newbie

[koan]

NEED HELP! i am completely new to this sport. was in decent shape years ago, while active in USMC, but packed on quite a few pounds in the decade since. lost approx 80 pounds over the last year, but lost much muscle mass with it. am currently in that "awkward" phase. have access to a gym (at my apt complex), but learning thru books has only gotten me so far. if anyone can recommend a program i would greatly appreciate it. i have the motivation. i have the dedication. what i lack is the practical knowledge. hope someone can help.

[Jr. Yates]

You will have to set something up that works around your every day life. for example: since Last september i have been doing 3 on,1 off,2 on, 1 off....training one bodypart a day. It went, Chest,legs,shoulders,off,arms,back,off.   I've now switched it to a 4 day split, pairing 2 muscles together. whatever split you choose for yourself, the workouts shouldn't be too long (about an hour to 1.5 hours) for larger muscle groups (legs,chest,back) i'd do about 12-18 sets and smaller muscle groups (bis,tris,shoulders) i'd do about 9-12 sets. 3 sets of each excersise,rep ranges of 8-10. I think thats a pretty good beginner set up, but you will get some more advice pretty soon here. good luck!

[koan]

thanks. i recently started a new job (i am an emergency response trainer) where i work straight days. so i have plenty of time every evening. in other words, my schedule can accomodate most anything. i have heard alot about the working 1 body part at a time, once per week, and working it to exhaustion. any suggestions on specific exercises. i really desire to bulk up. am very proud of the weight i have lost, but would now love to build a body to show it off. bodybuilders have always been an example to me of the peak of bodily perfection, and i want to be one of them. thanks again for your help.

[Mr. Intenseone]

NEED HELP! i am completely new to this sport. was in decent shape years ago, while active in USMC, but packed on quite a few pounds in the decade since. lost approx 80 pounds over the last year, but lost much muscle mass with it. am currently in that "awkward" phase. have access to a gym (at my apt complex), but learning thru books has only gotten me so far. if anyone can recommend a program i would greatly appreciate it. i have the motivation. i have the dedication. what i lack is the practical knowledge. hope someone can help.

Since you're new, the first lesson is that bodybuilding is not a sport!

Hope this helps!

[Jr. Yates]

thanks. i recently started a new job (i am an emergency response trainer) where i work straight days. so i have plenty of time every evening. in other words, my schedule can accomodate most anything. i have heard alot about the working 1 body part at a time, once per week, and working it to exhaustion. any suggestions on specific exercises. i really desire to bulk up. am very proud of the weight i have lost, but would now love to build a body to show it off. bodybuilders have always been an example to me of the peak of bodily perfection, and i want to be one of them. thanks again for your help.

well every workout for me is different. chest sometimes goes(flat press,4 sets. flat flyes,3 sets. incline dumbless press, 4 sets. decline dumbell flyes 3 sets.) sometimes its the same workout but in a different order or sometimes all the presses are dumbell, sometimes all barbell etc. same with a backworkout, or a shoulder workout. but what you would want to do is take a few excersises and do 3 sets each for them. its always a good idea to put the core excersises at the beginning of the routine (after a good warm up of course) like your:bench presses,military presses,barbell rows/deadlifts, squats.

[koan]

please understand that i was not approaching this from a "sport" standpoint. I was looking at it from a "lifestyle" and "health" standpoint. however, most information that i have come across thus far has been in the sporting aspect. no offense was meant, i desire only to strive for physical excellence.

[Jr. Yates]

I belive that the training part is a sport.

[Hedgehog]

please understand that i was not approaching this from a "sport" standpoint. I was looking at it from a "lifestyle" and "health" standpoint. however, most information that i have come across thus far has been in the sporting aspect. no offense was meant, i desire only to strive for physical excellence.

Cool mate.

Why don't you give Max-OT a try:
http://www.freedomfly.net/Documents/MAX-OT.pdf

Don't bother about getting the right supplements pitched in this training protocol, other than that, it's a pretty solid layout IMO. It will get you started good.

YIP
Zack

[jk1149]

Thanks for the link ^^. I also am a newbie, and have been training for 2months now, but I like the ideas and programs in the MAX-OT layout.

[blondmusclhunk]

Hopefully your gym in your building is equipped well with lots of free weights or hammer strength (plate loaded machines)  Otherwise if its only machines you wont get as good of results.

Here is my routine and it works ive put freinds on similar routines.

Monday
 Chest
5 sets bench 1 warm up
5 sets incline no warm up
flyes 4 sets

Tris
skull crushers 4 sets
dips 4 sets
tricep cable push downs with v bar 4 sets
tricep pusdown with rope 3 sets


Tuesday
Back
cable pull downs to front of chest 5 sets
t bar rows 5 sets
dumbell rows 5 sets
(I throw in deadlifts every other week  four sets)


Biceps
Standing barbell curl 4 sets
preacher curl 4 sets
seated dumbell curl 3 sets

Thursday Legs
squats 5 sets
leg extension 4 sets
leg curl 4 sets
calves 4 sets


Friday Shoulders
Barbell shoulder press 4 sets
dumbell lateral raise 3 sets
dumbell front raises 3 sets
rear delt flyes 3 sets

You only work each muscle hard and heavy one a week 8-10 reps each set.
3 minutes rest between each set
cardio if you have a significant amount of body fat; 3x week if needed
substitute dumbells for bars every so often.  change to a machine for one of the excercies in each groupe once in awhile. 

Make sure your getting enough nutrition ie1.5 grams protein for each pound you weigh and good carbs.  You will see gains

[koan]

thanks for the advice. i came across some liturature on max-ot last night, and have been up on it all day. appears to be a good program, and i believe that i will give it a try. being new to this, a regimented program seems like the logical choice. thanks again for the advise, it did help me choose between the different choices available.