Help with new program.

M

Mavs

0
I'm a 16 year old guy and i finish my exams soon so will have some more time on my hands. I've been going to the gym for a while but know i have not been maximizing my time spent there, i have been doing a lot of cardio work and i am now a lot fitter in that department, i can feel that when i play basketball. However i have not put on any muscle, i know this is because my diet is not good enough and i also, after having a look around here and other sites, partly blame it on the person at the gym who gave me my fitness program. What i mean is that even if my diet was good, im not sure the effects i would have seen from what i was doing would have been that great.

So basically i want to come up with a new fitness program and diet. My aims are as follows.
  • Lose more body fat to make abs visible
  • Generally build more muscle and get a better chest shape
  • Improve my CV fitness for basketball season (About september time, although training starts in a couple of months)

As i have said previously i do not want to be a body builder and get huge, so i am somewhat cautious about the bulking process.

My exams finish in about two weeks so that is when i am planning to start this new program properly, however i will only have about 3 weeks before i go to America for 3 weeks, so it will be put on hold then. But i guess 3 weeks is better than nothing.

My idea is to start off cutting, try and get my abs to show and then work more on muscle after that. One of the reasons i'm thinking this way is because i dont think i will see many effects on my muscles in just the 3 weeks before i go to america and then i will be away for 3 weeks.

I have a few questions though, if by cutting i get to the stage i want to be, am i going to then take backwards steps in respects of my abs when i start bulking? Because i don't really want to gain body fat i just want to try and gain muscle.

I'm thinking of doing a full body workout 3 times a week, and HITT twice a week. How does this sound to you? Is that any good for me? I picked it as it said its good for a beginner which i am.

Sorry if this has been a bit rambly to read! But i am very keen to learn as those of you who have read my welcome thread will know im thinking about a fitness instructor. So please be as blunt as you want with advice, i understand i am new to this and so expect to get things wrong. Thank you for taking the time to read this, all advice is more than welcome. I'm going to have a look around the diet section and try to start coming up with a good diet.

One last thing, here are a couple of bad webcam pictures of me just so you can get an idea of my fitness levels in terms of body fat and muscle.


Those pictures probably don't actually help at all but there you go anyway.... Sorry if this should be somewhere else but this is quite a general fitness thread and i wasn't sure where to put it.
 
You are only 16, I think you won't need to cut if you hit the training hard and have a good diet. Your metabolism will hit the roof after a few weeks of good training at your age. HIIT will do quite a bit for you in that aspect. You'll be burning excess fat at the same time as improving your CV level while not jeopardizing your muscle gains from the gym.

I would not stop working out when you travel here. You can easily do push ups, pull ups, squats/lunges, handstand presses, box jumps and AB work anywhere. Do yourself a favor and write out a cals circuit to follow while traveling.
 
Thanks for the reply, very useful.

Yeah i was planning on doing some exercise while out there, but obviously it isn't going to be the same as if i was at home going to the gym.
 
Mavs said:
Why not? As i said im a beginner at the moment so any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Alright, Well lets look at what the link suggest.

Order Of Exercises

Abdominals:
Floor Crunches (3 x 12-15) - View Exercise
When compounds are used in a routine where the core is heavily utilized there is little if any need for direct ab work.
Chest:
Bench or Chest Press (2 x 8-12); - View Exercise
Dumbbell Flyes (2 x 8-12) - View Exercise
The main muscle used in the bench press is the Pectoralis Major. Which means there is little to no need to do the isolation movement DBflys. Which main target is the Pectoralis major.
Back:
Lat Pull-downs (2 x 8-12); - View Exercise
Cable Rows (2 x 8-12) - View Exercise
Many people do not have the equipment to do these. As well these again are isolations. Dead lifts and Bent over rows are far better choices for a back workout.

Shoulders:
Shoulder Press (3 x 8-12) - View Exercise
Not bad, though you might want to look into military press and clean and presses.

Biceps:
Barbell Curls (3 x 8-12) - View Exercise
Pullups/chinups are again better compound alternatives to this isolated movement.

Triceps:
Tricep Pushdowns (3 x 8-12) - View Exercise
Close grip bench press, tricep dips, will work the more affectively. The tris are also used during movements such as the military press, DB press and so on.
Thighs:
Squats or Leg Presses (2 x 8-12); - View Exercise
Leg Extensions (2 x 8-12) - View Exercise
I don't believe any one should do leg presses. Squats are a must in any beginners routine. Leg extensions again I'm not a fan of. This isolated movement has little if any real world benefit.

Hamstrings:
Leg Curls (3 x 12-15) - View Exercise
Go with straight leg deads instead. Again replacing isolated movements with compounds.

Calves:
Calf Raises (3 x 12-15) - View Exercise
Unless you just want to do these they are not really needed.
Click to expand...
I'm also not much of a fan of the rep ranges/set schemes.
Beginners do not need to worry so much about isolating small muscles such as the bicep,calvs,tris and so on. Unless they are working towards a specific goal. For example when the bench is lagging it might help to do some type of direct tricep/deltoid work.

Also remember to keep the workout under an hour for optimum results.

Remember to get good rest, eat well, drink plenty of water. Don't forget your warmups/cooldowns, and always keep form in check.
 
we always tell them to read the weight training 101 sticky. some of them do. then they come back after they tried searching the forums for "fullbody workout" and make a thread titled "is this fullbody workout ok?".
 
Well you need to build up some muscle first if your going to see your abs. You won't get abs with the physique your in now; you will just keep looking skinnier. You train the abs like any other muscle so first you gotta bulk them up 5-10 pounds.

Try this routine. Don't worry about isolation work; your triceps and shoulders will be worked from the benching and dips, and your abs will be worked indirectly throughout.

Workout A
Squat
Bench
Bent-Over-Rows

Workout B
Deadlift
Weighted Dips
Weighted Chinups

To build muscle you have eat more then usual. So eat about 500 more calories then you do normally every day so you can add a pound a week. Make sure it comes from good food so you don't get fatter. Check LV's Grocery list in the Nutrition Section.

Workout 3 times week. M/W/F would be good. Alternate workouts A and B.
 
Thanks for all the replys, using your advice and the Program design on testosterone nation i have come up with the following.

Workout A
• Squat
• Bench
• Bent over rows
• Military press
• Core workout – Planks, crunches etc

Workout B
• Dead lifts
• Chin ups
• Dips
• Dumbbell rows

I'm planning to do this M/W/F alternating, so week 1 would have two workout A's, and week 2 would have two workout B's.
How does that look? Is there anything i should be doing i have missed out?
 
looks good. just make sure once progress starts to slow down to change up the exercises like switching from barbel to dumblell, front squat instead of back squat, mixed grip pullups/chins....ect
 
Mavs said:
Thanks for all the replys, using your advice and the Program design on testosterone nation i have come up with the following.

Workout A
• Squat
• Bench
• Bent over rows
• Military press
• Core workout – Planks, crunches etc

Workout B
• Dead lifts
• Chin ups
• Dips
• Dumbbell rows

I'm planning to do this M/W/F alternating, so week 1 would have two workout A's, and week 2 would have two workout B's.
How does that look? Is there anything i should be doing i have missed out?
Click to expand...

Workout looks great. Only problem that you might have is the Military presses on workout A. Benching on the same day as military presses will add and excessive amount of work to your shoulders unless you can handle it. Stick with the routine you have here and eat more and you will get bigger. If the workout takes you longer then an hour though then shorten the rest periods or superset some exercises.
 
Thanks for all the help! Really appreciate it. I'll switch Military presses to workout B.

Been looking at diet a bit more today, so i dare say i'll have some questions on that soon.

Thanks again.
 
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