General Workout Routines and Questions

[CAMAROBOY69]

Hey Everyone, looking to pack on some weight/muscle in the upcoming months so I'll get started.

I'm 5'10 and for the last ten years have weighed in the 120-130 pound range, itty bitty I know. My dad was fairly skinny in his younger years (not as skinny as I though) and my brothers are skinny as well with the exception of one of them who has always had a decent build. I am the youngest, tallest and skinniest, the runt of the family.

My diet was pretty much cereal, pizza rolls, microwave burritos, fast food and energy drinks. Around mid October I quit the Monsters cold turkey, was drinking 2 a day, sometimes 3. I quickly started drinking caffeine free Root Beer as a substitute which led to me going back to soda with caffeine. I quit the soda/caffeine for good Christmas day and have had nothing but water and the occasional beer since. Around mid November I started trying to eat a bit healthier by limiting my fast food/frozen foods and cooking burgers and fries at home, not much better I suppose but it's helped me to not rely on going out for food.

About a week ago I decided I was fed up with being "scary skinny" as one person once called me and I'm finally doing something about it. I bought a scale and weighed in around 129pounds (58.5kg) to start. My daily intake has been around 3600 calories/200g protein and I have been doing daily moderately intense 20-25min workouts, alternating days for upper and lower body. I've just got a few dumbbells and a makeshift weight bench so they haven't been the most effective workouts and I need to double their length but it's a start, may go for a gym membership in the next couple weeks if I can keep it up.

This morning after my business I weighed in at 135lbs, or 61kg! It seems like a bit of an unrealistic gain and I know a persons weight fluctuates so this is likely a little off but I've been checking every morning and seeing a consistent increase. Super excited, I don't think I've ever been over 130 so from here on out I'll be smashing personal records.

As for my goals I'm a still unsure what I want them to be, I just know I would be very happy to make it to 155. I'll get a bit more in-depth with my diet and workout routine when I get it better figured out but I just wanted to get started here in the thread.

Attached is a picture from September so everyone can see how skinny I am.

I am the EXACT same height (5'-10")and used to have your exact same skinny build. Hopefully this link I made helps. I made it a while back so some things have changed here and there but it should get you going. How I gained 30lbs in 3 months. I went from 141lbs to 171lbs in 90 days (3 months). And no it was not easy. It was a 3 month, life changing commitment in which I succeeded.

Your largest amount of muscle mass and weight gain will be within the first month especially if you have never lifted before. I gained 10lbs in the first 2 weeks. 19 lbs in 5 weeks. After that it gets harder. By the 3rd month it was getting MUCH more difficult to put on weight.

That thread even has the entire food list I ate per day. Bottom line is to gain weight, you need to be at a caloric surplus. This means you must take in more calories every day than your body can burn. That is truly the bottom line for weight gain. Obviously you want these to be good calories. Not eating ramen noodles, cereal, and chips all day.

Also take before and after measurements of everything so you can keep track of where the weight is going.

These are right after I gained 30lbs in 3 months. I went from 141 to 171 lbs in these 2 pics.


Pic from 2010 190lbs.

 

[ImaRobot]

This is going to be a long post, but need some tips haha.

I started working out in August, Monday-Thursday and either Friday or Sunday(usually never both). I wanted to lose some weight and got some motivation from a friend that does CrossFit I was 5' 10" 195lbs back when I started, and I'm currently sitting at 170lbs.

All of December I wasnt able to work out, and if I did, it was hardly anything as I was in the process of moving. What sucks, is that the place I was living pretty much had all of what I needed for my workout. Monday's, Wednesdays, and Friday/sunday(If I chose to work out those days would be 20 stairs with a 45lb weight, pretty much until I couldnt anymore, deadlifts
@ 105lbs and squats at 45lbs would alternate between those days. Tuesdays and Thursdays would be curl 45lbs, I'm not sure what its called but I would either rest the bar on my shoulder behind my head or in front and push up(same 45lbs), and push ups(20-30)

Moved to my new place the Sixth of this month, with that said, all I have now is a Tricep bar, and a dumbell(one, not two haha) with 2x 10lbs, 2x 5lbs, and 4x 2.5lbs. Its a massive downgrade from what I had available and massively affects my routine. I just started getting back into my work out last week, but now I only do Curls @ 20lbs with the dumbell, or @ 20lbs with the bar, the behind/front head bar pushes, bar push ups(which I'm totally digging, noticed a big difference in my chest in just one week.), regular push ups, and squats with the 20lb bar. What else can I do, considering the equipment(or lack of) I now have? My goal is to be atleast 170-180lbs, not all six pack ripped and stuff, but fit, if you understand?

Also, I was doing crunches and sit ups, and it was fine, but I have a gut I need to get rid of and they just seem to be pushing the gut out. I want to hold off on running until I can get proper shoes as these would not be comfortable. What should I do in the mean time to get rid of this gut?

I think I covered it all.

EDIT: I know its not much, but at my new place I walk(sometimes power walk, some time at normal pace) two miles to the bus stop in the morning to work, and two more after work back home totaling 4 miles a day, 20 a week. Is that even worth mentioning? I was thinking that when I get proper shoes that I would run the two miles back home(or as far as I can go.)

 

[Team THRT Drift]

The past couple of years, I've been walking to and from Uni (about 5 km)with a backpack and laptop bag resting on my shoulders and neck, weighing 30 kg and 5 kg, respectively. It's helped me stay in shape, and keep a nice straight posture. There is one problem, I have a nice neck and shoulder pump, but lately it's been slowly rolling my back.

To fix that, I've been running (with a hoodie) every other day for an hour nonstop (jogging, and trying to keep the pace. If I can't, I power walk a bit and them start jogging again). This has been fixing my back, but now I'm in fear of losing all of my progress when I'm losing weight.

So my question would be: how do I lose weight, without losing core muscles? (I should say, I go natural. No protein shakes, roids, etc.)

 

[phillgt2002]

So my question would be: how do I lose weight, without losing core muscles? (I should say, I go natural. No protein shakes, roids, etc.)

I'm don't lift as much as I used to but I do know some and I consider myself a noob. When I started my weight classes I didn't use anything to increase my muscle sizes. Now, even before the classes I was big both fat and muscle wise. (I still sort of am since I gained weight back, I'm going to start cardio again) My muscles got more defined and you can tell that I'm not some guy that sits on his ass all day long although I do have lazy and off days. All I did was eat protein filled foods for breakfast, a light sandwich, and a bit more protein and green vegetables. I lost about 20 pounds at that time but I think it'd be best for you to focus a bit more on cardio and have a minimal focus on your muscles. Depending on your physique you would probably lose weight and still have your muscles defined. Just some things..

 

[F1GTR]

So my question would be: how do I lose weight, without losing core muscles? (I should say, I go natural. No protein shakes, roids, etc.)

Do planks, hold them for longer each time until you reach a point where you get bored while doing them, then move up to dragon flags and L-sits. More importantly though, make sure you're eating correctly! Also I would put protein shakes in the same class as roids, it's literally just protein and it's there if you somehow don't eat enough of it in your regular meals.

 

[Team THRT Drift]

You *wouldn't * but yes, I understand your point. Thanks guys.

 

[phillgt2002]

One thing I've been mistaking is just weight loss in general. I've noticed so much muscle definition since I started working out again this week. Feels good to feel buff again ;D

 

[phillgt2002]

A few things I've been doing to get back into regular exercise. Note that it's generally minimal stuff but I do sets of these for like 15-20 min.

Curls x 5 with 10-20 lb weights
Butterfly lifts with 10 lb weights x 10
Shoulder Press with 10 lb weights x 5

I do a set of 5 with those 3

Shadow boxing, I find this useful for me. Keeps my heart rate up and can help burn some calories.

I usually do two jabs two uppercuts while moving my whole body. (Kinda awkward in our tiny house) 45 reps of that will usually do the trick.

Leg raises usually x 10-20.

Crunches x 30-40.

Pushups x 10-20.

I usually repeat all of this a few times until my 15-20 min is up. It may not seem like much but it works for me, and I feel it working. I've started focusing on reps over actual weight size.

I haven't been to the gym for a bit so I think I may cancel.

 

[Michael88]

Does anybody have good advice about how soon you can return to your normal exercise regime after having had the flu? I've been free of fever for three days now, I feel really energetic and there is no sign of an illness left, though I know three people who screwed up their lives because they didn't take their flu serious enough and strained their bodies prematurely. Two got bad heart infections that lasted for 6 months, the third person died in the hospital and none of them performed any physical tasks other than light office work, and I'm talking about lifting weights weighing 150kg+.

A couple of sources say its safe to return to your normal exercise regime if you've been free of fever for only 24+ hours, other sources say you should at least wait for 4-7 days. Sure, I could play it reeeally safe and wait weeks, the problem is I get dangerously depressed without my workout so the sooner I can return to pumping iron the better.


I really can't remember when I returned to weight lifting the last time I had the flu, that was 8 years ago if I remember correctly.

 

[kikie]

Look: The amazing and cool video thread

 

[ExigeEvan]

@Michael88 - I think you've been exposed to some very unfortunate circumstances. While I usually don't take the first session back after flu too heavy, I've never known anyone to get such serious side effects.


In personal news, I'm heavy. 91.3kg heavy. That's a fair few heavier than I thought I was! But, gut is only just starting to be an issue. I'll be shredding come March so just another couple of weeks!

 

[phillgt2002]

I've been ****yeahing these workouts lately.

Just been doing the things I said before and I added in some biking and step running. It's hard to do but man does it pay off.

 

[Pako]

Does anybody have good advice about how soon you can return to your normal exercise regime after having had the flu? I've been free of fever for three days now, I feel really energetic and there is no sign of an illness left, though I know three people who screwed up their lives because they didn't take their flu serious enough and strained their bodies prematurely. Two got bad heart infections that lasted for 6 months, the third person died in the hospital and none of them performed any physical tasks other than light office work, and I'm talking about lifting weights weighing 150kg+.

A couple of sources say its safe to return to your normal exercise regime if you've been free of fever for only 24+ hours, other sources say you should at least wait for 4-7 days. Sure, I could play it reeeally safe and wait weeks, the problem is I get dangerously depressed without my workout so the sooner I can return to pumping iron the better.


I really can't remember when I returned to weight lifting the last time I had the flu, that was 8 years ago if I remember correctly.

Probably doesn't apply now, but I tend to return lift when 1.) I know I'm not contagious where I will infect my spotters and 2.) when my body feels ready.

As always, listen to your body. It's also ok to get some extra rest and time out of them gym remembering that you grow when you are resting, not when you are lifting.

My routines have increased in intensity these past few weeks. Most of you might remember I lost over 65 lbs last summer. I had been around that 200 lbs. mark. Well, I decided it was time to increase my caloric intake and put on a few pounds to help with some mass growth this winter. I'm weighing in just over 225 lbs now and feel great in the gym. This week's been exceptional for me. Here's what my bench and squats looked like.

Bench on Monday went good:

135x20
225x19 - stalled out on 20
315x10
405x8

Followed up with dumbbell press and flys. Felt strong!

Legs yesterday were awesome.

Leg Extensions:
135x20
165x20
195x20
225x15
255x15
265x10
285x10
285x10

Lunges:
60 lbs dumbs a side, 10 lunges a leg, 3 sets.

Smith Squats:
135x20
225x20
315x20
405x15

I know I'm carrying a little extra baggage but plan on continuing to push hard through May then will look to cut back down to 200 for the duration of the summer and into the winter.

 

[Pako]

Today was another great day and felt great finishing strong for the week.

Started with barbell shrugs:
135x30
225x30
315x30
405x21 (holds on every third rep)
495x15
405x15 (holds on every third rep)
315x30 (holds on every third rep)

Partial Dead Lifts (Romanian Dead Lifts)
225x10
315x10
405x10
495x10 (this felt great and was heavier than I have been getting lately)

Moved on to behind the neck pull downs, followed up with some low cable rows.

Now I need the weekend to recoup.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

@Pako
Haven't heard from you in a while and was wondering how it was going especially with this brutal winter we have had. Its always a bit hard dealing with depression when its like this. Nice to see you back in here posting again. You are a massive inspiration to all in this thread. 👍

 

[Pako]

@Pako
Haven't heard from you in a while and was wondering how it was going especially with this brutal winter we have had. Its always a bit hard dealing with depression when its like this. Nice to see you back in here posting again. You are a massive inspiration to all in this thread. 👍

Dude! I totally missed your before and after lean muscle mass gain shots. Nicely done man. That is really hard to do. It's one thing to put on unhealthy weight, but it's a totally different discipline to put on lean muscle mass. How has your maintenance been in keeping the mass on?

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Dude! I totally missed your before and after lean muscle mass gain shots. Nicely done man. That is really hard to do. It's one thing to put on unhealthy weight, but it's a totally different discipline to put on lean muscle mass. How has your maintenance been in keeping the mass on?

Thank you. It was indeed very difficult but a massive accomplishment especially with having an ectomorph body type. Getting from 141 to 171 wasn't too bad and I accomplished that in 3 months. However getting from 171 to 190 was VERY hard and took a couple years.

As for the maintenance. That has been even more difficult especially after slipping a disk in my back a few years ago (not workout related). I honestly just don't have the necessary commitment to keep up with proper diet and exercise. I find that as I get older, the motivation gets so difficult. I honestly haven't even worked out in a year and have lost a lot of muscle mass.

That's why it is just so inspiring that some of you do it year after year. Keep up the good work everyone! I always enjoy reading the progress and updates in this thread.

 

[Pagey279]

Really good work out today, not sure why as all I ate before was a peparami (a small salami sausage thing)

What do people eat before hitting the gym?
I haven't really found a good meal that keeps me going. I eat what I think would be best and I run out of energy pretty quickly then like this morning all I had was a small sausage and an energy drink and it was my best work out to date.

 

[ExigeEvan]

It's generally what I've eaten several hours before that will impact my workout. For example lunch will have the greatest impact before evening workouts.

 

[Michael88]

I eat dinner, wait 2.5-3 hours to give my guts some time to process the food and then start lifting. I try not to eat really fatty or sugary foods, that will have a negative impact on my exercises.

 

[phillgt2002]

I eat before or after workouts which are basically cardio for me. Sometimes I get bogged down after eating like a sandwich or something with bread, they put me into a similar state of hibernation mode for a computer.

 

[XS]

I've been stacking the weight on recently, but not so much performance because I've been nursing a couple injuries. But last upper body day I kicked things way up and was shocked how easy it was. It's amazing how you can slowly start under-lifting (for lack of a better phrase) and not realize that you should kick things up a notch. Lower body is going good though. I really love leg days. Also, thanks to Pako for the workout shake recipes (like way back in the thread) and Michael88 for the lifting tips. Both have helped me immensely!

 

[Katiegan]

Alright, fitness gurus. I need a bit of help here.

I'm 16 years of age, female, 5 feet tall and weigh an almighty 105 pounds. I'm quite a small little thing. I've got one month left at school, and then I leave for college. At college I'll be doing an apprenticeship in vehicle maintenance and repair, so basically I'll be learning how to mechanic. Obviously, working on cars requires strength. Wheels are heavy, car companies like to bolt things on insanely tight, so I'm going to need some muscle. Last summer I did work experience at a garage, and the amount of things I couldn't do because I was too weak was embarrassing. I'm also most likely going to be one of very few, if the only girl there at college, and despite society's desperate attempts at saying 'everybody's equal', I'm obviously going to have to prove myself. If I'm stood there in class and I can barely lift a wheel off the ground, I'm going to look a bit of a tit. So, I need some tips. My dad bought some dumbbells a couple of months ago, and he said I could use them too if I wanted, and I did at first but all I was using was 10-minute YouTube workout videos and I didn't really feel like I was gaining much, especially not enough to gain the considerable amount of muscle that I want to. I don't really have a target weight to get up to, but I'd like to put on a fair bit. Has anybody got any workouts they'd recommend, or routines for me to try out? Mainly just gaining upper-body strength and some toning. I'm going abroad this year on holiday so I'd like to have some definition in my abs too. I'm not really looking to impress anyone, rather just feel confident in myself on the beach and by the pool. I want this to be something I keep up with, but I don't want anything too enduring that makes me look like those scary bodybuilder women.

I hope what I said makes sense, and I appreciate all help. :tup:

 

[ExigeEvan]

If I was you I'd get a barbell from Argos with about 20kg of weight with it and build up from there.

I would suggest doing circuits with the barbell so select 3-4 exercises (like upright row, military press, curls, tricep extension, squats, deadlifts and even bench) give yourself 45 seconds on each exercise and 15 seconds rest between, and repeat 2-3 times. Add the weight as you get stronger. Add core exercises like situps and planks if you want to work your core.

This is a cheap easy start
http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/1514849/Trail/searchtext>BARBELL.htm

 

[F1GTR]

I second @ExigeEvan's suggestion. Also, it'd take YEARS of dedicated training and a complete lifestyle change to even start looking like a bodybuilder.

 

[Pagey279]

So I'm recovering from a broken hand, the cast came off today and there's been quite a lot of muscle wastage, my wrist is particularly weak. I did it 4 and a half weeks ago (right when I was starting to see results from the hard work I had put in, so frustrating), obviously I don't want to go too hard and risk breaking it again.

Does anyone know of any exercises or things I can do that will increase mobility in my hand and wrist, and slowly increasing strength without straining it? That way I can slowly work up to going back to the gym in another month or so, rather than jumping straight back into it.

 

[Katiegan]

If I was you I'd get a barbell from Argos with about 20kg of weight with it and build up from there.

I would suggest doing circuits with the barbell so select 3-4 exercises (like upright row, military press, curls, tricep extension, squats, deadlifts and even bench) give yourself 45 seconds on each exercise and 15 seconds rest between, and repeat 2-3 times. Add the weight as you get stronger. Add core exercises like situps and planks if you want to work your core.

This is a cheap easy start
http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/1514849/Trail/searchtext>BARBELL.htm

Ah, I never thought about doing circuits. I used to do them a lot when I was in cadets. But 20kg sounds very optimistic. When I was using the dumbbells the heaviest I used was 2.3kg and the heaviest one we've got is 4.5kg, I never tried that one but it'd definitely be hard work for me! Like I said, I'm very weak.

 

[XS]

I actually suggest doing a lot of body-weight workouts, such as planks, pull-ups, dips, crunches, etc. In automotive work, you'll be depending a lot on your core, legs, and back muscles. Pull-ups work your shoulders, back, and core. I think they are one of the best exercises you can do. Other body-weight exercises you can do are single-leg squats, lunges, and bridges. Your goal is to build a good strength throughout your body, and to build stamina too. Body-weight exercises like those I listed should be good for what you're going to be doing. Also, don't count out yoga either.

 

[Katiegan]

I actually suggest doing a lot of body-weight workouts, such as planks, pull-ups, dips, crunches, etc. In automotive work, you'll be depending a lot on your core, legs, and back muscles. Pull-ups work your shoulders, back, and core. I think they are one of the best exercises you can do. Other body-weight exercises you can do are single-leg squats, lunges, and bridges. Your goal is to build a good strength throughout your body, and to build stamina too. Body-weight exercises like those I listed should be good for what you're going to be doing. Also, don't count out yoga either.

Would joining a gym be better for stuff like this? I've always considered it, and one of my friends keeps trying to get me to go with him. I'm not sure I'd have time to do this kind of stuff at home, my dad works nights so he sleeps a lot during the day so it limits what I can really do at home. I guess going out to a gym would be better?

 

[XS]

Would joining a gym be better for stuff like this? I've always considered it, and one of my friends keeps trying to get me to go with him. I'm not sure I'd have time to do this kind of stuff at home, my dad works nights so he sleeps a lot during the day so it limits what I can really do at home. I guess going out to a gym would be better?

The benefit of a gym is that all have mirrors so you can watch your form during the exercises, which is the best way to prevent injury. Also many have trainers that will assist you if you need someone to show you how to do an exercise you're not familiar with. Also you can do a lot of the exercises I listed with weights, which you can do at the gym too. Plus, you'll generally have better, more effective workouts at the gym because the energy level of other people working out helps put you in the right mood too. Also, many gyms offer yoga classes, cross-fit and so-on, so you can experiment with workouts that fit you best. If you don't want to pay for a gym, you might see if your college offers one for free for students. I do my workouts at home because I live fairly far from a gym, but I certainly miss the benefits of a gym and think even body-weight exercises are more effective in a gym setting.