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Spoons
01-11-2009, 04:56 PM
Well my new years resolution was to start working out more. I live on the University campus and get a free gym, so really there should be no excuse not to go.

I am ~6'2" and only ~160 pounds... Yeah, I am scrawny as fuck. I want to start hitting the gym... only problem is I have no clue what the fuck I am doing.

Can anyone make me some sort of workout guide to get going. Perferably something I'm going to see results out of quickly (I know it takes time) and perferably excersises that DO NOT require a spot, because I will most like be alone most of the time, but if I can't get around that then having a spot shouldn't be hard to find.

My friends tell me something like 3 days a week in the gym?

Help! :D

JMaj7
01-11-2009, 05:00 PM
What are your goals?

I think Crossfit is a good way to get started because they teach you proper form and doing these workouts continuously makes form second nature to you.

check out crossfit.com

Spoons
01-11-2009, 05:13 PM
Originally posted by JMaj7
What are your goals?

I think Crossfit is a good way to get started because they teach you proper form and doing these workouts continuously makes form second nature to you.

check out crossfit.com

My goals ultimately is to weigh around 190-200 which is really far off... I mean at 6'2" 160 is a little light. Also a bigger chest, bigger arms, and defined abs...

Ultimately my goal is just not be a scrawny fuck hahaha

EDIT: I took a look over crossfit... but I can't really find a sort of guide on what days I should be doing what, etc.

Zigo
01-11-2009, 05:29 PM
Heres mine!

DAY 1: Chest/Triceps

Flat barbell bench press
Incline barbell bench press
Skull crushers
Rope pushdowns

DAY 2: Back/Biceps

Deadlifts
Lat pulldown
Cable rows
Barbell curls
Dumbbell hammer curls

DAY 3: Legs/Shoulders

Squats
Leg press
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell lateral raise


For squats/ Deadlifts start just with the bar, get your form first.

wildrice
01-11-2009, 05:35 PM
http://www.sports-db.com/strength/gym/index.html
here's a site that's pretty useful.
even has a basic schedule guidline on the left side for beginner, intermediate, and advanced

pinoyhero
01-11-2009, 06:59 PM
Originally posted by Spoons


My goals ultimately is to weigh around 190-200 which is really far off... I mean at 6'2" 160 is a little light. Also a bigger chest, bigger arms, and defined abs...

Ultimately my goal is just not be a scrawny fuck hahaha

EDIT: I took a look over crossfit... but I can't really find a sort of guide on what days I should be doing what, etc.

Are you serious with the last comment? They post at the top of the site everyday what workout you should be doing ...

Spoons
01-12-2009, 01:25 AM
Originally posted by pinoyhero


Are you serious with the last comment? They post at the top of the site everyday what workout you should be doing ...

Wow... I'm an idiot. Man this looks intense but is it an efficient way for me to bulk up? It looks something more for all around physical fitness and not so much efficiently gaining muscle. For example is seems its more for toning... and ultimately it would be pointless for me to tone with no muscle to tone.

To learn the movements like the suggested me, should I ultimately just be using a weight that is comfortable for myself and not to hardcore and just go through them slowly?

A790
01-12-2009, 02:05 AM
You want to build mass right now, so STAY AWAY from isolation exercises (ie- bicep curls, skull crushers, etc.). Focus on the big lifts, the ones that you see guys doing, and work on them.

Why? Because they work.

Squats, dead lifts, bench press, bent over rows, dips, chin ups, overhead presses.

Exercises like that will activate more muscle groups in your body, giving you a better overall workout and giving you the EXACT results you're looking for in less time compared to isolation exercises. Focus on proper form, and don't worry about your weight. If you're 6'2 and 160lbs you should check your ego at the door when you get there and focus on getting it right and doing it properly.

Try:

Workout A
Squat 2 x 8-10
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 2 x 8-10
Dips 2 x 8-10
Bent Row 2 x 8-10
DB Overhead Press 1 x 8-10
Pull Ups 2 x 8-10
Weighted Crunch 2 x 12-15

Workout B
Front Squat 2 x 8-10
Deadlift 2 x 8-10
Flat Bench Press 2 x 8-10
One Arm Row 2 x 8-10
Military Press 1 x 8-10
Chin Ups 2 x 8-10
Weighted Reverse Crunch 2 x 12-15

Alternate the workouts, so if you're doing Mon/Wed/Fri week one would be A/B/A and week two would be B/A/B. Never work out two days in a row.

The routine might get boring after a week or two, but remember to keep increasing your weights (while being able to do the exercise properly). What you're doing here is building your muscle base, setting your baseline. You can tone/define all you want later once you have the muscle, but the first step is to BUILD IT in the first place.

Oh, and also, EAT. You won't bulk up without A LOT of food. Your metabolism is probably through the roof, so eat often and eat clean. Get a lot of protein, and eat every 2.5-3 hours.

EDIT: Also, if you aren't sure about the proper form for some of the exercises don't be afraid to ask someone. Kutt3r came down and showed me how to do a proper dead lift and bent over row, and gave me some great tips on variations of some of my exercises just to keep things interesting (thanks again kutt3r!)

Spoons
01-12-2009, 02:16 AM
Originally posted by A790
If you're 6'2 and 160lbs you should check your ego at the door when you get there and focus on getting it right and doing it properly.

Check my ego at the door? Like mean when I get bigger don't think I'm mister hot shot?

I honestly just want to bulk up for myself. Really I am tired of looking at myself and seeing small arms and no chest what so ever... not to flaunt around with my shirt off and get into a fight ever three seconds.

Thanks for the plan... I'm going to give that one a shot. My cousin is a personal trainer too so I can always get advice from him to teach me proper form.

A790
01-12-2009, 02:19 AM
Originally posted by Spoons


Check my ego at the door? Like mean when I get bigger don't think I'm mister hot shot?

I honestly just want to bulk up for myself. Really I am tired of looking at myself and seeing small arms and no chest what so ever... not to flaunt around with my shirt off and get into a fight ever three seconds.

Thanks for the plan... I'm going to give that one a shot. My cousin is a personal trainer too so I can always get advice from him to teach me proper form.
Check your ego at the door as in when you get to the gym don't even give the weight a second thought. Don't worry about what the other guys are lifting, and DON'T put more weight on there than you can lift. Leave the ego (the desire to lift big weight and feel like a manly man) at home and lift what you can handle. In time, with proper diet and good form, the weight will come :)

EDIT: Everyone wants to look good naked- the end goals are always the same. You want to bulk up, I wanted to lean out, but in the end we both are doing it because we want to look good. There's nothing wrong with that at all :)

Spoons
01-12-2009, 02:41 AM
Originally posted by A790

Check your ego at the door as in when you get to the gym don't even give the weight a second thought. Don't worry about what the other guys are lifting, and DON'T put more weight on there than you can lift. Leave the ego (the desire to lift big weight and feel like a manly man) at home and lift what you can handle. In time, with proper diet and good form, the weight will come :)

EDIT: Everyone wants to look good naked- the end goals are always the same. You want to bulk up, I wanted to lean out, but in the end we both are doing it because we want to look good. There's nothing wrong with that at all :)

Oh I understand. Yeah there is no ego with me weight wise. I really could careless what other people think... and I have been to the gym a few times and lifted small weights and didn't realy care.

But again thanks for the plan... I'm starting with A tomorrow!

I take it I want to start really small (so its easy but not too easy) to learn form and ask people to critque me?

A790
01-12-2009, 02:49 AM
Originally posted by Spoons


Oh I understand. Yeah there is no ego with me weight wise. I really could careless what other people think... and I have been to the gym a few times and lifted small weights and didn't realy care.

But again thanks for the plan... I'm starting with A tomorrow!

I take it I want to start really small (so its easy but not too easy) to learn form and ask people to critque me?
If your gym has personal trainers, ask one of them to show you the proper form for a couple of exercises if you aren't sure. Otherwise, use whatever weight you can that will give you good resistance while allowing you to complete the exercises properly.

You will be sore for a few days, believe me, but stick with it :)

Spoons
01-12-2009, 04:26 AM
Originally posted by A790

If your gym has personal trainers, ask one of them to show you the proper form for a couple of exercises if you aren't sure. Otherwise, use whatever weight you can that will give you good resistance while allowing you to complete the exercises properly.

You will be sore for a few days, believe me, but stick with it :)

Yeah I like yours better cause the crossfit I have never seen a lot of those excersises in my life, but yours I've done a few of them before.

pinoyhero
01-12-2009, 07:08 AM
Originally posted by Spoons


Wow... I'm an idiot. Man this looks intense but is it an efficient way for me to bulk up? It looks something more for all around physical fitness and not so much efficiently gaining muscle. For example is seems its more for toning... and ultimately it would be pointless for me to tone with no muscle to tone.

To learn the movements like the suggested me, should I ultimately just be using a weight that is comfortable for myself and not to hardcore and just go through them slowly?

If you lift with intensity and eat right this program like many others will help you put on mass. On the left of the site there's a link to "starting" with brand x scaled workouts, which scale down the weight but generally yeah if you cant do that much weight then just scale to maintain intenisty.

Oz-
01-12-2009, 07:47 AM
First thing I would do? Get rid of the "bulking" & "cutting" terminology. Clear your head of anything that you might have heard before.

Crossfit is a great program for all walks of life, it stresses being proficient in 10 different compentencies (agility, strength, endurance, etc).

But there is a gem of a thread on the same page of this sub-forum.

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/248284/skinny-guys-read-this/

Read through it and read the article. It might be even worth the $15 to go and buy his book. I don't know too much about the author, but I support his take on the moneymaker exercises (squats/deadlifts). You will also need to eat and not just use protein or mass gainers, that is the easy way out. If you want some long term gains, use whole foods.

Spoons
01-12-2009, 05:03 PM
Well day one of my regime.

One problem... I tried my dips today... and either the only area to do dips (an assisted dip/chin-up machine) is awkward or I am doing them wrong.

It seems as though I feel I am working out my bi-ceps more than my chest, as well as chin-ups I feel are working my bi-ceps more than anything else too.

Help?

kutt3r
01-12-2009, 06:00 PM
Chins will def work your bi's so no issues there.

Dips should hit your tri's or chest depending on your body position.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ridgely8.htm

I would maybe suggest seeing as you are using assisted, to go a little lighter to get the feeling, then decrease the weight as you are more comfortable with the feeling.

Little Dragon
01-12-2009, 06:22 PM
Try:
Workout A
Squat 2 x 8-10
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 2 x 8-10
Dips 2 x 8-10
Bent Row 2 x 8-10
DB Overhead Press 1 x 8-10
Pull Ups 2 x 8-10
Weighted Crunch 2 x 12-15

Workout B
Front Squat 2 x 8-10
Deadlift 2 x 8-10
Flat Bench Press 2 x 8-10
One Arm Row 2 x 8-10
Military Press 1 x 8-10
Chin Ups 2 x 8-10
Weighted Reverse Crunch 2 x 12-15

I don't know, but I'm not really liking that routine.

Too high rep range, try lowering it to around 3x5 for the big lifts, squats/deads/bench if you want more mass/strength.
Checkout Rippetoe if your interested, its similar to the above except much simpler. (just what a begginner needs)

I'd only hit crunches once a week if I were you, abs are getting used in almost every other excercise.

But thats just me, if this works for you (which almost any routine will at this point since your a begginner) then thats fine.

Just eat right, get your form down, and you'll grow like a beast!!

Spoons
01-12-2009, 08:47 PM
How would you suggest for eating patterns...

It is shitty because I have to eat from the dining centre at campus since I live in rez... I have a decent salad bar, but what would you guys say for meat wise?

CivicTunr
01-12-2009, 09:01 PM
workout time at a gym, 60 minutes max. After that your testosterone levels drastically decrease.

try a 4-2 tempo. 4 seconds down, 2 seconds up(explosive). there are two types of fibers. slow-twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch stick around longer than fast twitch. And since your also fighting not to lose muscle due to catabolism, this is good.

Diet is very important.


Honestly i think you should start with body weight excercises.
-pushups, chinups, dips, etc.

Edit: also like everyone said, leave your ego at the door. Form is the most important thing for gaining size.

as well, since your triceps are usually weaker than your chest muscles to get a good chest workout.
superset: IE: incline flyes followed up a minute later w/ incline bench.

r1_boii
01-22-2009, 06:06 PM
5x5 excersizes help alot for beginners, you gain strength and somewhat size...do that program first then as you get into a more intermediate program you will be able to pull off better results while you bulk because of more strength, way better grip and more knowledge as to how your body works.

believe me when i say this. ALWAYS REMEMBER PROPER FORM. its bullshit how you see people working out with heavy heavy weights when they cant even properly finish the excersize itself

form is key to getting big

kerry
01-24-2009, 05:07 PM
Get a personal trainer. Book one for a few sessions and explain what you want to do. That's seriously the best way to get solid advice based on your personal needs. There's a lot of good ones out there.

I'd stay away from Gold's though.