Doctor says I don't need to lose anymore weight :(
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Does this look like a decent program for me to start with? If so, how do I decide what to set the weight for?
Since you asked I will chime in with my opinion.1. Dumbbell chest press (works chest)
Lie on a bench, elbows bent 90 degrees out to sides; straighten arms up and return.
This is a good exercise since you have dumbbells since it works not only the chest by the triceps as well.2. One-arm dumbbell row (works upper back)
Stand with legs hip-width apart and place one hand on bench, opposite arm holding weight; draw elbow up toward ribs and lower.
Another good exercise, but if you can find a way to do chin-ups/pull-ups they are better, but work with what you have. This also works the biceps.3. Biceps curl (works biceps)
Stand with arms extended, palms up, and curl weights toward shoulders.
4. Triceps extension (works triceps)
Stand with legs hip-width apart. Lean forward from waist, elbows bent 90 degrees at your sides; straighten arms behind you.
5. Lateral raise (works shoulders)
Stand with arms down by your sides, palms in; raise straight arms to shoulder height.
All three of these are what are called isolation exercises. I would personally not suggest them as beginner exercises as they are more, in my opinion, exercises to deal with specific weaknesses. If you have small biceps and want to bring them more into proportion with the rest of your muscles then they have a place. In particular the lateral raise. I much prefer a standing shoulder press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-aVuyhvLHU which will work your whole shoulder, arms in the triceps and upper back in the traps even. where the Lateral raise will really only work the deltoids and little else.6. Basic squat (works legs/butt)
7. Front lunge (works legs/butt)
Both excellent exercises both with bodyweight and weighted. Weighted they work many muscles alone with the legs.8. Bicycle (works abs)
Lie face-up on floor, bend opposite elbow to knee, then switch sides.
I would rather suggest planks and side planks holding for 30 seconds and working up to 90 seconds or more. When you can do that you can look at other exercises.9. Superman (works lower back)
Lie facedown on floor and lift opposite arm/leg; switch sides.
Good lower back exercise.
What were the recommendations for sets and repetitions? I personally would put the leg work first as it can be more demanding in terms of concentration.0 -
Here's a great beginner's routine which incorporates compound lifts:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
The only isolation exercise he included was curls, his rationale being that most guys would throw them in there anyways. You can finish the workout in about 40 minutes - a bit longer in weeks 4 & 5 when you get to the higher rep ranges, but still less than an hour. In each exercise, you establish the weight you're going to lift by experimenting until you find the weight you can do 10 reps with (it's okay to start light - better too light than too heavy, especially when you're learning proper form). It will be different for each exercise.
I agree with the other advice above in this thread (although I didn't know men actually referred to it as "toning"!); lift 3x/wk, set your protein intake at 1g per pound of lean body mass and eat at maintenance calories. If you want to establish your calorie intake, refer to Dan's "roadmap" post here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Do the calculations to obtain your TDEE, then just eat at that level - don't take a "cut" from it as he advises for those wanting to lose weight. No, don't eat your exercise calories back - if you calculated your TDEE right, they're already factored in.
Try that for one five-week cycle of the workout and check your results. It helps greatly if you have a set of skinfold calipers or other reliable method to check your bodyfat percentage so you can ensure that your BF% is going down. If you're lifting and keeping your protein intake up, you should be shedding bodyfat. It takes time, but it'll happen.0 -
Wow... apparently my body fat percentage is 26.2%. Is that bad?0
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It is what it is...at least now you have a starting point to compare to. Even though the tape measurement method isn't terribly accurate as far as actual BF%, it gives you a metric you can compare against. Start working out and re-measure once a month. If your BF% is going down, what you're doing is working; if not, time to revamp your strategy and try something else.Wow... apparently my body fat percentage is 26.2%. Is that bad?0 -
The operative word is 'need', you may not need to lose weight but if you want to lose the spare tire you have to lose more body fat.
This0 -
It is what it is...at least now you have a starting point to compare to. Even though the tape measurement method isn't terribly accurate as far as actual BF%, it gives you a metric you can compare against. Start working out and re-measure once a month. If your BF% is going down, what you're doing is working; if not, time to revamp your strategy and try something else.Wow... apparently my body fat percentage is 26.2%. Is that bad?
This0 -
You say you "don't eat much processed junk at all." If you're eating any, and especially if it's carbs, that could be contributing to that tire. Try eating complex carbs instead.0
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I went with this exercise using 20 lb dumbbell weights.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
I think I might add bicycle crunches to this as well.0 -
Eat what you're comfortable with. Just make sure you're getting adequate protein and healthy fats for your body and some of them good, complex carbs to fuel you through the day. If you feel a NEED to lose this "tire" eat at a 100 calorie deficit to lose this tire efficiently over time and help tone your muscles.0
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My Advice...
Listen to your doctor... begin eating at maintenance level.. Change up your work outs with more weight training and less cardio.. This will cause you to gain weight in the form of sexy lean muscle.. That spare tire will be gone.
^^^ what he said!0 -
My Advice...
Listen to your doctor... begin eating at maintenance level.. Change up your work outs with more weight training and less cardio.. This will cause you to gain weight in the form of sexy lean muscle.. That spare tire will be gone.
THIS:)
I agree. What the scale and the BMI are reporting don't necessarily define you. Ask for help from people you see on this site that look like the results you want to achieve. They can point you in the right direction. A lot of men and women here are personal trainers that have been in the field a lot of years. I also checked out bodybuilding.com for help. There's a way to tailor a program for you that will help you either put on muscle or lose fat. Check that out--maybe there are a few ideas there that may help, too.
Keep asking for help! Always ask for more than one person's opinion. Cultivate friendships on this site with people that have similar goals. We're all here to support one another. I've gotten such good advice here since I joined.
I had lunch with a friend yesterday that's on some stupid fad diet that is limiting him to roughly 800 calories a day. And he paid money for this dumb thing!0 -
Thanks guys!
Man, getting a gram of protein per pound of my weight is going to be challenging. That's 189 for me. I definitely think I'm going to use a couple scoops of whey protein.
Anybody got some good tuna fish recipes outside of using mayo? I hate mayo.
Also, I can't find a good replacement for a workout bench. Can I replace bench presses with pushups? If so, I assume I should just do as many pushups as possible for reps?0 -
One more question for everyone:
This is the workout I posted earlier, that I'm using: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
It says I should do a heavy workout my first day, then a 10% lighter workout, and then a 20% lighter workout.
My fear is that the 2 lighter workouts won't be enough. Should I just do heavy all week?
Also, when I'm doing 20 lbs for each hand weight, I can barely manage to finish a set of 8 reps for some of the exercises, but it's a little easier for others. Do I need to change the weights for every exercise? It takes a bit of time to change them, and I'm afraid that will give me too much of a break. Any thoughts on this? Thanks!0 -
Should I just do heavy all week?
If you are new to lifting then yes, as heavy as you can manage whilst maintaining proper form all week. Once you get more advanced your body's ability to recover becomes more of an issue and you can then worry about heavy / medium / light days.
Personally, I would drop deadlifts down to 1 or 2 sets only. Trying to do 4 sets sounds like a good way to get injured.Also, when I'm doing 20 lbs for each hand weight, I can barely manage to finish a set of 8 reps for some of the exercises, but it's a little easier for others. Do I need to change the weights for every exercise? It takes a bit of time to change them, and I'm afraid that will give me too much of a break. Any thoughts on this? Thanks!
Yes, change weights for every exercise so that your muscles are challenged. You need them to be overloaded to get the benefit of the workout and to progressively overload them as the weeks go by.
You also need rest time between sets. It's not a cardio or metabolic conditioning workout where the idea is to keep your heart rate constantly elevated. The most important thing is being able to lift sufficiently heavy with good form.
Finally, I don't think you should eat at maintenance. Your BF% is still quite high which you want to work on. I think having a deficit of 300 - 500 mixed in with good diet and weights will do you nicely. Your scale weight won't change hugely if your routine in on point but your body will start looking far better (as you are new to lifting you will experience newbie gains for a while...)0 -
At 6'2" tall, 189 lbs is probably about right for you. Listen to the doctor.0
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At 6'2" tall, 189 lbs is probably about right for you. Listen to the doctor.
His BF% is 26 and he has 40" waist. Given it is mostly centered around his midsection there is a likelihood that there is a large amount of visceral fat going on.
He doesn't need to worry about the number on the scale but he does need to worry about his body fat. BMI is a simple tool to estimate body fatness and whilst it works as an average in many cases sometimes it is not a useful application as in this case.
It's not a disaster but it is far from ideal. I suspect he will be in a much better position at say 180lbs at 18% than 189lbs at 26%...0 -
lol i weigh 182 at 5' 11" and spent a lot of the last 9 months lifting heavier. do it.
Read Starting Strength, or get into Stronglifts
Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Overhead Press, and Back rows are basically all you need.
Compound moves that use many muscle groups.
My Abs have improved dramatically and i believe its from the Squats.
good luck:flowerforyou:0 -
My Advice...
Listen to your doctor... begin eating at maintenance level.. Change up your work outs with more weight training and less cardio.. This will cause you to gain weight in the form of sexy lean muscle.. That spare tire will be gone.
^^agree0 -
Does this look like a decent program for me to start with? If so, how do I decide what to set the weight for?
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/lose-weight/build-strength/strength-training-for-beginners/
1. Dumbbell chest press (works chest)
Lie on a bench, elbows bent 90 degrees out to sides; straighten arms up and return.
2. One-arm dumbbell row (works upper back)
Stand with legs hip-width apart and place one hand on bench, opposite arm holding weight; draw elbow up toward ribs and lower.
3. Biceps curl (works biceps)
Stand with arms extended, palms up, and curl weights toward shoulders.
4. Triceps extension (works triceps)
Stand with legs hip-width apart. Lean forward from waist, elbows bent 90 degrees at your sides; straighten arms behind you.
5. Lateral raise (works shoulders)
Stand with arms down by your sides, palms in; raise straight arms to shoulder height.
6. Basic squat (works legs/butt)
7. Front lunge (works legs/butt)
8. Bicycle (works abs)
Lie face-up on floor, bend opposite elbow to knee, then switch sides.
9. Superman (works lower back)
Lie facedown on floor and lift opposite arm/leg; switch sides.
That sounds like a much better routine for you than 30DS0 -
The operative word is 'need', you may not need to lose weight but if you want to lose the spare tire you have to lose more body fat.
right.
I didn't NEED to lose weight at 130 because I was in the "healthy range" but my healthy range is 101-136. why would I settle for 130?
got down to 106 and was not happy, started lifting heavy and now I look better at 119 than I did at 106.
lose fat, gain muscle...weigh the same as you do now, or more, and still look better!0 -
I just read that body fat percentage of over 25% for men is considered obese. I'm 26% and I'm definitely not obese. I wonder if I calculated it wrong. I used the military body fat calculator, which goes by age, height, weight, neck, waist, and hip measurements.
I have a pretty wide build, so I wonder if that throws it off?0 -
The Military Body Fat calculator is way higher than the other ones.0
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As I said before, estimating bodyfat by anthropometric measurements isn't a terribly accurate way to do it. It gives you a reference point to work from, but that doesn't mean it's an *accurate* reference point as far as true bodyfat % goes. If you want accuracy, you'd be better off finding a local place that does BodPod or Hydrostatic (dunk tank) measurements, or buy yourself a pair of $10 skinfold calipers and learn how to use them. This article talks a bit about the different methods:I just read that body fat percentage of over 25% for men is considered obese. I'm 26% and I'm definitely not obese. I wonder if I calculated it wrong. I used the military body fat calculator, which goes by age, height, weight, neck, waist, and hip measurements.
I have a pretty wide build, so I wonder if that throws it off?
http://www.builtlean.com/2010/07/13/5-ways-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/
As far as your question about the workout, it's designed with heavy/medium/light days for a reason. After you run your first cycle of it and get through the 10/11/12 rep weeks, you'll understand why. The first couple weeks are easy and the medium/light days feel like nothing - but if you're using a weight somewhere around your 10RM as you're supposed to be, it gets tough around week 3 and just gets worse from there. After week 5 when you up the weights 10% and go back down to 8 reps to start the next cycle, you'll be very grateful for the de-load! If you read through the thread (I know it's huge, and it's actually up to part III now!), many people have asked about doing 3 heavy days a week. His response is that you'll crush yourself in the later weeks of the cycle, and if you want to do all heavy days, back it down to two days instead of three and lift heavy both days.
Too much weight training is just like too much cardio or too large of a caloric deficit - it's not going to get you to your goal any faster, and it could actually interfere with your progress. Your muscles don't grow while you're working them, they grow while you're resting - get your workout on and get the heck out of the gym.0 -
As I said before, estimating bodyfat by anthropometric measurements isn't a terribly accurate way to do it. It gives you a reference point to work from, but that doesn't mean it's an *accurate* reference point as far as true bodyfat % goes. If you want accuracy, you'd be better off finding a local place that does BodPod or Hydrostatic (dunk tank) measurements, or buy yourself a pair of $10 skinfold calipers and learn how to use them. This article talks a bit about the different methods:I just read that body fat percentage of over 25% for men is considered obese. I'm 26% and I'm definitely not obese. I wonder if I calculated it wrong. I used the military body fat calculator, which goes by age, height, weight, neck, waist, and hip measurements.
I have a pretty wide build, so I wonder if that throws it off?
http://www.builtlean.com/2010/07/13/5-ways-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/
As far as your question about the workout, it's designed with heavy/medium/light days for a reason. After you run your first cycle of it and get through the 10/11/12 rep weeks, you'll understand why. The first couple weeks are easy and the medium/light days feel like nothing - but if you're using a weight somewhere around your 10RM as you're supposed to be, it gets tough around week 3 and just gets worse from there. After week 5 when you up the weights 10% and go back down to 8 reps to start the next cycle, you'll be very grateful for the de-load! If you read through the thread (I know it's huge, and it's actually up to part III now!), many people have asked about doing 3 heavy days a week. His response is that you'll crush yourself in the later weeks of the cycle, and if you want to do all heavy days, back it down to two days instead of three and lift heavy both days.
Too much weight training is just like too much cardio or too large of a caloric deficit - it's not going to get you to your goal any faster, and it could actually interfere with your progress. Your muscles don't grow while you're working them, they grow while you're resting - get your workout on and get the heck out of the gym.
OK cool. I'll stick with the program as-is then.
Thanks!0 -
I think that if you have any doubts about your doctor's advice you should get a second opionion
Go to a different doc & see what they have to say. You could even see a profesional nutritionist or dietician for advice on how to tone your stomach. Overall, I think you should seek out professional advice since you seem to be doing everything on key. Good luck 0 -
Wow guys, I've hiked my protein up to 140 grams per day, and am drinking lots of water and eating my veggies. I am only on a 1 lb a week defecit, and I'm not hungry anymore. Today I don't think I packed enough lunch, and my stomach rumbled for a bit, but I didn't feel hungry, if that makes sense. I didn't have that jittery feeling of "I need to eat something!"
This is a great feeling. No desire for chips or ice cream or junk food right now.
And tomorrow I'm working on my strength training again. 0 -
Bump0
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One more question: Let's say your doing 5 different things, like squats, curls, deadlift, benchpress, and leg lifts. Do you do ALL the sets for squats first, THEN all the sets for curls, etc... or do you do a squats set, then a curls set, then a benchpress set, etc?0
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One more question: Let's say your doing 5 different things, like squats, curls, deadlift, benchpress, and leg lifts. Do you do ALL the sets for squats first, THEN all the sets for curls, etc... or do you do a squats set, then a curls set, then a benchpress set, etc?
Do all the sets for one exercise followed by all the sets for the next exercise eg 3 sets of squats followed by 3 sets of chest press etc.
Incidentally, if you are doing a full body routine then you want to allow about 48 hours rest before doing it again (so for example a session on Monday, followed by Wednesday followed by Friday.)
This is because muscles grow and strengthen not while you are training but in the rest time between sessions - your training simply provides the stimulus for growth. It does this through a process called hypertrophy which needs about 48 hours or so to do efficiently. In short, don't work the same muscles every day if you are lifting heavy.0 -
Cool, thanks.
The part that's going to be the biggest challenge will be figuring out what my weight limit is for each exercise.0
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