Toned guys: post your fitness regimen

[jayk]

Hey guys

If you are one of those guys who have abs, a toned body (but not beefcake, or huge muscles...I'm not looking to get that), could you post your workout/cardio/diet combo so I can get an idea of what I should aim for in terms of effort, lifestyle modification and time commitment?

A bit about me:

I'm looking to get toned. Got a bit of flab around the abdomen. Other than that, about 5'8 and looking to get that athletic muscular look, with pec's, bi's, tri's delt's, ab's... not huge muscles though.

I just saved up money and signed on a gym annual membership so hopefully you guys can give me a bit of help.

I am wondering what the best combination of cardio and weightlifting is. Just moved into a new city so I don't know many people who are toned or weightlift so I might have to start by myself initially.

Thanks.

[UrbanPoet]

it doesnt work that way buddy....
You gotta lift and train hard, even if u only want the skinny abercrombie and fitch look...

People make it seem like once they touch a barbell they will become arnold. YOU WISH! =P
Lift, train, and EAT hard...
increasing muscle mass speeds up your motabalism, which helps you burn fat faster...
having a higher motabalism gets you those "abs". IT also helps to pack on layers of muscle on your stomach (which is what abs are)then lowering your body fat.

[Peter Pan]

My routine is pretty simple...

I train for half marathons by running 3x a week (1x20km, 2x5km).

In addition, I do light weighttraining on my back and upper body 2x a week.

In terms of diet, I eat lots of dairy, protein, carbs, fruits & vegetables, and try to avoid fast foods and fatty foods. My vices are caffeine and sweets :)

[phd1969]

My diet is pretty easy, I just eat sensibly which means lower carbs, no junk, veggies, and lean meats. I tend to avoid process and frozen food which is hard because I suck at cooking.

My workout is as follow:

Tues: Chest/Tris
Thurs: Back/Traps/Abs
Fri: Cardio
Sat: Legs/Lower Back
Sun: Shoulders/Bis/Abs

For cardio throughout the week I just walk my dog 3x a day for a total of about 6k. It's good excercise for the both of us, and it shows on the both of us.

[poedua]

Hey guys

If you are one of those guys who have abs, a toned body (but not beefcake, or huge muscles...I'm not looking to get that), could you post your workout/cardio/diet combo so I can get an idea of what I should aim for in terms of effort, lifestyle modification and time commitment?

A bit about me:

I'm looking to get toned. Got a bit of flab around the abdomen. Other than that, about 5'8 and looking to get that athletic muscular look, with pec's, bi's, tri's delt's, ab's... not huge muscles though.

I just saved up money and signed on a gym annual membership so hopefully you guys can give me a bit of help.

I am wondering what the best combination of cardio and weightlifting is. Just moved into a new city so I don't know many people who are toned or weightlift so I might have to start by myself initially.

Thanks.

GYM:

If you're a newbie to working out, I'd suggest you " quantify " your goals first. This is where a gym can be of help. They will likely do a fitness assessment where you can determine your body fat % ( i.e goal of fat loss ) and body measurements of legs, bicep, chest etc. ( i.e goal of added muscle mass ). I'd also suggest, if it is in your budget, a few sessions with a personal trainer. A trainer can not only show you a wide range of exercises, but more importantly, how to do them properly. But again, it is important to set some very specific & " measurable " goals for yourself IMO.

Having forum members tell you which exercises to do is a waste of time if you don't know HOW to do them properly - good form and a safe technique is everything - and a trainer can be a huge help in this regard.

MUSCLES:

If you are just starting out, my suggestion would be to go with what is called a " full body workout "- that is you work on your chest, back, shoulders, legs , shoulders and arms all on one day....and you do this 3x ( M,W,F ) a week....and rest T,R, Sat, Sun. Remember, muscles grow while you're at rest so recovery time ( in this case T, R, Sat,Sun ) is essential, with 36 hours - 48 hours rest between workouts being the norm. My view is that these weight training sessions for a newbie should never be longer than 1 hour MAX in the gym....it should it something you can do in the morning, at lunch or after school or work within 1 hour.

If you do the fitness assessment where the gym determines your body measurements of legs, bicep, chest etc. , after 6 months or so of weight training , you can measure them again and see how you have progressed in " adding inches " to your chest, arms, legs, etc.

Also - FYI - there is a difference between adding muscle mass and " toning " your muscles. Exercise with weights can build muscle mass and or " tone " your muscles. What does it mean to " tone " your muscles ? Muscle " tone " has to do with how contracted your muscle stays when you relax. When you're out of shape, you have poor tone and your level of contraction when at rest is low...your abs and arms and legs look "mushy" even if they're thin. When you're in shape, you have good tone and your level of contraction when at rest is high. You can be toned without having to add a lot of muscle mass. And don't confuse looking " toned " with looking " lean " ( i.e lean as in where you muscles are very obvious) which is a matter of losing body fat. For example, having a 6-pack of abs is all about losing fat ( and toning ab muscles ) - not muscle mass.

Let us know if you plan on using a trainer or not, because if not, there a lot of other basic tips members of the forum can help you with.

CARDIO

If you've been sedentary for awhile, or a beginner, the cardiovascular training program should be very general, focusing on increasing basic fitness and endurance. Of course, the benefit is, along the way you will burn calories from cardio and burn fat in the process - i.e flab.

That said, you goal should be to develop a solid aerobic conditioning base. By aerobic conditioning base, I mean you should to reach a level where you can elevate your heart rate to approximately 85% of your maximum heart rate ( MHR - which a trainer or forum members can explain to you ) for a sustained period (i.e running of 30-40 minutes) . Simpy put, If you can run a good clip for 30-40 minutes without too much stress, then you've got a good aerobic base. I'd would try to do cardio 3X a week on your non weight-training days ( i.e during T,R, Sat,Sun ) if possible - start at 20 minutes per session and work up from there.

Again, some advice on cardio tips from a trainer is a good idea - but if needed, forum members can help you there too.

.

[el_diablo007]

weights twice a week: all the big compound exercises (bench press, deadlifts, chin-ups of all sorts of grips, squats, overhead press, bent over rows, good mornings, and etc.)

cardio three/four times a week: three days training with the rest of my team on the indoor rowing machines for 1 hour sessions (usually 3x 20 minute pieces or 2x40 minutes with breaks in between the pieces). 1 day doing a 10k run.

Diet: Salads, wraps, stir fries, sandwiches (on occasion), steaks, salmon, peanut butter, egg whites, whey protein powder, oatmeal, milk, cereal, ground flax seed / flax seed oil, cottage cheese / ricotta / mozarella...you get the idea (lean but high in carbs and protein).

[moyboy]

bjj 6 times a week and muay thai once a week

more fun than weight lifting and argueably better results

2 guys at my gym have lost 40 pounds between them in a month.

[enko]

I've been going to the gym for 2 years, although I totally skimp out in the summer since I'd much rather be outdoors on my motorbike or having fun.

I've recently refined my goals like OP

- reduce body fat, pretty much the little pot belly I have. I'm not overweight really, I'm 5foot..10? Weighing around 155. So could probably use to convert about 10 pounds of that from fat to muscle.

- get toned. I also have no aspirations to be some bulking hulk, I'm a skinny guy and in my opinion it would be unhealthy to bulk up - I work a desk job, so huge muscles aren't required and all that will happen is when I grow old and have kids, as free time disappears, i'll turn into a blob. I'm not sure wether or not this is true, but I know some of my friends in high school bulked up a lot, and then got lazy late university, and now they just have man boobs instead of the pecks they used to have.

Right now my schedule is 4 days a week, mon-thursd.

Mon+Weds : Basic upperbody training, bi/tri muscle building (slightly more weight), chest/shoulders tone (slightly less weight, more reps), and 30 minutes of cardio

everyday : 30 minutes cardio, running or eliptical, and then abs and stretching (VERY IMPORTANT)

I'm not really happy with my ab workout right now, I'd like to get a better one, I might hit up a trainer for 2 sessions for some suggestions.

[poedua]

I've been going to the gym for 2 years, although I totally skimp out in the summer since I'd much rather be outdoors on my motorbike or having fun.

I've recently refined my goals like OP

- reduce body fat, pretty much the little pot belly I have. I'm not overweight really, I'm 5foot..10? Weighing around 155. So could probably use to convert about 10 pounds of that from fat to muscle.

BTW - don't go by the scale alone - total pounds on a scale can be misleading. You can have an excellent body fat % at 155 or a lousy fat % at 155 just as easily.

- get toned. I also have no aspirations to be some bulking hulk, I'm a skinny guy and in my opinion it would be unhealthy to bulk up - I work a desk job, so huge muscles aren't required and all that will happen is when I grow old and have kids, as free time disappears, i'll turn into a blob. .

Adding muscle mass is not unhealthy at all. If anything , it is more important to train your muscles more often the older you get.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, muscle doesn't turn into fat / blob when you get older. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue - one simply tends to replace other due to lifestyle changes.

I'm not sure wether or not this is true, but I know some of my friends in high school bulked up a lot, and then got lazy late university, and now they just have man boobs instead of the pecks they used to have.

Sorry, same myth as above. These " boobs " you're referring to are due to fat found over your pecs - nothing else. Muscle ( i.e pecs ) doesn't turn into fat and vice versa.

[enko]

Sorry, same myth as above. These " boobs " you're referring to are due to fat found over your pecs - nothing else. Muscle ( i.e pecs ) doesn't turn into fat and vice versa.

Thanks for the tips, this is good to know :) In any case, like OP, I'd rather just be a slight to moderate build, but in good cardiovascular shape since my family has a history of heart problems. However I might up my chest/shoulder routine slightly then ;)

Also, I take my bicycle to work, 12 minutes each way, some slight uphill. That, combined with running and eliptical, I tend not to work out my lower body very much. I've noticed my quads are much stronger from biking even to work.

Any huge issues with this? Considering I'm not aiming to have a huge upper body, with all the cardio I should have enough to keep the quads/calves in nice shape? Plus I would rather do cardio 4x, then 3x and build legs on one day, since again one of my goals is cardiovascular fitness and weight loss.

[jayk]

I joined Premier so I hope that I can get a "free" trainer and not get ripped off with more fees :)

Can I do weightlifting on the same day just prior or after cardio? If so, which is better? I'm just thinking about time-saving. Not sure if that's possible, which order to do it in, and if there are any special foods I should eat before or after and how much time between food intake and activity should occur.

Does anyone have suggestions for the best type of cardio for my situation? Years ago, I tried running (I can't do more than 3 laps without resting for a short while), stationary bike (but I wonder how efficient it is cuz you just sit down and use your legs without using the rest of your body), stairclimber (hate it cuz my legs fill up with lactic acid), and elliptical (they say it burns more calories cuz you're using arms and legs but I don't find it that strenuous for some reason).

Also, it seems like most people are taking low fat and lots of protein, veggies and then there's a split between lots vs less of carbs (energy vs calories). IT gets confusing at times cuz some argue for more carbs and some for less.
What types of carbs should I take and in what quantities do I need them?

What do you recommend for diet? Should I take powder for buildling muscle mass? I only want enough to have a slim but muscular body (not the wrestler body), and I'm only 5'8 140lbs now, with a bit of abdominal flab.

Thanks!


GYM:

If you're a newbie to working out, I'd suggest you " quantify " your goals first. This is where a gym can be of help. They will likely do a fitness assessment where you can determine your body fat % ( i.e goal of fat loss ) and body measurements of legs, bicep, chest etc. ( i.e goal of added muscle mass ). I'd also suggest, if it is in your budget, a few sessions with a personal trainer. A trainer can not only show you a wide range of exercises, but more importantly, how to do them properly. But again, it is important to set some very specific & " measurable " goals for yourself IMO.

Having forum members tell you which exercises to do is a waste of time if you don't know HOW to do them properly - good form and a safe technique is everything - and a trainer can be a huge help in this regard.

MUSCLES:

If you are just starting out, my suggestion would be to go with what is called a " full body workout "- that is you work on your chest, back, shoulders, legs , shoulders and arms all on one day....and you do this 3x ( M,W,F ) a week....and rest T,R, Sat, Sun. Remember, muscles grow while you're at rest so recovery time ( in this case T, R, Sat,Sun ) is essential, with 36 hours - 48 hours rest between workouts being the norm. My view is that these weight training sessions for a newbie should never be longer than 1 hour MAX in the gym....it should it something you can do in the morning, at lunch or after school or work within 1 hour.

If you do the fitness assessment where the gym determines your body measurements of legs, bicep, chest etc. , after 6 months or so of weight training , you can measure them again and see how you have progressed in " adding inches " to your chest, arms, legs, etc.

Also - FYI - there is a difference between adding muscle mass and " toning " your muscles. Exercise with weights can build muscle mass and or " tone " your muscles. What does it mean to " tone " your muscles ? Muscle " tone " has to do with how contracted your muscle stays when you relax. When you're out of shape, you have poor tone and your level of contraction when at rest is low...your abs and arms and legs look "mushy" even if they're thin. When you're in shape, you have good tone and your level of contraction when at rest is high. You can be toned without having to add a lot of muscle mass. And don't confuse looking " toned " with looking " lean " ( i.e lean as in where you muscles are very obvious) which is a matter of losing body fat. For example, having a 6-pack of abs is all about losing fat ( and toning ab muscles ) - not muscle mass.

Let us know if you plan on using a trainer or not, because if not, there a lot of other basic tips members of the forum can help you with.

CARDIO

If you've been sedentary for awhile, or a beginner, the cardiovascular training program should be very general, focusing on increasing basic fitness and endurance. Of course, the benefit is, along the way you will burn calories from cardio and burn fat in the process - i.e flab.

That said, you goal should be to develop a solid aerobic conditioning base. By aerobic conditioning base, I mean you should to reach a level where you can elevate your heart rate to approximately 85% of your maximum heart rate ( MHR - which a trainer or forum members can explain to you ) for a sustained period (i.e running of 30-40 minutes) . Simpy put, If you can run a good clip for 30-40 minutes without too much stress, then you've got a good aerobic base. I'd would try to do cardio 3X a week on your non weight-training days ( i.e during T,R, Sat,Sun ) if possible - start at 20 minutes per session and work up from there.

Again, some advice on cardio tips from a trainer is a good idea - but if needed, forum members can help you there too.

.

[Tesla]

first off you won't get huge muslces the second you touch a weight. That takes years upon years of hardwork and dedication. The gym can be a very very relaxing place well it is for me.

I'm also trying to loose fat right now which is I'm trying to reduce my body fat with loosing as little muscle as possible. When your trying to loose fat you will also loose muscle this is a given. Don't stick with any fad diets. If you can try eating 6 small meals a day instead of 3 because it will increase your metalism greatly. Generally try to eat every 2-3 hours though out the coruse of the day.

this is my current routine

Every Morning I do 45 Minutes of Fasted LISS cardio (your supposed to wait 8 hours after doing this much cardio before u weight lift)

My weights routine is as follows.
Monday - Chest
Tuesday - Abs
Wednesday - Back
Thrusday - Legs
Fridays - Arms
Saturdays - Shoulders
Sundays - Abs

At the beginning of my fat loss I was at 247 pounds now I'm down to 223 I figure I have another maybe 33 pounds left to loose. Also a safe estimate of fat to loose is about only 2 pounds a week usually without loosing too much muscle. You will however loose more at first with water weight nd blah blah blah. Just reseach some more using other sites like www.johnstonefitness.com

[poedua]

I joined Premier so I hope that I can get a "free" trainer and not get ripped off with more fees :)

Usually, the fitness assessment comes free with signing up - you usually have to pay for trainers.

Can I do weightlifting on the same day just prior or after cardio? If so, which is better? I'm just thinking about time-saving. Not sure if that's possible, which order to do it in, and if there are any special foods I should eat before or after and how much time between food intake and activity should occur.

If same day for both, it depends if your primary goal is .....cardio fitness/fat loss OR building muscle mass - in that case, do what your primary goal is first.

If they are equal goals, do weights before cardio IMO.

Without getting into the " details " too much of the energy systems involved, here's why in a nutshell - IMO. Cardio before " might " hinder the weight training you do after. If you go relatively hard on cardio, you're going to being using up the carb energy in your body as fuel. Thing is, weight training relies 100% on carbs as a fuel source,so if you deplete your carb stores with cardio, you might compromise your weight session. If you do cardio after weights and your carb energy is tapped out, you can still use fat as energy for cardio is you ease up a bit. Again it depends on how much cardio you do . If you do 10 minutes of cardio before weights - no problem. But if it is 20/30 minutes of cardio where you sweat up a strorm - do weights first.

A good general rule .is to allow 3 / 4 hours for a big meal to digest , 2 / 3 hours for a smaller meal to digest....... 1/ 2 hours for a shake...... and about an hour or less for a small snack. In any event, you want as much blood available to fuel your muscles for a run, that’s why blood flow to your stomach shuts down by as much as 60% during a hard run.

And, don't have Gatorade or any pop or candy bars or anything else for a “sugar fix “ right before a run. These are highly digestible and may result in a drop in blood sugar…which will make you feel tired, light-headed and just a feeling of “worn out “ ( fatigue ).

Have a light snack after your cardio ( within 20 minutes ) - juice, banana, bagel, gummie bears, raisins, etc.

Does anyone have suggestions for the best type of cardio for my situation? Years ago, I tried running (I can't do more than 3 laps without resting for a short while), stationary bike (but I wonder how efficient it is cuz you just sit down and use your legs without using the rest of your body), stairclimber (hate it cuz my legs fill up with lactic acid), and elliptical (they say it burns more calories cuz you're using arms and legs but I don't find it that strenuous for some reason).

The 2 best - in terms of cost / benefit - are likely elliptical & treadmill as they are weight bearing. " Best " also depends on duration, intensity and frequency...I've had great results with the first 2 and equally great results with a rower, stationary bike and stairmaster. Pick one you LIKE ..and start there.

Also, it seems like most people are taking low fat and lots of protein, veggies and then there's a split between lots vs less of carbs (energy vs calories). IT gets confusing at times cuz some argue for more carbs and some for less.What types of carbs should I take and in what quantities do I need them?

For most gym rats hitting the weights , you only need to eat 3 healthy meals and 3 snacks a day to get all the carbs and protein you need - there is NO NEED for any supplements for a newbie like you.

Most of the literature from nutritionists when it comes to training is to focus on carbs to fuel cardio and muscle growth. So, since your primary fuel is carbs / glycogen for cardio and weights, THAT should be the priority.

Just make sure that your diet has a A CARB / FAT / PROTIEN proportion of .... 65% / 20% / 15% ....or....... 70% / 15% / 20 % ...and you should be fine.

What do you recommend for diet? Should I take powder for buildling muscle mass? I only want enough to have a slim but muscular body (not the wrestler body), and I'm only 5'8 140lbs now, with a bit of abdominal flab.

Thanks!

NO

You don't need a high-protein diet to gain weight and none of this "excess" protein that most gym rats scarf down in terms of tons of shakes / bars etc gets " magically " stored as muscle either.

If you really want to get bigger muscles, you need extra calories , and those extra calories should come mainly from extra carbs - not extra protein. Why carbs ? Because you need carbs to fuel your muscles so they can perform a much more intense muscle-building exercise / rotine. So the key is not to overload the muscle with protein. You need to overload the muscle with much more intense weight lifting. Your body then responds by increasing muscles size to cope with the overload.

By eating more calories and weight training with intensity ( overload ) at the same time, you'll promote muscle growth ( at most around 1 pound of muscle a week if you train hard ) and not fat gains.

Exercise grows muscles ..not protien.

[poedua]

I'm also trying to loose fat right now which is I'm trying to reduce my body fat with loosing as little muscle as possible. When your trying to loose fat you will also loose muscle this is a given.

I don't think so - another gym " myth ".

It is very rare that muscle is burned as a fuel for most gym rats.

The dilemma that supports this myth is in the fact that losing fat ( or not gaining it ) and building muscle are goals that are in conflict with one another. If you want to gain muscle you need to eat more calories than you burn . If you want to lose fat you need to eat less calories than you burn ( or don't eat any more ). What happens is that by holding calories or cutting calories in an effort to lose fat or not gain fat you won't be taking in the extra number of number of calories your muscles need to grow bigger.

But, you CAN build muscle, AND lose fat at the same time. Muscles don't shrink from attempts to lose fat via normal intensity cardio and / or a healthly low fat diet. You will only lose muscle mass along with cardio induced fat loss only if you are a " heavy duty " long distance runner ( i.e marathoner ) or if you do high intensity cardio ( i.e HIIT ) in the gym.. That's why you never see many " muscle bound " long distance runners.:)

But for normal guys in the gym trying to shed fat and put on muscle, the worry of losing muscle while losing fat is unfounded - a myth. It's just a matter of making you sure take in enough calories...in other words, don't starve yourself in hopes of losing weight.....and most guys who workout take in more than enough protien and carbs from food and shakes to be " loaded " with energy stores.

Simple solution is just to eat a low fat healthy diet that contains a reasonable number of calories. You're not going to lose or shrink muscles in any way by doing low intensity cardio 3 /4 times a week along with lifting weights.

BTW - this site of yours - www.johnstonefitness.com - it's just some guy who works out of his basement isn't it ?

[enko]

While there are always exceptions, I believe weight training before cardio is the best practice. Weight training burns the glycogen in your muscles, which is nice because when you hit the cardio you have a chance to get your body to switch over to fat as an energy source, depending on intensity, duration and wether or not you just ate a huge meal before ;)

This is why cardio first thing in the morning, before a meal, is the best for weight loss. Your body almost instantly starts using fat as an energy source.

[poedua]

While there are always exceptions, I believe weight training before cardio is the best practice. Weight training burns the glycogen in your muscles, which is nice because when you hit the cardio you have a chance to get your body to switch over to fat as an energy source, depending on intensity, duration and wether or not you just ate a huge meal before ;)

This is why cardio first thing in the morning, before a meal, is the best for weight loss. Your body almost instantly starts using fat as an energy source.

It sort of depends on the " intensity " of your cardio - as to how much energy comes from fat and how much from carbs.

The more intense your cardio session, the more you'll be relying on your carb / glycogen stores for energy. If you deplete your glycogen stores somewhat significantly with a morning run ( which is rare for a newbie btw ) , you have to make sure you at least replentish those stores ( to top them up ) to some degree before you hit the weights at noon or in the evening.

While most gym rats won't come close to at all to fully depleting their glycogen stores, it's important to keep in mind muscles replace glycogen at an average rate of about 5% an hour, so muscles can be fully " topped up " again in terms of glycogen within 24 hours.

So, with that in mind, it'a a good idea to fuel up with carbs the evening before a morning run, have a light snack in the morning before you run and a snack immediatley after the run as well.

[jayk]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

poedua, I read some of your older posts and have some questions.

Running: isn't this better than the other exercises since your body is in motion? Though I hear it can be hard on the knees, but not sure how much running I would need to do to produce significant cartilage wear.

You said in an older post that newbies should start with wholebody workouts. Why is that? And also, how do I know when I should switch from whole body workout (you said 3x/week) to a different pattern?

BTW if anyone knows of a good website for illustrated workout exercises, lemme know as I google on.

[poedua]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

poedua, I read some of your older posts and have some questions.

Running: isn't this better than the other exercises since your body is in motion? Though I hear it can be hard on the knees, but not sure how much running I would need to do to produce significant cartilage wear.

Frankly, I think the most important factor to consider when choosing cardio equipment / routine , is that the " best " piece of equipment or routine is the one you actually use, or as I saw it said - " choose what you'll use ". Choose the equipment based on your personal preference / likes first. But, if you are OK with 2 or 3 different machines , then go with the highest RATE of calorie burn.

On that front, treadmills and elipticals rank close to the top in terms of calorie burn as both are weight bearing. And, as you said, if knees concerns are an issue, the eliptical is a bit more forgiving as it's non-impact - unlike running. Also, the treadmill controls you ( you have to keep up ) and an eliptical doesn't ( you can push as hard as you want whenever ) - which might bother/bug some gym rats. But if your knees are in good shape, as a newbie, you won't be pounding too much in the early going on a treadmill, so either is fine IMO. Of course, if you want to run outdoors in the spring or enter a 5/10K race....treadmill training is a better fit. In my books, for cardio/ fat loss...I rank them as eliptical, treadmill, rower - in that order...but that's just me.

You said in an older post that newbies should start with wholebody workouts. Why is that? And also, how do I know when I should switch from whole body workout (you said 3x/week) to a different pattern?

A full-body workout 3X a week is my personal opinion as being best for rookies - others may disagree. In any event, here's " why " I prefer it for those new to weight training.

I'd dedicate the first 3 months ( minimum ) to 6 months ( maximum ) to full body workouts. If you are new to weight training, the idea is to get a " grounding " in different exercises. During this time you want to actually master as many exercises as you can, get used to sticking to a routine, and slowly build up both the amount and - most importantly- the " intensity " of your workouts. And, of course, the whole idea is to get stronger during this time. If you want to add any muscle mass at all, you have to get strong first.

The thing to keep in mind, is that when you start out as a newbie, you're really working on conditoning your muscles to get ready to workout effectively down the road. By that I mean, you are learning " how " to train hard. Out of the gate as a newbie, when you do an exercise, your nervous system initially only kicks in a portion of your muscle fibers. What you are learning in these 3 months is to push hard during training - push hard means you're forcing your nervous system to recruit more and more muscle fibers. That means you're learning about intensity and to go harder and harder. You'll find that as a result , you should see some great gains in the first 6 months. After that, gains are a little slower in coming, so then you can switch to a split routine so you can really max out overload / intensity on your muscles.

Again, I'd hold to a full-body 3X a week ( i.e M,W,F ) for 3 months and then see if you feel up to a split routine from there - depending how strong you feel - if not, stick with a full body till you can go very hard in a split routine.

Keep in mind, a split routine might require more trips to the gym - 4X,5X,6X - to cover off all your body parts....

..i.e 4 day split, 5 day split, 6 day split etc. etc. ..i.e .upper / lower body 3 days per week each ( i.e a 6 day split example ) or each bodyarea ( upper / lower ) 2 days per week each ( i.e a 4 day split example )

....or one bodyarea 3 days per week & one bodyarea 2 days per week ( i.e a 5 day split example ) or each bodypart of arms, legs, chest, back, shoulders 2 days per week ( i.e a 6 day split example )

[pegger06]

I jog for an hour with stones in a back up. It really works out your back, which in turn works out your abs, and my shoulders. You always lose a lot of weight...

I do this for about an hour and a half.

[poedua]

I jog for an hour with stones in a back up. It really works out your back, which in turn works out your abs, and my shoulders. You always lose a lot of weight...

I do this for about an hour and a half.

He's a newbie to running ...running with weights isn't where he's at right now .....BAD idea IMO

[nubbie]

45mins on the treadmill first thing in the morning, before I eat, has worked great for me. Then after work I hit the gym for 45mins to lift weights.

[jayk]

one more newb question:

any advice on how to stretch? I understand that it's important before and after weights, as well as for cardio, but what exercises should I do exactly?