I had a friend just recently "suggest" a work out schedule for me, he's been going to the gym for years, nicely built, cut, big muscles etc.

His suggestions were all body part training.

So I came to Steve instead
Thank you Steve for all the time you spent with me today!

Thanks, Steve--all is well, I'm doing fine (just a little bloated still). Salt sure f--cks up weight, now doesn't it?

This morning I hit the weights, hard. BUT I think next week I'm going to have to increase the weights of certain parts--not getting sore anymore. I look slightly ripped now when I'm in the middle of it. However, when I'm relaxed, my arms go back to being girly-toned. I kind of wish I didn't have to put on so much muscle to lose fat, but it is very convenient to be strong.

Hope you are gaining that muscle and getting those chicken legs bigger! HA! Just kidding!!

You are welcome Deb.

And with regards to body part splits, It's not a matter of "right" or "wrong". The truth of the matter is that a training program is only part of the equation; consistency, motivation, and hard work are a lot more important.

In all actuality, old school body part training splits can be structured in a good way. Unfortunately, 95%+ of the time, the ones that I see being utilized are completely insufficient in terms of training for the "non-drug using" person.

Steve,
Thanks for your answer in my journal -- appreciate it much. It gives me some rationale for keeping up my patience with this current plateau.

OK, sort of a related question. What if you're a teenager, and your body is still growing. Wouldn't it be possible for someone like that to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

You DON'T have to build muscle in order to lose fat.

Soreness does not equal success. Ideally, once you body is used to lifting heavy, you don't trigger soreness each and every session. However, if you can add a little weight to the bar, you should. Progressive overload is the name of the game. Your starting weight was enough to overload your muscles in the beginning. As your body adapts though, and you get stronger via the numerous pathways, what once was overload is now maintenance. So in order to keep your training in the realm of "progressive overload," consistently adding weight to the bar is required.

If you can do all of your sets and reps, that means it's time to bump up the weight. If you don't meet your rep range, that means the next time you do the workout, you don't bump the weight up, you rather elicit progressive overload by getting one more rep. Follow me?

Certainly. Training an adolescent is a different universe than his/her adult counterpart.

That's what I figured. I asked because I'm always reading these posts at bodybuilding.com from 17 to 20 year olds talking about their success in losing fat and building muscle simultaneously. It just seemed to me that they were successful mainly because their bodies were still growing, not because that idea was applicable to the rest of the adult population.

I stay away from bodybuilding.com. Too much nonsense for my liking. And gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously is possible. But define simultaneously. To me, it means in the same exact moment. For others though, it means in a month. And if that is the case, someone could have spent half the month losing fat with energy deficits and the second half of the month add LBM with energy surpluses. KWIM?

By the end of the month, you got a guy hooting and hollering about losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, when all he really did was utilized a cyclical calorie intake and had some good results.

And I might add Tom, some things are beyond science. I have a friend who is completely ripped, big, and muscular. He eats like crap. In college, he actually did gain some fat when he blew his knee out. However, as soon as he started lifting weights again, it was as if the fat melted away and his muscles grew.

Genetics are a bitch in most cases, but for a very select few, they are a god-send.

Yes i follow

Yes, there's an incredible number of idiots there who seem in love with themselves beyond belief. I have to say that I've gotten far more useful information from T-Nation.

Yes, T-nation is loaded with quality info. I don't make it over there as much as I'd like, and I certainly do not contribute to any of the big name forums such as bb.com or t-nation.

I do know guys who post on bb.com though, who really know their stuff. One actually, is the smartest person I have ever been in contact with, not only regarding fitness/nutrition, but everything. Very impressive individual who I'd imagine will have a notable name in the industry eventually.

so guess what...

i am looking forward to running later!!!!

oh my goodness! i never thought i'd see the day that would happen!

Funny how that works, isn't it.

Steve
I'm still up (as far as weight is concerned) from my trip. But, I did it to myself (Live and Learn). I'm going to weigh in on Friday whether it's up or down or the same. So, I hope I see something good this week.

I did my resistance training on Monday and Tuesday, but by Friday, my knee was bothering me a little too much to do anything, so I missed my resistance that day. I tried to relax over the weekend and didn't do any walking or running on the treadmill and no resistance training. I plan to get back on the plan today to see how I do and go from there. Also, I think I may have found a way to do deadlifts using the bowflex, but I'm going to have to stand on the bench part to do them, which means my feet will have to be together, unless I can find a platform to stand on that will allow my feet to be apart. What do you think about doing them with feet together? Also, if I do this, I have the ability to try more weight. ... p.s. which stretching techniques do you suggest before doing the deadlifts? Should I do some warm up walking at an incline on the treadmill?

I think what hurt me was the sprinting at 10mph last week even though I only did it 3 times and for about 15-25 secs. I'm going to have to take it slower until this knee feels better.

Today's weights:

Squats. 180 lbs 3 sets 6
Chest Press 90 lbs 3 sets 6
Dumbbell Rows 30 lbs 3 sets 6