Just starting the Gym, Advice please....

Baron_Greenbck

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
1,171
Hi all, ive just started the Gym yesterday after 2/3 years of doing absolutely fuck all except being a couch potato.

Im 27, 5 foot 11 1/2 inch tall and 15 stone exactly, according to the weight machine at the gym i want to be around 13 stone.

So could i get some advice on routines, supplements etc to help me accheive my goals asap (im not expecting miracles), i willing to but the work in.

Im looking to improve strength (ive let myself get as weak as a kitten!!), fitness, maybe gain some muscle and mainly shift this 2 stone of excess baggage!!!

......im clueless to this whole thing.

Heres a pic of me a couple of months ago in Ibiza, with gut and unwanted double chin ;)

 
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bout' you

I would buy a book vs a few magazines. Then address myself. Get familur with the vocabulary so you can describe the physiological adaption. The exercise industry will always come up with new technology aka. gimmics.

Through dieting alone you can get results. Probaly the best for you. I lost 68lbs in two and 1/2 months and felt like I could fly.

I would utilize protein sparing too. Include 1 gram of protein per 1 pound bodyweight in your menu per day so you can hold onto your strength.
 
If you are looking to gain muscle and add a lot of power... keep your reps low and your weight rather high
eg. 3 sets 6 reps instead of 10-12 reps.

Use basic lifts, squat, bench press, cleans, deadlifts, as they tend to elevate levels of testosterone.

Eat heavy, 500 extra calories a day is equal to 1lb of bodyweight a week. SO if your basic intake is 2000 calories, 2500 a day will make you gain 1lb at the end of the week.. so if you can push 3500+ calories, you're in for some mass.

Supplements? Multivitamin, creatine & glutamine (optional, some people like it some don't it has no side effects essentially, so try it out), ZMA, weight gainer/protein shake.
 
fyi: making the same thread in multiple forums is generally against the rules. but i'll leave this open just this once.

good luck with your fitness. just get into the habit of working out and it becomes smooth sailing pretty quick.
 
Your workout should consist of 90% free weights. Don't worry about running on treadmills to burn fat, your much better off lifting heavy. You'll feel a lot better too, with strength comes fat loss due to increased metabolism.

Get a personal trainer to show you how to bench, dead lift and squat properly, then set yourself a weight goal (to lift, not bodyweight) and just work hard until you can. Once you've got your basic core strength and have made a start on fitness, you can focus on weight loss a bit more by adding some HIIT (high impact interval training) to your routine.
 
The main thing you need to know about fitness is that it's a lifestyle change, not an event (like going on vacation.) If you take off twenty pounds of fat (no matter how) and then go back to living the way you've always lived, you're just going to put the weight back on again.

So, stop thinking in terms of 'how can I lose weight'. The real question is 'how can I have a healthier, fitter way of life, for the rest of my life?'

I lost about 75 pounds from my peak weight (yah really). For me, the key was simply becoming AWARE of what I was eating. That means I found out exactly what I was eating (in terms of calories and nutritional content) and kept track of it. It's only AFTER you know exactly what you're eating that you have the information you need to change your diet.

So, let's say you track your dietary consumption for a few weeks and discover that you're eating an average of 3,000 calories a day while maintaining the same weight. A pound of body fat (about 0.45 kilos) contains about 3,500 calories, so over a week, reducing your diet from 3,000 calories to 2,500 calories a day should allow you to lose a pound of fat a day (since 500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat.)

It can help to think of food in terms of 'weight cost'. For instance, that 1,800 calorie bag of Doritos will cost you about half a pound of fat gain (or prevent half a pound of fat loss.)

Never starve yourself! The body does very bad things to you if you starve it, such as slowing down your metabolism to protect fat reserves (since it thinks you're in a famine) and cranking up your appetite, driving you to binge and undo your hard work in moments of weakness. Instead, reduce how much you eat by a little each meal; generally 1-2 pounds a week of fat loss (eating 500-1,000 calories a day less) is a reasonably comfortable rate of weight loss.

Be patient. A great body takes time to achieve. It takes to time to learn what you need to know about nutrition and exercise. It takes time to re-train your eating and lifestyle habits. Take a long-term view of things and keep trying to live a healthier life.
 
a good moderately long-term goal is squat and deadlift 2X bodyweight. It might take a year or more to get that though, so set yourself intermediate goals.

The main thing about getting stronger is to constantly be adding weight to the bar (once form is correct!). Every session try to add 10 lbs to your squat and deadlift (5 to your oh press and bench and clean).
 
a good moderately long-term goal is squat and deadlift 2X bodyweight. It might take a year or more to get that though, so set yourself intermediate goals.


Oo really?
I've been weight lifting since March and I'm deadlifting double my bodyweight at 140kg. But I can only squat just over my bodyweight at 80kg :S
 
Oo really?
I've been weight lifting since March and I'm deadlifting double my bodyweight at 140kg.

All else being equal, smaller guys usually have greater strength to weight ratios. (Which makes them more 'athletic'. Smaller guys make great gymnists and ninjas; big guys make great strongmen.) Generally around a 220 kilo (about 500 pound) deadlift is considered a good benchmark for a very strong adult man. The world record for a deadlift is just over a thousand pounds (around 420 kilos.)
 
^ I've heard this initial benchmark for training:
2x BW squat
2x BW deadlift
1.5x BW bench
1x BW OH Press

You hit that and I think nobody would consider you weak at that point. I'm still trying to hit those hehe :D
 
Supplements? Multivitamin, creatine & glutamine (optional, some people like it some don't it has no side effects essentially, so try it out), ZMA, weight gainer/protein shake.

I would add fish oil, which is good for injury prevention & general brain/heart health.
.
Your workout should consist of 90% free weights. Don't worry about running on treadmills to burn fat, your much better off lifting heavy. You'll feel a lot better too, with strength comes fat loss due to increased metabolism.

Get a personal trainer to show you how to bench, dead lift and squat properly, then set yourself a weight goal (to lift, not bodyweight) and just work hard until you can. Once you've got your basic core strength and have made a start on fitness, you can focus on weight loss a bit more by adding some HIIT (high impact interval training) to your routine.

^ Agreed. I think the first I in HIIT is intensity tho, referring to the short, high-energy output nature of the intervals.

All else being equal, smaller guys usually have greater strength to weight ratios. (Which makes them more 'athletic'. Smaller guys make great gymnists and ninjas; big guys make great strongmen.) Generally around a 220 kilo (about 500 pound) deadlift is considered a good benchmark for a very strong adult man. The world record for a deadlift is just over a thousand pounds (around 420 kilos.)

I have heard that too. Last I tested my maxes (~145-50lb) I DLed 315 @ bench pressed 200, never tested squat but it couldn't have been over 250 I think. Squatting is right now one of the things I'd like to focus on, beside the bicep curls I mean =D
 
^ I've heard this initial benchmark for training:
2x BW squat
2x BW deadlift
1.5x BW bench
1x BW OH Press

You hit that and I think nobody would consider you weak at that point. I'm still trying to hit those hehe :D

For 1 rep?
 
make sure you don't exercise the same muscle group for two days in a row, especially when you're first starting out. Your muscles need at least a day to heal before they are strained and stretched again.
 
make sure you don't exercise the same muscle group for two days in a row, especially when you're first starting out. Your muscles need at least a day to heal before they are strained and stretched again.

A day of rest? There are only a few muscles that a newbie lifter should use more than one a week in the gym.
 
Oo, could do all except for squat then. Not tried squatting more than 100kg because the stretch marks have turned my arse purple lol

And it only took me since March from being able to bench 20kg for about 6 reps :D
 
well eDDe your beating me for weight! how you doing in terms of bodyweight? I'm up from about 9.5 stone to about 11.5...

(weights I'm about Squat: 100kg, Dead 120kg, Bench 80kg, Shoulder 70kg- Yes my shoulders are freaky strong compared to the rest of me. Those are like 5-8 reps.).
 
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