Work out progress report 1 month

[[censored]]

I've finished my first month of working out regularly with mixed results I think. Well I don't really know what to expect.

I did really well in staying to my schedule only missing I think two workouts due to being down and some excesses which left me not in the best shape and I think hurt my progress. Hopefully that won't happen again.

I have definently noticed a difference in how I was feeling before some recent troubles but hopefully if I stick with it I'll go back to feeling better most days.

I'm 5'10 and weigh 140 which is actually about 10lbs less than what I was just a year ago (and when I was at my peak in the Army) the loss is due to a prolonged illness, and poor eating habits namely too much caffiene. Plus I forget to eat sometimes. Id like to get to 155 but without putting on much or any fat if possible.

My biggest struggle has been with diet. I do a good job in avoiding things like fries, chips and candy and I've added a couple of protien shakes to my regular diet but getting the amount of calories/protien I need has been hard. I've managed to cut down on the amount of soda I drink quite a bit but still have some work to do (avg 1+day, would like to get to <1day)

My work out and progress currently consists of the following. I had little idea what weight to start at so I may have started to low on some

day 1
lift----------start----reps-----end----reps
leg press------150-----15,10----220----3x10 (completed)
calf press------50-----15,10----110----3x10 (completed)
DB Benchpress---20ea---15,10----35-----3x10
weighted crunches 10---15,10----50-----4x10 (completed)
leg raises 10----9--------10-----4x10
recently added fly machine


Day 2
Lat Pulldown----60-----10-------60-----3x10
barbell curl----30-----15,10----40-----3x10
tricep pulldown 20-----15,10----80-----3x10 (completed)
standing dumbell ab twists------50-----4x10
elbow to opp knee crunches-------------4x10

day 3 rest with walk or tredmill

I think I've made some good progress on some but others not so much. Also sometimes days I feel really weak especially lately. Maybe eating more would help.

I'd like to add some more lifts specifically
substitute squats for the leg press machine
dead lift
and low rows

I'm unsure which day I should add the dead lifts to.


any thoughts or suggestions appreciated. thanks

[ALReturnsLOL]

Great job Censored! I wish you the best of luck and I hope you achieve whatever you are determined to achieve. It looks like you are off to a good start.

[Blarg]

Missing only two days is not bad at all. Discipline is at least as important as anything else.

Working squats and deadlifts in is a good idea. When you work the squats in, you can drop the leg presses.

If it were me, I would do squats and deadlifts on different days. They both, but deadlifts especially, can put quite a strain on your lower back, especially when you're starting out and your form is far less than perfect. If I'm lifting deads heavy enough, my back will be in no shape for squats and they may even be pushing things dangerously too far. Be careful if you mix both in the same work-out.

Also, don't do ab work the same day you do deadlifts. If your ab muscles, which support your trunk in the lift and keep your form correct, give out prematurely because you've already fatigued them, a deadlift can become dangerous. Don't feel bad about abandoning ab exercises on deadlift days, though. A heavy deadlift will hit you hard in the abs in front and sides, in your lower back and muscles along the spine, and even in those finger-like muscles that sit on the side of your ribs. You will get plenty of ab work doing deads. By the way, that may actually give you a six-pack while making your waist thicker at the same time. It did to me. My waist looked much better, but my lower back thickened up enough that my pants were just as tight around my waist as when I was carrying considerably more fat.

It looks like your shoulders could also use more work. I'd suggest trying military presses. They get your shoulders really well, and will also give your triceps some work.

I'd also suggest lat pull-downs more for flexibility and warm-up than strength or size. They can put some size on you, but not like bent-over rows can. BOR's can also substitute for your curls.

If your forearms and hands aren't blasted from deadlifts, I'd consider throwing in some grip work, too. Grippers, plate lifts, sledgehammer work, wrist curls -- it's all good.

[checkmate36]

Im certified by ISSA to be a fitness trainer. I have over 1000 hours of experience and I would be happy to post some thoughts on your workout to help you get the most out of the time you put into working out.

The first thing that is helpful is finding out how many days you have to lift weights. I would suggest, for a person new to working out, a 3 day per week total body circuit.

When you first start your tendons won't be used to the grind and its important to get a solid foundation. If you go heavy at first you will probably pull a muscle at some point and that will put you on the shelf for a while until your done healing. In the meantime you lose what you gained.

I like to start my clients out with a 3 day program where we hit all the muscle groups but only lightly. 2 sets of 12 reps will be plenty. Make sure the 12th rep is kind of tuff. If you can do 20 reps, then the weight is too light. You want to lightly break the muscle down but not so much that your still sore after 2 days.

A good plan is lift on Monday/Wed/Fri and cardio on T/Th. If you have your weights dialed in you will be sore on Tuesday but by Wed you should be ready to go again. This plan is a good one for 8-12 weeks, being your ex-military and kind of slim, 6-8 weeks may be all you need.

The next phase of the workout you should build muscle. I won't go into details for that but will be happy to down the road.

As for a sample workout I would put my clients on something like this one. Every gym is different and Im not sure what you have access too but here is what my clients did.

Flat bench press 2x12
Overhead dumbell presses 2x12 (seated is good, standing is ok too)
Wide grip pulldowns 2x12
Seated rows 2x12
Tricep pushdowns 2x12
Bicep curls (ez curl bar is great) 2x12
Leg press 2x12
Leg extentions 2x12
Leg curls 2x12
Calf raises one set to failure is good.

This workout should be quick so you don't have to live in a gym all day. If you can do 20 mins of cardio after you lift in addition to your T/Th session, that would be great.

Any questions feel free to PM me and I will gladly try to help.

Just so you know, you can go to a gym and have a perfect workout 3-4 days per week but if your diet isn't good you will just be turning your wheels going nowhere.

[SackUp]

good work on getting in to the gym - that is the hardest part.

are you going 2 days on, 1 day off or just 2 days a week total?

If you are going 2 on 1 off and repeating for the week then I would suggest varying your excercises.

Also, if your goal is to put on weight your routine will probably do it over the long haul, but heavy reps with lower weights is more likely to maintain your current weight. You might want to try adding in some low rep, high weight days to help put on the weight.

[[censored]]

SU,

ya 2 days on/ 1 day off, rinse and repeat.

Can you explain more about how the low rep high weight thing would fit in with what Im currently doing?

[checkmate36]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you explain more about how the low rep high weight thing would fit in with what Im currently doing?


[/ QUOTE ]

Will boost your max strength.

[[censored]]

Blarq

so I could combine the ab work all into day 1 and add dead lifts to day 2.

I can military press to day 2 as well without much problem I think.

any idea based on what I'm doing what weight I should start with for both?

[[censored]]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Can you explain more about how the low rep high weight thing would fit in with what Im currently doing?


[/ QUOTE ]

Will boost your max strength.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was looking for more specifics on how many reps is considered low and how much I should increase the weight by.

for example if I am leg pressing 210 3x10, what does that translate to for low/high

[[censored]]

CM,

for the first 2 weeks I did 2 reps (15,10) for all my exercises doing more of a total body workout every other day but I didnt really feel like I was doing enough, or I wanted to do more so I changed to the 2 days on/ 1 day off with 3x10 for each lift.

do you think my current work out (which I like) will allow me to get bigger/stronger or do I really need to change things up like you suggested.

thank you for your help