Newbie Questions :)

[griffithvoice]

Hey everyone

Well obviously I'm a bit of a newbie to the whole bodybuilding/weights issues. I'm 26 and over the last 12 mnths have stacked on a serious amount of weight, mainly from a sedentary lifestyle (sitting behind a desk and not much else).

Anyway, thought that I should start doing something about both my fat percentage and my general body shape. I guess i'm probably more endomorphic that anything else, ive got the typical spare tyre aroudn teh midriff but my arms shoulders and chest seem to be fairly OK. (im 6ft 1 and about 95kg).

So from my youth I tend to like the whole gym aspect. At 16 I used to work out quite a bit at the local gym and really enjoyed it not only from the workout perspective but from shooting the proverbial **** with the locals. So I joined my local gym and had a couple of good sessions.

Firstly, I scalped around here for a workout to fit my schedule as i'm only able to sort of go 3 times a week. And this is what i came up with fromt eh workout database (a sort of fuller body workout):

Crunches 15-20-15
Bench Press 10-12-10-8
Shoulder Press 12-10-8
Lat Pull Downs 12-10-8
Tricep Pull downs 12-10-8
Bicep Curls 12-10-8
Squats 12-10-10
Leg extensions 12-10-8
leg curls 12-10-8
calf raises 10-10

Anyway i've been 3 times now. The first two times i REALLY took it easy barely lifting anything at all as I was worried about injury and also the pain you get from your first session

So I head into the gym for my 3rd crack at it and find that im the only one in the weight room. So I decided to start lifting a bit more and to push myself. Start out on the workout and i'm travelling really well. You know the feeling when youve just completed a set and your really pumped. Being the only one in the room i can strut around in between sets feeling like arnold in the flesh (except a weedy fat version lol). Nothing like the feel of tight arms and chests.

The problem arises when I get all the way down to my legs and I just dont have the energy left to do them, basically i'm completely hammered after the upper body stuff. So in the end I miss all my legs out and leave. And then it starts!

I had a shower and went to a local chinese restaurant to get some decent food. I'm starting to feel a bit funny and thinking its a lack of calories in me i'm immediately gonna grab some decent food. well to cut a long story short have ya ever tried eating chinese with chopsticks when your arms and ahnds are shaking and dont wanna move towards your mouth lol. It was almost like I was in shock

Anyway, to get to my questions did I overdo it or was it just a really good workout where i gave 100%. Is it normal when you really bomb things?

Secondly, with the workout and only being able to hit the gym 3 times a week should i keep to the routine or maybe try to split it up as it seems I just dont have the eneregy to finish legs etc.

Sorry for the long winded story and please help a newbie out

steve

[Timr]

I'm starting to feel a bit funny and thinking its a lack of calories in me

Don't mean this to sounds mean dude, but if you're 95kg at 6"0 (and arn't overly muscular) then you probably have a fair bit of bodyfat. Let's say for arguments sake, that you have 15-20% bf. 15% of 95kg is roughly 14kg. 14kg of bodyfat means you have 14000 grams of fat stored in your body, which means you have 140,000 calories spare for your body to burn up. So the feeling feint that you are describing is unlikely to be a lack of calories. I explain this to most people who claim to be feeling weak after 5-6 hours of not eating.

What you are probably experiencing is muscle fatigue, which I imagine is a result of a pretty hefty routine. That's ALOT of exercises to be performing in one workout. I don't have the time to suggest a different program for you just now, but you can either PM me or visit the 'Workout Programs' section to devise a better one.

Again, the calculations weren't meant to offend, I myself have been terrible overweight in the past, so I feel your pain.

Footnote: Before I get bushed by nutritional purists, yes I know there are 9.5 calories per gram of fat, not 10 as my calculations suggest, I just couldn't be bothered to calculate it perfectly.

[image101]

Forget the whole body routine, bro. Split it up:
Mon: Legs/Shoulders
Tues: Cardio (keep it simple for now, 35-40 minutes on elliptical trainer in the AM with a small protein shake in you)
Wed: Back/Biceps
Thurs: Cardio
Fri: Chest/Triceps
Sat: Cardio
Sun: Off

Of course, as anyone with half a brain will tell you, diet is your #1 priority by far. No "guessing" how much you're eating...find out exactly how many calories you are eating, and eat below maintenence to lose weight. Make sure you have a protein shake with simple carbs immediately after you workout, and make sure you have some cottage cheese/some sort of casein protein before bed. Eat 5-6 smaller meals/day to keep your metabolism elevated, and keep a steady source of nutrients for your muscles.
Focus on heavy compound lifts: Squats, Deadlifts, Dips, Chin/Pullups, rows, Flat/Incline press, Military Press. Keep the reps around 6-10, and keep your total sets per body part at about 6-8.
It's 4:34 AM here, and i'm going to the gym. PM me if you need any help or have any questions.

[griffithvoice]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for not replying for a few days, i've been flat out with work and workouts .

Ok, firstly, I dont take offence at being a fat ****** I dont look hugely overweight but I have heaps to lose. I think the guess of about 14k is probably about right. When I was 80-82 I was in pretty good shape and looking great. But as with all things office work and a lazy lifestyle has really jabbed into the land of flab. Well things are going to change. In fact just by cutting out soda and chocolate out of my diet I have lost around 2lbs in the last 7 days.

Ok after looking at some exercises and workouts, Ive come up with one that splits the major body aprts over 4 seperate days. I've primarily choosen exericses that I really enjoy doing But I would love some feedback.
PART DAY EXERCISE

DELTS 1 Military Press
DELTS 1 Standing Low-Pulley Deltoid Raise
DELTS 1 Upright Barbell Row
TRICEPS 1 Tate Press
TRICEPS 1 Triceps Pushdown
TRICEPS 1 Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
BACK 2 Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown
BACK 2 One-Arm Dumbbell Row
BACK 2 Hyperextensions (Back Extensions)
BACK 2 Pullups
TRAPS 2 Dumbbell Shrug
TRAPS 2 Upright Cable Row
LEGS 4 Barbell Full Squat
LEGS 4 Standing Calf Raises
LEGS 4 Dumbbell Lunges
LEGS 4 Butt Lift (Bridge)
FOREARMS4 Reverse Barbell Curl
FOREARMS4 Reverse Barbell Preacher Curls
FOREARMS4 Reverse Cable Curl
CHEST 5 Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip
CHEST 5 Pec Dec
CHEST 5 Cable Crossover
BICEPS 5 Alternate Hammer Curl
BICEPS 5 Concentration Curls

I tend to do 4 sets at 45% 55% 65% 76%

Would love some feedback as to what you think about the line up. And by the way I feel 200% better about ditching those full body workouts that I could never finish anyway

Next on the agenda is to really get my diet sorted out. At the moment i'm just under about 2000 calories a day but because of my size i wanna drop that just a tad.

Cheers
Steve