Finally rejoined the gym, help me make a workout schedule and answer my qusestions!
 

Ok so I finally rejoined the gym, and I plan on taking it seriously this time.

I am a small dude, for anyone who has seen me.
My objectives are to:
- beef up a bit (get cut, not be so skinny anymore),
- get some arms and forarms to at least be able to rock a watch
- get a nice set of abs
- work on my cardio and overall health.

Here are my questions:
- How often to work out in a week? How often to work out the same part of the body?
- What parts of the body to work on on each given day?
- Should I do cardio before or after muscle building? or do I leave it on a separate day by itself?
- Should I hit the gym between lunch and supper? (around 3pm) or after supper? (around 8pm)
- Protein? Creatine? Do I take it before or after my workout? do I take it on days I'm not working out?
- Should I focus on weights with or without ropes? (the ones you pull, etc)

looking forward to some good replies
thanks in advance!

What the fuck did you join a gym for if you gotta come here and ask all these questions? Don't they have trainers at your gym?

Just ask your questions at the gym or visit t-nation.com

like people here work out

bdjufy where you been???????????????????????????????????????


airek

I will meet with a trainer at the gym tomorrow to get some of these questions answered, but I wanted to hear a GFY perspective also :)

Airek, too bad we missed you at the Costa Rica Bash, was an amazing show and not the same without you!

yah man. had i not be in the final stages of the new shanesworld i surely would have been there. i love that country. its amazing. all good people go to that show too. wish i could have been there with you guys.
:thumbsup:)

Hey man, although myself and many others here could give you some advice, if you can afford a few sessions with a trainer it's really going to be the very best advice you can get.

You need a schedule that works for you. You need routines you can follow and understand and most importantly you need to learn proper form for all of the exercises.

Just get a personal trainer maybe a couple or three times a week for a month, then once a week for 6 more months, then you'll be golden. I know you can afford it, so might as well do it right. :)

I always thought hiring a personal trainer to always be there with you is kinda pointless. I thought just once and I would be fine

you're saying to get a few prepaid sessions with one?
it's definitely worth it?

Find a work out partner.

Do something along these lines:

Mon: Chest, Biceps
Tue: Legs
Wed: Off
Thur: Traps, Shoulders, Tris
Fri: Back
Sat: Cardio

On each day you are at the gym do Abs... Or every other day and include it into the Cardio day.

Don't tell me how you don't want to grow tree trunks for legs... If you don't add something to those twigs of yours you will not grow anywhere else.

I used to laugh pretty hard at guys that would go to the gym and ask me how I got my arms and chest so big... Could I give them some advice and I'd ask them what they do when they come to the gym. Chest and Biceps... Only... So I would tell them to do their back and legs and shoulders... And they would say no thanks... Then a few weeks later they would come back and start working their legs, back and shoulders because they would realize that is the only way the rest of their body will continue to grow.

You pay $400 for faggedy jeans.....You can afford a trainer.

start w/ the standard 3x5 routine then work your way up to a 5x5 (google it and you'll find everything you need to know)

and EAT

fuck everything else, just EAT... a lot

take a good multi vitamin like "adam" and a tablespoon of fish oil a day..

you'll be chillin

Do you actually work out at home, and have surpassed the limits of those workouts to necessitate a gym membership?

I know a lot of people that don't do shit at home, then they expect something magical to happen because they buy a gym membership.

work out hard and eat right until you look like this:
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/phot...46222_5479.jpg

Cardio only once a week?
why did I have the impression I should be doing at least a bit of cardio every day?

bump to the top!

hey bdjuf it was good meeting you in costa rica, go karting was dope. Anyways ill hit you up with my workout plan in a bit.

Blah blah blah man. Don't make it so complicated. Start off slow, 30 - 60 minute workout. You don't need cardio, that'll burn too many calories. Lift weights every other day. One day, exercise upper body, another day work out lower body. Eat lots of protein.

If you want to learn how to do all your exercises correctly and with proper form, then buy a weight lifting book or DVD.

That's it. You're welcome :)

starpimps, show me a pic so I remember which one of the "boys" you were, hehe

Before I got into adult I was a fitness instructor and i've been working out for 5 years.

I'll give you some newbie tips for getting big:

Work your full body 3 - 4 times a week

Focus on compound exercises; squats, deadlifts, bench press, lat pulldown, bent over rows, cable rows, military press

Stick to the 8 - 15 rep range

Make sure you're getting enough calories and eat about twice as much carbs as you do protein


Some common mistakes to avoid:

Jumping into a full blown professional body builder workout
Doing a split routine
Doing one exercise for each muscle
Buying expensive shakes and taking them at precise times - you only need shakes if you can't consume enough solid food
Eating loads of protein - carbs and protein build muscle, you're not on a high protein diet like the Atkins which is used to loose weight

Chad Waterbury has wrote some good stuff if you want to learn more about getting big quick.

rob, add me on icq if you don't mind giving me 5 mins of your time
178-340-550

so true :1orglaugh

here is how I think u should do it
if u could separate hour and 30 mins 5-6 days per week that would be great
so every training start with 45-60 mins of cardio
make sure that ur heart rate is btw 140 and 160 (this will help u burn fat)
and then after that do abs (up to 100 to start with, and then as u are getting use to workouts, increase the number) and some exercises for back (number same as for abs)
as for legs and arms - just switch it one day arms next legs and so on
and one day u can skip legs/arms, do only cardio and abs/back
do it btw lunch and dinner
and eat some protein right after the workout
some granola bar, or cheese stick, bagel w/cream cheese, or something like that
and make sure u drink a cup of orange juice or tomato juice

and make sure u have somebody to go with or if nothing else keep it interesting and with as many different exercises as u can

hope this helps :)

agreed. :thumbsup

How much time are you giving yourself?

Pretty lean there. What % BF?

Here are my questions:
- How often to work out in a week? How often to work out the same part of the body?

You know, joining a gym and actually 'having' a membership is a huge part of winning the fitness battle. Kudo's there. You'll have the motivation to push yourself and you'll be surrounded by others with the same mentality.

That said, your training tolerance will depend on this level of motivation and how much sacrifice you are willing to accept in your social/work life. Personally I've made a commitment of two years, and I try to workout 6 days a week for 1 1/2 hours wherever possible. I have pretty clear goals, so my motivation to stick with a workout schedule is all the more routine.

I think the key is having a clear goal. (more below)

- What parts of the body to work on on each given day?

Part of that goal was finding an image of someone physique that looks the way 'you' wish to look. That is your template, those are the muscle groups you'll need to study and the workouts associated with maximizing their potential.

- Should I do cardio before or after muscle building? or do I leave it on a separate day by itself?

As a rule cardio should be used during cutting phases of your workout. Because your body will try to shed excess mass (protein) in order to become more efficient with the exertion it is doing. This is why you never see any bulky long distance runners.

- Should I hit the gym between lunch and supper? (around 3pm) or after supper? (around 8pm)

Others could make same suggestions. However there is tons of discussion online regarding pre/post workout nutrition. Check it out.

- Protein? Creatine? Do I take it before or after my workout? do I take it on days I'm not working out?

Creatine in cycles tuned with cutting phases. This works for me. Keep in mind, creatine will help you push out a few more sets during workouts and you'll get a bigger pump. You may also find yourself gaining 5 - 10lb increase in overall bodyweight. This being attributed to water retention inside your muscle cells. Read up about it online. Lots of good info at the bodybuilding forums.

"Should I focus on weights with or without ropes? (the ones you pull, etc)"

As I suggested above, find a template physique, study those muscle groups, then study relevant workouts. Mix and match for variety and to keep the muscle groups challenged and developing.

Hoping that helps.

I find most trainers are stuffed shirts who just memorize textbook workout patterns. There's a whole gamut of good in circular strength training and body weight training as well.

egawd so much bad information in this thread.... talk to your trainer, read some bodybuilding forums and get a clue.

Video Rob and DeNovo are the only ones that had good answers.

Stop asking adult webmasters how to work out, most of them couldn't lose a pound if their life dependent on it.

VideoRob's advice was the best, but most guys who start working out do it half-assedly and like he said they focus too much on the exact protein shake timing and pills and nonsense like that.

Your arms and forearms are barely going to grow at first, so if that is what you are mostly doing this for you are going to get frustrated pretty fast. But if you work out hard with compound exercises like he suggested- including legs!- and eat a super healthy diet of solid food like lean meats, vegetables, fruits and some whole grains you will gain mass all over.

The diet is super important. Again, a lot of guys will force themselves to work out regularly or semi-regularly, but they don't eat a healthy diet of home cooked meals, timed throughout the day with the right macro-nutrients, protein and carbs and fats. So most gym goers have little chance to effectuate any real change in their body. I see guys in my gym who haven't changed a bit in the four years I have been going there because they don't eat properly. If you eat out every day you are only undercutting your progress which is always slow at best even under ideal circumstances.

design a workout schedule around something you can do long-term (years).
otherwise it won't stick. (only 2-5 % of people can stick on most strenuous workout routines)

going outside your house to do exercises probably will not work long-term, too many obstacles will prevent you from actually getting dressed, getting in the car, finding a place to park, etc etc. much better to do your 30min workout indoors while your raw oatmeal, walnuts, raisins & ground flaxseed breakfast is cooling in the microwave. more efficient use of your time.

suggest get equip to workout at home, does not matter so much what you do, matters most how often you do it. (you will feel best if you do it every day rather than every other day)

for overall health building huge body mass, drinking or eating weird stuff, etc is probably counter productive for longevity. your goal should be to live to 100, not 40.

good health and longevity = consistency + proper diet + good habits + knowledge.

if you can read you do not need a "trainer" or others. lots of info on this online.

I like that goal. 100+! And I like good addictions. Seeing someone who is too out of shape is the only shot in the arm I need to get up and work hard and try and look good.

I've read less than 30% of new gym enrollees are active members one year out. Many will quit early seeing there isn't much progress after a few months.

Give yourself a minimum of 1 year to see an overall change in your body composition.

to stay cut and do a "natural" work out, you want to rotate your workout routines, from upper body to lower body each day. I would suggest a day of rest in between those days. I also suggest any protein whey mix for home and shakes after each work out. Start show and each time you go to an area, you use a little more weight. push yourself each work out. Also, believe it or not, cardio is important, and you can generally do a good simple routine for 45 minutes on the days you aren't lifting. Its good to mix free weights and machines to diversify your routine and not to get bored. Watch what you eat, even at home and going out. I picked up ( I found helpful) planet muscle mags. They give suggestions and changes in the area of bodybuilding for better results and tips. I my self at 11 % to begin with worked out 5 days a week and was consistent, I was very cut, in 4 months. But then I am a girl, I did not really bulk up, but heck I loved the definition.

get a book and then a trainer, thanks

One word: steroids. Professional athletes can't be wronnnNNNNNGGGGGAARRRHH HULK SMAAASSSSHHH

The gym is kinda boring . I like martial arts :thumbsup