Feb 20
At Jim’s suggestion I bought The Men’s Health Big Book of Exercises and have switched my workout routine in favor of one of the full-body circuit plans recommended in the book. Isolating muscle groups – as I was doing before – seems to be particularly good for building strength and muscle mass. However, I keep reading that full-body routines are the ideal choice for beginners and those looking to get “into shape” rather than getting “into better shape.”
I will be alternating between two lifting workouts, three days a week. Depending on how it goes I will also be adding one or two days of raw cardio per week. I only followed my initial routine for about two weeks, and this new one for only about one, but so far the newer routine is a lot more intense. Rather than having sore arms one day and sore shoulders another, my entire body is pretty much constantly exhausted. It’s a little painful, but I suppose that’s a “good” pain.
I have also switched my diet to more protein-heavy while also trying to cut out most of the added sugars. I am not counting calories, but supposedly just eliminating things like regular soda goes a long ways towards controlling body weight.
My plan is to follow this new routine for four weeks and then reevaluate depending on the results that I am getting.
February 22nd, 2010
Jason, if you need any help with the “diet” part of it let me know. I’ve been following a high-protein/low-carb diet for a while now and really like it. If you eventually get to the point where you want to take some supplements, let me know. I think even at the very least you should be taking protein right after your workouts. It’s a misconception that protein shakes are for “meat heads” and super hardcore lifters. I can go into it more if you’re interested. If you need any recommendations let me know.