Hey new guy

[BlackArtemis]

Hey I have been browsing and reading for the better part of a few weeks, and the more info I get the more undecided I am!
Anyways Back in January I was a fatass 5'8 205 lbs. I went away to study in Thailand and came back at 165 due to just being active and eating healthy.
So now it's been a few months and I am at 169-71lbs and I want to work more on toning up and trimming down.

For cardio I really like the info on HIT i was reading at http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit_table.asp

My only question right now is after doing the 4 minutes can I just jog another 16-26minutes, kinda a waste to hit the gym for 4 minutes!

And I was looking at doing a 3 day split for lifting. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...24&postcount=2
Here suggested by Brit_Beef

Now a few years back when I was kinda half assed about getting into shape my Cousin gave me the book "body for life" Where it showed pyramid sets
Is this a good way to tone up and put a little bit of muscle on?

Right now I am only worried about toning, I will take advantage of the 6 month "honeymoon period" us newbies get and later down the line I will add supliments to my diet.

I have never really needed a super clean diet to maintain body weight, so I am going to just be smart about what goes in my body. (no fast food soda and doughnut type crap)

But thats for all the info already and I will be looking forward to learning more.

[TrainSmarter]

If you can jog for 20 minutes after doing HIIT then you didn't do the HIIT properly. After doing HIIT there is no way you should be able to go for a jog. I did not read the article but you can do HIIT for longer than 4 minutes after you build up to it.

Eating clean is not just about maintaining your body weight, if you want to change your body, you must eat clean. Cheat meals are ok once in a while, but you should try and eat clean 90% of the time or more.

[BlackArtemis]

If you can jog for 20 minutes after doing HIIT then you didn't do the HIIT properly. After doing HIIT there is no way you should be able to go for a jog. I did not read the article but you can do HIIT for longer than 4 minutes after you build up to it.

Eating clean is not just about maintaining your body weight, if you want to change your body, you must eat clean. Cheat meals are ok once in a while, but you should try and eat clean 90% of the time or more.

Hey thanks for the reality check there. and yes the HIIT is starting off at 4 minutes in 8 weeks the goal is 15 mins

[AssToGrass]

Hey There,

1. Do a simple 3 day per week fullbody weight routine for at least the first 3 months.
Here's a total newb program:
http://www.davedraper.com/introductory-workout.html
Here's the next stage that's a wee bit tougher:
http://www.davedraper.com/entire-body-routine.html

Even if you used to lift back in the day do yourself a favor and do something like the above to get back into it and let your tendons and ligaments get used to handling the weights again.

2. HIIT is cool. If you aren't in shape for it yet regular cardio for a few weeks to build up some basic fitness would be a good idea.

3. Yeah you can do some low paced cardio after your HIIT sprints.

Have you done HIIT yet? Like TrainSmarter said it should kick your ass but for mere mortals it's not necessary to make yourself throw-up or pass out or something.

If you have not been actively training it can be a bit much to just jump in the gym with some wild ass weightlifting and HIIT routine. Your poor body is not used to the workload. You need to build up tolerance for exercise for a few months and achieve a basic level of fitness before doing advanced routines and splits.

You should read some more and look at fitness as a long term building process. Each step builds on the last. You gotta work hard but you don't need to injure yourself, burn yourself out or puke to get there.

Don't worry about toning. That's for the cardio bunnies. You're a man - man. Muscle up bro. Don't worry about the scale. Let's take two guys about the same height and they both weigh 200 pounds. One has 20% bodyfat and one has 10% bodyfat.

Guy one - 160 lbs lean mass.
Guy two - 180 lbs lean mass

Guess what? Guy two is going to look way buff compared to guy one. Why? He's carrying around 20 pounds more lean mass and hence 20 pounds less fat on his body than Guy one. Capice?

Please do not underestimate the importance of a good diet. It's no joke. You'll be spinning your wheels if you just eat happenstance. You don't need any supplments except a vitamin. If you want to use some I would look at:

Whey Protein
Fish Oil Capsules - good fats.
Creatine - maybe.

Other than that save your money.

Good luck!

[BlackArtemis]

Thanks Asstograss, yeah I guess I became so preocupied with my gut, I was planning on trimming down then bulking up but I see your point. And the one I listed also had a newbie section. I would rather look weak training with lesser weights off the bat than be nursing a pull or ripped muscle for a few weeks.

I will also be taking the advise about doing the regular cardio for 2-3 weeks

When I said I don't need to eat super clean. I was refering to making sure to have it down to a scitific calculation

I am slowly getting my diet to look more like this

Drink abour 3-5 litres of water a day

breakfast oatmeal or eggs (everyother egg is whites only)
Then I eat some fruit
Tuna and veggies etc for lunch
then maybe something whole grainish for another meal/snack
dinner I kinda just do asian. Some brown rice skinless chicken and veggies. No sauces etc

But I don't worry if one night with friends I have a few frys or a slice of pizza. Just not a habit.

thanks again for the info. I shall continue to read and after visiting some gyms tomm I shall start my own journal.