Workout Help

Okay, well I was looking into the V-Diet, but as luck would have it; it said I was to big/heavy. I posted on the V forum, but didn’t get a lot of feedback so I thought I’d try here. Any help is appreciated.

So for now I just want to do the workout they have outlined which will really change things up for me and hopefully help with dropping more fat.

I have a powerlifting/power training back ground. I’ve always been big and heavy for the most part. I’ve been training since I was 15 and am 36 now. I can’t say I’ve ever ventured down this path before, but being 340 and 5"11 isn’t cutting it anymore. I’ve been using a Westside Template for 7 weeks now and prior was Bill Starr’s 5x5 to toss a wrench in from the power stuff that I had done for years.

For the past 7 weeks I’ve been using the Anabolic Diet (second time around now), as of the last few weeks my appetite has been poor and I’ve been eating smaller meals as well as just drinking my meals. I’ve cut the fat content when cooking and take a flax, fish, borage and EVOO for fat. Still use butter and some animal fat sparingly. I’ll be starting a Carb Cycling diet next Monday.

I have no clue how much weight I’ve lost, I haven’t been on the scale in weeks. I can tell the inches are coming off and my veins are coming out in my arms (although nothing major). I haven’t really lost any strength at this point so things are going well in that area.

So with a quick run down of me and what’s going on.

For now I really need some help understanding the workout, this is a new venture and will have to adjust my learning curve.

As for the workout, I want to do it in a circuit fashion since I think it will really confuse my system and help with fat loss.

So I understand the exercises, but here’s what I need help with:

What type of warm up?
How many warm up sets?
When you warm up do you warm up in a circuit fashion?
How much rest at the end of the circuit and before the next?

I understand the 20 total reps, but the max rep scheme and total sets I think I understand, but here is what I did today let me know if I’m on the right track.

Circuit fashion, even warm ups:

Front Squat: warm up: 135x10, 185x8, 205x5x4 (5 reps x 4 sets = 20 total reps)
Chin ups: warm up: band around feet x5x2, BWx5x4 (5 reps x 4 sets = 20 total)
DB Bench: warm up: 50x12, 80x10, 105x5x4 (5 reps x 4 sets = 20 total)
Ab Wheel: no warm up just BWx5x4 (5 reps x 4 sets = 20 total)

The squats weren’t killer, but I haven’t done front squats in ages and didn’t want to push it, plus the bar chokes me out. I’d prefer back squats with heals raised or Manta Ray squats since I can do more weight to benefit (i just squatted 585x3 ass to ankles a few weeks back), the DB bench was pretty easy also could do 125 to 135 for the sets, but just feeling it out. Chin’s were okay, Ab Wheel and fat guy don’t mix!

I took 2-3 minutes rest between full circuits, just enough to slow my breathing. I’m definitely not into doing workouts like this.

I finished in under 40 minutes, probably closure to 35 and then did 12 minutes on the eliptical at the end.

So am in heading in the right direction or do I need to adjust anything.

I plan on doing circuit based or interval cardio training. I like to flip the tire, sledgehammer swings, jump rope, ride bike, swim, varying resistance/height on treadmill, box jumps, lite jog/trot, hike. So this will be done on non-weight days.

Okay so I did a second workout last night. Am I doing well still and achieving what I should be?

I did the following circuit, even warm up:

Step up: 135x10 (each leg), 185x5x4 (each leg, total 10 reps, haven’t done them in probably 15 years)
Bent Row: 135x10, 275x10x4 (kicked my butt after doing step ups)
Push Press: 50x10, 70x10x4 (could have gone heavier, but was fighting back puking after the 2nd round)
BB Curl: 50x10, 100x10x4 (kick my butt, was winded)
Reverse Crunch: BWx10x4 (still sore from the ab wheel)

I went the complete circuit (40 reps per exercise), then rested after for a few minutes. Enough to get my breathing under control and my heart rate lower, but not full resting. It’s tough to pick a weight and stick with it, once I learn where all my weights are it will be easier. I haven’t done some of these exercises in years.

The step ups were okay, balance and core are the issue, bent rows nothing new just a pain in the butt with no rest and doing step ups prior, push press was way to light, but after doing to exercises popping them to the shoulder was a tough I could probably do 100 for the prescribed reps, curls well they were curls haven’t really done any bicep work in years, reverse crunch sucked still sore from the ab wheel last workout.

Hope I’m doing this right, it’s definitely a 360 degree turn around from what I’ve been doing in the past. I feel this week is a testing period and I’ll keep adding weight from week to week.

Braunbeck - If you keep up that type of circuit training while keeping you intake HIGH enough to support it, you should see consistent results week-to-week.

Best I can say is to be flexible on adjusting the weights you use since you are doing a completely different format of training. Listen to your body and remember to keep a log of what you do and how you feel in order to have a basis for adjustment.

Welcome aboard!

[quote]Braunbeck wrote:

So I understand the exercises, but here’s what I need help with:

What type of warm up?
How many warm up sets?
When you warm up do you warm up in a circuit fashion?
How much rest at the end of the circuit and before the next?

[/quote]

For the questions here: I suggest a separate mobility based warm-up instead of warming up on each different exercise, Mix in bodyweight stuff as well. Check out this article for one kind of mobility warmup:
http://www.T-Nation.com/free_online_article//the_mobility_complex

I also use the stationary bike to get my core warm and start sweating before doing anything else.

Rest: I don’t really know but I’d start with 60 seconds and ajust from there,

That is some brutal work.

I don’t do circuits or complexes, as that might detract from my fatness. However, on the upper right corner is a search thing. enter “complexes” and it will find a number of very good articles on dumbell and barbell complexes that you might find useful.

Train Harder
old lardass

Thanks for the replies I appreciate it.

Soldog, I’ll look into the warm up, I just figured if I’m guessing on squats even with the Manta Ray I’d probably be 365 for my circuit work, I didn’t want to just jump in with 365 and go, so that’s why I would warm up with a plate and work up to ensure my muscles are stretched and warm.

mj, I’ll do some searches and see what I can come up with. That fatness is what I’m trying to get away from now, I’ve been very successful at it so far, but need to drop some.

Well today was the last workout, I’ve been fighting a sinus cold and was having issues breathing. I’ll tell you I did 2 circuits and had to call it quits. I thought I was going to pass out. I like the circuit idea and feel/look better just doing them this week.

The one thing that kills me is that it almost takes as long to setup as it does to run through it. Tonight I did deads with 365, but to make it easy I did it on blocks so I could get deeper. The 10 reps were hard since I can’t really breath, then did decline bench with 120’s for 10, pull downs 150x10 and walk outs which seemed to hit my arms, chest and shoulder and very little abs/core.

I may give it another week to see how it goes and if I like it I’ll stick with it, if not I may move onto a 5/3/1 or a modified westside program.

I also start my carb cycling diet on Monday which should be fun.