Hey all, first time post for me. I have a question related to muscle groups and my general routine.
First my background:
27yrs, Male, 5'9",165lbs, BFP ~20%. My main goal is to lose my potbelly and get in general shape, but secondary goal is to tone muscle. I'm not interested in being huge, would just like some muscle definition, etc.
Now my question. First about muscle groups. I have two basic workout days. I always start off with 30 minutes of cardio, and end with 3 sets of ab exercises. For lifting, I alternate days: (1) chest/triceps, and (2) back, biceps, shoulders. I always do 3 sets, and lift enough weight where I can do 8-10 reps for the first 2 sets, and usually fail around 6 or 7 on the 3rd.
I want to know if my general workout pattern is good as far as muscle groups go. I usually go to the gym 3 times per week for about 1:15. I sometimes only end up having time to do 1 exercise per muscle on a given day. Would it be better to just devote an entire workout to once muscle and do 3-4 exercises for it? In that case I may not hit it again for a week. Also, I don't do any lower body exercises becuase I figure I'm getting it from my cardio exercise (usually elipitical). Is this frowned upon?
I was reading through some old posts and saw some links to some great articles. I'm going to check those out tonight. It would be ideal if I could find workout advice for someone on a tight schedule. How long do most of you spend in one session at the gym?
Thanks in advance and this seems like a great forum. I'm adding it to my daily reading!
I'll start with some of the more obvious answers you'll get here:
1) You HAVE to work out your lower body. It's a must! Lifts like squats, deadlifts, good mornings, etc. are favorites of almost everyone here (myself included).
2) I'd suggest taking a look at the FAQ forum, specifically, the workouts post. A lot of us follow one of those workouts, so you will be able to get an idea of the structure we follow. A lot of people have similar splits to what you have, some just split upper and lower body into different workouts. It totally depends on your goals.
3) How is your diet? That is going to be the main factor in you losing your potbelly and getting in better shape. Look around at some of the posts about nutrition, and check out www.johnberardi.com
Both places will be very informative for you.
4) A lot of us are very busy, but you have to make time for workouts. You'll see a lot of guys here getting up at 4 or 5am to fit a workout in. You just have to find a time you can stick to and go. I'd say an hour in the gym is about the norm.
Everyone else jump in where I missed. I'm sure I missed a lot of big things, just wanted to get some of the basics out of the way for you. Good luck!
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"It's what you've got inside that matters. The details and technological things will take you only so far. You still have to pedal the bike. Some people are always looking for the magic secret. There's no secret. Just bust your ass." -Dave Zabriskie
"I don't do any lower body exercises becuase I figure I'm getting it from my cardio exercise (usually elipitical). Is this frowned upon?"
Well, it's not frowned upon, but I think most people here will highly recommend squats, lunges and deadlifts (and on and on).
The thing with heavy leg work is that it works some of the largest muscles in your body. By doing this, you produces more testosterone, which in turn leads to more muscle growth. And I don't mean Arnold-type growth. For that, you'd need to eat a ton as well.
Leg work also provides a balance in your body. You don't want to have skinny runner's legs and a large chest and shoulders, right?
As for getting definition, you nailed it on the head: lower your body fat. One of the only real routine changes you can do to enhance fat loss is to switch to a full body circuit workout. This means less rest and a constant rotation of exercises.
But the best way to lower body fat is to monitor your eating.
emartin10, thanks for the quick reply. I definately have some reading ahead of me. This site seems like a great place to start.
1) I thought that my running or eliptical would be enough work out for the lower body but I guess not? Looks like I have some more to add to my routine!
3) As for diet - I was doing a low-carb (south beach) diet for just under a year and had a lot of sucess with it. I hadn't started going to the gym during that time yet though, and now I may have to rethink my diet. I lost 20 lbs on the diet over a year, but once I started lifting I put back almost half of that. My new pants still fit me so I guess a lot of that weight is muscle
My diet is high protein, low sugar, low carb, and moderate fat. By that I mean I watch my carb intake more than my fat intake - but don't eat very fatty foods (fried, etc) regularly. I want to do some research about doing low carb diets and working out. I eat carbs, but not "white" carbs like pasta, rice. Mostly whole grain, etc.
4) As far as time, I feel like its never enough. I go for well over an hour but the time just flies when I'm at the gym. After 30 min of cardio, I find I only have time for 4 or 5 more exercises. Maybe I'm waiting too long between sets???
Check this thread out, I think you'll find it very helpful
Rock nailed it on the lower body workouts.
Also, would you consider splitting up the days on your weights and cardio? That would afford you some more time to hit the weights. Also, do a search here and on google for HIIT (High Intesity Interval Training). It is the form of cardio that most of us use, and it melts the fat off much more effectively than steady state cardio. It also takes much less time. Give that a look.
__________________
"It's what you've got inside that matters. The details and technological things will take you only so far. You still have to pedal the bike. Some people are always looking for the magic secret. There's no secret. Just bust your ass." -Dave Zabriskie
One of the things I read somewhere...probably on Jerardi's site...is this.
"The more lean muscle mass that you have, the more your body burns fat and calories."
Your back and your legs are the 2 larges muscle groups you have. If you are interested in getting rid of fat it is imperative that you work these muscle groups and strive to increase muscle mass.
I have come to love doing squats. My favorite exercise! (sadistic puppy huh?)
I have come to love doing squats. My favorite exercise!
As a realitive newb to working out (only been going to the gym for 2.5 months now) I'll second that notion... squats have really become one of my favorite exercises. The free weight, ass to the grass type squats.
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