well i've been trying to get healthy since the start of this month with conscious eating and some semi-regular cardio. i've also been reading the boards and it's the obvious that resistance training is the key to promoting weight loss so i'm looking to make that a consistent part of my workout.

i found this sample routine on another board that i was reading last night, and it looks pretty manageable SO, my question is for you seasoned ones out there, does this look like an acceptable regimen? despite the fact that i'm a beginner, would adding more weight/reps to this as i progress still be beneficial?

m: back, delts, calves, cardio.
t: chest, abs, cardio.
w: light abs, cardio.
t: quads, hamstrings, calves, cardio.
f: biceps, triceps, abs, cardio.
s: cardio.
s: cardio.

i should probably also note that i'm using the weight machines-- bad, unnatural movements, i know, but freeweights are too intimidating right now.-- what would be a reasonable pace to start at? i did 3 sets of 8 the other day on the "thirty minute workout" circuit and my arms are in agony.

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Caloric control is the key to promoting weight loss.

Not good.

Why didn't you check out this forum for some sample routines?

Training each body part once per week is the furthest thing from optimal you can do.

They aren't bad, per se.

What intimidates you about free weights?

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the food part isn't really an issue for me, i'm following weight watchers and it's something that i can do and seems to be working pretty well for me.

i did. i guess the thing that appealed to me most about the routine above was that i figured working out each muscle group one per week, more or less, would give me time to recover since i'm so damn sore and can't imagine working out like this. does the muscle soreness after working out diminish after time? i'm drinking copious amounts of water, stretching before and after and getting plenty of sleep.

i dunno, really. i don't mean this to be a blanket term, but i think it's the people that use them, at least at my gym. they're all people who are really in shape, muscular and know what they're doing, while the people who use the machines, again at least at my gym, seem to be in the same boat as me.

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Your muscles ARE recovered in 2-3 days after a bout. The soreness known as DOMS isn't an indicator to muscle damage. It's also something that will dissipate over time as your body adapts to the stresses of weight training.

That fact that your muscles are recovered after 48-72 hours means if you wait 7 days before you hit the same muscle group again, you've got a lot of time of staleness where detraining can and will occur.

Bodypart splits work great. If you're using anabolic aids.

Yes. Assuming consistency is maintained.

Just as a side note, I don't do much in terms of static stretching before weight training. I do some dynamic mobility work and that's about it.

I've been in a lot of gyms in my time and this divide seems to be in existence in quite a few of them unfortunately. But from my perspective, there is no line. The people who are using free weights aren't going to be watching and critiquing you. It's not some elite club. It's terrible that this divide keeps people from training effectively.

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well i'm glad i found that out sooner than later. i'll search for some of the workout routines on here and give them a go, since the soreness is something that i can work through without fear of doing unnecessary damage.

thanks again for the advice!

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If you are excessively sore, you might be pushing it too hard. The idea is to ease your way into resistance training. The first couple of weeks should be all about learning proper form and figuring out working weights.

From there, you can work on getting stronger.

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i could be. i tend to be a bit overzealous when i start something, and pay for it afterward, hah.

the trouble is finding a place to start that's not over-doing it, but not under-doing it either. i don't know what's considered "strong," and given the individualistic nature of everyone's bodies, naturally everyone's "starting point" would be different.

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Yea, but that's unnecessary trouble.

Think about it. You start very conservatively. Practice the actual lifts with very light weights to optimize your movement and form. Sure, it's too light to have any sort of significant impact on physique, but who cares? It's only for a couple of weeks. From there, you progressively add small increments of weight week by week and you let your body adapt to the new stimulus you provide each week.

This is the way to go about it.

Unfortunately, novices think they need to jump right into busting their ass due to this short-term way of thinking without seeing or realizing the big picture.

Put it this way. When I teach the barbell lifts, it doesn't matter how muscular you are. You are starting with just the bar for most of them until you prove competence in the movement.

And even when comptenence is proven, we still add weights very slowly week by week.

The real big lifts might go up 10 lbs per week. Smaller lifts that call on fewer muscles might only go up 5 lbs per week. These are just examples.

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alright. it makes more sense, especially when broken down like that.

thanks again.

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Anytime.......

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