few questions (wrists clicking) + pics

[coryf1989]

Hey guys, I just started "body building" aka working out slowly with some 10 and 15 lb dumbbells I had laying around and had a few questions.

I am trying to get bigger/stronger forearms and wrists so I have been doing the palms up curl with 10 lbs in each hand.

but my wrists seem to grind and click and crack everytime I bring them up and down.. it kind has me worried that maybe I shouldnt be doing that excercise, or exercising at all as I have bad joints. so how come my wrists are making those clicking noises when I perform that exercise?

also, I cant bench press worth shit because of my bad elbows, I cant push out, but I can curl fairly large amounts, why is this? whats wrong with my elbows?


these are the only specs I know about myself:
6'0
175-180 lbs
14.5 inch bicep

thanks

 

[coryf1989]

oh ok, lmao. thanks for the help. I was scared something wasnt right so I stopped exercising. but if its ok I guess ill continue.

heres my (pathetic) workout, I know it only focuses on my upper body. im not too serious into the body building thing quite yet, going to start slow and see how I like it. I dont have any equipment nor access to a gym. I want to buy my own gym set but no place to put it in my house.

I do 12 pull/chin ups
then 25 single arm curls with dumbbells with each arm with 15 lbs in them
then 25 pushups
then 25 palm up curls for my wrists + forearms
then 10 sit ups with 20 lbs on my chest
then 20 sit ups normally
then 10 more chin + pull ups
then 20 curls with 15 lbs dumbbells in each hand
20 more sit ups
and ill finish with 15 tricep dips.

nothing special... but better than what ive done for the past 20 years (nothing!)

any advice as to how I can improve it? all I have is a chin up bar, 2x10 lb dumbbells and 2x15lb dumbbells. and I dont take any "supplements" nor do I watch my eating. im not that serious yet. I dont want to get huge, just a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger. im usually pretty skinny, but not working for a year has gotten me quite the gut I would like to lose by summer (I gained went from 150lbs to 180 lbs in 6 weeks due to not working + eating lots and sitting at home all day) so im going to start doing a little bit of running, probably about 2 miles per day as I have horrible endurance. I can only run .5km before my lungs are hurting, and I need a break. thank god I quit smoking!

thanks.

 

[Marat]

Yep, my wrists sound like they are being followed by Swahili people too. Like Richard said, no big deal if there isn't pain.

Your weight imbalances are just a result of being deconditioned. Nothing to worry about --- as you get stronger, things will normalize out.

 

[Marat]

At least you are honest with yourself in terms of how committed you are.

I'd recommend just doing pushups, dips, and pullups/chinups. Ditch everything else. Do something like 3 or 4 sets of each for about 8 reps. You can do that about every other day.

Let us know if this lifestyle suits you, we'd be happy to help.

 

[coryf1989]

ok, I will start doing more pushups and less curls. I can so 25 pushups in a row then need a short break and can do another 20-25 more. the problem is I crashed on my dirtbike a month ago and really hurt a muscle in my right shoulder that makes doing pushups very hard. the muscle is getting better, but very very slowly.

thanks for the help guys, and thanks for helping such an absolute beginner... I think im going to like it here

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Your wrists and forearms should develop strength as you execute your general lifts. If it were me I wouldn't start off by trying to isolate the forearm specifically. Bad joints, in your case elbow, can react very differently to different types of lifts. I would get elbow support by some form of brace to help you lift a little more initially and then once your elbows get use to the movement and weight try to remove the brace/support. Before anything though, I'd make sure your doc gives you a go ahead to lift weights (bench press) before trying to attempt heavier weights.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

ok, I will start doing more pushups and less curls. I can so 25 pushups in a row then need a short break and can do another 20-25 more. the problem is I crashed on my dirtbike a month ago and really hurt a muscle in my right shoulder that makes doing pushups very hard. the muscle is getting better, but very very slowly.

thanks for the help guys, and thanks for helping such an absolute beginner... I think im going to like it here

I had a bad shoulder injury also and for me stretching the muscle/joint/ligaments helped a great deal.

 

[coryf1989]

thanks for the info Napalm.

few new questions:

1. what are some important things to eat to gain muscle... all I know from reading around are eggs and protein lol. I was thinking of going and buying some milkshake stuff at walmart because I recall them having something like that. I dont want to get into serious hardcore body building, just a little boost for the summer time.

2. what are the techniques to do/avoid for building strength and remaining kind of small versus getting big, but not as strong?

sorry for all the noob questions.

thanks guys.

 

[cheappinz]

You curl with your biceps and bench press with more of an extension(tricep) motion. I wouldn't be doing the wrist flexing exercises. Are you aware people that work in factories that HAVE TO do repetitive tasks develop injuries that sometimes never go away? I'd focus on treating large muscle groups with low enough weight your form is not compromised. Think: biceps/triceps, back, legs, chest..If you do these muscle groups, your wrists will gain strength by default and that will be enough.
As for the bench pressing inability, I'd want to fix that if I were you. Think of this area as a rehab project. I would definitely use either tiny dumbells if you can't deal with the bar alone or the cables and do a very strict elbow extension exercise..like 3 sets with perfect form. Your goal here would be to strengthen the muscles so you can eventually use as much or close to the same amount of weights across the board with your exercises.

 

[coryf1989]

You curl with your biceps and bench press with more of an extension(tricep) motion. I wouldn't be doing the wrist flexing exercises. Are you aware people that work in factories that HAVE TO do repetitive tasks develop injuries that sometimes never go away? I'd focus on treating large muscle groups with low enough weight your form is not compromised. Think: biceps/triceps, back, legs, chest..If you do these muscle groups, your wrists will gain strength by default and that will be enough.
As for the bench pressing inability, I'd want to fix that if I were you. Think of this area as a rehab project. I would definitely use either tiny dumbells if you can't deal with the bar alone or the cables and do a very strict elbow extension exercise..like 3 sets with perfect form. Your goal here would be to strengthen the muscles so you can eventually use as much or close to the same amount of weights across the board with your exercises.

thanks for the advice, you make lots of sense with the wrists/forearms getting bigger and stronger as I go other exercises.

I dont think the bench press inability has anything to do with lack of muscle (maybe it does?), but last time I tried I remember failing due to lack of elbows. I cant push out very hard because of my elbows, but I can curl a fair amount compared to everything else. I dont know the max of either as I havnt done it in a few years. in high school I was able to out perform everyone in my class (small class) at 95% of the exercises, except for benchpress due to my elbows, thats what makes me think im not necessarily lacking muscle, but I could be wrong. only practice and time will tell...

the good news is I got a well paying job starting april 1st, be making 5-6000 per month, so I should have more than enough to start buying some weight lifting equipment very soon here. bigger dumbbells and a barbell + bench and I should be good for a little bit.

can you get that milkshake powder stuff from walmart? sorry for such an embarrassingly nooby question, but I have no idea what it is, nor not much of an idea as to what exactly it does and what I all need... im also 1.5 hours from the nearest city, all we have is a wal mart, so im really hoping I can get it there. is there a link somewhere I can read, or can someone brifely describe the powders, where to get them, what exactly ill need? how often to take it? etc.. im a fast learner.

thanks a million!

 

[coryf1989]

also, when I do get set up.. should I get some 15 lb dumbbells and do hundreds of reps of those? or get some 30 lb dumbbells and do 10-15 reps of those?

which will make me strong but "small"?

and which will make me "weak" but massive?

thanks.

 

[cheappinz]

I would do maybe 3 sets of 30..or shoot for that. If your form suffers then that's where you stop. For rehab (I used to do PT for years and its more of a hobby for me now) I would take a person at a below average level and get them back to normal. I would imagine if you can't do the exercises you are wanting to, those muscles are below average. If you are at the gym right now, you could experiment to see what weight you need. You know how to do tricep kickbacks? Lock your upper arm along your torso so its lined up..then only move at your elbow like a hinge straightening your elbow slowly and completely. Do this against gravity--I like to do it with one knee on the flatbench and the other leg standing, body horizontal, face towards the floor, good posture in this facedown position, tightened back muscles to keep your posture. This should give you the positioning you need to do this exercise. Try it with a 10..when you can do 3 sets of 30 easily with excellent form, bump your weight..
If you don't want to do that one, or if you want to add one more, I'd personally do the cables. Same theory: tight postural muscles, upper arm locked along torso, bending only at elbow, hold cable with rope ball so you can have a natural hand position, extend your elbow to a straight arm as if you are slowly hammering. 3 sets also. watch the form and progress to more weight once it gets too easy.
This is the type of thing I would do in the clinic. If you are sore after, be aware that it takes 20 minutes for ice to penetrate deep enough to do any good. so although the ice aches, just deal with it.
Good luck. If you need any exercises, hit me up. I've given a few friends back home exercise programs that saved them a lot of time and aggravation.

 

[coryf1989]

well thats the thing, I cant do 3 sets of 30, thats why I was asking what the difference in results would be if I get some 15 lb dumbbells and do hundreds of reps of those? or get some 30 lb dumbbells and do 10-15 reps of those? which will make me bigger and which will make me stronger?

what is the diff between a set and a rep? a rep is each time you lift it right? and a set is how many groups of reps that you do?

I looked up tricep kickbacks and will try those later tonight, as well as tricep dips and really work the triceps.

thanks for the advice, I will def try what you mentioned minus the cable things as I dont/cant go to a gym.