Recommend a Beginners Workout Routine (Pic of Gym Included)

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I'd like to build a little muscle and lose my beer belly. I'm not looking bulk up huge or anything. I'm going to start running on a treadmill daily for 20 or 30 min. I get tired really easily so mostly it will be speed walking and running for a few minutes when I can before I get too tired or run out of breath. We're about to get a new treadmill that can determine your heart-rate so if you have tips on where my heart-rate should be and for how long would be helpful, as from what I believe that's the most important thing to keep your heart rate up as long as possible.

I'm usually at a loss in the terminology as to what people mean so I'm including a pic of my home gym so you can see which exercises I would be able to do. I weigh 177 so about 180.

Can somebody recommend a daily/weekly routine please? (I know how important it is to rest and not exercise the same group of muscles back to back days, I know about eating protein and eating right, I'm going to speak to a nutritionist soon, so I know some of things just not sure which routine to go with). Also, I will need to start slow and build up to lifting the heavy stuff, since I'm pretty weak lol - I think my max benchpress is 100 lb. can only do one. Yesterday I did 2 sets of 8 at 60 lbs. Also, i don't want to do anything dangerous at this point, like deadlifts etc.

Gym:

http://i39.tinypic.com/30wqqn8.jpg
 
Who otld you deadlifts are dangerous? Deadlifts are safer than bench press. IJS. Deadlifts are literally just picking things up and putting them down again. Good deadlifts are doing so with good technique, and good technique is defined as being both safe and efficient. Granted, deadlifting 500lb+ always has some risk to it, but I'm not saying you ever have to deadlift huge amounts. If you deadlift with good form within your capacity, however, it's one of the single best exercises you can do to improve your health and actually prevent injury.

Anyway, what you should do will ultimately depend on what you can do. IMHO you'd be better off investing in a power rack than a treadmill. You can walk or run anywhere, and it will almost always be more enjoyable than walking or running on the spot at home. Meanwhile with a power rack, an Olympic barbell and some bumper plates, you can squat, press, rack pull, shrug, pull up, calf raise and so on and so on. It's a very versatile piece of equipment, if you're willing to learn how to use it (ie if you're willing to learn how to do barbell exercises).

With what you've currently got, I see there's a bench, DBs, an EZ-bar, lat pull down, leg extension, and pec deck. Here's a program for you that you might be able to do:

- Goblet Squats (full squats all the way down keeping your chest up and tailbone elevated, while holding a dumbbell to your chest) 2x10-15
- Machine Bench Press 2x10-15
- One-Arm DB Row ("starting the lawnmower") 2x10-15 per side
- Leg Extension 2x10-15
- Pec Deck 2x10-15
- Lat Pull Down (lift you chest up, pull the bar down to your upper chest and pull your elbows down to your side; if you let your chest round forwards I will have you arrested for crimes against fitness) 2x10-15
- DB Swings (check this youtube clip on kettlebell swings; do the same with dumbbells ) 4x15sec with 30sec rest; move up to 20sec after a week, then start adding sets, 1 set per week, until you reach 8 sets, then start cutting the rest period back by 5sec per week until you're doing 8x20sec with 10sec rest between sets. This is very good cardio.

For your cardio, you probably don't need to worry about your HR too strictly, the general rule of thumb is 60-80% max heart rate, but so long as you're at least breaking a sweat and feel the need to breathe through your mouth, you're at a high enough intensity to make it worth it. Beyond that point, you can go as high in intensity as you like, so long as you do your exercise/s with good form, rest appropriately and don't push yourself to failure.
 
Goldfish said:
Who otld you deadlifts are dangerous? Deadlifts are safer than bench press. IJS. Deadlifts are literally just picking things up and putting them down again. Good deadlifts are doing so with good technique, and good technique is defined as being both safe and efficient. Granted, deadlifting 500lb+ always has some risk to it, but I'm not saying you ever have to deadlift huge amounts. If you deadlift with good form within your capacity, however, it's one of the single best exercises you can do to improve your health and actually prevent injury.

Anyway, what you should do will ultimately depend on what you can do. IMHO you'd be better off investing in a power rack than a treadmill. You can walk or run anywhere, and it will almost always be more enjoyable than walking or running on the spot at home. Meanwhile with a power rack, an Olympic barbell and some bumper plates, you can squat, press, rack pull, shrug, pull up, calf raise and so on and so on. It's a very versatile piece of equipment, if you're willing to learn how to use it (ie if you're willing to learn how to do barbell exercises).

With what you've currently got, I see there's a bench, DBs, an EZ-bar, lat pull down, leg extension, and pec deck. Here's a program for you that you might be able to do:

- Goblet Squats (full squats all the way down keeping your chest up and tailbone elevated, while holding a dumbbell to your chest) 2x10-15
- Machine Bench Press 2x10-15
- One-Arm DB Row ("starting the lawnmower") 2x10-15 per side
- Leg Extension 2x10-15
- Pec Deck 2x10-15
- Lat Pull Down (lift you chest up, pull the bar down to your upper chest and pull your elbows down to your side; if you let your chest round forwards I will have you arrested for crimes against fitness) 2x10-15
- DB Swings (check this youtube clip on kettlebell swings; do the same with dumbbells ) 4x15sec with 30sec rest; move up to 20sec after a week, then start adding sets, 1 set per week, until you reach 8 sets, then start cutting the rest period back by 5sec per week until you're doing 8x20sec with 10sec rest between sets. This is very good cardio.

For your cardio, you probably don't need to worry about your HR too strictly, the general rule of thumb is 60-80% max heart rate, but so long as you're at least breaking a sweat and feel the need to breathe through your mouth, you're at a high enough intensity to make it worth it. Beyond that point, you can go as high in intensity as you like, so long as you do your exercise/s with good form, rest appropriately and don't push yourself to failure.
Click to expand...


Thanks a lot! I'll look into the power rack as well. The current routine you suggested, should I be doing all of that every other day? Do all of that, then next day rest/walk/run on treadmill, then do all those again the next day etc? or what do you recommend?


Thanks again.
 
I'd do it all 3x/week a week on non-consecutive days (eg Mon/Wed/Fri). You could do some light cardio on the off-days, but it's not a requirement. Start light on everything so that you can focus on good movement patterns, as getting good movement patterns down will lay down the right foundations to build strength longterm. It's better to do 10 good reps at a weight where you feel like you could do 5 more, and add an extra rep per set next time, than to do 10 good reps and 5 crappy reps. The crappy reps set up bad habits, and it's much easier to get things right in the first place than to fix bad habits down the line.
 
Thanks again for the tips, I've been working out with your recommendations. I found another exercise that I could do with our machine, can you tell me what the name of this exercise would be so that I can research it to make sure I'm doing it correctly with the correct form etc. Here's a pic of it, it's a bar that is connected to the weights, that I'm guessing I'm supposed to stand and pull it towards my chest.

http://i43.tinypic.com/11tx81v.jpg
 

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It sounds like you're thinking of a cable row. If so, you can do it seated. Looks like that bit right next to the handle would make a good spot to put your feet to anchor yourself. Then just grab the handle, get into position and start rowing. This might actually be better than the DB Rows I recommended before...at least I always find that seated cable rows seem to be the best row for getting all the right muscles activated (for myself).
 
oh that would be great if i could do that instead of db swings, i actually haven't been doing them yet since i saw the youtube video and it looked a little too crazy for me lol at least at this time, was going to try to "build" myself up to it after i'm in the regular routine.

well i checked youtube for "cable row" and it looks like the machines everybody else's on they pull it towards their chest in a horizontal position, so i'm on the seated on the chair i would be pulling it almost vertically. did you mean to be seated on the floor? ok i just went and checked the machine and that thing with the cable attached to it rotates right behind that thing to anchor my feet. so based on the youtube videos i see that i would be sitting on the floor with my feet towards that thing and then pulling it towards me.

i suppose after seeing some youtube videos i'll figure this out but, thought i'd ask anyway incase you can answer first, should my hands be over or under the bar?

lastly, how many sets/reps would you recommend? same as the others 2x10-15 ?


thanks!
 
Deadlifts are not dangerous, but they do demand respect. Most people do them with poor form and it leads to injury. Start very light and be sure your form is impeccable before you proceed to add weight.
 
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