yagottahelp Posted April 4, 2004 Posted April 4, 2004 Hey everyone! I've decided that I want to get back to my high school self. I'm not extremely fat I don't htink, I'm about 5'10" and 176. I've been doing cardio and watching my diet (eating a lot of salads for lunch with some lean ham on them, salads or chicken and sometimes a baked potato with no butter for dinner, and then some raisin bran for breakfast, just a little, and a little more in the afternoon) I've also been running for 30 minutes a night (5-6 days a week) about 3-4 miles depending on how I feel(i love running). I know I really need to lift weights some more. I don't know how many inches I've lost but my pants are definately starting to get bigger on me. I'm down to about 172 in 3 weeks(which sounds like a pretty safe amount per week). I feel great and have a ton of will to look better then I do. I don't really care about my weight as long as I look great and tone. What would be a good workout routine to start?? I do crunches 2-3 times a week already. My legs and calves get exercised a lot with running so I don't need to focus on them. I'm working mainly on upper body chest, abs, back, and arms. What would be a good number of sets and reps to start with? Thanks!!!!!!! Lay the hard stuff on me, I'm a determined guy!
faux Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 It sounds as though you are overdoing it a bit. I do not think it is wise to be running every night as you claim to be. I only jog/run 30 minutes at a time, three times a week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I do weight training, and afterward take long walks. Give yourself a set schedule. Most people have "on" and "off" days. I incorporate push-ups, pull-ups, and abdominal exercises into my routine on my "off" days. I have always heard it said that one must give his body some time to rest in between exercise sessions. You get more out of your workouts if you give yourself a day's rest or so. As for what you should start out with I cannot really say. My father used to coach track, and presently coaches weight training at a high school. I simply go by his guidance. Hopefully someone else will have something to offer you in that area, but I thought I might run it by you that you might be overdoing your routine, at least as far as the running is concerned.
hurtingandconfused Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 Here's a great site to your question: http://www.usn.co.za/training/work-out_programmes_PV.htm I recommend that you work out on your lower body, you'll feel/see the difference. Of course the routine is...work out heavy weight if you want to get buffer. And work out with low weight if you want to get cut. All depends on what you want.
corythosaurus Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 1st misconception is that you don't need to weight train your legs because they are getting worked out when you ruor do your cardio exercises. Wrong. Weight training and cardio exercises are two different things. Toughest thing to getting in better shape is controlling the diet. The sooner you get your diet under control the sooner you'll see results. As far as weight training, I recommend beginers to get Body for Life by Bill Phillips. His book goes into great detail on diet, cardio activity, and weight training, and give you sample workouts throughout a week and ways to monitor your progress by keeping a log. My current split: Monday - Chest and Triceps Tuesday - Cardio Wednesday - Back and Biceps Thursday - Abs and Cardio Friday - Shoulders and Legs Saturday - Cardio Sunday - Rest - No workout I do three to four exercises for each muscle group four sets each. I'll start with about 10 reps in the first set with moderate weight than increase the weight and decrease the reps accordingly.
hangtime03 Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 Thanks for the help. As far as the diet goes it's under control I feel. I weighed myself last night (i just do it every sunday so I have an idea) and I'm down to 171 with shoes and such, so I'm definately seeing a difference. As for overdoing it on the running, you're possibly right, I've been trying to walk the fine line of getting in shape yet not burning much of any muscle. The only reason I said I didn't need to do the legs was because I was more focused on the upper body since my legs are already pretty muscular (i played soccer for 10 years and also some in college, does a heck of a workout). Thanks for that website, I'll sit down and do some more reading and start something up. Thanks again!
jenny Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 o! yay baby! i'm on a similar program - i've always been relatively slim but nonetheless innately flabby. (105 but at friggin 16%=20% body fat! :sick: ) what helped for me was to focus on fat ratio rather than pounds, and to have an event as a goal. i got a bowflex for christmas, and i'm ashamed to say i'm a total convert. weight training has made the biggest difference for me! don't give in to chocolate, junk food, or other processed crap. think of yourself as too strong and proud for it. it sounds like you are doing great!
hangtime03 Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 i've cut out all soda, maybe a diet coke once a week at most.......i have just been watching my weight to make sure it doesn't go down more than a pound or two a week to make sure i'm not burning muscle....... I have definately lost it in the waist though, that's what i really care about, another month i should get rid of most of the fat....... when i stand up the stomach is flat now on the front, still a little out on each side, but definately seeing results! good for you too! keep up the good work.
wideawake Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 Originally posted by corythosaurus Monday - Chest and Triceps Tuesday - Cardio Wednesday - Back and Biceps Thursday - Abs and Cardio Friday - Shoulders and Legs Saturday - Cardio Sunday - Rest - No workout I love that split, very similar to my own. I throw only Legs in on Monday though, and add Shoulders to my chest/tri day on Wed. Than Back and Bi's on Friday. Same thing basically, just keep a few days rest between your heavy legs and back days and you're all set. Now that I think about it, I think I'll try pushing delts into my leg day and see how that goes...can't hurt.
hurtingandconfused Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 I lost 25 lbs in less than 2 months. I'm 5'6 140 lbs. What I'm trying to do is get a 6 pack. It's incredibly difficult...Any suggestions? Or better yet..how long does it take to get one?
Arabess Posted April 5, 2004 Posted April 5, 2004 YEPPERS on staying away from the junk food. Drink TONS of water....even with a slice of lemon is good. I also chew a lot of sugar free gum or suck on sugarless hard candy.
longlegzs80 Posted April 6, 2004 Posted April 6, 2004 I am the same height as you and I weigh roughly 171 lbs and that is not fat at all. I have been going to the gym and you can tell right away a difference in my shape too. What I recommend and this is what I learned today when I went to the gym is to not stick to the same excersizing routine everyday. Your muscles get used to it and you won't see really too many results. Now if you are focusing on loosing weight to then end up seeing definition, then you want to do 40-60 minutes of cardio where you do it roughly everyother day and you will notice a difference. Another thing I learned is to not skip meals. IT slows down your metabolizm and it will not reduce your size. So, stick with eatting every 3 to 4 hours so your metabolizm stays high. But stick to things that are healthy for you. Too, I am not much of a believer to cut out certain things that you enjoy out of your diet. Just don't eat so much of it, like chips, pizzas, pop, etc. And make sure if you are a pop(soda) drinker, that you take note of the calories from that drink. Usually they are high unless you drink diet. Hope this helps. Take care.
Author yagottahelp Posted April 11, 2004 Author Posted April 11, 2004 down to 167 in 5 weeks, 1.6 lbs a week.......i feel great, but still have some love handles, i'm thinking another 7-8 pounds and it'll be as tone as it's gonna get without super serious workouts!
meagara Posted April 13, 2004 Posted April 13, 2004 I found what really is great for your body is doing Pilates, if you don't want to look all buff, you should try it . It makes your muscles long and lean, and does wonders for your abs, you will notice the difference in you strength, balance and posture. your abs will get super hard. Trust me it works great, but you just have to keep to it. it takes a while. Sometimes it may seem as though you are not doing it right, but keep with it. Just try.
wideawake Posted April 13, 2004 Posted April 13, 2004 Originally posted by meagara I found what really is great for your body is doing Pilates I really want to try this out, or sign up for a few yoga classes. I need to incorporate more stretching into my physical activities. As an FYI - a ton of research has recently shown that stretching muscle tissue post workout greatly increase the release of IGF in that tissue (insulin like growth factor) which is a very good thing.
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