Newbie with gym questions

Capt_Inzane

I'm currently 289 lbs and have been running on the elliptical a lot! and have lost some weight so I'm fine with that but I went to a new gym this week where they have lifting equipment and tried to lift what I used to back in the day. Let's just say it was a wake-up call for me. I'm really weak and have lost a lot of muscle mass.

I'm trying to hit this sensibly and not overdo it so right now I'm doing 30min weight lifting moderate weights 3 sets of 10-15 reps and then another 30 minutes and another 3 sets of 10-15 reps depending on the equipment and if my arms give out.

I can't do high weights right now just because I don't have it in me. My question is should I increase my weights but lower my reps or continue at where I am?

I realize strength will come in time and I'll increase my weights as needed for example

Bench: 90 (I can go higher here I think)
Bicep Curls: 50
Lat Pull Down: 42.5 each arm

I forgot the other machines I used

All I'm trying to do right now is maximize my weight loss and not lose too much muscle in the process. I don't want to bulk up or gain a lot of muscle mass.

My Diary is open if anyone has questions about my food intake and/or exercise regiment.

OH I was going to plan M-W-F hit my arms with core thrown in there
T-TH hit my legs and then alternate

is that the right way to do it?

I'll probably do some research on the web but thought I'd ask fellow MFP'ers how they do it.

ChrisLindsay9

Congrats on the weight loss you've experienced thus far. And I can totally relate to your experience of having lost weight and a lot of muscle in the process. I did it by calorie deficit diet and then cardio, and couldn't believe how much strength I lost. The good news is that it'll come back (especially to people who are new at strength training).

In general, I think your fitness program is fine. In all honesty, when you're first starting, as long as you're progressing and using good technique, you can't really screw things up too bad with any strength training program. About 3-4 months in, is where you'll really want to consider a good plan of action for your strength training goals.

When I first started, there was an emphasis on compound movements. This allowed me to build a foundation of lean muscle while burning off bodyfat. And with the help of a personal trainer, I achieved pretty decent results by doing that. So that would be squats, deadlifts, benchpress, and overhead presses. And there would be a little bit of accessory work thrown in.

Once you're a bit more comfortable with what you're doing on the compound exercises, here is an example of a split schedule that might suit your goals with both compound and isolation exercises.

Monday: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders (Bench Press, Pec Fly Machine, Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press, Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Tricep Pushdown, Barbell Skullcrusher or Seated Dips) 3 working sets each

Tuesday: Legs (Barbell or Dumbbell Squat, Leg Press Machine, Leg Extension Machine, Leg Curl Machine, Seated Calf Raise) 4 working sets each

Wednesday: Back, Biceps, Stomach (Lat Pulldown, Seated Cable Row, Assisted or Inverted Pull-Up, One Arm Bent-Over Row, Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Shrug Barbell Bicep Curl, Dumbbell Hammer Curl, Crunches/Sit-Ups on Bench or Stability Ball) 3 working sets each

Thursday: Cardio/Elliptical

Friday: Legs (Barbell or Dumbbell Deadlift, Hack Squat Machine, Leg Extension, Leg Curl Machine, Seated Calf Raise) 4 working sets each

Regardless of what you do, keep up the great work!

JenMc14

If you can do 10-15 reps for 3 sets, go up in weights. (My opinion). Find a weight that fatigues you in 10 reps or less. I also, personally, don't go by minutes, but have a planned routine for what exercises and how many reps/sets I'm doing, and it takes as long as it takes. Some days that's literally 7 minutes.

Personally, I'd not worry about hitting accessory lifts like curls right now. Focus on the compound lifts, bench, deads, over head press, bent over rows and squats. If you like the accessory lifts, look at something like Wendler 5/3/1 or a 5x5 program that focuses on the big lifts, but allows for adding in accessory work.

BonaFideUK

Why do you want to gain lean mass? Its pretty easy to do along with your weight loss. There is nothing worse than being skinny-fat after losing a lot of weight.

Sactown900

Consistency is as important as the routine. Increase your weights when you could do 15 reps instead of 12. Slow-correct form works the muscle without injury. Heavy weights, poor form, jerking and cheating, to get the extra reps is a recipe for disaster.

I my 20s I lived at the gym and thought I would die if I could not Squat 405, Bench 315 and do 3 sets of 8 in the Wide-Grip Pill-Ups. But I was young, single and read too many IronMan magazines.

After 47 years of gyms, high-strict reps and lower weights are more important. DO NOT get fixed on lifting more and more weight. I have the left knee/shoulder surgeries to show why a life-time of heavy weights is to be paid for in your 50s. My bad L2-L4 discs are from years of heavy Squats and Standing Brbl Press.

My two 30 minute walks per day and two gym workouts per week have been a gold mine for me. I am seeing huge gains in muscularity by stopping at the first sign of "Burn," not three reps after.

Larry Scott's trainer Vince Gironda once wrote "85% of what we look like is what we ate, not what we did in the gym." On 1/3/13 I was 239 lbs. I am 213 now, because I paid more attention to MFP than "Should I use 45s or 75s in the Dbl Incline Prs." Somedays are 35s.

Good luck and "Keep the Course."