Hi guys,

I'm going to start going to the gym again.  I'm in need of a good workout/weighlifting routine to follow.  I plan on running for 30 minutes minimum so I've got the cardio handled.  I'm not really looking to be huge and bulky, trim and toned (with some added bulk) would be more like it.  

I'm presently 5'9" 210lbs.  I'd like to get down too 175lbs/170lbs.

Last thing,

In the past I've always alternated one day upper, then the next lower.  It seems like quite a few people are doing 3 day cycles where a given session focuses on a few specific muscle groups.  Is this preferential to specifically the one day upper then one day lower?

Thanks a lot for listening.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  

~rssc  

First get a medical checkup and your doctor's approval, then

Always approach each workout session by doing stretching exercises for about 10 min, then

Begin lifting starting with  VERY VERY light weights that you can do VERY VERY easy, then

Add weight to do what is VERY easy for you, then

Add weight to do what is EASY for you, then

Add a little more weight,
then a little more,
etc.
Rest about 5 min between sets.
Do 8-10 sets each exercise.
ALTERNATE:  upper body one day, lower body next day.

Do MAJOR muscle groups.
Learn human anatomy.

Always lift with a partner in case you need someone to yank something heavy off you.

Learn how to protect your lower back!!

Finally, you must sign a promisory note never to use your newly acquired super strength for evil purposes.

GOOD LUCK!!

save your money and forget the gym! you can get in great shape without going to the gym, I
do most of my exersizes with my own body weight
I dont even lift weights or use machines, I
spend about 15 minutes stretching, then I do
several sets of push ups, some with my hands
close together to work my triceps more and some
sets with my hands wide apart to work my chest
muscles. Then I do about 150-160 sit ups as fast as I can, then I go for a 5 - 6 miles run
every nite and dont eat until the next day, I
do drink coffee to supress my appetite, going
to bed on an empty stomach really helps to burn
away the fat.

For your goals, I'd recommend the Body for Life program by Bill Philips.  You can buy the book, but most of the information in his book is also on his website.

[url]http://www.bodyforlife.com[/url]

I am going to be 41 yrs old in Dec. I weigh the same as I did when I left the 7th cav 20 yrs ago and could pass the Army's PT test any day of the week, the secret is to listen to your body. I have what I call my fitness run that I try to do 3 times a week, it is about 4 miles on semi-level route. Weather permitting I like to ride my mountain bike to my running route and time permitting use the bike for a little extra cardio after the run. As far as strenth training I lift free weights every other day if I can, targeting chest and shoulders. Cross training is important to me and I try to mix-in some basketball or tennis, the thing to remember is that these things count as a work-out and should be treated as one, get enough rest. Eating is the toughest part to keep in check, its too easy to eat "garbage" at the fast food joints, it's a by-product of modern life. Grazing during the day works for me probably because my metabolism is starting to slow a bit. Try to listen to your body, if you're sore...you're sore, let yourself heal, if you're hungry use common sense and grab something that is'nt going to glue to the waist line. "Being slender must run in the family"...if they only knew.

What exercises do you do on your upper/lower days?  Are you progressing in strength?  If not, I would sugest looking at the thread entitled "What is your split" to get some ideas.

I would personally not recommend doing situps "as fast as you can".  That is old school Army crap from the 1950's.  It is not a good way of training your ABS, and is bad for your back.  Unfortunately, I still have to do them for the PT test.[:(]

How much have you previously been running?  I would recommend running every other day and doing some other cardio like biking, swimming, etc on the other days.  Running EVERYDAY may lead to injury, especially for a new runner.

I have to agree that running every day is a big mistake, one that I made myself, I tried to run through the pain instead of letting myself heal and it took a trip to the dr. to make me realize how much damage I was doing. GOOD SHOES are another top item to prevent injury.

What do you do for your biceps and back and etc?  You're leaving a lot of muscle groups out.  Now if you added pull-ups...  Well anyway, plain and simple, most people can't get the results they want without weight training.

Someone around here emailed me a link to a program called HST (hypertrophy specific training).Found it!
[url]http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/about.html[/url]

I just took the sample workout and went from there.  I didn't want to get huge or anything, and this program worked great for me to gain strength and get where I wanted to be.  Then I just started maintaining what I have and keeping it lean.  Browse around that site and find the workout sample.  I liked it anyway.

It's great that you’re going to start working out again. My wife and I started again not too long again and I feel 100 times better than I did when I just sat on the couch. The routine we've been doing lately and I like quite a bit is this:

Sunday: Cardio
Monday: Chest and biceps
Wednesday: Legs and abs
Thursday: Shoulders and abs
Saturday: Back and triceps

We normally do about three sets of three exercises for each body part. In the past my diet was a problem, but lately I've been eating good too. A typical day of eating for me is this (my wife thinks what I eat is disgusting and so do a lot of people I'm sure):

7:30am - 1/2 cup of oats with protein powder (a friend of mine got me started on dumping some oats, old fashioned or instant, in a bowl and then adding milk, no heat - just eat). Then I add a scoop of protein and mix it up.
11:00am - Cottage cheese (I hate cottage cheese, so I normally add a little bit of protein powder or something so I can choke it down) and an apple.
2:30pm - Tuna, chicken, or some other lean protein source with a vegetable (I prefer asparagus or carrots) and a plain sweet potato (a lot of times I only eat half).
6:00pm - About the same as 2:30.
9:30pm - After a workout I'll drink two scoops of IsoPure meal replacement powder (for protein) and a little bit of some kind of high fiber cereal (All Bran, etc, for some carbs). If it's a non-workout night I might have one scoop of IsoPure. (I bought the huge tub of powder where you can scoop it out. I don't use the recommended serving because I think it's just too much.)

Using this plan I've gone from around 22% bodyfat down to 17% and still falling. I'm also getting stronger. If I could change one thing about our routine I think I'd rather workout in the morning, but lately we've been working out around 8pm.

Good luck!

My token response that seems to be particularly suited to members of a board like this:
http://www.exrx.net/

(It's linked to this page):
http://www.nadn.navy.mil/Rugby/workout.htm

Lots to explore, and I haven't found any info with which I really disagree.

IMHO