New guy here...with a few questions, please

[sharkattack]

Hey all,

Thanks for taking a look at my post. I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and ask a few questions. I’m so glad that I found this forum. I haven’t had the time to look around in great detail, but so far everything looks great. I'm 39 years old, 6'1", 187#, 22% bodyfat (according to my weight/bodyfat scale). I need a productive, flexible workout that I can be do while still having time for parental duties, work/home responsibilities, and "me time".

I've got a few questions workout schedule. Due to job and family obligations, I can only lift weights a few days per week. My split is this: Day 1-back/chest, Day 2-legs/abs, Day 3-shoulders/arms


My reasoning for going with the split that I’ve listed above is that I was always told that you should never do upper body work on consecutive days, i.e. chest & triceps on one day and back & biceps the next. The reasoning is that the shoulders receive too much work too often. It seemed to make sense so I adhered to it. Plus, the above split allows me to work out 3 days in a row if need be due to work constraints, traveling, etc. This split will be giving each part about a weeks rest before they get hit again directly. Many times when I work legs hard, I can’t work them again for 5-6 days anyway.

My questions are:
1. Do you have to work a bodypart more than twice a week in order for it to grow? I was just worried that working a muscle only once a week was too infrequent enough for any growth, but it seems a lot of people only hit each body part once a week, directly. Some parts, like arms and shoulders will get once directly and once indirectly, but that's OK I think. I'm 39 so I don't recover nearly as quickly as someone who's 18 or 20, keep in mind.

2. What do you think of my suggested schedule? Any improvements you can think of?

3. If you have any other ideas for my schedule, please let me know. The Fri, Sat, Sun seems to be working for me time wise, but I want to get the most out of my time lifting.

4. I know some people will advocate hitting each bodypart twice a week, but isn't that overtraining for someone my age whose recovery ability isn't what it used to be?

I know that the split I set up might be the best, but I need a schedule that can be somewhat flexible. I know that 3 days on and 2-3 off is not ideal, but I need a program that will allow me to fulfill other obligations as well, such as work and family duties.

Since I live in the ‘real world’ and have other things to do besides workout, I need to be able to grab my workouts when I can, be it in the evening, morning or afternoon. I want to get them in, I just have a hard time planning on exactly when I’ll be lifting.

I just don’t want to start spinning my wheels so that’s why I’m asking for your advice. If I’m going to commit the time, I want to do it wisely so I get the best results I can get for the time that I have available to put in.

I really would appreciate any help you kind folks can offer. I feel terrible for letting myself get into the shape that I am and am looking forward to a ‘new me’.

Take care and sorry for the long post.
Kind regards,
Scott

[Lisa~]

Welcome to the forum Scott. You've come to the right place to learn.

You are right to look at your priorities and consider your time available as your first step. In his article Developing a Training Philosophy, Alwyn Cosgrove said:

I think that when designing programs you should start with the time available first and then develop a program around it. Don't develop your program and then try to fit it into the available time.

Rather than try to make a body-part split routine fit into the time you have available, consider using a whole body workout. Alwyn Cosgrove has written several time-efficient workouts including The Holiday Program, which is one of my favorites and can be used any time of the year, not just the holidays, and Minimal Time, Maximum Workout, which sounds like it was written for you. Several forum members have used these program with great success.

Craig Ballantyne also writes very time-efficient workouts. He and Alwyn both participate in the jpfitness forums and offer personal support. Take a look at Craig's forum in the Specialized Training Discussions section.

For someone in your situation and with general fitness goals, I think any of these programs will be superior to the split you are currently considering.

[Chaney Weiner]

Welcome aboard!

[rwmct]

You did not mention your goal and were not too specific about your exercises. Assuming your goal is general fitness/fatloss/get stronger/better looking (and likely even if it is not), you need a better routine.

Or, to put it more succinctly, what Lisa said (I have only been around here a few weeks, and from what I can see, "what Lisa said" appears to be a pretty good response to most questions, actually )

[sharkattack]

Thanks for the replies folks. Sorry for not being specific about my goals. I think my goals are like most guys, actually. I would like to lose some fat & gain some muscle. To be blunt, I'd like to be able to take my shirt off at the pool in the summer and not feel self conscious about my appearance.

Way too many guys (and some women) just assume that once you hit 35-40ish, that guys just have a little (or in some cases, alot) of belly fat on them. I'm not trying to be a cover model for a magazine, but I want to be the guy that makes his wife proud of the shape he's in. I want her friends to be jealous of her for having a husband who's in shape and takes care of how he looks.

I may be doing a poor job of explaining my goals here, but hopefully you get the idea. In short, I want it to be blantantly obvious that when people see me, they'll know I workout. (It's so embarassing when you tell people that you workout and they say "Really?")

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Kind regards,
Scott

[Frank.S]

Lisas advice is great as usual..

The routine you are doing is a modified bodybuilding split, for your goals, I would suggest a 3x per week fullbody routine. Its probally what most people on here use.

If your willing to spend a few dollars, NROL (new rules of lifting) has some fat loss and muscle size programs that could be interesting. Also, I would check out everything you can find by chad waterbury (hes got lots of things online).

[Terry Monk]

Welcome aboard sharkattack. Always happy to welcome new members that share our interests.

I also agree, with the info you've shared, that a full body routine 3x per week would be ideal.