Thread: going to the gym today, first time in 2 years! any suggestions?

im leaving in about 15 minutes no suggestions?

start out slow, light and easy.

I'd probably suggest a full body routine 2-3 times per week utilizing compound exercises, maybe 2-3 sets on each movement for the first month or so.

take it easy. don't do to much to fast

thats exactly what i was thinking. so you say about a month before i bump it up a notch? i think thats sounds doable, maybe ill look at a little more come april. any advice on staying motivated through that first month though. with light exercizes i dont know if ill see any results that will keep me going, i guess ill have to just push through. im sure after a few weeks ill be into it enough to keep going, thanks

well off i go whish me luck

just listen to your body.

well that sucks, they wont let me start untill tomarrow. well i guess ill try again then.

Originally posted by willus72
well that sucks, they wont let me start untill tomarrow. well i guess ill try again then.

why?

Go slow and easy for a few weeks. I know its frustrating but the bldy needs to get acclimated and the possibility of injury is high.

When I went back to the gym I took the first month very light. Went about 15 reps on everything and maintained absolute strict form. Wanted to make sure my joints got use to the motions and weight again. My joints were creacking more than an old wood floor .
The next month I started uping the weights going for 10 reps. I was dying out ratther quicly and felt that my strengh would never come back due to age. Well within a month, I was lifting with as much intensity and strength as I was 5 years ago. I was amazed at how quickly my muscles adapted. Muscle memory is a great thing. I'm fortunate that my body responds very well and puts on muscle rather quicly. Now if I can cut-up as fast as I put on muscle I would be one happy guy

okay well after putting it off for a couple of days, i went today. there was no trainer available so i just startded on some machines. heres what i found out:

i have no clue what the hell im doing

i have no clue how to do the stuff i was trying to do

i am a hell of alot weaker than i was a few years ago, i mean alot

i think i pushed myself too hard

i think i need to spend the $30/hr to speak with a trainer

unless you guys can help. i need some sort of a routine, i understand that i need to go easy but i have no idea how to do that. every other rime i just jumped right into things with somebody els and had no clue what i was doing. so if somebody can help me with a simple step by step that will get me started that would be very helpful. here this thread will tell you a little about me if there is anything else you need to know let me know

noob---anyone want to help me with a schedule?

the responces for this thread were real helpful, but i need something more set in stone for a beginner without a training partner. somebody recommended deadlift squats lungs etc.. but i dont know how to properly do these. i was shooting for mainly machine work untill i feel more comfortable and confident in what im doing. i know ill learn as i go so i just need some simple stuff to get me started learning. oh and i would like to go no more than 3-4 days a week for now untill i am more comfortable.

thanks again

Well at least you admit that you do not know what you are doing. Most people just stay in the gym continuing to do things wrong.

It is somewhat difficult to explain in writing how every exercise is properly performed. I have to say that seeing the trainer for at least one or session(s) would not be such a bad idea. You may want to tell him to show you how to do several different exercises for each body part. Tell him to stick to the basics (bench press for chest, curls for arms, etc.).

Don't be afraid to ask others questions or for help. I never have a problem with someone asking me how to properly do an exercise or even what muscle an exercise is targeting. Also, watch other people. You can intuitively tell who is doing an exercise right and who is doing it wrong.

When we mean go slow we mean go light on the weights. Try doing 15 repetition for every set. Since it sounds like you are totally new, I suggest picking up very light weight and lift the weight slowly. The goal would be to learn the proper motion, or form, of the exercise.

For example, if you wanted to work on your biceps grip the barbell with both hands at least shoulderwidth apart. Do not put any weight on the bar. Keep your elbows tucked into your body. Now lift the bar without swinging your body (no hip or back motion). Try to squeeze or flex your arms as the weight comes up. Then lower the weight as slowly as possible. Do this fifteen times. Remember to concentrate the whole time on your biceps and make sure no other part of your body is coming into play when doing this exercise.

Now when I say to hit a particular number of reps, I mean to try to get to that number using as much weight as possible without giving up form (later you can learn about forced or controlled cheats but lets keep it simple. ). So for 15 reps, you should use as much weight as will allow you to get to 15 reps with the last couple of reps being difficult to do. If you get to 15 with no trouble, add some weight. That least rep should be difficult to do.

After your body gets accustomed to this, you can start using heavier weights. For me proper form is key. If your form is off, you are not properly targeting the muscle group and are not efficiently breaking down the muscle. Learn form and then move weight; don't be so concerned with how much others are lifting.

For proper routines and diet do a search on this site. If it works, great; If it does not drop it. Don't be afraid to try something different. As you work out, you will learn more and will be changing things on occassion anyway.

I hope this helps.

it depends on how often you can/will go to the gym

you have to get a good split set up

for right now you do:
Monday-upper body
tuesday-lower body
Friday-upper
Saturday-lower

once you got that down, you can start choosing the exercises

When coming off a layoff, I do about 20% of a standard workout. Thusly it will take 6 weeks or so to get back to a full routine, if I overdo it I will be hurting so much I wont be able to train at all for awhile, so I take it slow.

Utilize your time... Do a body part a day... more sets that way

great that is really helpful, i set an appt with the personal trainer. as for hitting the weights i am not a first timer. but i am a first timer when it comes to being serious. before i was always locked up or something similer and really didnt care just wanted to act tuff. and yes you are definatly right about needing to learn proper form. this i dont know. i really do need to talk to the trainer once or twice. as for diet and nutrition i am also working on that. i tried eating somebody elses diet and it was way to much for me so right now im just eating everything healthy in sight untill i can get myself accustomed to eating alot. oh and mudge that is about what i tried to do at first probably 70-80% of what i used to, well it ended up being about 30% lol. i felt like a pussy. so i used the air machines so nobody could tell how little weight i was doing. but like i said, the lifting part i can get help and ask etc... but really what i need to know is what to excercise, when, how often, and the best excersises, etc... cat i can probably do 4 days i was kind of gunning for three but i can give 4 a shot for right now. do you know what exercises i can do on each of those days if i do the split you mentioned?

thanks again for all of everybodys help

Try this:

Lift on Mon, Wed, Fri:

Day 1: Chest and Biceps

Day 2: Back and Triceps

Day 3: Shoulder and Legs

If you want to include a forth day, (say Sunday ) you may want to seperate shoulders and legs. Since you are also looking to slim down do some cardio (20-30 mins) after each workout (may be tough on leg day.)

Remember nothing is set in stone. If you feel more comfortable doing chest and triceps on Day 1 and back and bis on Day 2 go ahead.

As for the exercises, ask the trainer to show you a few. Remember to ask hi to stick to the basic exercises for each body part. I recomend that you ask him what each exercise is called and then write it down (don't feel troubled by holding a pen and pad in the gym;If you look around many people will be keeping a log of how they are doing) along with what body part it is for. The reason for writing down the names of the exercises is so that when you start to read various articles and books on working out you will have an idea of what they are talking about when they say deadlifts, lat-pulldowns etc.

Good luck

awesome, that is what im looking for. now another question. how many excercises do you think i should do for each body part? like how many for tris, chest, bis, back, etc... can you give me a link to a site that would help me decide which excercises to do? like i said i will feel most comfortable using the machines for the next couple of weeks befor i start messing aroung with freeweights. well dumbells are fine i have no problem with them. thanks again

Checkout this thread:

Eric's Motivational Thread

(Canuk_newbie I hope you don't mind )

It provides and example similar routine to what we posted above and Canuck was kind enough to breakdown the routine for each day. Should provide you with an idea.

Starting off with machines is fine but I recommend that you throw in a least one free weight exercise per body part to start becoming accustomed to lifting them. ake sure the trainer shows you both types of exercises (machine and free weights) as it is important that you start to learn and include free-weight exercises in your workout (The link above also illustartes this).

wow, that is exactly what i need at least untill i can get an appt with a trainer. thanks i apreciate all of the help!