There is one technique I have used which might be perfect for you. It simultaneously gives you more pump than anything I've ever used, and is very easy on the tendons. It goes like this: Take a 15 lb curl bar (the curvy shaped one) and put 2 2 1/2 lb weights on it (total 20 lb). This will seem too light when you start, but you will be screaming for mercy by the time you're almost done. Do 10 curls regularly. Then just hold the bar for 10 seconds (arms straight, downward). Do 10 curls, but only go halfway up, then start at the top, do 10 more, going halfway down, then 10 full curls. Hold the bar for 10 seconds. Now, the fun part. Do 1 curl, then hold the bar for 10 seconds, then do 2 curls, hold the bar 10 seconds.....up to ten curls. Sounds easy, right? Well, it won't look impressive doing it in the gym. What WILL look impressive is the badass arms you will soon have. Right after you do the curls, do the same routine with your triceps. Hold the bar straight over your head, and then pump the bar to behind your head (only move forearms). Your rest position (where you hold for 10 seconds) will be behind your head. This multi-pump technique really defies the conventional low-reps, high-weight paradigm of mass gain. Instead of the actual weight ripping your muscles, they are ripped from inside by the huge blood flow (the pump). Like airing up a tire till it pops. As such, the burn goes deep and your entire muscle grows, not just the surface. This technique can probably be adapted for any body part, but I've only used it for arms.
Here are the statistics: One death per 17,000 men who exercise vigorously 1 to 19 minutes a week One death per 23,000 men who exercise vigorously 20 to 139 minutes a week One death per 13,000 men who exercise vigorously 140 or more minutes a week You don't need to be a gym rat in order to be physically fit, in fact excessive exercise is counter-productive to your health. I cannot stress enough for you to get a baseline physical examination from a medical doctor prior to starting an exercise routine, after years of being sedentary. I can't stress that enough. Regardless of the advice you're going to get in here, let a trained medical professional tell you what is and what is not a good idea in terms of exercising. One size does not fit all.
There's a distinction between a professional athlete and someone who doesn't make a living playing a sport...I include college athletes with those because they are in essence getting paid in the form of a scholarship. People stay up till 3:00 am and along comes a PX-90 commerical, oh hey I want my abdominal muscles to look like that also. I think many have unrealistic goals and expectations. I was in the service and subject to physical fitness testing, usually bi-annually. Being within the expected standards was a job requirement. The typical PFT consisted of a timed 1.5 mile run, sit-ups and push-ups in a timed interval, 1 - 2 minutes typically. I prepared for the PFT by literally doing the PFT, 3 - 4 times a week. All in all about a 15 - 20 minute workout, that I would regard as vigorous. These are timed events, so the pace is not leisurely in other words and of course there is stretching done before and after, so all in all about a 30 minute window 3 - 4 days a week of free time is all that is needed. If I had actually had to give advice to the OP, which I'm hesitant to do since I don't know anything about his current health or anything, that's what I'd recommend.
doubling the time to an hour would be even better, but 30 mins a day is great more than most of the population does in a year, or ever...the important part of your routine was raising your heart rate... at one time I was considering a becoming a cop my buddy who I played soccer with did...he told me about another recruit a bodybuilder who was breaking all sorts of strength test records during training but he was rejected as a recruit when he couldn't complete a mile run in under 12 minutes...how bad does your cardio have to be in order not to complete a mile in under 12 mins?...
Pretty bad, but I bet a good portion of the adult population in the US couldn't do a 12 minute mile (a pace just faster than a fast walk). It's fixable though. My wife and I run a few times a week, and last summer a neighbor asked if he could join us on our run. He said he hadn't worked out in years, but was set on getting into shape and losing some extra pounds. Neadless to say, he puked after a mile on the first day, even at a slower pace. But here we are 9 months later and he's now running 5 miles with no trouble and he's lost a good 30 pounds or so.
One more point I'd like to make to the OP here. You'll notice that you're getting a lot of conflicting info from different people. I got a lot of that too when I first started. Go heavier, go lighter, go longer, go shorter. Ultimately, you just have to experiment and find out what works best for you. That's what I've done. Don't be afraid to try new things. And if something doesn't work, don't be afraid to discard it. After awhile, you'll find your groove. Personally, I work out for about an hour a day, six days a week. For some people, that might not be enough. For others, it might be too much. But it's worked great for me. Experimentation is key. Just be sure to listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs.
ya I think I said all that, lots of methods that work for some people and not for others, bodies can be very sport specific...I was envious of a friend who'd bulk up with little effort and I'd work my arse off and made significant strength gains but little physical change... I hated leg day...
You are the man. My routine is now very similar to what you gave, but on the low weight more rep side for the most part. I followed your advice, and experimenting seems to advocate Fifths recommendation. I wanted to thank you for this. I haven't purchased the bar yet, so I am doing modified versions of this with dumbbells. I had a friend come visit from Germany who showed me why I am dissatisfied with my results thus far. I am a (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) and I haven't been working out. My weights were too light for heavy, and reps too shallow for light. Middle middle wasn't doing anything, except perhaps getting my tendons in shape to do real work. 20 reps in 5 sets with 30 sec or less between for low weight. Vary speed for confusion. After 100 hammer curls, you want to die, but that is just warm up on arm day. Then some circle training with more weight. Never more than 90 seconds between exercises. Some big heavy stuff at the end... well... actual end is rope twist because you are unable to use your arms for anything after 100 of those.
Sounds like you're really hitting it hard. That's great. I would say that if your arms are so exhausted at the end that you can barely lift them, then you're doing it right. In a couple months you should be stupid bad. One word of caution, your motivation is high now, and should remain high for the duration, BUT...after a while (2-3 months), the best thing is to take a break and let your muscles FULLY heal. Then you start up again. That helps against plateauing (because your muscles once again aren't used to kicking ass all the time). Here's where motivation can be a problem. Getting started again after a break. I don't have much advice in that regard, except get a workout partner. Not only will a partner allow you to push yourself harder (because you'll have a spotter), but you help keep each other working out on days when the other guy doesn't feel like it. Glad to hear you're doing so well! Keep it up!
Buy some Creatine and take it after working out with some sort of shake.... Work out with weights 3 days a week, don't overdo it but push yourself. In order to build up you need to really challenge your muscles then let them rest for a day or two. Good luck.
Ok... so I have determined that I have been a bit too obsessed with caloric/fat intake. Again, I lost a (*)(*)(*)(*) ton of weight. Now I believe I am not sustaining enough calories to gain mass, so my diet must once again change. I think I have been on about a 900 calorie diet for a little too long, as some mass gains I have made have been lost and I now look like an Auschwitz prisoner instead of a badass. So I need to up my calories, avoiding carbs and staying high protein. I think I need to be lifting heavier according to this diet regiment. I have lost about 50 lbs. I cannot continue my current diet and be healthy I don't think. If I plank and look at my stomach... it's a bit of a show. Not cool. I need to fill this skin with some muscle. I think this means calories... please advise. I have the whole "right fats" kind of thing going... but frankly I think I have overdone this whole thing and need to re-shape my diet... and routine. *I am clearly flexing here, and trying to look like I'm not.
