Need Proper Program

Submitted by jramsden on Sun, 05/10/2009 - 21:59.

Male Workout Routines & Programs

Hey guys,

Firstly, I was talking to you guys at the gym not to long ago and you (justin) recommended this site for me...and when I came on to check it out, I was completely blown away. The design, organization, assistance, and overall attitude of this site is extremely helpful, so thanks a lot.

Secondly, as I’ve told Dylan, I used to be 205 pounds. I was pretty overweight and unhappy so I decided to hit the gym. I eventually lost the weight and got down to 150 and realized that it wasn’t functional so I gained again. I currently weigh 180 pounds and think I am in decent physical shape.

Further, I don’t really know what to do with my workouts...i’ve tried to teach myself programs, exercises and nutrition but I havent seen the gains I want to see. I aim to go to the gym at least five days a week, and the sixth day to be cardio. I have tried a bunch of workouts, from cardio only, to supersets, to weight training and am just getting frustrated with what is happening.

My goals are to bulk up, but keep it functional. I want to have size, but I also want to have tone. I am going to be a police officer soon and don’t want to be arnold as it won’t be functional, but also don’t want to be Lance Armstrong as thats not going to get me anywhere either.

Here is my current workout program:

Day 1 - Chest / Triceps (Monday and Thursday)

chest
Bench press
Incline bench press
Pec dec
Cable crossovers

triceps
Tricep pulldown
Tricep pulldown with rope
Dips
Skull crushers

Day 2 - Back / Biceps (Tuesday and Friday)

Back
Pullups (wide grip)
Pullups (neutral grip)
Lat pulldown
Cable row
Plate lifts

biceps
21
Preacher curl
2 cables - punching head
Incline curls

Day 3 - Shoulders / Legs - (Wednesday and Saturday)

shoulders
Shoulder press
Shrugs
Clean and press

legs
Leg press
Leg curl
Calf raises
Lunges
Squats

Questions:
As I said, I was definitely a big guy before. So now that I’ve lost the weight and toned a bit...i really want a six pack. I know its that “beach body” kind of thing, but it would definitely be nice. As previously said, I would also like to gain size and functional strength. With that being said, I have a few questions

Is my program a good program? What do you recommend for my situation - what type of program would you guys put me on?

Should I be doing a superset program? I used to go to the gym for an hour and sweat my ass off trying to fly through different sets. Would it be better to stop doing isolation exercises and just fly through a program?

How much cardio should I be doing if I want to gain size and tone? I should note that I have shin splints and running at the track or around town is fine, but running on a treadmill is extremely painful.

What type of nutritional program should I be on?

I am looking for lots of direction here...i don’t know whether the workouts I am doing are satisfactory or not. I don’t know if I should be doing cardio or enough abs.

Thanks for all the help guys,

Jamie.

How much do you weigh? Whats

Submitted by dylan on Sun, 05/10/2009 - 22:15.

How much do you weigh?
Whats your estimated Body Fat percentage?

Okay, Looks like I missed

Submitted by dylan on Sun, 05/10/2009 - 22:19.

Okay, Looks like I missed that paragraph, your program is good... However its more targeted to build mass because it does not involve supersetting...
If you want defined abs you need to work your core at least 2-3 times a week.... go on a program that is probably either a 2-3 day split and you should also being dedicating yourself to a couple hours a week of solid cardio.

Furthermore you should super

Submitted by dylan on Sun, 05/10/2009 - 22:24.

Furthermore you should super setting your exercises maintaining a good sweat... if running hurts your shins (as do mine) there are always alternatives. A quick 5 min warm-up high intensity on a bike or stepper can boost your heart rate and have you sweating after your first superset. Super sets are efficient burn more calories and get the most out of your time in the gym.

Hey Jamie, First off.

Submitted by justin on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 18:05.

Hey Jamie,

First off. Welcome to the website! Thanks for the feedback =)

Ok so your program is looking good man.
You got the right set up for your muscle groups & definitely enough allowed recovery time.

I would integrate calves / abs alternating on separate days into your program. Both of these muscle groups recover faster than others so it's ok to work them back n forth.

Now that you got that down pack, you should shift your focus towards cardio / nutrition if your goals are to reveal a six pack for summer.

It's key to track progress at the gym as well. Get someone to do a skinfold test on your stomach / back / arms / legs at the gym. (They do it at Winskill if you ask.) Jot down your personal numbers for each section.

This can be used as progress markers, helping you analyze if your program is working for you or not.

Getting Your BF% Low enough to reveal your six pack!

I would recommend following some of Max's Tips closely.
Read here: http://www.freeworkoutguides.com/workoutguides/top-12-ways-lose-fat-not-...

If you have time, wake up & do 30mins - 1hour of Low / Moderate Intensity Steady State Cardio in the morning. (LISS / MISS). If you do it on an empty stomach your body will access fat stores to burn faster because your muscle glycogen level's will be low / depleted.

Note: don't do anything longer than 1 hour or you will start to burn muscle tissue.

Alternate a MISS / LISS cardio workout with a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training / Sprinting ) Work out on separate days. This is a surefire way to keep your metabolism fired up.

Here's an Example for integrating Cardio into your program.

Day 1:
- 45 Minutes of MISS / LISS Cardio (Jog / Walk / Stairmaster / Biking)
- Perform in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Allowed to have a cup of coffee / green tea of thermo effects (no sugar)
Day 2:
- 5-10 minute warm up / stretching
- 20 minute sprinting interval training @75-100 meters (8-15 sprints, start off slow trust me!)
- Perform after a small breakfast / Some Carbs

The reason your going to be eating some carbs before your workout on your HIIT days is because your going to be using mainly carbs as energy. At that intensity you don't want to be doing this with nothing to burn or else it'll just start to burn off muscle tissue.

Nutrition Plan
Alright, so your looking to get a lean / hard look, stripping fat from your body. The biggest thing in doing this is that your going to want to enough protein through-out the day so that you can preserve your muscle mass while cutting.

You should be eating 5-6 meals a day, each meal containing roughly 40-50 grams of protein.

Carbs, the majority of your carbs should be "complex carbs". You can find these in whole grains / Green fibrous veggies. Your carbs should be varying for each meal, and very low at night.

Fasting at night: Try not to eat 2 hours prior to bedtime.

Low Carb / High Carb days: On your MISS / LISS cardio days try to consume a lower amount of carbs than on your HIIT days.

Here's an example.

Day 1: (Low Carb)
- Meal one: 40g of Carbs, 50g of Protein, Small portion of good fats (whole nuts, fish oils,.. ect)
- Meal two / snack: 20g Carbs, 40g protein, small portion of good fats.
- Meal three: 20g Carbs, 40-50g protein, small portion of fats
- Meal four / snack: 15g Carbs, 40g protein, very small portion of fat
- Meal five / six: 10g / 0g Carbs, 40g-50g protein, very small portion of fat

Day 2: (High Carb)

Your day will look the same but your daily amount of carbs will be boosted up to about 200-250g of carbs.
This will keep your body guessing and always adjusting to carbs. It also helps keep your body out of a Catabolic state allowing you to keep the most of your lean muscle mass.

I'm not sure if I missed anything here, let me know if I'm unclear on anything.

I've been on this style of program for the past 2 weeks and the results are pretty amazing. I'm down 10 pounds, I've lost over 9.5 inches off my body, including 2.5 off my waist. I've gone from 16.9% bf down to 13.2% bf.

All that in two weeks. Amazing results, & I still have another 2 months b4 my target goal / time.

Best,
Justin

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wow, thanks for the posts

Submitted by jramsden on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 18:29.

wow, thanks for the posts guys. i just got a new job so im pretty busy right now, but im going to put together a full list of program and nutritional guide in the next day when i get some time off. ill re-post my full detailed schedule and see what you guys think.

thanks a lot guys, i've been looking for something like this site for a lonnng time.

No Probs, Looking forward to

Submitted by justin on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 18:51.

No Probs,
Looking forward to seeing your full program.

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lookin good there constable

Submitted by alwan on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 20:18.

lookin good there constable ramsden
when you gonna start arresting people?

i was also reading through

Submitted by jramsden on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 20:47.

i was also reading through the site and came across (among many) the Brad Pitt workout from Fight Club...would it be smart for me to focus on a program that is centered around one muscle grouping per day, with 2 days of cardio? it seems like his goals were to tone, cut, and strengthen (much like myself)...any thoughts?

I dunno, I personally prefer

Submitted by justin on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 21:19.

I dunno,

I personally prefer 2-3 muscle groups per day that don't effect my next day's progress so I can fully recover and get more done in less time.

Your program is pretty good as is.

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Hey I think cardio almost

Submitted by cameron on Thu, 05/14/2009 - 17:59.

Hey I think cardio almost every day if you're trying to lose body fat.

Work up on the cardio if you're not used to it; your heart is a muscle and needs to get used to the extra and increased work. Do cardio before you stick a single calorie into your body to force it to use stored fat as fuel. Do this daily--even if you're just walking 30 minutes before breakfast. Over time this change will reap big rewards.

Yours,
Cameron

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Great Point Cam, I try to

Submitted by justin on Thu, 05/14/2009 - 18:18.

Great Point Cam,

I try to hit up a 45min - 1 hour jog / stairs / bike session if I have time in the morning.

Results are great. Just keep the intensity under 80% of your max HR & no longer than 1 hour. Otherwise you might start to catabolize some learn muscle mass.

Best,
Justin

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