Does my weight lifting suck?

Question

I've been doing weight lifting for a couple of weeks but I'm such a frickin weak creature, I weigh 130 lbs/male/19/5'8. The most I can lift is like 40 lbs 3 sets of 15 reps. I use those weight lifting machines(arm curls, rotary torso etc), not bench press or anything like that. I dont wanna get big tho I just wanna get muscle so I can burn fat faster. Will I gain muscle (even if its minimal) if I keep doing this or am I wasting my time?

Answer 1

machines don't build big muscles, compound exercises do. your training routine should be based on them. machines should be used to supplement free weight training. at your height and weight getting "too big" is the last of your worries

Answer 2

If you're new to lifting, and you've only been lifting for a couple of weeks, one of two things can happen. Either you'll see a steady improvement in the weight you're using, assuming you're lifting consistently, eating well, getting enough sleep, and so on, or, you won't be getting bigger or stronger at all. This is simply because you're new to lifting, your body isn't used to it, and you need to build up enough muscle in order to gain even more muscle. It's not unlike running. If you decide you want to run the New York Marathon, running on a treadmill for a week, two weeks, or even a month won't get you there. Similarly, getting yourself in a routine and having enough power/endurance/energy to lift weights for an extended period of time will not happen overnight. Where and with whom do you usually lift? My advice is to read up on lifting, if you want to get serious, and get an idea of how training with weights actually works (there are a number of aspects, such as nutrition, recovery, technique, scheduling, the list goes on). Lifting is all about input/output. The harder you work, the more desirable an outcome you'll get.

(P.S. The first time I seriously lifted, I did so during my freshman year of high school. I went from a bench max of 120 to 180 in one trimester (about 3 months including Winter Break). I only mention this to show that if you're starting off on lifting, you CAN get results very quickly.)

Answer 3

You want results you gotta work a little harder & eat lots of protien.Also ya gotta change the workout routein instead of doing the same thing over & over again.Also,Also you have to ad weight & reps to the workout every week. Keep it up, you'll get there.

Answer 4

You need to work out 3X a week using both machines and free weights....... Only do a maximum of 8 Reps, as you get stronger increase the weight by only 10Lbs and repeat the exercises until its time to add another 10Lbs and on and on and on............

Answer 5

thats very little workout,i know how you can start to gain muscle faster,well lifting dumbells lift 40 pounds ,for each hand do 100 of them ,then 100 tricepts,every 48 hours,give them enough time to rest.muscles grow when resting.then try doing pushups,hold it for one minute then do one then keep holding it to get strengh,also wall pushups,

Answer 6

minimal is a good word for it. sounds like you need to work harder if you want real results