[Eileen G]

Pictures would be helpful.

Sunken chest and protruding clavicles: more calories and more compound lifts. Concentrate on bench press, pull-ups, dips, military press. If you are skinny, your bones will be obvious.

No, right now I've just finished writing a novel, so I've been doing a lot of sitting, not much time in the gym. I've got a home set up with a bench and some barbells and a couple of kettlebells just to keep me going.

You need to do lower body. Not only do you need to keep balanced, but the lower body workouts are the ones which produce the highest amounts of testosterone, which will help everything. Squats give you bigger biceps.

A good basic routine with compound lifts like squats, bench, deads etc should only take about half an hour in the pit. Go heavy and then go home.

Unfortunately, the shape of your abs is mostly genetic. If you don't like them, your best bet is to work on some other body part which looks better, so it will distract the eye. No-one else will be as critical of your various bits as you are.

[FloridaFisher]

Lol A novel, eh? What kind? Yer first one or do you write regularly? Sorry @ billions of questions- just interested..

So no matter how much I work out I can't hide it eh? Lol @ bones.. Working on the calories, doing compounds, and I've stuck my arms and abs on the same day. OWWWW lolol..

Wow, I never knew that @ higher test levels... That's some pretty good information I wish I wish I would have had years ago.. lol.. I'm doing lower body tonight.. Don't laugh if I cry haha..

I knew about the balanced portion of a total body workout, but "how often do women look at your thighs and calves?" lol is what I used to ask myself. Now that I look at them, I wish I had done something sooner.. How come you see so many people do heavy calf workouts along with heavy everything else.. yet they're arms, abs, shoulders, etc all get way bigger way quicker? What is it about legs that make gains so slow?

So only a small routine when doing compound?

Ohh.. another weird one.. This one hurts so bad it even causes me to tear up.. When I work my forearms etc by lifting a barbell or dumbbells behind my head or like a tricep extension and exercises like that.. I feel something in my elbow that pulls and feels like it's tearing and ripping, but only in my right arm. Like I can only go so far back regardless of weight before it hurts extremely bad.. What the hell is that? Lol

Sucks @ abs being genetic.. If I got the larger ones and the obliques bigger.. do you think it could make up for that? Women look at this portion a lot.. lol.. It bothers me pretty well I'm already now genetically behind lol..

So where's yer pics, Ms. Eileen? : p

[Eileen G]

If it hurts, don't do it. There are always alternative ways of doing an exercise, but to be honest, I think forearms and even calves are something of a waste to do separately. They'll get hit when you do the big lifts. Squats work calves too. And when I do bentover barbell rows, I feel it in my forearms.

Women look at legs. And butts. Squats and stiff leg deadlifts will give killer workouts to calves, quads, hams, gluts and even your abs.

Legs are tough, they are used to being used all the time, so you've got to give them a really tough workout to stress them enough to force them to grow. Squats to failure, or one rep short, will do that. Three sets that heavy and you'll be crawling.

If you've got visible abs, you're ahead of the game. Most guys don't, so women are not going to get picky about the shape of them.

I've written a novel about a space vampire and a bodybuilder, which got to the quarter final of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Now I'm looking for a publisher. I've already written the follow-up, and half of the third one.

All my pix have clothes on. My children have threatened to divorce me if I start posting on the Net.

[FloridaFisher]

Yeah I feel it too @ bent rows.. I've always made them a part of my routine.. They work so many body parts..

I like targeting, but also do exercises that work everything as well.. Kind of a double workout for every muscle. I do still give those muscle groups rests though every and work them out again two days later..

I never knew women looked at legs and butts.. lol.. I have no butt.. and I have bird legs.. Strong, but thin lol. : /

I've never understood the one rep max thing.. Is that even really enough of a workout to do anything? Even if you do 3 sets I don't see how it does anything.. I'll try anything though lol..

I'm working on the visible when resting with my abs. They're there, just not out yet. I'm still tinkering with calories. Trying to figure out how I can get the abs to show without calories hiding them. Apparently every bit of weight I gain goes to my belly lol.. It's been fluctuating a lot for the past few years. I wish target burning were possible.. *sigh*.. if only this was a perfect world..

Lol.. It bugs me so much when people talk about losing weight.. Losing weight is free! To gain a pound a week (if that) I've got to spend like $200/week in groceries for myself and my son lol.. Grrr : p

You know any general places to pick up on cheap dumbells and so forth?

Wow! Sounds pretty cool! Let me know if you publish it.. I'm not usually one for fiction, but I'll definitely read it. You got to sign it, though! Lol : )

LOL @ clothes.. yeah.. I wasn't going to ask you for nekkid pics lol.. S'ok.. Mucho Respecto for a momma..

[Eileen G]

One rep max is the amount you can lift in one rep if you give it everything. Then you work out 80% of that amount, and do eight reps with that weight. Trust me, it's tough, and you'll feel it. Or you can work it the other way round, find the weight that you can just about struggle to finish 8 reps, and use that to calculate your 1RM.

Yeah, I like compound lifts. Kettlebells are are good for that.

Do you do woodchoppers? They're a full body exercise that really hits the abs.

Believe me, when I get this book published, I'll be shouting all over the Net about it. I had no idea how much work went into writing a novel. And how little money you get, even if you get it published!

[FloridaFisher]

OH I see now! So it's not just doing a one rep of yer max but following it up with a full workout still.. I see now lol.. Makes more sense. I think I was a brick in another life.

I've never used or even seen a kettlebell in real life lol.. What kind of weight would I look for in those? Not exactly sure if I'd want something heavy or if it just adds a little extra weight.

I have to get this cable system stripped down and cleaned a bit.. I haven't seen the woodchopper done without this system.. Is it doable with a free weight?

Lol @ shouting.. Yeah, I've heard it's a rough thing to make, sell, and live on.. More respect lol.

How is it you find time for all of this? Lol

[Eileen G]

Definitely. I usually do woodchoppers with a dumbbell. Start with feet hip width apart, and db held in both hands but over left shoulder. Swing it down across your body so it finishes near your right ankle, then bring it back up again. Do ten, then switch sides. Use a moderate weight db, not the heaviest one you have.

If you need to, you find the time. But housework is extremely low on my list of priorities! I bride the children to occasionally run the hoover over the place.

[FloridaFisher]

Thanks for the training tip! I'll give those a shot..

in a few days lol..

O-M-G.

I did a full lower-body work out yesterday.. I also got a knock on my door randomly stating I had an hour and a half to be at a job site to drug test.. I got a job making what I used to make a month in a week! Woohoo!

AnyHOW. I ride down and I ended up having to walk 20 miles and stay up all night after the lower-body thing. I felt like crying! Lol.. I still haven't slept. It hurts to lay down even! Lol

I think I may be partially dead. It takes me like 10 seconds to lower myself to sit lol. So no more of the lower body for a few days at least.

I agree.. It's amazing how you can pull time out of no where sometimes..

LOL @ hoover.. I need more kids and I need them to be old enough to do chores lol.. : / Mine only makes messes..

[Eileen G]

Offer money, and it's amazing what kids will do! Hoovering is one thing they can do very young. In fact, when they are small, they do a better job than when they are older and conscious of missing Hannah Montana on the TV.

Ouch! 20 mile walk after a leg workout?? Give it at least a week before you do another one. I hate to tell you, but tomorrow, you'll probably be even sorer.

Congrats on the extra money.