My newbie workout plan

[Colin_rm]

Hi. I'm new to the forum. I've just been reading some threads that might help me out with my new diet/workout plan. I've been doing a lot of research on what to do and what not to do. There's a lot of information and all the information is different depending on where you go. I'm a 19 year old 5' 9" 160lb male, and I decided a couple weeks ago to start getting into shape. I've tried to do this several times in the past but quit after a few weeks after not seeing any results. This time I'm very serious about getting in shape and sticking to a diet and adapting a better lifestyle than I have had in the past.

I began exercising using Wii Fit for a few days, but I felt like the exercises weren't challenging enough and right now I just use it to keep it as a log on my weight and progress. I started to jog on the treadmill for 30 minutes jogging for about 3-4 minutes then fast walk 1 minute and repeat. I also started to do weight training with the small amount of equipment I have. I just acquired a Total Gym and I may use that since I do not have any dumbbells or anything else, and no access to a gym. I do running every other day and strength training on the other days. I think I will have to get a set dumbbells in order to really get a good workout, because right now I don't feel like I have any equipment to build muscle.

My diet consists of eggs, whole wheat toast, or fruits for breakfast, I have lean protein with every meal (chicken breast, salmon), and low fat yogurt, fruits, or granola bars for snacks. I definitely know that I am eating much better than before I began this diet. So, I guess my question is, is this a good start as far as exercise? Also, I read that it is important to eat a meal with lean protein after a workout. Is this true? And is it okay to just have a protein bar instead of a full meal? Because I kind of tend to exercise right in between lunch and dinner. I know that it varies for everyone on when you will start to see results. Like I said, I started about 2 weeks ago and I am still around 160lbs. I didn't expect to see results so soon so I am not worried. Is there anything else I could be doing to help improve results? Thanks!

 

[geddy1234]

Hi Colin,

Welcome to the forum!

It seems like you have a good meal plan and diet going on. As for the post workout meal, the goal is to choose a meal with easily digestible quick carbs to replenish muscle glycogen as well as quickly digestible protein to provide the amino acids needed to jump start muscular repair.

My post workout meal is 1 banana and 1 serving protein shake. I exercise between lunch and dinner myself. Have lunch, do your workout, eat your post workout meal as soon as possible after finished your workout and then have dinner with high amount of quality protein.

In my opinion, the best way to get in shape is by doing a combination of strength exercises and high intensity interval training (HIIT).

I think the best way to achieve a strong, lean physique is by doing exercises for your ENTIRE body, not just upper body exercises or just leg exercises. A balanced workout program is important. I believe compound exercises where you target multiple muscle groups in the same exercise to be very effective, particularly when your goal is a strong and lean body.

A lot of equipment is not needed for muscle building, all though some dumbbells would be beneficial. Check out the body weight training section of this website for ideas on exercises with no equipment.

Do 3 full body strength workouts and 2-3 interval workouts a week, and you should be well on your way to get a lean and strong body.

 

[Ride_On]

As for your PWO meal, protein and carbs is the way to go. There's a lot of debate as to whether pre workout, post workout, or both are the most important, but I think as long as you get at least one of them in, you're fine. That being said, protein bars are not the way to go, ever, unless you have to. Many of them are just candy bars in disguise, though there are some that are serviceable if you can handle 15+ grams of sugar alcohols without having GI issues .

Anyway, post up your exact diet for a day - amounts, calories, times, etc. Also, if you could post a link to the home gym setup you have or list what capabilities it has, it will be much easier for people to figure out what things you can do with it.

 

[Colin_rm]

As for your PWO meal, protein and carbs is the way to go. There's a lot of debate as to whether pre workout, post workout, or both are the most important, but I think as long as you get at least one of them in, you're fine. That being said, protein bars are not the way to go, ever, unless you have to. Many of them are just candy bars in disguise, though there are some that are serviceable if you can handle 15+ grams of sugar alcohols without having GI issues .

Anyway, post up your exact diet for a day - amounts, calories, times, etc. Also, if you could post a link to the home gym setup you have or list what capabilities it has, it will be much easier for people to figure out what things you can do with it.

Thanks for the reply. As for the PWO, I usually don't have protein bars unless thats all I have, or I'm in a hurry. Lately I've been eating a banana or whole wheat toast, or if I get done with my workout right before dinner (which I usually do) I will have a meal consisting of 1 boneless-skinless chicken breast and brown/wild rice. My diet in more detail is something like this:

Breakfast (Depends on the day, but usually around 10am....cause I sleep in a lot):
2 large scrambled eggs
2 slices whole wheat toast or 3 small slices of canadian bacon
1 8oz glass of water

Lunch (Around 2:30pm)
1 boneless-skinless chicken breast (roasted)
1/2 cup brown/wild rice or steamed vegetables (broccoli, corn, carrots)
10oz glass of water

other things I might have for lunch include:
Deli turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with low fat mayo
Salad with romaine lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, low fat french dressing

Workout around 4 or 5pm for 30 minutes to 1 hour
Post workout snack(immediately following workout):
1 Banana or peach or low fat yogurt or whole wheat toast

Dinner (around 6pm)
1 6-8oz salmon fillet (roasted)
1/2 cup brown/wild rice
10oz glass water

Thats typically what I have been eating lately, but other snacks or meals I might have during the day are:
-Fiber One bars
-low-fat yogurt
-turkey wrap (white turkey deli meat, romaine lettuce, low fat mayo, whole wheat tortilla)
-other fruits/vegetables
-Coke zero (maybe 1 a day)

The past couple days I have been carefully counting calories, which I find time consuming and difficult to be accurate. I ended up at 1900 calories at the end of the day two days ago, but I am suppose to be eating around 2000-2300 calories a day for my weight, age, height using one of those calculators you find all over the internet. I also heard I should try and eat 6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of just breakfast, lunch, and dinner but I am finding this hard to do with my schedule. Any tips for that?

As far as what workout equipment I have:

Total Gym (just started using this, but not sure I like it)
A set of 8lb dumbbells (only able to use them for a couple different exercises)
Wii Fit (pretty much useless)
Treadmill

 

[coachgaby]

Hey Colin!

Just wanted to remind you that you don't need any/much equipment to workout! You can use your body weight and still see great results. Squats, lunges, pushups, pullups, planks, sit ups, step ups, etc. And there are tons of variations for all of these exercises that will help you work every part of you body

 

[Ride_On]

It's hard to decipher the diet because you threw in some "other stuff I might have" at the end, and I was going to suggest more fruits and veggies, but you said you "might have those." So that's sort of a gray area there.

Things that stand out:
-Don't make PWO just some fruit. Throw some protein in there too
-Fiber one bars are probably crap
-Unless the yogurt is plain, that's also probably not a good choice. I don't think a "healthy" yogurt other than plain exists
-It doesn't look like you're even in the area of 2000 calories
-Are you sure you calculated your maintenance correctly? Because 2000 is pretty low for somebody that's 160lbs and moves at all. 2300 sounds more in the realm of things.

 

[Colin_rm]

Well, its been about 3 weeks and I'm happy to report I am down about 3 pounds. I'm still fine tuning my diet, but I have a question about my workouts. I'm starting to do HIIT 3 times a week and FBW's 3 times a week, alternating the two, with 1 rest day. Should I do something other than HIIT for aerobic exercise on those 3 days? Or is that enough? Because I read that HIIT should only be done 2-3 times a week but you should do aerobic exercises 3-4 times a week, so maybe one day I should mix FBW and running?

Thanks

 

[Ride_On]

Well, its been about 3 weeks and I'm happy to report I am down about 3 pounds. I'm still fine tuning my diet, but I have a question about my workouts. I'm starting to do HIIT 3 times a week and FBW's 3 times a week, alternating the two, with 1 rest day. Should I do something other than HIIT for aerobic exercise on those 3 days? Or is that enough? Because I read that HIIT should only be done 2-3 times a week but you should do aerobic exercises 3-4 times a week, so maybe one day I should mix FBW and running?

Thanks

You definitely don't need MORE than 3x a week of HIIT in the cardio department. Even doing it 3x a week is pretty rough if you're doing it right. I would say do HIIT 2x and then do aerobic the other day if you want 3 days.

Did you read my diet suggestions and that question?

 

[Colin_rm]

It's hard to decipher the diet because you threw in some "other stuff I might have" at the end, and I was going to suggest more fruits and veggies, but you said you "might have those." So that's sort of a gray area there.

Things that stand out:
-Don't make PWO just some fruit. Throw some protein in there too
-Fiber one bars are probably crap
-Unless the yogurt is plain, that's also probably not a good choice. I don't think a "healthy" yogurt other than plain exists
-It doesn't look like you're even in the area of 2000 calories
-Are you sure you calculated your maintenance correctly? Because 2000 is pretty low for somebody that's 160lbs and moves at all. 2300 sounds more in the realm of things.

Sorry about that. I'm eating 2-3 servings of vegetables and I have 1-2 bananas and 1 other fruit every day. PWO I eat 1 banana and a mixture of roasted/raw unsalted peanuts/cashews/almonds. The yogurt I eat is Yoplait Light, and I have 1 of those a day. And yes, I messed something up with my maintenance calories. It is more like 2300-2400.

 

[Ride_On]

Sorry about that. I'm eating 2-3 servings of vegetables and I have 1-2 bananas and 1 other fruit every day. PWO I eat 1 banana and a mixture of roasted/raw unsalted peanuts/cashews/almonds. The yogurt I eat is Yoplait Light, and I have 1 of those a day. And yes, I messed something up with my maintenance calories. It is more like 2300-2400.

PWO change to a banana and some protein. You can have whey if you want, but it doesn't have to be a shake. There is mixed info to decide whether or not fat is "bad" PWO and I don't think it is, but CHO + Protein is definitely your best bet.

I don't know how attached you are to the Yoplait, but plain and simple, there is no such thing as a healthy yogurt unless it's plain. Try plain yogurt (or greek yogurt, even better) and mix your own stuff in - stevia (or your choice sweetener), fruit, nuts, protein powder, etc.

You should be getting more fruits and veggies. By "serving" do you really mean an actual serving, or are you just saying that you have veggies 2-3x per day? You should be getting about 3c(6servings) of veggies and 2c (4servings) of fruit on the day.

Okay so you fixed the maintenance. What are your goals? Lose fat? Gain muscle?

PS: Just noticed that you asked about a protein bar instead of a meal and I don't think anyone answered that. No, it's not a good idea unless you have to. Most of them are not good and they definitely are nowhere near as good as real food. There's usually an easy way to substitute that.

 

[wesrman]

hey colin!

Just wanted to remind you that you don't need any/much equipment to workout! You can use your body weight and still see great results. Squats, lunges, pushups, pullups, planks, sit ups, step ups, etc. And there are tons of variations for all of these exercises that will help you work every part of you body

x2

 

[Colin_rm]

PWO change to a banana and some protein. You can have whey if you want, but it doesn't have to be a shake. There is mixed info to decide whether or not fat is "bad" PWO and I don't think it is, but CHO + Protein is definitely your best bet.

I don't know how attached you are to the Yoplait, but plain and simple, there is no such thing as a healthy yogurt unless it's plain. Try plain yogurt (or greek yogurt, even better) and mix your own stuff in - stevia (or your choice sweetener), fruit, nuts, protein powder, etc.

You should be getting more fruits and veggies. By "serving" do you really mean an actual serving, or are you just saying that you have veggies 2-3x per day? You should be getting about 3c(6servings) of veggies and 2c (4servings) of fruit on the day.

Okay so you fixed the maintenance. What are your goals? Lose fat? Gain muscle?

PS: Just noticed that you asked about a protein bar instead of a meal and I don't think anyone answered that. No, it's not a good idea unless you have to. Most of them are not good and they definitely are nowhere near as good as real food. There's usually an easy way to substitute that.

I can easily cut yoplait yogurt out and add my own stuff to plain yogurt. The only problem I have with eating all the fruits is that I live in Wisconsin, and we don't get the best quality fruits. Usually I buy some fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) and they go bad within just a couple days, so thats kind of a problem. Would frozen and thawed fruit be ok to add to plain yogurt instead of fresh? I don't eat 3 cups of veggies a day, probably more like 1-2 cups. I definitely eat at least 2 cups of fruit every day. I'm trying to lose fat more than I am trying to gain muscle.