Help! starting up lifting again, dont know what do!

[ez25]

Hey,
I need some help with my lifting routine, I've been off lifting for a few months now and really have no sense of where my lifts are going. I'm 5'11, 175 and looking to slim down a little maybe 160, but the big thing is that i want to gain more strength. I'm gonna probably lift atleast 3 times a week and i was wondering what kind of routine i should have for each day. My diet isn't the best, I'm still in HS so I'm basically eating whatever my parents make for me dinner and lunch. During breakfast i usually have a bowl of cereal, but starting to eat oatmeal soon. I will however, start eating a lot less. I'm using multi-vitas, whey protein, and JP8 for pre-workout. My meals are basically: Cereal/Oatmeal (Starting) with a scoop of whey- morning, Fiber One bar- snack, Turkey/Chicken/Ham Sandwhich- Lunch, JP8- Pre, 2 scoops of whey and PB Sandwhich Post. I am Chinese, so my dinners are varied, but i do get alot of rice, meat, and veggies. And then 1 scoop of whey for a midnight snack. If there is anything i can do to work on my "diet" the help will be greatly appreciated. I am also thinking about doing light-cardio, and stretching of course before workouts, while doing like a mile run/ sprints post workout. If there is anything wrong with that, please tell me. I am really lost in the sauce, and am hoping that someone can help me out. Thanks!

 

[jumpshot903]

a few tips i can give you before i get into the workout routine. Drink lots of water frist think i did was cut out soda and most juices and just drank water i had to cause of creatine anyways but its a good habit to break if you havent already. Try to limit junk food i know being in high school its hard but if you can really cut it out it helps a lot. Cardio is a key to lifting i dont do it enough with all the snow but it really helps i try to set a day or to aside for that i'll show you later. As for supplements not much more you can ask for maybe add creatine in. But if your wanting to slim you should do lots of cardio and maybe order a appetite surpressent like REDuction by controlled labs or Slim Extreme both work well from what ive heard. As for working out this is how i do it and it works out well for me.

Monday- Legs
Leg Extension
Leg press
Squats
Calf Raise
Leg curls

Tuesday- Chest
bench press
DB Incline Bench
Cable crossover
Machine chest press
Dips

Wednesday- Off/Cardio
Depending on weather you can either run outside ro use treadmill/elliptical

Thursday-Shoulders/Back
Machine shoulder press
Shrugs
Military Press
Cable seated low row
Lat Pulldown
Pullups

Friday- Cardio/ABs
Crunch Twist
Hanging knee raise
Hanging leg raise
Seated twist
Treadmill/Elliptical/Run

Saturday-Arms
Hammer curls
Preacher curls
Tricep Extension
Dips
Dead Lift
Pullup (these last 3 i usually either do dips or pullups not both)

Sunday- OFF

Hope this helps any questions ask me

 

[ez25]

hey, thanks for the info. Ya i usually don't drink too much soda, but i do drink alot of juice, and I am going to try to cut some of it out. Junk food is not really that much of a problem for me, unless i got the munchies. And i got a sample packet of Reduction from controlled labs, so i guess i'll give that a try to see how it works. But i was wondering, i looked on the boards alittle and read that it's not really beneficial to do sprints and stuff directly after a workout, cause it can burn off muscle, is that true? I have alot of BF and what to lose that, but also gain muscle in the process (what everyone wants to do i guess...). I also read that walking on the tread mill with incline can do miracles. I am not looking to burn off muscle just BF. So should I still be running after lifts? I was thinking maybe, set aside 1-2 lift days of walking with incline after a lift, setting 1-2 days of maybe 10 mins of hard jogging- light running after lift, and then set one day to cardio only. Would that be alright? I also can only lift 3 days of the week, since I use my school's weight room and i have a job some days, so could i possibly combine arms w/ legs or shoulder w/ legs? And I was wondering about the reps and sets. Should I do a 6x 8x 10x rep? or 8x 8x 8x? etc. I guess i need a rep/set # that can help build up my muscle endurance, since the past few days after the second set of 8 reps i've been dead. But after i get that down, should i switch it to something that gets me more strength?

 

[ez25]

And you have any suggestions of creatine? i really don't know if i should take it or not, since i've heard from my coaches and PT of the school that it really doesn't help, because after your off it, your muscles go back to their normal size and your strength gains are minimal. While staying on it for too long can cause some kind of kidney/liver/pancreas (something like that) damage. And if it's okay to take creatine, is there anything for a reasonable price (15-25 bucks) that can produce results? Thanks for the help again!

 

[jumpshot903]

Ok to answer some questions i always find im to tired after lifting to really get a good run in. So thats why i set aside days to run this may be more beneficial so you get more out of both so your not tired for running after lifting or vice versa. And by juice i mean with lots of added sugar I.E. Orange juice is fine just like juices high in sugar. as for reps find what works best for you i do 10x3 10 reps 3 sets ive tried 5x5 thats pretty good also something to consider is on things like bench, squats, deads or really anything, you could do your max for 1-3 reps multiple times like 8 sets of 1-3 not sure what fits you best though.

I havent heard that running after workout is bad because it still is an exercise so id assume it wouldnt but id have to look into it.

As for creatine from my research now i may be false there arnt strong studies proven it does a lot but from personal experience and word of mouth it seems to work differently for certain people i have not heard of liver/kidney problems with it. its not a needed but i use it because i think it helps. As for price you can buy bulk Creatine Mono for like 8-12 dollars and add it to a protein shake or something, its an option nonetheless. Now if you dont feel comfortable with taking it dont but do some research on anything you put into your body.

Heres something i pulled off bodybuilding.com makes me rethink 3 sets of 10 reps : O
Anatomical Adaptation/ Active Rest


Type of program suggested: Circuit Training
Intensity level: Low (30- 60% of 1RM)
Repetitions: 15- 20
Total sets per muscle group: 1-3 per exercise
Number of exercises per muscle group: 1
Rest between sets: 0- 60 seconds


Hypertrophy (Muscle Mass)


Type of program suggested: Some type of training split tailored to your schedule
Intensity level: Moderate (60- 80% of 1RM)
Repetitions: 6- 12
Total sets per muscle group: Large Muscle Groups- 4- 8
Small Muscle Groups- 1- 3
Number of exercises per muscle group: 1- 4
Rest between sets: 60- 120 seconds


Absolute Strength


Type of program suggested: Some type of training split tailored to your client's schedule
Intensity level: High (80- 100+% of 1RM)
Repetitions: 1- 5
Total sets per muscle group: Large Muscle Groups- 5- 10
Small Muscle Groups- 2- 4
Number of exercises per muscle group: 1- 2
Rest between sets: 120- 240 seconds

Heres a website that may help you out figuring out what to do with reps and even scheduling.

http://www.fitsense.co.uk/fit_article.php?id=31

 

[jumpshot903]

A little tidbit on creatine i found for you to consider.

Creatine Supplements


Creatine supplements, when combined with resistance (weight) training or intensive, short bursts of power training (such as sprinting) increases strength and lean muscle mass and accelerates recovery, making creatine the most widely used sports supplement.

Body builders, power athletes and endurance athletes can benefit by including creatine as part of a scientific training, nutrition and supplementation plan.

Creatine Monohydrate is the sport supplement industry’s most researched and widely used product.

How does Creatine actually work?

Creatine Monohydrate is the sports supplement industry’s most researched and widely used product. Creatine Monohydrate assists the body’s natural production of ATP which is the fuel used by the muscles during intense muscle contraction. Creatine Monohydrate increases strength levels in weight training or other forms of strength training, which results in additional micro-trauma to muscle tissue, leading to adaptive muscle growth.
Creatine Monohydrate supplementation also replaces creatine phosphate which would otherwise only be able to occur by the breaking down of existing amino acids in muscle tissue, therefore recovery is also greatly enhanced. By using only the highest quality European produced creatine and ensuring that sufficient fluid is consumed, Creatine Monohydrate can be used completely safely without any negative effects.

 

[lucky1p]

before anything else you will want to eat right and have at least 1 gallon of water today
My diet
7 eggs whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal
10 chicken with some green vegetable
protein shake
More meat with plain pasta
pre workout supplement
after workout shake
tuna with another vegatable

 

[ez25]

Alright, thanks. I read the website and it seems really helpful with the rep/set problem. And the routine seems good. And i am going to read more into creatine, seeing if i want to add it to my supplements

 

[jumpshot903]

Ya look into it and really if your gonna lean down sometimes its hard to get the right food like i know how you feel your at the mercy of your parents shoping. Its hard but its also somewhat easier because our bodies are still developing high in test so its usually a little easier to lose it now rather then later on in life.

 

[ez25]

Okay, thanks for the meal help. I am def going to look more into working on my meals. During school I will try to spread my meal out more, and bring a small thing of veggies with me and getting some nuts. I'm not extremely worried about my dinner, since it is usually pretty healthy. If anything i asked my parents to use the bare minimal amount of oil and salt to make the food. And if they make something that looks really fattening I'll just have like 1/2 can- 3/4 can of some canned soup that i got (healthy stuff I think...). I also took your routine and mixed it up a little. If you can take a look at it and tell me it how it looks. It will be greatly appreciated.

Strength/power: 1-5 reps (optimal strength range)
Strength and size: 6-8 reps

Strength/power: 85% or more of 1 rep max
Bodybuilding/Muscle mass: 70-75% of 1 rep max

10-12 sets large muscle groups (back, chest etc)
6-9 sets small muscle groups (biceps, etc)

Day 1- Chest/Arms
Bench press
DB Incline Bench
Cable crossover
Machine chest press
Dips
Hammer curls
Preacher curls (machine)
Tricep Extension
-Crunch Twist
Hanging knee raise
Hanging leg raise
Seated twist
Treadmill/Elliptical/Run

Day 2- Legs
Crunch Twist
Hanging knee raise
Hanging leg raise
Seated twist
Leg Extension
Leg press
Squats (???)
Calf Raise
Leg curls
Dead Lift
-Treadmill/Elliptical/Run

Day 3- Off/Cardio

Day 4-Shoulders/Back
Machine shoulder press
Shrugs
Military Press
Cable seated low row (row machine)
Lat Pulldown
Pullups
-Crunch Twist
Hanging knee raise
Hanging leg raise
Seated twist
Treadmill/Elliptical/Run

The top is just for refrence, when I want to get stronger, or "bigger" etc. I combined some of the workouts, and added the ab workouts with the rest. On Day 1 and Day 4 I will do the ab workouts after I finish the main muscles (if i'm to tired i may not do it at all, or do less). However on Day 2 since I'm doing legs, ill get the ab workouts in first (while nice legs would be a def. +, it's not the most imp. thing that I am looking to work on, as of now). And for the Cardio at the end of the lift. I will not do any during leg days since my legs will probably be dead by then. But hopefully on shoulder/chest/back/arm days I'll have enough energy to do a run or jog or walk or something! My only question is where should i put squats, like it seems like the best would be shoulders/back? but maybe legs? i dont know.

 

[jumpshot903]

i Was thinking keep squats there but move dead lifts to day 4 you cant have squats and deads on same day it would be too hard they both suck a lot of energy out of you. And you probally wont be able to come up with an accurate program until you test them out. Find out what works best. it will probally take you 3 or so rotations to get a solid program going because you can feel whats sore and whats not what you want to add or take out.

 

[EasyEJL]

And you have any suggestions of creatine? i really don't know if i should take it or not, since i've heard from my coaches and PT of the school that it really doesn't help, because after your off it, your muscles go back to their normal size and your strength gains are minimal. While staying on it for too long can cause some kind of kidney/liver/pancreas (something like that) damage. And if it's okay to take creatine, is there anything for a reasonable price (15-25 bucks) that can produce results? Thanks for the help again!

plain creatine mono is cheap and actually works. pick up some at walmart. your coaches + pt are wrong. part of the whole muscle building is tearing down and rebuilding muscles, and creatine helps with that. Plus every pound of beef, pork, salmon or tuna has around 2g of creatine, so you are just about always getting some creatine

As far as workouts go, look for premade ones. Westside for skinny bastards, madcow 5x5, etc and follow them as they are. its the easiest way, and likely the best way for you for the next couple years

 

[ez25]

Oops my bad, ya i meant dead lifts not Squats! sorry. But ya i guess I'll finish this week off with some shoulder/back and then next week i'll truly start the routine. Thanks for the help!

 

[ez25]

plain creatine mono is cheap and actually works. pick up some at walmart. your coaches + pt are wrong. part of the whole muscle building is tearing down and rebuilding muscles, and creatine helps with that. Plus every pound of beef, pork, salmon or tuna has around 2g of creatine, so you are just about always getting some creatine

As far as workouts go, look for premade ones. Westside for skinny bastards, madcow 5x5, etc and follow them as they are. its the easiest way, and likely the best way for you for the next couple years

Alright I'll def look into some premade workouts, and ill look into some Creatine in walmart thanks for the help. WOuld i find all these workouts on the forum?

 

[jumpshot903]

i found this may help you actually just helped me. its a set routine just read it.

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dougs-4-day-split-workout.html

 

[EasyEJL]

theres some good stuff here, both the workouts as well as descriptions and mini videos of exercises

http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html

 

[ez25]

So MUCH INFO!!! thanks! hehe. But yeah i'm gonna check out everything, I also found neoborn's guide so im gonna check that out also. I'm not working out until thursday, so hopefully one day is good enough to atleast get a basic overview of what i gotta do.

 

[jumpshot903]

hopefully all this info helps its a lot but i actually learned a few things researching it aswell.

 

[Mega NRG Man]

before anything else you will want to eat right and have at least 1 gallon of water today
My diet
7 eggs whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal
10 chicken with some green vegetable
protein shake
More meat with plain pasta
pre workout supplement
after workout shake
tuna with another vegatable

I'm hitting the gym again after a couple of months down from an injury. Is it alright if I steal your meal plan, dude?