Workouts
- Thread starter Mike
- Start date
Nothing stoping you from doing them. Throw them in on your back/biceps day. Go nuts.
Do stuff you enjoy. Its important to sustain the drive; after a month you might miss a couple days and fall back to old habits.
and listen to these guys.
U Wanna Build Some Muscle??? - YouTube
and listen to these guys.
U Wanna Build Some Muscle??? - YouTube
Ha those guys are great. What you have to realize is that most people, without the use of roids, will never look like them.
Wow. Lots and lots of studying to do.
Thanks for all the tips and pointers. Looks like I was mostly headed in the right direction in respects to reps / sets. I try to do 3 sets of 10 - 15 on everything I do, BUT where I have been failing is the weight. My fear of injury has kept the weight lower than I can really handle, so I'm not hitting any walls. I'm just finishing sets and moving on.
Just ordered Starting Strength from Amazon. I've also got Strength Training Anatomy sitting here to reference for form. Incredible illustrations in that. Really helps you see what different exercises work.
Well, I guess I'm going to be spending way more time reading up on cutting, calories, and workouts. This is a lifestyle I want to carry forward, and not just "try" for a little while, so it's worth the effort.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Would love to hear more if you're willing to share.
Thanks for all the tips and pointers. Looks like I was mostly headed in the right direction in respects to reps / sets. I try to do 3 sets of 10 - 15 on everything I do, BUT where I have been failing is the weight. My fear of injury has kept the weight lower than I can really handle, so I'm not hitting any walls. I'm just finishing sets and moving on.
Just ordered Starting Strength from Amazon. I've also got Strength Training Anatomy sitting here to reference for form. Incredible illustrations in that. Really helps you see what different exercises work.
Well, I guess I'm going to be spending way more time reading up on cutting, calories, and workouts. This is a lifestyle I want to carry forward, and not just "try" for a little while, so it's worth the effort.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Would love to hear more if you're willing to share.
I do 3 sets on all my lifts 12/10/8 reps, increasing each set by 5 or 10 lbs depending on the exercise. This is how I was taught in hs and it's been working great for me since I got back in to working out a few months ago.
No problem man. You have a better base than I had when I started. Don't worry so much about how much you're lifting, it takes time to get comfortable with your you gym, the people around you, and your abilities.
In a few months you'll be crushing it, and you'll look back at this thread and laugh.
In a few months you'll be crushing it, and you'll look back at this thread and laugh.
So much terrible bro science...
Let me add in some more.
At 5' 8" and 385, your goal is weight loss. Not strength gain.
You need a better diet and cardio. You don't need slow ass zero cardio weight lifting at a gym.
For cardio I recommend finding a sport/activity you can enjoy and see yourself doing longterm. Yoga, swimming, racquetball, bjj, whatever. Something you will actually want to get up and go do.
Honestly though at 385, you need to just wait a bit for diet and some general walking/increased movement to bring your weight down to safer levels. Yoga, swimming or walking at this point would be low enough impact though.
For diet. I recommend simply meat and veggies (look into paleo). Within 30 mins of waking up try and get ~30g of protein in you (eggs, bacon, steak, chicken - if you have to, go for a protein shake), this will jumpstart your metabolism first thing in the morning so it's burning all day. Also if you feel like your craving sweets, ice cream, carbs really bad, just wait and have it after you have finished your excercise. Your body will use and burn the carbs much better after a workout then any other time. Also giving yourself the room to cheat, while controlling when you do, will help you stick to the diet change.
Forget calorie counting, it's bullshit. Just start eating real foods. And forget the gym, serious waste of your time. Strength is of literally zero value to you. It's 2013 and you work online.
Let me add in some more.
At 5' 8" and 385, your goal is weight loss. Not strength gain.
You need a better diet and cardio. You don't need slow ass zero cardio weight lifting at a gym.
For cardio I recommend finding a sport/activity you can enjoy and see yourself doing longterm. Yoga, swimming, racquetball, bjj, whatever. Something you will actually want to get up and go do.
Honestly though at 385, you need to just wait a bit for diet and some general walking/increased movement to bring your weight down to safer levels. Yoga, swimming or walking at this point would be low enough impact though.
For diet. I recommend simply meat and veggies (look into paleo). Within 30 mins of waking up try and get ~30g of protein in you (eggs, bacon, steak, chicken - if you have to, go for a protein shake), this will jumpstart your metabolism first thing in the morning so it's burning all day. Also if you feel like your craving sweets, ice cream, carbs really bad, just wait and have it after you have finished your excercise. Your body will use and burn the carbs much better after a workout then any other time. Also giving yourself the room to cheat, while controlling when you do, will help you stick to the diet change.
Forget calorie counting, it's bullshit. Just start eating real foods. And forget the gym, serious waste of your time. Strength is of literally zero value to you. It's 2013 and you work online.
Scientific proof please. It's common to put people that are in Mike's BMI range on extremely restrictive diets. Doctors do it.
Much better to be consistent with your routine than to change it every couple of months. How can you measure progress in your fitness or the amount you can lift otherwise?
Jury is still out on that one. Studies have been done that show that resistance training means you burn more fat, whilst gaining muscle mass, even in a calorie deficit for untrained individuals.
If I were 385 at 5'8, I'd be focussing on my diet and nothing else. Perhaps try and do a 30 min walk each day or something. You don't need to do anything else to shift serious amounts of weight.
Worry about doing the weight training/cardio etc when you're at a level where you can do a proper workout. Realistically you're not going to be fit enough at that height > 300lbs to do a serious weight training workout anyway.
There are already too many pieces of advice in this thread, so I will just say good luck and be strong, mentally!
When you feeling like stopping or not doing it at all that day, that is when it is the most important to persevere!
When you feeling like stopping or not doing it at all that day, that is when it is the most important to persevere!
This.
Forgot to say this.
I think recovery and all that are only for those trying to build muscles or strengths with a Goal.
If weightloss is a goal, consistency is Key.
This is what I kept telling myself:
1) Don't ever miss a workout 2 days in a Row.
2) Fuck that Shit at 1: Don't ever miss a workout unless planned.
3) And someone busier than you is running right now..
Lifting weight definitely improves your metabolism. You can't lift well if you are exhausted from Cardio, so do weight before you do Cardio. Also if you are that heavy running and other high intensity exercise will definitely fuck up your shin and knees. Squat please.
Did I say Squat? Learn to Squat please. Those full Ass-to-Grass low bar squats. It does burn fat really well. I still squat 3 times a week and I feel awful on days that I don't squat
Running also become easier when you have squat a bit
Plenty of studies out there dispute this. Increasing your BMR keeps your metabolism elevated (burninc calories) up to 24 (maybe longer if you train super high intensity) hours after your workout. Low intensity cardio has almost no after burn effect. View sprinters VS milers for a perfect example.
Mike, just keep doing SOMETHING every single day. Lift. Walk. Do some burpees. Jump rope. Push a sled. Movement is your friend. Keep it up.
Just do Crossfit.
Eat 6 egg whites or more in the morning, 1/2 cup of Oatmeal, and half grapefruit
drink protein smoothie (like syntha 6 or Elite xt between meals, Add some olive or coconut oil)
a fish type protein for lunch, salad or mixed veggies
eat 8 oz of Turkey, chicken or fish protein
You can also eat a sweet potato, and greek yogurt on some days.
alternate from crossfit to your work youre doing weekly.. then go to monthly.. I was 340, now im 245
Eat 6 egg whites or more in the morning, 1/2 cup of Oatmeal, and half grapefruit
drink protein smoothie (like syntha 6 or Elite xt between meals, Add some olive or coconut oil)
a fish type protein for lunch, salad or mixed veggies
eat 8 oz of Turkey, chicken or fish protein
You can also eat a sweet potato, and greek yogurt on some days.
alternate from crossfit to your work youre doing weekly.. then go to monthly.. I was 340, now im 245
Just throwing my two cents in here...
Workouts:
I would stick with Starting Strength, and do it by the book. I know it feels stupid when you are only doing squats, bench, deadlifts, and powercleans for low reps, but that's really all you need. People will tell you that you need more, but in most peoples positions, you really don't. I know of people still making solid progress on starting strength after 18 months, still adding weight to the bar, and they started out with no experience. They look better than most guys I see at the gym doing all their little isolation exercises and their super drop set upside down reverse bicep curls. With chains and a squat suit on....
Cardio: Meh, hit the treadmill after your workout if you want. If anything, do it just to feel good and not worry about the weight loss. Over the long haul, the effect of cardio will be relatively small compared to diet.
Diet: Find something that works and stick to it. For me, the old school steak and egg diet worked best. There are so many different diets out there that work and they all have a cult like following, but don't get brainwashed into thinking only one way works best. Paleo works, low carb works, high carb can work, carb cycling...as long as you are in a deficit and find something you can stick to for the long term, you are on the right track.
All in all...
Don't get caught up in the details. Scientific studies about BMR, the amount of calories burnt after high intensity vs low intensity, eat sweet potato but not white potato, etc - it's all excess noise.
With your stats, anything besides what you were doing before you begun to embrace the healthy lifestyle will give you massive results.
Starting Strength (or something similar) + Caloric Deficit + Time + Discipline = Win
Workouts:
I would stick with Starting Strength, and do it by the book. I know it feels stupid when you are only doing squats, bench, deadlifts, and powercleans for low reps, but that's really all you need. People will tell you that you need more, but in most peoples positions, you really don't. I know of people still making solid progress on starting strength after 18 months, still adding weight to the bar, and they started out with no experience. They look better than most guys I see at the gym doing all their little isolation exercises and their super drop set upside down reverse bicep curls. With chains and a squat suit on....
Cardio: Meh, hit the treadmill after your workout if you want. If anything, do it just to feel good and not worry about the weight loss. Over the long haul, the effect of cardio will be relatively small compared to diet.
Diet: Find something that works and stick to it. For me, the old school steak and egg diet worked best. There are so many different diets out there that work and they all have a cult like following, but don't get brainwashed into thinking only one way works best. Paleo works, low carb works, high carb can work, carb cycling...as long as you are in a deficit and find something you can stick to for the long term, you are on the right track.
All in all...
Don't get caught up in the details. Scientific studies about BMR, the amount of calories burnt after high intensity vs low intensity, eat sweet potato but not white potato, etc - it's all excess noise.
With your stats, anything besides what you were doing before you begun to embrace the healthy lifestyle will give you massive results.
Starting Strength (or something similar) + Caloric Deficit + Time + Discipline = Win