Thread: A First Commitment.

so after the advice you were given in the training forum did you decide on a new 3 day split?

I haven't yet taken the time to tinker with it, but I'll cut out some exercises. I took the
muscle group line up from Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.

I'm thinking two exercises per muscle group, except for the shoulders because I want to do shrugs and the rear delt row.

I also read Beyond Brawn too, so I am guessing just dead lift once a week and then squat once, though I do not think I am a hard gainer.

I'll repost my workout when it's redrawn and thanks for commenting Dave.

Why do you only want to gain 3 pounds of muscle? That's an unnoticeable amount. Anyways, good luck with your goals, you'll see huge gains, or losses depending on how you look at it haha, if you follow the people on here's advice.

Originally Posted by ihateschoolmt

Why do you only want to gain 3 pounds of muscle? That's an unnoticeable amount. Anyways, good luck with your goals, you'll see huge gains, or losses depending on how you look at it haha, if you follow the people on here's advice.

Because I wanted to be realistic about how much I can gain while cutting, trust me, I'd love to gain more. How much can a newb make in muscle while eating reduced calories and daily cardio?

Oh you aren't going to be gaining muscle while your cutting probably, but I thought you were talking about long term goals. You aren't obese you might be able to gain some of muscle and loose some fat while bulking.

I would love to gain some muscle once I am 8%, my goal is to put on around 20 pounds of muscle. Which, from what I have read will take a year.

Hey Ty,

Good luck on the new workout and journal! I think it is good to have reasonable and reachable goals. It is generally true that a person cannot both add muscle while cutting fat (muscle usually requires eating enough protein and a caloric excess, with a proper training regimen; while cutting fat usually requires a caloric reduction from what you usually eat (maintenance), while (depending on your diet)watching the carbs and fats while still eating enough protein.

That said, it is not unheard of for people new to weight training to be able to cut a little fat, while adding a bit of muscle at the very beginning. So for now you may be OK having both (usually conflicting) goals, but soon you may have to decide what you want to do first - cut the fat or build muscle.

Its totally up to you and a personal decision. But if I were you, I would probably start up a cutting diet (many good ones are listed in the diet forum - low carb cutting plan for males in the stickies; a simple plan that just involves eating below maintenance... or if you want to get more sophisticated/complicated - UD2, paleo, RFL, etc....), and REALLY REALLY focus on your diet above everything else. Be strict about whatever diet plan you choose, and follow it to a T.

At the same time, it makes sense to become familiar with the weight room, and the various compound exercises that should form the core of your routine. Read the stickies in the Training section by Cowpimp. A basic full body workout (push/pull or push/pull/legs are great too) is excellent for beginners (and intermediates!). For instance, you could set up a 3 day full body workout that looks something like this:

Workout A- Push

Dumbbell or Barbell Flat Bench Press: 3 sets x8-12 reps
Barbell Squats (Parallel or below parallel): 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Standing Dumbbell or Barbell Military Press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Triceps Extensions or French press: 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps

Workout B- Pull

(regular or sumo) Deadlifts: 3 sets of 6-10 reps
Bodyweight or Assisted Pullups: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Dumbbell Rows (or any other decent Row): 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Dumbbell Bicep Curls: 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps

Do these workouts three times a week, with a least a day rest in between. For instance, it could be Monday is Workout A, Wednesday is Workout B, Friday is Workout A again; and the following week would be Monday (Workout B), Wed (Workout A), Fri (Workout B).... etc..., etc... The key is to become familiar with these compound exercises and REALLY nail down perfect form! Watch youtube videos of good form, ww.exrx.net is pretty good, or just ask someone in the know to show you. It is critical to adopt good habits at the very beginning, even if that means you are lifting only very light weights, or just the bar itself at first.

Even if you are on a cutting diet, you might still see some strength and/or muscle gains int eh beginning. ONce you slim down to maybe 10-14% bodyfat, then you could consider trying to seriously add some muscle to your frame by adopting a "bulk" diet.

Others here (or you) may disagree with me. You could also just "bulk" now and try to add some more muscle, but it is likely you will also add additional fat (which you later will ahve to cut). Your decision! But good luck!

Oh- and btw, did you check with your doctor yet about getting into resistance training due to the scarring on your lungs/heart?

I'd love to gain 30 pounds of muscle

Before or after you drop down to 8 percent bodyfat?

After. But before I bulk, I want to complete a 5km, a half marathon and really build foundational strength to my core with TRX.