New to working out.

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
D

Dryfter

Member
May 17, 2007
77
0
0
I want to start getting in shape and loosing some of my holiday fat. haha. I used to be in very good shape but at the end of high school it all just went down hill.

I have access to a gym. I don't want to do free weights because I go to work out alone. My gym has the "technogym" stuff.

I should probably specify what I'm going for. I'm currently 5'10 maybe 5'11, I weigh around 160. I'm getting a stomach on me so thats what I want to get rid of, but also I want to be able to run longer than 20 seconds without getting tired. haha. Getting stronger is also a plus.

I eat like crap but I'm slowly changing that. I've cut pop out of my diet (maybe once a week). I drink about 1 Liter of water a day. The only greens I really like are salads.

Any suggestions on what to eat would be wonderful also, if you want to include recipes, that would be awesome.

I got this from another post (thanks spamsk8r), the guy was about the same weight and hight as me.
________________________
Workout A
* Squats: 3 x 5
* Bench Press: 3 x 5
* Deadlift: 1 x 5
* Dips (weighted): 2 x 5-8

Workout B
* Squats: 3 x 5
* Press: 3 x 5
* Power Clean: 3 x 5
* Chin-ups: 3 x 8


First week:
* Monday: Workout A
* Wednesday: Workout B
* Friday: Workout A

Second week:
* Monday: Workout B
* Wednesday: Workout A
* Friday: Workout B
______________________________

I know these are free weights. But I might be able to get a friend to come with me... Anything I can do on machines? I'm not really worried about fast improvement, just something to get rid of my stomach.

Thanks!
 
BlackTigers

BlackTigers

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2006
4,491
2
71
To help drop some of that poundage, maybe try some HiiT? That would also increase your stamina a bit as well.

 
J

jiggahertz

Golden Member
Apr 7, 2005
1,532
0
76
160 at 5'11" seems pretty tiny unless you have a rather small frame. But, if you want to loose weight you're going to have to be in a caloric deficit. Track what you currently eat for a week (fitday), and then decrease your calories by 500/day. Adjust your intake accordingly so you're loosing ~1 lb/wk.

As for working out without a spotter, the majority of those exercises can be done w/o a spot. Squats can be done in a power rack with safety pins in place. You can also use DBs instead of BBs if you need to drop the weight. Start out light and work your way up. I'm not sure what technogym stuff is, but Hammer Strength machines are a good complement to free weights.
 
D

Dryfter

Member
May 17, 2007
77
0
0
Maybe, i weight more than that then... haha Really i'm not concerned about my weight.

Really I just want to be more toned.
 
K

KoolDrew

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
10,226
7
81
I don't want to do free weights because I go to work out alone.
Click to expand...

Use the power rack and set the pins to a safe height. There, no problem. If you can get a friend to come with you, definitely do though. More for motivational purposed than anything else though.

As for the routine you outlined, it's perfect. Just start light and concentrate on good form. You should progressively add more weight and get stronger, but never sacrifice form for more weight. If form starts to go to crap, lower the weight until you get it right.

In addition to the lifting, just throw in some cardio on off days or a little bit after your workout. Don't spend too much time worrying about cardio though. It's great to do for heart health and create a small calorie deficit, but the real defecit will come from your diet.

As for diet, it may seem like a lot, but go to www.fitday.com and start tracking what you eat. Track what you eat for a week and work from there.
 
S

spamsk8r

Golden Member
Jul 11, 2001
1,787
0
76
Originally posted by: Dryfter
I want to start getting in shape and loosing some of my holiday fat. haha. I used to be in very good shape but at the end of high school it all just went down hill.

I have access to a gym. I don't want to do free weights because I go to work out alone. My gym has the "technogym" stuff.

I should probably specify what I'm going for. I'm currently 5'10 maybe 5'11, I weigh around 160. I'm getting a stomach on me so thats what I want to get rid of, but also I want to be able to run longer than 20 seconds without getting tired. haha. Getting stronger is also a plus.

I eat like crap but I'm slowly changing that. I've cut pop out of my diet (maybe once a week). I drink about 1 Liter of water a day. The only greens I really like are salads.

Any suggestions on what to eat would be wonderful also, if you want to include recipes, that would be awesome.

I got this from another post (thanks spamsk8r), the guy was about the same weight and hight as me.
________________________
Workout A
* Squats: 3 x 5
* Bench Press: 3 x 5
* Deadlift: 1 x 5
* Dips (weighted): 2 x 5-8

Workout B
* Squats: 3 x 5
* Press: 3 x 5
* Power Clean: 3 x 5
* Chin-ups: 3 x 8


First week:
* Monday: Workout A
* Wednesday: Workout B
* Friday: Workout A

Second week:
* Monday: Workout B
* Wednesday: Workout A
* Friday: Workout B
______________________________

I know these are free weights. But I might be able to get a friend to come with me... Anything I can do on machines? I'm not really worried about fast improvement, just something to get rid of my stomach.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The only free-weight exercise that cannot be done safely with free weights is the bench press (unless you use a power rack as a safety mechanism). Well, that's not true, it's only dangerous if you are going to failure (which you should be very close to if you follow the Starting Strength program) Squats you can do in the power rack and bail out if you fail. Deadlifts you can just drop the weight on the ground. Same with the shoulder press. I would absolutely recommend against using machines. They're have the potential to be injurious to your body (as they force it to go through ranges of motion that don't exist in nature) and they don't elicit any real metabolic response. If you don't believe me, do this: load up a squat machine or leg press, do a couple of sets. Then load up a barbell and do some squats. I guarantee you that the squats will be not only more difficult, but they'll also get your heart rate going a lot harder and will force you to stabilize the weight. I don't believe in only training the areas that are already strong, I think weaknesses should be found and crushed, and that's usually by doing lifts that are initially unpleasant and uncomfortable.

That being said, if you do freeweight exercises I recommend looking them up online and doing them with absolute perfect form. You might have to go lighter at first, but you will become stronger in the long run, and you will also mitigate your risk of injury. Working out with a friend is always good, as you can critique each other's form and provide encouragement/healthy competition. You will also want to get some form of cardio, be it running, rowing, cycling, etc. HIIT is best for a metabolic hit, so I recommend it if your body can handle it. If not, you can work up to it with some lower intensity stuff, but if you want to increase your cardio capacity you'll need to do high intensity exercises eventually.
 
K

KoolDrew

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
10,226
7
81
That being said, if you do freeweight exercises I recommend looking them up online and doing them with absolute perfect form.
Click to expand...

There's so many poor examples of "good form" online that you're better off buying Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and perfecting form that way.
 
F

FearoftheNight

Diamond Member
Feb 19, 2003
5,101
0
71
Originally posted by: KoolDrew
That being said, if you do freeweight exercises I recommend looking them up online and doing them with absolute perfect form.
Click to expand...

There's so many poor examples of "good form" online that you're better off buying Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and perfecting form that way.
Click to expand...

rawr there's a 2nd edition: basic barbell training
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom