Lasting in the gym

Diceicle

Hi all

I've started back to the gym after a long break from it. I'm finding it hard to get energized and motivated about my workouts. So I'm hoping the knowledgable people here can help, basically I find that by the time I'm finished with my cardio and weights I can't stop yawning and I feel drained so I find it a struggle to keep motivated enough to complete decent sets of my ab-training section.

Is there some foods I should or shouldnt be eating prior to workouts?
Would the amount of water consumed throughout the day be a factor?

Any help would be great.

rubadub

Do all the weights first. Then cardio, this way you have more energy to lift and stimulate more muscle growth.

AlphaMale 3OO

i think you've hit the nail on the head yourself. weights, cardio and abs all in one session? try splitting your sessions up and cutting down the time while upping the frequency, 30 mins intense work is much better than an hour and a half of sluggish stuff.

Diceicle

Thanks for the advice, its appreciated. Have you any tips on things to eat and avoid before a session? I'll break up my workouts and see how I get on.

Thanks again.

Colm_OReilly

Please post your diet and exercise routine for a critique, along with sleep patterns if you don't mind. This will enable us to help you better.

Diceicle

Hi

Sorry for the slow reply.

I try to be in bed around 11pm to get up just after 7. I sleep well most nights.

My diet is usually:

half cup coffee before I leave house.

10:30 am - scone with low low butter or toasted brown bread with low low
porridge oats soaked in apple juice with yoghurt

1:00 pm - Beans on toast
or
Poached egg with brown bread
or
Pasta with sauce

3:30 pm - Apple

7:00 pm - Dinner (varied, healthy as possible. Always homemade, no processed stuff)

8:00 pm - Snack (probably something sweet.)

I try not to nibble on food when at home but thats not always adhered to.

The gym I'm trying to get 3 times per week.

My typical workout is
20 mins on cross trainer / bike (building up to 30) on a moderate setting.

10x3 Chest press
10x3 Lat pulldown
10x3 Tricep pulldown
10x3 Bicep Curls
10x3 Shoulder press
10x3 Leg press

10x3 Stomach crunch
10x6 Oblique Crunch
10x3 Leg lifts

Protein shake after workout

Any tweaking to help me get better results and not feel to tired/ yawning / de-motivated would be excellent.

Thanks in advance.

t-ha

Don't have time to get into too much detail - but one thing I'll mention is workout intensity. If I did your workout I'd probably be bored too. I find that if you feel sluggish after a days work or whatever, and you do exercises that don't challenge you enough to pull you out of that, then you spend the whole session in a trance. The easiest fix is to warm up with a few light sets of something and then quickly build up to something really challenging (i.e. sets of 20 rep squats or something else tough). Also, if you don't have an mp3 player with some heavy s**t on it, that might be worth investing in.

Read the sticky on diet for tips on how to improve that end of things (it can be improved alot).

The Shane

Diceicle wrote: »

My typical workout is
20 mins on cross trainer / bike (building up to 30) on a moderate setting.

10x3 Chest press
10x3 Lat pulldown
10x3 Tricep pulldown
10x3 Bicep Curls
10x3 Shoulder press
10x3 Leg press

10x3 Stomach crunch
10x6 Oblique Crunch
10x3 Leg lifts

Sweet lord that's a lot.

I'm going to assume that your goals are pretty braod and fall under the remit of losing a bit of fat, building a bit of muscle and generally feeling better.

I think you might be having trouble staying motivated because of the volume of work you're doing. My own personal recommendations being to cut out the filler stuff (bicep curls, tricep pull downs), generally get rid of machine based work in favour of either free weights or calisthenics ie replace the lat pulldown with pull ups and replace the chest press with our old friend the push up or bench press.

So important it deserves a paragraph of its own. Assuming you are physically capable the cornerstone of your workout should be the squat. Get rid of the leg press. This may involve starting with bodyweight squats and then every so gently working up to using a bar with weight but you're better off.

Obvious questions about my advice above are:
1. I can't do pull ups. What should I do?
Jumping pull ups or the negative part of a pull up.
2. What about my shoulders?
If you're starting off there is no real need to break down the body in the truly involved way a bodybuilder will, push ups will build shoulders sufficiently. If you're still not happy, don't be tricked into using the shoulder press machine. Do some divebomber pushups or hand stand push ups.
3. That's still a lot of work. What should I do?
Break it up if needs be. Try to keep your workouts short and sharp and concentrate on squat, push up and pull up.
4. My beautiful abs are being neglected. Why?
There is sufficient abdominal work for general fitness involved in push ups and squatting. If you manage to get a kip (an aggressive sort of swing) in your pull ups then your abs will also be worked by that.

With exercises like these, motivation should be a little easier - note reps you can do, weights you are using and see improvements. Try to beat your previous bests, initially every workout and then every 2 weeks.

Often these questions are asked and the stock advice will be, check out www.crossfit.ie or www.crossfit.com - two excellent resources full of much more encompassing advice but I just felt like typing.

Shane, The

claw14

Hi Guys,
Avid reader, first time poster on this forum.

"Assuming you are physically capable the cornerstone of your workout should be the squat. Get rid of the leg press."

Can you explain this? I did start doing squats using the smith machine but after reading posts against the smith and feeling a little sore in the knees I stopped this and started on the leg press which I found easier to control than the squat.

I had a cruicate op on my left knee so a full bend can agrivate it a little. I am trying to build up the muscle around the knee as well as improve general fitness/weighloss.

Is the Squat (barbell or dumbell) so much better than the leg press (Seated).

Sorry if this has been asked before and I and not doubting you for one minute as I am a novice........

Hanley

If you wre squatting in a smith machine then you weren't squatting!!!

REAL squats, with a bar across your back, are the best leg builder out there.

Killgore Trout

I'm a relative newbie to squats. I was on a sport specific plan that suggested squats one day and leg press another. I felt the leg press was, well cráp, and the squats were a whole lot more beneficial. So I quit the leg press and increased the squat days. Will never look back.

Should need to go full bend with a squat? Depends on the squat:

http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBFullSquat.html

http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBSquat.html

Feel free to correct me more experienced people - but the feet are closer together for the full or deep squat - With the plain squat it's harder to go so deep when the feet are wider apart.

The Shane

claw14 wrote: »

"Assuming you are physically capable the cornerstone of your workout should be the squat. Get rid of the leg press."

Can you explain this? I did start doing squats using the smith machine but after reading posts against the smith and feeling a little sore in the knees I stopped this and started on the leg press which I found easier to control than the squat.

Some people, for various reasons cannot squat. Hip disorders, knee disorders, back issues and any number of other issues. If you are actually able to squat painfree then you should. If you are not, then there is no use crying over spilled milk but you must accept that you are somewhat limited, Moreso than someone who can't bench press due to a wrist injury.

claw14 wrote: »

I had a cruicate op on my left knee so a full bend can agrivate it a little. I am trying to build up the muscle around the knee as well as improve general fitness/weighloss.

If you are unable to squat then you should be speaking to a physio or some other professional. Make sure that they themselves understand the virtues of the squat or leave their office without paying if they advise against it for general training - they are a charlatan.

claw14 wrote: »

Is the Squat (barbell or dumbell) so much better than the leg press (Seated).

Yes. Apart from the number of muscles hit in the squat there is the overall systemic effect that no other exercise will produce. My preference for squatting being the bar. Dumbbell squatting is really deadlifting.

Smith machines are dangerous and may have done further damage to your knee. Did a fitness instructor recommend you use it? If so I'd like to see a lanmark case of a gym being sued for giving stupid advice and the resultant throwing of all smith machines into the sea. They are only useful for hanging your towel on.

Shane, The

claw14

Thanks for the advice guys.
Barbell squats it is so.

Back into my box again..........

Malteaser!

Killgore Trout wrote: »

I'm a relative newbie to squats. I was on a sport specific plan that suggested squats one day and leg press another. I felt the leg press was, well cráp, and the squats were a whole lot more beneficial. So I quit the leg press and increased the squat days. Will never look back.

Should need to go full bend with a squat? Depends on the squat:

http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBFullSquat.html

http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBSquat.html

Feel free to correct me more experienced people - but the feet are closer together for the full or deep squat - With the plain squat it's harder to go so deep when the feet are wider apart.

I don't think ya can really say that one way is harder than the other. Different strokes for different folks and all that, I find that the wider my stance the deeper I can squat but I know people who are the complete opposite.

It all depends on leverages and limb lengths, what works for someone with short legs might not be the best for someone with longer ones.

You just need to find a stance that suits you and work with that.

Killgore Trout

Malteaser! wrote: »

I don't think ya can really say that one way is harder than the other. Different strokes for different folks and all that, I find that the wider my stance the deeper I can squat but I know people who are the complete opposite.

It all depends on leverages and limb lengths, what works for someone with short legs might not be the best for someone with longer ones.

You just need to find a stance that suits you and work with that.

Fair enough - but my point to claw was more that a "full bend" is not necessarily required, depending on the squat. "Plain" squat being thigh paralell to the floor

matrixroyal

Before you bull into squats, I would suggest getting your technique to a very high level. Use a mirror, look at youtube videos, get advice and keep at it. Maybe start with no / light weights until you are sure that your technique is very good.

IMO its the most effective exercise you can do for the wholebody.

Malteaser!

Killgore Trout wrote: »

Fair enough - but my point to claw was more that a "full bend" is not necessarily required, depending on the squat. "Plain" squat being thigh paralell to the floor

What do you mean by full bend?? As in he won't have to go below paralell??

Killgore Trout

Malteaser! wrote: »

What do you mean by full bend?? As in he won't have to go below paralell??

I mean "full bend" goes past parallel.

Claw 14 said "I had a cruicate op on my left knee so a full bend can agrivate it a little", I interpreted "full bend" to mean going deep like the dude is doing in the Barbell Full Squat - well below paralell, whereas I don't think the guy is going "full bend" in the Barbell Squat . Maybe we'd be better off asking what Calw14 meant by "full bend".

Diceicle

Thanks for the advice. I'll change it up at my next session and see how I get on.

Hanley

Killgore Trout wrote: »

Fair enough - but my point to claw was more that a "full bend" is not necessarily required, depending on the squat. "Plain" squat being thigh paralell to the floor

Ohhh.. so you mean squat to the position where your knee is probably at it's weakest point?

walt0r

Have a quick **** in the toilet at home or in college before you go to the gym. But don't "finish" yourself off. You'll come out ****ing full of energy and ready to hit the weight. Works for me a treat.

The Shane

A squat breaks parallel. If it does not then we refer to it as being a fraction of a squat eg Quarter squat. Parallel or it doesn't count.

If you can squat then you should break parallel. If you're working up to a heavier squat then the way to do it is not by cheating. Just take your time and go light when needs be.

As for stance, heels shoulder width apart toes turned out about 30 degrees.

As far as treating a knee complaint (not to impinge on the advice of a knowledgeable preofessional) squats, and I'm talking about about proper squats, will engage the hamstrings to get you out of the bottom. Any partial squat just applies a quadricep tension that may limit the correct working of the knee.

Shane, The

Johnny Storm

walt0r wrote: »

Have a quick **** in the toilet at home or in college before you go to the gym. But don't "finish" yourself off. You'll come out ****ing full of energy and ready to hit the weight. Works for me a treat.

Post of the week?

claw14

Killgore Trout wrote: »

I mean "full bend" goes past parallel.

Claw 14 said "I had a cruicate op on my left knee so a full bend can agrivate it a little", I interpreted "full bend" to mean going deep like the dude is doing in the Barbell Full Squat - well below paralell, whereas I don't think the guy is going "full bend" in the Barbell Squat . Maybe we'd be better off asking what Calw14 meant by "full bend".

You are right. By full bend I mean 'going deep' or past paralell. I will take all your advice (walt0r excluded, fix my knee and end up with tennis elbow!!!!:D) and start on a low weight and perfect the technique.
Everyone says that the squat is one of the best exercises you can do for core strength so I want to make sure I do it right.

Sorry OP if this seemed to hijack your thread.............