My Routine - Suggestions welcome/wanted!

**Ally3009** · 20-02-2008 11:49 AM

Hi

Apologies if this is the wrong forum.

Thought I’d post my diet and routine, any suggestions are very welcome!

Start with a bit about me, 24 yrs old, 6’6 and high end of 13 stone (At last check) so roughly 193-196 lbs. The aim of the training is to drop body fat and build muscle, not looking to get a body builder physique but would like to be toned. Unsure of what my body fat % is at present, looking to get this tested.

My diet currently looks roughly like this:

Breakfast - cereal (changing to oats) + a yoghurt
Mid morning snack - either the beef jerky from MP or as that would prove expensive every day alternating with two boiled eggs and some lean ham (or other meat) +fruit
Lunch – tuna or chicken generally with some veg and salad (with pasta or rice on training days) +fruit
Afternoon – Protein/Glutamine shake (on training days hour before workout and straight after workout)
Evening Meal – Meat and veg
Plenty of water during the day

Looking back on it, would you say there aren’t enough calories to build muscle? Thinking of adding something like Flax in there too.

Supplements:
Whey protein shake (met-rx at the moment until it runs out)
5g L-Glutamine (started taking just before bed with orange juice as well)
Glucosamine and Cod Liver oil for joints – although after suggestions I am looking at trying Glucosamine/Chrondroitin/MSM and if that’s not so good Cissus as I have recently had reconstructive surgery on my ACL.
Possibly adding Green Tea tablets (don’t like tea itself)

Weights routine has been shaped into two sessions, but could probably do with being cut into three, with cardio after the weights sessions and where else I see fit:

Due to working in an office weekday workouts tend to be around 4pm. Weights are current maximums, most are guesses as my workout list is at home.

Session 1:

Chest Press –smith machine – 60kg
Incline Chest Press –smith machine – 40kg
Cable Flys – 10kg per arm
Shoulder press (not sure if the names right, sit upright tow dumbbells, arms shoulder height, palms facing forward lifting up and turning palms to face each other) – 14 kg

Bent Over Rows – roughly 22kg
Stiff leg bends – thinking of changing this as although I find it good I’m using a barbell and the weights are going up so not overly happy doing the exercise then trying to raise the larger weights up and over my head once finished
Upright Row – 22kg
Wide Grip Lat pulldowns – 50/55kg

Tricep pulldowns – 20kg
Tricep overhead extensions (back to machine bar overhead flexing out) – 15kg – Would like to know of other triceps exercises as not sure if these two are doing the same thing, perhaps dips?

Session 2:
Squats – Smith Machine – 60kg – definitely got more in me, but it is on a smith machine due to coming back from injury.
Isolated Hammer Curls – 14kg
EZ Curls – 25kg
- Do I need more on the Biceps?

Reverse barbell curl to elbow height -20kg
Behind back barbell curl (again not sure on names here – back to cable machine, bar hooked to bottom, hold bar by fingertips then roll hands/wrists upwards – 20kg
Dumbbell Wrist Twist – again hold dumbbell in hand palms facing up turning wrists so palms face down then back – 10kg

Quad Curls (both legs lifting at same time – 40kg)
Hamstring Curls – 20kg
Calves - unsure

Abs tend to be done on the other days with crunches, normal and obliques, and leg raises.

Reps tend to be between 4-8 for most exercises except for quads, hamstrings and calves where I’m using higher reps lower weights as part of rehabilitation fro ACL surgery.

As said suggestions on all aspects of the above very much welcome I am not an expert

Thanks

**Lloyd17045** · 20-02-2008 01:16 PM

I would add more protein at breakfast - possibly a bagel with a bananna and peanut butter, and a protein shake.

Possibly try and get another meal in there after lunch (eg: tuna salad, or tuna butty)

I work in an office, and I find protein shakes (whey) is the best way to get extra protein in the day. I would use water if I was you, as your not really on a bulk.

**Ally3009** · 20-02-2008 01:24 PM

So you think replace the shake after lunch with some other food and move the shake to the morning?

**Lloyd17045** · 20-02-2008 01:26 PM

shake as mid morning snack I think, and then meal after lunch (lunch round two as they say to me at work!)

**Dadonda** · 20-02-2008 01:51 PM

Without sounding harsh I would scrap that routine completely and start a basic 5x5 program of compound exercises. Look on here for people doing 5x5 or try a Google search for Bill Starr or Mark Rippetoe.

A simple example:-
Workout A: Squat, Bench or Dips, Rows all 5x5
Workout B: Deadlift, OHP, Chins or Pullups all 5x5

These 6 exercise trained properly hit (nearly) every muscle in the body and progressing with them will put on more muscle than a myriad of isolation exercises.
Alternate workouts and train 3 times a week e.g. Mon,Wed, Fri.
All excercises are free wieghts, you can use the Smith Machine to hang your towel on.
Once you get into it, add a bit more if you can manage it e.g. Curls, Shrugs, Calves.

Or read the book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe.
He reccomends starting with.....

Workout A:
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
**2x8 Dips (if you cant do these or no assist machine then do Decline Dumbbell Bench Press with your hands Facing each other)

Workout B:
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay or Bent Rows (or power cleans)
**2x8 Chin-ups (recommended mainly if doing the cleans)

Warmup sets are not included.

**Means this is OPTIONAL**

**Lloyd17045** · 20-02-2008 01:53 PM

training for size or strength?

**Dadonda** · 20-02-2008 02:18 PM

Most on here will have heard this before.... Train for strength eat for size. If you train hard to gain strength and eat well the size will (mostly) look after itself. If you are experienced and add pounds to a lift it is most likely you will have added muscle to do it, and that has been said many times too.