Bottom line is, I'm way out of shape and borderline underweight (5'8", 125lb, BMI of 19).

Most of that is because I've been studying/working like a maniac for the last 3 years. First 2 to get  into college and the last year because the attitude didn't wear off. I finally burned out trying to take 21.5 creds and maintain a part-time job last semester. Didn't sleep much, and did no physical activity more strenuous than rolling out of bed to walk to class. The lack of sleep, especially around exams, played havoc on my appetite, which didn't help. I'm still recovering from last week's finals.

I'm taking it a bit easier and looking to change and stabilize my diet and start a light exercise regimen and get back into shape. As far as the exercise is concerned. I'm basically clueless. I have access to gym facilities on campus but have never set foot in there. After poking around the Fitness forum and the links there, my plans and questions are as follows:

1. Diet. Will 3 square meals suffice? I'm busy during the day so the whole 6 meal thing's not likely to work. How about the protein powders (like Isopure)?

2. Cardio. Plan to do some running. Problem is,  I can't run a mile (at any pace) without getting winded and shin splints, so the full interval training (8 quarter-mile intervals separated by quarter-mile jog) will be somewhat difficult. How do I work up my endurance?

3. Strength Training. I'll take a weight training class in the Fall (and learn how to use the machines in the process), but until then, I'll stick to the basics (push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups). Might purchase free weights if I haven't given this up in two weeks.

What would be sufficient weekly times for either/both to make progress? And is there any harm in doing both(cardio and strength) in one day or should I alternate?

Protein.
Low Carbs.

Real protein is better. (meaning from foods like egg whites, chicken, and tuna.)

stay away from breads, pastas.

You need cardio and weights.
do weights or cardio first depending if you want to thin up or bulk up.

www.goodegg.com is you dont like the taste of eggs.

search on google. etc..

You aren't gonna gain much weight by doing cardio at the same time. You should get in shape first, then try to add muscle weight. Oh yea, and eat alot of meat. It's not so much as to how much you eat as it is what you eat.

2 words: PEANUT BUTTER

Scroll over and put the question to "Self Defense & Fitness".

ok, i'll try to give some advice here, but i'm no expert - just an average joe like you who decided a couple of years ago to whip my peanut butter ass into some semblance of shape.

maybe a bit of background will help to add a grain of salt to my opinion.  in highschool i was in cross-country and track and in kickass, outrun my neighbor's dogs shape.  then i met a girl in college. fast forward four years -girlfriend gone, and i couldn't run a mile in under 10 minutes to save my life.  so, i moved back in with my parents (deride all you want, deriders) and started pushing.

i wouldn't say i'm ultimate warrior material quite yet, but me right now could whup me two years ago one handed.

Food - if you are consistently working your body this will pretty much take care of itself.  you should eat about a half hour after
working out as this will teach your body that it doesn't need to store fat, you'll feed it.  this will also help stop your body from consuming its own muscle.  otherwise, eat when you want, what you want, as much as you want.  i mean, keep it civil, and don't start making butter and raw egg milkshakes, but if you have a routine you can easily process a ton of food.
try to keep it healthy, but, if you're like me, your meals are erratic as hell - so you shouldn't worry too much about it.  protein shakes?  i've tried a bunch and they put a spare tire around my middle.  they're basically cake batter w/o sugar.  maybe later on, when you're in shape and decide to go for competition level in shape you should reconsider your diet.  until then, this should suffice.

Cardio (aerobic exercise) - unless your goal is to become better at running, or you want to do triathlons or something, you shouldn't focus on cardio very much.  in your routine, cardio should be used for opening capillaries for increased oxygen flow to your muscles and for burning any excess fat.  i'd recommend twice a week/30 minutes of cardio.  that should keep you lean and give you energy for the weights.  running is a very effective fat burner, but that doesn't sound like your problem - any other repetitive exercise will suffice.  shin splints can be taken care of.  the best way is to run through them.  however, that is tough.  our cross country coach told us that letting your feet dangle (say by sitting on a tall bed) and writing the alphabet with your toes a couple of times will strenghten those little muscles in your shins that ache ('shin splints'). do that a couple of times a day and you shouldn't get shin splints anymore after awhile.

Weights (anaerobic (w/o oxygen) exercise) - damn, this is a big area.  to gain weight this is the best part of a routine.  ok, the basics first.  when you're sore, it's because you just tore the living shit out of your muscles.  you need to let them rest and recover if any gains are to be made.  and, unless you plan on gaining weight at mcdonalds, gaining muscle is your only option.  wait at least three days before hitting a muscle group hard again, i wait a week but i'll explain why later.  with gaining weight, it's best to do low-rep high weight workouts. 3 sets of ten is what i usually use, but you might want to go lower - 3 sets of 8 or 8,8,6 or 3 sets of 6.  the trick is to be really pushing yourself when you do those 6 reps.  if you can curl 25 pounds 15 times, curl 30 pounds 8 times.  just make sure you feel beat at the end of the exercise.  keep a notepad and write down the numbers, this is really important to feel like your accomplishing something and to keep track or your boundries.  there is nothing worse than picking up too big of a weight and hurting yourself because you forgot what you did last week.  give yourself 30 seconds - 1 min between sets to let your muscles reset.  don't worry about carrying a notebook around and using the same weights that the woman next to you is lifting - you have to start somewhere and most of the meatheads in the gym started at home to avoid the 'embarrassment' of lifting small, so you're already a step ahead of them.  Breathing is very important with weights and to keep a rhythm going.  Breath out when you lift and in when you release.  It really is important - you'll see.

Weight Workout - first of all, don't use the machines if you can avoid it.  they hardcore focus on one muscle and don't allow for movement.  which is good as long as everything you lift in life is on rails attached to a pully.  it would be bad if you got in shape and then hurt yourself lifting boxes - kinda counter productive.  the same principle applies to back braces at a warehouse job - sure you run less risk of injury but if you ever lift w/o it you will almost definately get hurt.  just learn how to lift properly in the first place and you won't have to worry about it.  as an added bonus, with free weights you work secondary muscles at the same time, giving you better tone and increasing your fat burning potential, increasing your appetite.

i have a feeling i'm running out of characters - i'll post again

Weight Workout(continued...)

you should do weight workouts 3-4 times a week for about an hour.  i'm sure you could speed that up to a half hour if you really focused, but i am easily distracted.  focus on one area of the body each day.  say day 1 - arms and chest, day 2 - back and shoulders, day 3 quads and calves, day 4 - abs and glutes.  abs and glutes would be a light day, so maybe do that on friday or the weekend.

so your week would look like:
MONDAY - CARDIO
TUESDAY - ARMS AND CHEST
WEDNESDAY - BACK AND SHOULDERS
THURSDAY - CARDIO
FRIDAY - QUADS AND CALVES
SATURDAY - ABS AND GLUTES
SUNDAY - OFF

mix it up, combine two weight days and take another day off (Quads, calves, abs, and glutes on saturday with friday off is good especially because it takes awhile after doing weights w/ legs to want to run again).  notice you only do abs once a week - getting a sixpack is easy if you have no fat, your stomach muscles bounce back readily and most people have a washboard hidden under layers of fat.

ok, so break the workouts down you say.  that's kinda tough and should be tailored for the individual person.  the best advice is to ask someone at the gym if they know a good exercise for an area.  i know, this seems weird, but people at gyms like to talk about working out.  shocker.  if they're not an asshole, they'll give you a few options and you should pick a couple that feel right to you.  they'll probably also give you a weight that is too heavy for you, and you should almost immediately grab something smaller.

Here is some localized advice.

Arms -
Triceps are your most important area here.  they make up 65% of your upper arm. working them doesn't burn the fat off of em, however, just gets them solid.
My favorite tricep workout is the overhead pull with ropes (on a machine, see i already've broken with my own advice).

Bicep curls are always a favorite.  Make sure you are only moving at the elbow.

If you want to get real crazy, work your forearms with some handgrips.

Chest -
Bench. straight, incline, and decline.  get someone to spot you if you need it, but if you do you're probably trying to lift too much.  Chest flys are also very good and help with toning.

Back -
My favorite is the upright row with a barbell. You get big fast on that one.  also use a lateral bar and let it go all the way up before pulling back down.  your shoulder blades should make a 'v' at the top.

Shoulders -
Shrugs, military press.  A good one is front dumbell lift or something.  you take dumbells and lift them up from your waist to shoulder level out in front of you with your arm straight.  that's a low weight one.  Dips are good also.  i'm probably guilty of too much shoulder work, but i loves it

Legs -
Backside curls and frontside extensions are tough but worth it.  Quad press makes me happy cause i can lift a lot on it (~400lb).  yay for norweigen legs.  squats are dead necessary.  you shouldn't even touch weights unless you plan to squat.  they're not really even a leg workout, it's almost every muscle in your body.  keep your back straight (look at the ceiling) and don't go lower than having you upper legs parallel with the ground.  i'm guilty of skipping squats and for a long time it kept me from making gains in other areas.  for calves you should do calf raises standing with a barbell.

Glutes -
lunges all the way.  don't do them in place, move forward and use dumbells instead of a barbell to avoid smacking people on the way.

Abs -
incline crunches w/ straight legs are great.  i don't know what it's called but laying on the ground and doing a bicycle motion in the air while touching your elbows to opposite knees as they come up really kicks the crap out of your stomach.  i'm not kidding and no, i'm not trying to make you look stupid.  look it up, it's a real exercise and it's extremely effective.

ok, hope that's been edumicational. it's not an overnight transformation but it's worth it.  if you feel like it's too much or it's boring the crap out of you, take a day off.  missing a day in the cycle is a lot better than eventually stopping the cycle altogether. good luck and keep at it.  

oh yeah, i was going to explain why i wait a week before hitting muscles again.

well, i did a similar workout to the one i outlined for about a year and a half and i got BIG.  i mean from 180 to 200 pounds big.  and not a lot of toning occured.  so now i've got muscle but i've also still got some fat on top of it.  so now i'm trying to tone it all and get all ripped as hell. yeah.

so my workout now is
Monday - cardio 1/2 hour
Tuesday - chest, arms, shoulders, 15 minutes jumping rope
Wednesday - cardio 1/2 hour
Thursday - should be legs, abs, back, and 1000 jumping jacks but right now it's indoor soccer
Friday - off
Saturday - cardio 1/2 hour
Sunday - off

i've moved to high rep, lower weight.  i was sick of having muscles buried under a layer of fat.  i want those babies to pop.  i mean, what's the point of all this if i'm not going to look good naked?

however, for mmx1, fat is not an issue so my old weight gaining workout should work great for him.  me, though, i've got a natural layer of blubber.  stupid norweigen blood.

Wow. Thanks a whole lot, _twist, and everyone else.

no problem.

i reposted this under the fitness forum and asked people to add their knowledge - hopefully they can give you additional options for this broad subject.

Yes, since you're trying to gain weight it will.  Usually people trying to lose weight are the ones that need to eat more meals per day.  I'd also stay away from the protein powders.  There's nothing wrong with them, but since you're trying to gain weight, you can eat real meat.  Usually you resort to whey when you need to eat more protein while adding only a minimum of additional calories.  Plus, food tastes better.  On the other hand, I see nothing wrong with adding 50 grams or so of protein at about 4 PM if you don't eat supper until late if you feel you need it.

For shin splints, do a search for info on them.  In my opinion, the best thing you can do is to just keep running until you start to get pain.  You should slowly get stronger and be able to run farther and farther without problem.  Just don't go overboard and run long distances with pain.  Also, don't run every day, especially with shin splints.  You'll need to give yourself time to heal.


Places like Dick's Sporting Goods has 300# Olympic weight sets for $90.  That would be a very good investment.  I'd start-out by doing deadlifts, curls, mil press, floor press (like bench press, but since you're doing it on the floor, you can't go as low), shrugs, straight legged deadlifts (do a search on google for SLDL's to find pictures), and rows.  I would guess that you'd grow more from doing that routine than from going to a gym and playing with machines, because every guy I know that starts going to a gym is like a kid in a candy store and overtrains.z

Quit posting and get out there!   [:D]