Puberty the time to build muscles?

[super_frank89]

I don't have a good weightlift for bench-press but I have a 8kg concrete dumb-bell so I tried to use it as a bench-press but the only place I feel the strain is the part between my elbow and shoulder, And its not the top where the huge muscle bulk is supposed to be. Its the underneath.. There is no strain on my chest

Then I do crunches and then doing some taekwondo leg stretch.. just wanna know if those would help me develop my muscles or help me lose weight because I'm currently 4kg off-scale

[Ryan_J]

I don't have a good weightlift for bench-press but I have a 8kg concrete dumb-bell so I tried to use it as a bench-press but the only place I feel the strain is the part between my elbow and shoulder, And its not the top where the huge muscle bulk is supposed to be. Its the underneath.. There is no strain on my chest

Then I do crunches and then doing some taekwondo leg stretch.. just wanna know if those would help me develop my muscles or help me lose weight because I'm currently 4kg off-scale

It sounds like you're working your triceps, which is on the back of the arm, and you're thinking of the biceps. Believe it or not, your triceps should be equally bulky. To get built you need to work out all of them. Use that weight and do seated curls to work out your biceps. Bench press, however puts more emphasis on muscles like your pecs and triceps. For all intensive purposes you're better to do pushups for this.
These upper-body excercises you're talking about, along with the crunches and stretches won't do much at all for weight loss I'm afraid. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, but by building muscle PROPERLY, you'll lose fat, gain muscle and increase lean body mass which is lowering your body fat percentage. It's not the weight that matters, BMI is useless. It's the body fat percentage, it makes no allowance for someone with more than average muscle.
If you really are interested in losing weight though, what you need to do is get yourself to a gym...maybe your school (well, after the summer) or the YMCA and get yourself doing cardio. Bring your heart rate up to the fat burning zone on a machine, and do this for NO LESS than 30 minutes, NO LESS than 3 times a week. Do this for 2 weeks and I guarantee you'll see a difference. Combine this with your strength training and you'll start to feel really energized about your workouts! Also eat a nutritionally balanced diet rich in complex carbs and protein, and low in fats.
My dad has gotten me into this fitness stuff since, he's a police officer and he works out a LOT. I mean, like he runs 5 miles a day and spends 2 hours a day at the gym. So despite what I might think about him for other things, he's taught me a lot about fitness!

Hope this helps!

[mr_smite1]

GOOD RESPONsE :) or just run and press ups :P

[Rooster]

I'm no fitness expert, but I'm no stranger to the gym, and I don't advise you try to bench anything by yourself. I've seen many a big man get knocked out because the weight fell on his throat, and they're the lucky ones. Don't try to bench-press without a spotter.

[Ryan_J]

GOOD RESPONsE :) or just run and press ups :P

I agree, running can be beneficial *but* if weight loss is your ultimate goal, you have to be absolutely sure to keep your heart rate in the target range, that is 60-70% of max heart rate. And for you, that's around 130bpm. If you're in good shape this equates to a steady 5mph jog, and if you're out of shape...a fast paced walk is better. A common misconception people have is that "If I run faster, work harder I'll lose more weight". This is untrue. While training at or near your cardiovascular limit does have certain advantages such as increasing your VO2max (your body's overall capacity to use oxygen), and lactase tolerance (your body's ability to fight muscle fatigue), it's not beneficial for weight loss because when you train too hard, it burns primarily glycogen (sugar) stored in your body...the type that's supplied by drinks like Gatorade. You'll find you "crash" after this kind of workout. When you reduce your training intensity to a "fat burning" heart rate your body burns 85% of it's energy as body fat. SO, in summary you'll lose far more fat in a 15 minute brisk walk than say a 10 minute all-out run. Both excercises have their benefits, but it's best that you know this so you're not disappointed and discouraged.

Hope this helps...

[Bobby]

First of cardioand protein are good for muscles. You still need a balanced food group though. Benchpressing is good to. But work your way up.