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2009/08/20, 04:28 AM
Am I on the right track?
To start I am 37 yrs old 6ft 7 @ 205lbs. I have been a pack a day smoker for 20+ years along with the wild party days of drinking. I have a job with 0 stress sitting at a desk doing very little 10 hours a night 4 days a week.
2.5 weeks ago I decided enough is enough I am ready to bulk up and put some weight on. I quit smoking ciggarettes and joined the YMCA. Went out and got the proper gear and running shoes for training.
Supplements taking whey protien, creatine, omega 3 argentine l.
I am drinking 2 44oz protein shakes 6 days a week which consist of.. whey, creatine, frozen strawberries, frozen black berries, apple juice and kiwi.
Between my meals I am snacking on peanuts and almonds about 12-14oz daily.
When I get to the gym I warm up on the treadmill for the first .25 mile at 3.8 mph and then I increase the incline to 10 degrees and leave the speed at 3.8mph I get my heart rate up to 165.168 BPM and keep this for 1 mile. I then cool down for another .25 mile and do another mile at 10 degree incline at 3.8mph.
After my cardio workout I proceed to the gym and I am following the workout program I got from here which last about 45 mins in the gym.
Today I have my weight is at 219 which I have gained 14lbs. in a lil over 2 weeks.
I know I am not getting enough sleep on the avg i get 5-6 hours on the weekdays.
I am trying to learn about reps and weight training which I doubt I am doing properly.
Reps let me see if I am understanding this.
start out at 15 reps in the frist session.
Next session increase weight and decrease reps?
Any aedvice on what I have been doing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Donn
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2009/08/21, 04:04 AM
Donn, you get your heart rate up to 165 by walking uphill at 3.8mph? Wow, either that's a steep hill or you're coming from a standing start in your cardio fitness.
In terms of the cardio (more my area than weights and supplements, the other guys on here will doubtless help with that) I would say that around 15-20 mins of relatively light exercise like this is better than nothing but to take care of all that smoking for so long, hopefully it'll pick up slowly as your lungs recover and you can push yourself a little more.
Al
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2009/08/21, 11:45 AM
If you're trying to bulk-up, then I highly suggest laying off the cardio. The reason is that Cardio burns calories, and the theory behind bulking-up is to take in a volume of calories beyond what your body needs for maintainance. 14 pounds is pretty excessive for two weeks, and I promise you it's not all muscle. It's mostly going to be water weight because of the increased calories, salt from the peanuts, and possibly from the creatine. All that being said, here's my advice to you:
-For right now, get off all of the supplements. Being new to this there is a world of gains to be made before going to supps.
-Get your diet 100% straight. Protein being #1(try for around 40-50% of over-all calories), followed by fats and carbs splitting the difference. Just you're peanut/almond intake alone is pushing you out of balance for fats, not to mention the salt. PLEASE read through the diet forums, you'll find much more specific advice.
-Start with the beginner's program and hang with it for at least a month. Normally to bulk-up you lift in a heavier weight range, with lower reps(6-10). But being new you are in a prime position right now which I like to call the "magic window". You will see good gains from just being in the gym and working the program.
-Rest as well as you can. A good night's sleep is just as important as working out itself.
If you don't find the advice you're looking for by browsing the different forums, feel free to message me. I'm working with several people right now, and I don't mind helping out.
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2009/08/25, 04:18 AM
Hi Alex and returnofplex thanks for the replies and advice.
The reason I am on the treadmill is also to build up my cardio and breathing, it also gets the blood circulating and warms up the muscles? Monitoring my heart rate today I start out cold at 0 degree incline at 3.4mph for the 1st .25 of a mile then I increased the incline to 14 degrees and bumped the speed to 3.8mph for 1 mile and my heart rate is stayed around 155.
Please remember I was a pack a day smoker for over 20 years.
I am noticing an increase of stamina in the time I started a few weeks ago. I figured walking at that much of incline helps cardio along with increasing my leg strength, I am wanting to fill out not just be top heavy.
I notice most guys in the gym are never on a treadmill or a bicycle.
So your saying stop taking the whey and creatine? Also another question, why am I the only one with bottled water while working out?
Thanks
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2009/08/25, 11:06 AM
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Quoting from lankeeyankee@ao:
Hi Alex and returnofplex thanks for the replies and advice.
The reason I am on the treadmill is also to build up my cardio and breathing, it also gets the blood circulating and warms up the muscles? Monitoring my heart rate today I start out cold at 0 degree incline at 3.4mph for the 1st .25 of a mile then I increased the incline to 14 degrees and bumped the speed to 3.8mph for 1 mile and my heart rate is stayed around 155.
Please remember I was a pack a day smoker for over 20 years.
I am noticing an increase of stamina in the time I started a few weeks ago. I figured walking at that much of incline helps cardio along with increasing my leg strength, I am wanting to fill out not just be top heavy.
I notice most guys in the gym are never on a treadmill or a bicycle.
So your saying stop taking the whey and creatine? Also another question, why am I the only one with bottled water while working out?
Thanks
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When you look around in the gym, you may see some pretty ripped guys just lifting and not doing cardio. This is because it is possible just through diet and strength training to lose fat OR gain muscle mass. These thing however do not come with the cardiovascular benefits that regular cardio does.
I suggested laying off the supplements for now because you are a beginner, and there are a lot of gains to be had from just being natural and having a tight diet. Add the supps in later when you plateau.
It's a great thing that you drink water while working out! I drink water between every set while lifting.
Back to the diet thing: What's more important to you right now; losing a lot of fat or gaining a lot of muscle? You need to really pick one and work toward that specific goal. With the way you are putting calories into your body it sounds like you are trying to bulk-up. For fat loss, all the peanuts and protein drinks are going to really work against you because losing fat is about creating a reasonable caloric deficit every day.
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