Need help !! have not worked out in 9 years

[lebowski1]

Hi all and thanks for looking at my thread

I have not worked out properly since i was 20, until then i worked out every week since i was 16 years old , i am now 29 and i have spent the last 9 years in an office job sitting on my ass getting no exercise at all except walking to work and then to the local pub to drink beer and then home, i spend most of my spare time drinking beer (like i am now 4 tins of miller so far) eating bad food like takeaway on average 3 times a week etc etc.

It is time i have realised to get fit and hit the weights again and sort my fitness and my self discipline out as i look in the mirror these days and think "what have i done to myself over the last few years"

I have done weights before and understand and can follow a workout regime , i can also sort my diet out and the diet forum here is great (as you all know )

I am about 6 foot maybe under but not over, i weigh 173 pounds, mostly a fat beer belly.

I am asking for some basic advice as follows.

1. What do you think my body fat is ?

2. should i cut or bulk ( i think bulk as i am skinny except the beer gut)

3. What kind of diet ( i am not asking particulars just what kind ie: cut or bulk

4. If i bulk should i do cardio for the fat i am carrying on my gut ?

5. What would you do if you were me and wanted to gain muscle and lose the fat.

6. what should i concentrate on ( i think compound movements and especially my legs as they are underdeveloped due to never been used)

7. Any other advice you could give me ?

8. Any supplements that i should take except whey

I want to put on some lean muscle mass just like everyone else here, i am going to stay natural and i will put 100% into it.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Lebowski

[lebowski1]

A couple more, showing my gut that hundreds of beers curries and chinese takeaways have contributed too.

[Growingpains]

Well first off, congratulations on making the first step! I will now direct you to the diet forum. I would read everything thing from what supps to take, to how often to eat to how many grams of protein you per day. If you are serious you will take your "rejuvenation" seriously and will reap the rewards of your efforts. Make sure when you first start out that you go to the gym at least 4-5 days a week for three weeks. (I think this is the HUMP that many people need to get over when they start working out again) after that things will be easy.

Focus on the following:

Motivation
Nutrition
Training - focus on building muscle endurance working each bodypart thoroughly. Start mellow then work your way up again, don't think about "how much you used to lift...bla bla bla" you could injure yourself or get discouraged!

Good luck!
Keep the results posted!!!!!

[JohnboyF]

Hi all and thanks for looking at my thread

I have not worked out properly since i was 20, until then i worked out every week since i was 16 years old , i am now 29 and i have spent the last 9 years in an office job sitting on my ass getting no exercise at all except walking to work and then to the local pub to drink beer and then home, i spend most of my spare time drinking beer (like i am now 4 tins of miller so far) eating bad food like takeaway on average 3 times a week etc etc.

It is time i have realised to get fit and hit the weights again and sort my fitness and my self discipline out as i look in the mirror these days and think "what have i done to myself over the last few years"

I have done weights before and understand and can follow a workout regime , i can also sort my diet out and the diet forum here is great (as you all know )

I am about 6 foot maybe under but not over, i weigh 173 pounds, mostly a fat beer belly.

I am asking for some basic advice as follows.

1. What do you think my body fat is ?

2. should i cut or bulk Cut first then if your making good progress switch
3. What kind of diet ( i am not asking particulars just what kind ie: cut or bulk
Cut... If you look under Diet Forums you will see How to cut http://forums.steroid.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6
4. If i bulk should i do cardio for the fat i am carrying on my gut ?
Cut first by doing cardio 5 days early monring on a empty stomach 65-70% of max hear rate
5. What would you do if you were me and wanted to gain muscle and lose the fatIts hard to do both u need to choose one a stick to it
6. what should i concentrate on ( i think compound movements and especially my legs as they are underdeveloped due to never been used)

7. Any other advice you could give me ? DIET AND CARDIO is the best way

8. Any supplements that i should take except wheyMulti Vitmin EFA's real food man.. diet is the key

I want to put on some lean muscle mass just like everyone else here, i am going to stay natural and i will put 100% into it.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Lebowski

Good luck

[Growingpains]

I am about 6 foot maybe under but not over, i weigh 173 pounds, mostly a fat beer belly.

I am asking for some basic advice as follows.

1. What do you think my body fat is? Doesn't matter because you won't see it for long! I would say around 18-19% your not overweight at all.

2. should i cut or bulk ( i think bulk as i am skinny except the beer gut) - Tough to call. I think just working out will lean you out and you will feel like you are building muscle from all the lifting and hopefully cardio!

3. What kind of diet ( i am not asking particulars just what kind ie: cut or bulk
Bulk diet. Concentrate on lean proteins. Find out what your daily caloric intake needs are and go from there. I would say around 300-400 calories extra per day will help wonders.
4. If i bulk should i do cardio for the fat i am carrying on my gut ?
Yes do cardio. 3-4 times a week for 30 or so minutes
5. What would you do if you were me and wanted to gain muscle and lose the fat.
NO steroids, for the love of god no steroids. Just eat right and train hard!
6. what should i concentrate on ( i think compound movements and especially my legs as they are underdeveloped due to never been used)
Squats, press, extensions, hamstring curls etc.
7. Any other advice you could give me ?
Take it one step at a time and focus on little goals rather than being Arnold in a short time.
8. Any supplements that i should take except whey
Essentials are - multivitamin, EFA (essential fatty acids), protein, perhaps creatine, or some tribulus terrestris to stimulate some testosterone production (its natural)

[rockhardman]

keep hangin on AR and get all the diet,workout info u can, also keeps u motivated by posting some progress pics aight!!

[lebowski1]

Well thanks for all the replies, i have been a lurker on this forum over the last 6 years mostly back when i was planning hitting the roids and after getting them i bottled it and could not do it, deca and dbol, 6 years ago now, i was all ready to rock n roll but my g/f threw them out and i am glad she did ) no offence to you guys that take them i just have a friend who had problems with them that put me off doing it)

Like i said thanks for the replies i am on my 6th miller now (this is my last night of the booze sessions) and typing is getting harder , anyway i am going to put 100% into this and will keep a diary here.

Anyway thanks for all of your advice, growinpains i never thought of that muscle endurance thing before, after i took that pics i got on the squat stand and could not believe that i could not squat as low as i used to ( 9 years ago lol) and could hardly lift any weight, damn i was twice as strong when i was 18 than i am now, i feel pretty ashamed to be honest.

I am planning doing 6 miles on the cardo bike every morning except leg days and maybe the day after, do 4 days a week weights, mon tues (wed off) thurs fri. squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder presss etc.

Honestly though how hard is this going to be at my age of 29, what will my recovery times be like natural ? and what should i hope for ? , obviously when i was younger i made a lot of gains will this still happen in the first 3 mths or will it take years.

[l2elapse]

Well thanks for all the replies, i have been a lurker on this forum over the last 6 years mostly back when i was planning hitting the roids and after getting them i bottled it and could not do it, deca and dbol, 6 years ago now, i was all ready to rock n roll but my g/f threw them out and i am glad she did ) no offence to you guys that take them i just have a friend who had problems with them that put me off doing it)

Like i said thanks for the replies i am on my 6th miller now (this is my last night of the booze sessions) and typing is getting harder , anyway i am going to put 100% into this and will keep a diary here.

Anyway thanks for all of your advice, growinpains i never thought of that muscle endurance thing before, after i took that pics i got on the squat stand and could not believe that i could not squat as low as i used to ( 9 years ago lol) and could hardly lift any weight, damn i was twice as strong when i was 18 than i am now, i feel pretty ashamed to be honest.

I am planning doing 6 miles on the cardo bike every morning except leg days and maybe the day after, do 4 days a week weights, mon tues (wed off) thurs fri. squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder presss etc.

Honestly though how hard is this going to be at my age of 29, what will my recovery times be like natural ? and what should i hope for ? , obviously when i was younger i made a lot of gains will this still happen in the first 3 mths or will it take years.

you can still gain quickly if you put 110% into it. Youll have to work at it but you can still achieve great results

[JohnboyF]

It's good to see your dedicated and you know your stuff. Stay here and learn...

[spound]

Hey, bro, I wanna first say congrats for waking up and smelling the coffee and deciding you want to change for the better!! I am limited on time right now (I need to get some sleep) but to get down to the most imortant part...I say bulk, but do it VERY cleanly. I think having a healthy diet with the right fodds in the right proportions coupled with some weight training and light cardio will yield TREMENDOUS progress in itself very quickly, since you havent even lifted in 9yrs. You will probably be able to put on a good amount of pmuscle mass while losing some bodyfat. THe newly acquired mass will also help you lose the fat and increase your metabolism. DO not cut!! THere is not enough muscle under there to "cut up" Good luck bro, Ill try to help more later.

Hi all and thanks for looking at my thread

I have not worked out properly since i was 20, until then i worked out every week since i was 16 years old , i am now 29 and i have spent the last 9 years in an office job sitting on my ass getting no exercise at all except walking to work and then to the local pub to drink beer and then home, i spend most of my spare time drinking beer (like i am now 4 tins of miller so far) eating bad food like takeaway on average 3 times a week etc etc.

It is time i have realised to get fit and hit the weights again and sort my fitness and my self discipline out as i look in the mirror these days and think "what have i done to myself over the last few years"

I have done weights before and understand and can follow a workout regime , i can also sort my diet out and the diet forum here is great (as you all know )

I am about 6 foot maybe under but not over, i weigh 173 pounds, mostly a fat beer belly.

I am asking for some basic advice as follows.

1. What do you think my body fat is ?

2. should i cut or bulk ( i think bulk as i am skinny except the beer gut)

3. What kind of diet ( i am not asking particulars just what kind ie: cut or bulk

4. If i bulk should i do cardio for the fat i am carrying on my gut ?

5. What would you do if you were me and wanted to gain muscle and lose the fat.

6. what should i concentrate on ( i think compound movements and especially my legs as they are underdeveloped due to never been used)

7. Any other advice you could give me ?

8. Any supplements that i should take except whey

I want to put on some lean muscle mass just like everyone else here, i am going to stay natural and i will put 100% into it.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Lebowski

[Ectoflab]

First off, your situation is very similar to my own except I've been hard at it for a few months now and have already had some great results. Same approx age, goals, but I'm not so brave as to post pics like you!

I'm in TOTAL agreement with Growingpains comments (except the tribulus), but I would also add the following in reponse to question 7:

Right now you probably have a gung-ho attitude, and that's great.

Use it to design a really good SUSTAINABLE program that you can truly ENJOY as PART of your permanent lifestyle.

Otherwise you might just go crazy, overtrain for a few weeks, then fall off the wagon.

If you don't enjoy it, you will eventually stop. Willpower is not a long-term thing. That's why gyms and health clubs often make you sign a 1-year contract. Mine has thousands of members (I'm guessing), but only a couple hundred people that actually go.

So enjoy it! Get hooked on the natural high that working out can give you.

[lebowski1]

Well thanks again for the replies and the encouragement.

I am feeling good today after my first real workout in years, started with doing squats and leg work at a light weight so i can get used to squatting low and concentrate on form and so i can gradually get my knees / ligaments used to the weight and give them a chance to build up, so for this first month i am going to be taking it easy and not going to heavy.

I remember reading somewhere that your central nervous system needs time to get used to the shock of lifting plus i need to build up some muscle endurance (thanks growinpains) .

I am doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach is this to be advised.

I am working out my diet properly tonight and i am going to supplement with whey, vitamins, maybe take some creatine in a month or so.

Diet is going to be as clean as i can, lots of lean protein etc as advised.

Ectoflab i never needed to post pics here but i did it for motivation and i will post update pics every 4 weeks, i think doing this will help motivate me more than not doing it, maybe you should try it yourself it may help motivate you more also.

Anyway i am going to bust my ass in the gym every day i am there,this is my last chance to do this if i don't do it now i never will.