So I'm getting a gym membership. How should I start?

[my_life_be_like]

I don't know too much about lifting and I just recently took anothers posters advice and got a membership through my school. Now, on any given day I have between 45 minutes and 2 and a half hours to use the gym; usually the latter. So I need a quick workout that will target my upper body. I have an ab workout set so I don't need to work on abs at the gym. The last 15 minutes of my workout will be cardio but besides that I have no idea what to do. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[ripmoe]

Ya, I was like you all upper body, but once I started to do legs, I notice my upper body could handle more weight.

Trust me legs is everything, balance, power..

 

[Eze]

I don't know too much about lifting and I just recently took anothers posters advice and got a membership through my school. Now, on any given day I have between 45 minutes and 2 and a half hours to use the gym; usually the latter. So I need a quick workout that will target my upper body. I have an ab workout set so I don't need to work on abs at the gym. The last 15 minutes of my workout will be cardio but besides that I have no idea what to do. Thanks for the help in advance.

There are probably a few thousand threads in this forum. Do some reading, you can learn alot from the information already posted on the board.

 

[my_life_be_like]

I honestly dont think I need that much work on my lower body. And the thousands of other threads do not include a 19 year old 160 lb. skinny ass white kid.

 

[Drako]

Just you wait til some of the guys read your last post. Your age and weight dont mean shit when looking for a routine look outside the box abit. Guys post there workouts on here all the time, some are quit basic Pick one and see if it works just make sure they include Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts, and Shoulder Presses.

 

[JayC]

I don't know too much about lifting and I just recently took anothers posters advice and got a membership through my school. Now, on any given day I have between 45 minutes and 2 and a half hours to use the gym; usually the latter. So I need a quick workout that will target my upper body. I have an ab workout set so I don't need to work on abs at the gym. The last 15 minutes of my workout will be cardio but besides that I have no idea what to do. Thanks for the help in advance.

From what you said above, you really have no experience to speak of.. which is fine. But I would HIGHLY recommend finding a buddy or aquintance who does and have them show you the ropes around the weight room.... It's great to read about all these routines and use them to help form a plan but I would not go in to that gym alone and start trying to throw weight around by yourself. That's how people aquire bad form and/or get hurt.
..or hire a personal trainer. Their not all bad and they can at least show you the basics. Don't start out alone is my opinion.

 

[Drako]

Does the gym you go to not have some form of induction where they would show the basics? In most places this is a must due to health and safety measures.

 

[my_life_be_like]

Drako, not to be a dick or anything but ive read through a ton of posts and topics here. I don't think I should be going into the gym with the notion that I must do 4 sets of hammer curls and 3 sets of box squats if i dont know what the fuck im doing. Most of the exercises posted here besides the basics I have no idea how to do. And my job restrics me from using youtube to find out how to do each specific exercise. What? do you want me to be a tool and ask people to explain each exercise??

kk im gonna check with the gym and maybe talk to a few of my buddies. thanks guys.

 

[JayC]

Drako, not to be a dick or anything but ive read through a ton of posts and topics here. I don't think I should be going into the gym with the notion that I must do 4 sets of hammer curls and 3 sets of box squats if i dont know what the fuck im doing. Most of the exercises posted here besides the basics I have no idea how to do. And my job restrics me from using youtube to find out how to do each specific exercise. What? do you want me to be a tool and ask people to explain each exercise??

kk im gonna check with the gym and maybe talk to a few of my buddies. thanks guys.

Good idea!! ...and most gyms have trainers on staff that will be happy to show you things.. and even give free sessions to start. So don't worry if you are broke!

 

[Drako]

Drako, not to be a dick or anything but ive read through a ton of posts and topics here. I don't think I should be going into the gym with the notion that I must do 4 sets of hammer curls and 3 sets of box squats if i dont know what the fuck im doing. Most of the exercises posted here besides the basics I have no idea how to do. And my job restrics me from using youtube to find out how to do each specific exercise. What? do you want me to be a tool and ask people to explain each exercise??

kk im gonna check with the gym and maybe talk to a few of my buddies. thanks guys.

Its okay bro mabey I came across like a dick to start with. Im not here to slag people just trying to help. Guys come on here all the time with goals and for you to use your age and wieght as an excuse for not being able to train was the last straw. you dont have to be throwing 60kg dumbells around when doin hammers start light, use the same routines but to a weight thats good for you and always try increasing every week. Thats why I also posted about gym inductions because they should show you the basics even somthing as simple as hammers if you ask them, Learning the basics of Lifting is a piece of Cake (mmmm cake) my little bro (14) hasnt set foot in a gym but he knows what a bench press and squat are just because he picked up a magezine and started reading. Some gyms will even put together a programme for you to follow.

What? do you want me to be a tool and ask people to explain each exercise??

No I expect you to be a sponge and learn. Its okay to ask for help (thats why your on this forum) this way they can show you and prevent you from using bad form, Hell you might even end up with a gym buddy. Hope this helps, Have fun Training,

 

[Starkraven]

Don't listen to people here trying to give you the run around. It's really simple actually. When I first started, I read about all the mass building compound exercises online. It wasn't even a message board. Just do a search on google even and you will read stuff like bench, squats, deadlifts, rows, barbell curls, etc. I saw pictures of how you are supposed to do them and did them. 3 months later I joined a gym to train my legs and start using machines. But I started noticing all the big guys using big weights and doing mainly free weights, not machines. I learned alot just from observing and reading online. I didn't hold anyones hand with a trainer and neither should you. I watched their form, put a routine together for me and went from there. I made friends, trained with them, my form improved. I didnt squat til a few years later because I never wanted to do them. But one day I put the bar on my back, and just squatted, no spot or nothing. I never fell either. It takes years to learn your body to see how many sets, reps, exercises, days a week, bodypart grouping per week, etc you should be doing. This takes time from trying things. Then the diet I failed at first. I would eat like yogurt and cheese sticks for a meal. Now I eat chicken breasts/rice or eggs/oats, steak/potatoes. I eat mainly chicken breasts and eggs and stick to rice because oats fill up my gut so I leave that for morning. You need to eat AT LEAST 6 meals a day and I try not to even have shakes. I'd rather eat real food but I might start adding a post workout shake. I usually have a banana, oats, and eggs post workout. You can't get buff in a year. Just do the mass building compound exercises, eat alot and give your body plenty of rest. It works but it takes time. Day by day.

 

[Suareezay]

You need to eat AT LEAST 6 meals a day and I try not to even have shakes.

the number of meals you eat is irrelevant above about 3.

+1 for the rest of the post.

 

[theincredible1]

You can't get buff in a year. QUOTE]


Yeah ya can...

 

[Suareezay]

are you serious? 3 meals?

is this where you make some dogmatic reference to a high meal frequency "stocking the metabolic fire" or some other totally inane and overused physiological myth?

btw, yes. serious.

 

[Starkraven]

is this where you make some dogmatic reference to a high meal frequency "stocking the metabolic fire" or some other totally inane and overused physiological myth?

btw, yes. serious.

The reason you are supposed to eat 6+ meals per day is because (if you're gaining mass), you need to take in extra calories. IF you divide your total caloric intake (say 3-4k cals/day) into 3 meals, thats like 1k - 1.5k cals per meal which the body can't digest all that food and the rest will be excreted as waste. Your body will be in a catabolic state if you space it out so far. At the very least I don't see any muscle building happening. Also food breaks down and gets absorbed into the muscles within 3 hours completely. If you train, your muscle will just get the protein from other parts that are not sore which can be your legs or your biceps. Not to mention eating frequently makes sure your body doesnt think its starving, so you have a better chance staying leaner if not getting leaner. And finally, it speeds up the metabolism which basically means the faster your metabolism, the faster you grow because the food gets absorbed very quickly and the body is geared towards muscle building and not fat storing. It's working much much faster and requires energy. Also digesting food itself requires energy as well as drinking ICE cold water throughout the day.

There's always going to be a few who don't want to do things the way they should or think they are too smart to follow what works. At least don't post some nonsense trying to back up your claim. You won't get ANYWHERE eating 3 meals a day. But good luck.

 

[Starkraven]

You can't get buff in a year. QUOTE]


Yeah ya can...

Sure, if you're taking 500mg test/week endlessly like you are, I don't see how you could NOT get buff. (but did you get buff yet?). We're talking to a 19 year old kid who is natural.

 

[Suareezay]

The reason you are supposed to eat 6+ meals per day is because (if you're gaining mass), you need to take in extra calories. IF you divide your total caloric intake (say 3-4k cals/day) into 3 meals, thats like 1k - 1.5k cals per meal which the body can't digest all that food and the rest will be excreted as waste.

Large meals cause slowed digestion through a inhibitory feedback system called the ileal brake mechanism. All that means is that your 1000 calorie meal will digest for longer. if large meals didnt get digested and were simply "excreted as waste" as you put it, then bodyfat wouldnt be such a rampant problem; the excess calories from meals would simply pass through the body without being broken down and stored as triglycerides.

Your body will be in a catabolic state if you space it out so far. At the very least I don't see any muscle building happening.

This is just Tom Foolery. Muscle catabolism occurs after extended periods in a famished state; not after a few hours without a meal.

I hate it when people make the type of references that im about to make, but from an evolutionary standpoint, your claim doesnt even make any sense. If humans were so horribly inefficient that our mussulz started withering away 3 hours after eating, we would not be here today; all of our ancestors that had to hunt and gather all day collecting berries and chasing rabbits never would have survived in their catabolic state long enough to take their kill back to the cave and eat it.

Also food breaks down and gets absorbed into the muscles within 3 hours completely.

Now youre just making shit up, or at least parroting someone who is making shit up. An old casein/whey study found that 30g of whey alone took 3 hours to digest completey. Digestion of real food takes much longer, and the bigger the meal, the longer the digestion.
http://www.current-reports.com/article.cfm?PubID=GR01-5-1-05&Type=Article&KeyWords=

Digestion and absorption of a meal are time-intensive events that may easily exceed 4 to 6 hours in duration

http://www.fatlosstroubleshoot.com/if.html

Digestion of a regular meal takes about 6-7 hours and during this time amino acids are being released into the bloodstream. 30 g's of casein takes about 7 hours to get fully assimilated. Double that amount and you will have amino acids in the bloodstream most of your waking hours

If you train, your muscle will just get the protein from other parts that are not sore which can be your legs or your biceps.

This is transcribed diahrrea. I dont know what youre trying to say, and neither do you.

Not to mention eating frequently makes sure your body doesnt think its starving, so you have a better chance staying leaner if not getting leaner.

Ive already covered this here. Meal frequency above a certain point (about 3 meals) is nonsense and it makes no difference whatsoever.
http://www.steroidology.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1738604&postcount=17

And finally, it speeds up the metabolism which basically means the faster your metabolism, the faster you grow because the food gets absorbed very quickly and the body is geared towards muscle building and not fat storing. It's working much much faster and requires energy. Also digesting food itself requires energy as well as drinking ICE cold water throughout the day.

no genius, a higher metabolic rate increases your caloric requirements. an increase in protein synthesis is metabolically taxing, ie. it raises metabolic rate - not the other way around; an increase in metabolic rate does not cause an increase in protein synthesis.

There's always going to be a few who don't want to do things the way they should or think they are too smart to follow what works. At least don't post some nonsense trying to back up your claim. You won't get ANYWHERE eating 3 meals a day. But good luck.

I guess all these people are make believe, because they all follow a IF training/diet plan that involves fasting for 16 hours and eating ~3 big meals in the remaining 8 hours each day. their results are fake! all fake!
http://leangains.blogspot.com/

 

[Drako]

Yeah this eating every 2 hours bolocks has been takin way out of context. In fairness I have 6 meals but thats due to the fact it makes it easier for me to conume calories. As for the guy who believes they must eat every 2 hours or else the muscles will dissapear what do they do when they sleep? strap themselves up to a potein drip... Now theres an idea!

 

[Suareezay]

In fairness I have 6 meals but thats due to the fact it makes it easier for me to conume calories.

that seems to be an advantage to the high meal frequency idea, at least for people eating lots of calories. just a way to spread a large amount of calories into more manageable portions.

 

[JayC]

He said "Tom Foolery"...LMFAO you crack me the fuck up Suareezay!
Just for the record, I do eat more then 3 meals a day (4-5) but that's what I prefer. a) When bulking I can spread the calories out and b) I feel like my nutrients are spread out evenly and it seems to keep my energy at an even state through out the entire day. I'm also a VERY easy gainer so when maintaining or cutting, it seems to help keep me in check..IMO Subjective I know, but different strokes for different folks.
..but you do know your shit Suareezay. I can tell. Are you pre-med or a Nutritionist?