Workout Routine

[dougp]

I'm looking to get back into exercising - I pretty much know how I'm going to work on my cardio, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to weights. Kinda curious about what I should be doing, amount of reps and how many sets, etc. I know I'll have to test for my minimum weight, but how should I increase it?

I lost 95lbs and still have some loose skin, so I want to tighten it up and get some definition in my chest and stomach, I'm not really going for strength overall. I'm currently 5'10" and weight 165lbs on a good day, so I'm not really looking to gain weight. I'd also would like to avoid using any supplements/protein shakes unless you feel they're required to gain the muscle, and I'm not expecting a quick fix.

So with that said, any tips on getting started, and what I should do? Also, if you need more info, feel free to ask ...

 

[spamsk8r]

There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

 

[dougp]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

Thanks! I'm assuming that the # x # is sets and reps per set? Also, I'm extremely limited in my diet, as I can't have highly fatty foods, it wreaks havoc on my stomach and makes me ill - I eat quite a bit of chicken, and beef maybe 2x a week. Also, I like to eat lots of fresh veggies ... is there anything I need to add to my diet to increase protein outside of a shake? Should I switch to a FF yogurt + fresh fruit in the morning instead of cereal? Also, I'm assuming I should squeeze in cardio on Tues & Thurs?

 

[jiggahertz]

Originally posted by: dreadpiratedoug

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

Thanks! I'm assuming that the # x # is sets and reps per set? Also, I'm extremely limited in my diet, as I can't have highly fatty foods, it wreaks havoc on my stomach and makes me ill - I eat quite a bit of chicken, and beef maybe 2x a week. Also, I like to eat lots of fresh veggies ... is there anything I need to add to my diet to increase protein outside of a shake? Should I switch to a FF yogurt + fresh fruit in the morning instead of cereal? Also, I'm assuming I should squeeze in cardio on Tues & Thurs?

Tuna, cottage cheese and eggs are a couple of other good sources of protein. A lot of breakfast cereal is high in sugar. May want to try oats instead of cereal. Also, I'm not sure if my FF you mean fat free or full fat. Be careful with fat free products as often the makers bump up the sugar content.

 

[dougp]

Originally posted by: jiggahertz

Originally posted by: dreadpiratedoug

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

Thanks! I'm assuming that the # x # is sets and reps per set? Also, I'm extremely limited in my diet, as I can't have highly fatty foods, it wreaks havoc on my stomach and makes me ill - I eat quite a bit of chicken, and beef maybe 2x a week. Also, I like to eat lots of fresh veggies ... is there anything I need to add to my diet to increase protein outside of a shake? Should I switch to a FF yogurt + fresh fruit in the morning instead of cereal? Also, I'm assuming I should squeeze in cardio on Tues & Thurs?

Tuna, cottage cheese and eggs are a couple of other good sources of protein. A lot of breakfast cereal is high in sugar. May want to try oats instead of cereal. Also, I'm not sure if my FF you mean fat free or full fat. Be careful with fat free products as often the makers bump up the sugar content.

I'll have to search for alternatives for the 3 you listed - and I know that breakfast cereal is high in sugar, kinda makes me mad! I figured that I'd have to change that at some point ... and yah, FF = fatfree ...

 

[TheNinja]

My 3 day routine (throw in abs on some cardio days or something)

Day 1:
Chest and Triceps - totaling 18-20 working sets
Day 2:
Legs and Shoulders - totaling 18-20 working sets
Day 3:
Back and Biceps - totaling 18-20 working sets

My 4 day routine:
1 - Chest/Shoulders
2 - Legs
3 - Back
4 - Arms/Foreams/Abs


Take the time you need as rest days. Some people don't need as much rest. If you do the 3 day split you can usually hit each body part every 5-6 days. If you do the 4 day split it might be more like every 6-7 where you hit the body part.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

:thumbsup:

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

That may be a great program and I may try it. However I personally have a problem with doing squats every 2 days. If I squat heavy on Monday there is no way I'm squatting on Wednesday, maybe Friday if I recover by then. It just doesn't seem like enough recovery time to me, but again I have not tried it.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

That may be a great program and I may try it. However I personally have a problem with doing squats every 2 days. If I squat heavy on Monday there is no way I'm squatting on Wednesday, maybe Friday if I recover by then. It just doesn't seem like enough recovery time to me, but again I have not tried it.

Keep in mind that this is a beginner's workout. As you move up in weight, then yes, you might have to space it out to allow for more recovery time.

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: TheNinja

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
There's not much you can do to tighten up loose skin, it will just take time to tighten up. At 5' 10" 165 lbs. I would be looking to gain muscle and strength. If you've never lifted before I would recommend a program such as Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. The basic program is this:

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

Repeat these two weeks. Don't modify it. There are no isolation exercises. No bicep curls, no machine work. Again, DO NOT MODIFY IT. Eat a lot. You must eat to get stronger. To gain muscle you must lift heavy (i.e. if you can do 6 reps of a lift with a certain weight, it is too light. Increase it until you cannot do more than 5). Every week increase your weights. If you're not getting stronger you're not eating enough. Along with strength will come muscle size, which will help to fill out your frame and take you from skinny-fat to healthy looking. I guarantee you will get stronger if you follow this program. Protein shakes can be helpful but food is better.

That may be a great program and I may try it. However I personally have a problem with doing squats every 2 days. If I squat heavy on Monday there is no way I'm squatting on Wednesday, maybe Friday if I recover by then. It just doesn't seem like enough recovery time to me, but again I have not tried it.

True, you'll be squatting heavy, but the amount of total reps is not very large. After the first week or two these exercises will probably not leave you so sore that you cannot do a workout. I didn't come up with this program. It's been in use for decades and that's because it works. You should definitely start slow (especially if you haven't done these lifts before) and watch some videos to make sure your form is absolutely perfect for each lift. This will make you stronger and prevent injury. Like I said before, do not modify the program if you do try it.

Mark Rippetoe suggests drinking a gallon of whole milk every day on this program as well, which will definitely give you the necessary calories to build muscles (although many people disregard this advice, I think it's probably the best way to add pure muscle to your frame).