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[Deleted member 713885]

Title pretty much sums it up.

Last 1.5 years I've been stuck coming and going to the gym. Reading 100 books, 1000 web sites, buying 10000 supplements etc..
I need a direction, a fool proof spelled out Sun-Sat regime.

Size/Weight: 6'1 158lbs
Heres my deal. Joined a place 3 years ago, paid for trainer services. 2 trainers quit a couple sessions in and my last guy was a power lifter who tried to kill me lol. Had 3 trainers over 3 months and the last one didnt understand I our body differences. So, I quit. 3 months, no free weights/squats/etc.. all machines and leg presses.

Then I joined good old Planet Fitness and just did my own thing.
No direction, no plan. 5 days a week just doing what I found enjoyable.
But...Planet Fitness just has Smith Machines and dumbbells and every sight I read says the place sucks.

But! What do I see!?!?
A massive AWESOME gym opens up across the street from my house! Its huge! It has a cafe, studios, a MOVIE THEATER!
I go for 3 months, just doing random stuff and BAM...
I think from having zero idea on a routine, form, weight I should use and using Planet Fitness Smith machines...First my hip is sore ALL the time! And my shoulder, is a MESS!

That was 3 months ago. Havent stepped foot in the gym since but now I feel good, I've healed.

So now I need someone to help me make a road map, a list of what to do and when. I have zero gym buddies (my closes friend lives 90min away)
Also...while this gym has EVERYTHING..theirs lines to use the squat racks.
But, I do have some home equipment I can use!

I have access to the gym as I said but heres what I have at home..
Bench/Bar and 100lbs in plates.
Since it seems I'll never get a chance to use the squat rack at the gym I have these now

I also have a set of 10lb, 20 and 25lb dumbells.
And I have a Power Tower or some shit for pull ups.
(I suck at pull-ups. I use the assist of 20lbs and can do 10 that way tops)


So give it too me guys.
I need the full plan. The stretches, do I do push-ups, sit-ups?
Do I do cardio? How much? What kind? Before or after workout?

 

[Genei_Jin]

What is your goal? What are you trying to achieve? That would be a good place to start.

 

[Deleted member 713885]

What is your goal? What are you trying to achieve? That would be a good place to start.

Add a little size. I'm about 155ish 6ft 1, basically skinny as fuck.. would like to be about 160-165.

This would be a nice goal lol

 

[bati]

If you want to work out at home then definitely check Scooby's site - http://scoobysworkshop.com/

Lots of good advice in general, no bullshit, no shortcuts.

As a general guideline based on the numbers you provided I'd say you should stick to low rep high weight exercises (as much as your supporting muscles can handle in the beginning) to build up strength and mass. If you go into 10-12 rep range you'll start working more towards endurance. Stick with compound exercises in the beginning - bench press, squats, deadlift, etc - exercises that target large muscle groups and activate as many smaller muscle groups as possible. Pick 5 of these, and do 5 sets of 5-6 reps each every workout (3-4 days a week), try to fit them all in a 45 min window, no more than 1 min break between sets. You can even try antagonistic regime, which is alternating muscle groups, for example bench press (chest, triceps) followed immediately by pull ups or rows (back muscles, biceps).

10 min cardio before workout to warm up, followed by stretching - always stretch after each exercise too (but not between sets) - do not underestimate or half ass this part or you will regret it. Also pay attention to your joints, people with thinner frames often have problems with wrists - be careful with curls, maybe stick with dumbells instead of curl bars. In fact, sticking with dumbells when applicable is better in the long run anyway because you'll better build up support muscles. This won't be an option in the beginning when you're starting out though so just stick with the bar so you can ramp up the weight quicker.

Other than that - diet is probably 80% or 90%. And leave your ego at the door, the only person you're competing against the gym is yesterday's you. Set realistic goals for youself - ie, a fit figure in a 2 year time frame, that's doable for anyone. Just don't expect magic to happen in weeks or months.

 

[Dice]

Rule #1: Your max is not what you can lift. It is what you can lift with full control and perfect form. For sake of preventing injury or developmental derailment that will cause chronic problems: Do not sacrifice form to add more weight.

Supplements are only good for adding convenience to an already solid diet. Eating clean yet still getting caloric surplus is huge. It can be difficult to figure out a clean diet you still enjoy and can afford, then a second challenge to figure out how to still get so much down as it is usually more filling than rich unhealthy foods. Figuring out that puzzle between the nutrition, your preferences, and your lifestyle is a big hurdle but absolutely necessary.

I recommend a book called "The Naked Warrior" for simply understanding the nature of strength functioning in the body. It is just timeless wisdom applicable to any type of workout to help you realize what you need to find your strength.

 

[Ka-Kui]

I'veI can't give you specific advice as Im no pro but I'll tell you some key info.

Ive been skinny most of my life. Tried gym it's a waste of money for me, but others like it because it motivates then when they're around people with similar motivations. Which is fine but I never needed the motivation just the right path.

I've been through a lot of trial and error without good guidance and I can tell you nothing kills motivation more than an injury you have to wait to heal. Like others have said earlier don't do more than you can handle and don't sacrifice form. Patience and steady dedication wins.

The other thing I learnt is everybody's body is different, yes that's obvious, but what I'm trying to emphasize is certain parts of your body you will have an easier time training and will see more results quicker, and others a lot slower. This also goes for time for healing, don't push too much or overtrain listen to your body and decide when you think it's the right time to train a certain body part again.

Lastly, this is the best free resource that I can find and regularly use for workout advice:

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCe0TLA0EsQbE-MjuHXevj2A

Jeff Cavaliere is king! He's got thousands of useful videos on various subjects and he's a true professional. Search for a topic you'd like to find out more on and you can pretty much educate yourself through his videos. It's hard to give a generic set of instructions without constant guidance and supervison so it's best if you learn bit by bit along the way and adjust a regimen whoever gives you to suit your body.

 

[Hoya Destroyer]

I used to like going to the gym. I went for a few years.
I'd go every second day and do...

Day 1: Back and biceps
Day 2: Chest and triceps
Day 3: Legs and shoulders

Of course, eating enough protein on a daily basis was important too.

 

[llien]

I'm no pro, but here is my experience:

Mashines are for at least moderates or for pro-ish types who want to focus on certain muscles and very poor for beginners. Do "core" excercises that involve large groups of muscles.
So:

1) Breast-triceps and co: Bench press / Push Ups / or ... hm, no idea how it is called in English:

2) Legs and lower back: Squats
3) Upper "back", biceps and co: T-bar row (standing, not laying on something!) / Pull-ups

4) Deadlift (not as often, or even not at all)


3 times a week is good, 2 is ok in the very beginning, 5 is an overkill that not only brings little to nothing, but can negate your progress completely.
Rembember that unless you do repititions until completely exhausted, you are largely dropping effectiveness of the excercise up to not gaining anything at all.
Especially in the beginning, your muscles will get stronger faster than joints, so to avoid injuries do not push for more weight untill you hit 15+ repetitions.

 

[nephilimdj]

Your photo is brad Pitt after crazy cutting. Basically want to put on heaps of muscle then live on ~1000 day calories with lots of protein for a few months
R/fitness has someone who has done that every few days bragging

 

[OH-MyCar]

If you want to work out at home then definitely check Scooby's site - http://scoobysworkshop.com/

Lots of good advice in general, no bullshit, no shortcuts.

I second this. All of Scooby's stuff has always been tremendously helpful to me (even if he has weird nipples).

Another thing that helped me put some structure into what I was doing was this playlist from the Buff Dudes, which I did variations of for close to a year:


Finally, one thing that has been surprisingly helpful has been this:

I feel bad recommending it because it's stupid as hell, but there's a shockingly well-designed and thoughtful workout series there. I downloaded it as a joke and now I regularly use it. I'll maintain that everything else of its kind is a complete waste of time, but Sagi knows the material if you can get past the inherent corniness.

 

[Osukaa]

Not gonna lie when I joined the gym I did all that stuff for about a week ... then I discovered how much I love the Sauna, Pool, and Jacuzzi's they had... Id pretty much only do the bike thing or running machines for like 30 mins then I said ok thats good enough then spend like the next 2 hours chillen at the Pool, Sauna, Jacuzzi lol good times but hella expensive for what I only did lol. Didnt help that there was a chick fil-a and other fast food joints right in front of you as soon as you walked out.

 

[TTOOLL]

Start CrossFit, eat clean. Thank me later.

 

[highrider]

I could never really bang with the gym environment, honestly most of my workout routine I developed when I was incarcerated. Push-ups, squat thrusts, sit-ups of varied inclinations, dips, I get too bored running so I try to play basketball a lot. Mostly eat right. I’m a vegetarian, eat meat very rarely, I’m the same height as you at 6’1 but I’m more 185-190 but I’m fairly lucky genetically in terms of natural musculature and strength.

Strength training is probably the quickest path for gaining size, but I’ve gotten pretty swole when I really push and exercise consistently and eat properly. And everyone is different man, diet a and workout b might work great for one guy and completely not work for the next. You have to find what works for you. Also check out DDP Yoga.

 

[Dark Star]

what are your goals? if you want to be a "bodybuilder" or a "powerlifter" you can find so many youtube channels dedicated to creating the optimal plan.

here is what i don't understand.
you say you've read "100 books, visiting 1000000 websites" and you still haven't figured out a plan?

there are MILLION workout plans for FREE online. You can find a ton just googling "push pull legs workout plan" or "full body workout plan".
this isn't rocket science. it's fitness. You can figure it out easily.

 

[highrider]

This video really helped me in terms of a good overall perspective on exercise/diet/sleep.

 

[Dusk Soldier]

Add a little size. I'm about 155ish 6ft 1, basically skinny as fuck.. would like to be about 160-165.

This would be a nice goal lol

When celebrities do shirtless scenes, they use water-cutting techniques to lean out. Followed with light exercise to pump blood into the muscles 15-30mins before the shot.

It's not what they look like all the time.

You need a real goal, that's measurable with a timeline.

 

[Hari Seldon]

For me I have had good success with the Tony Horton programs. My goals were different than yours, they were to slim down and generally be and look healthy. However you could definitely add mass with them if you eat correctly.

I started with the new-ish P90 program (not the one from like the early 2000s). I thought it was really good for a beginner who is out of shape. The routine is either 3 days a week of full body resistance and 2 of cardio, or in reverse. The 6th day per week is a mix of a lot of stuff. It has 3 phases progressing in toughness. I definitely lost weight and got some muscle gain, but the losing weight is largely because I was strict about my diet.

I'm now 3 weeks into P90x3, but modified with some T25 replacing the yoga and the agility routine, and I added the P90 ab routine 3 days a week with it. I also add one day a week of 4 sets each of curls and hammer curls because I feel the first part of P90x3 is light on arm stuff. I don't think that x3 is as nicely done as the P90 routine, but there are some really good things. One of them is the Challenge routine which is literally 30 minutes of nothing but pullups and pushups in various hand positions which is a KILLER but man I see results even after only doing this 3 times lol. Another one is called CVX where you do 30 minutes of various things while holding a light weight, like lunges and squats and pretend shooting a basketball.

I'd say what I have learned so far is that you should definitely be focusing on the exercises that work lots of different muscle groups like Illien said above. Pushups, Pullups, Dips, Squats, etc. That really is your base. Go on youtube for each move and find a video detailing the precise technique you should use to get the most out of everything you do. And obviously you have to eat correctly so research that for what you want to do. Personally I like the Tony Horton stuff because it is working everything, and I can add stuff that I feel is lacking on top of it.

 

[EverydayBeast]

As someone who also wasted 1.5 years of doing strictly machine workouts and failed routines with no results too, the best thing I think you can do is stick to the fundamentals and workout on the days you don't want too.

 

[llien]

I don't see anything special about Brad Pitt's Photo. His hands look too muscular given his breast muscles, but that's it. Nothing that an average non-obese person could not achieve in about 2 years of regular training.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Lift heavy things consistently and more quality reps

 

[rokkerkory]

Starts with nutrition. Eat much more if you wanna gain muscle mass. Clean carbs, good fats and a shitload of protein.

 

[Russo]

Time spending in the gym is not actually wastage of time. It makes our body beautiful, keep us healthy and sound. Think your body as an asset.