Looking for advice

[Krazy4Real]

Hey everyone.

I'm looking to get in shape for my wedding. I don't know a lot about this kind of stuff, so I'm really looking for advice. I'm currently 6' 2" and weigh 218 Lbs. I get married on June 7th, 2008 and at that point I think a good goal would be 195 Lbs. I have been going to the gym 3 times a week for the past 3 months. My weight before going to the gym was 215 Lbs. I have steadily been able to increase the weight I'm lifting but I haven't had weight loss. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong.

Basically, I go after work on Mon, Wed, and Fri. I alternate between two workout routines. This is also the actual order I do the exercises in.

Day 1
Barbell curls - 3 x 15 @ 20 Lbs
Triceps extension with barbell - 3 x 12 @ 15 Lbs
Butterfly Machine - 3 x 10 @ 80 Lbs
Arm Press Machine - 3 x 10 @ 75 Lbs
Ab Machine - 4 x 30 @ 50 Lbs
15 Minutes of rowing

Day 2
Leg Press Machine - 3 x 15 @ 160 Lbs
Leg Extension Machine - 3 x 12 @ 55 Lbs
Calf Machine - 3 x 15 @ 140 Lbs
Hamstring Curl Machine - 3 x 12 @ 55 Lbs
Ab Machine - 4 x 30 @ 50 Lbs
15 minutes of elliptical machine

I don't think I eat enough. I'm trying to figure out how to track using fitday as I type this. The only supplement I take is whey protein.

Food
breakfast - oatmeal bar
lunch - Sandwich with chips
dinner - varies

I don't eat any snacks which I think is a problem. I do get hungry but I won't eat until my next meal.

Some other random things:
I don't remember the last time I had fast food
I don't have a sweet tooth
I like working out and have no problem getting to the gym
This is the first time in my life I've been this serious about getting in shape
I need some advice

Thanks in advance. Let me know if I'm missing something or you need more info.

 

[ElFenix]

if you're trying to lose fat you need a lot more aerobic exercise. 45 minutes a day will start you off pretty well.

gaining muscle isn't going to lose weight (muscle is dense). you're going to take the fat off more rapidly, to begin with, by cutting and aerobics. you need a 3500 calorie per week deficit to lose just 1 pound of fat per week. if i were you i'd drop the protein powder for the moment. or maybe the oatmeal bar, depending on how much sugar it has in it.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Elfenix is right, more cardio and aerobic. 1lb is roughly equal to 3500 calories. I would suggest getting body fat test too from your gym to track your progress. It will also tell you what your metabolism rate is. Also cut the machines and switch to free weights, they will burn more calories. If you're trying to lose weight you are going to want to also cut down on the bulking up exercises, maybe if your gym has a Keiser machine or something like that because a lot of the time strictly lifting weights builds a lot of unuseable muscle and if you're trying to lose weight the last thing you want is to pack on lbs of unuseable muscle. Many of the cardio machines also have a "fitness test" feature which can be used to track your progress.

 

[Krazy4Real]

The weight goal is not my biggest priority. I generally just want to be in better health. I consider myself pretty weak right now. That's the main reason for me wanting to build muscle. I'm just not sure what I really want at this point. I want to get stronger, but I don't necessarily want to get much bulkier. I'm probably not making any sense. I guess I need to figure out what my body fat % is. Next time I'm at the gym I'll get that scheduled.

 

[KoolDrew]

You're routine sucks. Also, you lose weight by being in a calorie deficit, which is all diet. So definitely start tracking on fitday. Do that for about a week just to see where your diet is currently at and then we can adjust from there.

As for the routine, on a cut the goal is pretty much to hold onto as much muscle you currently have as possible. Unless you're a completely beginner you won't gain much if any muscle mass in a calorie deficit. Energy levels will also be down. Because of all of this, you want to keep exercises short while hitting as many muscle groups as possible well. This is done by compound movements. Stick to squats, deadlifts, bench, OH Press, Rows, Chins / Pulldowns, etc. Something like the Starting Strength model by Mark Rippetoe would be perfect...

Workout A:
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Deadlift 1x5

Workout B
Squat 3x5
OH Press 3x5
Barbell Rows 3x5

Workout 3x a week, alternating between the two. So it'll look like this...

Week 1:
M: Workout A
W: Workout B
F: Workout A

Week 2:
M: Workout B
W: Workout A
F: Workout B

Sticking some cardio in after your workout or on off days is a good idea as well for general health and creating a small calorie deficit to allow more flexibility in your diet. Unless it's a really intense cardio session, I like to do it after a weight lifting session. It's actually been shown to reduce soreness the following day and will help burn of fatty acids that were mobilized during lifting. Any type of interval training cardio should probably be done on its own day or a while from your workout for best results though. If you havn't done much cardio before I'd probably just start by doing steady-state cardio on the treadmill or whatever after your workouts. Then once you've gotten into a little better shape, start incorporating some interval training in on off days.

If you're trying to lose weight you are going to want to also cut down on the bulking up exercises, maybe if your gym has a Keiser machine or something like that because a lot of the time strictly lifting weights builds a lot of unuseable muscle and if you're trying to lose weight the last thing you want is to pack on lbs of unuseable muscle.

Yea, because muscle mass has absolutely nothing to do with your metabolic rate, thus doesn't effect fat loss at all... :roll:

Seriously... do you people think before you post or stop and think "maybe I shouldn't give this guy advice because I have no idea what I'm talking about and don't want to give him the wrong information and hinder his progress as a result." If more people thought like that, there'd be a lot less misinformation out there causing people to be unsuccessful with their fitness goals.