Just Joined a Gym and need Some Advice.

[Hzd Skizzy 27]

I am definitly not in shape.

As of this morning I am:

Age: 17

Weight: 250

Height: 5'10"

For starters, I just joined a gym, planet fitness. Was 99$ Cash for 12 months. I know it's not the greatest gym but I feel I'm heading in the right direction. As far as physical fitness goes, I am way out of shape, I get winded very quickly.

As of tomorrow, I am cutting fast food, for good. I am also cutting soft drinks, and one of my favorites, sweet tea.

My concern is, I have no idea where to start in terms of working out at the gym. My priorities are to lose weight, and gain strength. My overall goal weight wise based on my current information is 170. But for now I will realistically put it at 200. As I said, I don't know where to start, for example how long should I walk on the treadmill, how long on the bike, how long on the elliptical etc etc...Same thing with strength training. Not sure what machine to use or how many reps I should do. Just need basic advice and tips on improving these aspects.

Thanks for Reading,

Jay

[Quentin Jarrell 671]

Don't cut out you normal routine completely. Bc you will get burned out. Just limit your fast-food and softdrink input.

Look at bodybuilding. Com. They have a lot of helpful advice and small programs for people getting started.

[djjdnap 78]

^^agreed

find u a routine

example.......

mon-legs

tues-cardio

weds-arms

thurs-cardio

30mins tops each day

[BanginGMC 23]

Sweet tea has just as much sugar as soda.

[swagger_wagon468 53]

Subscribed. Im about the same. Just 18yrs old. 5"11 and 240lbs.

Good thread.

[stealth 113]

^^agreed

find u a routine

example.......

mon-legs

tues-cardio

weds-arms

thurs-cardio

30mins tops each day

lol dont listen to this guy. only legs and arms. lol. and 30 minutes????? lol you wont get shit outta 30 minutes. ive been working out for years and i will tell you 30 minutes is bullshiit.

as for you question about walking on elipt. etc. the answer is 0 minutes. you shouldnt be walking to burn fat. to burn fats you need high intensity. do sprints 95% of your max effort for like 15 seconds, followed by 1 minute fast walk, then 15 seconds max, followed by 1 minute fast walk or jog. repeat. i like to lift weights, then hit cardio. because by then you already burned off your calories and can start burning off fats.

if you walk for 20 minutes, you havent hit any fats yet, you only burned off the calories you just ate.

[ChevyBoy95 15]

i am kinda in the same situation, but im 6'4" and 275. Was 290 a month and a half ago. If you just limit your eating and dont eat junk, no fast food... (once every two weeks to treat yourself), no soda at all, nothing with sugar as far as drinks. I ate 3 smaller portioned meals than normal each day with a snack or two ranging from a nature valley bar to an apple. With basically no change in physical activity i started loosing weight. Drink lots of water with meals, and ride a bike or something, but then again, you have gym membership.

Edited August 17, 2011 by ChevyBoy95

[Ryan916 2]

^^agreed

find u a routine

example.......

mon-legs

tues-cardio

weds-arms

thurs-cardio

30mins tops each day

lol dont listen to this guy. only legs and arms. lol. and 30 minutes????? lol you wont get shit outta 30 minutes. ive been working out for years and i will tell you 30 minutes is bullshiit.

as for you question about walking on elipt. etc. the answer is 0 minutes. you shouldnt be walking to burn fat. to burn fats you need high intensity. do sprints 95% of your max effort for like 15 seconds, followed by 1 minute fast walk, then 15 seconds max, followed by 1 minute fast walk or jog. repeat. i like to lift weights, then hit cardio. because by then you already burned off your calories and can start burning off fats.

if you walk for 20 minutes, you havent hit any fats yet, you only burned off the calories you just ate.

I can get one helluva workout in 30 mins. crossfit/sealfit. Bullshit? ha

Edited August 17, 2011 by Ryan916

[patented17 21]

You want to start out with multi-joint lifts (squat,bench,dead-lift,military press). Look up the 5/3/1 workout pretty awesome I've been doing it for 3 months now. But just want to keep it simple don't try to make it all crazy and such.

[stealth 113]

^^agreed

find u a routine

example.......

mon-legs

tues-cardio

weds-arms

thurs-cardio

30mins tops each day

lol dont listen to this guy. only legs and arms. lol. and 30 minutes????? lol you wont get shit outta 30 minutes. ive been working out for years and i will tell you 30 minutes is bullshiit.

as for you question about walking on elipt. etc. the answer is 0 minutes. you shouldnt be walking to burn fat. to burn fats you need high intensity. do sprints 95% of your max effort for like 15 seconds, followed by 1 minute fast walk, then 15 seconds max, followed by 1 minute fast walk or jog. repeat. i like to lift weights, then hit cardio. because by then you already burned off your calories and can start burning off fats.

if you walk for 20 minutes, you havent hit any fats yet, you only burned off the calories you just ate.

I can get one helluva workout in 30 mins. crossfit/sealfit. Bullshit? ha

yeah........... i bet you arent as strong or as fit as i am. not trying to brag but there is no way to get in the shape i am working out 30 minutes a day.

[stealth 113]

i am kinda in the same situation, but im 6'4" and 275. Was 290 a month and a half ago. If you just limit your eating and dont eat junk, no fast food... (once every two weeks to treat yourself), no soda at all, nothing with sugar as far as drinks. I ate 3 smaller portioned meals than normal each day with a snack or two ranging from a nature valley bar to an apple. With basically no change in physical activity i started loosing weight. Drink lots of water with meals, and ride a bike or something, but then again, you have gym membership.

he stated that he gets winded fast so that mean he needs cardio. he also stated he needs to get stronger.

[patented17 21]

^^agreed

find u a routine

example.......

mon-legs

tues-cardio

weds-arms

thurs-cardio

30mins tops each day

lol dont listen to this guy. only legs and arms. lol. and 30 minutes????? lol you wont get shit outta 30 minutes. ive been working out for years and i will tell you 30 minutes is bullshiit.

as for you question about walking on elipt. etc. the answer is 0 minutes. you shouldnt be walking to burn fat. to burn fats you need high intensity. do sprints 95% of your max effort for like 15 seconds, followed by 1 minute fast walk, then 15 seconds max, followed by 1 minute fast walk or jog. repeat. i like to lift weights, then hit cardio. because by then you already burned off your calories and can start burning off fats.

if you walk for 20 minutes, you havent hit any fats yet, you only burned off the calories you just ate.

I can get one helluva workout in 30 mins. crossfit/sealfit. Bullshit? ha

yeah........... i bet you arent as strong or as fit as i am. not trying to brag but there is no way to get in the shape i am working out 30 minutes a day.

Love your logic here, I'd love to hear how it's impossible to get fit in 30 mins.

[Ryan916 2]

P

^^agreed

find u a routine

example.......

mon-legs

tues-cardio

weds-arms

thurs-cardio

30mins tops each day

lol dont listen to this guy. only legs and arms. lol. and 30 minutes????? lol you wont get shit outta 30 minutes. ive been working out for years and i will tell you 30 minutes is bullshiit.

as for you question about walking on elipt. etc. the answer is 0 minutes. you shouldnt be walking to burn fat. to burn fats you need high intensity. do sprints 95% of your max effort for like 15 seconds, followed by 1 minute fast walk, then 15 seconds max, followed by 1 minute fast walk or jog. repeat. i like to lift weights, then hit cardio. because by then you already burned off your calories and can start burning off fats.

if you walk for 20 minutes, you havent hit any fats yet, you only burned off the calories you just ate.

I can get one helluva workout in 30 mins. crossfit/sealfit. Bullshit? ha

yeah........... i bet you arent as strong or as fit as i am. not trying to brag but there is no way to get in the shape i am working out 30 minutes a day.

It's all about intensity my friend. You can only venture beyond your anaerobic threshold for so long. Why waste the rest of the day taking it easy for hours?

[stealth 113]

lol. you guys are too funny. yes, intensity is key. But trust me, your weak. you can be fit, but you arent ripped or squatting 400+lbs.

[Freshh 11]

^^agreed

find u a routine

example.......

mon-legs

tues-cardio

weds-arms

thurs-cardio

30mins tops each day

lol dont listen to this guy. only legs and arms. lol. and 30 minutes????? lol you wont get shit outta 30 minutes. ive been working out for years and i will tell you 30 minutes is bullshiit.

as for you question about walking on elipt. etc. the answer is 0 minutes. you shouldnt be walking to burn fat. to burn fats you need high intensity. do sprints 95% of your max effort for like 15 seconds, followed by 1 minute fast walk, then 15 seconds max, followed by 1 minute fast walk or jog. repeat. i like to lift weights, then hit cardio. because by then you already burned off your calories and can start burning off fats.

if you walk for 20 minutes, you havent hit any fats yet, you only burned off the calories you just ate.

FYI, before you go burning other peoples ideas, maybe you should get an idea of how the body works.. walking burns more fat calories then running does.

Also, props to trying to better yourself HZD!

The schedule looks like a good idea to me! Diet is one of the most important factors in keeping a healthy body! So I'm sure you'll see quick results if you do all of those things you mentioned! Good luck.

[djjdnap 78]

wtf did this thread turn into.

to lose weight is simple you burn more calories than you take in.

your body is burning calories already so going to the gym is a plus

no one needs to be in the gym for hours on in although i have found myself doing it before on good days.

At your age man results should be pretty quick

to go further to answer some of ur questions if bb.com hasn't already

you cannot lose weight and gain muscle at the same time.

Strictly speaking, from a scientific viewpoint, it isn't possible to gain muscle whilst being in an energy deficit due to the fact that muscle growth is an energy-requiring process. As you can only lose fat if you are in an energy deficit, the trick to cutting whilst gaining muscle is to fluctuate your body between energy surplus and deficit at different times of the day, or on different days of the week, through diet and exercise. However, if you are cutting extremely strictly, then it is not possible to gain muscle at the same time as losing body fat, as there is far too insufficient energy reserves for muscle growth. Here the priority is maintaining muscle mass. But, for the main, with gentle dieting you can successfully lose fat and grow

if you lift you are going to gain mass, which is going to make you gain weight(muscle weighs more than fat)

so if you are looking at the scale it will not do you justice. however muscle mass burns fat.

If you are seriously cutting out the junk foods, losing weight shouldn't be hard at all.

Add in some whey protein to help your muscles recover faster and keep your muscles growing....this also works while cutting.

a suitable cutting regimen, should provide high and regular protein, low but regular quality carbohydrates and low fat, whilst including essential fatty acids and sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables. You may also wish to use some of the more thermogenic / cutting supplements, but as these are ineffective alone, you must still consume a calorie deficit diet. Whey protein and meal replacement powders (MRPs) are also included, two fundamental supplements, invaluable in your quest for lean muscle.

Read more at: http://articles.muscletalk.co.uk/losing-fat.aspx

depending on ur goals you can either lift heavy now to get your muscles and later drop body fat to see ur results

or

go through the cutting phase now and get lean, then build on solid muscle mass lb for lb later.

ur not going to be ripped at 20%+ body fat, btw

Although everyones body is different and you have to find a routine that works for you.

If everyone had all of the answers we would all be a 9x Olympian like ronnie coleman.

[Hzd Skizzy 27]

wtf did this thread turn into.

to lose weight is simple you burn more calories than you take in.

your body is burning calories already so going to the gym is a plus

no one needs to be in the gym for hours on in although i have found myself doing it before on good days.

At your age man results should be pretty quick

to go further to answer some of ur questions if bb.com hasn't already

you cannot lose weight and gain muscle at the same time.

Strictly speaking, from a scientific viewpoint, it isn't possible to gain muscle whilst being in an energy deficit due to the fact that muscle growth is an energy-requiring process. As you can only lose fat if you are in an energy deficit, the trick to cutting whilst gaining muscle is to fluctuate your body between energy surplus and deficit at different times of the day, or on different days of the week, through diet and exercise. However, if you are cutting extremely strictly, then it is not possible to gain muscle at the same time as losing body fat, as there is far too insufficient energy reserves for muscle growth. Here the priority is maintaining muscle mass. But, for the main, with gentle dieting you can successfully lose fat and grow

if you lift you are going to gain mass, which is going to make you gain weight(muscle weighs more than fat)

so if you are looking at the scale it will not do you justice. however muscle mass burns fat.

If you are seriously cutting out the junk foods, losing weight shouldn't be hard at all.

Add in some whey protein to help your muscles recover faster and keep your muscles growing....this also works while cutting.

a suitable cutting regimen, should provide high and regular protein, low but regular quality carbohydrates and low fat, whilst including essential fatty acids and sufficient amounts of fruit and vegetables. You may also wish to use some of the more thermogenic / cutting supplements, but as these are ineffective alone, you must still consume a calorie deficit diet. Whey protein and meal replacement powders (MRPs) are also included, two fundamental supplements, invaluable in your quest for lean muscle.

Read more at: http://articles.muscletalk.co.uk/losing-fat.aspx

depending on ur goals you can either lift heavy now to get your muscles and later drop body fat to see ur results

or

go through the cutting phase now and get lean, then build on solid muscle mass lb for lb later.

ur not going to be ripped at 20%+ body fat, btw

Although everyones body is different and you have to find a routine that works for you.

If everyone had all of the answers we would all be a 9x Olympian like ronnie coleman.

I will get to this in a second ^^^

But first of all I appreciate all of the advice and ideas. I spoke with a personal trainer at my gym and he gave me a workout program between Arms, Chest, Shoulders, Back, Core, and Legs. All on different days of the week of course and 30 minutes of Cardio each day Im at the gym which will now be Mon-Friday. I have cut ALL soft drinks out of the equation but I will have a sweet tea every now and then. Otherwise it's just water. Cut most fried foods, wont eat fries or anything like that. Strength training takes anywhere from 30-50 minutes depending on what part of the body Im working on, on that day. So I spend at least 1 hour in the gym.

Dj, I probably should have rephrased my goals, I could care less what the scale says (within reason), I really just want to lose all of this extra baggage, gain stamina and gain some muscle. I stated a goal weight to just have a number to look forward to. If I never achieve that number, but if I know im healthy and I look healthy (lean, thinner) then I'll be happier than ever. As far as gaining muscle goes, Im not looking to be super built and ripped, just stronger and look better. If I really can't build muscle and lose the fat at the same time, then Im looking to get lean now, gain muscle later. My fear is that it will take a very long time to lose this weight then ill be un motivated to gain the muscle.

[swagger_wagon468 53]

care to share what the trainer made up for you as far as your workout schedule?

[Shogen 325]

swag... since when were you a chubkin??

anyway, I recently was weighing in at 216lbs a few months back and slowly dropped down to 183lbs this past week. The biggest gains I saw in weight loss was from diet changes, but I went to my old routine of water(gallon a day) and veggies for lunch and turkey/fish dinners with very small portions. After getting to 200lbs I hit the gym, mainly cardio and some weight lifting.. I was not looking to get ripped but to gain some muscle and lose my fat. I am 5'10" and now 183lbs.. My original goal was 185lbs and since I've hit that I think I'm going to go for 175lbs... Again, I won't be doing huge amounts of weight lifting, instead lots of cardio and very strict eating habits....

^^^Not the perfect plan but has worked for me so far... Unfortunately it is very hard to continue as most of the women I see now do NOT want me to lose anymore weight...lol ... but I guess it not really a problem I'm hating...

[swagger_wagon468 53]

Danny,

ive always been a "chubkin". lol.

doesnt make a difference to the ladies tho.

anyways, when i cut out JUST sodas all together... i lost like 15 lbs in 2 weeks. (im a very heavy soda drinker.) now its all back cuz im addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. lol

Jonathan

[Shogen 325]

Danny,

ive always been a "chubkin". lol.

doesnt make a difference to the ladies tho.

anyways, when i cut out JUST sodas all together... i lost like 15 lbs in 2 weeks. (im a very heavy soda drinker.) now its all back cuz im addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. lol

Jonathan

I love the couch pic .... should be this though, , right???

[MKader17 332]

FYI, before you go burning other peoples ideas, maybe you should get an idea of how the body works.. walking burns more fat calories then running does.

Also, props to trying to better yourself HZD!

The schedule looks like a good idea to me! Diet is one of the most important factors in keeping a healthy body! So I'm sure you'll see quick results if you do all of those things you mentioned! Good luck.

Ding ding ding!

A friend of mine ad to stay out of the weight room (for legs) because of an injury, he also couldn't run a lot because of it. He walked A LOT that summer and started eating 6 portioned "meals" a day and lost 70 pounds over the summer.

I see that you have a trainer and a plan now and that is awesome. Do your best to keep it fun. In addition to these workouts you should try to go play sports with friends. This really helps keep me motivated as you can easily see the benefits of the workout.

Example: I cycled almost everyday last summer. Halfway through the summer I started leg lifts just once a week. I immediately noticed improvements in my cycling speed and endurance.

I hope that you stick with it and keep working hard!

-MK

[Godsmack 360]

lol. you guys are too funny. yes, intensity is key. But trust me, your weak. you can be fit, but you arent ripped or squatting 400+lbs.

You are right. I am not ripped. I don't squat 400 lbs. But i also calf press well over 500 lbs for reps, can carry a 55 lb load on my back in uniform and boots over 5 miles in under 1 hour and 10 minutes and yet I have a blown knee. (Army fucks your joints). But I also know with diet change, and even minimal-moderate exercise this guy will cut fat.

Do not listen to Jersey shore here. This sounds like a kid with genetics for metaolism from hell.

Watch the diet, hit the weights, run, jog or at least walk at a medium pace. Up the water intake. Weight loss will not come without hard work and dedication. It takes sweat, pain, and determination but you can do it man!!!

[Godsmack 360]

Also when does ripped= strong aka not weak?

[duanebrow 6]

Don't cut out you normal routine completely. Bc you will get burned out. Just limit your fast-food and softdrink input.

Look at bodybuilding. Com. They have a lot of helpful advice and small programs for people getting started.

Good advise. I will add another site that will help, (way better than any diet btw) www.sparkpeople.com

You are on the right road. Don't think of it as a diet. It is a lifestyle change.

Ask someone that works at the gym if they can get you started on a work out plan. Most will do this for free.

Remember that you didn't get to 250# overnight, it took years. It will take time to get back to your goal. Don't give up! And don't worry if you stop losing weight. It's because you're building muscle.