Staying Motivated

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XraveX

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Hey guys, this is my first post here, so let me introduce myself...

I'm an 18 year old college student who is in decent shape as I play basket-ball (I am a little on the thin side though). I'm about 5'10 and 150 pounds. I just started getting into weight training as I'm able to use the university weight room once a week.

Now my question is... I know that once a week isn't enough to get buff, so I'm considering joining a gym. However I do know that most people who join a gym end up, rarely if ever going on a regular basis. How can one stay motivated? Any tips to keep myself motivated? I do have a few goals such as increasing muscle mass, but is there any specific goals I should have? How much muscle mass should I put on my frame? Thanks for your help. :)
 
Here are a few tips.

* Eating and sleeping will be just as important as training.
* 2 or 3 times per week for less than 60 minutes is more than enough time needed to start 'getting buff'
* When working out, time your rest intervals with a watch. It's easy to lose track of time and turn a 45 minute workout into two hours at the gym.
* Record your progress in a notebook. Write down the exercise names, sets, and reps.
* As far as any specific goals, the first goal should probably be consistency. Stick with it and give it 3 months. Do your best not to miss any workouts.
*Focus on the basic compound lifts such as the bench press, pullups, deadlifts, and squats.
* Most people starting out tend to train too much. Below is a link to a sample program.

Also, you may want to post your workout to the message board. Then it can be critiqued.
 
BTW, that program I posted may be too much for someone who has not worked out before. But it is an example of how you can workout the entire body in a minimal amount of time. So you are going to want to come up with something and post your program for advice.
 
Thanks for the info and the link. One questions though... I started reading the workout plan that the author was describing. In the first exercise he says to so 3 sets of around 30-40 reps. Doesn't that build muscular endurance and not mass? :confused:
 
it comes down to how much do you want it. if you want it bad enough, you'll keep going.

this has to become a lifestyle. doing it every now and then just wont cut it. i've been liftin for 11 years myself. i love to do it.

stick with it long enough to reap the benefits and you'll be sold. :)
 
Yeah the first exercise is 30-40 reps, and you'll feel the burn and develop some muscular endurance but you're also supposed to lift the weights explosively as well to help develop some muscular power.

Also, there is some benefits to taking a break from the usual 8-12 repetitions for hypertrophy. Performing sets with higher reps that build endurance also help to increase the # of capillaries (blood vessels) to the muscle. This can help in recovery and also in getting more nutrients to the muscle to help it grow and recover.

You could simply substitute that exercise with a flat bench dumbbell press 10 reps instead of 30-40.
 
No need to isolate muscles when you are new to lifting. Motivation never has been a problem for me so I don't really know what to tell you there. However, I know I feel more up to working out when I have slept long enough and eaten enough. To the workout, a fullbody workout done 2-3 times a week should be great for you, here's a good one.

Squatsx2
Goodmorningsx2
Flat Barbell Bench pressx2
Incline Barbell Bench pressx1
Chinups (can you do them? If not, maybe try barbell rows instead)x4
Deadliftsx2

This done 2-3 times a week with at least 48 hours rest between each workout. These are all compound lifts, they are the best for gaining muscle when you are starting out (and when you are advanced for that matter). All exersizes should be done with a rep range of around 8-10 except squats and goodmornings (do around 20 reps for these exersizes). Remember KISS, keep it simple stupid. No need for tons of isolation exersizes when you are just starting out. When I started lifting this is almost identical to the routine I used and I made incredible gains from it! The reason I had success lies in the fact that most of the workout is compiled of compound lifts. These lifts allow you to use more weight, and at the same time work many different muscle at one instance. Example, Bench press works the shoulder, tris, back, chest, and abdominals. The biggest mistake I see new lifters make is jumping into workouts with millions of different small isolation exersizes while not performing the big compound lifts that reap the most gains! When you progress to a point where you have made some substantial strength gains in comparison to your former self, then it is time to switch the routine up a bit and use some of these isolation exersizes. However, right now there is no need. Goodluck, happy lifting, eat big.
 
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