frikin new

[wheatnut]

I am new to this workout stuff and i just need some advice on where to start. I have been going to the gym around 3 times a week for the last 2 months. My goals have been mostly my arms and abbs. Right now thats all i care about. I am about 5 foot 10 and weigh 150, does anyone have any suggestions/tips. Also, if someone does respond put the tips in beginners terms, seriously I am not a body builder., Ps I dont want to look like a body builder i actually just want the abbs and upperbody cut.
thanks.

[RipStone]

Check out the Fitness FAQ section and go to the thread Workout Programs.

[Lost Dog]

Originally posted by wheatnut:
I am new to this workout stuff and i just need some advice on where to start. I have been going to the gym around 3 times a week for the last 2 months. My goals have been mostly my arms and abbs. Right now thats all i care about. I am about 5 foot 10 and weigh 150, does anyone have any suggestions/tips. Also, if someone does respond put the tips in beginners terms, seriously I am not a body builder., Ps I dont want to look like a body builder i actually just want the abbs and upperbody cut.
thanks.

To get cut, you need to lose body fat. Your arms can get bigger, but your abs are already mostly ready, they just need less fat to show up. The best way to lose body fat is with good nutrition and a proper lifting program.

Good nutrition is important for obvious reasons. You need to take in fewer calories than your body needs. You can use fitday.com to find what you need and track your intake. Aim for about a 500 calorie a day deficit.

Then, lifting weights stimulates your metabolism, burning extra calories for days after the workout.

For fat loss, working out all parts of the body, with a 3 or 4 day a week routine is best. Even though you want to concentrate on arms and abs, a full body workout is best, since you are trying to stimulate your metabolism for fat loss purposes.

In the grand scheme of things, your arm and ab muscles are pretty small, so just working them wouldn't generate much of a burn. Your legs, back, shoulders, chest, etc. are bigger muscles and will generate quite a burn after being worked out. Working out 3-4 times per week will make sure that you ALWAYS have this burn going.

I'd recommend a book to get you started. The Testosterone Advantage Plan, available via louschuler.com (one of the authors). It's only $10-13 and is really worth the read.

A lot of us here got started with that book. It contains a great workout to get you started and solid nutrition advice and plans. Plus, it explains the whys and how far better than I tried...

Good luck and welcome aboard!

[n.neate]

At 5'10 150 pounds and a beginner weight lifter, how much muscle do you think he is going to have when he cuts down even more?

I believe you need to build muscle, you will do this by picking pretty much any routine from the fitness forum sticky thread, at this point in time anyways. Your diet should be right around maintenance level, if not slightly higher.

Also, focus on one thing at a time, in order to see your abs, yes you have to have enough body fat percentage to see them, but if you want bigger arms, losing weight is not going to do it.

By focusing on building some lean muscle, you are setting yourself up for success later on down the road. It will be much easier to get your abs when you have some muscle built all over your body (and you will be able to see it too, if you cut down now i doubt you will have much to see)

[Lost Dog]

n.neate, good point. I didn't read that post carefully. Thanks for pointing that out.

I'd still recommend the TAP book, though. It covers gaining, maintaining, and losing weight very well.

[n.neate]

I'll second the notion on TAP! Although i've never tried the workouts, did you have good results with it Lost Dog?

[wtflestoppoules]

Something others did not mention: working out only these two parts will create muscle imbalance. Training every part of your body will let you stay balanced, and on top of it, you will see bigger gains in your arms and abs than if you only did these two parts, because your body will actually want to stay balanced, and make your muscles develop less than they should. Also, the testosterone effect from training all muscles helps tremendously. I do not know for TAP, but it probably is great for starting, from all reviews I had, and Lou/Adam (it was Adam right?) are both VERY reliable sources in the domain.

[Lost Dog]

I had GREAT results on TAP (I still eat that way, basically). Typically, when someone talks about Clean Eating with the capital letters, it's pretty close to TAP style eating. The healthiest foods in the right ratios, eating more often, etc.

I think I lost about 12 lbs in the nine weeks, but my muscles grew a lot, too. I was new to lifting, so it was a great lifting program, since it eased you into it and had very detailed descriptions.

I've given the book to at least three friends. I actually keep giving them mine and then replacing it for my shelf.