More beginner questions/ Program pointers

jazzy_jeff

Hey everyone, long time reader here, picked up a lot of good advice over my time lurking this thread but have a few questions about my current program.

I am a 24 year old male, 5'9, 61kg
Recently joined a gym I am extremely happy with and enjoy going to, staff know their stuff also.

When joining up I told the trainer that my goals were to improve fitness and strength. Thinking about it later I probably should have said I also would like to bulk up a bit and improve power if that makes sense (I play rugby at a very low level)

Currently I go to the gym every second day and run through my whole program which is...

Warm up:
5 Mins on spinning bike easy-medium

Stretch

Cardio:
15 mins on Treadmill/Crosstrainer
10 mins on Rower

Weights: (sets x reps - current weight)
Leg Extension 3x15 (machine level 6)
Leg Curl 3x15 (Level 4)
Leg Press 3 x 15 (level 7)
Bench Press 3 x 15 (15kg)
Prone Row 3 x 15 (30kg)
Shoulder Press 3 x 15 (10kg) (haven't finished 3 full sets here)
Lateral Pulldown 3 x 15 (level 3)
Cable Pulldown 3 x 15 (level 4)

Abs
Leg Raises 4 x 15
Crunches 4 x 15
Crunches with legs raised 4 x 15
Russian twist 4 x 15 with 7kg medicine ball

Generally from walking in the gym door to being back in my car will take approx 2 hours.
I am moving up weights fairly rapidly and there are clear improvements already, after two weeks and seven sessions, in both my fitness and strength. There will be a review of my program in another 3 - 4 weeks to see how i'm getting on, mix it up a bit and incorporate some free weights.

Foodwise I am taking advise from the nutrition sticky and trying to stick to whole foods, increasing regularity of eating and swapping white carbs for wholegrain as much as I can I have porridge before a gym session and eggs for breakfast on mornings i'm not in the gym (regular breakfast is a new thing for me, was never my favourite meal). A chicken wrap for lunch. Steak/Pasta for dinner. Snackwise i have been eating nuts, cottage cheese, peanut butter etc. Usually drink about a litre of water and a litre of milk a day. After a gym session I will also mix a smoothie with protein which I get at the gym (havent had a chance to buy my own tub yet).
I don't drink fizzy drinks, rarely eat chocolate, partial to occasional takeaway, cutting out processed microwave dinners.

I'd just like some general comments on how things are going so far.
also...
Are the plates on weight machines a standard weight? How heavy?
Should I be splitting up my workouts to keep cardio and weights days separate?
I'm extremely confused about what the various rep amounts do and what 1RM actually means.
Any other comments on what i'm doing/not doing greatly appreciated.

That was a bit longer than I thought it would be, but thanks for reading and look forward to your replies.

unregged.

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

Hey everyone, long time reader here, picked up a lot of good advice over my time lurking this thread but have a few questions about my current program.

I am a 24 year old male, 5'9, 61kg

Sorry mate but I think you could almost be tipping underweight. Whats your BMI?

I also would like to bulk up a bit and improve power if that makes sense (I play rugby at a very low level)

You need to drink ALOT of milk and eat every two hours, Increase your calorie intake.





Generally from walking in the gym door to being back in my car will take approx 2 hours

Not good if your trying to bulk

Usually drink about a litre of water and a litre of milk a day. After a gym session I will also mix a smoothie with protein which I get at the gym and look forward to your replies.

Don't do this, Drink the protein seperate.

aye

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

Generally from walking in the gym door to being back in my car will take approx 2 hours.

Quite a lot really. you shouldnt be doing weights for more than an hour essentially, as this can lead to a build up of cortisol in your body.
Are you working intensely enough do you think?
Do you need all those situps?

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

Are the plates on weight machines a standard weight? How heavy?

How heavy for what?

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

Should I be splitting up my workouts to keep cardio and weights days separate?

Up to you really. it would mean you wouldnt be there as long. you could do a weights day and a cardio and abs days.

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

I'm extremely confused about what the various rep amounts do and what 1RM actually means.

1RM means 1 repetition maximum. this is the most weight you can lift for a certain exercise. So for bench press there, you do 15 reps, your 1RM will be weight you can literally only lift it one time.

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

Any other comments on what i'm doing/not doing greatly appreciated.

Its a basic beginner program even down to the number of reps, which is fine for the moment. personally, if you want to imporve strength, really you shouldnt be doing more than 6-10 reps as a beginner, then lowering that to 2-6 in time.
I would say the instructor is easing you in tho most likely.
When you have your reassesment, make sure he lowers the rep ranges so you can build more strength.
Secondly, to increase it you should be moving on to squats for your legs. again this can be after the reasseement. Essentially you wanna be moving off the machines in time.
Is there a reason he has you doing two quadricep exercises (leg ext, and leg press) and only one hamstring exercise (leg curl)?

jazzy_jeff

Thanks for the replies guys, just to answer a few questions you brought up, and ask a few more of my own from what youve said...

unregged. wrote: »

Don't do this, Drink the protein seperate.

What is the reason for this? My reasoning for getting the protein in the smoothie was because it was suggested to me that it would be a good easy way to get vitamins from fresh fruit.

unregged. wrote: »

Sorry mate but I think you could almost be tipping underweight. Whats your BMI?

Just put my details into the VHI website there. Its giving me a BMI of 19.8 and saying that the normal BMI would be between 18.5 and 25.

unregged. wrote: »

You need to drink ALOT of milk and eat every two hours, Increase your calorie intake.[/B]

I love milk, its pretty much all I drink with any meal or any time i'm thirsty other than having a bottle of water handy. Unfortunately I was originally having trouble fitting in 3 meals a day. As I said I am increasing my calorie intake by starting off with a decent breakfast which I hadn't done before and snacking throughout the day on healthy snacks like nuts and fruit.

aye wrote: »

Quite a lot really. you shouldnt be doing weights for more than an hour essentially, as this can lead to a build up of cortisol in your body.[/B]

Makes sense not to be doing weights for too long. I probably made it seem like i'm doing a lot more than I actually am, the two hours I mentioned includes 30 mins cardio, 10 mins warm up and warm down stretch, abs work, changing/showering and that smoothie I was talking about. So actual weight time would probably only consist of about 45 mins.

aye wrote: »

Are you working intensely enough do you think?[/B]

This is why I was asking about splitting my cardio and weights days. I tried it out yesterday and felt that I did in fact do a more intense and better session.

aye wrote: »

Do you need all those situps?[/B]

Be nice to have a 6-pack

aye wrote: »

How heavy for what?[/B]

I was just wondering if the weights on the pulley weight type machines are of a standard weight. So say each one weighed 5kg I would be able to take note that I lifted 15kg instead of 3 plates.

aye wrote: »

Secondly, to increase it you should be moving on to squats for your legs. again this can be after the reasseement. Essentially you wanna be moving off the machines in time.[/B]

I did go in and basically say that I am a beginner. He did say that I will, within the first 1 or two assessments be moving from the machines to the free weights.

aye wrote: »

Is there a reason he has you doing two quadricep exercises (leg ext, and leg press) and only one hamstring exercise (leg curl)?

This I don't actually know.

aye

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

This is why I was asking about splitting my cardio and weights days. I tried it out yesterday and felt that I did in fact do a more intense and better session

keep it up so.

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

Be nice to have a 6-pack

All the situps int he world wont give you this until you lose bodyfat. abs are made in the kitchen!
and you cant spot reduce fat.

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

I was just wondering if the weights on the pulley weight type machines are of a standard weight. So say each one weighed 5kg I would be able to take note that I lifted 15kg instead of 3 plates.

well i presume if the top one says 5 kilo, and the ones below it dont look any bigger then they each equal 5 kilo. you;d have to ask an instructor in the gym tho.

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

I did go in and basically say that I am a beginner. He did say that I will, within the first 1 or two assessments be moving from the machines to the free weights.

well make sure that he does.

jazzy_jeff wrote: »

This I don't actually know.

Ask him then. You dont want to get a muscle imbalance when only starting off. you should ask him his reasoning for each exercise he gives at every assessment.

AARRRGH

If I were you, as someone who used to have difficulty putting on weight, I would reduce cardio to a minimum, and eat as much food as possible. So instead of eating three meals per days (and some snacks) I'd change it to 6 meals per day. They don't have to be huge portions (e.g. 1 chicken breast, a pile of brown rice and a couple chunks of brocolli is fine), but you should try to make sure you're never hungry.