Workout regiments

[Boyiee]

I've always been taught that you don't do two muscle groups that are both large or antagonists of one another on the same day, ie chest/back, biceps/triceps. Usually break it down like this: Monday- chest/leg group; Wednesday: back/arm group; Friday: legs/arms/shoulders.



It also depends on whether you're going for mass or strength.

And don't try to rehab on your own :'(

this is right. Also if you want to tone more then build you can do lesser weight but higher reps. Even though certain muscle groups shouldn't be pushed to hard or done everyday or with other groups, abdominals can be done everyday... Run everyday as well, don't pick a set time to run everyday cause if you miss that time you wont want to run at all, so just do it when you can. Do this plus don't eat stupidly (because you can still lose weight and eat at taco bell once in a while^^) and you'll feel much better and get the results you are looking for.

[solsovly]

When I left, I try to do 3-4 sets of 10 each. I try to push myself to get a weight where I can barely do 10 and usually setup the last set to failure. Meaning you shouldn't be able to finish the last set (around 6-9 is good) without a spot. This is good for muscle gain.

I've been going on a year, havn't lost any actual weight but I've toned up alot of fat that I gained out of school into muscle. Still have a bit more to go till I get back into where I was in school though.

[Devek]

They always stressed NO SODIUM WHATSOEVER because it makes you retain water.

Whats wrong with retaining water anyway?

I could care less if I have 5 extra pounds of water weight, its not fat.

[archibaldcrane]

They always stressed NO SODIUM WHATSOEVER because it makes you retain water.

Whats wrong with retaining water anyway?

I could care less if I have 5 extra pounds of water weight, its not fat.

This is more of a cosmetic issue - water weight makes you look more bloated which isn't the goal of a body makeover show. I think that it also had to do with faster recovery time from surgery, but I'm not sure how that worked. The surgeons and the fitness/diet guys were always working together on the routines and schedules for the best results.

[solsovly]

They always stressed NO SODIUM WHATSOEVER because it makes you retain water.

Whats wrong with retaining water anyway?

I could care less if I have 5 extra pounds of water weight, its not fat.

Unless you are going to be posing and parading around in some muscle magazine, don't worry about it. Drink lots of water before and after you work out, it's good for you. I should take my own advice though, I drink roughly 4-5 billion cans of diet soda a day which is another problem in itself.

[pingpong]

Cool guys, I see some really good ideas in here. I'm really liking the idea of 6 small meals a day, cardio, and light but repetitive weights.

6 small meals / day is def the way to go, although it can be nearly impossible to accomplish if you eat out a lot. Many times you will force yourself to eat everything on the plate, and that's not good.

[Suikoden]

Sorry for the possibly dumb question but could someone clarify for me something.

When you do, lets say 4 sets of 12 reps each. Would you do those 4 sets one after another with like 10-20 sec break or would you do 1 set and then move to something else and then come back and do 2nd set and so on.

[Ryany]

When you do, lets say 4 sets of 12 reps each. Would you do those 4 sets one after another with like 10-20 sec break or would you do 1 set and then move to something else and then come back and do 2nd set and so on.

I usually take 5 minutes between sets of the exercises that work more muscles (such as squats). I'm usually 2-3 minutes between sets on the smaller muscle exercises such as biceps. I believe most say you should take 3-5 minutes between sets.

As for doing another exercise while you are resting between sets of another one (called supersetting), I usually avoid doing that for a few reasons. First, you risk giving up the bench/squat rack/machine/etc that you were previously on. You also need rest between some of the bigger lifts (such as squats) that might put you out of energy at the end of a set if you are pushing yourself. (which you should be if it is not a warmup set)

I always avoid supersetting unless I'm running late for something else important.

[archibaldcrane]

I love supersets. Saves me time, and it's good if you are doing full-body lifting in one workout (not splitting up muscle groups for whatever reason) - you can superset bench press/row, biceps/triceps, lower back/abs, etc.

Losing a piece of equipment sucks ass though.

[Lawls]

When you do, lets say 4 sets of 12 reps each. Would you do those 4 sets one after another with like 10-20 sec break or would you do 1 set and then move to something else and then come back and do 2nd set and so on.

I usually take 5 minutes between sets of the exercises that work more muscles (such as squats). I'm usually 2-3 minutes between sets on the smaller muscle exercises such as biceps. I believe most say you should take 3-5 minutes between sets.

As for doing another exercise while you are resting between sets of another one (called supersetting), I usually avoid doing that for a few reasons. First, you risk giving up the bench/squat rack/machine/etc that you were previously on. You also need rest between some of the bigger lifts (such as squats) that might put you out of energy at the end of a set if you are pushing yourself. (which you should be if it is not a warmup set)

I always avoid supersetting unless I'm running late for something else important.

Nobody that lifts weights has that many level 75s and 60s!

[ikariffxi]

Just a few things to add/reinforce:

Do NOT wear weights of any kind while running. It has horrid consequences on your joints.

Eat more slowly. Your body takes 10-15 minutes to let you know it is full.

Be careful of calories in your liquids. Personally, I gave up soda and juice. Too many calories. I used to drink around 4 cokes a day. Instead, drink tons of water.

Don't eat late at night. Your metabolism will have slowed down quite a bit.

Diet+exercise > genetic disposition. You can overcome any overweight problem even if you blame it on heredity.

I have been running 3 miles a day since March, and changed my eating habits from 3 big meals + snacks a day (and eating lots at night) to 6 small, nutritious meals. I have lost an average of two pounds a week since then, and 10 inches off my waist. I'm definitely not "toned" but I am certainly not "flabby" at all. My goal was to lose weight through cardio personally, not to build muscle. Once I reach my weight goal, I will start some light lifting, but I will always stress the cardio > all.

Also, don't be impatient and expect results the week you start. You will start noticing more energy after a couple weeks and physical appearance changes will take a little more time than that.

Oh, and quit FFXI, it helped a lot.

[Immortaldonut]

out of curiosity, when you say "Day 1, Day 2, Day 3" do you mean 3 days in a row with 4 days of rest? or do you alternate days of working out and days of rest? like "work out monday, rest tues, work out wed, rest thurs, etc." or does it work either way? i also have been looking into starting an exercise routine

[Daahan]

If you want to lose weight and tone up just a "little" then you should keep your weightlifting regiment to a minimum.

What you want to do is cardiovascular excersises with high resistance built in.

You can do things like run on a treadmill that has an angle adjustment so it's like you're running up hill. You will burn the calories with the running and build the muscles in your legs through the uphill resistance.

It's more difficult for your upper body. Swimming can work but the resistance through the water is minimal, but you'll still build a little muscle. You can also spar with a punching bag. Sit-ups are a classic for getting a good work out while working on your abs.

Dot Drills and Suicides are also great ways to build muscles in your legs and abdomen while getting a good workout.

(I coach wrestling so I have to mix these things up all the time when people have to lose weight to maintain their weight class while maintaining their muscular build)

[Norelco]

Cool guys, I see some really good ideas in here. I'm really liking the idea of 6 small meals a day, cardio, and light but repetitive weights.

6 small meals / day is def the way to go, although it can be nearly impossible to accomplish if you eat out a lot. Many times you will force yourself to eat everything on the plate, and that's not good.

I hear what you're saying. I actually started splitting meals with my fiance when we go out, and it's still more than enough food for the both of us. And it's cheaper on our wallets too...sometimes waiters will get snotty though because a smaller bill usually equals a smaller tip.

[Danos]

Meal 1: 9:00am
Apple+yogurt

Meal 2: 11:00am
Cran + Shake mix
Banana

Meal 3: ~1:30pm (post-workout)
Cran + Shake
Apple

Meal 4: ~2:30pm (post-post-workout)
Cran + Shake
Banana

Meal 5: ~6:00pm
Some form of veggies
Dinner:
Usually pasta and meatballs, roughly 2 servings.

First thing that needs to be stated is: everyone's body is different

This was a designed diet I created about 4 years ago that I use to maintain my size before beach volleyball season, which has now been revised. Biggest change in my life recently was working the standard 9-5 job which is diff. from college life cuz you're always sitting behind a damn desk.

The noon workout at work consisted of just basic pushups, pull ups, situps, obliques, and lots of stretching. Usually evening consisted of me playing for 3 hrs, 3-4 times a week. Jog 3 times a week. Track/sprint workouts 1-2 times a week.

Btw I used this to cut down and tone up during the summer only.

[z3r0c00l]

Anyone know any exercise's I can do to strengthen my chest with dumbells? I have 5, 10, 15, and 30 pound dumbells. My chest is toned, but its not really muscle, its not hard at all. What can I do to make it nice and hard? :D

[Quixotic]

The diet is the most important part imo. The best rule for losing weight (at a healthy normal rate) is just making sure that calories in < calories out per day, but not by much. If I remember right, a 3000 calorie deficit per week is about 1lb of weight loss a week. That's pretty easy to do spread among 7 days, and there are many tools to help estimate the amount of calories your body uses in any given day depending on your activities. Say for example in my case, on a day where I just sleep and sit around all day, I probably use up somewhere between 1600-2000 calories, and on an active day of walking around school, working out, etc, its more like 3000-3500ish. You can also read up on the caloric contents of different foods online so it can be easy to gauge your intake (not just calories, but protein, carbs, fat, etc) too.

[Zylo]

I only have time to post my chest/tricep day right now, so I'll have to give you the rest of my routines later

3 sets of dips, 15 in each set
3 sets of flat bench press, 185 lbx10 for each set
3 sets of dumbell flies, two 50sx10 for each set
3 sets of incline dumbell press, two 50sx10 for each set
3 sets of tricep pushdowns, 130x10 for each set
3 sets of overhead tricep pulls (dunno if that's the correct name, but that's what I call them ), 90x10 for each set

I usually do about 100-200 pushups over the course of a chest day as well, and always follow my workouts with some whey protein (Optimum Nutrition is fucking tasty <3). I think that's a pretty decent routine, I hope you can make your own chest day from or with the help of mine. Good luck

[solsovly]

I only have time to post my chest/tricep day right now, so I'll have to give you the rest of my routines later

3 sets of dips, 15 in each set
3 sets of flat bench press, 185 lbx10 for each set
3 sets of dumbell flies, two 50sx10 for each set
3 sets of incline dumbell press, two 50sx10 for each set
3 sets of tricep pushdowns, 130x10 for each set
3 sets of overhead tricep pulls (dunno if that's the correct name, but that's what I call them ), 90x10 for each set

I usually do about 100-200 pushups over the course of a chest day as well, and always follow my workouts with some whey protein (Optimum Nutrition is fucking tasty <3). I think that's a pretty decent routine, I hope you can make your own chest day from or with the help of mine. Good luck

You should vary the weight if you are just starting (obviously). When I do chest/tri, I like to do all the chest first, then move to secondary tricep muscles. If you only have access to 30 pound dumbells, I would recommend pushups and varying where you put your hand and inclines. If you really want to challenge yourself, you can wear a backpack with books/whatever to make them harder. The gym here is less than what I pay for FFXI every month. It's a good investment.

[Fhqwghads]

Before my back decided to start screwing up on me (yay genetic degenerative disc disease) I'd alternate. I was going for bulk and and less body fat. Anyway, Mon Wed Fri were weight training. I'd usually go with negative sets with high amounts of weight close to 1-rep max, and static all the sets. Tue Thur were days I'd run, anywhere from 4-5 miles. After about 6 months of that, there were very very very noticeable results. I'd packed on tons of muscle, slimmed down to size 28 men's pants, and felt and looked great. I would also eat lean beef, chicken, and lots of vegetables. No snacks at night except peanut butter. No soda. I drank tons of water. No garbage greasy take out/fast food, etc.

That was like 4 years ago now though, when my first back injury hit (herniated disc) and the wonderful degenerative disc disease was found via Xrays and MRI. Now I'm getting all soft and squishy and I really need to get back into running at least.

My biggest piece of advice is: make a routine and stick with it. I cannot over-emphasize how easy it is to slip out of a routine and blow off a workout here, cardio there, and before you know it weeks have passed and there's been no attention paid to either. It's then hard to get back into a routine. I always made it a habit of psyching myself up before I left work to go home, focusing on nothing but changing into some sweats or shorts and hitting the weights or running. If you can get yourself into a routine, it's very easy to change your lifestyle and maintain a workout and cardio regimen.