1) Two 10kg dumbbells will be insufficient in even the short term. The idea is to make progress over time; ie being able to lift more weight for the same number of reps.
2) You need an exercise program built around the compound lifts. That is:
* Deadlifts
* Squats
* Bench Press
* Overhead Press
* Chinups/Pullups
There's quite a few of these around; Stronglifts and Starting Strength are two that come to mind. Find one of them on the internet and stick to it religiously for a few months. Don't try to tweak it yourself.
3) To perform these properly you'll either need to join a gym or get access to the following:
* A 20 kg olympic barbell and plates
* A power rack
* A bench
You'll use the power rack to do the pullups/chinups and protect you while squatting and benching (it's much more vital when you don't have a spotter to help you if you try lifting something too heavy for you).
4) Form is vital. You can do quite a bit of damage to your body with shitty form.
5) Get plenty of rest and healthy food. Diet is probably harder to stick to than working out simply because it takes up so much time.
6) Three full body workouts each week is plenty.
7) Track your progress. It's much easier to stick to something if you can see that you're putting on muscle/losing fat/whatever. Use spreadsheets with weight/weights lifted, photos of your physique over time, the works.
1 is pure BS, you can do a maintenance program, or you can increase reps rather than weights, to increase your stamina.
2 is more, you can do whatever program you want, unless you want to become a competitive bodybuilder, there is no need for conforming to someone else's idea of what you should do. I would suggest reading in a decent book - I like Garhammer's Strength Training - and take what you want.
3 is gross overkill.
4 With free weights and gradually increasing the weight form mostly takes care of itself. If it is actually painful, rather than just hard, then don't do it.
5 is actually general enough that I can't criticize, nice change.
6 is also true. On the other hand, relatively light, but long, maintenance workouts every day are useful in burning excess calories.
7 is good if you are trying to "progress", on the other hand it doesn't help much on a maintenance program. The best advice is to simply try to set up a program you can enjoy, then do it. Working out with someone else is generally the best motivator.
On the off chance some people might takes billswift seriously and injure themselves, let me state that 'gradually increasing the weight' does not induce good form. Moreover, much of the benefits of deadlifts and squats will not be had either unless performed correctly.
Get 'Starting Strength' by Rippetoe and buy a few sessions with a (good) personal trainer who knows power lifting. Best money you'll ever spend.
I can't tell if you are being serious or not. A lot of people who lift hurt themselves at some point, especially as they get older. It happens, it is usually because of not focusing on form and pushing too hard.
It's easier to hurt yourself on the machines than it is with free weights. Your brain/body won't let you try to squat way more than you can actually squat. If you can override this instinct and actually try to throw up more weight than you can handle, the way olympic weights work make dumping the weight almost automatic. You will embarrass yourself but won't get hurt. You should be using a spotter anyway.
However, you can load up a hip sled machine with way more weight than you should be attempting and destroy your lower back or knees. Personally, I believe leg press machines and their ilk should be banned. I know too many people with fucked up knees and backs from using those (myself included.)
The only thing i could add would be to learn the olympic lifts as well: the snatch, the clean, & the jerk. But maybe only after you've got the lifts in #2, though :)
Also, i second the recommendation of Starting Strength.
Comments
Okay, a few thoughts:
1) Two 10kg dumbbells will be insufficient in even the short term. The idea is to make progress over time; ie being able to lift more weight for the same number of reps.
2) You need an exercise program built around the compound lifts. That is:
* Deadlifts
* Squats
* Bench Press
* Overhead Press
* Chinups/Pullups
There's quite a few of these around; Stronglifts and Starting Strength are two that come to mind. Find one of them on the internet and stick to it religiously for a few months. Don't try to tweak it yourself.
3) To perform these properly you'll either need to join a gym or get access to the following:
* A 20 kg olympic barbell and plates
* A power rack
* A bench
You'll use the power rack to do the pullups/chinups and protect you while squatting and benching (it's much more vital when you don't have a spotter to help you if you try lifting something too heavy for you).
4) Form is vital. You can do quite a bit of damage to your body with shitty form.
5) Get plenty of rest and healthy food. Diet is probably harder to stick to than working out simply because it takes up so much time.
6) Three full body workouts each week is plenty.
7) Track your progress. It's much easier to stick to something if you can see that you're putting on muscle/losing fat/whatever. Use spreadsheets with weight/weights lifted, photos of your physique over time, the works.
1 is pure BS, you can do a maintenance program, or you can increase reps rather than weights, to increase your stamina.
2 is more, you can do whatever program you want, unless you want to become a competitive bodybuilder, there is no need for conforming to someone else's idea of what you should do. I would suggest reading in a decent book - I like Garhammer's Strength Training - and take what you want.
3 is gross overkill.
4 With free weights and gradually increasing the weight form mostly takes care of itself. If it is actually painful, rather than just hard, then don't do it.
5 is actually general enough that I can't criticize, nice change.
6 is also true. On the other hand, relatively light, but long, maintenance workouts every day are useful in burning excess calories.
7 is good if you are trying to "progress", on the other hand it doesn't help much on a maintenance program. The best advice is to simply try to set up a program you can enjoy, then do it. Working out with someone else is generally the best motivator.
On the off chance some people might takes billswift seriously and injure themselves, let me state that 'gradually increasing the weight' does not induce good form. Moreover, much of the benefits of deadlifts and squats will not be had either unless performed correctly.
Get 'Starting Strength' by Rippetoe and buy a few sessions with a (good) personal trainer who knows power lifting. Best money you'll ever spend.
my $.02 ... listen to anyone who recommends Rippetoe's "Starting Strength." oh, and ignore everyone else.
More BS. It is nearly impossible to hurt yourself with free weights unless you drop them or try to lift something much too heavy.
I can't tell if you are being serious or not. A lot of people who lift hurt themselves at some point, especially as they get older. It happens, it is usually because of not focusing on form and pushing too hard.
Form is important, and not always intuitive.
It's easier to hurt yourself on the machines than it is with free weights. Your brain/body won't let you try to squat way more than you can actually squat. If you can override this instinct and actually try to throw up more weight than you can handle, the way olympic weights work make dumping the weight almost automatic. You will embarrass yourself but won't get hurt. You should be using a spotter anyway.
However, you can load up a hip sled machine with way more weight than you should be attempting and destroy your lower back or knees. Personally, I believe leg press machines and their ilk should be banned. I know too many people with fucked up knees and backs from using those (myself included.)
This is a great list!
The only thing i could add would be to learn the olympic lifts as well: the snatch, the clean, & the jerk. But maybe only after you've got the lifts in #2, though :)
Also, i second the recommendation of Starting Strength.
There's a good wiki on Starting Strength at http://startingstrength.wikia.com/
everything important has been said here. stick to this and you'll be fine for the next 70 years.