Started going to the gym - advice please

DiCe!

DiCe!

DiCe!

Soldato
Joined
1 Sep 2007
Posts
5,416
So news years resolution came around and I decided I wanted to get fit.

I am not big by any stretch of the imagination infact the opposite, my metabolism is off the chart, i eat and eat but no weight gain, 28" trousers and weigh just over 8 stone, at 23 im getting a bit annoyed. I did martial arts for 5 years when I was younger and put on muscle and had some definition to my body which I liked, then along came uni and it all went to pot!

So I've been 3 times in the last week and a half and also play football once a week, I'd like to know if anyone has any advice for me starting a routine etc

I'm not into lifting weights at the moment, really not my thing.

20 minutes treadmill with the last 10 mins at high speed
15 minutes rowing
15 minutes on the cross trainer
15 minutes on the weight machines (dont know what they are called!)
20 mins on the bike

I'm looking to improve my cardio and just add a little muscle everywhere.

Any advice would be great, many thanks!
 
You wont build muscle without doing some weights, so it might not be your thing but you need to think about it more ;)
 
I would suggest chatting to a personal trainer and buying one or two session if you are up to it, get him/her to write you a program and show how to do the exercises as doing them incorrectly can cause injury a gyming partner works wonders too.
Cardio is cardio so I am guessing do what you are doing building muscle depends on what you are aiming for; free weights are the way forward.

I started gyming 2 months ago and have been doing machine exercises, my brother was a personal trainer and I went with him on Saturday to do arms and I have not hurt so good before, he is writing me a program, two muscle groups a day split over four days and one cardio day but I will still do 30 min of cardio daily except after legs :P

I am not an expert but this is what I learnt so for :)
 
If you want to gain muscle, which is key to definition as you can't have 'defined' nothing except skin and bones, then stop burning so many calories.

I'd recommend reading GordyR's bodybuilder sticky. Irrespective of the fact you don't want to be a bodybuilder it still is full of useful information on how to build muscle.
 
BennyC said:
If you want to gain muscle, which is key to definition as you can't have 'defined' nothing except skin and bones, then stop burning so many calories.

I'd recommend reading GordyR's bodybuilder sticky. Irrespective of the fact you don't want to be a bodybuilder it still is full of useful information on how to build muscle.
Click to expand...

Just reading through the sticky now :)

I understand I need to put muscle on to be defined, I dont mind going onto weights in the future but right now as I am (nearly) skin and bones I dont feel confident enough to do that at the gym, so anyway to get a little bit before I go for that is what I'm after really.

With the burning off calories, the amount of food I eat is crazy on a normal day

breakfast - Cereal with OJ and some fruit
10:30 - Sandwich
12:00 - panini with crisps/chips, fruit, choc bar some sort of squash
4:00 - Another sandwich
8:00 - BIG dinner if it includes rice ill go through a pack for 2 by myself, lots of potato, always involves a big amount of meat and veg.

I am hungry a lot, I have to have smaller stuff throughout the day as otherwise I get tired and lethargic.
 
Along with what the guys have already said, if you want to put on muscle which is the only way you will be able to become "defined" rather than a bag of bones your going to have to as Morba says eat like a horse, train like a demon and sleep like a baby. Especially if your one of those people who struggle to put on weight, then your going to have to eat more.
Looking at that diet unless your packing some serious amounts of meat into your sandwiches your not eating that much in the grand scheme of things. Especially if your generally active.
 
tom_e said:
Along with what the guys have already said, if you want to put on muscle which is the only way you will be able to become "defined" rather than a bag of bones your going to have to as Morba says eat like a horse, train like a demon and sleep like a baby. Especially if your one of those people who struggle to put on weight, then your going to have to eat more.
Looking at that diet unless your packing some serious amounts of meat into your sandwiches your not eating that much in the grand scheme of things. Especially if your generally active.
Click to expand...

Morning is tuna + cucumber afternoon is ham + cheese, i do tend to pack it in lol
 
Ive tried my hand at a lot of sport over my years at school, I did run 100 and 200 metres as I was shorter then, I never really tried long distance. Also tried the javelin, although I didnt have great strength I was told I had a brilliant technique.
The one thing I really enjoyed was the martial arts, less what I was doing but because I knew I had worked hard afterwords because I was shattered! Unfortunately the guy that trained me has since moved to Australia.
 
DiCe! said:
Just reading through the sticky now :)

I understand I need to put muscle on to be defined, I dont mind going onto weights in the future but right now as I am (nearly) skin and bones I dont feel confident enough to do that at the gym, so anyway to get a little bit before I go for that is what I'm after really.

With the burning off calories, the amount of food I eat is crazy on a normal day

breakfast - Cereal with OJ and some fruit
10:30 - Sandwich
12:00 - panini with crisps/chips, fruit, choc bar some sort of squash
4:00 - Another sandwich
8:00 - BIG dinner if it includes rice ill go through a pack for 2 by myself, lots
of potato, always involves a big amount of meat and veg

I am hungry a lot, I have to have smaller stuff throughout the day as otherwise I get tired and lethargic.
Click to expand...

Bro, that's not a lot of food at all. Lots of fast release carbs though, hence the hunger. Eat more, lift some weights and man up :p

Take that in the spirit that it is intended. If you want some muscle, lift some heavy things!
 
DiCe! said:
I understand I need to put muscle on to be defined, I dont mind going onto weights in the future but right now as I am (nearly) skin and bones I dont feel confident enough to do that at the gym, so anyway to get a little bit before I go for that is what I'm after really.
Click to expand...

You're going to be skinnier after what you're doing if you're in a calorie deficit. Lift weights. Heavy weights (when I say heavy I dont mean x hundred kilos, I mean what you find heavy and taxing).

Also, eat more of the foods in the bodybuilding sticky. Drop the cereal and cakes.
 
I hadnt thought of circuit training but like the idea!, im back off to the gym tonight and will have a word with a PT there to see what he suggests for my build and goals etc.
 
You want to build muscle, so do muscle building exercises and sets etc, not circuit training :p
 
Elma said:
cucuit trainning is good for improving musle definition and cardio better to be lean and mean :)
Click to expand...

What?

I know you're trying to help but that isn't the best advice in this situation. Circuit training is a slow way to build muscle, at best. Unless you had something specific in mind... This chap has stated that he is skinny, what he needs to do is build some lean mass, no one is suggesting putting on fat.

OP I would speak to a PT and see what he suggests, but make sure he knows you want something simple that will build muscle (as vein as that may sound in your head ;) ).
 
If the routine you get given involves squats, deadlifts and bench with possibly some OHP then your on to a winner
 
As said above, cardio is not going to gain you any weight, only shred whats left of your physique so your smaller.

Incorporate some weights into your routine ( hopefully your not under the illusion that weights are for people who want to be massive )

Youll see big changes if you eat clean and often.

If your really against weight training, some body weight training would be beneficial dips,pressups,pullups that sort of thing.
 
On weight days (Mon - Wed - Fri) I do enough cardio to warm up (12-18 minutes, however long it takes me to get a bit sweaty).

Then plough on with the weights.

Personal trainer is THE best recomendation I could give as everyones needs are different.

Any good trainer will tell you the place to start is your current diet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom