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[ian80]

Hey guys,

I lost a large amount of weight about 2 years ago. Ever since, I've been floating at around 175lbs. I'm proud of the weight loss, but am now ready to really get in shape; I'm still quite soft and...saggy? Need to build muscle and get a lower body fat %.

I want to alter my diet to maximize results. I eat fairly healthy, but want to try getting a little more strict with myself. Can you point me towards a diet that would work well for me? I'm not a huge fan of meat; so protein generally needs to come from nuts and tofu. Any advice would be great. (What should I do in regards to calories? Being that my main focus has been weight loss, I've become a little obsessed with calories. I aim for 1800/day, but that is probably too low if I want to build muscle...at the same time, I also want to lose fat...so confusing......)

I also desperately need an exercise routine. I'd like to do weight training 3x/week and cardio 3x/week. Cardio will either be running or swimming. This I can handle. However, when it comes to weight training I'm at a loss. I have no idea where to begin. I have a gym in my apartment building -- it is fairly limited, but I can't afford a gym membership at the moment. Basically, it has dumbbells (up to 45 lbs) and a four-station exercise machine that works chest, legs and abs (I'd prefer to avoid using it if at all possible). Will an hour of muscle training 3 times per week be sufficient? I'd like to see results as soon as possible.

My problem area is my mid-section. I'd love to see it leaner. I'm thinking abs 3x/week combined with another muscle group might be a good way to go, but again, I'm looking for any suggestions!

Thanks a ton, guys! I start tomorrow!

[swanso5]

- post what you eat everyday and we can simply change that...diwets don't work but plans do so we'll just alter your current plan
- 1800 will be too low...you'd need closer to 2200 - 2300 or there somewhere
- simply increasing the amount of muscle you have will decrease bodyfat but depends on where you are now...if your more chubby than muscley than maybe increase cal's gradually to the above figure over a number of weeks
- 3 x 60mins of wts will be fine..read "The Waterbury Method" and get back to me with exercises that need to be changed
- cardio wise 1 sprint session a week would be advisable 5 x 50 meters with 30 - 45secs rest bwt sprints than 1 other run or swim for starters so 5 sessions total a week
- you don't need to train abs directly the above program will help more than crunches will

[ian80]

-- As for my eating plan, this would be an average day:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, with raisins, 1 banana and sot milk.

Lunch: Greek salad. Tofu or tuna wrap (usually w/ 1/2 an avocado). Grapefruit.

Snack: Apple, granola bar.

Supper: Veggie stir fry, with tofu. Yogurt w/nuts and fruit for desdert.

Evening Snack (if I've been up for a while): Cereal.

-- For cardio, can you explain what exactly a sprint session is? How fast would a sprint be? And by rest, do you mean stopping completely? Or just slowing down?

-- Just went for a run to check out the gym again. I'm very limited...this might take some real creativity. The dumbbells only go up to 45 lbs; is this going to be a problem? (shouldn't -- I'm not very strong) Also, while there is a barbell and a few weights, there is no stand, not even on the bunch press. Beyond those two, there is a Nauticus NS 4000. That's it. So...

Day 1

Barbell Squats - with no rack, I'll need an alternative.

Dips - No parallel bars.

Bent-Over Barbell or Dumbbell Rows -- These I can do!

Skullcrusher -- I can do this. The movement scares me (as does the name), but I'll start light.

Standing Barbell Curls -- Yes.

Hanging Leg Raises -- No. Nothing to hang on.

Day 3

Much more doable. Only problem would be Pressdowns. Also, can standing calf raises be done without weights/machine?

Day 5

Chin-ups -- no bar.

Seated Calf-raises -- no machine.

Glute/Ham Raises or Leg Curls -- no machine.

A few questions:

-- For loading, what's a good rule of thumb for beginners. I have no idea where to begin on these exerices weight-wise. Is it just trial and error?

-- To make sure I have the method right: A1 and A2 are to be done at the same time, alternating between the two (set of A1, rest, set of A2, rest, set of A1, etc...)

-- Not really into the whole supplementation thing, how important is it? He makes he sound as though it is a must, but I'd much prefer to avoid it.


I think that's it for now, I'm sure I'll have more questions as I get into it. Thanks again!

[ian80]

Just wanted to add something. I keep reading about "eating clean" on the website. It seems as though results are 80% due to diets. Clean diets. What exactly does this mean? Is there a good article that would give me the basics? I really want to do it right this time.

[Boss Man]

[swanso5]

- make snacks small meals cosisting of fruit and protein (between breaky and lunch) and protein and veg and / or salad (between lunch and dinner)
- evening snack make same as mid arvo snack...avoid cerial if you can
- sprints do 5 x 50m as fast as you can but do plenty of warm up run throughs beforehand...rest only as long as you think you need to but you want all sprints to be about the same speed
- rest is walking around...be sure to gradually slow down not just pull up at the end of each stretch
- squats - static lunges
- dips - incline bench press variation
- hanging leg raises - prone ab brace
- pressdowns - diamond push ups
- just do calf raises free standing off a sdtep with a db hand of lifing foot
- chin ups - db or bb row whatever you don;t do day 1
- seated calf rasies - sit db or bb on knees and off you go...also on a step or block if possible
- ghr/leg curls - supine bridge
- for loading i'd say have 2 - 3 greak in weeks practicing technique...the program says what wts to use (6RM, 8RM etc can't remember exactly) which means you want to use a wt you can do 6 times by yourself or 8 times by yourself so over the break in weeks work up to this...the closer you can start to the actual figure the better
- yes a1, rest, a2, rest a1
- i haven't read the article for yrs but i don't he does...anyway supp's don;t do nothing you could do with food and training yourself if performed properly...only a little bit quicker is all

[ian80]

Thanks again for the quick reply!

I did "Day 3" today (as it is Wednesday). A few questions and concerns...

First and foremost, there is no way of securing the the weights to the barbell bar (again, a crappy gym, lol). This wasn't an issue with the Romanian Deadlift, but I wouldn't feel comfortable lifting it above my waste. Can I use dumbbells instead? For example, I used dumbbells for the Standing Barbell Military Press. Will this do?

For the standing calf raises, you say "with a db hand of lifing foot". Maybe I misunderstand, but does this mean I should be doing one leg at a time? Today I did both legs with a dumbbell in each hand to my sides.

I can't do a single diamond pushup...alternative? Or maybe my form is incorrect...

[swanso5]

- no collars at ther gym???? complain that's bullshit..it's their Duty of Care...and what does your maony oay for???
- db's can be substituted for almost any exercise yes
- yeah do 1 leg at atime with a db in the hand of the calf raising leg
- try do diamond's from knee's if you have to and if still unsuccessful do on a bench with feet on the floor so your on an inclined angle...theyv are pretty hard yes

[Boss Man]

Diamond Push-ups are only like regular ones, with the hands closer in touching. It's about slightly altering stimulus on the Arms.

If you're having problems, don't balance using hands and Feet, use Hands and Knees. You'll still get a good solid Back Bridge using that Knee method, which many Women use on normal push-ups.

Not saying your a Woman, it was just to emphasise a point.

On hands and Knees, shouldn't affect your Back posture when you Push-up. Just make sure if you use a Knee technique instead, your Feet are in the air. You shouldn't be using Legs as stabilisers.

[ian80]

So, it has been over 3 months now; I've been fairly diligent, and I can see results! However, after 3 months, I feel things getting a little stale, I'd like to jump start my training a bit.

Plain and simple: I'm going to NYC in 4 weeks. I'm meeting with a romantic interest. I think I could handle a more intense program if I knew it was just for 4 weeks and I would see results. Can you help me throw something together?

Currently, I do a modified Waterbury (obvious from above posts). As a reminder, I have a limited gym -- unsafe barbell, dumbbells only go to 40 lbs. There's one multi-workout machine, but I avoid it. Over time, I've settled into my own routine; something that felt the most natural (eg. I can't get into the 3x10 thing; some exercises have just been plain cut) This is where I'm at:

Day 1

Squat - 6x4 (rxs) - 40 lb dumbbell in each hand; total 80 lbs.

Incline Barbell Press - 6x4 - 40 lbs in each hand
Standing Row - 6x4 - 35 lbs in each hand (some days 30 lbs; transitioning to 35 lbs at the moment)

Dumbbell Curl - 6x4 - 30 lbs in each (don't always make it to the final reps of the last set, arm just dies)
Skull Crush (dumbbell) - 6x4 - 20 lbs in each hand

Ab Brace -- 3 sets, 90 seconds each. Back starts to give out sooner on 2nd and 3rd set.

Day 2

Dumbbell Bench Press - 6x4 - 40 lbs in each hand (have been at this benchmark for a few weeks now...can't really move up, being I don't have the weights)

Romanian Deadlift - 6x4 - 110 lbs (this one feels like a crap shoot; not sure if I'm doing it right)
Standing Dumbbell Military Press - 6x4 - 30 lbs each hand (has never really felt right, should I be doing something seated with a supported back?)

Standing Calf Raises - 10x4 - 40 lbs per calf
Upright Rows - 6x4 - 30 lbs each hand

Diamond push up - 6x4 - I'll be honest, this one rarely happens. I either need an alternative or be convinced that it is extremely important.

Day 3

Dumbbell Row - 6x4 - 40 lbs

Dumbbell Bench Press - 6x4 - 40 lbs in each hand
Hammer Curl - 6x4 - 30 lbs in each (again, don't always make it to the final reps of the last set)

Lunges - 6x4 - 30 lbs each hand. Haven't been doing them, but I just bought better shoes; with improved form I'm ready to tackle them again.
Supine - 3 sets of 90 sec for each leg (one leg supports, the other in the air)


That's where I'm at; am feeling I need some changes! Want to check in and do some house-cleaning, so to speak. Any glaring mistakes I'm making? How would you change this routine up after having done it for 3 months? Again, it is about seeing results in a month.

What can I do to build up the torso? I realize many of these exercises are doing that, but I want more! My skin is very loose from having lost so much weight, I need to fill in the area to tighten things up. What things could I add to my routine that would really bulk up the area, as opposed to just tone it?

Another area of concern is cardio. I hate it. At the same time, I still have a high amount of fat on my body; I'd love to see it gone. I've been doing a sprint session, but it happens at best once per week. I run for 10 minutes at 7 mph with a 2.0 incline. Then, I sprint at 9-10 mph for 1 minute, jog for 3-4 min, sprint at 9, etc, until I've done 5 sprints. Does this seem like a reasonable workout? What should I be aiming for? With the proper motivation, I plan on doing this twice per week...will I see the results in a month?

December killed the ol' diet, but it was going quite well. With renewed motivation, this shouldn't be an issue.

[swanso5]

- waterbury program is only ment to be for 4 weeks so it's definately time for a change
- what makes the bb unsafe?
- how challenging are the 40pd db's for you?
- as soon as you reach whatever your set/rep goal is (4 x 6) you MUST increase the wt the very next session, no "transioning", just increaee it and work back up tp 4 x 6
- as soon as you feel braces in the lower back stop...it's not yopur back giving out it's your core muscles but you feel it in your back as the back is then trying to do the job of the core as well itself
- if you can't increase the wt then we'll need to increase the sets we do
- you use more muscles do shoulder presses standing but if your core is weak you'll bend at the low back and feel unsteady
- agh the diamond push up here's my convincing argument...on day 1 you performed another tricep exercise (skull crashers) with 20pds each hand for 40pds total and you performed 24 reps...24 x 40 = 960pds total wt lifted...now with push ups from your toes you lift about 605 of your bw...above you said you were 175 so we'll use that for an example...60% of 175 = 105pds...again you do 24 total reps...24 x 105 = 2520 total wt lifted which makes it almost 3 times better as skull crushers and you also work probably 50% more muscles too...does that convince you?...so as far as arm exercises go it is very important...in the big scheme of things, not really but 99% of trainers want to do arm work...me, i don't do any
- shoe ware shouldn't effect lunges, your mental strength might though as they can be pretty hard
- i'll give a program when you answer the wt related questions above
- cardio wise you don't really need it if your diet is perfect (i haven't done any for years) but if looking for quick results you will need to make sure you do it, not at the expense of wts though, in addition to
- 3 - 4min rests is too long...if sprinting for 1min than the longest you want to rest is 1min
- you might a tiny peice of change in a month depends how strict you are
- you'll need to tighten up the diet too

[ian80]

- waterbury program is only ment to be for 4 weeks so it's definately time for a change

That's what I thought...

- what makes the bb unsafe?

No fastenings. I realize this is ridiculous for a gym; but if you knew my landlord, you'd know there was nothing to be done about it I can still do deadlifts, but that's about it.

- how challenging are the 40pd db's for you?

For which exercise? For bench press, I'd say I'd be ready for 45ers if I had 'em. It is still a challenge though. The last few reps turn my face red!

- as soon as you reach whatever your set/rep goal is (4 x 6) you MUST increase the wt the very next session, no "transioning", just increaee it and work back up tp 4 x 6

I didn't know this. Makes sense. I assume you mean complete, competent reps (eg, upright rows: I can do 6x4 at 35 lbs per hand, but the last few reps are really complete. Should I be waiting until I can do them all the way, all the way through, and then move on?) Also, what if the jump makes it almost impossible to do even 3 reps?

- if you can't increase the wt then we'll need to increase the sets we do

Sounds like a plan.

- agh the diamond push up here's my convincing argument...on day 1 you performed another tricep exercise (skull crashers) with 20pds each hand for 40pds total and you performed 24 reps...24 x 40 = 960pds total wt lifted...now with push ups from your toes you lift about 605 of your bw...above you said you were 175 so we'll use that for an example...60% of 175 = 105pds...again you do 24 total reps...24 x 105 = 2520 total wt lifted which makes it almost 3 times better as skull crushers and you also work probably 50% more muscles too...does that convince you?...so as far as arm exercises go it is very important...in the big scheme of things, not really but 99% of trainers want to do arm work...me, i don't do any

Yes, that does convince me! More intriguing though is that you don't do any arm work...seems like it makes up 70% of what I've been doing. What am I missing?!

- i'll give a program when you answer the wt related questions above

- cardio wise you don't really need it if your diet is perfect (i haven't done any for years) but if looking for quick results you will need to make sure you do it, not at the expense of wts though, in addition to

- 3 - 4min rests is too long...if sprinting for 1min than the longest you want to rest is 1min

Really?! Wow, I think I'd die. How can I work up to this?

- cardio wise you don't really need it if your diet is perfect (i haven't done any for years) but if looking for quick results you will need to make sure you do it, not at the expense of wts though, in addition to

Definitely. Weights are my first priority. If I am going to skip something, it will be cardio. How many calories do you consume in a day, out of curiosity?

[swanso5]

- you could probaby buy some collars from a sports shop, might be worth it
- only do full range of motion reps...when you can't do anymore stop there...you should get one extra rep each session at least
- if the wt increases drop the reps too much than what you can do is increase the wt and do 30 reps in as many sets as you need...it might go 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 3...next time you want less sets to reach it or the same sets but less than 3 reps on the last set if that makes sense
- interval's are best done as hard as you can than as easy as you can so in the resting interval don't decrease the speed a little bit where you don't actually recover, drop it way down to a fast walk or slow jog...if 1min is not long enough try 75 - 90secs and see how that goes
- i don't count cal's but probably 2300 - 2500/day for a 165pder maintenece intake


1 - deads, alternate bench press, db row, moumtain climbers (sets of 20 each leg)
2 - front squats, shoulder push press, face pulls, diamond push ups
3 - reverse lunges, chest supported row, incline press, burpees (sets of 10 each round of them you do)

* rest is imperitive here...rest 60secs between each exercise "EXACTLY" and decrease 5secs each week so keep your eye on the clock

[ian80]

Thanks! Just to clarify, how am I breaking up the sessions.

Do I alternate between all exercises before moving to their second set? And, other than where noted, should I be always aiming for 30 reps?

Also, chest supported rows don't seem like an option with my equipment (ditto for face pulls: but I'll check on that one, the machine might actually have something I can use for that).

[swanso5]

each session is a circuit so you'll do this - deads, rest, alternate bench press, rest, db row, rest, moumtain climbers (sets of 20 each leg), rest x 3 - 5 rounds (your fitness will depend the amount of rounds or circuits you do)
- chest supported rows - all you need is a bench. preferably one with an incline but you can perch it up if needed, and a bb / db
- you may need to use a towell for face pulls looped through the cable clip thingy, that's what i do anyway