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

irwit

Hi mate, welcome to the boards

Well done on the weight loss, sounds like you have done really well ! If you are losing between 1 and 2 pounds a week that sounds pretty good to me, personally I wouldnt try and rush it too much. Why bother risking injury ? Uphill walking would be a good one, but if you are having trouble with joints I do a lot of swimming as its none impact and I find alot more fun!

As for the weights Id say stick to a basic routine and start light and work your way up slowly. push pull leg routine would be good.

Push day : bench pres, military press, assisted dips

Pull day : deads, rows and assisted pull ups

Leg : Squats, sldl and calf raises.

I guess is quite similar to your routine but personally I would struggle to do much of a shoulder routine after squats, I struggle to do anything after squats! Also its not like your shoulders arent doing anything during the push and pull days!

To be honest Im only regurgitating the same advice thats normally given in here but know from experience that it is a brilliant routine and a great base to work form.

As for diet you seem to be doing well, small meals often really makes a massive difference I have found. I used to go from hungry and no energy to stupidly full and even less energy and tired.

Hope this helps but carry on doing your own research and find out for yourself what you think is best.

littlejohn

Thanks for the reply - I never thought working out a routine for myself would be so difficult. I definitely lack the knowledge that you gain from experience.

If the push/pull routine is proven and good enough for you guys then I reckon I should give it try. Is this detailed somewhere on here please?
(I've told my wife I'm going to do push/pull and she's away pulling the curtains!) ;-)

What kind of weight should I use?
What is sldl? something something dead lift?

I'll give it a try for a few months and see how it goes. In the meantime I'll try work out my own stuff.

The weight loss was relatively easy - just found something that worked - sensible diet and aerobics - and stuck with it. I also like the fact that when the weight loss part is finished I'd be more than happy to continue eating what I'm eating now. Been on a couple of weight loss forums and am amazed how they claim to want to lose weight but "cheated" because the "needed" sweets or pork pies or some other delicacy.

Thanks again
John

littlejohn

A flash of inspiration!

SLDL = Stiff Leg Dead Lift - for the lower back?

Need to get someone at the gym to demonstrate that to me - I have an idea what it is but need to be shown again.

To save you reading the whole post above there's just a couple of questions that's I can't find an answer to now.
How do I decide what weight to lift?
Should I be trying to lift until failure and if so should I fail on every set or just the last?

Thanks
John

Artemis

push, pull & leg day all the way especially if ur focussing on lotts of cardio. Just remember not to snack on rubbish and dont what ever u do get sucked in to the whole missing workouts occasionally thing as consistency is key! also ive noticed a lot of middle aged guys and gals love a few drinks every evening with the meal or at the pub. saving all drinking to the weekend for a once a week night out will work out much better for u and ull drop even more weight quickly. my mothers 58 and eats like a sparrow, but she drinks 4 glases of wine each night and doesnt understand y she isnt loosing weight.....................good luck

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irwit

Personally I wouldnt lift to failure as your asking for an injury, especially with this workout and all the heavy compound moves in involves. For example a dip uses shoulder, chest and tricep, but when you really lift to failure its not necessarly your whole body that will fail at once and if its your shoulder that gives in thats an easy way to have you injured from the gym for the next month or so.

To start with lift what you can with perfect form. As light as needed. then slowly work your way up, adding small ammounts gradually.

Remember you not trying to kill your body. work with it and accept what it can and cant do for now. If you give it time it will adapt to do anything you want it to do. Push too hard and ask too much too fast and you'll break it.

flex899

If you're unsure have a look here:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...gDeadlift.html
Should explain it!

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