Help Recommend a Workout Program for Me (1 Viewer)

So I started at the gym at the beginning of the year (like everyone else) and have been going ever since. However, the last 2 months I've hit work pretty hard, so the gym time is down.

Now, my goal was to lose about 80 lbs and gain some muscle definition by the end of July. I'm down about 40 lbs so far, but I've only got 2 months to hit my goal. I can definitely lose the weight by then, but I need some help in the building muscle department. Can anyone recommend a good lifting routine to follow? During the summer, I'm able to dedicate more time to the gym, so I'll be going for a couple of hours per day, almost every day. If you know of a good way to add muscle, please share it. I'm just looking for recommendations on what machines to use, how many sets/reps to do, how often to work out certain muscle groups, etc. Thanks in advance for the advice!

Chris,

If building muscle is your goal at this point, stick to compound lifting exercises. Your schedule or routine will depend on the time that you can devote. My current weightlifting workout schedule looks like this, for example:

Monday:
Chest and triceps (push force) - flat bench press; flat bench dumbbell press; chest dip; flat bench dumbbell flyes; triceps extension; kickbacks.

Tuesday:
Legs - squats; hack squats; barbell straight-back straight-leg deadlift; hyperextension; leg extension; leg curls; calf raises.

Thursday:
Back, traps and biceps (pull force) - chin-up or pull-ups; lat pulldowns; bent-over rows; straight barbell curls; barbell reverse curls; wrist curls; shoulder shrugs.

Friday:
Shoulders - Military press; arnold dumbbell press; dumbell lateral raise; dumbbell front raise; lying dumbbell rear delt row.

Use enough weight that will enable you to stay with low reps (6-8)...3 sets of each exercise. If you can, get in-and-out...don't drag out your workout and try to keep your lifting to 45-minutes.

Do you generally use the same amount of weight for each set or increase it?

It varies from person to person. For me, my first 2 sets of the exercise usually stays the same (heavy enough so that I can get 8 reps). The last one I sometimes have to decrease since the muscles that are being worked are bit more fatigued and getting to the 6-8 rep range is a real struggle (I work out alone @ home with no spotter when working with dumbbells. I don't need an accident to happen while I'm lifting).

Forgot to share an internet site with good references to lifting exercises, http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Also note that by adding muscle mass you're going to limit weight loss...at least in net numbers as muscle weighs more then fat tissue. I guess my point is so long as you're happy with your figure don't worry too much what the scale says relative to your goals.

I'd also add some cardio to your gym routine.

Cardio is a given for me. That's how I've lost all of my weight thus far. As for my final weight, I'm not so concerned about that, just that it changes from fatty weight into muscle weight.

Armando, that is a great site that will really help me put my program together. Thanks!

I've lost 20 lbs. in two months by eliminating all carbonated soda pops - even the "diet" ones. Drink water w/lemon. No more fried foods. Cut back on bread, but if you need to eat bread - eat wheat bread. Eliminate the junk food snacks. Also, if you have the willpower - cut out as much sugar as possible.

Five days (M-F) at the gym doing 40 minutes of elliptical (cardio) exercise. That's it.

- Colton

Losing 80lbs in six months is quite a lot; trying for 40 lbs in two months (5 lbs per week) seems unhealthy. You might check with your doctor, to make sure that that rapid of weight loss won't cause you problems.


I'm down about 30 over 7 months by improved diet, reduced calorie intake, and excerising a few times a week. I could have achieved more if I'd been more consistent on both diet and exercise.

I don't have a strong program. For the gym, I target 30 min weights and 30 min aerobic. I go in about three days a week and alternate upper and lower body for the weights.

For diet, I bought a dietary scale and aim for about 2000 cal a day (a 400 cal deficit for what I need). And I've been working in more salads, vegetables, etc., to improve my nutrition.

Better you can visit the link below by which am following the workout for my gym. And it will be more useful for me and my students.
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george

gr8 tnx ..nice post bro

Armando: Thanks for posting that excellent website.

VERY helpful.

Colton: Why do you suppose eliminating diet soda has helped with weight loss? I've heard other people suggest it...but I've never been able to find anything definitive on that subject.

My doctor says that diet sodas may cause "starvation syndrome." Your body expects everything that it consumes to have calories. Since diet soda doesn't have any, your body thinks you haven't eaten anything, so you could be eating more than you would if you had a regular soda.

I really don't want to hijack the thread on this subject, but if you switch from diet soda to water--I understand the logic that water is the best thing we can put in our bodies and that diet soda is merely flavored carbonated (and in many instances, caffeinated) water which contains unnecessary stuff...but why would dropping diet soda in favor of water lead to weight loss?

I've heard it said by a number of people but the logical part of my brain is having a hard time wrapping itself around the concept.

Thomas: For example, wouldn't water lead to that same "starvation diet" situation, if true for diet soda?

One way to trick your body into thinking it has already eaten too much is to check out the following web page.

This is why you're fat.

Check this page a couple of times each day and I'd guess you will lose weight.

I have a bookmark on my other computer which I'll share, this post is to bookmark/remind me.

The Doggcrapp system is the best Ive ever used for building muscle.

Even if you dont follow it religiously and use it as a general outline for youre workouts, it gets results. I used it for about 3 months last year and had great results.
Not even doing any cardio, the extra padding I had melted right off me.

Id love to do it again but have been nursing a non-gym related shoulder injury forever now.

DoggCrapp Method of Weight Training

Hey, Jon. Those pics you had up briefly yesterday were a great example of your success with that program.

That Doggcrapp (how the heck did it ever get that name?!?) program looks pretty intense.

My wife and I just began a gym membership on April 1 and have been concentrating on cardio and some beginning weight training in order to introduce some tone back into our middle-aged bodies.

There's so much to learn! Even basics about taking breaks between bouts of weight training to allow for muscle recovery is a revelation.

While on the one hand it seems like such a simple, basic thing (go exercise and get stronger)...there seems to be so much good information based upon study on the subject that one should really be educated before beginning even rudimentary workouts.

He actually explained the name once. He had posted bits and pieces on a old board ,but had no name for it really.When someone asked he just blurted out doggcrapp.

Some time later it had circulated back to him about how the routine was being passed around and becoming popular - he said if he'd known that he would have thought up a proper name for it.

It has appeared in some magazine articles and such and is usually just called DC Training or Dantes System.

Agree! Jon your results made me want to start working out again. Thanks for the motivation.