Help for returning lifter

[batwing]

Hey guys,

I am new to this forum so be nice! This is my first post, so here we go:

I have lifted weights for a few years and have always watched what I have eaten. I am a keen sports person and have been heavily involved in Karate for a number of years. I have always had tendency towards most water sports; Diving/freediving, windsurfing, waterskiing pretty much anything on the water. I love to pursue these activities to the fullest and all of these I do at a high level.

Unfortunately due to personal circumstances, all of my training has lapsed in the last two years. This has lead to me packing on 25 kg! Being this overweight and unfit is a new concept to me. This has to change!

I am 186cm tall, strong/stocky build, and currently at 110kg. My ideal weight is back at 85kg (which I was approx 2 years ago).

I have in the past followed a weights format similar to the 'body for life' program; 3 workouts per week, alternating between upper and lower body. Five sets for each major muscle group (12, 10, 8, 6, 12 reps) with increasing weight except for the final set, then a superset of 12 reps for the same muscle group using a different technique. I have supplemented this weights program with 2 -3 cardio sessions per week. On top of this, in my peak - I was also training between 3-5 times per week for Karate.

I really want to get back into shape. I guess my question is: what weight training program/split would you recommend to build overall foundation strength and shed some of the excess fat before I begin more specialised training?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Pseudonym]

Hey Batwing, good to see you here! For some reason a lot of bodybuilders seem to be into diving too. I was at a competition recently and the number who were introduced with diving as a hobby was amazing. Trying to find a wetsuit that fits an X-frame body shape can be a bugger though.

Personally I'm not a big fan of the 3-day split. I find it crams too many muscles into too little time. My suggestion would be a 4-day split (and maybe increase to 5 later) something along these lines:

Mon - Legs (no-one does legs on a Monday, so you're guaranteed access to the machines!)

Tues - Chest & Triceps

Thurs - Back & Biceps

Fri - Shoulders & Abs