Any working out advice?

[The Buddha]

So I bought a set of dumbbells today. I don't really know what to do with them, though. :-)

I've been doing some studying. I want to focus on upper-body strength, mostly. But this is the exercises I think I'm gonna do.

Bench Presses
Bent-over rows
Shoulder Presses
Lat pullovers (laying on your back, dumbbells over your head)
Upright rows
Squats
Maybe arms (though the core exercises should take care of them)

But what I DON'T know is how often to work out and when. Can I do this whole workout in one day? Like with circuit training? or should I do a conventional routine and split it up into two days?

It seems silly to only do four exercises in one day, you know. I just don't know crap about this stuff.

[Lumpy]

[Mr. Plow]

I know we've got some workout guys on here....so rather than starting a thread of my own, I'm going to throw this in here to hopefully get some direction.

I'm 6'3", 200lbs. Going to the Bahamas May 4th. I've always been thin, but I've got myself a beer belly - which has become like a brother to me - but it's time for that brother to find someone else to go hang out with. So, I've got roughly 9 weeks to trim him down.

I bought me a pair of running shoes and I'm going to start running - but I'd like to do a little weights as well to tone up mainly upper body.

I've got a ton of weights at home, so a gym is not necessary. Can anyone give me some recommendations that will produce some results in 9 weeks? I don't need - or want to be ripped. Just a decent looking upper body.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

I know we've got some workout guys on here....so rather than starting a thread of my own, I'm going to throw this in here to hopefully get some direction.

I'm 6'3", 200lbs. Going to the Bahamas May 4th. I've always been thin, but I've got myself a beer belly - which has become like a brother to me - but it's time for that brother to find someone else to go hang out with. So, I've got roughly 9 weeks to trim him down.

I bought me a pair of running shoes and I'm going to start running - but I'd like to do a little weights as well to tone up mainly upper body.

I've got a ton of weights at home, so a gym is not necessary. Can anyone give me some recommendations that will produce some results in 9 weeks? I don't need - or want to be ripped. Just a decent looking upper body.

The running won't really be necessary, IMO. If you hit the weights hard, doing the major exercises like bench press, military press, curls, rows, etc., you'll be burning off more fat than you will by running. I can't stress this enough: 2 days rest on every muscle group.

[Bweb]

Start slow!!! Don not overdue it starting out. If you overdue it and wake up tomorrow very sore, you will be more likely to not continue. It is human nature to stop doing activities that cause pain (Duh!).

Start with body weight excercises, like pushups, to get into the groove before moving to barbells. Most guys remember what they could lift back in the day and after sitting out 1,2 or 20 years want to start up back close to what they remembered. Bad idea! Start way under where you think you should, better to be way easy and keep with it then to start to hard get real sore and fall off of the wagon.

Anyway good luck

[Bweb]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow
I know we've got some workout guys on here....so rather than starting a thread of my own, I'm going to throw this in here to hopefully get some direction.

I'm 6'3", 200lbs. Going to the Bahamas May 4th. I've always been thin, but I've got myself a beer belly - which has become like a brother to me - but it's time for that brother to find someone else to go hang out with. So, I've got roughly 9 weeks to trim him down.

I bought me a pair of running shoes and I'm going to start running - but I'd like to do a little weights as well to tone up mainly upper body.

I've got a ton of weights at home, so a gym is not necessary. Can anyone give me some recommendations that will produce some results in 9 weeks? I don't need - or want to be ripped. Just a decent looking upper body.

Originally Posted by Brock

The running won't really be necessary, IMO. If you hit the weights hard, doing the major exercises like bench press, military press, curls, rows, etc., you'll be burning off more fat than you will by running. I can't stress this enough: 2 days rest on every muscle group.

I would agree with this to an extent. I wouldn't start running right off (may be sore from lifting) and if you have never run or sat out a long time, running may cause some injuries. However, I would start by using some walking (1/2 to 1 mile) as a warm-up and cool down for your lifting. This will enable you to have a proper warm-up and cool down from the lifting which will help in aleviating some soreness and gradually improve your cardio. After 2-3 weeks start some slow jogging instead of the walking. This should hopefully help avoid injuries and would also add in burning just a few more calories.

Good Luck!

[Mr. Plow]

So avoid the running to begin with.

What should I focus on when lifting to tone the arms, chest and stomach? Bench? Curls? etc?

[Bweb]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

So avoid the running to begin with.

What should I focus on when lifting to tone the arms, chest and stomach? Bench? Curls? etc?

I would start with some low weight on the bench...say 3 or 4 sets x10 reps at something that feels comfortable (maybe 50% of a max). You could also do some light weight curls and overhead press. Remember to keep the weight lite for the first couple of weeks to avoid bad soreness and injuries. The muscles will take a few weeks to get acclimated to the new stress. I saw some very good advice earlier in the thread about keeping enough recovery between lifts. Keep 2 days minimum between lifts.

Try walking/jogging to keep active on the days you are not lifting.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

So avoid the running to begin with.

What should I focus on when lifting to tone the arms, chest and stomach? Bench? Curls? etc?

Bench press, military press, bent over rows, curls, behind the head curls, pull ups, shrugs, then whatever with the abs, crunches and things like that. The main thing is to turn up the intensity so that you feel like a rag doll when you're done. And as pointed out before, rest days are really important.

[Bweb]

I thought I would throw this site out there.

http://www.running-journal.com/rj/member/RunCalendar

This is a good site to keep track of your workouts and keep track of your physical activity whether running, walking, lifting, etc. Free!

Proven that if you keep track of your activity with a journal, you will stay with the activity longer.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Mr. Plow

I know we've got some workout guys on here....so rather than starting a thread of my own, I'm going to throw this in here to hopefully get some direction.

I'm 6'3", 200lbs. Going to the Bahamas May 4th. I've always been thin, but I've got myself a beer belly - which has become like a brother to me - but it's time for that brother to find someone else to go hang out with. So, I've got roughly 9 weeks to trim him down.

I bought me a pair of running shoes and I'm going to start running - but I'd like to do a little weights as well to tone up mainly upper body.

I've got a ton of weights at home, so a gym is not necessary. Can anyone give me some recommendations that will produce some results in 9 weeks? I don't need - or want to be ripped. Just a decent looking upper body.

Try Mitotropin. Just read the book and follow the diet and routines. It's 30 day precontest supplement and plan, so try it 30 days before your trip. Before that just get into a basic weight training routine, and you really need to get a straight diet. 40% protein 40% Carbs 20% fat. Diet is everything.

[movinbones]

I found this site helpful.

I did the V-diet and lost 26 lbs in 4 weeks and drop my body fat 8%.

http://www.t-nation.com/

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Brock

Gyms are usually a ripoff.

I go to a Gym in Columbia, Mo.


It has a full complement of free weight and bench machines spread across 8-10,000 square feet of floor space, 15 treadmills, 8 or so ellipticals, 5-7 bikes, 5 stair masters, an entire room for spinning, two saunas, two jacuzzis, and another room for classes, which are complementary.

It's 45 bucks a month. Total, and is open 24 hours a day.

I have another friend who goes to a different gym open far fewer hours with less equipment and pays 65 a month....

[movinbones]

After the V diet I ate like shit through the holidays but continued to workout and I still weigh 197 and drop my body fat by another 1.5%