I've got a few questions listed below and hope that someone can give me some answers and also some encouragement.
BACKGROUND:
I am 6'2", 185lbs., 30 years old, and not muscular on my upper but have strong legs. I snowboard and hike mountains in the winter which keeps my legs much stronger proportionally than my upper.
GOALS:
I want to get a chest for the first time in my life. I'd also like to get abs and nice arms. I also need to take some fat off my belly, and I'm hoping that will be a natural side effect of this training proram.
I am not really interested in gaining a ton of mass, although I'd like big muscles I don't want to look like a weightlifter. I'd like to stay lean but add a lot of muscle. I suppose that this will naturally add a lot of weight, but I'm definitely OK with smaller, but well defined muscles.
I am mainly doing this to look and feel good. Heart health, strength, etc are simply nice side effects! I would also like to keep somewhat in shape for the beginning of ski season.
QUESTIONS:
* Since this routine begins just two days a week, I am worried that while gaining muscle I won't be able to lose any of the fat on my belly. Would inserting an extra day a week for a 30 minute strenuous run on a treadmill be detrimental to my muscles? Or removing the leg portion of the workout and replacing it with some cardio? Or simply adding cardio to each workout?
* Basically, will I be able to lose belly fat through these workouts alone?
* How do I determine the appropriate weight to lift? Since my chest is small, I find it difficult to lift. I do enjoy pushing myself and I'm not afraid of fatigue, but I simply have no idea how to accurately determine what weight I should begin with.
* Should I add more weight to the bar after each set? If so, how much?
If anyone has any tips for a beginner, I'd greatly appreciate them!
Try including some HIIT on a couple of your days off. Jog for 5 mins to warm up, then sprint for 30 secs, then walk/jog recovery for 90 secs, then sprint for 30 secs again, and so on. Try to build up to about 8 sprints. Dont remove the leg portion of the workout.
Belly fat is a lot about diet. Try checking out the Adams Diet threads on the Nutrition boards. You should be able to lose it with this workout and eating right, but any extra cardio (and HIIT is recommended for the cardio) will help.
I went into the gym for a day and played around with weights. Checked out what I could use for a set of 12. Didn't do the routine, just sauntered around trying it out. Had to adjust a bit the first time I actually went through, but thats no big deal.
Dont add more weight to the bar after each set, use the same weight for all sets. Try to up the weight on at least one exercise every workout though. Even if its only 6 lbs.
Tips? For HGM, make sure you have a towel and a drink bottle! Dont worry about putting on too much weight/bulk. For starters its damned hard work to do so, and requires eating correctly for it as well as working out, and if you do find you're genetically gifted enough that you start growing bigger than you'd like you can always come back and ask for advice on how to maximise strength without gaining as much mass.
thanks. I think that the interval training is exactly what I've been searching for - a cardio exercise which doesn't negatively impact muscle growth.
Any tips on eating right during HGM would be well appreciated.
I typically eat a big salad weekday lunch with lots of protein (eggs, turkey, tuna, lots of veggies, etc plus dressing). At night we typically have one large piece of protein (meat, steak, fish) and typically a side salad. I never eat breakfast. Alternatly, if we haven't gone to the grocery store, I'll order Pizza (thin NY style). The weekends are a tossup and I typically eat brunch on Sunday and a sandwich for lunch on Sat but the nights are all over the place.
As for suggestions on eating: Eat more!! More food, more often...
i know, i know: you're trying to lose weight. Here's the deal. When you eat food, the levels of insulin in your body spike. Insulin causes your body to store fat and protein in its cells. The less frequently you eat, the greater the insulin spike. When you eat more often, you insulin levels stay more steady, and your body retains less fat from food.
Furthermore, eating more frequent, smaller meals will help increase your metabolism, so you'll burn more fat at rest (in theory, anywho). Skipping breakfast is possibly the worst thing you can do for yourself nutritionally, aside from eating exclusively fast food.
Its often said that sumo-wrestlers eat 1 giant meal a day. Eat 5 or 6 meals a day. Try to get some protein in with each meal. Have healthy snacks in between meals. Nuts are great, high in unsaturated fat which helps burn "bad fat". For more science info about foods, in an easy to understand language, check out http://www.johnberardi.com
and good luck! HGM is a kick ass program!
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I agree with sharkbait31, you gotta eat more often. I was just like you, I would eat only 2 meals a day and I thought it was fine. Believe me, when you start HGM Phase 1 you will want to eat more. You'll be hungry more often and as long as you snack healthy (nuts, fruits, veggies) you will lose fat.
I am in week 5 of HGM and even though my weight hasn't changed much my pants fit better and my waist is getting smaller.
As far as weights go, start small and you can always add more weight. After first workout I pretty much knew my weight for all my exercises. Keep track of all your workouts! Print out those logs and use them every time, it helps!
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Starting now, if you eat properly i.e. read every article on nutrition at jonberardi.com, understand it, and use it perfectly. You could potentially gain 25 lbs of lean muscle mass in a year. However, a lot depends on genetics when concerning muscle mass and diet usually takes atleast a year or two to dial down to perfection. It's all a process and it's a life long commitment imo. In the 6 weeks you will probably gain quite a bit in strength due to nuerological adaptations, lose a little bit of fat (1-10 lbs depending on factors:genetics, diet, consistency, stress, sleep, cardio, etc.) and you might gain anywhere from 1-10 lbs of muscle mass also depending on those factors. Just stick to it and work your ass off and the results will most certainly follow.
Guys truly thanks for all the advice. I had my first full body workout today using the Beginner HGM and I feel great although I think I could have pushed myself harder on the weights. I am unfamiliar with how much I should/can lift, so hopefully next time I'll use heavier or more appropriate weights to ensure I'm working at peak.
A few questions:
* I'm thinking of doing three times a week instead of 2, would that be bad? I don't think I'd overdo it and in fact I'm pretty shocked that it only calls for twice a week anyways. Maybe the third time I would just exercie my upper and then do HIIT.
* When it tells me to do a set of crunches, how many should I be doing? 12 crunches seems like too few to make a difference. Should I be doing something different? Adding weight? More crunches? Any advice?
Add weight to the crunches. If you feel the need do 3 workouts a week. Don't take anything out of it though. Do it as it's made. If you feel like you have the juice after the gym then do some hiit or do hiit on a day off.
if you feel like you're not doing enough with HGM, then you're doing something wrong! Phase I should completely kick your ass. Though it may not look it on paper, its a ridiculously tough program (in a good way, of course!). also, the link Bj posted is a GREAT read!
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