Another newbie here needing help

[nemesis]

Hi all

I am hoping someone out there will help me out with how to make or where to get a training plan from? My goals are to build larger muscle mass in the upper body (bi, tri, forearms, shoulders, lats, traps and pecs), drop some of the weight off my core wile firming that up as I have relatively weak core muscles and I aim for a cardio system that makes it possible to do a 5klm jog without the possibility of death occurring (as would currently be the case).

Maybe I should just tell ya what I'm doing right now and maybe some of you can correct me and tell me what I need to do differently?

Cardio - Every day or 2 I go for a brisk walk / jog around Mangere mountain, sometimes I walk the first lap and jog the 2nd if I'm feeling strong, other times just walk half the lap and jog the down hill portion. (real good burn on the front of the thighs and my heart rate gats going almost straight away due to the instant inclines). 30-45mins

Resistance - I only have a small amount of weight so I am trying to do all excersizes with as close to perfect form as possible and very slowly to maximise the effect of less weight.

every 2 days

3 sets of 10reps, 25kg negative db curls (2 hands pull the curl up and slowly lower the weight down over 3-4 seconds with the one hand).

3/4 x 12 18kg db concentration curls. Really squeezing on these!

3 sets of 12kg db 21s, and again real slow. (i just learned about these and i am a real fan of them, they really burn GOOD!) Will start to add in these with reverse grip and less weight to hit the forearms and the other bicep muscles hiding under there soon.

3 x 10 18kg db rows

I do a set of either raised feet pushups or 50kg (all the weight I have) close grip bar bell bench press between every set of the above, as I was recently told to work opposing muscle groups (when I used to lift in school I was always told not to do this but that was a long time ago :-s ). Also do BB scull crushers but with less weight as I'm still struggling with bad elbow joints from previous breaks.

3x10 18kg overhead db extensions

Nutrition-

I have dumped all (most) all the bad shit I used to eat. No more pies (35gms of fat) no more burgers (35gms of fat) no more thick shakes (100 teaspoons of sugar) and have replaced the morning pie and can of V with a bananana, 200gms of yogurt, 100mls milk, fist of frozen berries, cup of rolled oats, 1/2 eggs and 30gms of whey protein powder. Same again for post workout.

lots of apples as they're my new favorite food (the bitter green skinned granny smiths most of all)

lots of tuna salad or chicken salad sandwiches day time.

Dinner is still usually the typical carb loaded stuff I've always eaten except the wife now preps mine seperatley to hers and the kids :oops: so I get a minimal amount of rice, or pasta, the vege I now get before it goes in the sauces and the same often with the meat.

She also has been real supportive and started making alot more lean meals in general since she saw I'm taking this seriously. So grilled fish and chicken isn't so rare anymore, (at least for me, even if the kids get theirs in a curry sauce with rice).

I've only lost about 2 kg in the past 4-5 weeks, but I'm putting that down to all the extra meals and weights converting fat rather than just burning the fat? i definitely look better and feel better than a couple of months ago.

anyway...hope someone can not only get through reading all that, but can give me some pointers / advice too?

Cheers

[Pseudonym]

Welcome to the forums, Nemesis. For a newbie, you've made a good start, and clearly know a bit already.

Your routine looks like it's heavily focused on biceps, much less on triceps, very little chest and back, and no shoulders, abs or legs at all.

I suggest a routine that looks more like this:

Day 1: Back, then biceps.

Day 2: Cardio, and abs.

Day 3: Chest, then shoulders and triceps.

Day 4: Cardio.

There are still no legs in that, but they're a bit tricky if (as I assume) you're working out at home with only dumbells. It's not the world's best routine, but I think it's an improvement on what you're doing now. And later on you might want to get a bit more equipment or join a gym, which would give you more options.

To find exercises for each of these muscle groups, check out our Links page. Try and get a range of different movements for each muscle, and do about the same amount of work you've been doing for biceps.

[teamfatboy]

Heya and welcome

Pseudo picked up on something I noticed - a lot of arm work, not so much shoulders/ upper back/ chest. His routine would probably get results quickly, even with what looks like limited equipment.

I'd suggest that you might wish to consider some simple bodyweight leg workouts too - lunges, squats with those DBs, and so on. That will work core and back as well as legs. Since legs are generally amongst the biggest muscle groups, every time you work them you'll burn more energy than on biceps/triceps which are smaller.

As for your diet, while apples are good (fructose instead of glucose), remember they're still a carbohydrate. Since there's no such thing as spot reduction, to shed bodyfat from your core, you'll be looking for an overall reduction diet that's probably more protein, less carbs (and that's despite the good steps you've already taken), and some essential fats. In some cases, the tuna/ chicken sandwich could usefully be replaced by a glad container of chicken and brown or basmati rice.

How many meals/day are you on, and how do they fit around work/ workouts?

You've made a great start, keep it up!

[nemesis]

Thanks for that fellas. I did actually miss out a number of excersizes I do just due to being tired on the computer but yes I do have very little in the way of back, core and legs.

I should have included (and all this alternates from workout to workout as I currently have zero organisation or routine but unlimited enthusiasm)

For shoulders I'm doing (low weight as I have a dodgy left shoulder from a car crash years ago)

3x12 incline db press

6x10 standing overhead db raises (not sure what this excersize is called but it's like incline press but all shoulders no chest while standing up, one arm at a time?) I usually follow this one up into a super set by doing heavyer weight shoulder pulls to work my traps.

6x10 (again don't know name of this one but it's leant over the bench slightly while raising the db striaght out to the side from my hip with a slight bend in my arm. one arm at a time again)

For triceps I'm doing the bb skull crushers isolating the tri with rigid form. Dangerous though I know without a spotter! :doh:

standing hammer fisted vertical db extensions, one hand at a time.

the close glip bench presses and of course my favorite raised leg push ups. Cant raise too far as it puts too much strain on my bad shoulder when I raise too much beyond horizontal in the top position.

I like doing the excersizes single handed mostly as that works some of my core muscles with the stabilizing and balancing.

chest is comprised of 3x10 15kg db flys,

3x12 (ultra slow) 50kg wide grip bench presses

as well as low grip brench press too(pushing from the waist with elbows tucked in seems to strain the chest well for me) has to be with lower weight though as the shoulder takes a pounding at the start of each rep.

and onch again the usual leg raised pushups but with a much wider "grip" than when trying to work the tri more.

My only back excersize currently is db rows (i think thats the name) kneeled over the bench pulling the bd bell from rest up to the body.

I'm eating as often as possible (costs and time are the only constraints to that) I was never a breakfast person so now the shakes cover that, I try to eat at least something every 3 hours. I try to include at least some protein in each, chow chow or is it chop chop chicken the little tins of tuna, chicken are often in my pocket if I'm heading out on a job for the day or night.

I gotta be honest that the weight loss is not really that high a priority at this time for multiple reasons, but just improving my metabolism and eating better certainly is.

Thanks for the routine Pseudonym. Do you think I should write out what excersizes I "plan" to do for each of those days? as for now I just think today i wanna do mostly "X" and just kinda run with it until I'm either too tired to do anything else, or I run out of time.

cheers for the help

[orange]

Incline db press works your chest, rather than shoulders.

You can record your workout in a diary. Or map your exercises into Excel and print it out.

Look under the Resources button at the top of the screen for workout plan ideas. Then organise which exercises you will do before you hit the gym.

[teamfatboy]

I'm with Orange - having a plan and a diary are valuable tools.

Speaking purely for myself, I know that left to my own devices I'd do the lifts I like to do, not the ones that need doing. Without a diary, I'd have no gauge of where I left-off, weights wise, and I'd probably not make as many gains.

Consider opening a journal on here - the feedback you'll get will be an invaluable motivating tool!

[nemesis]

Thanks for the advice, I've just spent a couple hours creating a detailed routine. I will need to tweak it I'm sure, but at the moment it is about giving me some structure to my workout week.

I was talking to a mate today who recommended a break of upto a week every couple / few months from the protein powders and high resistance weight lifting. Anyone got an opinion on this?

[nzmusclemonster]

Thanks for that fellas. I did actually miss out a number of excersizes I do just due to being tired on the computer but yes I do have very little in the way of back, core and legs.

I should have included (and all this alternates from workout to workout as I currently have zero organisation or routine but unlimited enthusiasm)

For shoulders I'm doing (low weight as I have a dodgy left shoulder from a car crash years ago)

3x12 incline db press

6x10 standing overhead db raises (not sure what this excersize is called but it's like incline press but all shoulders no chest while standing up, one arm at a time?) I usually follow this one up into a super set by doing heavyer weight shoulder pulls to work my traps.

6x10 (again don't know name of this one but it's leant over the bench slightly while raising the db striaght out to the side from my hip with a slight bend in my arm. one arm at a time again)

For triceps I'm doing the bb skull crushers isolating the tri with rigid form. Dangerous though I know without a spotter! :doh:

standing hammer fisted vertical db extensions, one hand at a time.

the close glip bench presses and of course my favorite raised leg push ups. Cant raise too far as it puts too much strain on my bad shoulder when I raise too much beyond horizontal in the top position.

I like doing the excersizes single handed mostly as that works some of my core muscles with the stabilizing and balancing.

chest is comprised of 3x10 15kg db flys,

3x12 (ultra slow) 50kg wide grip bench presses

as well as low grip brench press too(pushing from the waist with elbows tucked in seems to strain the chest well for me) has to be with lower weight though as the shoulder takes a pounding at the start of each rep.

and onch again the usual leg raised pushups but with a much wider "grip" than when trying to work the tri more.

My only back excersize currently is db rows (i think thats the name) kneeled over the bench pulling the bd bell from rest up to the body.

I'm eating as often as possible (costs and time are the only constraints to that) I was never a breakfast person so now the shakes cover that, I try to eat at least something every 3 hours. I try to include at least some protein in each, chow chow or is it chop chop chicken the little tins of tuna, chicken are often in my pocket if I'm heading out on a job for the day or night.

I gotta be honest that the weight loss is not really that high a priority at this time for multiple reasons, but just improving my metabolism and eating better certainly is.

Thanks for the routine Pseudonym. Do you think I should write out what excersizes I "plan" to do for each of those days? as for now I just think today i wanna do mostly "X" and just kinda run with it until I'm either too tired to do anything else, or I run out of time.

cheers for the help

Eating right is very important.

[Small]

Thanks for that fellas. I did actually miss out a number of excersizes I do just due to being tired on the computer but yes I do have very little in the way of back, core and legs.

I should have included (and all this alternates from workout to workout as I currently have zero organisation or routine but unlimited enthusiasm)

For shoulders I'm doing (low weight as I have a dodgy left shoulder from a car crash years ago)

3x12 incline db press

6x10 standing overhead db raises (not sure what this excersize is called but it's like incline press but all shoulders no chest while standing up, one arm at a time?) I usually follow this one up into a super set by doing heavyer weight shoulder pulls to work my traps.

6x10 (again don't know name of this one but it's leant over the bench slightly while raising the db striaght out to the side from my hip with a slight bend in my arm. one arm at a time again)

For triceps I'm doing the bb skull crushers isolating the tri with rigid form. Dangerous though I know without a spotter! :doh:

standing hammer fisted vertical db extensions, one hand at a time.

the close glip bench presses and of course my favorite raised leg push ups. Cant raise too far as it puts too much strain on my bad shoulder when I raise too much beyond horizontal in the top position.

I like doing the excersizes single handed mostly as that works some of my core muscles with the stabilizing and balancing.

chest is comprised of 3x10 15kg db flys,

3x12 (ultra slow) 50kg wide grip bench presses

as well as low grip brench press too(pushing from the waist with elbows tucked in seems to strain the chest well for me) has to be with lower weight though as the shoulder takes a pounding at the start of each rep.

and onch again the usual leg raised pushups but with a much wider "grip" than when trying to work the tri more.

My only back excersize currently is db rows (i think thats the name) kneeled over the bench pulling the bd bell from rest up to the body.

I'm eating as often as possible (costs and time are the only constraints to that) I was never a breakfast person so now the shakes cover that, I try to eat at least something every 3 hours. I try to include at least some protein in each, chow chow or is it chop chop chicken the little tins of tuna, chicken are often in my pocket if I'm heading out on a job for the day or night.

I gotta be honest that the weight loss is not really that high a priority at this time for multiple reasons, but just improving my metabolism and eating better certainly is.

Thanks for the routine Pseudonym. Do you think I should write out what excersizes I "plan" to do for each of those days? as for now I just think today i wanna do mostly "X" and just kinda run with it until I'm either too tired to do anything else, or I run out of time.

cheers for the help

Eating right is very important.

:nod:

[jono]