Workout plans...
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- dMullins
I've never made a serious attempt at regular work outs. I think my problem was, and is, that I've never used a proper structure or plan.
When I have toyed with it, I'd do stretching for 5 minutes or so, then lift weights for about 20-30 minutes, hit the bike for about 20 minutes, and then 10 minutes of cool-down stretches or the stair machine to end it off.
I'm looking for a legitimate routine that I can stick to, instead of being so aloof with it.
Someone told me before that there's a Royal Naval Academy routine that is like the gold standard for workout routines, but I couldn't find much about it.
Unlike a lot of people, I actually don't mind running, so if you have a technique or plan that involves running, speak up.
My workout goals are to have something I can stick to, almost a checklist of sorts, and through that, my fitness goals are to lose some weight, tone up my muscle ratio, and have the stamina to fuck my girlfriend for a lot longer. Lol?
Thanks in advance.
- satogami0
every morning 10 minutes cardio, 10 minutes of quick reps of push ups, crunches, squats and light use of weights for toning and definition of the muscles. i eat healthy at 3 times a day and don't munch on snacks that often. i try to ride a bicycle or swim laps in a pool if i can to keep my cardio up and moving. a solid core will also greatly strengthen the rest of your body.
- healthy snacks are good for your metabolism though. nuts, fruit, etc.ifeltdave
- mg330
I've been working out since January, not with much regularity but with enough to tell the difference in certain ways. Cardio is better, don't get winded very much at the gym anymore, and I'm running between 5 1/2 - 6 miles now when I was just running 3 1/4 miles about 6 weeks ago. That's more related to just running more AND working out harder lately.
Anyhow, I had some routines I was doing from Men's Health - the Belly Off routine, but I've stopped doing that since a coworker put together a really good 4 day a week plan for me. I've only just started it but it's grouped by muscle groups and has much more lifting that I was doing. I've been sore since starting it.
I typically do the following per gym session:
5 - 10 min. Elliptical warmup
Dynamic stretches and core exercises (before or after weights)
Weight routine (usually 4-5 different lifts, 4 sets a piece, 10-12 reps each)
5 minute elliptical cooldown
- fyoucher10
Get a workout DVD. Seriously. I know it sounds cheesy but if you can't afford to have your own personal trainer come to you whenever you want, it works great. You pop it into a DVD player and it's a set amount of time. You're not fucking around and wasting time. It's a set time and your done. Simple as that. The main problem with routines is that you get bored and waste time, which messes with your work schedule. It's structured, which is why it works. Plus you're working out with "someone" who is pushing you. My doc said I had to lower my blood pressure and lose weight, so I started working out (this was a few years ago). These two DVD workout programs work great.
I did P90X for 8 months.
http://www.beachbody.com/product…It was a lot of fun. Really hard at first. I was 180lbs at first, now I'm 208lbs but am in the best shape of my life, gained lean muscle (5'10"). Can do 23 pullups and over 70 pushups in one shot. I started only being able to do 7 pullups and bout 25 pushups, lol. I have a ton more energy than I used to and feel great. Not a meat head by any means, just in great shape. This DVD is a mix of both cardio and weight training. Also has Yoga, which is actually the hardest thing to do (this isn't the girly type of yoga though. you'll be balancing on one leg until your leg feels like it's going to fall off)
I just started this workout program a week ago. Called "Insanity", it's 10 times harder than P90X though. Pure cardio. Max interval training. Meaning your heart rate will be at 190 - over 200 bpm the entire times. Your legs will feel like they're falling off after the warmup :)
http://www.beachbody.com/product…It's the craziest thing I've ever done. Burn over 900 - 1100 calories every day (I'm spent half way into the workout and it's only 30 - 40 minutes). My goal is to get back down to 180 but have a really low body fat index. I want to look good for my wife again. I slacked off for years sitting in front of a computer.
Anyway, this is what has worked for me. I did the running and weight lifting thing but wasted a lot of time and was never really 'that' motivated. DVD's seem to be working out great.
- "I slacked off for years sitting in front of a computer." This is my problem.dMullins
- Right there with you on this one..
rodzilla - I'm in month 3, but I want to do the routine again as I wasn't as "dedicated" as i should have beenrodzilla
- Rodzilla X!404NotFound
- haha eff offrodzilla
- IT DEPARTMENT Xrodzilla
- Tony Horton is a pretty cool dude...fyoucher1
- Whoops, here's the correct link to the Insanity DVD's >>>
http://www.beachbody…fyoucher1
- dMullins0
I have a gym in my apartment complex which has some decent equipment, so that's the only reason I was thinking of going that route for a plan. If you recommend this, I might want to talk to you more, if you don't mind.
- TheBlueOne0
Check out crossfit.com
- d_rek0
If you're having trouble getting motivated or figuring out what works for you a week with a personal trainer or someone who knows what they're doing can make a huge difference. They'll be able to show you how to properly exercise and also the routines that are most effective for what you're trying to achieve (toning, weight loss, mass building, strength, etc).
What it sounds like is you should focus on cardio initially.
Cardio is good for a few reasons. First, within the first 4-6 weeks you will probably drop anywhere from 5-15lbs depending on the intensite of your workout.
You can do cardio a couple different ways, or a combinations of different exercises. When I do cardio I typically start on a treadmill and will do a flat out run for 10-15 minutes just to get my heart rate up above 150. This preps your body for the rest of the routine.
Next I will switch over and do cardio-weightlifting - high reps, low weight. When your heartrate is very high this is a very effective way at burning fat and toning muscle. Do 30-45 minutes of this.
And finally to 'cool-off' I will jump back on an elliptical or a bike for another 10-15 minutes.
By the time you're done you should have burned through 45minutes or an hour of good cardio.
Cardio is really what you want to be doing if you're trying to have a little extra gusto when it comes to rigorous exercises (ie: sex).
- rubbish. and most personal trainers are fucking retards making you do useless shit to look cleverKhurram
- kuttyranks0
I hate cardio so play squash once a week.I also do 3/4 weight sessions split into chest and triceps / legs and abs / shoulder and biceps. I also try to eat 6 times a day, 3 plated meals and 3 healthy snacks, with breakfast being the at least 500 calories or so
Ideally you should change your workout every 4-8 weeks as well for whatever your aims are.
Also High Intensity Interval Training is far superior for cardio work, can half the amount of time is more effective
- Yep, the DVD "Insanity" I mentioned above is Max Interval Training...fyoucher1
- d_rek0
Also, freeweights, freeweights, freeweights. Avoid the pully machines if at all possible - although it is OK to burnout on them.
- scarabin0
man, that's a shitload of work.
- Khurram0
Hello, I'm an expert you should listen to me.
Your goals seem very vague, though i get the impression they are vanity based. Therefore I would advice a bodybuilding programme for you.
The stronglifts website is GREAT and you should stick to it if you can.
To do this seriously, i advise you get a journal.
In that journal note down the following statistics:
Height, weight, bodyfat %, bicep size (left and right), chest size, neck size, thigh size, calf size, waist size.
Then take nudey pictures of your self front and back.
The most important part of any programme, especially for n00bs is sticking to it. That which you measure, improves – it’s a principal
Anway as a n00b, I would advise you to concentrate on Starting Strength/Strong Lifts style training. These are the ONLY exercises that you should do –
Squat
Bench press
Deadlift
Military Press
Power Clean
Pull Ups
Chin-upsThere are several ways of splitting these up, but I think an upper/lower body would suffice for you. Remember the key to body recomoposition is training/diet/rest. So res is important. In which case I would recommend a 4 day weekly split. Like so:
Week 1:
Day 1 – A
Day 2 – rest
Day 3 – B
Day 4 – rest
Day 5 – ADay 1 – B
Day 2 – rest
Day 3 – A
Day 4 – rest
Day 5 – BA = upper body (Bench press, Military Press, Power Clean + Chin-ups)
B = lower body (Squat, Deadlift + Chin-ups)Weekends you have free, where you can do cardio if you want.
Notice that we are concentrating on COMPOUND movements that work the whole body. Isolation exercises (i.e. dumbbell curls) are for faggots who have no idea what they are doing. These exercises will work ALL major muscle groups, and hit them hard.
As a n00b, the rep scheme you should use is 5x5 – this is to give you a BASE of strength. That mean 5 sets of 5 reps – usually around 80% of the 1 repitition maximum load you can work with. You can use your first two sets as warm-ups if you wish, then move onto the final “work sets”.
I’m sure you can find more information on these principles on the int0rnetz.
Word of advice – cardio is the most inefficient method of burning fat. Inefficient to the point of useless. The best way of burning fat is to build muscle – this will increase your resting metabolic rate because the muscle need to be constantly fed with glycogen, which is made from the break down of fatty acids. So you can pretty much do NO cardio and you will lose weight/build muscle.
Also – your body recomposition is massively dependent on your diet. Unless you have your diet dialled, all this will be useless. I am assuming that you have very little muscle as you don’t know how to train (clearly). In which case, if I was you, I would not look to raise fat, so much as build muscle. Which means you need to be on a calorie SURPLUS. I.e consuming around 3000-4000 calories a day.
Follow the principle, 1g/lb or bodyweight of protein, 1.5lb per pound of bodyweight carbs, and 0.5g/lb bodyweight fat (yes, fats are VERY important – they build hormones, such as testosterone, which builds muscle and burns fat).
After you have done this for a year and built enough “bulk” (maybe even two years), you can then go on a “cut” and get ripped by way of a calorie defecit (usually done by increasing protein and decreasing carbs, fat remains the same).
Avoid complex cabrs (such as sugar) unless consumed during/after your workout, when they are important.
Also note – there is no such thing as “toning” muscles. You either grow them, or shrink them.
- Khurram0
It may take you FIVE YEARS of being strict with this to get into the shape you want. Just so you know, you gotta be in it for the long haul
- dMullins0
Khurram, thank you. That is very helpful––I was having trouble weeding through the information on StrongLifts and finding out just where to begin.
I will need to buy a bar and weights it looks like, as the "gym" does not have these.
- fyoucher10
What Khurram says also works. The problem is that you get muscle, which could be a good thing or bad thing, depending on how you want to look. Personally, I wanted to look trim and fit than have bulging muscles. I did the weight training routine for a couple of years but couldn't fit into ANY of my clothes. Plus, I wasn't doing enough cardio. When it came to going hiking or anything that used your hearts / lungs, I couldn't do it.
You have to do cardio. Looking in shape and actually being in shape are two different things.
- dMullins0
Well here's the thing. I am not looking to drop $700 on weights. The gym I have access to has machine weight systems, dumbells from 5lbs to 120lbs+, a treadmill and a bike. I also have a pool, I own two bikes, and I don't mind running.
I'm looking for an effective routine to maximize what I have at my disposal. The DVD's are cool, cause they're fairly inexpensive and use dumbell free weights as part of the routine, but I don't see myself ever buying entire plate weights and my own bar.
I'm not making an excuse for not trying your system, I'm just being realistic as to what I can afford, and what I want to accomplish.
Which again, is lose about 40-50lbs, build up some muscle, increase my stamina, and have a plan that I can stick to and repeat for years to come.
I am trying to be in shape, not be the HULK ™
- whendog0
yoga, surfing, running, indoor or outdoor rock climbing
- whendog0
yoga, surfing, running, indoor or outdoor rock climbing
