Is this regimen alright?

[Alobar]

Hello all,

 

Admittedly I'm pretty new to working out and being health conscious in general. I began to feel kind of bad about my body (budding man boobs/bit of a belly) so I decided a few weeks ago to completely turn it around. I've cut out soda, candy, fast food, sweets in general and pretty much any fatty foods. Plus I don't eat in excess (I actually stop eating when I'm full. Hurray!).

 

 

I was never terribly out of shape or anything, but I wasn't very happy. Im looking to get a bit leaner and build some substantial muscle. After a few weeks of this workout, I want to know if what I'm doing is optimal, both physically and with my diet.

 

Since I don't have much money I've been sticking to the gym at my apartment complex. It has a (forgive me if I'm not getting the technical names correct) benchpress machine, a rowing/lat machine, an ab machine (which I don't feel does much), a bicep/tricep machine, a leg machine and treadmills/elipticals/bike machines. I've been doing about 3 sets of 10 reps on all of the lifting machines with as much weight as I can do. After I lift I run on the elliptical for about 30 minutes which equals 1-1.5 miles. I tend to do this 5-6 days a week.

 

For diet, I wake up and drink a Carnation instant breakfast (the no sugar added one) because it has protein in it. I've been thinking about just doing a protein supplement though. Speaking of which, is it best to intake protein before or after a workout? There is a wealth of misinformation online on the subject and It's confused me to no end. When I come back from the gym I'll eat almonds or fruit immediately afterwards. I've also heard going with a carb heavy meal after a workout (spaghetti) is good. Is that true?

 

So I have built some noticeable muscle so far, but that's really only because I didn't have much to begin with. What should I change about this routine and my diet?

[tman666]

First of all, good work for starting a workout program and taking steps to improve your diet.

 

From what you described, there are a lot of things you can do to improve.

 

The first thing to recognize is where you are in your "lifting career". You've taken an interest, which is great, and you are essentially a rank beginner. That's not a dig against you. Right now is when you have the capacity to make the biggest changes. As you become more advanced (years down the road), your gains in strength, size, etc. will come more slowly to you.

 

Training wise:

 

You need to ditch the apartment complex weight machine based gym. You need to find a gym that has heavy dumbbells, barbells, squat racks (not just Smith Machines), and allows one to lift hard and heavy (avoid Planet Fitness and their "lunk alarm").

 

Strength training should be focused around the following principles:

 

1) Training using heavy weights

2) Compound movement centered

3) Focus on long term progression

4) High Intensity/Explosiveness

 

Compound movements are defined by training movements that involve multiple muscle groups. For example, a biceps curl mostly isolates the biceps muscles (considered a isolated movement) while a pull up is considered a compound movement because it involves the biceps, deltoids, lats, and others.

 

Some examples of compound movements that your workouts should be centered around:

 

Barbell back/front squats

Deadlifts

Overhead press

Dumbbell and Barbell Bench Press

Push ups

Pull ups

Lunges

Step ups

Rows

 

When you get plenty of time under your belt with those exercises, you can start trowing in more and more variations of each, as well as some more advanced things like clean and jerks. Don't worry about that though for a few years.

 

Your rep ranges/set numbers should vary either throughout your training sessions or throughout training phases (every few weeks or so). The key is to keep the weight as heavy as you can for a specific rep range. For example, if you're doing 10 sets of 3, make sure that each of those three reps in each set are tough, but as explosive as possible. Likewise, if you're doing a set of 15, make sure that by the end of the set, you've only got one or two reps left in you. Training to failure is fine sometimes, but it shouldn't be done on every workout or every set. You should also be doing metabolic conditioning work in the way of sprints, and bodyweight complexes.

 

Diet wise, you need to focus on getting (at a bare minimum) one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Other than that, if your goal is to gain as much muscle as possible, eat as much as you can. Don't avoid any foods. If you find that you're getting too fat for your liking, start cutting back on your carbs and fat slightly. Your protein intake should be held high though, no matter what.

 

Other than that, train as much as you can, get good sleep, don't drink too much booze, and drink a lot of water.

[Alobar]

Thanks for the response.

 

A few reasons I don't go to an actual gym yet...

 

First and foremost I don't know how much they cost. I'm kind of a broke student so I don't know if I can justify spending 100 bucks a month on a membership.

 

Second, I have no idea what I'm doing! I know this may be a common lament, but if I go to a gym then I will have zero idea about how to lift, where to lift, how much or little I should do, form, etc. I imagine it would be intimidating being around regulars watching me awkwardly try to pick up a barbell the wrong way. I know some people can get trainers at the gym to help them and show them, but again that probably costs money.

 

As far as my diet is concerned, should I start taking a protein supplement (whey powder I imagine)? I know I'm not getting anywhere close to 1 gram per lb, so should I look into that?

 

Also when you say "don't avoid any foods", I assume you still mean continuing to cut out pointless foods (cookies, cake, pie, soda, etc). I know that if a linebacker wants to bulk up, they can eat anything because if they have some fat, so what? I'm trying to cut down on fat and bulk up on muscle. I'm only 5'7 so I'm not trying to be a body builder, but I'd like to be able to see some definition.

 

Thanks again for the reply!

[Kamille]

You say you're a student. Investigate which gyms offer student discounts or better yet or better yet, does you school have facilities?

 

As a student, the most I ever had to pay for a gym subscribtion was 36$ a month.

 

Re: feeling intimdated. If you do join a gym, make sure they offer a free training session, or at least an introduction to the machines. Take it. Gyms usually have trainers kicking around the room. You can always ask them how to use some of the equipment. That way you learn the proper way to use the machines and you risk less injury.

[tman666]

My gym membership is 25 bucks a month. Also, if you're a student, do you have access to a university gym or rec center?

 

When I first started lifting, I went in there and just tried random things. I tried routines I found in muscle magazines, I tried the whole "3 sets of 10" of everything. Gradually, I learned what was effective and what wasn't.

 

What I'm saying is that everyone starts at the bottom at some point. Nobody is born with the experience or knowledge to design their own programs, or even how to perform the exercises I mentioned above. Internet resources, word of mouth, and coaching can be great, but in the end, you time you spend under a barbell will be the determining factor of your successes.

 

Whey powder is a good supplement. However, you can probably save your money at this point and get enough protein from eating more meat and dairy. Obviously, when I said "eat as much as possible" and "don't avoid foods" I was referring to clean food sources. For example, some people think that potatoes are the devil and that they have no nutritional value, which is simply untrue. Others avoid egg yolks, which is another immensely misguided practice.

 

If you're in an area that a basic gym membership is 100 dollars a month, then you might need a change of game plan, but until you check that out, consider what I said above.

 

Good luck man!

[tman666]

Also, if you're intimidated, don't be. All of the "meatheads" at the gym were once in the exact place you are, and are usually people who are happy to share their insight if asked. The key thing is to learn gym etiquette. Don't take over equipment unless you're sure there's nobody on it. Don't hog equipment unless you're actually working. Don't talk to people during their sets. Don't use your cell phone. Don't act like you're cooler then everyone.

 

Above all, if you're polite, humble and considerate, people will usually be more than happy to help you out. The worst thing you can do is walk in there with a "I know everything" attitude and a "me first attitude". I'm sure you're not that kind of person, but it's always amazing to me (and you usually see it in university gyms) how many obvious newbies walk in acting like they're out to show everyone who the new boss is. The gym shouldn't be a competitive environment except against yourself or others who have agreed to a competition.

Edited September 10, 2010 by tman666

[Alobar]

Thanks for the positive support!

 

I checked it out and there is a gym just down the road from me that has gotten rave reviews apparently. It's apparently 50 bucks a month so I was thinking about checking around to see if there were any other quality gyms for less.

 

Unfortunately the only gym my school supports is the one on campus which is CONSTANTLY swamped. It's not a very large gym either, so I think an outside one would be my best bet.

 

Just one last question about the HIIT; is it possible to do this on an elliptical or is a treadmill ideal? I imagine just pounding out sprints for 30-45 seconds and then 1-1.5 mins of walking is the idea?

 

Thanks again for all the help.

[tman666]

If you can sprint all out for 30-45 seconds, you're in better shape than me friend. I would find a field or something and estimate ~ 35-40 yards. When I sprint, I usually warm up doing high knees, butt kickers, karaoke, and lunges. I usually do about 8 to 10 sprints as a workout. 2 or 3 times per week should be plenty.

 

You can do this on a treadmill, but you can't really go "all out". Instead, you can run at a fast pace (almost sprint) for 30 seconds (just like you said) and then walk for a minute. I would repeat that cycle within a 15 or 20 minute time frame. I would avoid elliptical machines for any HIIT work. I personally get bored to tears on treadmills, but if it's your only option, it's better than nothing.