b_s_Bowser

I need help in determining a weightlifting program/schedule.

Basically, my goal is to shed some excess fat and get muscle.

I'm at about 240, 5'8 (a slightly hunched back has lowered my height, my actual height is about 5'9'-5'10).

While I'm trying to lose some weight, I want to stay..."big" in terms of muscle. I use to have a decent build, but I got lazy for a year and now I have lost most of my muscle mass. (I was about 220 before I got lazy).

So any ideas? Suggestions?. I also do jogging/walking at leasy 4 times a week for almost an hour.

Citan

you're looking for:

www.bodybuilding.com

MacTech92

If I were you I'd cut the cardio (jogging) down to three days. And I too would look at the body building site mentioned in the previous post.

jags861

not to come across as mean, but unless you're jacked, you're probably pretty fat - to give u a comparison, when arnold schwarzeneger was mister olympia, he was 6' 245lbs.

I highly recommend you lose as much weight as possible by only doing cardio, and then building up once your body fat % is low. It may seem like it starts off slower, but in the long run it will be quicker as you can adjust your diet to your needs (low calorie during weight loss, high calorie during bulking).

BioGuy

Don't bodybuild/weight lift. You're way better off with cardio. Run, or do some type of cardio(tae bo) that involves you using your major muscle groups. You'll feel and look much better than if you weight lifted. And I know Tae bo sounds really gay or whatever, but that type of cardio really does get you into shape.

gstein

Easiest way to lose weight is to get involved in some type of sport involving a lot of running or cardio (ie. soccer or basketball) and watch your diet. You need to lose weight before you start adding on muscle. When you lift, try using something like Nitrix. It really helps your workouts.

Citan

I disagree...if your goal is to gain muscles/strength then don't do cardio...

Strykur

240 pounds at 5' 8" is quite heavy; hit the cardio hard to trim off fat, then go towards nonaerobic weightlifting later.

mkm56

Ok, I'm a parent that stumbled on this thread....so sorry if I shouldn't post here. My son is an avid weight lifter and says that building muscle mass will increase your BMR and thus make it easier for you to lose the fat. (this opinion also held by personal trainer I know). I agree with above poster to keep the cardio down to 3 days a week or use 30min of cardio to warm up before the weight training. Generally don't train same muscles two days in a row (ie alternate days for upper and lower). The exception is abds which can be done daily (not sure why, but that is what trainer says). My son does the 30-45min cardio before weights, then follows with stretching after lifting. Good luck with your program--they say it is addictive once you get into it---I can't speak from personal experience .

MacTech92

Also, if you have a pool handy, I highly recommend swimming.

I typically do intense cardio workouts (10 miles walks, for example) on days I don't lift. And I agree, lift every other day. For some reason the results are minimal if you overkill.

As for the body mass, I'm actually at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm 5'9" and around 145 pounds. I also have an unusually small appetite for a 20 year old guy. I am almost forced to limit cardio because I have often lost muscle mass as soon as I've gained it (I have almost no fat on me). When I started my workout program that I use currently, in July 2005, I weighed about 140 pounds. I bulked up to 150 but then lost 20 pounds due to health issues so it's been a struggle to put anything on. If I can keep bulking up muscle-wise to the point where I'm about 160 pounds and can maintain that I'll be satisfied--if it weren't for the health problems I'd probably be there now but I practically had to start everything over in January and this time had more mass to gain.

And like mkm56 said, you have to warm up/cool down to maximize your workouts. I find that stretching is very useful--just use a wall in your weight room or something. It's good for both warming up and cooling down, and make sure you get some flexibility exercises in there too.

Also if you're into abs it's pretty easy to do the simplest ab exercise, the sit-up, almost anywhere.

One last point--don't work out either immediately after you eat or right before you eat. Find a good happy medium between the two. I find that 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon is my best time for working out.

smallgreenguy

Good tips:

1. The most important thing is eating right. Stop eating pizza, cheeseburgers, french fries, high fat/ high sugar food altogether. It may be extreme, but honestly these foods serve no purpose other than to give one a temporary high. Every ONCE in a while these are alright. Do eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats such as turkey, roast beef, and chicken. Get used to understanding what the labels on foods mean! It's really not about dieting, it's about training yourself to eat healthy and living your whole life that way.

2. Exercise - Cardio + Lifting is the best combo while trying to lose a lot of weight. By lifting while you have a lot of excess fat it will help you build muscle faster than if you start out at 130 lbs. and 9% body fat. Once you get your weight and body fat % low, you really only need to lift if you want muscle mass. Cardio has health benefits for sure, but will not give you muscle mass that you want. Eating correctly will not cause you to gain any weight or body fat at all when you are not doing cardio unless you are taking in extra calories in order to bulk.

3. Never do either of these half assed. If you start skipping either of these, you will probably fail, it's almost always the case.

4. Visit bodybuilding.com - there's a lot of good information on there, though don't take any of it as gospel. There are tons of lifting programs on there to choose from.

Original Name

I used to be pretty chubby in highschool too. I started off with weightlifting before doing cardio/sports because could never stay consistent with those. The continual improvement you gain through weightlifting however is great positive reinforcement and you'll no doubt lose some fat as you gain muscle. More likely than not as you become more fit your interest in other physical activities will increase as well.

LFWB dad

Body for Life

Read it. It works

-Lurker-

"My son is an avid weight lifter and says that building muscle mass will increase your BMR and thus make it easier for you to lose the fat."

This is true. Having more muscle uses more calories/fat I believe.

aarosurf

just watch your diet. dont eat too many starches, only as many as you need. either lift weights or cardio or both, as long as you do it consistenly and 100% you'll start to lose weight and look better.