Hi, my name is Gary and I am 20 years old. I am 5'3, 150 lbs. I am currently trying to get into the routine of a consistent workout/diet. I am having trouble finding what foods to eat and what workouts to do. I am kind of intimidated by the gym, there so many things to do and I am not sure how to use the equipment the proper way. My work schedule does not help either. I work mon-fri 3pm-12am. I like going to the gym after work, but I want to get into the routine of going in the mornings. (i feel nervous working out around people). Now, can anybody give me a rough layout of a typical day of eats, what I should consume and how often I should eat. I currently am living with my grandmother to help her out a little. And she cooks all the foods that I DONT need to eat, but I dont know where to start on making the meals that I do need to eat. And as the gym goes, how often should i work out and what exactly should I do in those days. Im so newb its pathetic. My primary goal right now is just to shed a few pounds, I actually just want to look better with my shirt off. Im trying to set a reasonable goal for now. All help would be appreciated, thanks.
Diet/weight lifting advice, please
- Thread starter slowstart
- Start date
theleip
2
Well Gary since there is so much that needs to be covered and learned here I would recommend the following...
-Read all the sticky threads at the top of the nutrition and weight lifting section all the way through.
-Think about investing in a few good books like...
Amazon.com: Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way: Books: Michael Mejia,John Berardi
Amazon.com: New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle: Books: Lou Schuler,Alwyn Cosgrove
-A great place to see what exercises there are, what equipment to use and what muscles they work is this site...
ExRx Exercise & Muscle Directory
This should give you a better start then most, good luck.
p.s. If my post seems sporadic, it's because I've been fantasizing about Evo and I'm all flustered now and not thinking right.
-Read all the sticky threads at the top of the nutrition and weight lifting section all the way through.
-Think about investing in a few good books like...
Amazon.com: Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way: Books: Michael Mejia,John Berardi
Amazon.com: New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle: Books: Lou Schuler,Alwyn Cosgrove
-A great place to see what exercises there are, what equipment to use and what muscles they work is this site...
ExRx Exercise & Muscle Directory
This should give you a better start then most, good luck.
p.s. If my post seems sporadic, it's because I've been fantasizing about Evo and I'm all flustered now and not thinking right.
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While waiting on your books, here are some things you can try that have worked well for me:
* Eat 6 or 7 small-to-medium sized meals a day (avoid over-eating at a meal)
* Eat carbs, protein, & some good (unsaturated-type) fats (limit saturated-fat & avoid trans-fat... also avoid anything with "partially hydrogenated" on the ingredients list)
* Eat lean cuts of meats, poultry, & fish (& avoid fried foods)
* Eat fruits & vegetables as well (note: beans & brown-rice go great together; a handfull or two of either almonds, cashews, or peanuts each day is also good)
* Oatmeal as well as whole-grain or sourdough breads are good for carbs; so are corn tortillas (avoid flour products). I use dry Cherrios as my main crunchy snack (especially after I've had my quota of nuts)
* Drink plenty of water & get enough potassium (from bananas, raisins, mashed-potatoes, etc.), especially if you consume large quantities of protein (which body-builders often suggest doing: 1-1.5g-protein/lb body-weight) as this will help prevent excessive cramping (which is often a by-product of a high-protein diet)
These guidelines can be used for weight-gain or weight-loss, just add or subtract a few (about 500-700) calories per day (from current maintenance-level) to avoid going to an extreme (starvation or gluttony).
* Eat 6 or 7 small-to-medium sized meals a day (avoid over-eating at a meal)
* Eat carbs, protein, & some good (unsaturated-type) fats (limit saturated-fat & avoid trans-fat... also avoid anything with "partially hydrogenated" on the ingredients list)
* Eat lean cuts of meats, poultry, & fish (& avoid fried foods)
* Eat fruits & vegetables as well (note: beans & brown-rice go great together; a handfull or two of either almonds, cashews, or peanuts each day is also good)
* Oatmeal as well as whole-grain or sourdough breads are good for carbs; so are corn tortillas (avoid flour products). I use dry Cherrios as my main crunchy snack (especially after I've had my quota of nuts)
* Drink plenty of water & get enough potassium (from bananas, raisins, mashed-potatoes, etc.), especially if you consume large quantities of protein (which body-builders often suggest doing: 1-1.5g-protein/lb body-weight) as this will help prevent excessive cramping (which is often a by-product of a high-protein diet)
These guidelines can be used for weight-gain or weight-loss, just add or subtract a few (about 500-700) calories per day (from current maintenance-level) to avoid going to an extreme (starvation or gluttony).
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Reps & Sets...
There are varying opinions on what rep/set scheme is optimum. History tells us that individuals respond differently: some may respond well on some schemes but not on others... & some can work out 3 days a week continuously on a full-body workout schedule, while some can only do 2 weekly workouts, & some others can do up to 6-days a week if they split-up their schedule... you may end-up trying several ways, or you may get lucky & respond well from the start & continue to respond well on the same schedule for a long time.
Here are some common schemes & schedules from the last half of the 1900's:
Beginning to Advanced [Reeves-like*]:
* 2 or 3 days/week full-body, 12-18 exercises total 1 set 8-12 reps upper-body, 12-25 reps abs & lower-body (2 sets after 6-12 months, & 3-4 sets after 18-24 months of training)
Advanced (after 12+ months of training)[Halsop-like]:
* 6 days/week upper-body/lower-body split-schedule (i.e.: upper-body Mon/Wed/Fri & lower-body Tue/Thu/Sat), 8 sets of 6 reps upper-body, 12-20 reps abs & lower-body
Advanced (after 12+ months of training)[Pearl-like]:
* 6 days/week 3-way split-schedule (i.e.: Chest & Back Mon/Thu, Delts & Legs Tue/Fri, & Arms Wed/Sat) 4-5 sets 8-15 reps upper-body, 15-25 reps abs & lower-body
All three of these guys built great physiques.
Also, check-out Dave Draper's website (a lot of free info from someone who's been working out for a very long time & looks excellent):
* Steve Reeves generally worked-out full-body using this pecking-order (& he ocassionally specialized emphasizing a weak area while de-emphasizing stronger areas until he got the look that he was after): delts & traps, chest, mid & upper back, biceps, triceps, quads, hams, calves, low-back, abs, & neck (he claimed not to do direct forearm exercises, although a photo I saw showed that he at least tinkered or experimented with one)
There are varying opinions on what rep/set scheme is optimum. History tells us that individuals respond differently: some may respond well on some schemes but not on others... & some can work out 3 days a week continuously on a full-body workout schedule, while some can only do 2 weekly workouts, & some others can do up to 6-days a week if they split-up their schedule... you may end-up trying several ways, or you may get lucky & respond well from the start & continue to respond well on the same schedule for a long time.
Here are some common schemes & schedules from the last half of the 1900's:
Beginning to Advanced [Reeves-like*]:
* 2 or 3 days/week full-body, 12-18 exercises total 1 set 8-12 reps upper-body, 12-25 reps abs & lower-body (2 sets after 6-12 months, & 3-4 sets after 18-24 months of training)
Advanced (after 12+ months of training)[Halsop-like]:
* 6 days/week upper-body/lower-body split-schedule (i.e.: upper-body Mon/Wed/Fri & lower-body Tue/Thu/Sat), 8 sets of 6 reps upper-body, 12-20 reps abs & lower-body
Advanced (after 12+ months of training)[Pearl-like]:
* 6 days/week 3-way split-schedule (i.e.: Chest & Back Mon/Thu, Delts & Legs Tue/Fri, & Arms Wed/Sat) 4-5 sets 8-15 reps upper-body, 15-25 reps abs & lower-body
All three of these guys built great physiques.
Also, check-out Dave Draper's website (a lot of free info from someone who's been working out for a very long time & looks excellent):
* Steve Reeves generally worked-out full-body using this pecking-order (& he ocassionally specialized emphasizing a weak area while de-emphasizing stronger areas until he got the look that he was after): delts & traps, chest, mid & upper back, biceps, triceps, quads, hams, calves, low-back, abs, & neck (he claimed not to do direct forearm exercises, although a photo I saw showed that he at least tinkered or experimented with one)
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