littlejohn

Hi, my first post here so I hope it's in the right place. I've searched the site for answers to my questions but can't quite get a handle on things.

Rather than loads of separate posts I've put all my questions in this one - that's my way of apologising for its length!

By the time you've finished reading this you may decide that what I really need is taken to the vet and put down -- if there was a horse in the shape I'm in that's what they'd do ......................

A little bit of background
Male aged 50.
Height 6'
Weight 15st 9lb (Down from 17st 4lb mid December)

At that age when I should be buying a sports car, leaving my wife for a woman half my age and perfecting the comb-over - none of those appeal to me so next best thing is a body worth looking at and regaining a little bit of self respect..

I used to be fit and active and enjoyed martial arts and running (half marathon 89 mins 33secs - yay!) but for the past five years have been fairly sedentary due to health issues. Arthritis in my hip now controlled by medication and more recently (July 2007) a smashed elbow which will never be 100% - can't completely straighten the arm or fully rotate the wrist.

Obviously some lifting techniques are awkward - free weights are my preference but because of the "injuries" and difficulty always finding a spotter I find I have to use machines more than I 'd like.

Anyways -- mid December I realised I didn't like the way things were so made the decision to make changes. Not a member of the new year crew, it just happened to be that time of year.

Stepped on the scales and after they'd finished groaning in protest broke the news to me that I was 17st 4lbs. When I was fit and healthy I was always between 13 and 14st so set myself a target of anywhere below 14st by 1st July this year. Been eating a sensible, balanced diet since then -- truth be told I nicked my daughters Rosemary Conley GI diet plan and adapted it to suit. Basically lots of fresh fruit, veg, wholemeal stuff, lean meat - you know the routine, I'm sure! Must be doing something right as I'm now at 15st 9lb and losing approx 1-2 lbs a week.

First questions:-
Q1 ... Does the eating plan sound OK?
Q2 ... Short of amputation is there any way to speed up the loss? (I'm still way overweight and I hate it)

So to the gym -- spent the last 3 months regaining a bit of stamina and general conditioning - the aerobics side is OK I think but the weight training's pathetic. I feel that much of what I've been doing up until now has been a waste of time. It a crappy little program from the gym designed to get me lean and toned which I can skip through with very little effort.

I've spent ages researching things and trying to work out a program for myself but there's so much contradictory info I get confused so hope someone can help.

The routine I have in mind is:
Aerobics - (Restricted to what machines I can use due to my hip)
20 mins spin bike 1 min intervals of sprint/high resistance and 1 min easier
I plan to do this at the start of every session.

I then plan to have a day for:
Back & biceps
Chest & Triceps
Legs & shoulders
Abs & core
This means that there's a minimum four day recovery period for each muscle group.
Right? Wrong?

Weights -- I found a routine which for some reason I liked the sound of. Not sure why I liked it - perhaps because it's simple and I understood the thinking behind it and reckoned I could stick with it for while.

It suggested doing 3 sets of 10, 8, and 6 reps (Or 8, 6 & 4) increasing weight as reps decreased and continuing to failure ( I hope I get all the terminology right) with two different excercises for each muscle (ie 3 sets of bench presses followed by 3 sets of some other chest routine)
Opinions - Good? Bad? Crap?
More questions:

Q3... How do I decide what weight to train with?
I understand 3 sets of 3 reps of 10, 8 and 6, increasing weight as reps decrease but when I tried
it I failed on the second set! Should I be finding the very heaviest I can lift and then starting with a certain percentage of that?

Which leads on to the next question.

Q4 ... Should I be failing EVERY set or just at the end of the last one?

Q5 ... Rest periods. Any suggestions on how long to rest between reps in a set and between sets?

Q6 ... Would 8, 6 & 4 with heavier weights be more effective bearing in mind it's size and shape
as opposed to strength that I'm trying to achieve? Or is that a stupid question?

Lastly, any ideas on how long before I start to see a difference? Months? Years?

I realise that to all the experienced people reading this (If anyone's still awake) that some of the answers will be obvious but as a beginner I'm confused and would appreciate someone taking a few minutes to help out.

I'm going to give this 100% and look forward to seeing some changes soon - perhaps patience is not one of my virtues but perserverance is.

Thanks in advance
John