Advice needed: NeoSeminole and Others (Fitness and Weight)

[RSK]

Hello, hey there Neo... I have just finished creating my workout schedule. I have practically every morning for the next 4 months, free!

My GOALS:

Loose weight (in abdominal area, and man boobs)
Gain muscle (not like a pro bodybuilder... I just want to tone up, something kind of like a 'mens health cover' magazine look.. haha!)

So Far, have planned the following...

1) An Upper Body Workout
2) A Lower Body Workout
3) Cardio (Run approx 30 min outdoors)

I may add to the combination, 4) Swimming (30 min) to the cycle, not sure yet.


Anyways, I have never felt more determined. I will even send you before and after pics if you're interested.


I was thinking... Monday-Saturday workout days Sunday... rest day


I'm just not sure how to alternate...

M Upper Body
T Lowerbody
W Run
T Upper Body
F Lowerbody
S Run
S REST

What do you think about the above plan?

Here are the Upper/Lower Body plans.... (For 8 weeks, I will stick with machines)

Upper Body...

Dual Axis Chest Press
Dual Axis Row
Overhead Press
Cybex Pull Downs
Arm Extensions
Arm Curls
Lateral Raise
Flys
Dual Axis Incline Press

Lower Body...

Hip Abduction
Hip Adduction
Glutes
Leg Extension Wheel
Leg Curl Wheel
Seated Leg Press
Seated Calf Raise

Abdominals... BOTH DAYS, seated abs, and obliques...





____________________________________



I did the upper body today, and was exhausted half way down the exercise list. For all exercises, I am aiming for 3 sets and 12 reps each.

Do you think it would be better to cut both the Upper Body and Lower Body workouts in half... and then combine 1/2 of the upper body with 1/2 of the lower body... and then combine the remaining 1/2 of the upperbody with the remaining 1/2 of lower body? ...and therefore, come up with TWO different 'full body' workouts which I could alternate?

Or do you think my plan is good now? Do you think there are too many exercises to handle? Do you think reps or sets are too much too little?

Sorry for all the Qu's. I have been working out on and off for Years! So in some sense, I am not a 'beginner'. But I never seem to pull through with any of it... but for the first time, I have quit smoking for more than a month, and feel motivated than ever to continue with this.

Would appreciate any advice. i also know that nutrition is important. i don't want to go on a diet, instead, i'll call it a lifestyle change...

Breakfast...

water
oat bran cereal (it's pretty good with blueberries and honey, or even slices of banana and/or strawberries)
more water!
coffee

Between Breakfast and Lunch

Fruit and/or vegetable (eg. carrots...)

Lunch...

Sandwich... staying with whole wheat... and chcken and romaine lettuce... more water!!

Dinner... water, and I'll mix it up... but for the most part... I won't overeat, and stuff myself (I have a habbit of doing so (did it today))
and more water!


So that's it, sorry for the long post, can't wait to post before and after pics... I took a few shots last week,and in about 4 months, I hope to be in shape... to the point I feel comfortable posting both the new AND old pics!

[Tone]

I'm a fan of full body workouts myself.

[vashti]

I want the before and after pictures.

[1averagejoe]

Personally I'm not one for body building. Did it for about 7-8 months, did gain some mass. Just cancelled my membership at the gym and I'm back to my cardio-loving self. I'm a cardio-holic. I love running, cycling, and hiking. Plus running is free! Although I'm planning to save up for a nice road bike. I just hate being indoors working out, I would much rather be outdoors sweating my ass off. But that's just me...different strokes for different folks.

Definitely take some pics now and get some more about 6 months after so you can see the progress you've made. Best of luck!

[boobaa]

My bodybuilding course is physical work on construction site. I now eat more and do various type of exercises which train my back, shoulders, arms and even legs. Plus, I get paid, since I would never pay bucks for exhausting myself. I also can't stand doing excersises in gym on some special machine. Outdoors and natural sports is more fun.

[NeoSeminole]

RSK, I'm flattered that you thought of me when you decided to make this thread. I will try to answer your questions to the best of my abilities. Let me know if I forgot to address something or if you have more questions. I would be glad to help.

There are a few things I want you to understand before I answer your questions. First, muscle can either grow or shrink. There is no such thing as 'toning up.' The guys on the magazine covers you speak of have well-developed muscles and low body fat. Second, no matter how hard you try, you will never look like a bodybuilder. So don't let that rationale hold you back from lifting as much weight as you can. Third, you cannot target a specific area of the body to lose fat (aka 'spot reducing'). If you want to lose weight, then you need to do plenty of cardio.

With that said, I think your training split looks good. I would maybe switch upper body with lower body. That way, you give your legs a day of rest before running. May I ask how come you only want to use machines? Free weights are much better. As for abs and obliques, I would work them out twice a week. Your abs are a muscle just like any other. If you are able to train them 4x a week, then you aren't working them out properly.

I do think you have too many exercises for both upper and lower body days. I would recommend splitting the exercises in half so that you perform half of them one day and the rest, the other day. For example, you could work out chest, shoulders and biceps on one day, and back, triceps and abs on another day. The number of reps and sets are fine.

Regarding nutrition, your body needs protein. I can't stress the importance of this enough. Think of your body as a building and protein as concrete. If you are trying to remodel a building or simply make it larger, you need more concrete. Likewise, your body needs protein if you are trying to add muscle or change your body composition. You also need carbs for energy. Stick with complex carbs such as oatmeal, grits, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and pasta.

Hope this helps. :-)

[Lipp]

Glad to see that I'm not the only one around who prefers to train outdoors rather than in a gym. Street running is awesome with some good music pumping alongside the adrenaline.

[anachronistic]

The key is having a determined mindset. A determined mindset is one that focuses on one thing, which is pretty much immeasurable. Do this for the benefit of health, not the benefit of looking better; you'll find your approach stronger. Looking good is one small benefit of many.

[TAVS]

OMG its like I never left

[Illusional]

if i were you, i'd get my runs after working out. it will really boost your metabolism and keep it running higher when we aren't working out. it will also free up a couple of your days so you can either work out a different part of your body or rest.

raverboy

[misombra]

i was watching this hilarious documentary on body builder competitions. it was funny / interesting/ kinda disturbing.

[TAVS]

All I know is one of the ladies at work was a former body builder and shes hot. No more bulging muscles but a nicely cut body. And her ass was looking real good when I was slapping it the other night.... lol

[Kiechi]

1 word RSK, P90X

[RSK]

i just got back from the gym, i feel really great. had my protein shake which i prepared last night... taste so good after a workout.

neo, and everyone else, thanks alot! I have made a few adjustments to the plan...

(if you don't want to read my workout plan, PLEASE skip below to see my 'quaker oats peanut butter/honey oatmeal mix' recipe please... IT IS ABSOLUTELY STUPENDOUS! (just watched atonement, got the word from there)

Monday
Upper Body: Chest, Bisceps, Shoulders
Lower Body: Flexers of the Lower Limbs

Tuesday
Upper Body: Back, Triceps
Lower Body: Extensors of the Lower Limbs
ABDOMINAL WORKOUT ROUTINE

Wednesday
CARDIO DAY! (woo-hoo) (30-45 minutes, hardcore outdoor running)

Thursday
Upper Body: Chest, Biceps, Shoulders
Lower Body: Flexers of Lower Limbs

Friday
Upper Body: Back, Triceps
Lower Body: Extensors of Lower Limbs
ABDOMINAL WORK OUT ROUTINE

Saturday
CARDIO DAY! (woo-hoo) (30/45 min, hardcore outdoor running)

SUNDAY- REST DAY? In about 1 month or so, I will start to swim on Sunday Mornings, just for 30 minutes or so.




So, that's about it for now. Neo, I was at the gym awhile ago (long before I made this thread)... I was working out with free weights... a trainer of the gym came up to me, and advised that I use the machines for about 8 weeks, and then hit up the free weights.

He told me it's better to get the form right first, and build up some bulk, so I can better manipulate and control the free weights. Plus, I've been doing it for two weeks now, and I kind of like 'looking foward' to moving to the 'free weights' in about 6 weeks from now... something to look foward to.

I can't believe this, but I have been working out for just two weeks, cardio and weights, and I feel like i've gotten a little bigger, and lost some abdominal fat!

As for nutrition... Well, I always heard about it, but never did it... and now... i have finally begun to learn... the secret of eating 6-7 meals a day, spaced out in smaller portions! It is incredible!

And in the process of searching for healthy foods, I have discovered a very healthy breakfast, which tastes SO FRICKEN good, that it is unbelievable! REALLY, UNBELIEVABLE...


I bought the quaker oats oatmeal mix. I had it 'plain'... just Water, and Oatmeal. Stuck it in the microwave for 2 min 30 second, and ate it. IT TASTED LIKE CRAP... (but I knew it was healthy, so I continued to do it... BUT... TODAY... after it was heated in the microwave, I added 1 tbsp of Peanut Butter...

...It did the Trick!!! It tastes, Phenomenol! If you havn't tried this, you MUST! I also added some honey.

TOmmorow, I am going to try blend with half a banana with the peanut butter.


Other stuff I've been snacking on between meals... carrots, apples, and BLUEBERRIES... lots and lots of BLUEBERRIES!!

I also take the protein shake, and.. LOTS and LOTS of water. LOTS.



Thanks again everyone, I'll keep ya updated...

I took my body weight yesterday... 198 pounds. I'm 6 foot 3, so I figure I should get it down to about 190 at least. I'd like to be in the 180-190 range. But I do want to add some bulk, so not sure how that factors in... but I'd rather the weight be muscle than fat... okay, hope everyone is doing well, and looking after their health!

[misombra]

atonement was such a fruity movie.