Some advice for a newbie to a better body!

Hey all:
To summarise
Age: 26
Height 6ft
Weight 89kg
Body: not the best posture, little muscle quite flabby, cardio poor.
Why Join: Everyone keeps telling me different things and none of them have any experience or knowledge on the topic...you guys seem to!

I began seeing a personal trainer summer last year for a few months. He put me on
Balance - Original Mass Gainer 50/50 for breakfast, 1 hr before training and straight after training, take noxplode 30 mins prior to training and the amino powder just before and after training.

I did this and found even with seeing a PT 3 times a week i was not gaining much, i also found my libido and sex drive died.

Long story short i quit training when i travelled over winter. This time i decided to google my work out as opposed to trusting the trainer and found you guys!

Im hoping you guys can be forgiving of my lack of knowledge and provide some advice. I'll post in other areas about diet and supplements but hoping someone can help me figure out a good routine here.

I have a gym a my work i can use for free and its very convenient however very limited. It has:

1) Leg Extension
2) Lat pull down Machine
3) Leg Curl
3) Military Press/shoulder press
4) seated row (not a rowing machine the type where your body is stationary)
A few benches and a heap of dumb bells. There is no bench press or barbell or even loose disks.

Based on the lack of equipment i thought the Dumbbell workout from this site would be the best start.

A couple of things though. I would prefer to work out 3 days only (if 4 days is a must then so be it) and i would prefer not to use the Shoulder Press. I have tried it a few times and its pretty old and has no adjustment for where to place your hands, the seating position etc. I find it very uncomfortable and due to lack of adjustment i feel like im straining my lower back.

Where i have failed in the past and only realised since finding this site is that i have never worked my legs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats right, didnt even know they helped produce testosterone amongst other things.

I will also be doing cardio work/cycling running on days off. Heart disease/cholesterol etc runs in the family so i really need to address these areas. Im an out doors person so find his type of workout easier...

My goals are simple...Bradd Pitts body ;-) Seriously though, i want bigger arms, shoulders and so forth. Im not after the greatest lift weights but rather a great figure. Something you would find on a AFL footballer not an Mr Olympia or Strong Man figure...

I would also like to say im genuine and dedicated to stick with my routine.

Thanks guys
jonesy

does it have a squat rack?

do the dumbell workout!
forget the lat pulldown and do pullups somewhere.
I agree that those shoulder press machines are very akward, try and hunt down a barbell to use, you will need it sooner or later for presses, deadlifts and heavy squats.

You have come to the right place. Once you cement in your mind that compound lifts like shoulder press, deadlift, bench press, squat and rows are the only lifts worth doing your already doing better then most of the population. I watched an overweight guy come into my gym the other night and he did an hour of shoulder isolation exercise....

Make sure you check out the beginners routines in the body building section but even more so read through the nutrition section over and over again.
Posted via Mobile Device

Thanks guys, very motivational!

Oliver04 said:

does it have a squat rack?

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Sadly no it only has the equipment i listed, nothing more. Im told it had a few other things but as people injured themselves it disappeared.

Would the leg exercises from the dumbbell workout be sufficient or am i wasting time?

Regarding the dumbbell work out. Should i incorporate any of the machines or replace any existing exercise with the machines or work strictly with the dumbbells?

The dumbbell workout,and many others for that matter dont have a day dedicated to abbs etc. I always thought it was paramount to work these areas to support your spine, stomach and reduce hernia's and other associated issues?

Can the 4 day dumbbell workout be cut to 3 days and work just as good, if so what exercises?

Dicko10 said:

forget the lat pulldown and do pullups somewhere

Click to expand...

I fully agree Dicko1 but would you believe i cant find a water pipe, play ground equipment etc to do them which is a shame as i think they are one of the most underrated exercises.

To ease myself into the routine im creating with your help and get my body use to working out to speed up recovery time i devised some quick workouts (not sure if its normal but the first time i workout a muscle group after extended periods of lazyness i find my recovery time to be 5 days)
For instance monday i did:
(12reps x 4set)
Reverse flys
Seated row (i put the lat pull bar on to give me a real wide grip)
Lat pull wide grip (pull to chest)
Lat pull wide grip (pull behind head)
Lat pull close grip to below chin (kind of a crappy thin up)
Hammers (drop set till my arms were wasted)

Last friday:
push ups to warm up
Flys (laying on my back)
Lat pull (uummm i stood at the lat pull with bar at my waist and knuckles on top, then pushed my arms down)
Scull crush
Tricep dip? back to bench supported by arms, legs extended and lower and raise myself by my arms, as it gets harder i would bring my feet closer.

I also devised another 2 days for legs/bum and abbs/core...

I know its not the best workout but im dam saw in the muscles it targets and struggled to blow my nose from saw triceps etc... Basically the aim was get something happening until you get some good advice. Already the advice has been great so once i have worked out the best workout based on the equipment at hand i should be able to start without any delayed recovery etc

cheers
jonesy

woah
woah
woah

settle down tiger.

the only gear you need to use are the dumbbells and flat bench.

DB squats
DB deadlifts
DB bench
DB overhead
DB rows

thats all you have to do, three times a week. The machines are garbage.

KISS principle always works best for beginners..

Jonesy_sa said:

Would the leg exercises from the dumbbell workout be sufficient or am i wasting time?

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I don't mean to be devil's advocate here but no squat racks is a really bad idea. Squats are a major exercise that contributes to bodymass - a dumbell might be okay to start but what is going to be your max weight? 2 x 50s?

I think you need to find somewhere else to train unfortunately.

oliver it might take him awhile to get to squat 100kgs.. so in the meantime it would suffice.. BUT yes depending on the OP's goals if he is to get massive then another gym will have to be arranged down the track.

ceffo said:

oliver it might take him awhile to get to squat 100kgs.. so in the meantime it would suffice.. BUT yes depending on the OP's goals if he is to get massive then another gym will have to be arranged down the track.

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I squatted 100kg for 3x5 in 2 weeks...

Paullie said:

woah
woah settle down tiger.
the only gear you need to use are the dumbbells and flat bench.
DB squats
DB deadlifts
DB bench
DB overhead
DB rows
thats all you have to do, three times a week. The machines are garbage.

Click to expand...

Haha, yeah i do get a bit a ahead of myself. I have always been under the impression you had to do a myriad of exercises... This routine is the same as that on the Stronglifts website which i dismissed as it just seemed to simple.
Its interesting you replied Paullie as i stumbled accross your weigh lifting vids a few days ago and thought at the time thats about the size of body im aiming for at the moment. Decent arms, chest shoulders legs etc without being to huge... I looked at your diary and it seems your pretty much just do the workout you recommended above to me.

Question -
What you recommend as far as a sets/reps for a beginner, time between sets, time between exercise and how does one choose the weight to begin with? (or if you have the same opinion as everything on the stronglifts website dont feel you need to spend ten mins typing i can reference that if you think its good enough)

Should i be concerned about any lower back or hernia issues without the abb routine?

ceffo said:

KISS principle always works best for beginners..

Click to expand...

Totally agree. Im someone who thinks if its not complicated it cant work or everyone would do it and thus always end up doing things the hard way. In this case i dont mind or think lots of different exercises are complicated, im more concerned about wasting more time and end up quitting due to pointless exercises. I suppose also the exercises i have done are pretty low impact and dont really strain your back, stomach etc.

People seem to be getting good results from the training Paullie mentioned so thats good enough incentive for me.

Thanks heaps guys

Oliver04 said:

I think you need to find somewhere else to train unfortunately.

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Fair point and it has crossed my mind the last few days. It seems for any decent gains you need to pretty much work with a bar and bloody heavy weights. It also reminded me of last year when i was fitter and strong and was carrying two bags of cement on my shoulders for landscaping which weight in at a total of maybe 60-80 maybe closer to 80kg???

Anyhow ill have a look and see what i have to play with at work and start there. Once i need more wiehgt i have to move. Actually recently the misses looked at a few gyms and i went along and it seemed they were full of cardio equipment. 3 gyms and not one catered for the gear i would need (from memory)....

If it has a squat rack, barbells and a bench then thats all you need.

Would you consider buying a home gym? its a $2K investment but its worth it.

I love compounds, I dont do isolations.

Do this three times a week:

DB squats 3x10
DB deadlifts 3 x 5
DB bench 2 x 7
DB overhead 5 x 5
DB rows 3 x 8

But remember, muscle mass is a return on what you eat, not what you lift. You need to eat a lot, and get a good amount of sleep.

Firstly if you cant pick a dumbell up of the rack without hurting yourself or dropping the weight, its too heavy. Pick a weight you think is reasonable, for instance 15kg dumbells for squats, and just rip them out. If you can complete the set, next week, up it 2.5kg.

I used to do dumbbell squats, trust me, they will hurt something bad. Learn good technique.

Ask for technique advice if you are not sure. Respect the weight.

Good luck.

Paullie said:

Do this three times a week:
DB squats 3x10
DB deadlifts 3 x 5
DB bench 2 x 7
DB overhead 5 x 5
DB rows 3 x 8

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Looks good, cheers mate.
Looks like this formula has worked many times over with people. One thing, i presume thats "Sets x Reps" ie 3 sets of 10reps DB squats above?

I'm not to familiar with some of these exercises so ill definitely have to lookup technique. Is there a recommended source for technique, ie a decent ebook, or youtbue channel?
For instance i have seen one arm row where you use a beach with your free arm and leg supported as you hunch over and DB rows bent over as if holding a barbell.

Once im happy i know how to do each exercise ill start it 3 times a week and keep a diary. I have a vey typical body and now doubt allot of chaps are in my situation. Maybe ill call it "man-boobs to muscle" ;-)

On a side not i had a look on youtube and some of those videos are bloody hilarious. I can see why a good actor earns so much ;-)

Food and diet and supplements is next. I eat pretty well and eating to much isnt an issue but i will need to address what i eat and when etc...all for another thread.

Oliver04 said:

Would you consider buying a home gym?

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Once i outgrow the free stuff at work and if i find i cant find a local well priced gym with the gear i want i will probably do that. I dont like waiting for machines and sharing sweat; and the 2nd hand markets not bad for gym gear.

Jonesy_sa said:

Looks good, cheers mate.
I'm not to familiar with some of these exercises so ill definitely have to lookup technique. Is there a recommended source for technique, ie a decent ebook, or youtbue channel?

Click to expand...

startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Downloads or buy the Starting Strength 2nd edition book and DVD for more in-depth explanations/correcting common errors.