*** The 2013 Gym Rats Thread ***

Mobility and foam rolling has no debates, just results. Stretching, if incorporated in mobility/foam rolling work, and is more dynamic rather than static, I think helps greatly.
 
Was gonna say, not debated in the slightest surely. Perfect form or mobility doesn't make a huge difference to a bodybuilder perhaps, but a powerlifter or oly lifter most certain!
 
Bennie-Mac said:
Hello gym rats! I would appreciate a little advice if you would be so kind, i'm off to join the swanky new gym that has recently opened near me in the next couple of days, with the main goal being fat loss and definition.

Currently however I am suffering with hip pain and mobility issues which i'm getting physiotherapy for, good news is the pain and mobility is much better, but due to the nature of the injury and its ability to come back with a vengeance very easily, leg days are a no no for the mean time until its 100%.

So im 6' 2" and currently weigh in at a tad over 13 and a half stone, there is a reasonable amount of muscle there but its mostly hidden by a layer of flubber which I would greatly like to reduce, especially around the midsection. I have lost weight over the months from 16.5stone as I have changed my diet, but a pretty much sedentary lifestyle over the last couple of years due to laziness and injury have made me lose muscle mass and now I personally think I look worse now than I did back then.

Anyway, onto the routine which is what I am looking for advice on. I will be going to the gym every other day, and was thinking a mix of weights and cardio, something like this:

Day one: Chest and Back
3x15 Dumbbell bench press
3x15 Incline DB bench press
3x15 Decline DB bench Press
3x15 DB Flys
3x15 Seated rows
3x15 Lateral Pulldowns
3x15 Deadlifts (Not sure if I will be able to manage with my hip.)
30 mins of cardio (most likely stationary bike as its virtually zero impact and hopefully wont bork the hip)

Day Two: Arms and Shoulders
3x15 Bicep curls
3x15 Hammer Curls
3x15 Tricep pulldowns
3x15 Tricep Extensions
3x15 DB Shoulder Press
3x15 Shoulder Flys (Not sure of actual name, uses a cable)
3x15 Barbell Shrugs
30 mins cardio

Day Three: Core and Legs
3x15 Calf raises
Ill work something out for the legs, I really have to see what I can manage first but im primarily concerned about healing.
3x15 Ab Crunch
3x15 Side crunch
3x15 Hanging knee raises (will have to see about this)
3x30sec Planks (each side + horizontal)
30 mins cardio


So thats my plan, any tips, advice or glaring omissions? One question I would like to ask though is what sort of weight should I be using? Should they be reasonably light due to wanting to lose fat, increase definition but not bulk up to bodybuilder levels?

Thanks for looking and for any advice :)
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Are you doing a HST programme? If not, I don't see why you are doing 15 rep ranges, but I suppose that would depend on the weight you are currently lifting. It also looks more like a bodybuilding programme more than anything.

If your new to lifting, cut out most of it and keep it simple. Well to be fair though I'd hate that programme.

Day Three: Core and Legs

Where is the legs part? No squats, no leg press, no RDLs, no lunges? Need to do legs on leg days.

Get more heavier rowing in on your back days too, if your new to lifting then bent over row if your slightly more knowledgeable and know how to activate your muscle groups then DB row.

But yeah, your rep ranges are crazy. You won't be able to lift heavy enough at a beginner stage to be doing that much to your muscle mass.
 
Begbie said:
Are you doing a HST programme? If not, I don't see why you are doing 15 rep ranges, but I suppose that would depend on the weight you are currently lifting. It also looks more like a bodybuilding programme more than anything.

If your new to lifting, cut out most of it and keep it simple. Well to be fair though I'd hate that programme.

Day Three: Core and Legs

Where is the legs part? No squats, no leg press, no RDLs, no lunges? Need to do legs on leg days.

Get more heavier rowing in on your back days too, if your new to lifting then bent over row if your slightly more knowledgeable and know how to activate your muscle groups then DB row.

But yeah, your rep ranges are crazy. You won't be able to lift heavy enough at a beginner stage to be doing that much to your muscle mass.
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Thanks for the feedback, im not new to lifting but it was about 6 years ago when I stopped going to the gym, I guess since i'm primarily focusing on fat loss this time around I was under the impression that more reps with a lighter weight was correct, which I am now led to believe is the wrong way to go about it so i'll reduce the reps and up the weight. You say it looks more like a bodybuilding program though (than I assume a fat loss program), have you any advice on what I should be doing instead?

With regards to the legs I did mention in my post that im recovering from injury, and unfortunately leg day is temporarily cancelled/drastically reduced until im back to 100%. Rest assured a proper leg routine will come into effect once im able. :)

reiyushin said:
Bennie macdonalds.... ;)

I'll see you at the gym!
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:D Aurora? See you there Mike. Certainly feel like Bennie Macdonalds recently I must say :(

Edit - Just been reading your training log, bloody hell! Well done dude :)
 
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Bennie-Mac said:
Thanks for the feedback, im not new to lifting but it was about 6 years ago when I stopped going to the gym, I guess since i'm primarily focusing on fat loss this time around I was under the impression that more reps with a lighter weight was correct, which I am now led to believe is the wrong way to go about it so i'll reduce the reps and up the weight. You say it looks more like a bodybuilding program though (than I assume a fat loss program), have you any advice on what I should be doing instead?
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On cut it should be lower volume, higher intensity, i.e. training in the strength/lower rep ranges with fewer working sets, since the goal is to preserve lean mass/strength and avoid running yourself into the ground. Approaches like Reverse Pyramid Training are popular for people cutting since it's 2-3 working sets, sticking to the big compound movements with less accessory work etc.
 
Bennie-Mac said:
:D Aurora? See you there Mike. Certainly feel like Bennie Macdonalds recently I must say :(
Edit - Just been reading your training log, bloody hell! Well done dude :)
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Aurora indeed, shall see you there and thanks man :) came a long way since those 25kg dumbell benches we used to do in nirvana! :D
 
Somnambulist said:
On cut it should be lower volume, higher intensity, i.e. training in the strength/lower rep ranges with fewer working sets, since the goal is to preserve lean mass/strength and avoid running yourself into the ground. Approaches like Reverse Pyramid Training are popular for people cutting since it's 2-3 working sets, sticking to the big compound movements with less accessory work etc.
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I'm not meaning to pick on two posts of yours in one night, but again this isn't something I agree with! If You build your body using hypertrophy, why swap just because you're cutting? More intensity at lower weight is mainly recommended as its a calorie burner, it burns slightly more at least. But there's no reason ahh you should swap to it.

In my experience, it'll only lend yourself to unconditioning yourself for your old working weights and sets.
 
MoNkeE said:
I'm not meaning to pick on two posts of yours in one night, but again this isn't something I agree with! If You build your body using hypertrophy, why swap just because you're cutting? More intensity at lower weight is mainly recommended as its a calorie burner, it burns slightly more at least. But there's no reason ahh you should swap to it.

In my experience, it'll only lend yourself to unconditioning yourself for your old working weights and sets.
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I don't think we're in disagreement - you can do most routines on a cut, it's just the more volume there is, the more your ability to recover is likely to be impaired. You're not going to grow in a cal deficit (so doing a ton of volume makes less sense) but you can make strength gains, which is why lower volume strength training gets recommended so much, vs doing something like HST on a cut.

"Both research and practical experience over the years has pointed out one very important thing with regards to training: the amount of training that it takes to maintain a given adaptation is much much less than it took to develop it in the first place."
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http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-2.html
 
That's much clearer to me yes, from a recovery perspective you definitely don't want to be exhausting yourself for the next session or three!
 
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