First off, I want to say that this site is awesome. I have been searching the web for the last two weeks and I have found most of my information here.
As for me, my girlfriend joined a gym about 3 weeks ago and we were offered a deal to get me onboard, which is something I have wanted to do since the last time I gave up working out. I am 6'5 195lbs(in need of some mass!), but I am just starting out! I was told to use the machines to give my body a foundation and build endurance before I start on free weights, and I have to admit it, I am enjoying it a lot. At the moment I am trying to find a good work out routine. I have been trying to do a split routine, because there is so much time on my hands at the moment. Can anyone recommend something that will keep me at the gym everyday?
I have been taking a protein shake in the morning, post-workout and before I go to bed. I have also been taking 5 grams of creatine with the first two protein shakes. Not really sure how much protein I should be taking, but I have been putting 29 grams in each shake.
Believe it or not, my biceps have gotten a bit bigger already, and that feeling of "doing more then you could before" is addictive! My goal is to put some mass on, but before I do that, I want to tone out and hopefully get my abs popping out. Right now my diet consists of MANY chicken breasts sandwiches and an apple, but I am definately missing the junk food!
A question about abs...Anyone ever used the abdominal crunch machine(inclined with weights)? I usually put it on 28 pounds and do 3 sets of 60 reps starting with my feet on ground, to middle bar, then to top bar(moving up every 20). Then I do 3 sets of 60 in the opposite direction. This really puts the burn in my abs, but do the weights actually help, or should I do regular crunches?
Sorry for the long post - nice meeting you all,
Chuck
Posted by: TJ Cline
chuck6780 Welcome to IM
Posted by: Triple Threat
Welcome to IM. I think you'll get more responses if you post this in the Training forum. And that part about building a better foundation with machines?
Posted by: chuck6780
Thanks for the welcome...
Triple, thanks for the advice, I will do that. As far as the machines are concerned, I am following that advice, given by one of the bodybuilders there, so I was assuming he was right. Why do you feel that they are wrong for building foundation?
Posted by: TBAR
Welcome to IM! It's a great site, and the guys on here will help you with anything you need!
Posted by: Prince
chuck6780 welcome to IM!
Posted by: dougnukem
Welcome to IM!
Posted by: chuck6780
Thanks everyone, glad to be here.
Posted by: NeilPearson
Machines take you through an unnatural range of motion and isolate muscles. For overall core strength, you are better off doing large muscle compound movements with free weights... movements that will develop your core and stabilizer muscles much more than a machine or isolation exercise. Bench presses, squats, chin-ups, these all work large muscle groups and stabilizer muscles.
As far as toning your abs... there is no such thing as toning. You will see your abs if your body fat percentage is low enough. Definition and seeing muscles has much more to do with fat than muscle.
You said you are trying to see your abs, put on mass, see strength gains... Some of these goals are very difficult to do at the same time. You have to decide if you are on a bulk or on a cut. If you are bulking, you are not going to develop 6 pack abs. If you are cutting, you can get the abs but you aren't going to put on mass. People cycle these stages. They bulk up (eat more calories than they burn) and gain muscle and then cut (eat less calories than they burn) to lose the extra fat that they gained on the bulk. During the cut, they work out more to try and maintain muscle mass than gain it. The two can't really be done at the same time (unless maybe if you are just a beginner and extremely genetically gifted)
Posted by: chuck6780
Thanks for explaining that...I have been searching through some routines, and I am going to try to put a workout together. I have to find out how to do each one still.
With that explanation, I am going to try my best at putting together a healthy meal and bulk over the next two months, and then try cutting after that. Hopefully I'll be in shape by June... I don't need to see massive results right away, I just want to be in shape for the summer, and then next winter I'll bulk up some more. I have a feeling I am going to have trouble putting on weight though, I've fluctuated between 190 and 200 for 8 years now, and I am a big eater.
