I am = Newbie

Alright, I'm new to the website and been looking around for advice, some answered-other unanswered. Right now I am 21, my height is approximately 5'8" (according to doctor and that was a year or two ago) and I weigh 236lbs. Biggest thing is I want to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time-if possible-and I know my biggest problem is that I haven't developed a habit of working out even with my weight bench in my room, and my other problem is my stamina/endurance, not only that but I need also to mention I will be joining the U.S. Airforce (or Marines possibly) sometime near Summer-Fall this year, so of course I want to start training now. So, now that settled, what should I do? :confused:
 
well first of all, because i know it's true.. ITS A WEIGHT BENCH, NOT A WEIGHT SHELF, get ur clothes & stuff off of it! lol all of us do it on occasion.. anyways, to lose fat you've got to focus more on your diet, then cardio & lifting.. a quote around here is "abs are made in the kitchen" :rolleyes: i dont like it, but its true. and im not exactly sure what would help with the marines, but maybe running??
 
I'm studying to be an athletic trainer and one of the thing that's always reiterated in my studies is "train for the activity the athlete will be performing".

Basic training is going to be a nearly non-stop workout. They're conditioning you, not only to be a military drone, but to have muscular and aerobic endurance.

So for you, what I'd recommend is training for this situation - and the best way I can think of is long sets of high intensity intervals with weight-bearing exercises interspersed. Plyometrics will be both your best friend and your worst enemy. Here's what I'd prescribe as a regular workout:

Warmup: Run (!) for 10 minutes

Do 5 sets of this with about 5 minutes of rest between each set:

1. Do sprints back and forth about 50 feet apart - at each end of the sprint, get down and do 10 pushups. Do about 10 full laps of this.
2. Do sprints back and forth about 50 feet apart, except at each end point, and right in the middle, do a pushup, pull your legs inward toward your body, and then do as high a jump as you can - then go to the next point.
3. Grab some freeweights, hold them to your side, and do hops (from a squat position, butt low-to-the-ground as possible, hop forward as far as you can without injuring yourself). Do this about 30 times without rest.
4. Do sprints back and forth for about 50 yards, and touch the ground and the end of each sprint. Do this until you really, seriously can't anymore.

I've found workouts like this are nearly impossible to do alone, so if you can find someone to coach you (and on alternate days, they can do the same workout and you can coach them) that would be best. This is the kind of workout my trainer (who was a Marine Corporal) had me doing for a couple months, and my muscular endurance skyrocketed (I went from being able to do 15 pushups at a time, to being able to do 60 - 70 pushups at a time).
 
Wow, that seems hard and fun at the same time. I'll defintly have to get on that (though I'll have to find an area to run). I may be able to get a friend to help too, but would you also happen to know anyone here in Savannah, GA. that could help?
 
Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and running are all gonna be the main key for military.

When you say "gain muscle" are you talking about mass or strength?

I would skip mass at this stage. Work on stripping the fat like crazy with diet and lots of cardio.

Endurance and fat loss is going to be the key to success.

Welcome to the board and keep us updated on your progress!

-Rip
 
rip said:
Push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and running are all gonna be the main key for military.

When you say "gain muscle" are you talking about mass or strength?

I would skip mass at this stage. Work on stripping the fat like crazy with diet and lots of cardio.

Endurance and fat loss is going to be the key to success.

Welcome to the board and keep us updated on your progress!

-Rip



When I mentioned muscle, I meant both mass and strength I s'ppose, bot now that you asked, I probably meant strength. I am going to have to ask a dumb question since I'm not entirely sure on the issue, what exactly are the exercises that are categorized as cardio-exercise?
 
Cardio entails any aerobic exercise. Running, cycling, swimming, spinning are all examples of cardio exercises.
 
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