9 months later

[captain204mike]

Ok well, here i am after 9 months of dropping some weight, now i need some help, i just dont have anyone around me that knows much about weightlifting so i cant find any advice.
I dont want to get "HUGE", but i do want to look good and athletic and maybe just a little more bigger.
anyhow here is my routine that i have been doing, and i think it probably needs tweeked
I run about 1 mile everyday before i lift

Mondays--Chest and Arms
Bench Press 3x10
Pushups 3x15
Bowflex Fly's 3x10
Preacher Curls 3x10
Hammer Curls 3x10
Tricep Rope Pushdowns 3x10
Tricep Kickbacks 3x10
Ab Crunches

Tuesdays--Back and Shoulders
Seated Rows 3x10
Lat Pulldown 3x10
Dumbell Rows 3x10
Military Press 3x10
Front and Side shoulder Raises 3x10
Rear Delt Flys 3x10
Shrugs 3x10
Ab Crunches

Wednesday Off Day

Thursdays--- Repeat of Monday
Fridays---- Repeat of Tuesday

Sat and Sun off days

I was told i need to start doing Squats and Deadlifts to gain now.
Can someone plz help me revise my routine and get the squats and deadlifts added in there somewhere, also any other workout you think i should be doing? And maybe doing different groups on different days etc.., I am open to critique and adjustment, and also i would like to just lift Monday-Fridays
Thanks

[mcchunter]

mike- congrats on your fat loss.

that routine is not very good. you need a leg day w/squats.

add deadlifts to your backday and get rid of the dumbell kickbacks and add close grip bench press. you have been lifting for a little while now so i would start lowering the reps and going a little heavier. try reps in the 6-8 rep range!

i would change your routine to a push/pull/leg.

concentrate on compound movements and less on isolation movements.

for cardio try hiit on your off days.

time to grow some muscle my man. my2 cents

[mitchcumstein]

1- quit running before you workout
2- Go to a 3 day split like push/pull/legs and focus on heavy compund movements.
3- post up your diet.

[captain204mike]

How does this look? any better?
i just thought doing the same muscle group ie Chest, twice a week would give me better benefits, but again, i am a newb to this, which is why i am asking for help
anything you suggest, adding or deleting from each day?

Monday-Push-Chest,Triceps, Shoulders
Bench Press
Pushups
Dumbell Fly’s
Triceps Rope Pressdown
Skull Crushers
Military Press
Front and Side Raises “superset”

Wednesday-Pull-Back, Biceps
Deadlift
Seated Rows
Dumbel Rows
Rear Delt Fly’s
Shrugs
Upright Rows
Preacher Curls
Hammer Curls

Friday-Legs
Squats
Stiff Leg Deadlifts ”dumbells”
Lunges
Calf Raises

HIIT Cardio on Tuesday and Thursdays

so you dont think i should be running on everyday?
could i maybe just do a jog on lift days after working out?


Also what days should i be doing ab workouts?

My Diet is horrible, i was hoping no one asked for it lol
i am a very picky eater, so trying to find foods that are good is hard for me, for instance i dont like eggs, rice,not too many vegetables, but i do like steaks, ham and cheese subs, hamburgers, spagetti, lasagna, chicken, etc...
I KNOW I KNOW, its horrible, but i really do try and just dont like those foods at all, but i was able to manage getting that 30lbs off by using weight watchers point system, i just figured out what the point value of the foods i did like was and stayed in my point range that was recommened.

[HammerTech]

There's a lot of different ways to do a "three day split" but the primary one is push/pull/legs. Most guys construct it more like "pull, push, legs" to get good rest separation between the pulling motion (typically associated with back exercises) and leg work.

Just some sample exercises you'd do for each - this IS NOT a program to follow:

Push
Flat Bench press
Incline Bench Press
Standing or Seated Shoulder Press
Close Grip Bench (for triceps)
Dips, either assisted, bench, or weighted (again, triceps)

Pull:
Deadlifts
T-bar rows
Bent over Barbell Rows
Pull-ups (assisted or weighted)
Lat Pulldowns
Low Cable Rows

Legs:
Squats
Stiff leg dead lifts
Leg press
Adductor/Abductor (hip work)

[Meta]

Originally Posted by captain204mike

My Diet is horrible, i was hoping no one asked for it lol i am a very picky eater, so trying to find foods that are good is hard for me, for instance i dont like eggs, rice,not too many vegetables, but i do like steaks, ham and cheese subs, hamburgers, spagetti, lasagna, chicken, etc...
I KNOW I KNOW, its horrible, but i really do try and just dont like those foods at all, but i was able to manage getting that 30lbs off by using weight watchers point system, i just figured out what the point value of the foods i did like was and stayed in my point range that was recommened.

the thing is to build muscle you need to eat a lot of food. if you eat a lot of sh!tty food you're gonna get fat... if you eat just a little bit of sh!tty food you might be able to maintain your weight and not gain more fat, but you won't gain much muscle. if you eat a lot of good food... you will gain

there's no specific foods you have to eat... but you can make little changes that will help... like if you eat spaghetti use whole grain pasta... if you eat a sandwich use 100% whole wheat bread, it's ok to eat steak... just try to eat something more lean, chicken is good... but try to stick with grilled boneless skinless chicken breast, even hamburgers aren't too bad if you get lean ground beef... or try turkey burgers too

eating healthy doesn't mean eating tuna and brown rice every meal... you can make variations on your current diet to make it healthy... although certain things are probably gonna be bad for you no matter how you cut it

[mitchcumstein]

Originally Posted by Meta

like if you eat spaghetti use whole grain pasta...

Thats really not necessary. Regular old pasta is a good source of complex carbohydrates. The only benefit that whole grain pasta has is its slightly higher in fiber. Also in regards to hamburger, if you rinse the burger under hot water for 30 seconds after you drain it you can actually get most of the fat out. With this method you can make regular 80/20 hamburger almost as lean as 95/5 and its a hell of alot cheaper.

Mike, youve made some good progress but youve probably went as far as youre gonna go on your current diet. The problem with weight watchers is it only focuses on calories and doesnt take into account eating a balanced diet..ie getting enough protein and the proper fats. If you eat a diet thats too low in protein and higher in carbs youre just gonna end up skinny-fat....youll be smaller but youll still be soft and flabby. If you wanna continue on progressing towards a more athletic look youre gonna need to make some changes. Your diet should consist of 5-6 small meals a day and be high in lean protein, moderate in complex carbs, and have about 20-30g of omega 3 and omega 6 fats.

Heres a sample of how ive been eating. Its a good start, and of course you can swap out the chicken breast for another lean meat like tuna, grilled fish, lean red meat, etc, if you get tired of chicken.

8am- half cup oats, 2 scoops whey
11am- chicken breast, 2 tbsp natty peanut butter
2am-Tuna sandwich, scoop whey
430-chicken breast, baked beans
6pm-workout
730-2 scoops whey, 4-6 large strawberries
830- 6" Subway chicken breast, double meat on whole wheat


Id follow the split hammer laid out, its a good one. Those are the exercises you should be focusing on.

As for cardio, id do 30mins of low intensity(walk on treadmill) after your lifting session. On a couple of the non lifting days id do 30-45 mins of low intensity cardio first thing in the am on an empty stomach.

[Meta]

Originally Posted by mitchcumstein

Thats really not necessary. Regular old pasta is a good source of complex carbohydrates. The only benefit that whole grain pasta has is its slightly higher in fiber. Also in regards to hamburger, if you rinse the burger under hot water for 30 seconds after you drain it you can actually get most of the fat out. With this method you can make regular 80/20 hamburger almost as lean as 95/5 and its a hell of alot cheaper.

really? I always though regular white pasta would be higher GI as opposed to whole grain? am I wrong assuming this? This is why I try to eat brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, etc...

thanks for the tip on the burgers there... I'm mos def gonna use that one

edit: I just googled it because I was curious and came across this article.

Should I Buy Whole Grain Pasta? | Summer Tomato - Upgrade Your Healthstyle | Healthy Eating Tips

so I guess there's not a big difference with pasta, while there is with bread or rice because pasta is processed either way. I rarely eat pasta anyways... a lot more rice, but good to know

[vassille]

Post up your diet Captain

[skullmurdoc]

Nice progress Mike! You shed a lot of fat! You also look much more happy !

[mitchcumstein]

Originally Posted by Meta

really? I always though regular white pasta would be higher GI as opposed to whole grain? am I wrong assuming this? This is why I try to eat brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, etc...

thanks for the tip on the burgers there... I'm mos def gonna use that one

edit: I just googled it because I was curious and came across this article.

Should I Buy Whole Grain Pasta? | Summer Tomato - Upgrade Your Healthstyle | Healthy Eating Tips

so I guess there's not a big difference with pasta, while there is with bread or rice because pasta is processed either way. I rarely eat pasta anyways... a lot more rice, but good to know

The GI for wheat and white pasta is more or less the same. Wheat is 37 and white is 38, no difference really. Heres an interesting piece of info about pasta:

"Surprises: One processed food that seems to be digested more slowly than would be guessed is pasta. Apparently the starch molecules are so tightly packed that only about half is rapidly digested when the pasta is cooked “al dente” (slightly firm). Cooking time and thickness of the pasta greatly affects how the glycemic it is."