Dr. Fong Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I've decided to go back. Anyone have any good advice for a beginning workout routine including weights and cardio. Any good online resources? Any help is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountDorkula Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I've decided to go back. Anyone have any good advice for a beginning workout routine including weights and cardio. Any good online resources? Any help is appreciated. Don't overdue anything, start light almost as a cardio thing and work your way up on the weights. The 3rd day of your workout routine is going to suck. Your entire body is going to be sore. You can thank something I believe it is called "dealyed onset muscle syndrome" this will get less and less as you get furter into a routine If you are trying to gain muscle due heavier weight with less reps (3 sets of 8-10) If you are trying to tone muscle due lighter weight with more reps (3 sets of 12-14) Concentrate on muscle groups on certain days; I.E. my routine is as follows Monday - Chest and Shoulders/upperback / abdominals / calfs Tuesday - Triceps, biceps and lower back / abdominals / Wednesday - Glutes , hamstrings, leg day Thursday - off Friday - Light routine of a combination of mon tues and wed Saturday - off Sunday - off Eating protein after is key if you are trying to gain muscle mass. Usually i have some chocolate milk and a peanut butter sandwhich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanners Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I've decided to go back. Anyone have any good advice for a beginning workout routine including weights and cardio. Any good online resources? Any help is appreciated. I agree with everything dork said, I recently went back and ripped it the first day, and couldn't move 2 days later. Now I went way down, and slowly built up my pace. Much more doable and enjoyable and I am seeing te results. The key is to take it slow and make it a fun habit. It's all about long term results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I have attempted and failed to get back into the gym several times over the past few years (due to back injury), but I used to be very much into working out and building my strength. I don't recommend doing this right away, but as youre in the beginning phase of getting your body used to lifting again, read up on supersets. I am a firm beleiver in this technique and I achieved excellent results with it. There are different variations on this concept, but the one I liked the best was antagonistic supersets. I also believe in tiering-down your weight as you work a particular body part. For example, say you're doing a bench press. What I would do was start with a weight I could do about 8-10 reps with. I'd complete that set, then cut the weight by half and do additional reps until I hit fatigue (with a spotter). Sometimes I even did a third tier-down and would maybe just use the bar for as many additional reps as I could. I would end up with a pump like you wouldn't believe. Just make sure that you get plenty of recovery time in between the days you work each body part. Recovery is key. I was working each body part intensely only once every 6-7 days, and that was a good amt of rest for me. I hope you'll keep this thread updated with your progress. I really miss having a muscular physique...really hoping to be able to tolerate gym workouts again soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 yoga can be life changing. I guarantee you will feel better after a yoga class Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountDorkula Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 yoga can be life changing. I guarantee you will feel better after a yoga class I agree with this. While I dont do yoga per say. I do a relaxation excercise every night. Sitting on the ground eyes closed and also doing stretches while listening to some light music on my mp3 player. Mostly do stretches involving the lower back. IMO the lower back is key to everything else you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've decided to go back. Anyone have any good advice for a beginning workout routine including weights and cardio. Any good online resources? Any help is appreciated. You say you're "going back", so you've had some experience in the gym. You'll know what to do when you get there. I would echo what was said here: Go easy to start. I would even say to go easier than you think you should. The most important thing when making this lifestyle change is to transition in a way such that you will not injure yourself. If you get hurt, that's the ballgame. You can follow some of the very good advice here after a couple of weeks of easing yourself back into a routine. You'll suffer a bit at first like the Count says, but you'll be better for it. In a month report back. We still have a health & fitness board where you can post your progress. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) You say you're "going back", so you've had some experience in the gym. I've always been an athletic guy. I HATED the gym though. My 30s have been too sedentary and I feel like I need to get things going again. A big motivation for me is my son has started wrestling and I feel like a bit of a hypocrite pushing him in his conditioning and not being in shape myself. Edited January 7, 2011 by Dr. Fong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Be careful listening to others, I used to be preachy about advice; people would always ask me what I do. I stopped, everyone has different responses to working out. Best thing to do, cut some calories out, do some cardio, watch what you eat, do more reps to get fit do more weight to get stronger. Sometimes it is worth it to hire a trainer but be very careful because many are just muscle bag puppets. Do try Yoga, though, don't be afraid of the women in tight outfits or the farting you'll do. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I used to go to the gym daily, and looked good. Then I stopped, got married, had a child, gained 60lbs. Now I am considered morbidly obese, with high blood pressure. However, my wife still thinks that my 315 pound frame is still sexy. There really is no point to this is there? I hated the gym. I need to go but I don't miss it. I recommend shelling out the money for a home gym. Jog around the neighborhood for your cardio, hit the weights in your garage, or spare room, or basement, or wherever the hell you put it. You spend more up front (a good gym could cost a couple thousand), but you don't have to worry about contracts, mirrors, hot chicks on the machine next to you, or the roided out jerk wanting you to hurry up so he can get his set in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 don't be afraid of the women in tight outfits or the farting you'll do. Best of luck! LOL, sometimes you can't get away from it...that one machine they have where the women open and close their legs, it's almost like they're taking aim or something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodBye Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 LOL, sometimes you can't get away from it...that one machine they have where the women open and close their legs, it's almost like they're taking aim or something That's one of my favorite machines. Tones my legs nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 LOL, sometimes you can't get away from it...that one machine they have where the women open and close their legs, it's almost like they're taking aim or something And the squat machine, where you lie on your back, and push the weight up. Accident looking for a place to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve O Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Find a time that works best with your body. If you're not a morning person, don't start going to the gym before work, might be ok for a couple weeks but it won't last. Personally my mind works best in the morning, my body a little later. I go in to work around 6:30-7, take a 2 hour lunch and work out, leave between 5-5:30. As others have said, don't overdue at first. For weights start with 1 set the first couple times, then 2 sets a couple times, finally you can start doing 3 sets. Start light, should be able to do 17-20 reps. This builds the smaller muscles which lets you work into the bigger muscles...kind of like building a fire, start with kindlig, then put bigger logs on after you have a good base. For most rapidly approaching middle aged men you want to get to a point where your 3 sets consists of 12-10-8 reps with a one minute break in between Cardio is probably the most important thing. Not sure how out of shape you are, check with your doctor. You'll have good days and not so good, listen to your body. If your target is say to jog 2 miles and you feel great, do a third. If you're beat after 1 mile, call it quits for the day and have a better day tomorrow. Make this a part of your life. I would no more go on vacation without a plan for how I'm going to work out then I would without a plan on brushing my teeth. Beginning with 3-4 days a week might be a start but eventually you shouldn't be taking more then 1-2 days a week off, especially from cardio. ONCE AGAIN, CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY EXERCISE ROUTINE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've decided to go back. Anyone have any good advice for a beginning workout routine including weights and cardio. Any good online resources? Any help is appreciated. Why are you asking US for advice DOCTOR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Fong Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Why are you asking US for advice DOCTOR? I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Not everything you see on the Internet is real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joey greco Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've been working on getting more fit since I hit 40 after spending my 30s basically sedentary. What has worked for me (40 pounds down and counting) and fit in with the rest of my life is couch to 5k for cardio and "stripped" starting strengthfor lifting. What I like about these are that they are both 3 day per week programs. They can be done in 30-45 minutes per day, so I can fit them into my schedule easily enough, and combine them both into one day if I have to (although I avoid it if possible). Everything is laid out so I don't have to think too much about it, and there are programs that link to them when you're ready to move on. C25K also has a number of podcasts available which really help and keep things easy on your end. If you try starting strength I'd recommend trying weights much lighter than you think you can lift at the beginning, just to limit the inevitable muscle soreness for the first couple of workouts, plus its much easier to add weight than to get hurt and have to start all over when you heal. As has already been pointed out, YMMV, everybody responds differently to exercise and different nutrition plans, but this worked wonderfully for me. In general though, eat plenty of protein, knock out processed carbs, and be active most days of the week and you'll improve your fitness level pretty quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If you want to get equipment for home, check out the free and for sale sections on Craigslist. I picked up a used treadmill a few years ago simply because the person wanted it out of their house. When I looked up the value later, new it would have been around $600. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Be careful listening to others, I used to be preachy about advice; people would always ask me what I do. I stopped, everyone has different responses to working out. Best thing to do, cut some calories out, do some cardio, watch what you eat, do more reps to get fit do more weight to get stronger. Sometimes it is worth it to hire a trainer but be very careful because many are just muscle bag puppets. Do try Yoga, though, don't be afraid of the women in tight outfits or the farting you'll do. Best of luck! I hear the jets guy is available. specializes in deep knee bends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If you're joining a gym, most probably offer a free session with a trainer to new members. You probably have a decent idea of things you can do, but if it's free and available, why not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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