Just Joined a Gym - Questions

wh01987

Master Don Juan
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:D I just jonied west coast fitness...

I want to overall lose some fat im 160 pounds and am 5'7, Mostly am aiming for the biceps and abs. My gf and the fitness trainer told me im not even that fat and just to do 3 days on and 3 days off.
He reccomended

- 30 mins cardio on these step machines

- and 3 sets of 10 on all these ab and bicep machines so about an hour and 30 mins a day..

also he said drink a protien drink every other day or so....

They have tan beds and everything and so much i dunno what to do with so what do you guys have to contribute.. any reccomendations? :confused:

OHHHH and in the showers there are these weird mats hanging up and a towel with a number out of each shower.. HOW DO I AVOID athletes foot?.. :confused: :(
 

NRM

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Man oh man... another guy new to the gym who wants to focus on just abs and biceps. I'm surprised you didn't include chest.

DO NOT GO FOR SINGLE BODY PARTS.

In a single week, you have the time to work out EVERY one of your body parts and grow dramatically throughout your full body. Do not just focus on that 6-pack and biceps. You'll grow all weird, have lower back pains because of straining abs but no lower back workouts, you'll be disproportioned. What you need to do is create a TOTAL body workout, which is doable over the course of a week.

You won't get big and bulky overnight. It takes years to do what professional body builders do. You can stop and go as you please, but while you're in the gym, at least TRY to work yourself to grow at your maximum potential. It's a waste of time otherwise.

If you aren't fat, then quit worrying so much. BULK UP. Put on some muscle mass. The more lean clean mass you pack on, the less your total body fat percentage will be. If you don't have much muscle to begin with, adding some mass might be just the thing to pump that 6-pack.

Actually, now that I think of it... 160 is pretty heavy for a 5'7" who just joined a gym and is unsure of what to do. Have you done any sports. I'm not sure if what you have is body fat or muscle mass, so you'll need to figure out what you feel like you need and do it.

BUT NEVER WASTE YOUR TIME IN THE GYM. Focus on full body split workout routines. Squats, deadlifts, bench, curls, pullups, lats, french presses, the whole deal. Work each muscle group once a week, and improve every week. Split it into a 3-4 day routine. I aim for 3 sets of 4-6, I remember someone reccomending 5x5 on this site, but the goal is to overload your muscles to growth, so pack some heavy weights.

Think about what you want to do first. Do you want to cut, or do you want to bulk? When I say bulk, I don't mean look like Arnold. I mean, put on some muscle by having a surplus diet and working hard.
 

wh01987

Master Don Juan
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i figure doing 3 on and 3 off what is a good routine for full body fitness then
 

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diablo

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MAX-OT is the way to go. I'm only in my 2nd week and am already feeling some massive gains. Considering getting some Fina next week to aid me, but that's a topic best left to bb.com... :p

By the way, that "protein drink every other day" isn't going to do a thing for you. You should consume 1.5-2g of protein per lb of bodyweight PER DAY. In your case, that's 240-320g pro/day. Each shake has about 40g in it, depending on how much you use.

As far as 3 days on, 4 days off, it's crap. Follow MAX-OT religiously and see if you don't look and feel 110% better. Isolate one muscle group per day, M-F, and do some HIIT for cardio on the weekends. If you can't stand HIIT, pick up inline skating... it's what I do, and it burns an insane amount of cals (somewhere around 17/min if done correctly... about up there with running the 8 min mile.) Also, all of this isn't going to do you ANY good if you don't have a diet in place. By diet, I don't mean "OK GUYS IM GONNA EAT 1/2 CUP COTTAGE CHEESE EVERY NIGHT BEFORE I GO TO BED AND HAVE NOTHING BUT PROTEIN SHAKES ALL DAY INSTEAD OF FOOD!"... (although cottage cheese IS a good idea before bed because it digests slowly and has a good 14g of protein in every 1/2 cup... giving you nutrients all through the night..) but anyway, enough out of me.

Here's the MAX-OT link:


Right Click + Save As

(Thanks NRM for the link, and to johnstonefitness for hosting it...)
 
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