n00b

S

shieldst

0
Hey all

I'm completely new to these forums, as I am to weight training (and weight loss).

I have always been a big guy, and I now am 17 years of age and 238 lbs. As most of you know, that's terribly over the weight I should be. I am 5 foot 8ish, and I have a slow metabolism which I beleive has contributed to much of my weight gain. I also have asthma, so when I was younger it was alot harder for me to be physical. Now that im a bit older, I can keep it under control with medication so I'm able to be active. At the beginning of the summer I joined a gym and completely changed my eating habits; though I always ate fruit, I would eat chinese food for breakfast, or pizza at 1:32 am (the time I'm writing this). Now i eat a proper breakfast, usually consisting of a fibre-full cereal, skim milk, some yogurt or a couple eggs (one yolk only) and a piece of whole grain toast. Lunch and dinner are a bit harder, but I cut out ALOT of junk and I now eat my vegetables at dinner (brocolli, asparagus, etc). I have noticed a significant change in my body; I'm able to fit into more comfortable clothes.

As for going to the gym, my "routine" is 15 minutes on the bike machine, followed by curls using the free weights. Then I move onto the machines and try to hit all muscle groups. I also bike a lot, usually an hour minimum each day. I read a few posts and I noticed I won't be able to build muscle and lose weight, however the wrestling season starts up in October and I want to be stronger and leaner for the year. Ive wrestled for the last two years, and though its contributed to muscle mass, it hasnt helped me slim down.

My goal weight is about 180 (which is far off, i know). I'm willing to sacrafice muscle as I expect I'll have to, and bulk up after. So I have a goal, I just dont know how to get there. I read some people saying 1 session of cardio a week, others saying 6-7 a week, others saying no cardio and only weights, others saying a bit of both. Being new to the workout scene, I dont know which is the best for me or my body. I also noticed alot of terms here, such as HIIT and 5x5 (I'm just recalling these from memory) so if in your post you do decide to use these, an explanation of the meaning would be good:)

Any help offered is greatly appreciated; anyone with a good plan of what to do at the gym or outside the gym is much needed.

Tyr
 
Few things here. First, congrats on taking your first steps to improving your health, and therefore your life! That in itself is an awesome feat that most do not take.

From what I read, it sounds like your nutrition needs some work. It seems like you are only eating 3 meals per day. You should bump this up to 5-7. The result will be a much more efficient and effective metabolism. It also sounded like you are only eating veggies at dinner? These multiple meals per day should be well balanced, each containing some fruit and/or veggies. They should also include lean proteins such as poultry, lean beef, protein supplements, eggs, low/no fat dairy etc. Also get some good carbs in ya, such as whole wheat products, brown rice, oatmeal. Don't avoid fats either. I recommend that they become 20-30% of your diet. Of course you will be getting fats from the foods mentioned above, but try and make up the rest with healthy fats that can be found in things such as nuts, fish, etc.

Do you have any idea how many calories you are taking in. I don't suggest becoming a calorie counter for eternity....but def. think it is a great idea to count calories for a few weeks just until you get a really good feel for what you are taking in.

As for the weight room, stop what you are doing. Free weight curls and machines are for the birds! You are pretty much doing only isolation exercises which is NOT the way to train. Get a more balanced routine together like a 3 day per week full-body routine that consists primarily of compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, chest presses, rows, etc.

As for the cardio, I think you will def. need more then 1 day per week as you read elsewhere. If not just for fat loss, def. for cardiovascular conditioning for your sport. I recommend at the very least, doing some form of aerobic exercise on your non-lifting days. HIIT is simply high intensity interval training. It is thought to be one of the most efficient ways of burning fat through aerobic conditioning. You simply cycle intervals while you are doing aerobics from very high intensity to low intensity. For example, a 20 minute HIIT session on the track might be 10 intervals, each consisting of a 40 second sprint followed by a 80 second jog.

This should be a good start. Good luck.
 
Nice post stroutman81 ... Just want to add one thing for shieldst. As stroutman stated, do compund exercises as the staple of your weight training. If you are not used to performing these, start off with a very light weight and focus on form. Get your form down pat, before inceasing your weight. If you're not sure how to perform these exercises, ask a trainer at your gym. ( unfortunately some trainers may not know either :rolleyes: ) Here is a site with videos that may help you, on how to perform exercises
Good luck with your goals. Congrats on wanting to better yourself.
 
both of you pretty much covered all I have to offer. clean up diet a little more, eat 5-6 times a day, and full body workouts with free weights 3x a week, and 2-3x a week cardio for your heart and lung capacity. it'll help burn fat too, but primarily use it to build a strong heart.
 
Thanks for the awesome replies so far. One thing I forgot to mention however is that I have a bad knee (I'm in physio for it) and the doctor told me I'm not allowed to do squats or lunges.

Also, what do you mean by deadlifts and rows? I beleive chest presses are where I'm lying on the bench pushing a bar upwards, correct? And what are compound exercises?

As for eating, I guess I misslead you. My mom cooks good dinners (usually chicken breast or something of the sort) and I have vegetables in addition to that. I do contstantly eat throughout the day, usually fruit and the Sillouette yogurt (it's my favourite kind).

One last thing: are aerobics and cardio the same thing? So if on my days off from the gym I do biking, is that fine? And what if I bike on the days that I go to the gym? Is that overkill or what?

Thanks again
Tyr
 
compound exersices are exersices where 2 or more joints move. like squats or bench press.
Bicep curl, is not compound, its isolation.
Deadlift is basicly "lifting something off the ground" but its a bit harder than that, because you have to use good form
 
deadlift:

legs are used, but it really targets the glutes and lower back the most. hams, quads and general upper back muscles play a role, and abs/calves stabilze.
 
Thanks for all the advice...so now that I know what HIIT is, do you guys suggest I practice it? Or should I focus more on cardio to burn fat? As I said, its hard for me to do anything hard on the knee, and the doc said it's best if I actually use the machines to build up the muscle around my leg. He said I should build my quads, hamstrings, and calves. As for upper body, should I now just stick to the bench press? If so, should I lift as much as possible and just do as many reps as I can, or should I try to condition myself and use lower weights. Also, how else will I build my arms (which I don't like the look of right now) if I dont do curls?

Thanks again

Tyr
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top