Critique Wanted

dseiler · 12-21-2004, 11:13 AM

Here's my current program, I am curious what you guys and gals think:

Mon - Chest and Back / 15 mins cardio after
Tues - Cardio (About 30 minutes on the Elliptical Machine)
Wed - Thighs, Calves, and Lower Back / 15 mins cardio after
Thurs - Cardio
Fri - Shoulders and Arms / 15 mins cardio after
Sat - Outdoor Cardio (Usually a brisk walk on the track)
Sun - Rest

(Sets/Reps are always changing as I am trying to up my sets and/or weight every workout..to monitor strength changes/growth)

Chest and Back:
Flat Bench 3 x 10
Pec Dec 3 x 10
Cable Crossovers
T-Bar Rows
Lat Pulldowns
Lat Raises

Thighs, Calves, Lower Back
Leg Press
Leg Curls
Standing Calf Raises
Seated Calf Raises
Seated Cable Row
Hyperextensions (weighted)

Shoulders and Arms

Military Press
DB Seated Raises
Preacher Curls
Incline DB Curls
Close Grip Bench
BB Curls

I am a severe mesomorph, not ashamed to tell you all I am over 300 lbs. The workout here is secondary as I've been using Seth's numbers (12 x body weight) to get lean. I figure regardless of gaining muscle at this point in the game (at least until I drop all the fat) I am still exercising.

Any thoughts on the program itself? Might be a bit much...

IronBender800 · 12-21-2004, 11:30 AM

Pick a routine from here

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hreadid=143006

javaCoder8 · 12-21-2004, 11:33 AM

I did a similar workout to this last summer and really dropped some fat. But.....I would increase cardio on weight days to 30 minutes and jack it up to 45 minutes on off days. That is what I did. I wasn't concerned about adding weight to my lifts because I knew restricting my calories and upping the cardio would make me weaker anyways. Don't get me wrong, I still lifted very hard and as heavy as I could but I never went to failure on any lifts. Dropping fat was my primary goal and I actually started looking forward to my 1/2 hour 3.5 mile runs. I can tell you are looking to drop fat so forget about upping the weights until you drop that fat. Save your energy for your cardio.

That being said, you need to include an incline press in your chest routine and do it first before flat bench. Work in squats on your leg day. Right now you are doing 3 exercises for bi's and 1 for tri's. Even that up by dropping one from bi's and adding one to tri's (2 exercises for each). Don't do preacher curls first. Do your BB curls or Incline Dbell curls first then do preacher curls second. And don't forget to up your cardio time as you get more fit. Good luck man....you can do it!!!

dseiler · 12-21-2004, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javaCoder8

I did a similar workout to this last summer and really dropped some fat. But.....I would increase cardio on weight days to 30 minutes and jack it up to 45 minutes on off days. That is what I did. I wasn't concerned about adding weight to my lifts because I knew restricting my calories and upping the cardio would make me weaker anyways. Don't get me wrong, I still lifted very hard and as heavy as I could but I never went to failure on any lifts. Dropping fat was my primary goal and I actually started looking forward to my 1/2 hour 3.5 mile runs. I can tell you are looking to drop fat so forget about upping the weights until you drop that fat. Save your energy for your cardio.

That being said, you need to include an incline press in your chest routine and do it first before flat bench. Work in squats on your leg day. Right now you are doing 3 exercises for bi's and 1 for tri's. Even that up by dropping one from bi's and adding one to tri's (2 exercises for each). Don't do preacher curls first. Do your BB curls or Incline Dbell curls first then do preacher curls second. And don't forget to up your cardio time as you get more fit. Good luck man....you can do it!!!

Squats are nasty, but I guess they are nasty for a reason. Knew I should have thrown an Incline in there, but I assumed pec-dec would hit the chest just as nicely. But I guess incline followed by bench keeps the muscle fatigue even so you workout the proper muscles (more chest, less arms)

Do you mind telling me how much fat you had to lose? I appreciate the response and the words of encouragement. Thanks!!

javaCoder8 · 12-21-2004, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dseiler

Squats are nasty, but I guess they are nasty for a reason. Knew I should have thrown an Incline in there, but I assumed pec-dec would hit the chest just as nicely. But I guess incline followed by bench keeps the muscle fatigue even so you workout the proper muscles (more chest, less arms)

Do you mind telling me how much fat you had to lose? I appreciate the response and the words of encouragement. Thanks!!

Squats ARE nasty but even when you are cutting a nice squat session with reasonable weight will have you huffin' and puffin' which is great for fat loss. Pec-dec will in no way emphasize your upper chest like incline presses will. Being a bit overweight you will want to have as much "lift" to your chest as possible which is why I suggest doing the inclines first. Every fourth chest workout, though, I'll do flat presses first.

I only had to lose about 15 lbs of fat but my body is damn STUBBORN so I had to work just about as hard as anyone else trying to burn fat. I had to be strict with my diet and stick to my cardio. The funny thing is, once you get rolling with cardio you actually start to like it. Trust me...I HATED cardio at first and NEVER ran in my life (outside of high school sports) but once I started jogging I really began to enjoy it. You are heavy-set so the jogging will come in time but I would suggest the elliptical or even better the treadmill walking on a slight incline. In no time you'll be jogging 5 miles like I am. I just wouldn't run until you have dropped some of the lbs. cuz 300 lbs. would be tough on the 'ole joints.

dseiler · 12-21-2004, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javaCoder8

Squats ARE nasty but even when you are cutting a nice squat session with reasonable weight will have you huffin' and puffin' which is great for fat loss. Pec-dec will in no way emphasize your upper chest like incline presses will. Being a bit overweight you will want to have as much "lift" to your chest as possible which is why I suggest doing the inclines first. Every fourth chest workout, though, I'll do flat presses first.

I only had to lose about 15 lbs of fat but my body is damn STUBBORN so I had to work just about as hard as anyone else trying to burn fat. I had to be strict with my diet and stick to my cardio. The funny thing is, once you get rolling with cardio you actually start to like it. Trust me...I HATED cardio at first and NEVER ran in my life (outside of high school sports) but once I started jogging I really began to enjoy it. You are heavy-set so the jogging will come in time but I would suggest the elliptical or even better the treadmill walking on a slight incline. In no time you'll be jogging 5 miles like I am. I just wouldn't run until you have dropped some of the lbs. cuz 300 lbs. would be tough on the 'ole joints.

Yeah, running is certainly rough. I am going to start out on the elliptical and go from there. Cardio isn't so bad as long as keep my mind off of watching the damn clock. If I get involved in a book or magazine article the time flies. Just have to keep myself disciplined.

Most of my issue is diet. I think I have completely severed the mind/brain connection as I don't get full very easily. Being completely addicted to food, I can consume huge amounts. What kills me is that I can make it work for me...IF i choose to eat the right foods. Right now I am using a bodyweight x 12 formula to cut calories.

Obviously losing the weight is priority one before I start really lifting and eating for lean mass.

javaCoder8 · 12-21-2004, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dseiler

Yeah, running is certainly rough. I am going to start out on the elliptical and go from there. Cardio isn't so bad as long as keep my mind off of watching the damn clock. If I get involved in a book or magazine article the time flies. Just have to keep myself disciplined.

Most of my issue is diet. I think I have completely severed the mind/brain connection as I don't get full very easily. Being completely addicted to food, I can consume huge amounts. What kills me is that I can make it work for me...IF i choose to eat the right foods. Right now I am using a bodyweight x 12 formula to cut calories.

Obviously losing the weight is priority one before I start really lifting and eating for lean mass.

You are on the right path bro!! Look at the articles under the Nutrition threads because they have a WEALTH of knowledge on how to eat and what to eat. And here's a cardio tip....I also hated running on the treadmill cuz it was so damn boring. But, once I started wearing headphones with an mp3 player of all the songs that made me feel motivated the time flew right by! Give it a shot, I guarantee that will add time to your cardio w/out you even realizing it. Sometimes I'd be ready to fall over but a great song would come on and I would tell myself to just get to the end of that song I liked. I would always be able to do it which would add another 4-6 minutes or more to my cardio session (which is over .5 a mile for me).

As far as the food goes....well, the number 1 thing you can do to set yourself up to succeed is ONLY keep what you know you should be eating in the house. Don't even buy yourself any garbage and tell yourself you'll only eat a little at a time or you'll save it for a cheat day. Trust me, I suffer from the same thing. If I buy a package of cookies or a bag of chips or even peanut butter, I will eat the whole damn thing in about 2 days...no joke. I can't shut it off either sometimes. But, if the crap isn't there to tempt you, problem solved!! Try to split up your meals so you are eating about 5-6 times a day. I know this is hard but I pack a cooler and bring it to work and eat every 2-3 hours. That includes small snacks like a yogurt or some cottage cheese along with bigger "meals" like a tuna sandwhich for lunch.

Your cravings will consume you at first but I promise you.....hold out and they WILL go away and when they do go away (which takes a LOT less time than most people think) you will have an amazing empowered feeling that will snowball and keep you rolling growing stronger mentally and physically ever day!! Like I said, man, YOU CAN DO IT!!! Be strong in your mind and the body WILL follow.

OK...enough preaching.....but DO check out the threads listed under nutrition as there are some great articles there for overweight people, too.

Stay strong!

dseiler · 12-21-2004, 02:12 PM

[QUOTE=javaCoder8] And here's a cardio tip....I also hated running on the treadmill cuz it was so damn boring. But, once I started wearing headphones with an mp3 player of all the songs that made me feel motivated the time flew right by! Give it a shot, I guarantee that will add time to your cardio w/out you even realizing it. Sometimes I'd be ready to fall over but a great song would come on and I would tell myself to just get to the end of that song I liked. I would always be able to do it which would add another 4-6 minutes or more to my cardio session (which is over .5 a mile for me).
QUOTE]

Funny you should mention it. Just picked up a small Rio for that purpose! Sometimes I can be sitting on the subway on the way to work and hear a good song (Prayer by Disturbed comes to mind) and I want to be in the gym blasting away! Of course it sounds cheesy, but the Rocky IV Soundtrack has some great motivational tunes. Happens to be one of my favorite movies as well.

I've read tons of info on nutrition, and deep down I know what I should/shouldn't be eating. Now it's just a matter of shutting the f**k up and doing it. I will be sure to let you know how it goes.

Can I drop you an email?

javaCoder8 · 12-21-2004, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dseiler

Can I drop you an email?

Sure thing: dmbfan882000@yahoo.com I don't check that one from work, though....only later in the evenings.