Joined a gym today, looking for thoughts on a routine

[QueBert]

It's a Fitness 19, has a nice assortment of machines, it's not big and has nothing super fancy, but it's only $14 a month and just opened up today so everything's brand new. My plan is to go 5 days a week around 8:30AM, and possibly a few times a week during the night. When I signed up last month I originally was just going to do mostly cardio, but I've re-thought that and want to do weights too. I'm 5'11 215lbs, I want to cardio off some fat, maybe get down to 190. And ultimately replace it with muscle. So maybe even shoot to wind up back at 215.

Tonight I did 20 minutes on the bike, they have Life Fitness, I kept my heart rate right around where it suggested at 147. Than I did 5 minutes on the Stair mill I pumped up the level a few times and ended up doing 10 floors. This machine looks pretty harmless, and while I was doing it I was sweating but I didn't feel it until I stepped off.

Any ways, they have trainers there, but I figured getting a 2nd opinion here on a good routine in generally couldn't hurt. Actually I haven't spoke to the trainers there yet. I plan to take tomorrow off and go back Friday, and talk to whoever's there. Then I could compare the advice I get off here with what they tell me. I bought a couple tubs of Nu-Tek protein and will take it on mornings I work out and again later that day. I'd also like some input so when I talk to the guy/girl on Friday I sound like I have somewhat of a clue what I'm talking about lol. This is what I'm thinking, mind you I'm a total workout n00b. Of course 10 minutes of stretches before every time I go.

Monday morning - 25 minutes on the bike with the cardio setting which switches the level based off your target heart rate. c25k on treadmill. 10 floors on stair mill.
Monday evening - weights, but meeeeh! I have no idea what to even start with lol
Tuesday morning - same as Monday on bike, treadmill for 30-40 minutes but only walking, same as Monday on stair mill.
Wednesday morning - same as Monday
Wed evening - help?
Thursday - same as Tuesday morning
Friday morning - same as Monday
Friday evening - ehh no clue

Sorry this is so long, I'm just excited to be going to a gym now.

 

[Kadarin]

First off, congrats to you for joining

When I started at my gym I hadn't done any weight training in decades so I started off with a trainer to both learn how to properly do the exercises and to establish routines, and now I just continue that on my own. A trainer will also be able to take you closer to your limits than you would likely go on your own, and paying for a trainer will also motivate you to continue going (you establish a relationship with the guy, and since you're paying you feel you have to go )

Have fun!

 

[QueBert]

A personal trainer there would be ideal, but right now I'm limited on the $$$. If it had cost much more than $14 a month I probably wouldn't have even joined. I could see how much individual sessions are, perhaps I could manage to budget in one a month or something. I suppose that would be better than nothing. But for the time being I'm going to have to get some tips and just wing it I'm down a hair over 20lbs from 3 months ago which is a pretty good start. Better than I had expected to be able to do anywho.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Congrats on making an investment in your health! Joining a gym is a fantastic move; I've seen your threads and IMO you've done the best possible thing for yourself by joining up.

As a novice to weight training, I would suggest checking out Starting Strength or Stronglifts. These are very good programs emphasizing compound lifts; you won't find any machine work in these programs, and IMO for someone just starting out that's a good thing. They're extremely popular, and Googling either should set you in the right direction.

Looking at either may leave you scratching your head thinking, "that's it"? Don't be fooled. If you follow the program you will see results.

 

[Saint Nick]

+1 for Starting Strength or Stronglifts. I still do my own variation on the SL routine and I have gained 20 pounds since December and have gotten much bigger arms O_O

 

[MegaVovaN]

I see these forums are still hardcore SL fans, same as years ago. And for a good reason!
+1 for Starting Strength

As for your original plan, what strikes me, is why so much? 5x a week and 2x a day on some days? You need some time to recover.

I'd do 3x a week, maybe 4x. With some break days in between (the rest days must not be all consecutive).

 

[QueBert]

Thank you for the positive encouragement all, that Starting Strength or Stronglifts wheresmybacon & Saint Nick - GREAT. The site for it says I can add 100lbs to what I can lift every month. Sounds like infomercial BS to me, but I don't gotta buy anything and you both speak highly of it. I'm a wimpy IT guy right now who never lifts anything if I could do this and be benching 200lbs by the end of the summer my mind will be blown. I don't even know what I could do now, but I'm sure it's not much lol.

anyone ideas how to properly utilize the Stair Mill? Googling it I saw a some tips like double steps but nothing about how long to use it for. It's so different from a Treadmill or the bike that I don't even know how to gauge using it. And unlike those 2 I didn't really feel anything until I got off it. I probably could have spent 30 minutes on it, but I feel if I had I'd have woke up this morning hating myself. Right now my thighs are a bit tight but no pain, I think I'll do some stretching now and head back and hit the bikes again for 30 minutes. Or even better go and start on this SL program since my arms are nice and fresh.

he he he damn stronglifts.com reads exactly like an infomercial.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I don't know why more people don't look at trimming down liek I do. It is not a weight thing. it is a waist size thing. I started at 226 pounds or so and a 38" waist. I'm down to 219 and 36". But my only goal is to get my waist to under 34" and 32" is the stretch goal. If I have a 32" waist at 6' in height and weigh 215 pounds I will not be fat.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Oh, get a multi-vitamin (they are like $10 for a years supply) and whey powder if you have not done so already.

Cut down on your carb intake.

And if you are older like me (35), you might have to come to admit that your body does not recover like it used to. I almost need to take a day off twice a week now insead of my intended one day a week. It helps with buidling strength.

 

[MayorOfAmerica]

I don't know why more people don't look at trimming down liek I do. It is not a weight thing. it is a waist size thing. I started at 226 pounds or so and a 38" waist. I'm down to 219 and 36". But my only goal is to get my waist to under 34" and 32" is the stretch goal. If I have a 32" waist at 6' in height and weigh 215 pounds I will not be fat.

You trying to get back in your wedding dress?

 

[QueBert]

Well I'll be damned I was right, stronglifts.com is in in fact trying to sell me a stupid book. Ugh I gave them my email out of excitement too. b***ards!

 

[jayzds]

Relax, no need to buy it...unless you want to. You will get e-mails from the blog when he starts it back up after summer and around Christmas time he gives an updated version of the PDF book away for free.

 

[QueBert]

Relax, no need to buy it...unless you want to. You will get e-mails from the blog when he starts it back up after summer and around Christmas time he gives an updated version of the PDF book away for free.

oh that's good to know, but I don't think I can wait that long because I'm literally about to go to the gym and start on it. I made an account on bodybuilding.com and am checking out their forum for noobs.

 

[Kadarin]

And if you are older like me (35), you might have to come to admit that your body does not recover like it used to. I almost need to take a day off twice a week now insead of my intended one day a week. It helps with buidling strength.

And if you're even older like me (42) and fighting the effects of blood pressure meds that limit your heart rate, don't be afraid to ramp up more slowly. You'll get there.

 

[brad310]

if i can save you some time, jam the cardio...but dont forget to count your calories or you might not see the results you want.

second, if the gym has a power rack, plant yourself there. I cannot over emphasize the value of using a barbell through space as opposed to the machine work. Im not one of the "never use a machine again" types, i think they serve a good purpose, but the power rack should be your mainstay with squats, bench, overhead press, and rows...and deadlifts if you feel froggy.

I worked out for quite a while before ever finding the starting strength information...and even though im not going to do his program because i still want to lose weight primarily, the information is invaluable. Learn to do a correct squat below parallel.

 

[supamerz]

Congrats on deciding to join a gym. Here's a few helpful tips:

1. Keep it simple. There is no right way to workout, but there is a wrong way. What I mean by this is you should find a routine, if you cannot create one yourself, and simply follow through with it.

2. Keeping log of what you do may seem like more work but it's a progressive increase in our strength and performance we are after! What better way to know what to do next week than to try to beat your last weeks results?

3. You're body is at an advantage now over the rest of us who workout daily, simply because of adaptation. Whatever little effort or a lot, you put in, you will see more results than I will working at the same relative workload. Hence, why a lot of individuals who are couch potatoes are able to drop tremendous amounts of body weight quickly.

4. Execution is more vital than numbers. The way you lift is more important than how much you can lift, do not let that get out of your head. There will be plenty of peacock guys in there walking with imaginary latte syndrome "thinking" they are big and strong.

Sample program 1 for beginner:
Monday - Legs - Quads/Hamstrings/Calves
Tuesday - Chest/Tricepts/Abs
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Back/Biceps/Abs
Friday - Shoulders/Traps
Saturday - Cardio 30-45 minutes
Sunday - Off


Sample program 2 for beginner:
Monday - Quads/Hamstrings/Calves
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - Chest/Tricepts/Abs
Thursday - Off
Friday - Back/Shoulders/Biceps
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Off

On both programs, you can incorporate cardio sessions, whether they are at the same time of the day you do weights or not, it's up to your schedule and preference.

I will tell you this, starting off with that much workload in the beginning is very hard to maintain and will cause a lot of fatigue. Remember, your body requires time to adapt and during rest is actually when you grow

Stronglifts or any other workout routine is fine because at this point you need to develop a baseline, a foundation. 6 Weeks later, you can take a whole new approach to working out.

Take care.

 

[QueBert]

supamerz great post, I found a 5x3 routine that's for total n00bs which would be me. And put an app called Jefit on my EVO, it'll allow me to track everything I do. Yeah it'll take time and be extra work but I think you saying to track everything's great idea. Guess I'll do the 5x3 until I'm ready to move up to 5x5.

This is what I found that like a good starting point

Here's a routine for beginners suggested by Mark Rippetoe, who specializes in getting beginners big and strong. A 30-40 lb increase in muscular bodyweight over a 6 month period is pretty standard with his athletes.

Workout A

3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift

Workout B

3x5 Squat
3x5 Military Press
3x5 Power Clean

Warm up using several sets before doing the 3 work sets (or 1 for the deadlift). If you're using 175, for example, it would look like this:

Warm up sets

2x5xbar (sets x reps x weight)
1x5x85
1x3x125
1x2x155

Work sets

3x5x175

You alternate workout A and B, 3 non-consecutive days per week. So you might do:

Week 1

M

Workout A

W

Workout B

F

Workout A

Week 2

M

Workout B

W

Workout A

F

Workout B

 

[Pantlegz]

Starting Strength is an awesome place to start. Just remember the first few weeks will be easy/light but take time to get form down so when you get heavier you don't run into problems. For instance, I still use proper bench press form when I'm doing 140 or 285 just to keep it ingrained.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

80% of how you're going to look physically is going to be diet if not more.

Try to get a 2 yr deal at the $14 a month price if possible. New gyms always offer really low rates until they get more established then they jack up the rates.

 

[marmasatt]

Congrats dude. I would go with something like this. Guys have been doing this routine for years. Whether it be professional athletes, college kids, or 50 year old dads trying to get back into shape. It's a solid program.

Sample program 1 for beginner:
Monday - Legs - Quads/Hamstrings/Calves
Tuesday - Chest/Tricepts/Abs
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Back/Biceps/Abs
Friday - Shoulders/Traps
Saturday - Cardio 30-45 minutes
Sunday - Off

Don't set your goals too lofty. The old "you have to build the wall before you can paint it" cliche has been around for years. There's probably a reason for that. Whether it's UFC guys or bodybuilders, etc - it's much easier to put on the muscle and then take off the fat I think. I don't know that it's as easy as people think to do both at once. As you know, muscle doesn't turn to fat. It's kind of hard sometimes to do both at once. I also think diet should be the biggest part of the equation as someone else mentioned. At any rate, good for you!

 

[QueBert]

Congrats dude. I would go with something like this. Guys have been doing this routine for years. Whether it be professional athletes, college kids, or 50 year old dads trying to get back into shape. It's a solid program.

Sample program 1 for beginner:
Monday - Legs - Quads/Hamstrings/Calves
Tuesday - Chest/Tricepts/Abs
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Back/Biceps/Abs
Friday - Shoulders/Traps
Saturday - Cardio 30-45 minutes
Sunday - Off

Don't set your goals too lofty. The old "you have to build the wall before you can paint it" cliche has been around for years. There's probably a reason for that. Whether it's UFC guys or bodybuilders, etc - it's much easier to put on the muscle and then take off the fat I think. I don't know that it's as easy as people think to do both at once. As you know, muscle doesn't turn to fat. It's kind of hard sometimes to do both at once. I also think diet should be the biggest part of the equation as someone else mentioned. At any rate, good for you!

Oh my goals are very low trust me, my diet really sucks though, it's a lot better than it was 3 months ago, but that's not saying much at all. I literally gag at just the smell of Broccoli. I tried to eat some last week and my gag reflexes just went into over drive after the 1st bite. I guess it's a mind over matter thing, but I don't know how I'm going to overcome it. I also have a similar reaction to Lima Beans, Cauliflower, Asparagus, Spinach you name it. The only veggies I like are Peas and Corn, which unfortunately are 2 of the least good ones I should be eating. I do chomp down salads with Romaine and either a fat free or low fat dressing. I don't know how I'm going to get myself to where I can eat what I know I need to, will be so hard Right now I'm eating a Healthy cereal like Grape Nuts or Cherrios or Cinnamon Oatmeal both with 8th Continent Complete Vanilla Soy Milk. And a couple Nu-Tek protein shakes made with the Soy Milk a day. So I guess it's a start. Veggies though, UUUUUGH LOL.

And ugh they don't have a Smith machine, and at least tonight all the dudes in the weight section looked pretty hardcore. Guess I'll have to break down tomorrow if it's the same and ask one to spot me when I do my bench presses. Silly me thought Smith machines were common in gyms.

 

[marmasatt]

I wouldn't worry too much about "eating your veggies" my man. You're not a kid. While yes, you should have a balanced diet, it's not like eating veggies are going to make you fit, lol. Fruit is really good for you, and it's so much easier to eat. And I don't mean to be so cavalier, but just eat less. Changing your diet is one thing, but the trick is to burn more than you consume. It's a very simple concept that people ignore. Just by you changing your diet and "burning" more whether it be through cardio/light exercise, or weights, you are on the right track. Graze throughout the day, or do the 5 mini meal thing and find some snacks that work for you.

 

[QueBert]

a n00b question about Stronglifts, just about all the info I've read on it's saying every workout you should add 5lbs to your previous one. I was looking at the gym and the smallest plates they have are 10's. Wouldn't a 20lb minimum jump every workout render this program pretty useless? I know I'm not going to be able to move up that much weight every time I work out. And it seems the gradual increase is the basis of it.

 

[Dwarf]

When I stared out, I focused mainly on circuit training (mostly isolated muscle excercises) to build necessary strength and heavy cardio (30-40 minutes of resistance based ellipitcal work to burn calories).

After a few months, I switched to my current routine - and I modify it as I get more experience. This is my routine 3 to 4 times a week (every listed excercise is done), I vary it slightly depending on mood, but the order of excercises is important to stress only certain muscles at a time.

Bench Press (2 sets x 6 reps)
- Chest / Deltoids / Triceps

Incline Bench Press (3 sets x 8-10 reps)
- Deltoids / Chest / Triceps

Hack Squat Machine (3 sets x 10-12 reps)
- Legs (Quadriceps, Calves), Parts of the lower back

Pull Ups / Dips - Alternating (3 sets each x 7 reps = 6 sets x 7 reps total)
- Biceps, Lats / Tricep, Lats

Calf Raise Machine (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Mostly Calves, some Upper leg

Deadlifts (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Lower Back, Quadriceps, Hamstrings

Leg Curl Machine (3 sets x 10 reps)
- Mostly Hamstrings

Weighted Crunch Machine (3 sets x 15-20 reps)
- Rectus Abdominus, Lower Back

Seated Row Machine (3 sets x 8 reps)
- Lats, other back muscles, biceps

I follow this up with 15 minutes of running on a treadmill and 3 minutes of walking to cooldown (18 minutes total).

 

[HN]

the power rack should be your mainstay with squats, bench, overhead press, and rows...and deadlifts if you feel froggy.

Note that brad310 left out curls. That was no accident.