel it this time, I think i'm getting better and learning more about weight lifting. I don't know if its just me, but I already feel like I see a difference!


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## LucidResq (Jun 16, 2008)

When I get restless (which happens a lot) I start doing decline push-ups and tricep dips. 

Decline push-ups are just like regular push-ups except you place your shins or feet on a chair or step like so: 







I'm not really sure why but they're totally addictive. 

Tricep dips: 






Go up and down... make sure you go down far enough to create a 90 degree angle at the elbow but no further. 

I also work on my forearms... it seems like a lot of people abandon their forearm, wrist and grip strength but it's really important to have. 

I have this funny thing called a motogrip trainer. I actually picked it up at a rock climbing shop. They sell it there because it's great at developing forearm, hand and grip strength. 

I also do wrist curls on a regular basis:


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## HeONdiver (Jun 16, 2008)

Dont forget proper nutrition ie. eating clean. This will by far help the most with getting results, whatever they may be. For a quick spot of info on this, check out http://forums.menshealth.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/295109121/m/721103321

Good luck!


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## LE-EMT (Jun 17, 2008)

dude thank you so much I had completely forgotten about that.   Yes definitely high protein meals.  Chicken, tuna, eggs and other good stuff along those lines.  Low fat low sodium blah blah I could go on for ever about that stuff.  definitely read up about the food intake.  lean mean life saving machine....


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## mycrofft (Jun 17, 2008)

*Crikey, been there and out the other end.*


"No pain means no gain" is BS. There is a difference in being sore and stiff, and the burning (or chlling) ripping popping sensation of injury. I treat workout injuries almost daily, I did the gym, worked loading 100 lb feedbags and lifting ambulance litters with big beefeaters on board. Here are some hints:
1. KEEP YOUR ELBOWS IN. Straight-arming is sexy but will tear your shoulders. At least. Keep your CG near your CG, so your back is better protected.
2. The biggest secret to lifting, whether for exercise or work, is technique, especially not breaking a lift up into segments unles you intend to for some arcane exercise purposes. Once the mass is in motion, guide it, don't stop then restart it; judo, you know?
3. Wristing weights as they show above will potentially cause carpal tunnel. So will submitting here. Be careful.
4. Do not do pushups on a rig allowing your chest (well, ribcage) to drop lower than your hands. Likewise, if a lift at work results in your elbows going behind your shoulders, yell "steel" and do it over, or quickly figure out which accessory muscles to use because you may be about to lose it.
5. If you use NSAIDS etc, use them a little while AFTER exercise. They do not cause healing and can mask injury a little, plus allow more bleeding if injury occurs.
6. For us old farts, or anyone out of action for a while, knowing technique but not having the physical wherewithall to do it anymore will get you hurt.

Oh, and always pick a partner bigger and stronger than you to take the head.


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## DBieniek (Jun 21, 2008)

It could be that your body is getting used to the workout that the trainer gave you, so you need to change up some of your workout variables. Such as, rest time in between, amount of weight used, number of sets, number of exercises or go with a different routine. The trainer probably has you on a circuit training system now, and you may have to change it up and do more sets per body part by having a push-pull routine or push-pull leg routine or adding more super sets or compound sets to you routine which I highly recommend due to the fact that they balance your push and pull muscles out evenly and you're less likely to have muscle imbalances that most beginners get.
-My partnerh34r:


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## emt786 (Jun 23, 2008)

thanks for the advice again everyone!

I've been going regularly to the gym and have started either increasing the weight or doing more reps and it seems to be working. 




DBieniek said:


> The trainer probably has you on a circuit training system now, and you may have to change it up and do more sets per body part by having a push-pull routine or push-pull leg routine or adding more super sets or compound sets to you routine which I highly recommend due to the fact that they balance your push and pull muscles out evenly and you're less likely to have muscle imbalances that most beginners get.
> -My partnerh34r:



what do you mean by push-pull routine?


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## DBieniek (Jun 24, 2008)

emt, I'll ask my partner at work tommorrow. I really have no idea, as he wrote it.


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## DT4EMS (Jun 25, 2008)

emt786 said:


> thanks for the advice again everyone!
> 
> I've been going regularly to the gym and have started either increasing the weight or doing more reps and it seems to be working.
> 
> ...




A push-pull routine is used to "shock" the system. Most of the time I will work back/bi's (which work together) but to change it up I may work a push/pull which would be doing a bench and pull ups. Bench is chest/tri's and pull ups are back/bi's (that is where the push/pull comes from).

Kip


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## Fidelis (Jun 28, 2008)

I'll start off my saying I'm not an EMT, I'm just here looking around while I consider becoming one.

I've been lifting weights for many years now and I saw some people repeating a common myth about weightlifting and soreness.  Many people believe that if you don't feel sore the day after working out, it means you didn't work out hard enough.  This is absolutely false.

It _is_ true that when you begin a program, you will be very sore for several days after each workout.  However, after a week or two, you should notice that the pain after each workout (called DOMS--delayed onset muscle soreness) should be MUCH less noticeable than it was after the very first time you worked out.  Sometimes you may not feel sore at all the next day, but it's nothing to be concerned about.

As long as you increase the intensity of your workouts each week, you will progress in strength and endurance.  Do not use soreness as an indicator of how well you are doing!

Now, for some advice: I would recommend that you ask your personal trainer to show you how to do squats and deadlifts.  These two lifts will help you more than anything else, since I know that EMTs have to do a lot of heavy lifting.  I'm sure you'll all agree that your legs and your back are the two most important muscle groups in picking someone up and carrying them around, and they're also two muscle groups that you want to protect.  Squats and deadlifts will not only make you stronger, but they will vastly improve lower back strength and teach you to always keep your spine in a safe position when lifting.  Properly performed squats will also improve the stability of your knees.

Oh, and you'll have a really nice ***, too.


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