Gym tips.. i need help

[Harkoliar]

I remember a long long long long long.. (did i say long? [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) time ago, someone from IW emailed me a cool gym workout plan. I know its been ages, more like a year, but i just found the time to go to the gym. I dont know if he is still around to email me back a spare copy since i lost his copy I dont know where I downloaded and placed the file from.

So as contingency: [img]tongue.gif[/img]

for other fellow Ironworkers, can any of you guys can give me a good beginners gym workout that basically stretches and excercises the entire body? Anyone??

Thanks in advance . I gotta have "abs" before the summer starts and something to show to [img]smile.gif[/img] . joking with the abs of course since I dont think I can do it in 3 months casual gym time .

I do know some basic stretch and weights and stuff. situps, chinups i have done before.. but after a year of not working out, i am a bit flabby here and there.

thanks once again guys!

[Memnoch]

Harks, check out http://www.netfit.co.uk/ this site for some free workouts.

First of all, make sure you're clear on what your fitness goal is - are you trying to build mass? Or are you trying to tone? Or do you just want to be healthy? If you just want to be trim and fit, then do a lot of cardio and minimise the weights, and when you do so train with lighter weights and higher repetitions. If you want to build mass, then train with heavier weights, lower reps, and remember to vary your workout so your muscles don't get used to the exercise.

As for me, here's my routine (for building/maintaining mass and also trying to keep toned). It helps that I've got a gym at my place as well, no excuses. I try and train 5 times a week, three weight/cardio sessions and 2 pure cardio sessions, weights Mon Wed Fri nights (1 hour each session including cardio), cardio Tues and Thurs morning (30 mins each session). Lately I've been skipping the pure cardio sessions as it's too bloody cold in the morning

For weight sessions, I always start with 10 mins of cardio to warm up then I'll hit the weights. I'll work the following different major body parts on alternate sessions (occasionally mixing and matching between free and machine):

i) chest, biceps and forearms;
ii) quads, calves and abs;
iii) back, shoulders and
iv) lats and triceps.

You can find the exercises on the link I gave you.

I make sure I don't work too many body parts in one session, and make sure I don't work the same body part two sessions in a row. I'll go 8 weeks heavy, with low (10-8-6-4-2 pyramid) reps and heavy (relatively speaking) weights, then go 8 weeks light, with high (15+) reps with lighter weights. I've found that my body reacts best with an high-low routine.

It's also important to vary your routine if you're trying to build mass, as after a few weeks your muscle "remembers" the exercise and you will start to get diminishing returns. And most importantly, get plenty of sleep. That's when you grow.

Obviously eat the right foods as well...it's no good sweating for an hour only to stuff your face with high-fat stuff. You don't need to diet, but just watch what you eat and be prudent. [img]smile.gif[/img]

It was REALLY tough to start off, but once it becomes part of your routine and you see results you start to look forward to it - if you miss a session it gets you down. And you feel good - and if you feel good, you look good, no matter what your mirror says. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 07-27-2004, 11:59 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[Ilander]

hmm...for some reason, every time I get into the gym for weights, I always want to do a huge amount of reps with medium weights...am I just hurting myself doing that, or is there some good outcome...?

Mostly, I'm just going for strength...

[Memnoch]

Well, everyone's different, but generally higher reps of lighter (as in they don't cause you to fatigue towards the end of the rep range) weights will tend to tone your muscle, rather than cause it to grow.

If you want to build muscle then you need to progressively lift heavier (as long as you can handle it, nothing more dangerous than trying to lift beyond what you're capable of) weights, but do less reps each time...like maybe 4-6 reps, where the last couple you're really straining. It helps to have a spotter when you're doing this so you don't drop the weight on yourself.

Different people respond to things differently of course, but this is what I've found works for me over the past ten or so years. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Bozos of Bones]

You seem to possess quite a sizeable understanding of it so I want to ask you something too. I haven't started going to the gym yet, but I'm going to starting this or the next monday(I rely on a friend). I don't want to build a muscle mass, I just want to define myself as I am, and just trim down a bit.From your posts I gather I'm up to some more cardio excercises, but I was wondering if ou could shed some more light upon the mater of my problem.

[Memnoch]

Just want to clarify I'm not a physio or anything...so what I'm telling you is based on my own experience as well as with trainers I've spoken to and met over the course of my training. If you don't want to build muscle mass then I'd suggest a program with lots of cardio work to build your endurance and to burn off a lot of the excess fat in your body (make sure not to burn ALL of it off - you need fat as that's what your body burns when you're exercising and recovering). It will take a little while but when you get into the swing of it your endurance will grow and your body fat %age should drop.

And for your weight training (which you'll need to do if you want to tone) focus on lighter weights with higher repetitions and more sets. Remember to mix things up so your muscles don't get used to the exercise - circuit training is great for the type of fitness goal you have.

And watch what you eat, of course.

[Link]

Originally posted by Bozos of Bones: You seem to possess quite a sizeable understanding of it so I want to ask you something too. I haven't started going to the gym yet, but I'm going to starting this or the next monday(I rely on a friend). I don't want to build a muscle mass, I just want to define myself as I am, and just trim down a bit.From your posts I gather I'm up to some more cardio excercises, but I was wondering if you could shed some more light upon the matter of my problem.

For trimming down you don't need to go to the gym I'd say. Running a few laps every now and then, and doing some crunches should do that trick nicely as well.

[Harkoliar]

thanks mario ! . i will check it out. interesting what you said there. hopefully the next time you will see me, you might not even recognize me anymore [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

[Bozos of Bones]

Eh, what he said!

[Asphyxiate]

Memnoch's advice is pretty sound for a raging drunkard. For what it's worth, I recently answered some similar questions on another forum for a friends. Hope this info helps you out..

If you're serious about getting in shape then you need to embrace the concept of periodicity and cross training into your schedule. I've got pretty serious about a few workouts and have some nasty routines when you're ready for them. I also strongly believe that you should supplement any cardio program with at least one general-body resistance training program per week. It helps you gain the strength in your muscles and tendons to cope with the pounding that you're going to be giving them if you're running.

If you're curious I have a few of my past workouts which have proven results but that are tough to stick to as they are quite physically demanding. They came from the muscle and fitness past 'rock hard' series of summer challenges and I added in some dietary supplementation. If you're serious about getting in shape, dialling in the diet is key. If you only do the cardio, it should still reap rewards.

Get Ripped
Get Ripped 2
Get Big (just in case, well you know [img]smile.gif[/img]

Basically, my advice would be to chop it up during the week. Don't always run, mix it with stair climbing (bitchin for getting in shape), cycling (great endurance cardio, low tendon stress), or some active recovery like a walk around the city. This helps loosen up all the stuck lactic acid in your muscles and makes you better the next day. Starting off, yer gonna be sore - just accept it [img]smile.gif[/img]

Also I would consel mixing up the intensity and duration of your workouts. One day, go for a long steady jog of say 45 minutes to work on your overall conditioning. Next day go for a 30 minute run, use 5 minues to warm up nice and steady, then from minutes 5-25, sprint the last 15 seconds of every minute, 25-30 nice relaxing jog to cool down. Jump rope the next day and do a long steady conditioning, with 30 second bursts of double jumping... You get the picture.

I have a keen interest in physiology (heck I studied it) but one thing I know for sure is that there's no tried and tested formula. Everyone needs to work on finding a program that's right for them by establishing some clear goals, and then tweaking the workout, analysing whether it's working and adjusting as necessary to acheive your goals. It's ultimately very rewarding and I love it. Now I just need to give up smoking. Ha.

If you want something a bit different and all-round great for you, I'd strongly back the Navy Seal plan for physical fitness. I uploaded the Navy seals workout to my site. You can download it here is you would like. It contains instructions for periodicity and measurements for 1RM using the 5RM method, let me know if any of this needs explaining further.

Above all, ENJOY the process and have fun!