Back to the Workouts

**Rootstonian** · January 3rd, 2006, 04:29 PM

I'm not much of sharing personal stuff, but I figure sharing this will be a motivational tool (for me)

When I met my current wife 5 years ago I was at the end of a year of 4 day a week workouts. I was a buff 32" waist. At my age, (40) I was never able to hit the 225 bench press mark (the bar with 4 45's on it). I regret to say that all the stuff with dating and getting married left me without workouts and now I've paid the price...38" waist; pushing 40".

I'm starting back tonight. I was hardcore into working out and know probably as much as a pro bodybuilder, so I know to start off easy. I'm just going to get on the treadmill. Probably be lucky to last 5 mintues, but it IS a start

I'm going to start with a Tues/Thur on treadmill this month. I never really jog on the treadmill, but strive to reach a really, really brisk walking pace. I know from previous experience, that I'll probably triple my time on it by the end of the month. After that, I'll see about going back to the weights. I'm 45 now, so I have to really watch the shoulders and knees. I just want to lose 30 lbs. in 6 months; I think that is a reachable goal. Going to watch the diet some too, but not too much. I've always been against dieting and prefer to eat what I want (within limits of course) and then burn it off.

I really don't know why exercise is such torture (at least to me). It really only does take 20 minutes, 3 times a week to keep you fairly steady. No pain, no gain I guess...wish me luck!

**GroundZero3** · January 3rd, 2006, 04:34 PM

Going to watch the diet some too, but not too much. I've always been against dieting and prefer to eat what I want (within limits of course) and then burn it off.

thats what i do. I tend to eat what i want, but watch myself at the same time. I dont go overboard with the snacks, intake more milk and water and less fruit juices and soda. Why not get your wife involved with it to make it a couples things. Having someone else with you helps you keep your motivation up.

Stay away from the fad diets, keep up with a well balance diet with the workout and the weight will come off. Just remember, Rome wasnt built in a day

Dont be discourage when you dont notice a change, but ill tell you when your wife or a friend says something about how you look that is a great feeling.

Good luck to you and hang in there!

**Rootstonian** · January 3rd, 2006, 04:44 PM

I'm pretty much a loner in my workouts. Wifey is on her own (she looks just fine now; glad she has hung in there with me).

Yeah, I know about the weight coming off. Took 5 years to put on, know it will take time to shed. It's a slow proecess for sure. I'm pretty confident that this month will not lose much, just getting the muscles warmed up for more stress next month. I have my base weight of this morning, so I'll know where I'm at in a month. I just want to make sure I start off nice and slow and avoid any injuries.

**sixf00t4** · January 3rd, 2006, 05:55 PM

I'm with you, only in reverse. How about a "work out accountability thread" ? Last year, my resolution was to lose ~20 some pounds, and i did and kept it off, now, it's time to gain it back, but a SOLID 20 pounds. lots of ab and chest work, but i'm told that doing my arms and legs too will increase my fat burning and help build the energy for muscle gain.

**shawshank62** · January 3rd, 2006, 07:06 PM

I lost 20 pounds from september till now, and just yesterday i purchased a dumbell set, and a few other things to start out. I worked out for the first time yesterday, and i plan to follow a 3 day/30 minute workout. I'm really sore right now, but once i can get into a grove i plan to jog 2 days a week as well....so hopefully i can put on a full 20 pounds of muscle as well...hopefully lol

Techimo is gonna be ripped come summer time

**Rootstonian** · January 4th, 2006, 08:19 AM

LOL

I did better than I thought last night; 2 minute warmup at slow pace, 7 minutes at 2.5 mph and 1 minute cool down.

The best part was that it *felt* good...which means I'll be looking forward to future workouts and the benefits that will follow.

Sixfoot: If you want it fairly simple and easy do this: Bench Press and Squats. Pretty much gets all muscles involved. Other exercises (curls, tricep extenstions etc) seek to target a specific muscle for growth. All these muscles come into play as stabilizers in bench press and squatting.

**shawshank62** · January 4th, 2006, 06:56 PM

Well after having worked out on monday, my hamstrings and quads are still very sore, walking up and down steps is a challenge for me right now lol so my question is...did i use too much weight? or this more of a since im just starting this is normal? and second, should i hold off another day before i exercise, or just try to tough it out?

**GroundZero3** · January 5th, 2006, 04:37 AM

what excerises were you doing?

I did squats a couple of days ago (i havent been in the gym for a week) and im sore as heck. Martial Arts the next day wasnt fun :-p Then i spent all day yesterday walking around DC. So yah my legs were a bit sore

**rrcn** · January 5th, 2006, 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by shawshank62

Well after having worked out on monday, my hamstrings and quads are still very sore, walking up and down steps is a challenge for me right now lol so my question is...did i use too much weight? or this more of a since im just starting this is normal? and second, should i hold off another day before i exercise, or just try to tough it out?

Nope. You did just fine. And for the first few times, that's how it will feel. You'll have trouble going up and down steps for sure. hehe.

Although eventually it wont be too bad, or maybe you just get used to it.

You really only should work out each body part once a week to give yourself optimal time for recovery. Also having workout sessions that go for too long, some say after of about an hour, will cause muscle catabolism (the break down of muscles) due to the release of cortisol. Remember that it's not only lifting. It's also resting (sleeping) and eating well.

Good luck guys!

[EDIT]: I forgot to mention this...make sure to warm up well! For instance if you are benching that day, warm up with some light weights. One or two sets should be enough before you hit the heavier weights. It'll keep you from getting injured and get your muscles ready to go.

I also like to do some quick stretches while waiting between my sets.

And don't forget to have your protein shake or high protein meal within 45 min. to one hour after your workout session. If you had a protein shake, within about an hour or so, you'll most likely get hungry, so plan on a good post workout meal.

And to gain good mass, try to eat every 3 hours. This will also help keep your metabolism high.

Looks like this became longer than I intended, but I hope this helps.

**Martoch** · January 5th, 2006, 10:34 AM

Starting to seriously work out again as well...I've been slacking for a while.

*flex*

See???

I ran for the first time in months yesterday...I wanted to stop a few times, but I made it. Good point, rrcn...protein shakes are almost a necessity if you really want to make those workouts count. Your diet (and I don't mean going on a diet, your everyday food habit) is more important than your workout. Keep a water bottle with you all day long...it will help keep your metabolism up and your hunger down.

I'm looking at some pics of me when I was totally dedicated to fitness...man I have a long way to go to get back to that form.

**DeathWish187** · January 5th, 2006, 10:44 AM

i wanna work out more often, but we dont have any equipment....

**sixf00t4** · January 5th, 2006, 10:51 AM

hmmm, protein shake even if just doing situps and some running 3x a week?

what kind do you recommend

**shawshank62** · January 5th, 2006, 11:06 AM

I was doing lunges and squats, and to do the squats i stood about 18 inches away from the wall and tucked my one foot behind the other and lowered myself up and down since i didnt have any equipment.

Thanks for that information rrcn, brings light to some of the questions i had, just have to stick in there and keep going

Also...like sixfoot asked, what kind of protein shakes do you recommend? Do you only have them afterworking out, or what is the deal?

i wanna work out more often, but we dont have any equipment....

I dont have any equipment either, but i spent 10 dollars on a stability ball, and 45 dollars on a 40 pound dumbell set. Between these two things i can do most of the exercises that i am trying to do.

**GroundZero3** · January 5th, 2006, 11:14 AM

i would do some situps, protien, dips (use two chairs), pulls ups.

If you gonna want to start builking up, your gonna have to do more than situps.

Deathwish like i mentioned above

other stuff you can do

http://www.netfit.co.uk/home_circuit..._exercises.htm

Dont blame the lack of equipment for not getting into shape. There are plently of things you can do

**Martoch** · January 5th, 2006, 11:18 AM

This is my favorite protein powder...it's what I used when I was a fitness nut and it worked! Plus it tastes much better than the others I tried and was more shake-like than watery. (I tend to use more than 1 serving at a time, whatever gets me to around 40g of protein per serving). Your MINIMAL protein intake while working out should be a gram of protein per pound of body weight. Rather than trying to pack that all in with a ton of food, a shake is the way to go. I have a meal replacement shake as my dinner...no food at all. You should really try to stop eating around 4 hours before your bedtime if possible as your metabolism will be at its lowest during the night.

I was able to find a total gym at a garage sale for $15. Check your local paper(s) for weight sets and yard sales...plenty of them around our area. You can purchase an ab wheel for $5 at Walmart.

Also, be sure to check out the workout thread I started a while back...a lot of good info there!

Here an excellent link to check out...
http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/index.html

**Martoch** · January 5th, 2006, 11:35 AM

Some more things I wanted to mention...

Try to avoid salty foods or adding salt to anything as it will make you bloat...your muscles will be less noticeable for sure.
Also, don't install too many video games on your computer because you'll spend too much time playing instead of working out
[raises hand]
I'm guilty!!!

BTW, I only work one muscle per day and it works for me. I do that because I can concentrate harder on each muscle, instead of speeding up workouts just to fit two muscles in. Brad Pitt did this for "Fight Club" as well...so if I'm not a good enough example, how about Brad?

After Fight Club was released, Brad Pitt became the envy of a great number of men. His tight, muscular body was coveted, and many people sought a workout that would produce similar results. His workout was characterized by beating one muscle group up each day, then giving it the rest of the week to recover. This is very beneficial for adding muscle mass, as muscles grow during rest periods and not during the actual time in the gym.

In order to promote growth, though, you have to give your muscles a reason to grow stronger, and annihilating one group per day with numerous sets and exercises will do the trick.

Finally, at the end of the week, he finished off with a good cardio workout. This put his body in fat-burning mode, which served to shed any extra padding that covered his muscles, giving him that chiseled look.

If any of you want to see before/after pics of me...I'll PM them to you. I went from being a 6' thin guy (around 170lbs) to a ripped GQ cover type (195lbs) in a few months. I'm not saying that to sound cocky either...just letting you know that it CAN be done with serious dedication. I'd post the pics here, but I'd get an earful from my wife who I know will read this.

**GroundZero3** · January 5th, 2006, 11:41 AM

Thanks Martoch, i was reading about that after you posted the link.

How many hours did he work each day? Beause like i know Movie stars are notorious for spending all day in the gym to get into shape for movies, and being a person working full time and going to school full time i cant do that.

**Martoch** · January 5th, 2006, 11:48 AM

No prob...thanks for your link as well.

According to the site, not as much time as you might think...

ere are the exercises that made up his workout. Perform 3 sets of each exercise, taking approximately 60 seconds to rest between each set. Use a weight that is challenging enough that you can successfully complete 15 reps (with the exception of pushups and pullups), but be fatigued on the last rep. However, it must still be light enough for you to maintain proper form.

I always try to keep my rest periods to a minimum...it's not easy, but it works. The hardest part about working out is sticking to it after not seeing fast results. I've been there, but you have to be patient.

8 Reasons Why We Fall Off The Workout Wagon
Reason #2: You don't see results
You've been working out for three months and have yet to see results. This makes you question why you even bother and sends your motivation out the window. If this is the case, it's time to re-evaluate your workout routine.

Set realistic goals
If you started working out a month ago weighing 200 pounds with 25% body fat, you won't be able to get down to a cut, 10% body fat frame in a few weeks. If your goal is a large one, break it down into smaller mini-goals so that you are continuously making small achievements.

Eat healthy Finally, have a look at your diet; if you are grabbing a handful of nuts while watching the game or have been knocking back an extra beer after work lately, these will all add up and slow your progress. When your diet is on track, your efforts in the gym will be much more noticeable.

**sixf00t4** · January 5th, 2006, 12:02 PM

yeah, and this is the road block i run into with my work/sleep/school schedule.
wake up at 3am *sometimes* have cereal, work 4am-noon, nap til 5, eat/workout/class, in bed by 11.

**shawshank62** · January 5th, 2006, 03:25 PM

Hey martoch, mind pm'ing me those photos? just wondering what 25 pounds of muscle looks like

how do you break down your workout schedule martoch? Like one day arms, another chest, another legs, another back? Or which parts do you specifically break it down to?

one more question about the Myolean I read that it said to take 2 to 3 servings per day, and i was curious if you did this or only took it after working out?