A newbie log - what am I doing right.. or wrong?

[andromedan]

Hey all!

I'm a 22 year old male. About 145-150lbs, depending on the week! Height is about 5'6-5'7", depending on posture, and how much I fancy lying to up my height...

So.. I've just started going to the gym here in NY. I love it! I work longish hours, so I tend to go in the evening, after dinner. Usually, I'm there for 1.5-2hrs, sometimes longer, but that includes resting time too!

I've got a personal trainer, and used 3 out of the 5 sessions that I've bought, but I'm a little concerned I'm not using him to the best I can. He's shown me round different machines and free-weights, and the likes, and pushed me far.

My goal is to tone up. To lose fat, get a nice V-cut, abs and pecs. In the month I've signed up, I've been seeing my pecs start to take shape WHICH EXCITES ME GREATLY!!

I've just started using iFitness - an iPhone app which has all that I do. HIGHLY recommend it. It exports my logs to email at a touch, so I've attached the past few days' log for you guys to look at.

Can you give me advice on what I'm doing right.. wrong.. and the like. The hardest thing for me to do right now, is my ab workout - I usually leave that to last, and by that time I'm full with about a gallon of water! lol.

(Note, after a weekend beer enjoyment, I could notice my workout abilities drop drastically!!)

See attachment!! =) Thanks guys!

(EDIT: Sorry, it didn't attach as there is a very low attachment limit for PDFs. I've compressed it and re-attached..)

 

[g8r80]

Here is what I think:

1. Too much isolation exercises. I am a big believer in compound exercises after reading "The New Rules of Lifting" by Schuler and Cosgrove which is a great read.

2. Too much machine work. A lot of lifting junkies hate machines but I think they have a purpose of getting new lifters into the habit and getting comfortable. But, free weights have a lot of advantages over machines. BTW, when I say machines, I do not include cable machines; they are very beneficial. I would recommend squats over the leg press. And for biceps, do pullups or bent over rows rather than bicep machine work.

3. Too many sets and too many reps. For some of those workouts, you're doing 8 sets of 10 reps! I think 3 - 5 sets of 5 - 12 reps is good.

4. Add more cardio.

I do deadlifts, bench press, seated overhead press, bent over rows, lat pulldowns, pullups and squats to supplement my triathlon training of swimming, biking and running.

But, good for you to get off the couch. Stay with it, refine your program, watch what you eat and you'll be great!