multigyms

sharky86

hey guys,

Just a really quick question.. I aint looking to get hugh or anything as I am already 6ft and 83kg so sturdy build so to speak resently I have just taken up short runs (hope to get these up to 5km in a few weeks) in the morning before breakie to 1) increase my level of fitness and 2) maybe shed a pound or two of fat.. However I do not want to get any smaller than I am if that makes sense. I wanna stay at the same size but replace the fat with muscle or at lest become toned.

Problem is that I dont have enough spare time for a gym because of work,kids,study you all know yourselfs how it is!, so I got myself an old cheap mutli-gym which has bench press, pec deck, lat pulldown,leg extension and a thingy for triceps .

Is this enough to build up enough muscle to increase the numbers of cal's I use at rest? and is it enough to look fully toned?

be kind I new to weights and dont want to become ribbed just yet

EileenG

First, you don't get ripped by accident. Building serious muscle or losing a lot of fat takes a huge amount of effort over a long period. Lifting occasionally won't make you bulge.

In any case, visible muscle is attractive. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or jealous.

Ok, the ideal is free weights but you can do a lot with a basic multigym. The important thing is to challenge your muscles. Lift one plate heavier than feels right. If you can do more than about 8 reps per set, you are probably lifting too light. You should have to struggle to get to eight reps.

It sounds like your gym might be a bit light on lower body. If you have some free weights, try adding in deadlfits, squats, lunges and step-ups.

sharky86

cheers Eileen.

Unfortunatly I dont have any free weights was thinking of just trying out squads lungs etc with the kid on on back for starters.. Thats the reason I dont want to bule, I dont have the time and understand that it would take serious commitment. I suppose I just dont wanna gigglle

Could you recommend how many sets are good enough to break down the muscle tissue so you would get improvements? really dont know much about this sorry

EileenG

When you are starting out, any decent program will give you results. 5x5 is popular, I tend to go for three sets of eight reps (NASA did a huge study and decided that 3 set of 8 reps with 80% of your max weight was the most effective). Also, do explosive work, and sprints or jumping.

Using your child is a good idea, I did it when I had a small baby, there's a lot of ways of using a child as a weight.

girvtheswerve

I think the equipment you have is only a slight factor in progression when you are starting off. The most important thing is attitude and persistance. Stick with a routine and you'll start to see progression.

Take a look at the stickies on diet as they are a great source of info on how to fuel your new athletic lifestyle!!!