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02-02-2006, 10:43 PM
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Motivated Newb Assistance Required
Good to find the forum. You've seen it before, newbs like myself requesting assistance from seasoned veterans like yourselves. So here we go:
I stopped drinking all alcohol, began to eat right (whole foods in moderate balanced portions with organic vitamins and drink plent of water and some ice tea as opposed to everything else except an occasional vegetable juicer drink from my Jack La Lane juicer I bought) and started riding my mountain bike six months ago. I dropped from 250 to 220 in five months and felt much better. So I thought: "WOW! I didn't know that would work so well." So, a month ago I signed up at the gym and began doing 30 minutes on the eplitical machine (level 6 weight loss setting) followed by jogging for 30 minutes and then walking for 10 minutes on the treadmill (bay run track) five days a week like a clock and never missed. Following that, each day five days a week, I would do a full body work out. I spent 1 hour and ten minutes a day on aerobics followed by 2 to 2 1/2 hours on the weight resistance training. Well things went AWESOME until a couple days ago. I was down to 208 and feeling muscles and then I started having symptoms. I looked up the symptoms and they had to do with OVERTRAINING. Bummed me out a LOT because I was ready to put in the gym work like that for the rest of my LIFE and turn into MR. STUD... lol. Seriously I really was though. I love working out except for the overtraining symptoms I experienced. So I just took two days off and I feel a lot better but I'm not sure what to do next. I tried hiring an online personal trainer (six month plan for like 169.00) but the woman just sent me pictures of herself lifting her legs and bouncing balls and seemed like she was mentally gone everytime I tried to communicate to her that's not where I'm at. I completely wrote it off as a loss and learned my lesson there. I'm not a housewife for crying out loud, I'm a MAN with heart and motivation. Anyways... What do I do? I'm completely lost. I have this Calorie Fat & Carb book here from http://www.calorieking.com that says the following "While aerobic fitness requires only 3-4 sessions weekly, weight control is a daily event which requires daily exercise." What are they talking about?? I do daily exercise and I hit the overtraining wall. If I don't do daily exercise, I don't lose the fat and keep going. My stats as of today: 6'1", 210lbs, 42 years old. Is there any MEN out there that understand what needs to be done to keep it REAL but not over the top to where end up overtraining? 
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02-02-2006, 11:41 PM
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This is an excellant example of a noob request for advice. You have all the pertinent info we need to help ya out.
I am sure others will chime in but here is my take on it: First off, take 1 week off of everything to let your body recuperate. Cut back on both cardio and lifting. Try doing a 3on 1off or 2on 1off cycle for you lifting. Don't lift more than 1 hour a session. To do this break it up like upper, lower, and mix or something like that. Many break it up into body parts per session. After lifting, do 30 min of cardio max. On off days you could do 1 hour of cardio but not more. Weightloss, on a permanent basis, is all in the diet. You weightloss, and I commend you on it, will stay because of your great improvement to your diet. For some good workout ideas, check this thread: http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/fo...splay.php?f=15 Mix and match some of that info to find something you are comfortable with. Limiting yourself to 1 hour will help prevent overtraining and help keep yourself from getting injured. After a workout, get some good protein in you in the form of a shake mixed in water. About an hour later have a meal with good quality carbs and protein. Keep that protein intake high and get good carbs in you and that should help also. A mutli-vitamin is beneficial also. Also, it is a good idea to take a 1 week break from all working out. I usually go 6 weeks on then take 1 week off. Your muscles grow and your body burns fat outside of the gym. All this is my opinion. Some of them folks will agree with and some folks won't, I am sure you will get tons of responses to your well written request. But no matter what, you gotta try different things until you feel your body is responding to it. Knowing your body is the key. In all honestly, you should have know you were overtraining well ahead of when it got so bad that you felt you had to research the feeling. Not a slam, your researched and learned and that is great. But knowing your body responses will help you feel things like this way before it gets bad. To sum it up, take a week off now. Cut back on your lifting routine and cardio by breaking it up into manageable time slots spread out throughout a comfortable split. Continue to eat good and eat healthy. And good job dude.
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02-03-2006, 12:06 AM
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Sean,
I am encouraged. Thank you for the well thought out reply. I've been reading this site (including stickys) for the past couple hours as well and there is a LOT of info here. Did a protein online calculator and saw I was lacking... so I'll get the whey protein (no sugar or junk type) and take it after I work out but about an hour before dinner (I like brown rice, fish or chicken, and lots of vegetable as my dinner staple) followed by my vitamins (Organic multivitamin, flaxseed oil, calcium, garlic). I also like a green tea before I head to the gym in the afternoon after work. Something about that is just great. I never drink coffee. I had no idea working out six weeks with one off was beneficial! I'm completely off, except for diet, until Monday. Here's what I have planned right now starting Monday (program open to change of course). Schedule Monday - Upper (30 minutes cardio + 10 minute walk) Tuesday - Lower (30 minutes cardio + 10 minute walk) Wednesday - Off (1 hour cardio + 10 minute walk) Thursday - Upper (30 minutes cardio + 10 minute walk) Friday - Lower (30 minutes cardio + 10 minute walk) Sat and Sunday – OFF (I hike a bit in God's country on Saturdays sometimes). Chest Lever Chest Press 6 sets Dumbell Flyes 3 sets Dumbell Bench Press 3 sets Back Cable Seated High Row 3 sets Cable Front Pull Down 3 sets Cable Rear Pull Down 3 sets Biceps Standing Barbell Curls 3 sets Cable curls 3 sets & wrist curls 3 sets Preacher Curls 1 set Barbell Hammer Curls 3 sets Barbell Wrist Curls and Rollers 3 sets Triceps Standing Reverse Barbell Curls 3 sets Cable Tricep Push down 3 sets Cable Incline Push down 3 sets Barbell Reverse Wrist Curls and Rollers 3 sets Legs Squats 4 sets Leg Extension 3 sets Leg Curl 3 sets Seated/Standing Calve Raises 5 sets total (2 or 3 sets each way) Shoulders Seated Lever Military Press 3 sets Dumbell Military Press 3 sets Dumbell Woodchops 3 sets each side Lateral Raises 3 sets Shrugs 3 sets Hard to believe that's cutting way back for me after this last month but there it is. What do you think? Last edited by Aspirin; 02-03-2006 at 12:10 AM.
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02-03-2006, 12:31 AM
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Wasup Aspirin, you sound truly genuine about your goals. Not too many noobs are in tune with there bodies. Remember a lot of it is trial and error. As for myself, I cant handle more than 3on 1off. Its just my body and I learned to deal with it. My workout routine is similar to yours 2on 1off. Diet is very important and be sure too not overdue the junk stuff. Personally I've found chicken to be the easy way out or through actually. Over training will stop us all dead in out tracks. I have an uncle thats around your age in the Air Force and since I was a little kid he was trying to feed me oatmeal (I hated it), Now its my breakfast every morning. At 42 years old look into some other supps too for joint health. My uncle's always telling me but I never listen. Good luck and keep up posted with your progress.
__________________
If you are going through hell, keep going.
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02-03-2006, 07:42 AM
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cardio and lifting
need advice.. i'm thinking about changing up my workouts. my plan is to do cardio 4-5 times 1 week and weights the following week. would like opinion if anyone has tried this or will this be wasting my time..
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02-03-2006, 08:20 AM
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Aspirin, I think you will like your results from that setup.
Give it a try for 6 weeks or so and see how you feel. Tweak it as necessary. Like I said, everyones body is different so you might need to change the on/off rotation or when you take time off. No matter what, from what you posted and how dedicated you sound, I am sure you will see positive gains. Good luck and keep us updated.
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02-03-2006, 08:21 AM
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Quote:
As far as your question, what are you currently doing? Start a thread and give us info on your current workout, your diet, and your goals and I am sure we will try to help best we can.
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02-03-2006, 09:04 AM
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Quote:
__________________
"So, is there any tread left on the tires? Or at this point would it be like throwing a hot dog down a hallway?" Stewie Griffin
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02-03-2006, 11:15 AM
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Thank you Sean and thanks fellas. I'm going to try this for six weeks starting on Monday then take five days off and assess how that went.
Regarding the too many sets comment, as a business guy I run around in a car and ride a desk in an office so I'm not working all day in the construction field or performing physical exercise like that as part of my job. Therefore, I don't think this is too many sets for me. Honestly, I'll probably be hanging on every set trying to do them perfectly as this is so few sets for what I "feel" that I want to do (e.g. like to do). But reality is reality and and the wise man adjusts to it. I am in the process of learning it here as it applies to aerobics and weight resistance training. And that means doing and adjusting to what really works and NOT what I "feel" will work instead. Peace.
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02-06-2006, 06:43 PM
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First day of new 6 week cycle went VERY well. It felt right I have peace about this workout cycle. The only change I made was I dropped the bottom two shoulder sets. Didn't see the point after two hours of upper body and ab weight resistant training. Now I have a final question. I did the 30 minutes of HIIT aerobics directly after weight training. I noticed Sean mentioned to wait an hour before starting aerobics. Seems like my arms went from being pumped up to normal during the aerobics. Are you supposed to wait an hour before doing aerobics after weight training so that the blood can build up the muscles? I'm confused about that. Thank you for your responses Sean and the rest.
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