Another great way to follow through with your plan is working-out with a partner. When you pick a friend to work-out with it encourages you to work-out when you may have little motivation to do so. It also is a safe practice to have a spotter for weight lifting; This will help you push yourself without risk of injury.
The rest of this post will briefly cover topics about getting started--work-out plans, supplement using, eating, etc. These topics will be discussed more in-depth later on, as this is just a base to "jump-start" your fitness journey.
Work-out Plans
Choosing a work-out plan is important; obviously you want to select a plan that will reflect your fitness goals. Whether you want to just tone-up or gain muscle mass, the work-out plan below is a great start for any guy. I have found that these full-body workouts will burn fat while building muscle, and will help you gain muscular strength very quickly.
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Bench 3x6 Incline Bench 4x6 Dumbbell Bench 3x12
Dips 3x15 Dips 3x15 Dips 3x15
Pull ups 4x10 Pull ups 4x10 Pulls ups 4x10
Low Rows 4x4 Dead-lift 4x8 Lat Pull-downs 4x6
Squats 3x10 Leg Extensions 3x10 Weighted Lunges 3x8
Standing Curl Bar 3x10 Curl Machine Drop Sets Hand Cleans 4x4
Shoulder Raises 3 ways 2x10 Close Grip Bench 3x10 Over-head Triceps Extensions 3x8
Hammer Curls 2x10 Arnold Press 3x8 Standing Curls 2xFail
Push ups 3x20 Push ups 3x20 Push ups 3x20
Focus on technique and reaching the rep goals to start out, how much you can lift isn't important if you aren't doing it properly. If you are unsure how to do some of these lifts you can just search them on YouTube or check BodyBuilding.com. I didn't start using this plan until about 3 months into lifting, and I saw my greatest results fat burning results once I started it. This plan combined with 30 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week is a great jump-start for toning up and gaining strength to start more muscle-building based fitness plans.
Supplements
Many people feel like once they start working out they should just start taking as many supplements as possible to maximize their potential. Problem is, this stuff is expensive and if you are taking too many, aren't working-out, or aren't eating right then you are really wasting your money. Supplement choice will be covered further in my next article, but for now I would suggest just getting a standard whey protein. It gives you the best bang for your buck, is all natural, and will help you recover no matter what your fitness goals are. Just take one to two scoops after you work-out and it will help you recover more quickly and build muscle (as long as you are eating correctly).
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| You can get Standard Whey Protein and a Shaker Bottle from BodyBuilding.com. They come in a variety of flavors! |
Eating Properly
For me, eating properly was the most difficult part. It isn't just about eating the right types of foods, it is about making sure you eat enough food for the type of results you want. Honestly most guys our age have a high metabolism, so once you start working out I would recommend you eat, and eat a lot. You can either choose to eat 3 full meals a day, or 4-6 smaller meals more frequently. Most importantly is you need to eat foods high in protein right after you workout, chicken is my favorite option for this. Eating is tricky, and I will cover more later on, but basically to start you are going to want to eliminate sugars, processed foods, frozen foods, and fast food. It's not about cutting them out of your life completely, just be sure to eat in moderation.
Thanks for checking out the latest installment of Pounder's Club, and I hope these tips will help get started! Be sure to check back next Saturday for a more in-depth look at supplements and eating habits!
