Weight Training For Beginners

[Bizkets is Drunk?]

I also have tuna and salmon.

[k31th]

Having read through this entire thread over the last day or so, I thought I'd drag this thread back up as I've just clocked over the 6 month mark of 3 times a week at the gym after about 10 years out of the gym

 

Some great information in this thread... should it be stickied? I think so.

 

My only regret so far was not being overly scientific about it... I didn't take any before pics or measurements (other than weight).

My 6-month ago weight was 69-70kg. As I'm 188cm (6'2" in the old language) tall, this is quite a low weight. I'd been around 72kg all of my adult life, until the last year or two that I cut a lot of cost out of my food intake (to save some money), which subsequently dropped the calorie intake, but my exercise regimen remained the same.

 

Since back at the gym my calorie intake is significantly higher and I'm now sitting at 75kg. This change actually quite surprised me.

 

My overall aim isn't to get "big", but just fast, fit and strong (and of course to enjoy lifting heavy weights and the after-effects of that )

 

My tri-weekly workouts are approx 1hr15min and encompass my whole body (usually in this order. some are double and some are more than that for my starting weights):

- 500m or 1km row on max resistance; aiming for less than 1m50s per 500m every time (faster on 500m distance). This is just a warmup to get the blood flowing and the heart rate up.

(these are all either 10reps x 4 sets, or 14x1+13x2 to get to 40 reps, if the reps/sets are not marked below)->

- 40kg abdominal crunch machine, 15 x 3

- 52kg lat pulldown

- 60kg glute extension (sets for each leg)

- 55kg pec fly

- 50kg delt fly

- 130kg leg press

- 50kg leg extension

- 40kg chest press (not great...)

- 17.5kg shoulder press (my arch nemesis... so weak in this area haha, had to start at 5kg!, verrrry slowly making progress here).

- 45deg incline sit-up, 20 x 3

- 40kg calf raise

- 45kg tricep press

- 45kg hamstring curl

- 45kg bicep curl

- Leg raises, 20 x 3

- Balance squats (perched on the half bouncy ball thingo's), 20 x 3

 

This is mostly on pulley-based machines (yes, I know, it's easier to do this sort of thing than free-weights) and alternating with free weights where possible from week to week (obviously the numbers above are a bit lower when doing free weights). I originally planned to get my base strength back (which I believe I'm pretty much at that point, now) from the machines to then move onto the "more thorough" style of weights handling (bench, deadlift, squats etc) along with free weights.

 

I take absolutely no supplements and feel no desire to use any.

I drink ~1.5L of water for each session and I'm usually fairly exhausted by the time I get to the balanced squats.

 

I'm open to suggestions and/or criticism! Upon reading this thread I've noticed I'm doing it differently to most people in here... Not sure if I want to make the jump to separate body sections and go to the gym more often...

[Puffwagon]

I do a combination of stronglifts 5x5 and Candito's strength program.

 

When I get too achy from the 5x5 stuff (which takes about 4 to 6 weeks or so) I swap to the Candito program, which is lighter initially but ends up at the same weight after a 5 week cycle.

 

It works out to about 5 weeks of each before I swap plus I have a deload week every 6 weeks which is done at 50% load.

 

This equates to 7 sessions in a fortnight with the 5x5 stuff and about 9 sessions in a fortnight of the Candito stuff.

 

My calculated 1rm about 3 weeks ago were;

 

70kg overhead press,

135kg bent over row,

130kg bench,

160kg squat,

190kg deadlift.

 

This took about 4 months to achieve and my starting 5rm lifts were about 40 to 45% of my current 1rm.

 

I do all this at home.

 

I have a bench, squat rack and a lat pulldown machine and about 300kg of weight. I have a band to warm up with and chalk so I can hold the bar better.

[k31th]

nice work, Puff. how tall are you and what do you weigh?

[Puffwagon]

I'm 184cm without shoes and currently weigh 106kg.

[Puffwagon]

Lol apparently I've shrunk since the last time I measured myself years ago.

 

I'm 182cm.

 

I'm pretty sure I could lose between 10 and 15 kg body weight and it wouldn't affect my lifts.

Edited 26/10/16 03:52 AM by Puffwagon

[k31th]

haha solid effort

 

how long have you been at it?

[Puffwagon]

I started about a week before the beginning of July so about 4 months.

[k31th]

sounds like you're making good progress

 

I haven't changed my diet (other than calorie intake itself)... it's something I could probably stand to change... just don't have the motivation to do so; being single and living by myself and working at home most of the time...

[Puffwagon]

I'm fairly pleased and a little surprised with the progress but it has been hard. Some days it SUCKS!!!! 

 

I tracked my macros religiously for a while and bought a 20kg bag of whey powder to get more protein at the cost of lower carbs. The powder was about $300 delivered iirc.