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New year weight loss.

ryanharvey

New member
Invalid Link Removed Okay so years ago I was a skinny guy, played a lot of football, swam a lot too, but then life got in the way a bit and now I'm pretty overweight. Just signed up for the gym.want to get serious about getting back into shape. Body fat estimation please, and also any arm training tips? My arms are specifically weak. Especially my lack of definition in my biceps. I'm 174cm and around 100kg.
 
So your about 5'7" and 220 pounds..?

Without adding any serious amount of muscle, your target weight should be between 150 to 160 pounds.

Considering your at lesst 60 pounds overweight, you are probably at least 35 percent body fat.

Just going to the gym is not going to help you lose weight. i know plenty of people that go to the gym
religiously, but never seem to make any progress because they have not changed their way of eating.

You cannot simply go on a diet, you have to change your mindset, and get used to eating a new
healthier way, and then with the addition of working out and doing cardio will you progressively
lose weight and make long last changes to your body.
.

I lost 70 pounds 3 years ago and have maintained the loss with my weight only fluctuating by
about 5 pounds up or down each year.

So If you have any questions, feel free to ask
 
vujade said:
So your about 5'7" and 220 pounds..?

Without adding any serious amount of muscle, your target weight should be between 150 to 160 pounds.

Considering your at lesst 60 pounds overweight, you are probably at least 35 percent body fat.

Just going to the gym is not going to help you lose weight. i know plenty of people that go to the gym
religiously, but never seem to make any progress because they have not changed their way of eating.

You cannot simply go on a diet, you have to change your mindset, and get used to eating a new
healthier way, and then with the addition of working out and doing cardio will you progressively
lose weight and make long last changes to your body.
.

I lost 70 pounds 3 years ago and have maintained the loss with my weight only fluctuating by
about 5 pounds up or down each year.

So If you have any questions, feel free to ask
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice man, any tips on arms? I work them out but they are very disproportionate and I would like to get them a little bigger. Any effective exercises? Except the obvious like curls
 
ryanharvey said:
Thanks for the advice man, any tips on arms? I work them out but they are very disproportionate and I would like to get them a little bigger. Any effective exercises? Except the obvious like curls
Click to expand...

Rows, deadlifts, make sure you are using strict form and appropriate weight with any curls you do.
If you are swinging with the weight use a preacher curl station, or stand with your back to a wall.
Full ROM and you should feel tension along the target muscle.

How are you currently training them, is an important question.
I've seen too much volume be a common issue among guys wanting bigger biceps.
Focus only on progression, with proper form.

Last note:
Lose that weight and all of your muscle mass will appear considerably larger and more defined.

You should run a log,
We have very supportive and intelligent members here and I for one would be happy to help you out brother
 
By too much volume you mean too heavy weights? I think my main problem, especially with my left arm is mind/muscle connection. My right arm I can control perfectly but my left I struggle. Changing the amount of weight doesn't seem to matter and even with very controlled form I still struggle to isolate the bicep.
 
Also I've never done deadlifts. I understand the principal but I feel like it's a bit of a daunting exercise to do.
 
ryanharvey said:
By too much volume you mean too heavy weights? I think my main problem, especially with my left arm is mind/muscle connection. My right arm I can control perfectly but my left I struggle. Changing the amount of weight doesn't seem to matter and even with very controlled form I still struggle to isolate the bicep.
Click to expand...

Are you following a program or winging your workouts?

Imbalances like that may benefit from using barbells a while (for bent over rows, curls, etc) so you are hitting both arms more or less the same.

If you think your weight is too heavy, I bet it probably is.
Can you drop us an example workout you might do?
 
Iv been working out on and off for years but my main problem is I do the workout in my head not written down. It's normally something like back and biceps chest and triceps then legs. But I don't always follow that. I need a programme really. Something that involves a lot of arms and shoulders. I think they are my weakest areas. Any suggestions?
 
ryanharvey said:
I'm clearly very fat but my back and chest are strong.
Click to expand...

Work a physical job?

Just an odd comment from someone who doesn't want to deadlift,
I'm going to assume there is also no squatting done here?

Easiest way to add mass to your arms is often to add mass overall, utilizing compound lifts.
You can gain mass without of course, but if your programming is not consistent and progressive you are spinning your wheels.

If you want strength, or aesthetic progress, I suggest you try a beginners lifting program. It sounds like you may be better off researching them yourself if you are against certain lifts, as everything I suggest would include deadlifts and squats.
 
I do squats. And for the deadlift It's not that I don't want to do them. But iv always lacked confidence in the gym whether I am fit or not. It's taken me a long time to pull myself away from the weight machines and start using free weights with confidence. For me the deadlift I just feel like I'm going to look very stupid if I'm not doing it right. And no my job is currently a desk one. Probably hence all the recent extra weight.
 
Fair enough man I won't suggest leaving your comfort zone,
With progress the confidence will come.

Rows are a solid backup, all varieties, they hit the biceps very well, as well.

How often are you lifting?
 
Driven2lift said:
Fair enough man I won't suggest leaving your comfort zone,
With progress the confidence will come.

Rows are a solid backup, all varieties, they hit the biceps very well, as well.

How often are you lifting?
Click to expand...

I don't so many rows, I will try and get them into my schedule more often. I'm guessing with dumbbells is better than machine? And normally 3 times a week. 4 on a fantastic week lol. 2 on a lazy.
 
ryanharvey said:
I don't so many rows, I will try and get them into my schedule more often. I'm guessing with dumbbells is better than machine? And normally 3 times a week. 4 on a fantastic week lol. 2 on a lazy.
Click to expand...

Lol well if your goal is bicep hypertrophy I would be sure to hit them at least twice a week.
You can grow on less but if you are otherwise sedentary I would recommend it.

I get in dumbbell rows every week too, One of the lifts I really enjoy performing, without fail.
 
Okay man twice a week. Got it. Stupid questions but I don't know a lot about muscle growth. Hyper trophy? Is that muscle exhaustion which normally leads to growth? And also early you said ROM? What does that stand for?
 
Sorry man, online habits.

ROM= range of motion, with curls this just means lowered strait to your side, and be sure you keep feeling the tension the whole way down, no swinging,
Then back up (top position depends on curl variation)

A preacher curl station is the best way to ensure better form in novices, IMO.



Hypertrophy is really just referring to building lean mass (muscle)
 
Definitely listen to the advice you've received so far from Driven, he knows what he is talking about :)
 
I can see that yeah knowledge is everything. Another question for both of you. For traps I only do shrugs and they are effective but I need some different ways to change my routine. Any other effective trap exercises?
 
ryanharvey said:
I can see that yeah knowledge is everything. Another question for both of you.
For traps I only do shrugs and they are effective but I need some different ways to change my routine. Any other effective trap exercises?
Click to expand...

I like standing upright rows with cables, or dumbbells
 
I think my friend does that exercise so it would be an overhead cable with the cord attachment and then pulling backwards towards the face?
 
ryanharvey said:
I think my friend does that exercise so it would be an overhead cable with the cord attachment and then pulling backwards towards the face?
Click to expand...

[video=youtube;GTOn4JiBWCQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTOn4JiBWCQ[/video]
 
Farmers walks too, though this can be easier/harder based on how busy your gym gets.
 
Why not just go on one of the 5x5 routines?
 
It's a generic beginner routine that I feel is very solid and a great place for new lifters to start from. There are some slight variations between different approaches but the overall concept is the same. 5 sets of 5 reps of the big compound lifts for a full body workout 3 days a week with each successive working increasing in weight being lifted.
 
I looked it up earlier thanks judo. I will be incorporating most of the core exercises but with some extra exercises on top of that.
 
Strong lifts is a solid variation that also has a free app and a pretty detailed tutorial of the program on the website. Others are madcows, starting strength, and a few others. The stronglifts app is simple and effective so it is the one I often reccomend.
 
ryanharvey said:
I looked it up earlier thanks judo. I will be incorporating most of the core exercises but with some extra exercises on top of that.
Click to expand...

That is a mistake. Trust me. I know it seems counter intuitive to some extent, but is largely a mistake with very little potential to gain and great potential to just burn out and quit
 
But I already worked out before I just stopped completely over Christmas, I think my diet is a bigger issue than my workouts I just need to stick to a routine. I have a bad habit of jumping on whatever machine or bench I feel like and it means I'm making no progress.
 
ryanharvey said:
But I already worked out before I just stopped completely over Christmas, I think my diet is a bigger issue than my workouts I just need to stick to a routine. I have a bad habit of jumping on whatever machine or bench I feel like and it means I'm making no progress.
Click to expand...

Sticking to a routine includes adding additional exercises and other deviations from the routine. Consistency is by far the biggest factor here. Pick a program, whatever program, and stick to that program for some time.
 
Yeah I totally agree man most important thing right now for me is to be going to the gym regularly 3 times a week minimum and keeping track of every rep. Then I will see the progress and improve my strength.
 
Get the app and just follow it. Trust me. It. Works.
 
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