Need to hit the gym, waht should I do there?

[NuclearFusi0n]

A little info:
16 yo
140 lbs
5' 9"
a bit on the scrawny side

I've never been to a gym, and I have no idea what to do when I get there, what machines to use, etc. Anybody feel like helping me plan a typical workout? Thx.
I want to focus on losing excess flab and replacing with muscle. I don't want to gain weight, I just want to increase my endurance, and put on some muscle.

 

[JoPh]

cardio stuff.

 

[Jzero]

Drink beer. What else does one do at a gym??

 

[GoingUp]

Cardio

And

Weights (bench, squats, curls, etc....)

 

[PunDogg]

yeah cardio stuff to get rid of the flab, also if u want to gain mass, take to the physical trainer, they will help you out with the gyms machines. There are a number of stuff u can do to gain mass. but when u lift just mak esure u have a spotter even if the weight is light.

Dogg

 

[woowoo]

Scope out the chicks?

 

[Kevin]

What you shouldn't do is use too much weight. Start off small then gradually increase as your visits progress...

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n
A little info:
16 yo
140 lbs
5' 9"
a bit on the scrawny side

I've never been to a gym, and I have no idea what to do when I get there, what machines to use, etc. Anybody feel like helping me plan a typical workout? Thx.
I want to focus on losing excess flab and replacing with muscle. I don't want to gain weight, I just want to increase my endurance, and put on some muscle.

RUN, its free and you dont need to go to a gym

 

[toant103]

Originally posted by: JoPh
cardio stuff.

hahaha.

I always run. at least 3 miles a day.

On a good day, about 9

 

[StageLeft]

See a trainer at the gym. Often times trainers have the tendency to give people "pussy" routines, like relying heavily on machines and high reps and nothing manly like bench press or squats. But it's better than nothing and once you get a feel of it you can start looking at other excercises. You could alternatively get a routine from a book or mens health magazine (the routines in bodybuilding mags like flex are utterly worthless, although not all the mags have roids-routines).

The quickest and easiest thing to do would be to hire a personal trainer for a few sessions but that may cost $30-40/hour although after a few sessions they can have you on a solid routine.

Start with the trainer at the gym though. Request a guy trainer if you can and hopefully he has some muscle on him so he knows what he's doing.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n
A little info:
16 yo
140 lbs
5' 9"
a bit on the scrawny side

I've never been to a gym, and I have no idea what to do when I get there, what machines to use, etc. Anybody feel like helping me plan a typical workout? Thx.
I want to focus on losing excess flab and replacing with muscle. I don't want to gain weight, I just want to increase my endurance, and put on some muscle.

RUN, its free and you dont need to go to a gym

And when you take your shirt off you'll like like "a runner"

 

[MuffD]

If you're scrawny, I wouldn't do any cardio. What are your goals?
If you want to trim down, then cardio and weights. If you want to put on some size, weight train.

 

[Arkitech]

The cheapest way would probably be doing a pushup regimine and lots of running. I did that all thru high school and although I was'nt a hulking monster my biceps, shoulders and chest were a nice size for my age. (plus no flab )

 

[Arkitech]

A couple of links on pushups

www.askmen.com



Not really a routine but an interesting article, this is a suicide mission

 

[beer]

This is what happens when you ask for training advice on a geek forum. A bunch of worthless answers.

If you're 140 lbs, you don't need to run. For 5'9" you are a relative lightweight. Running will only further reduce the amount of muscle mass you have. What you need to do is get familiar with a lot of the core, brute strength building exercises - namely, I would say that bench press, military press, dumbell rows for your back, and straight-bar bicep curls should be your foundation. Squats should be thrown in eventually; deadlifts are still a lot more advanced, but they make you incredibly strong like nothing else.

If you don't know what a particular lift is, google it. While I don't agree with everything they say, this site appears to be decent.

Most importantly, try to know at least what you are roughly trying to do before you get into the gym. Also, bringing a friend is probably the best move you can make - both moral support, and spotter support.

good luck.

EDIT: BTW....don't waste your time with pushups. They'll work for a bit and then severely limit the amount of muscle you can have, simply because you can do no more than your bodyweight, obviously. Anyone that has been in the gym for any length of time can do more than their bodyweight on most of your important lifts (i.e, bench). By doing high repetitions, you really aren't doing anything for your muscles. Yea, you'll look a bit more 'cut', but you'll still be 140 lbs....an ideal target weight for you should be 160, at least. (long-term goal)

 

[blackdogdeek]

here's a simple routine:

weights:

1. bench press(it's a machine that mimics the push up motion but either from a lying down position or an upright seated position): lift 3 sets of 10-12 reps at a weight that lets you just complete 10-12 reps with 1 minute rest interval

2. lat pulldown(it's a machine that mimics the pull-up/chin-up motion): lift 3 sets of 10-12 reps as above

3. military press(it's a machine where you push the weight above your head from the sides): lift 3 sets of 10-12 reps as above

if you're ok lifting legs(legs are a huge muscle group and will help to burn off calories you intake and thereby lessen stored fat):

4. leg press(it's a machine that pretty much mimics the motion of standing up from a squatted position): lift 3 sets of 10-12 reps as above

cardio:

treadmill(typical running machine) or elliptical trainer(it's a machine that simulates running) or stairmaster(you'll know it when you see it): 20-30 mins depending on your current ability. depending on your age you can try to aim for a target heartbeat for maximal benefit. there should be a chart in the gym or you can ask a trainer or i'm sure you can find one online.

notes: don't lift two days in a row, always leave a day for your muscles to recuperate. you will definitely be sore the next day if you've never lifted before but that's normal. you can do cardio everyday but i'd start out also at every other day. if you lift free weights instead of using the machines always ask someone for a spot(people are usually cool about this). spotting for someone means helping the person complete a rep by supporting the weight right at the end of the motion and in the extreme case, making sure the weight doesn't crush the person if the person fails the rep. just look around the gym and you'll most likely see other people spotting for someone.

good luck!

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
This is what happens when you ask for training advice on a geek forum. A bunch of worthless answers.

So...uh doesn't that mean that your post is equally worthless?

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Elemental007
This is what happens when you ask for training advice on a geek forum. A bunch of worthless answers.

So...uh doesn't that mean that your post is equally worthless?

Skoorb - Your response was pretty good. I was directing that towards everyone suggesting he should run...at 140 lbs, that should be the last thing on his mind. I don't understand why people don't realize that bodyweight exercises, like pushups and situps (with the esception of dips) do not work for any sort of strength increase.....

 

[Spamela]

Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n
A little info:
16 yo
140 lbs
5' 9"
a bit on the scrawny side

I've never been to a gym, and I have no idea what to do when I get there, what machines to use, etc. Anybody feel like helping me plan a typical workout? Thx.
I want to focus on losing excess flab and replacing with muscle. I don't want to gain weight, I just want to increase my endurance, and put on some muscle.

how much "excess flab" can you have at 5'9", 140lbs?

get some informed expertise - get a gym trainer & find out their qualifications/certifications before you start working with them. i guarantee you that asking some random guy in the gym who looks strong will only screw you up.

do your workout & don't try to impress anyone or else:
1 you'll look like an idiot to people who know what they're doing
2 you'll probably injure yourself
3 your gains won't be as good

too much cardio (for endurance) will just make you scrawnier.

 

[Spac3d]

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Elemental007
This is what happens when you ask for training advice on a geek forum. A bunch of worthless answers.

So...uh doesn't that mean that your post is equally worthless?

Skoorb - Your response was pretty good. I was directing that towards everyone suggesting he should run...at 140 lbs, that should be the last thing on his mind. I don't understand why people don't realize that bodyweight exercises, like pushups and situps (with the esception of dips) do not work for any sort of strength increase.....

Yeah, you give good advice. Just because he isn't overweight, he shouldn't do cardo.

You are an idiot.

 

[beer]

by the way, it should be said that it is much, much harder to simultanesouly lose fat and put on muscle. It just doesn't work without anabolics. If you want to put on muscle, you're going to need to accept the fact that you WILL initially put on a bit of weight, and it will not all be muscle at first. But that's the beauty....you can cut down eventually. Hell, I was at 185 before my last powerlifting meet, up from 175 last fall...now I'm about 178 again, and I didn't lose much strength while losing that 8 lbs. But you need to realize that you're going to put on some weight, in the short term. If you try to both lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, you will just get needlessly frustrated and you won't go anywhere. Weight isn't a bad thing, in and of itself. Excessive fat is. And the more muscle you put on, the more calories your body will burn when it's not doing anything. So really, more muscle mass will eventually mean less fat.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: Spac3d

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Elemental007
This is what happens when you ask for training advice on a geek forum. A bunch of worthless answers.

So...uh doesn't that mean that your post is equally worthless?

Skoorb - Your response was pretty good. I was directing that towards everyone suggesting he should run...at 140 lbs, that should be the last thing on his mind. I don't understand why people don't realize that bodyweight exercises, like pushups and situps (with the esception of dips) do not work for any sort of strength increase.....

Yeah, you give good advice. Just because he isn't overweight, he shouldn't do cardo.

You are an idiot.

Putting on muscle + doing cardio is not a good combination. This becomes even moreso true when you're doing a lot of leg workouts. What the hell kind of person would honestly think that he can put on substantial muscle while doing cardio?

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Elemental007
This is what happens when you ask for training advice on a geek forum. A bunch of worthless answers.

So...uh doesn't that mean that your post is equally worthless?

Skoorb - Your response was pretty good. I was directing that towards everyone suggesting he should run...at 140 lbs, that should be the last thing on his mind. I don't understand why people don't realize that bodyweight exercises, like pushups and situps (with the esception of dips) do not work for any sort of strength increase.....

You know it really annoys me when people like you decide that they know everything and feel the need to f*cking dispute everyone else.

But lets just review some things for the sake of arguement.

Fact: Running can benefit anyone no matter what the age or size, cardio helps to burn calories. In turn burning calories will reduce bodyfat percentages.

Fact: Pushups WILL result in strength increase, especially for beginners.

 

[Spac3d]

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Spac3d

Originally posted by: Elemental007

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Elemental007
This is what happens when you ask for training advice on a geek forum. A bunch of worthless answers.

So...uh doesn't that mean that your post is equally worthless?

Skoorb - Your response was pretty good. I was directing that towards everyone suggesting he should run...at 140 lbs, that should be the last thing on his mind. I don't understand why people don't realize that bodyweight exercises, like pushups and situps (with the esception of dips) do not work for any sort of strength increase.....

Yeah, you give good advice. Just because he isn't overweight, he shouldn't do cardo.

You are an idiot.

Putting on muscle + doing cardio is not a good combination. This becomes even moreso true when you're doing a lot of leg workouts. What the hell kind of person would honestly think that he can put on substantial muscle while doing cardio?

I never said anything about cardio leading to putting on muscle, but cardio does is good for the body. You shouldn't just discount cardio because you want to put on size.

He did say,

I don't want to gain weight, I just want to increase my endurance, and put on some muscle.

meaning that he wants to stay lean and increase endurance. Cardio will help him reach his goal.

 

[Marshallj]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
by the way, it should be said that it is much, much harder to simultanesouly lose fat and put on muscle. It just doesn't work without anabolics. If you want to put on muscle, you're going to need to accept the fact that you WILL initially put on a bit of weight, and it will not all be muscle at first. But that's the beauty....you can cut down eventually. Hell, I was at 185 before my last powerlifting meet, up from 175 last fall...now I'm about 178 again, and I didn't lose much strength while losing that 8 lbs. But you need to realize that you're going to put on some weight, in the short term. If you try to both lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, you will just get needlessly frustrated and you won't go anywhere. Weight isn't a bad thing, in and of itself. Excessive fat is. And the more muscle you put on, the more calories your body will burn when it's not doing anything. So really, more muscle mass will eventually mean less fat.

This is very true, something I see a lot of people getting frustrated with, and something I learned from my own frustrating experience. You're either bulking up (muscle and fat) or you're cutting down (muscle and fat). If you want to lose fat, you're going to lose a bit of muscle. And if you want to put on muscle, you're going to put on some fat too. That's why weight lifters gain mass in the offseason, and then tone down before tournaments...because they're not going to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously.