back into shape

S

sambo

0
Hey guys, just signed up to the forum, been reading a few post and I must say its the most informative I've come across yet. Trying to get back into shape after a long time of doing very little fitness. Im not completely new to it as I used to do kung-fu twice a week as well as rugby. However I've spent the last few years drinking and smoking quite heavily, plus my diet has not been the best. Problem is I've put on quite a large beer gut which is hard to shift so Im slightly overweight. My goal this time round is to aquire a decent mass but get nicey defined also, so its not so much the fitness as its changing my body. Changed my eating habbits ie- brown bread only, plenty of eggs, chicken, fish......no junk food basically. Im taking a protein shake twice a day plus hitting the gym about 5-6 days a week for about an hour and a half per session. One day cardio and one day weights. I still have a decent mass from my old days of training; decent muscles on my arms and big shoulders. But as I stated before Im looking to tone out and loose my excess body fat but keep quite a big size. I can feel muscle under the fat so I know its there. Question is-

(A)-Should I change my diet? If so what foods should I be eating?

(B)-Should I change my training routine? If so what to?

(C)-How often should I be taking a protein shake?

Sorry for such a whining first post but I want to do this proper and I'd love some help! :p

Thanks guys- Sambo!
 
Im sorry but you need to be very specific as the infomation your asking for is very very vague.

1 - you question about protien shakes can be answered in the nutrition section, as can your questions on food and diet.
2 - just saying "shall i change my routine?" is impossable to answer, you have not told us about what equipment you have, what you enjoy, what you do at the moment... etc...

you would be far better of buying a book on weight training because you need a lot of information, and its rude to expect us to just write it all up for you.

most of the info you need is here but I really do stress that you should buy any book you fancy, just to get you started, then you have something to work from where as at the mo you have nothing. Read the body building and nutrition FAQ's also.

a quick note. You cannot add mass and lose weight at the same time. to add muscle you need a cal surplus which means you'll add fat. so it really is one or the other, otherwise its a very very slow process.
 
I apologise if my manner seemed rude, I didn't mean it to. :(

I have quite a bit of reading material on weight lifting and Ive subscribed to Men's health magazine last month, so I hope to gain some valuable information from these. The only problem is there is no one-on-one advice with reading from a book, which is why Ive decided to join the forum and ask for guidence. My routine consists of

Mon-Upper body- Biceps,shoulder,chest,lats
Tue-Cardio-Running 15 mins, bike machine 10 mins, step machine 20 mins, rowing machine 15 mins
Wed-Mid section-sit ups, crunches, reverce crunches and around 20 mins of cardio
Thur-Lower body and 20 mins cardio
Fri-Same as monday

I enjoy all aspects of training, as I mentioned before I was quite fit in my late teens but I've lost touch as of late.

Supplements are something I've never turned to before as I had a decent build through sports buts that was years ago so I figured I might try whey protein to help my goals.

I apologise once again if my manner seemed rude but its frustrating not knowing where to turn to and I figured the best way to go about it is ask. :)
 
well you routien is bad and uneven and youve not included your reps and sets. hopfully this will all come to you in your first few months of training. dont try too hard and worry about technique before weight.

mens health will help you as a beginer but its not 100%, a lot of what is said will conflict with what we tell you. read up as much as you can.

the workouts at the back of mens health are normally directed toward weight loss, fitness and muscle gain evenly, so you will learn from doing the workouts it tells you.
 
Sambo,

No worries, personally, I didn't take your comments rude, just vague as mentioned before.

Now lets get to it. You have come to the right community, someone here should be able to answer most of your questions or point you in the right direction. I urge you to do A LOT of searching the site for before asking your questions but feel free to ask what may be confusing or conflicting. I guarantee you'll find some one to argue every method you attempt or are suggested. One of the new, great, up and coming trainers said - “Methods are many, Principles are few, Methods often change, Principles never do.” (Alwyn Cosgrove) My point is look for principals within the method therein you should find the common ground.

Anyway, based the details given, look to include the following in your training: Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and Row. You REALLY don't need to work your biceps alone. I'm not exactly sure where you're knowledge level is so if you know any of this I apologize but working biceps alone is considered an "isolation" movement. You want to focus on "compound" movements(exercises mentioned). That advice is good for your entire training life not just as a beginner.

A lot of work can be done with nutrition but for starters just make a log of your diet until you get a handle on exactly what you're eating. Cutting out or down on alcohol is always a great idea. Smoking..??nuff said.

Keep it simple and fun!! Tons of info to absorb but don't let that keep you from learning the "hard way" in the gym.


In Health,

DM
 
Thanks guys. Been doing a bit of research on nutrition, confusing stuff at times but interesting all the same, wasn't aware of the fact that simple things such as white bread containing loads of carbs. Going to research compound exercises and change my routine somewhat. Thanks again :)
 
cool man, good for you.
lots of ppl see bodybuilders and powerlifters as dumb and mindless, but you'll never every meet a big strong guy that is dumb. What weightlifters do is a sport, way of life, art and a science all at the same time.

its good that you find it interesting, if you didnt then you'd never get to where you want.

You got over your 1st hurdle by realizing that you cant get big and strong just by asking for a few tips on what to do, you have to read up, learn and understand.

Im just about to start a personal trainers course NVQ lev 3, not for a carrer but just because im interested in it.
 
Nice one. Your right, the moe I read up on stuff the more I find theres a science behind it, thing is its actually fun learning about body building, so much to take on though!
 
If you want a good book. I'd go for joe weider's ultimate bodybuilding.



sorry mods, I know you dont like links.

I put the link here so you can see what the book looks like, but the site is the UK Amazon so you may not want to use it.

ask dex if there are any other book You should read. Ive bin weight training for a while, but only got in to serious bodybuilding about 6months ago so im not too good for reference.
 
help

yo its good ur starting nutrition the first thing is limit or if u can eliminate drinking beer or soda way to many empty calories.....protein drinks are okay but do not take one if ur not planning to workout because lots of drinks purposelly put lots of good carbs for ur bodys energy in exercise... but if u do not work it off it turns to fat...... but also protein drinks are for bulking phases and for wen u cannot get enough protein in ur diet with food aalone.....ok dude keep it up ur focused...hey also if ur not already doing it multi vitamin and try to kick smoking it culd slow down performane and lead to early death i know uve herd it a million times but m saying it cuz my grandmother is dying and a early age because of cigarettes...but its ur life ... reply back
 
Yup smoking is the Devil's work, I hate cigs but Im addicted to the feckers, found myself cutting down a hell of a lot since I've started getting back into shape mind you. Still drink a bit when Im out, not as much but still quite a bit once a week. Will drinking effect my training much? If so Im quite prepared to give it up.
 
You might check for Serious Strength Training by Tudor Bompa; it's pretty indepth but will kick your knowledge into high gear. Dinosaur Training by Kubrik is another good one.
 
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