Good Routine for Me?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Hey T-Nation-oids,

A friend turned me onto this site and I was glad he did. Anyway, this is my first post and I was wondering if anyone can see anything wrong with the routine I am about to start to get my fat ass in shape. I used to workout but now I am probably a good 40-45 pounds over weight and would probably make most people gag if I took my clothes off. I have an ideal frame so it’s time to make some serious changes and live life again.

I have been doing my research online and in mags this is what I come up with.

Beginner routine for a FAT ASS like me:

THE ROUTINE RULES

3 days a week
3 upper body exercises
3 lower body exercises
Pair them together & alternate exercises (lower followed by upper)
3 sets of 12-15 per exercise
1 min rest between sets

Routine Example:

Super Exercise 1 (Squat/Barbell Row)

Superset 1

Squat set of 12
Barbell Row set of 12
Rest 1 min

Superset 2

Squat set of 12
Barbell Row set of 12
Rest 1 min

Superset 3

Squat set of 12
Barbell Row set of 12
Rest 1 Min

Move onto Super Exercise 2

Supplements:

Upon waking

1 Serving of Xenadrine NRG (or HOT-ROX)
1 Serving of GuggleBolic (non-stimulant)
1 Serving of Alpha Male
1 Serving of Pregnenolone (50mg)

6-8 hours later

Another 1/2 serving of Xenadrine NRG
Another serving of GuggleBolic

1 Serving of ZMA on an empty stomach

Muscle Milk anytime increased protein intake is needed (use water for pre-mix or less carbs)

I got the diet down, I won’t bore you with those details.

I was also thinking about some interval cardio on days I don’t lift weights.

Any suggestions appreciated.

2

Hey … If you’re just starting, supplementing with anything besides a multivitamin and whey protein isn’t really the best idea (in my opinion). If you dial in your diet and workout, the fat should come off pretty fast. Aim for three-four heavy lifts per week, and 3-5 sets of 20-30 min cardio.

Try to follow the T-Dawg 2.0 diet … I follow it pretty closely, and it’s done wonders for me.

The link above is to the diet.

Try writing down everything you eat, and it’s nutritional breakdown (calories/protein/fat/carbs). After a week or so, go over it according to the tdawg diet’s guidelines.

When you lift, lift with compound exercises - they’ll give you the most ‘bang for your buck.’ – they work the most muscles. So, try:
Deadlifts
Squats
Bench Press
Pullups/Dips (assisted or non-)
etc

…start at around 4 x 10 at moderate weight so your body gets used to lifting, and try to work your way down. You can poke around here, too, to find a pre-made workout plan for beginners.

All this is from my own knowledge and what I’ve seen be successful on others. Other members will be sure to correct or augment what I say, so read what everyone else says.

Good luck! …and good job taking the first step :slight_smile:

3

Heres one- rows are not the proper match to squats in a superset.
A more apropriate matchup that might work would be front squats(quad dominant) supersetted with romanian deads(ham dominant)or regular deads(glute and ham). But that would be prety damn intense.

4

Thanks for the great feedback and support.

I will take all your suggestions with serious consideration. Especially before I go pouring bottles of supplements down my throat.

I will also look into what excercises are optimal for supersets.

Thanks again !

5

I agree with this!

[quote]ljakaitis wrote:
Hey … If you’re just starting, supplementing with anything besides a multivitamin and whey protein isn’t really the best idea (in my opinion). If you dial in your diet and workout, the fat should come off pretty fast. Aim for three-four heavy lifts per week, and 3-5 sets of 20-30 min cardio.

Try to follow the T-Dawg 2.0 diet … I follow it pretty closely, and it’s done wonders for me.

The link above is to the diet.

Try writing down everything you eat, and it’s nutritional breakdown (calories/protein/fat/carbs). After a week or so, go over it according to the tdawg diet’s guidelines.

When you lift, lift with compound exercises - they’ll give you the most ‘bang for your buck.’ – they work the most muscles. So, try:
Deadlifts
Squats
Bench Press
Pullups/Dips (assisted or non-)
etc

…start at around 4 x 10 at moderate weight so your body gets used to lifting, and try to work your way down. You can poke around here, too, to find a pre-made workout plan for beginners.

All this is from my own knowledge and what I’ve seen be successful on others. Other members will be sure to correct or augment what I say, so read what everyone else says.

Good luck! …and good job taking the first step :)[/quote]

6

Oh. I also forgot to mention that I was inspired and started working out again over the summer for a vacation I was going on in September.

I lost about 25lbs and started seeing some results in muscle definition. Once I returned, my membership expired and I fell into a little rut getting back. I didn’t lose my ambition though, especially when I found 15lbs of the 25lbs I lost. I joined right away but what a lucky guy, I won’t find 15 bucks I lose but the fat will find its way home.

So in short, I was 3 months on and now 3 months off of training. I would still consider myself a beginner since I still look like the Pilsbury Dough Boy.

7

[quote]Crunked wrote:
Oh. I also forgot to mention that I was inspired and started working out again over the summer for a vacation I was going on in September.

I lost about 25lbs and started seeing some results in muscle definition. Once I returned, my membership expired and I fell into a little rut getting back. I didn’t lose my ambition though, especially when I found 15lbs of the 25lbs I lost. I joined right away but what a lucky guy, I won’t find 15 bucks I lose but the fat will find its way home.

So in short, I was 3 months on and now 3 months off of training. I would still consider myself a beginner since I still look like the Pilsbury Dough Boy.
[/quote]

Hey, you’re getting back into it. I had a few ‘false start’ periods of a few months training and then a few months off. If nothing else, these periods let me really value and understand how important training was to my life.

You’re not going to get super-fast results. Honestly, your first month or so isn’t really going to be an indication of your long-term results, either: you’ll get back your ‘muscle memory’ (so you’ll reach your old lifting abilities relatively quickly), and probably drop fat quickly.

Just think, if you’re a fatbody now, that’s extra weight that you can work to your advantage: you’re entering in a cutting cycle, instead of a bulking cycle.

Just FYI, I’ve lost almost 30 lbs through lifting heavy and 3-5 times/week of cardio in about 14 weeks. I’m also a girl, so I have the whole “don’t have much testosterone” thing working against me.
Put your mind to it, and you’ll be able to do this. Hold yourself to a higher standard of excellence, and you will see excellent results.

Post more if you have other questions, because you’ve found the most valuable resource for training.

8

Yeah, I second the motion to keep the supps to a protein supp and a multivitamin. Maybe some fish oil too.

Besides, it’s cheaper that way. And we all know that money is almost always better if kept in the bank account where we have access to it.

I say pick 4-5 exerices to work your whole body in a workout (workout A), and then set up two more similar workouts (B and C). Do each workout once a week (in other words, 3 total body workouts each week). Add ab work at the end if you want.

You’ve been given some good ideas by everyone else. Make the most of them.

9

Dude, is that Teagan Presley in your avatar?

Best. Porn Star. Ever.

10

Week 1 update:

Thanks for all the valuable information, I have already started using your suggestions and dropping fat my first week. I was really sore the 2 days after my squats but I’ll get used to it like I did last time.

I’ve been following the T-Dawg diet and recording what I’ve eaten, I never did that before. I can clearly see what I need to adjust. I have a little trouble staying under 100/70 carbs sometimes and not enough protein for my body weight. I am looking into increasing my low carb protein powder by 1/2 a serving.

And yes Harris, it is Teagan Presley. I Totally agree.

Thanks again everyone.