Monday: Cardio (goal of burning 300 calories, never not achieved it.)
Tuesday: Legs/Upper Body (dependent on which machines are being taken up more)
Wednesday: Core
Thursday: Legs/Upper Body (same as Tuesday)
Friday: Cardio
My Leg days consists of a bunch of different exercises that I just feel like doing on the day. Usually - Incline Leg Press, Prone Leg Curl, Leg Extensions, Calf Press (am yet to squat but this will be implemented soon, I'm very shy so doing things like bench and squatting I don't do often because I feel like an idiot)
My Upper Body days are not spread out right and I think I need another day because I take ages to complete it but from what I've read in this thread you can't over train so I don't really mind as much - Standing Barbell curl, weird dumbell raise thing like you're flying like a bird, seated row, lat pull downs, tricep pull downs, bench press, shoulder press, lower back crunch type thing ( don't know what it's called), pec thingy (again, don't know what it's called)
Awesome to hear you have really decided to hit the gym hard and change your body. You will notice that as time progresses and you maintain your commitment, as you see the little changes, your whole attitude changes and reaching those goals becomes the most satisfying thing ever.
As for any suggestions I could give, here are a few:
1. Your main goal is to lose weight and you also hate cardio. Weight training burns more calories during and after a workout that any form of cardio.
If you want to maximise your results I would put an emphasis on doing
ALL your workout sessions on weights, targeting 1 or 2 specific body parts per session. For example Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps, Shoulders, Legs = a solid 4 day split. Throw some abs sets in every workout between exercises to keep
Move your cardio to first thing in the morning when you wake up, before breakfast. Go for a 10-20min cardio sesh, but instead of just a 'run' or a 'jog' do some HIIT training (High Intensity Interval Training)
- HIIT - Involves a 1 min sprint followed by 1 min slow walk to recover breath, then repeat. (Best fat burning cardio there is - philosophy behind it is that the body burns fat at its peak when it has a maximum supply of oxygen. When going for a continuous run your body is starving for air, thus not utilising fat as it's primary energy source = doesn't burn fat well)
I don't drink any protiene shakes or anything like that - I think that I could see some huge results if I did but god damn the stuff is expensive from what I saw.
My diet isn't very strict, I eat what I feel like, just in moderation. I don't drink as much water as I nearly should, I'm quite oftenly dehydrated I just don't really get affected by it. I don't sleep enough either out of my own choice but that will change over these holidays.
In this game, working out contributes to 20% of the result, 10% on sleep and 70% on diet/nutrition. You ever heard of the phrase 'abs are made in the kitchen'.
Your diet is the most important thing to focus on, what you eat determines what you are.
2.I would start drinking a lot more water. As a rough guide, 1 litre per 25kg's of body weight is about the right amount to drink each day. So if your 100kg (25/100 = 4litres of water per day)
By drinking more water, you will also be less hungry and less likely to snack and binge on foods which do not pose any benefit to your body or achieving your goals.
3. In terms of your food intake. Cut down the amount of processed foods and take away's and soft drinks and minimize your alcohol consumption (all of these contain empty calories, an enormous amount of sugar and alot of saturated/trans-fatty acids which are not beneficial or healthy to your body). Also avoid high GI (Glycemic Index) foods, which are high processed carbs. Like white bread, white potato's, white rice, white flour, non-wholegrain/wholemeal pasta)
Therefore, avoid these things:
- Sugar (try not to add sugar to anything)
- Saturated Fats
- Trans-Fatty Acids
- White breads/rices/flours/pastas
Instead go for things like these:
- Brown Rice
- Broccoli
- Tomato
- Wholemeal Wholegrain bread
- Sweet Potato
- Cos Lettuce
Aim for fresh, clean foods and try and have 4-5 smaller meals a day. Aim for around 30g protein per meal. Protein is the mother of all fat burning food groups and also the mother of all muscle building food groups. Best forms of protein are:
- Tuna/Salmon
- Lean Beef
- Kangaroo
- Chicken/Poultry
- Eggs
- Cottage Cheese
- Whey protein
Sample diet:
Breakfast: Oats & Milk (porridge) with some berries or cinammon
Mid-Morning: Can of Tuna or Salmon with salad (like cos lettuce)
Lunch: Chicken Breast Sandwich (on wholegrain bread or brown rice or
Mid-Afternoon: 5 Eggs
Dinner/Post Workout: Steak or Protein shake
Sorry to spit out a heap of information, but that's a basic guide to think about on how to progress further.
