Edit: Fuaaaaark! Didn't realize my post would be so long....inb4 tl;dr
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reincarnate
Haha good to see you around, mnnicol. Those pics are amazing. :O
Unfortunately I've totally fallen off the wagon and I don't work out now or count calories, etc. Weight's still between 220-230, 30%+ bf. Womp womp womp.
I got frustrated because I basically had no idea wtf I was doing in the gym. It doesn't matter what guides I read: I had/have no confidence or certainty in anything I select, and so eventually I give up.
Tried getting a gym membership but quit after a couple months because I couldn't get past the feelings of self-consciousness (that and too many staff members there tried to sell me stuff all the time whenever I'd ask a question, and it got annoying). Squats were also the death of me. Hours of practice wasted: No matter what I tried I absolutely could not get the form right. Even with the bar alone (no extra weight) I couldn't pump out 8 reps, and yet it'd cripple my quads with absurd DOMS for four days straight.
I'd like to get back into it but my in-house gym is limited (shoulder incline bench, bicep curl, tricep pushdown, low row, lat pulldown, leg extension, leg curl, dumbbells), and I have absolutely no clue what a good workout routine would be for me. Any recs?
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Been cutting for just over 3 months now, so it's been a long time coming! Think I made it just in time for beach season
Anyway, my suggestions:
First and foremost, if your primary goal is weight loss, counting calories is a must. It can seem a bit tedious at first, but after a while, you really do get used to it and it's not that difficult. Assuming you have a smartphone, you can download apps like MyFitnessPal, which make counting calories/tracking macros very easy
I can't really help you regarding squat form as I'm not there in person with you, but try checking out the low-bar squat. Chances are, you're doing high-bar (the bar rests on your traps), which I found to be very uncomfortable, too. With low-bar squat, you have the bar set just behind your rear delts and you should be able to reach at least parallel.
As for routines, I'm currently running Layne Norton's PHAT, which is fairly high volume (which I
love!)
PHAT -
http://www.simplyshredded.com/mega-f...ated-2011.html
If you're short on time, Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 (there are quite a few different variations, but I personally like the "Big But Boring" or the "Triumvirate" layout) is another well respected routine.
5/3/1 -
http://www.strstd.com/
(Just plug in your stats and hit "Calculate 5/3/1 routine")
This last one is relatively new (don't know if any of you guys follow IceCreamFitness on Youtube), but this is aimed towards beginners (whereas 5/3/1 and PHAT are both intermediate/advance). The guy can come across as a bit of a dick in his videos, but I think he's knowledgeable and am planning on having my brother pick up this routine when I get him in the gym starting next week.
ICF 5x5 -
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=148036063
You can go to this site to figure out what your caloric goal should be for your rest/training days:
http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/
In short, it really doesn't matter which routine you decide to follow. The main thing is to 1) be consistent in your dieting/training and 2)
track your calories!
Also, if you feel there is too much volume, feel free to knock off an exercise or a set from several exercises
If anything's unclear, hit me up on FB