newbie workout/gym questions

[Don Juan Montoya]

Just joined a gym 2 months ago. Had a personal trainer for one hour as part of the package. My goal is conservative: gain 10 lbs of muscle in 1 year. I am 42 y.o. & 6ft/166 lbs & attend the gym 2x a week. My diet is ok & i dont do any other sports except I might start playing racketball 1x a week... Questions: The trainer said i should hold each rep for 3 seconds..but i dont see other people at the gym doing this? How long should i resting between each set? Trainer told me to concentrate on form, breathing & not worry about lifting alot of weight because i am new to this. Some dudes i see lift real fast & dont hold each rep? Should i be drinking protein shakes? If so, how many times a week & what time of the day? Is it possible i could stick to a 2 day a week workout program & only gain a few pounds of lean muscle in one year? I think i will be disapointed if that happens. Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

[Quagmire911]

Just joined a gym 2 months ago. Had a personal trainer for one hour as part of the package. My goal is conservative: gain 10 lbs of muscle in 1 year. I am 42 y.o. & 6ft/166 lbs & attend the gym 2x a week. My diet is ok & i dont do any other sports except I might start playing racketball 1x a week... Questions: The trainer said i should hold each rep for 3 seconds..but i dont see other people at the gym doing this? How long should i resting between each set? Trainer told me to concentrate on form, breathing & not worry about lifting alot of weight because i am new to this. Some dudes i see lift real fast & dont hold each rep? Should i be drinking protein shakes? If so, how many times a week & what time of the day? Is it possible i could stick to a 2 day a week workout program & only gain a few pounds of lean muscle in one year? I think i will be disapointed if that happens. Thanks in advance for any answers.

1.You need to eat roughly like this: http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=134782

2.You need to train roughly like this:
http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=125444

3.As a beginner you don't need to "hold the rep" for 3 seconds, you just need to lift the weight in a controlled fashion. Once you have the form correct which shouldn't take long, you should be adding weight as fast as you can as this is how you progress. If you keep the weights low as a beginner then you will stay a beginner and look like a beginner. Obviously don't go overboard and injure yourself. Common sense.

4.Length of time between sets varies. Just go on to the next set when you feel ready.

5.Protein shakes (whey+raw eggs) aren't a necessity. If you can get enough calories from quality food that is preferable but for many (the majority) shakes are portable and convenient. You will probably have to use them.

6.Look at the thread above for how often you should consume shakes.

7.You can use a 2 day program and still gain 20+ pounds in a year. You just need to do things correctly. Also, I wouldn't try and gain 10lbs over the course of a year. Aim to gain the 10lbs over 3-4 months. If you try and gain 10lbs over a year you will overanalzye and mostly screw things up. You need to try and gain it quickly and then maintain.

8.Make a log to track your progress and people can help you further.

9.I will provide you with a 2 day program if you want one, send me a pm.

Good luck,

Quagmire

 

[shaunuk]

OK, so you wanna train 2x a week. You can probably get away with 2 fullbody workouts per week. Make something like this your routine

monday
---
squats, 2x5
barbell rows, 5x5
bench press, 2x6
bicep curls

thursday
---
deadlifts, 2x5
lat pulldowns, 3x6
bench press, 2x6
tricep exercise

or something like it..But basically you need to be basing your training around the 3 most important lifts: squats, deadlifts and bench pressing.

Do this training and try to add weight to your exercises each time. Don't worry about the exact rep ranges, just do whatever reps and sets you need to make progress.

You should be eating 1.5g-2g of protein per pound of your bodyweight. So you weigh 166lbs..you should be eating ideally 2 * 166 = 335g of protein, but at least 1.5 * 166 = 250g. You can get this protein from chicken, beef, eggs, turkey, tuna, whey protein, etc.. As Quagmire said, whey protein shakes are not ESSENTIAL but you should ideally drink one after a workout because you wanna kick-start protein synthesis. It's OK to rely on protein shakes throughout the day to get your total of protein as long as you add a fat source to it...i.e. raw eggs

You'll need to be eating upwards of 3000cals per day, perhaps even 4000cals.

Ask for help if you need it, check out internet videos for form on exercises, follow quag et al's links..

shaun

 

[shaunuk]

or equally good (actually probably better) follow up Quagmire's offer for giving you a 2day routine.