Help! For obliques, triceps...Lower weight/more reps vs. Heavier weight/less reps??

[JTrollerb]

Hi,

I'm trying to get that very toned and attractive V muscles the ladies just seem to love. Does that mean I should go for size or cutness (heavier weight/less reps, or lighter weight/more reps)??

Also, I want to my triceps to stick out so I don't have to extend my arm for them to be seen. I know it's very hard to get this, but I believe if I am doing it properly, I shouldn't have a problem achieving my goal. Once again, if I want them to stand out, should I go for size or cutness?

Thank you, I really appreciate your help.

 

[fufu]

Well how are you supposed to get the "v" if you don't build up your back/shoulders/chest if you don't go for size? So go for size, then cut. I don't know how long you think it would take to get the "v" but trust me it is not short. Don't forgot to train legs too! With a good diet and consistant work ethic you should achieve your goals.

 

[CowPimp]

Tone is a function of body fat. Using repetition ranges suited for training muscular endurance does not enhance the visibility of your muscles. Only increasing muscle mass or losing body fat will do this. Of course, once you are beyond a certain body fat level, it really doesn't matter how big your muscles are. They will still appear soft because they are covered in a blanket of fat.

 

[ABLQ2]

are you talking for a "v-tapor"from the upper body, or a "v" from obliques on your stomach? My suggestion to get nice triceps is to do close-grip bench press. to get the obliques, do dumbell sidebends. the obliques get thick quickly, and if they get too thick- it looks bad. so dont use too heavy of dumbells (20 pounds or so).

 

[CowPimp]

are you talking for a "v-tapor"from the upper body, or a "v" from obliques on your stomach? My suggestion to get nice triceps is to do close-grip bench press. to get the obliques, do dumbell sidebends. the obliques get thick quickly, and if they get too thick- it looks bad. so dont use too heavy of dumbells (20 pounds or so).

Bahahahahahaha. A 20 pound dumbbell? Don't even bother doing side side bends if you're using a 20 pound dumbbell. I'm not even that strong, and I can get like 20 reps with an 80 pound dumbbell, and I bend so that the DB goes a little below knee level.

The obliques do not get thick quickly. That's bodybuilding voodoo bullshit. Hypertrophy in your abs an obliques is far less likely than most muscles because of their slow twitch nature.

 

[ABLQ2]

hm. I dont even target the obliques, but mine are chunky from just sit-ups (without resistance beyond my bodyweight). Maybe im just a bit different. I appreciate your correction, however.

 

[ABLQ2]

but on the same token:

"However, beware of using heavy weights when training the obliques unless you want big sides and a wide waist. Obliques respond well to heavy training, so please do not make the mistake of training them with heavy weights and low reps as this will kill your V-taper."

as taken from : http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/bodybuildingfaq/a/AbsFAQ_3.htm

written by Hugo Rivera. No offense, but i would be more likely to take Hugo's word than yours, Cow. I could find more sources, and I could waste some time at the library digging up research- but I don't find this mandatory.

 

[P-funk]

If you want to work your obliqes do some rotation work.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

but on the same token:

"However, beware of using heavy weights when training the obliques unless you want big sides and a wide waist. Obliques respond well to heavy training, so please do not make the mistake of training them with heavy weights and low reps as this will kill your V-taper."

as taken from : http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/bodybuildingfaq/a/AbsFAQ_3.htm

written by Hugo Rivera. No offense, but i would be more likely to take Hugo's word than yours, Cow. I could find more sources, and I could waste some time at the library digging up research- but I don't find this mandatory.

Notice that doesn't actually contradict anything CP said. He said that he wouldn't consider a 20 pound dumbbell heavy and I don't see anything about that there. He said that obliques do not get thick quickly. Again, I see nothing in the article to even suggest that they become thicker more quickly than other muscles. Besides, it would probably take a hell of a lot of training to get them to the point such that they 'kill your V-taper.' In fact, the article states that the obliques DO respond well to heavy weights, so what CP said is actually in accordance with that author's views.

 

[P-funk]

He contradicts himself in the same sentence:

However, beware of using heavy weights when training the obliques unless you want big sides and a wide waist. Obliques respond well to heavy training, so please do not make the mistake of training them with heavy weights and low reps as this will kill your V-taper.

he says they respond well to heavy training but then he says don't make the mistake of training with them heavy weights imediatly after that and right before saying that they respond well to heavy training he says beward of doing it. Seems like one of those real fitness geniouses to me.

 

[CowPimp]

but on the same token:

"However, beware of using heavy weights when training the obliques unless you want big sides and a wide waist. Obliques respond well to heavy training, so please do not make the mistake of training them with heavy weights and low reps as this will kill your V-taper."

as taken from : http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/bodybuildingfaq/a/AbsFAQ_3.htm

written by Hugo Rivera. No offense, but i would be more likely to take Hugo's word than yours, Cow. I could find more sources, and I could waste some time at the library digging up research- but I don't find this mandatory.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Squaggle, but I am definitely in staunch disagreement with his statements. First of all, let's set the record by saying that all muscles respond well to heavy training if you aren't comparing them to other muscles. Plain and simple.

Relatively speaking, the obliques should respond to a lesser degree because of their inherent fiber type; this is also the case with your calves, forearms, etc. In that same article Hugo makes note that fast-twitch muscle fibers have a greater propensity for hypertrophy. Okay, so then why would the obliques respond well to heavy training relative to other muscles when they are inherently slow-twitch?

Then there's this:

A: While many advanced bodybuilders and figure girls can train their abs every day for a short period of time in order to shock the body part, this typically will lead to overtraining if continued for too long.

Therefore, unless you are doing upper abdominals one day and lower the next, you are better off training your abdominals for no more than 20 minutes at a time, 3 times per week on alternating days, as in Mon/Wed/Fri or every other day at the most (thus one week you will train them four times and the next 3 times).

What a genius. Train your upper abs one day and lower abs another? The rectus abdominus is one muscle. You can't isolate the upper and lower abs. The whole muscle contracts or it doesn't.

He sounds like a self-proclaimed guru with little more than knowledge from shitty magazines, but hey, whatever you care to believe.

 

[Squaggleboggin]

That's kind of funny. I didn't even read the whole article, I just found what he quoted and commented on it. Even I knew the abdominals are all one muscle. That's pretty bad... Hahaha.

 

[JTrollerb]

Thank you!!