Any lifters/gym people here?

[JeST]

After graduating last year I vowed to hit the gym again. Well it's been about 3 months and the results were great at first but I'm slowly hitting my peak. Dropped a few pant sizes and gained some mass but now I need ideas for different workouts.

My workout usually consists of 15 minutes on the elliptical to get my heart rate up to around 130, work out 2-3 muscle groups, followed by a 20-30 minute jog, and finishing with a 5-10 minute sauna. I give about a day or 2 for the muscle to recoup.

I don't take any supplements but I was told the Amplified brand from GNC helps greatly. Will probably be picking up their wheyabolic and recovery proteins.

Need help with different workout routines. My workouts have all been "top" heavy (shoulders, arms, chest, traps, etc.) and could really use some routines for a good core workout.

[threlevenguy]

Crossfit and SealFit are great workout programs. Very challenging and work cardio and core strength, not to mention overall strength

[cmybimmer]

I took multiple weight training classes at my college only because they are cheaper than the gym and it actually motivates me to workout since i have a schedule and a grade loll.. aside from that, that's the only workout time i get... i find myself playing more sports than working out :up:

[devon.818]

i just switched up my workouts.

was doing
day 1-chest/triceps
day2- back biceps
day 3- shoulders/legs
then every day would do 30min cardio, rest sundays

now i have one muscle group a day, PUNISH whatever group im doing. spend about 30-45 lifting and then half our on olyptical. i quit eating shit, stopped drinking beer, lots of water, some aderal, and feel great

need to loose about 60lbs to get back to where i was a yr and a half ago. upside is i was in shape, know how to get back there. for me its a 24hr battle, im a fat kid at heart, but motivation is dem bishes

[JeST]

Crossfit and SealFit are great workout programs. Very challenging and work cardio and core strength, not to mention overall strength

Thanks I'll look into those.

i find myself playing more sports than working out :up:

Use to love to shoot hoops but I get my gratification lifting now. Need something to take my aggression out on from all the obnoxious people i deal with on a daily bases at the hospital.

need to loose about 60lbs to get back to where i was a yr and a half ago. upside is i was in shape, know how to get back there. for me its a 24hr battle, im a fat kid at heart, but motivation is dem bishes

Lol, I hear that. My motivation now is all the milfs at my gym and work. Sounds shallow but fuck it whatever works and gets me going. Wife calls me a pig but hey I'm a pig getting in shape. Your old work out routine is where I'm at now. Starting to get a bit boring and repetitive... I pick things up and put them down.

[Jhonno]

I break mine into Chest, Back, Shoulders/legs, arms. With a bit of ab work randomly chucked in. TRX is good fun and surprisingly effective. Other than that tend to do regular exercises and then make stuff up.. Keep it fun and enjoyable.

[CW325]

It really all depends on your goals, are you trying to loose weight or gain muscle or both?

[Joe G]

I do all body weight stuff, and love it. Its a lot of hand stands, hand stand push ups, pull ups, dips, work with rings, and a wide variety of ab work outs. You dont gain mass like you would lifting, but its a more practical strength, i feel great and the stuff ive been doing works my whole body very equally. Youd be surprised how sore you are in strange places after doing some hand stands, funky push ups, and goofy looking ab workouts.

[OldsCool]

you could try some supplements or some changes in your workout, different exercises. i was working out a few years until i got bored, stopped and got fat again. now i'm on the hard way back where i was, hopefully. when i had the feeling that my workout got stuck i changed a few things here and there, like chest/triceps i changed it to chest/biceps + a few different exercises or different ways to punish the musclegroup. those small changes got me a step further every time.

the first few months are those where you see the most changes. i had the feeling that it stopped after 5-6months and then nothing... but try to log your workouts (weight, reps, sets,...) and your bodymeasures (chest, belly, legs, calves, biceps, etc) this shows you the small steps you make but don't see (cause you see yourself everyday in the mirror)

[devon.818]

OP what kind of exercises do you do?
i LOVE to change it up, think about how the muscles work and how you can manipulate them!
for instance, sometimes on my back i switch it up, i do cable crosses standing and pull down using my back muscles. or get some dumbells, lean forward a tad and do some rows while rotating the dumbells 90* through the rep.

chest day, out LORD how i love chest work outs! sit your but down on an incline, grab some dumbells, hold them as if doing hammer curls and do chest flies, feel the burn?
also variation in push ups, or dumbell push ups are terrific

shoulders? i do love me some iron crosses, reversed grip bench press, standing rows...you know the good shit!
or try holding a 45lb plate over your head and rotating it in circles for 1min intervalls, YEAH BROTHA!

treat yourself dammnit! enjoy lol

[JeST]

I break mine into Chest, Back, Shoulders/legs, arms. With a bit of ab work randomly chucked in. TRX is good fun and surprisingly effective. Other than that tend to do regular exercises and then make stuff up.. Keep it fun and enjoyable.

That's the plan. I'm liking the TRX workouts.

It really all depends on your goals, are you trying to loose weight or gain muscle or both?

Both. I'm 10lbs away from hitting my target weight so mostly just trying to tack on some muscle.

I do all body weight stuff, and love it. Its a lot of hand stands, hand stand push ups, pull ups, dips, work with rings, and a wide variety of ab work outs. You dont gain mass like you would lifting, but its a more practical strength, i feel great and the stuff ive been doing works my whole body very equally. Youd be surprised how sore you are in strange places after doing some hand stands, funky push ups, and goofy looking ab workouts.

I've been reading some different calisthenic workouts with dumbbells. Looking forward to trying some of them out.

you could try some supplements or some changes in your workout, different exercises. i was working out a few years until i got bored, stopped and got fat again. now i'm on the hard way back where i was, hopefully. when i had the feeling that my workout got stuck i changed a few things here and there, like chest/triceps i changed it to chest/biceps + a few different exercises or different ways to punish the musclegroup. those small changes got me a step further every time.

the first few months are those where you see the most changes. i had the feeling that it stopped after 5-6months and then nothing... but try to log your workouts (weight, reps, sets,...) and your bodymeasures (chest, belly, legs, calves, biceps, etc) this shows you the small steps you make but don't see (cause you see yourself everyday in the mirror)

I just dont have the patience to record everything. I keep a mental note on which muscle groups I worked out and which to work out next. The biggest motivators for me have been comments from friends and coworkers.

OP what kind of exercises do you do?
i LOVE to change it up, think about how the muscles work and how you can manipulate them!
for instance, sometimes on my back i switch it up, i do cable crosses standing and pull down using my back muscles. or get some dumbells, lean forward a tad and do some rows while rotating the dumbells 90* through the rep.

chest day, out LORD how i love chest work outs! sit your but down on an incline, grab some dumbells, hold them as if doing hammer curls and do chest flies, feel the burn?
also variation in push ups, or dumbell push ups are terrific

shoulders? i do love me some iron crosses, reversed grip bench press, standing rows...you know the good shit!
or try holding a 45lb plate over your head and rotating it in circles for 1min intervalls, YEAH BROTHA!

treat yourself dammnit! enjoy lol

That's exactly what I need. Appreciate the variations :)

[steinbachphoto]

You said you don't do legs.

Your quads and glutes are your biggest and most powerful muscle groups. you need to get on the squat rack and do some squats and deadlifts. You'll put on muscle fast.

[Dermeister3]

The sealfit program is great for working your core and getting cut.

Body weight exercises will put on good mass, that is pretty cut at the same time (aka lean mass)

I am trying to put on as much mass as possible. Ive been strugling to gain weight for a while. right now eating about 3500 cals per day, gym 4 times a week. Chest/tri one day, next back and bi, rest, Legs next, then shoulders. Core and cardio on the weekends.

Its all about tracking. Track everything: calorie intake, weight, how much youre lifting, how active you are. That will help regulate what you do.

[CW325]

If your trying to shed off pounds than dieting and cardio is best. Keep the carb intake down. Also walking on an incline at the gym is a good way to get your heart rate up if you dont feel like jogging or going on the elliptical. If your looking for a core workout, Bicycle situps are one of the most effective ab workouts you can do at home.

[JeST]

You said you don't do legs.

Your quads and glutes are your biggest and most powerful muscle groups. you need to get on the squat rack and do some squats and deadlifts. You'll put on muscle fast.

Will do. I've been seriously neglecting any muscle groups that's not targeting my upper body.

The sealfit program is great for working your core and getting cut.

Body weight exercises will put on good mass, that is pretty cut at the same time (aka lean mass)

I am trying to put on as much mass as possible. Ive been strugling to gain weight for a while. right now eating about 3500 cals per day, gym 4 times a week. Chest/tri one day, next back and bi, rest, Legs next, then shoulders. Core and cardio on the weekends.

Its all about tracking. Track everything: calorie intake, weight, how much youre lifting, how active you are. That will help regulate what you do.

Not going to lie... just a quick glance at the sealfit forum and workouts it's a bit over my head.

By bodyweight exercises do you mean calisthenics or? I can't imagine intaking 3500 calories a day...

As for tracking I really don't have the patience. I need someone to tell me if my gym routine is good enough (that's with added routines from the ideas given) but in the same routine I do on a daily bases (cardio, lift, then end with cardio again).

Just from what I've been told I'm in need of adding muscle groups and protein intake.