1––-i need to cut the winter belly i put on this year. i know i need to hit the treadmill, and ive cut pop and beer to a minimum.

  is it ok to do some treadmill BEFORE a weight lifting session? as much as i would like to always keep such things separate i cant hit the gym every night.

2- i need to add some size to the arms. i was killing the tricep extensions but then i tore a muscle in my left pec doing dumb bell press ( 100 pounders ) and had to lay off lifting for 3-4 weeks. i made it back to the gym for the first time tonight and things went really well.

 aside from tricep extensions what else can i do to really beef up the arms, ( cant to skull crushers, those give me instant tennis elbow and i have to lay off any type of bench press for a bit longer )  

3––- i need to strengthen my lower back. i do tree removal, so i am always lifting something, running a wheel barrel, loading logs etc. last summer i pinched a disk in my back.

are there any exercises recommended for lower back muscles ? dead lifts ? and SAFE exercises  ???

Nothing wrong with hitting the treadmill before the weights...it'll warm you up.  

Most core exercises are good for your back, as well as your abs, if you're using good form.

Extended aerobic activity is shown to decrease upper body mass (distance runners).  Running a couple miles here and there at an easy pace not a big deal.  I would suggest wt circuits in the mix.  The start-stop nature actually burns calories better than just running.  

dips, any press motion, OH db press.

back- straight legged deadlifts (maintain good form, start with maybe an empty bar, you will get sore if you haven't done these for a while), back ext (use roman chair), supermans  

007Kevin-

could you explain "weight circuits in the mix"

does that mean cardio / running for a while, then lifting, then running again, then lifting, throughout the same workout ?





also, is there a standard number of days that a person should give between working out the same muscle group?

i usually give it 7 days between cycles- meaning bench press / tri's / shoulders / back got done on monday, then not again until the next monday. between there was always abs / legs / calves / biceps, but never the same workout twice in one week

Well I meant more like doing that one day, running another day, biking another, etc.  But yea, you could do like you said.  The wt circuits I do, incorporates light wts doing one set of higher reps at a faster movement, but controlled, then resting <30s between going to the next lift or activity.  You could incorporate running, say 100m, between lifts or abs, mountain climbers, high knees, supermans, etc.  Gets the heart rate up, tones, and pumps the muscles up for mass.  

People will disagree on the number of days between working the same muscle groups.  I say you can work the same muscle group on consecutive days BUT you must vary the intensity.  Case in point, running.  People can run on consecutive days, however, you won't run 8x100m sprints @ 100% on consecutive days.

When I was training and when training others for jumping, we lifted legs 3xwk, most of the same lifts, a day rest between.  Monday was 65-75% of max, Wed 55-65%, and Fri 75%-90%, then taking the wknd off from lifting.  We also never lifted to fatigue or failure.  If doing it right, numbers will go up every 2wks.  Alot of plans call for a light day and a heavy day for muscle groups in less than a wk.

i am 6'1" 207 pounds, i would REALLY like to be a bit leaner ( no gut ) but stick around 210 pounds. so im going to have to build some serious muscle. i find that my job is easier when i weigh more, i need to push / roll logs / pull logs over / pull ropes.


ive started back up with the creatine and protein shakes. with work and the gym im going to need all the help i can get to heal up between workouts.


my big fear is that i always lose mass where i want to keep it, before i lose fat. so i better kill the bicep and tricep exercises as much as possible every week through this.    i just dont know whats a safe schedule before i start going backwards and losing muscle

as long as you're eating and working your muscles you're not going to loose it.   You do need to spend time in the gym though to make big gains in mass.  Keep the reps 12 or below on any given day (besides in a circuit) and hit a heavy day of say 3x6 for the major muscles and you won't be losing muscle.  You have more momentum when you're heavier that's why it's easier, however my 6' 172lb frame when I was competing could surprise alot people at how much I could lift, especially when you one-arm snatch over 135lb!  

Here's my suggestion;
Day 1
 Heavy Chest and Tris 3x8-10
 Light back and Biceps4x12
Day 2
 Heavy Legs and shoulders 3x8
 Light Chest and tris 4x12
Day 3
 Heavy back and biceps 3x8
 Light legs and shoulders 4x12

ETA: on the light day your doing about 50% at a moderate pace, concentrating on keep muscles flexed.  Your lifting for the pump.  Go to fatigue on the arm upper body lifts on heavy days but don't go to fatigue on the legs for heavy days.  Should feel like you could do a couple more reps when you finish your last set.

Obviously you're going to pick Bench for chest, Rows for back, and Deads or Squats for legs.  Try to get 3 major lifts for each area.  Then pick 3 more isolated lifts like curls or extension for the tris and bis.  Give a day between lifts for rest and do cardio and core. Take a day off, say Sunday and repeat.

I would be careful on the creatine.  Your body naturally produces it and when supplemented regularly your body stops.  Then when you come off it, depending on your activity and how much you were taking it can really leave you feeling weird, for lack of a better description, mentally and physically.

i think if i only use the creatine as the directions go i wont be overdoing it. this time of year getting back to work and lifting at the same time, i need all the recovery help i can get.

creatine can be a miracle drug... when i was ~22-23 i weighed about 198, my max bench was 260 X 6-8 reps. when i started creatine, in a MONTH my max bench went up to about 320. i just wish i would have worked my back and shoulder muscles more to keep a good balance.

but you do crash, and lose some of the gain once you stop using it



so monday i did 10minutes treadmill, then alot of shoulder / pecs / triceps / abs workout, torn shoulder felt fine.
tuesday- 2.5 miles on the bike, ran 1.5 miles treadmill.
wednesday–– treadmill warmup, did a killer bicep curl workout ( barbell curls /wide and narrow grip, dumbell curls, hammer curls )  , some shoulder shrugs, forearms, and light deadlifts then abs

i think thursday will be a little cardio,

friday will be leg press / calf extensions / pushups and tricep extensions again.
saturday some cardio,
sunday- off


i think i will see some pretty good results if i do this weekly

I would go below the recommended listed amount on creatine.  You don't need as much as you think you do.  Glutamine is actually more important than creatine but even then you don't need alot of that either.  Getting glycogen, water, vitamins and minerals are more important as this stuff is burned off and needs replenishment for optimal cell function.  Then come in the building materials, proteins, glutamine, creatine, and other amino acids.  Also, SLEEP!

I think you're missing the importance of the major lifts and balancing them, bench, rows, dead/squat.  And you noticed before the imbalance you had when you were younger focusing on a couple areas. Yea, you have some lifts that will cover the areas but I would contend it's not very well organized or matched.  I'm seeing weak links in the plan IMO.

Nothing works triceps like weighted dips, in my experience. For lower back I like good mornings with a nice heavy barbell. Obviously not too heavy, though.

weighted dips- where you have the bars straight out from the bench, and push straight up and down raising your body ??

ive read that leaning forward or backwards can have an effect of what part of your pecs it builds, do you know anything about that ?

Those would be the ones.

Yes, doing dips with your head upright or looking down does change the amount of muscles used.