The "Slug" workout

[veeneedefeesh]

Ok I have spent 30+ years abusing neglecting and generally ignoring my body. Recently (in the last year) I managed to loose about 40 pounds and I like it. In an attempt to keep it off and to make some life changes and I am in need of some advice. I started working out a few months ago, mostly cardio (I hate the freaking treadmill, but it does get my heart rate up)and jsut kinda watching everyone else in the gym and trying what they do. For the most part I am looking at my upper body, I dont have much fat on my legs (thanks genetics for allowing me to look like an olive on toothpicks)

I don't want to look like a muscle head, my goal is more definition. I want to continue to loose my waist (obviously) but I would like to clean up my lines, especially in my torso. How should I go about that? keep in mind that I am still in fairly horrible condition and I am having to start from scratch since I was never an active person to begin with, I had a 6-way bypass about 18 months ago, and I still smoke (yea yea I know). The surgery doesnt really effect me anymore except occasionally if I do something wrong I feel my sternum slip around (boy that is a weird feeling) inside my chest. My strength is better than it was before the surgery tho and I dont have any fears of tearing anything unless I do something really stupid and I have been fairly good at avoiding that...so far.

Currently I dont vary my workout at all I hit the gym three times a week but I am hoping to get that up to 4-5 week at some point. It consists of 45+ minutes on the treadmill at a 1.5 elevation 3.5mph. I tried jogging but I got REALLY winded and had to stop. I decided that with the known heart problems it didn't seem to be a good idea at this time (At least thats how I rationalize not jogging :p) I realize that if I quit smoking I probably could do this, but I have been consistantly unsuccessful at quitting, soo..... At any rate, when I am done with 45 minutes of walking at that pace/elevation I usually feel the "burn" in my legs, so I guess I must be doing ok. When that is done I hit the weights. I wish I could tell you specifically what I do, but I dont know enough about this stuff to even describe it very well. The excersizes I do I learned from watching others, I realize that I could do more damage than help if I am not careful, but I guess that is why I am here

Should I be trying for heavy weights and few reps/sets or less weight high reps/sets? Any specific excersizes that I could try? I looked at that "Killer workout" thing but jsut guessing I am thinking I might require the services of an ambulance or a coroner if I tried that at this point. So where should I start?

The gym I work out at has a bene with my commitment where I get 2 free sessions with a trainer, which I haven't used yet, but I am too broke/cheap to pay for one after those are used. So I was kinda hanging on to them until I felt like I was in good enough shape to benefit from those sessions. So now that I have been completely vague and providing no information while asking you for a complete plan, got any ideas? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Harrison]

For definition use less weight/more reps...

And quit smoking, ya pussy.

[Mop]

Ok for the cardio instead of running, take the incline up slowly over time until you can walk at that pace at a 10+ incline this will burn more calories than 1.5 and get your HR to a better cardio zone with out the side effects of your heart jumping out of your chest from running.

as for weights instead of lifting heavies or lighter I would suggest two things

1-Supersets or triple sets... do 2 or 3 exercises back to back before you rest, then rest and start over again.
2- Drop sets start off heavy but when you can only do one more (after like 5 or 6) drop the weight by 50% or so then do anothe r5 or 6 then drop it one more time - you end up doing more weight and more reps at the same time npnp

I'll get more in depth later but I am exahsted today = (

[labbats]

One quick tip.

START SLOW

Do one set on each muscle the first week. No more than two different excercises of weight lifting on each muscle.

Second week do two sets.

[veeneedefeesh]

And quit smoking, ya pussy

I have been smoking longer than you have been consuming oxygen that could be better utilized by higher life forms, boy. Come talk to me about excersize regimines after someone cuts your sternum in half and shucks you like an oyster.

Ok for the cardio instead of running, take the incline up slowly over time until you can walk at that pace at a 10+ incline this will burn more calories than 1.5 and get your HR to a better cardio zone with out the side effects of your heart jumping out of your chest from running.

as for weights instead of lifting heavies or lighter I would suggest two things

1-Supersets or triple sets... do 2 or 3 exercises back to back before you rest, then rest and start over again.
2- Drop sets start off heavy but when you can only do one more (after like 5 or 6) drop the weight by 50% or so then do anothe r5 or 6 then drop it one more time - you end up doing more weight and more reps at the same time npnp

I'll get more in depth later but I am exahsted today = (

Thanks Mop I will try the incline thing, I actually pushed myself today and did a little sprint at the end of my treadmill time, didnt last long, but hopefully I can improve that and I was able to go a bit longer today than I did yesterday. I also kicked my speed up today by a couple points during the walk. I will work on the incline.

1-Actually I have been doing this already altho I can't claim any foresight or actual knowledge guiding me to do so, I do it that way because I want to get as many excersizes into the very limited time that I have at the gym. Because of other obligations I am limited to about an hour and a half (two hours if I am willing to be tardy) and at least 45 minutes of that I spend on the tread mill so I dont have alot of time with the weights. What I have been doing is this: I rest very little, Instead of standing around like everyone else does between sets I just do two or three different excersises in a row then take a short breather and start with the next set of those same manuevers. Occasionally this causes problems because when I walk away from one machine someone else grabs it and stays on it for a while doing their sets. This isnt an issue with the free weights, but machines tend to be a problem.

2- What are "Drop sets"? I have been doing all sets at the same weights, altho since I started doing sets instead of jsut going from one excersize to the next I have dropped the amount of weight that I work with because that third set is ALOT freaking harder than the first

One quick tip.

START SLOW

Do one set on each muscle the first week. No more than two different excercises of weight lifting on each muscle.

Second week do two sets.

made that mistake figured that one out on my own.

At this point I am starting to actually get serious about it, up until now I was just trying to get my stamina to a point where I could even begin. I have spent the last few of months going "Slow" I am ready to start working now. I want to see some results or at least feel like I can eat what I enjoy (within reason) and not have to feel so goddamned guilty about it.

The only problem that I have run into so far is that I HURT, yesterday I must have overdid the chest portion of my routine, because my sternum felt like someone had slammed a sledge into it. Should I vary time/intensity every other day or what? The other option I was looking at was that on Tues and Thur there is a Yoga class about the same time that I am at the gym, what if I did that instead of ""working out"? (I realize that yoga is ALOT harder than it looks, but I dont think my stamina and Cardio is up for Step classes yet so...)

PS I scheduled my first session with the trainer for next Tuesday, wish me luck.

[Mop]

an example of a drop set would be-
chest press x 8 @ 100 lbs, imidiatly following the last rep I drop the weight down to 60 and do another 4 -6 reps.

It will allow for a high rep work out with out having to pussify things.

Yoga is fucking awesome - though you have to find a class/instructor you enjoy it will work every muscle group in a different way than lifting weights it wont do anything for your cardio but dtr wise it is great I need to get back to doing it afterwork outs again, in 2 months of not doing it I can tell idfferences.