I need some guidance making up a routine

[defiancy]

I've been regulating what I've been eating for some time now, but I do need create some type of plan that I can follow so I can lose a lot of fat and gain some muscle. I've read stuff from the vault on that topic, but I still need help setting this up so I'll tell you my stats.

I'm asian, 5' 10" inches, 156 pounds, 18.2% body fat. People say I'm not that fat when I tell them I need to start exercising, but I know I'm very far from my set point weight. I look at myself in very recent pictures and my face looks bloated. In my freshman year I remember that my metabolism was very high (from martial arts) and I was thin, but after all these honors classes and "no time" for exercise I gained a LOT. So now, it's time for change...very much like how the political candidates have been saying haha.

1) What are the names of the machines you use (anyone know of a link or guide that tells me what each one exactly does?)

2) What's the ideal body fat %? I want to be thin and have defined muscles later, but I don't need to look like the skinny asian guys.

3) I'm aiming to lose a lot of fat, but it's okay for me to gain muscle slowly. Any tips on what I should do? If you guys can help me construct a plan, much kudos goes to you. It's not that I'm lazy I'm just confused as I'm a beginner.

 

[Fuglydude]

Start with the basics... train intense, eat well, sleep lots.

1. Your routine should focus around big compound multi-joint movements: squats, deadlifts, bench, shoulder press, row, chin ups, etc. I dont' recommend machines unless you're doing specific or assessory work.

Train 3-4 times a week with weights or less if you feel like you're not adequately recovering. Do cardio as you seem fit...personally I can get away with minimal actual cardio because I eat relatively clean and have a fairly fast metabolism.

2. 8-12% i think is good for most guys, below that can be tough to maintain. How did you get your body composition tested?

Eat 5-6 times a day with 30-40 g protein at each meal. Lots fruits, and veges,...cut out the processed crap as best u can. DIET IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING BY FAR.

Stay disciplined and make it a commitment to change your lifestyle. You're 18, and have very high testosterone levels...this will be really good for making gains.

Educate yourself too: www.bodybuilding.com has tons of articles to check out on training, nutrition, supplements, etc.

good luck.

 

[defiancy]

got my body fat % tested on an electronic weight scale I have at home. It sends some kind of electrical impulse through your body and that's how it measures it. I have no clue how it works, but seems accurate.

 

[Fuglydude]

That scale is using bioelectrical impedance to measure your body composition. Basically muscle and other lean tissues have more water content that fat cells so you get better conductivity in these cells vs. fat cells.

BEI uses this phenomenon to assess body composition/hydration status. I personally think BEI sometimes tends to overestimate the amount of fat we carry...but I could be wrong. Most tests on a BMI say I'm around 12% or so and people say I'm a lot leaner, but I dunno. There are many factors such as electrolyte, hydration status and whether you've eaten or consumed caffeine that can affect your body's conductivity.

Generally speaking for most guys, if you can see abs you're probably in single digit body fat range... or close to anyways. I'd suggest getting your body fat measure by another method, say calipers or something and comparing this to the numbers you get from your scale at home.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

Check out the Vault at the top of the H&F discussion page. The first two links are already thought up workouts and diets.

 

[DannykDJ]

Congratulations on deciding to make yourself

1. I base my routine around my schedule. How many days a week can you go to the gym? Look around this forum and bb.com and find a beginner program that you think will suit you.

The exercises vary every week. The only thing I always do is squats on leg day. Despite what some people may tell you machines are good to supplement to a good routine. I don't even teach beginners how to deadlift until they get at least half a year of experience because of how advanced the lift is. As someone already posted go to bodybuilding.com and look at a list of exercises for each muscle and watch the videos of how each exercise is done. Your first few weeks working out are just getting used to the movements of each exercise.

2) Don't worry about the numbers so much right now. Until you get a solid base of muscle the number your weight and bodyfat represent are meaningless. Use the number on the scale only to evaluate your progress from time to time. For now go by the mirror and how you feel. Too many people focus on the number on the scale. Quality over quantity. Most men look good around 10-14% body fat. For the average person single digit levels are very hard to maintain for extended periods of time because of the strict diet required, and until you have more muscle you don't want to get that low anyway since you will just look unhealthy.

3) Diet is key. 80% of your goals are achieved through proper nutrition. The best diet for losing fat is Dave palumbo's bulking and cutting diet. Although it says you have to be 200lbs, it can be modified for lighter people. A lot of guys here are gonna say high fat diets are bad, but this one is proven effective by many bodybuilders including myself. I will never go back to a regular cutting or bulking diet again since using these. High protein High fat no carbs is a superior diet to the typical high protein moderate carbs low fat diet.

Cutting Diet
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=5899101&highlight=syntrax

Bulking Diet
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6906911