Please Critique

[REDESIGN]

Been researching for the last few weeks. Please let me know what is right/wrong, and any other input to achieve my goals. Thanks in advance!

Goal: Change lifestyle, lose beer belly, lose the double chin,
Gain A Lot of Mass.(major priority!) Then later get somewhat cut.

Current Stats: NOOB, 36, 5'8", 216lbs, out of shape (cardio/body wise).

Routine I am thinking of:
M: Legs and or abs/cardio
T: Chest/Tri
W: Cardio/Abs
Thur: Back/Bi
Fri: Shoulder
Sat: Some form of outdoor cardio, riding/walking, etc.
Sun: Some form of outdoor cardio, riding/walking, etc.

Schedule:
5:30am- wake, eat something (need help here)
6:00am- at the gym
7:00am return home- down protein shake, creatine drink (please advise on the best, right now I have bought Muscle Tech- Cell Tech)
7:45'ish- breakfast- oatmeal, eggs, etc.
10:00am'ish- snack- beef jerky, protein shake or something on those lines.
12:00pm- lunch- either tuna, chicken, turkey sandwich, etc
3:00'ish- snack- beef jerky, protein shake or something on those lines.
6:00pm'ish- Dinner- here is where I falter- I am the cook and have wife/2 kids. So sometimes it's pasta, it's pork chops, steak, chicken, etc. This is the only meal of the day that I might have to cheat on, but I am intending on doing smaller portions if this is the case.
9:00pm- cottage cheese, and maybe a piece or two of beef jerky or turkey.

Supplements: Please let me know of alternatives, ETC.
Creatine: right now I have a jug of the Muscle Tech Cell-Tech (after research I am finding that there are more less expensive and (better) ones?
Protein: Optimum Nutrition
Multi-Vitamin- right now I have a bottle of Ultra Plan Ultimate Plus from Hi-Health (advice?, I like taking one pill that does it all.)
HOT-ROX- I took this before and was amazed at the results. Tried a lot of others but this one didn't give me the jitters or upset stomach, etc. I like it and love what it did, and I will use it in cycles when I hit the wall.

Thank you for any help you can give! I want to redesign my entire life and hopefully influence my wife and children to eat healthy and be more active.

[Darkhorse]

Congrats on taking the first step to a new you. Sounds like a Bow Flex commercial..

Goal: Change lifestyle, lose beer belly, lose the double chin,
Gain A Lot of Mass.(major priority!) Then later get somewhat cut.

Well, right off the bat I'd say that you shouldn't be worried about mass. Even if you did gain some muscle mass, it really wouldn't show according to your description of a beer belly and double chin.

Second, I understand that being a newbie essentially means that anything can work training wise for mass gain. However, I think you'd be a lot better served doing three full body workouts vs. trying to do a split like a few pro's (not many) prefer..

I would say it's easier for you to stick to something like this:

Monday: Full body weight training
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Full body
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Full body
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Complete rest

Schedule:
5:30am- wake, eat something (need help here)

Okay, I would say that you should wake up at 5 AM in order to eat and prepare for the gym (if you can). Waking up and lifting within a half hour of each other will definately hamper your strength and motivation. If you get up 30 minutes earlier at 5, it'll allow your body to digest the small meal you ate to provide you with more energy. I would suggest eating some instant oatmeal or a banana, and a scoop of protein at least..

[Eric3237]

Second everything from 0311.

My only suggestion would be that if you are really new to all this you should BUILD UP to a schedule where you are doing some form of working out 5 to 6 days a week (weight/cardio). You wouldn't have any problem doing a properly designed full-body weight routine centered on linear progression. Or to do some cardio three times a week and build on it. But to suddenly launch into both is not a great idea.

And you always need rest days. It can be "active rest" sometimes, but don't schedule yourself 7 days a week like on your proposed shedule. Your body achieves it's new fitness levels while it is recovering not while you're working out .

[REDESIGN]

Thank you for your input! The only reason I was doing different body parts on different days was because my time in the morning is so limited and I have no other free time for anything.

SO to do a full body workout those certain days how would suggest? A lot of weight with a couple sets, or do say a chest exercise then a tri, the a bicep, then a back and so on?

And as far as diet and supplements- I take it that it was ok for starting out?

Thanks again for your advice!! Greatly Appreciated!!!

Have A Great New Year!

[Darkhorse]

Originally Posted by REDESIGN

Thank you for your input! The only reason I was doing different body parts on different days was because my time in the morning is so limited and I have no other free time for anything.

SO to do a full body workout those certain days how would suggest? A lot of weight with a couple sets, or do say a chest exercise then a tri, the a bicep, then a back and so on?

And as far as diet and supplements- I take it that it was ok for starting out?

Thanks again for your advice!! Greatly Appreciated!!!

Have A Great New Year!

I would say you should try doing a single rep range per every two weeks. So the first two weeks you'd do 1 set of 15 reps heavy as you can.. The following two weeks try for 2 sets of 10 reps per exercise. Next two -> 3 sets of 8 reps... Then 4 sets of 6, and so on..

I would only do compound exercises if I was in your shoes...

Start with:

Legs
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps
Back Width (lats)
Back Thickness
Biceps
Calves/Forearms/abs

It looks like a lot, but it's not. I would do one exercise per muscle outlined like this through your first four weeks. Then as the weight and sets increase, you'd start dropping some exercises such as biceps/triceps.

It's hard to explain, but if you look at the Hypertrophy-specific training thread, it'll give a much better description...

[Eric3237]

Doesn't need to be that complicated. IMO, the only variable you should be concerned with is the load on the bar. Don't change the rep range, change the weight, slowly and progressively, for as long as possible. You may only start out with the empty bar, but this will give you the fastest results. You'll drive up your intensity and strength base faster. You'll get hypertrophy and the faster strength gains will provide more potential for hypertorphy in the near training future. Plus you body will increase it's recovery capacity and workload tolerance more efficiently since you won't be changing the metabolic demands every two weeks for no reason.

At this stage of the game, whether you are coming back after a long absence or have never lifted before, whatever rep range you choose, if you progress at it will raise your strength, or, in other words will raise your one rep maximum. You should be able to pick one rep range and progress on it for a good while with simple linear progression. There is no need to arbitratily change rep ranges every two weeks through some linear periodization scheme when you could progress faster through a simpler method. It will not result in a greater strength base.

The only thing that will be affected by your previous experience or lack thereof will be the time that this type of linear progression on one rep range can be done. I'm not saying that no other rep ranges should be utilized such as perhaps higher rep ranges for accessories but I see no advantage in programming rep ranges in the systematic way that 0311 described. There are faster and simpler ways to get to a stage of lifting at high intensity, which you will NOT be at when you first start.

Start out simply with squats, deadlifts (with less sets), bench press/overhead press, and rows/chinups.

[Darkhorse]

I didn't word what I was trying to say very good, but I'm taking into account the extra motivation he is going to need to stick to a plan. Of course on paper I agree 100% with you Eric. I just don't see a guy as busy as he is faithfully coming into the gym doing a fairly boring workout while at the same time watching everyone else in the gym doing something completely different... And possibly straying him off the beaten path. I probably should've put a disclaimer in my previous post with your workout before going off with what I was describing!

I posted too quickly at home, but it's really not very difficult for anyone to do a few weeks at one rep/set range.. Get bored, pick another, so on and so forth. It's a no-brainer.

Start out simply with squats, deadlifts (with less sets), bench press/overhead press, and rows/chinups.

LOL, I've said that so many times to newbies and it IS the textbook politically correct answer to any of the above questions. That being said, about 40% of less of them actually take our advice before doing something a little less "boring". Not boring to you or me, but to a lot of people, especially with preconcieved notions that curls are the best exercise to bigger arms!

[Eric3237]

^^^I'm with you there. But the thing is most people won't last longer than around 6 months at most. We can second guess until we're blue in the face and try to make it palatable but in the end it won't mean a thing .

So I've developed this strategy, I make MYSELF feel better by giving people what I believe to be the real deal ...or as close as you can come to it. I figure, we do that, and if there smart they take our advice and if they don't, I'm not gonna lose sleep.

BUT, I know I'm not telling you anything you don't know, my friend, with the above post and that you have your specific reasons for anything you post.

As far as motivation, I'll bet you that most guys going into the gym, without any instruction, the first thing they'll start doing is around 8 to 12 reps and adding weight every workout. I think it's the natrual tendency to want to put weight on the bar. There is a lot of natural motivation inherent in that. Problem is of couse they'll fuck it up, including the rep range and do way to many exercises, sets, etc. and progress will be short lived and they'll probably end up doing worse in the end instead of better. At least in terms of fullbody. Not only is that de-motivating it's downright discouraging and they'll just drop out like most people. I really think that is a bigger factor than boredom.

On the issue of what everyone else is doing in the gym I think that we can address that right here. Redesign, you want to be successfull, I mean if you really DESIRE that, then to hell with everyone else in the gym. Most of them will be dumbasses that will never really get anywhere. And the guys that DO look like they get somewhere, do not assume that what got them there will get you there.

[REDESIGN]

Thanks again! I have had friends that got the gym bug and went for as you said like 6mo. then they don't go anymore. I have done that exact same thing several times in the past. As for the boredom part, that I am sure of will not happen. First I don't have time for boredom! Second, I have decided I am NOT going to look like this (not that I am obese or anything) a single day more. I also don't care what the other people in the gym are doing. Actually there isn't that many when I go, and there all middle age or older, so it's kind of nice. I will totally take everyone heres advice, and mix it up when I need a "shock". Getting a journal started so when I look back in 6mo I can say, YIKES! I was a mess.

Thanks again, and any other tips/etc. please let me know. I am looking at my workout routine again after reading your posts and will post a plan B and or C when I get it.

[REDESIGN]

Hi. After taking your feedback and doing some more reading I found this workout that would fit my tight schedule and allow me to do the exercises right. My only hesitation with the full body workouts are that if I feel I am not going to get done in time I might rush through things and do it wrong or not at all.

Goal: Change lifestyle, lose beer belly, lose the double chin,
Gain A Lot of Mass.(major priority!) Then later get cut.

Taking advice I will wake at 5am, eat, and be at the gym at from 6am-7am

What are your thoughts on this routine:

Monday: 10min cardio warm up
Lower body and abs
Tuesday: 10min cardio warm up
Upper body-chest/back/arms/shoulders
Wed:
Cardio
Thursday: 10min cardio warm up
Upper body again
Friday: 10min cardio warm up
Lower Body and abs

Supplements: This remains the same as previous since I had no feedback against it. Please let me know of alternatives, ETC.

Creatine: right now I have a jug of the Muscle Tech Cell-Tech (after research I am finding that there are more less expensive and (better) ones?
Protein: Optimum Nutrition
Multi-Vitamin- right now I have a bottle of Ultra Plan Ultimate Plus from Hi-Health (advice?, I like taking one pill that does it all.)
HOT-ROX- I took this before and was amazed at the results. Tried a lot of others but this one didn't give me the jitters or upset stomach, etc. I like it and love what it did, and I will use it in cycles when I hit the wall.

Thank you for any help you can give! I want to redesign my entire life and hopefully influence my wife and children to eat healthy and be more active.