Give me your thoughts on my exercise plan

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,936
1,113
126
I was going to start at the gym a few weeks ago, but work got weird and I was working from home in spurts and putting in a lot of hours. I think that's all over, so I'm going to start at the gym on Monday. I'm 6'2", 240 lbs. I had a body fat analysis done a few years ago, and my lean body mass is 189. I figure I've lost some muscle, so I'm thinking it's 175 or so right now. Here's my plan:

0500 - Wake up. Have two eggs and toast or peanut butter and wheat bread
0515 - Head to the gym
0545 - 15 minutes of cardio
0600 - 30 minutes of strength training
0630 - 15 minutes of cardio
0645 - Shower and walk (like 200 ft) to work
1100 - Salad/Subway/other lean lunch
1800 - Quinoa/chicken/etc with vegetables and fruit
2200 - Bed (This will be messed up on school nights, but whatever)

I was thinking about doing this routine:

Monday - Back
Tuesday - Arms
Wednesday - Chest
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Arms

Any thoughts?
 
Sep 29, 2004
18,656
67
91
Goals? weight loss? Strength gains? Running?

As for weight training, you might want to do starting strength or strong lifts to start. 3 days of weights a week. Do cardio on off days with atleast one day off a week.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,936
1,113
126
Goals? weight loss? Strength gains? Running?

As for weight training, you might want to do starting strength or strong lifts to start. 3 days of weights a week. Do cardio on off days with atleast one day off a week.

I'd like to be healthy. Healthy body fat and the proper amount of muscle. Running is pretty much out. I have bad knees and running is really difficult for me.I can do a little, but it's kind of awkward.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,936
1,113
126
Goals? weight loss? Strength gains? Running?

As for weight training, you might want to do starting strength or strong lifts to start. 3 days of weights a week. Do cardio on off days with atleast one day off a week.

I'd like to be healthy. Healthy body fat and the proper amount of muscle. Running is pretty much out. I have bad knees and running is really difficult for me.I can do a little, but it's kind of awkward.

Sixguns said:
No shoulders?

I guess I was planning on adding them to arms or back. My upper back is disproportionally more muscular than the rest of me, so I don't want to spend too much time on that area.
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,686
126
I'd like to be healthy. Healthy body fat and the proper amount of muscle. Running is pretty much out. I have bad knees and running is really difficult for me.I can do a little, but it's kind of awkward.

It's hard to provide advice based on goals that are so intangible. 240 lbs. at 6'2 is heavy, but I wouldn't say it's unhealthy. If you'd like to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, on the other hand, there's nothing wrong with that and excellent advice can be found on this board beginning with the sticky.

It's also hard for me to understand what "the proper amount of muscle" is. I train for strength 3-4 days a week in the gym, and I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I am satisfied with the strength I've achieved.

Going to the gym is always better than just being sedentary, but speaking from experience, if you don't have specific, measurable, achievable goals that you are working toward, eventually you will stop going. For an example of specific goals, look at my weekly log thread.

For a good starting point, I highly recommend Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength". It is one of the best exercise books I've ever read, and it might change the way you think about training and fitness.
 

RFE

Member
Dec 15, 2007
71
0
61
I couple of things that I would do a bit differently:
Wouldn't do an arm workout the day before doing chest.
Mon - Chest
Tues - Back
Wed - Arms/shoulders
Thurs - Legs (calves?)
Fri - Hit mix of chest of back, lower volume for each over previous workouts.
Lots of different possibilities, though.

If its primarily about weight loss, I'd wait to eat breakfast until about 20min after the workout. Would also be sure to drink plenty of workout before leaving home to go to the gym.
Would also include a light/healthy snack between each meal to help keep the metabolism up.
Don't think that arms need to have two days dedicated as they will be indirectly worked on the back and chest days as well.
Leg workout day is probably going to be the most intense workout (should be).
These are things that I'd personally do different, this is not professional training advice.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,936
1,113
126
It's hard to provide advice based on goals that are so intangible. 240 lbs. at 6'2 is heavy, but I wouldn't say it's unhealthy. If you'd like to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, on the other hand, there's nothing wrong with that and excellent advice can be found on this board beginning with the sticky.

It's also hard for me to understand what "the proper amount of muscle" is. I train for strength 3-4 days a week in the gym, and I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I am satisfied with the strength I've achieved.

Going to the gym is always better than just being sedentary, but speaking from experience, if you don't have specific, measurable, achievable goals that you are working toward, eventually you will stop going. For an example of specific goals, look at my weekly log thread.

For a good starting point, I highly recommend Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength". It is one of the best exercise books I've ever read, and it might change the way you think about training and fitness.

I guess something in the neighborhood of 15% body fat. The guy on the right is more toned that I would expect to get because I'm a naturally large guy. I have the structure of a football player. I just did an informal measurement of my chest, waist, and hips and got 49,48, and 47 inches respectively (I measured the waist around my gut).

240 isn't terrible, but I'm certainly not healthy. I have massively high blood pressure, and while I don't have the hanging gut like you see on some people, I'd like that bulge to go away. I think I have some decently strong abs under all of that fluff. :p

I'm not looking to get to 300 lbs or anything like that. I'd say 220 with 10-15% body fat would be my target. I'm not so much concerned with my actual weight as I am with having a healthy lifestyle where weight training is a part of that lifestyle.
 

Chaotic42

Lifer
Jun 15, 2001
33,936
1,113
126
Good times. I did arms today. Weight training is so much more fun than cardio. Cardio sucks. :p
 

Slufa111

Senior member
Oct 13, 2002
813
0
0
I was going to start at the gym a few weeks ago, but work got weird and I was working from home in spurts and putting in a lot of hours. I think that's all over, so I'm going to start at the gym on Monday. I'm 6'2", 240 lbs. I had a body fat analysis done a few years ago, and my lean body mass is 189. I figure I've lost some muscle, so I'm thinking it's 175 or so right now. Here's my plan:

0500 - Wake up. Have two eggs and toast or peanut butter and wheat bread
0515 - Head to the gym
0545 - 15 minutes of cardio
0600 - 30 minutes of strength training
0630 - 15 minutes of cardio
0645 - Shower and walk (like 200 ft) to work
1100 - Salad/Subway/other lean lunch
1800 - Quinoa/chicken/etc with vegetables and fruit
2200 - Bed (This will be messed up on school nights, but whatever)

I was thinking about doing this routine:

Monday - Back
Tuesday - Arms
Wednesday - Chest
Thursday - Legs
Friday - Arms

Any thoughts?


Your diet is going to need to be adjusted. You eat breakfast then workout? Assuming your having a serving of peanut butter then 1 serving of whole wheat bread, that is a sum of about 290 calories. THEN you workout....you will burn nearly all your breakfast. This will leave you hungry and more likely to binge eat. Then you work til 1100-1200, Subway is better than most fast food restaurants but not healthy. A lot of their "healthy" meals have 60-70g of carbs that are more than likely high on the GI, high in the wrong fats. In this scenario, baked chicken(high protein) with sweet potatoes(fast digesting, low GI carb), and asparagus would work a lot better. One more thing, You need to space your eating and macro-nutrients breakdown evenly (for the most part) throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism up and your body constantly recovering.

There is a lot to explain but here are a few tips:

1. High GI foods make your body release more insulin which promotes fat storage
2. Space your macro-nutrients (carbs, protein, fats) evenly throughout the day
3. High GI foods = White bread, regular bagels, etc (google for more)
4. Not all wheat breads are low GI
5. Learn to cook your own food and prepare the night before.
6. Your results are 30% gym, 70% diet. (example, everyone has abs but only low body fat individuals can see them)
7. Something you need to understand, EAT MORE TO LOSE MORE.

Find your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) subtract 10% to 20% = your daily calorie needs (PM me if you want more help)

0500 - Wake up. Head to the gym
0515 - Do your workout
0645 - Shower and walk (like 200 ft) to work
0700 - Breakfast
0915 - Snack (look below for an example)
1130 - Lunch - Chicken/sweet potato/broccoli/asparagus
1500 - Snack (look below for an example)
1830 - Dinner (look below for an example)
2130 - Bedtime snack (look below for an example)
2200 - Bed (This will be messed up on school nights, but whatever)

Examples:

Breakfast:

381 Calories 32 Carbs 14 Fat 36 Protein 5 Fiber

1 serving of Oats or Grits (fast digesting carbs to help feed the muscles)
1 serving of PB2 or Jiffy (great protein, good fat source)
5 egg whites (great protein and calorie filler)
1 serving of fat free shredded cheese
1 serving of 100% fat free greek yogurt (HIGH in protein)
1 serving of mild salsa

Snack:

1 Serving of Peanut butter / Whey Protein / Protein bar (questbar)

Lunch / Dinner:

Chicken/sweet potato/broccoli/asparagus

before bed:

Casein protein, 100% greek yogurt, peanut butter


I just ran the All American 10 miler two weeks ago (1 HR 17 MINS), and I am running the Army Birthday 10 Miler this coming Thursday. To play hard, You must work hard!
 
Last edited:

spamsk8r

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2001
1,787
0
76
For maximum fat loss/muscle gain (or at least muscle sparing) I would not recommend a body-part split type of routine. They take too long, and focus on small muscles. The focus should be on large, compound movements (squat, deadlift, bench, barbell rows, Olympic lift variants such as power clean and snatch if you have the facilities to do so, pull-ups, weighted dips) that use large quantities of muscle to move large loads. That's going to maximize the number of calories burned and get you stronger. If you want to add specific body part training (e.g. curls, calves) throw in a few sets at the end, you really don't need much more than that as a beginner (or even intermediate) to strength training.

For cardio you don't have to run, look up some Kettlebell complexes (which can be done with dumbbells if KBs are not available), you can get your heart rate going pretty high pretty quickly with something like that. Or look into Crossfit-esque conditioning circuits. Other ways to get conditioned are going on a hike with a weighted pack, pushing your car down the street, or hill sprints (which are easier on the joints than flat sprints due to the angle and the distance). Sprints on a rowing machine are excellent as well, you can smash yourself pretty good in about 10 minutes on a rower.

Trust me, you'll get a heck of a lot more out of this kind of program than a standard bodybuilding-type split (unless you're on exogenous hormone therapy and have a couple of hours a day to train).

Diet-wise: high protein from quality sources (meat, eggs, whey) first, lots of veggies, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and maybe a potato or rice now and then (after a workout, preferably). Real food trumps diet (i.e. fake) foods.

Google: Starting Strength, Kettlebell complexes, barbell complexes, intervals, hill sprints, GPP.
 

adleylab

Junior Member
Jun 5, 2013
4
0
0
The routine contains of two parts: Workout A and Workout B

Workout A:
- Biceps:
Preacher Curl (3 sets 8 reps)
Standing Cable curl (3 sets 8 reps)
- Shoulders:
Side lateral raise (3 sets 8 reps)
Seated dumbbell military press (3 sets 8 reps)
- Back
Lat pulldown (3 sets 8 reps)
Seated Cable rows (3 sets 8 reps)
Cable Shrugs (3 sets 8 reps)

Workout B:
- Chest
Bench press (3 sets 8 reps)
Butterfly machine (3 sets 8 reps)
- Triceps
Triceps pushdowns (3 sets 8 reps)
Seated tricep press (3 sets 8 reps)
- Legs
Lying leg curls (3 sets 8 reps)
Leg extensions (3 sets 8 reps)

So i go to the gym 3 times a week and I workout ABA first week and BAB second week. I had a hernia surgery 2 years ago and i don't feel comfortable doing squats and deadlifts and I try to avoid them. Also i do abs workout every training with crunches, rope crunches, side bends and seated leg tucks all 3 sets 10 reps. I plan on sticking to this routine for 1-2 months before going to a routine with 2 muscle groups a day 3 days a week with 3-4 exercices per muscle group because i feel i am not ready for so many exercices yet. I do 10-15 minutes of cardio every training. I would like to be in good shape in 5-6 months but it's not some deadline i'll continue to workout throughout and after the summer.

So that is my routine. Please tell me what you think about it. I feel comfortable with this but i will make some changes if this is a wrong way to go. Give me all your thoughts and suggestion. Thank you in advance.
 

blackdogdeek

Lifer
Mar 14, 2003
14,453
10
81
As spamsk8r suggested, I would also recommend a more compound lift focused regimen like Starting Strength.
 

Sid59

Lifer
Sep 2, 2002
11,879
3
81
another vote for Starting Strength or Stronglifts.
MWF - compound barbell movements
TTH - active recovery, slow jog or jump rope
accessory movements - chinup/pullups, dips, pushups, planks
All days - mobility, foam roller

obviously, change the days you want to workout but imo optimal weightloss and muscle gain are tied to diet, rest, and exercise, in order of importance.
 

spamsk8r

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2001
1,787
0
76
If you're afraid of lifting, the trick is to start super light. If you never squat or deadlift you'll never increase your strength or muscle mass in those areas, which will help *protect* you from further hernias. 2 years is plenty of time to recover from the surgery, just start out super light (like, just the bar light) and slowly increase load over time. Add in some abdominal stabilization work (planks, farmer walks) to increase strength in the abdominal wall and you should be money.

I'm just saying, I see a lot of people wasting their time in the gym doing programs like the one you've laid out, and by the time they come to me (I'm a Crossfit and weightlifting coach) they are totally imbalanced and we have to spend months undoing issues caused by not working the body as a whole. You would not believe the number of people I coach who tell me "I wish I had done this stuff (full-body, functional movements) from the beginning, I feel like I wasted so much time for so little gains. I just didn't know any better." Now you know better, do with it what you will, and good luck.
 

adleylab

Junior Member
Jun 5, 2013
4
0
0
Take Exercise Plan
Exercise Plan for Fitness Level 1
Start here if you have done little or no exercise in the last three months. Move on to level 2 when you have completed the four weeks of plan 1.
Exercise Plan for Fitness Level 2

Start at level 2 if you have been exercising once or twice a week in the last three months, and feel that level 1 would be too easy a starting point for you. Move on to level 3 when you have completed the four weeks of plan 2.
Exercise Plan for Fitness Level 3

Start at level 3 if you have been exercising 3 or more times a week in the last three months, and feel that level 2 would not be challenging enough for you. To keep improving your fitness when you have completed the four weeks of exercise plan 3, increase the duration of your workout 2-3 of the 5 times a week you do it - by adding more tracks to your step workout, and by doing two sets of exercises 2-4. You can also progress by adding resistance to your exercise plan, using tubes, bands or weights.