Hey Everyone!

[Pazuzu]

So, I've pretty much been doing the "I'm going to put my nose to the grindstone and get in shape" followed shortly by "Well, I missed a few days so I might as well just stop" for a few years now. The main problem I was having was that I pretty much just couldn't stay motivated passed the first few weeks. I found this forum while I was searching around looking for some tips on staying motivated to workout, and it really got me inspired to start back up with a vengeance. Hopefully the support will help keep me accountable.

Anyways, a little about me:

I'm 19 years old

I attend the University of Wisconsin as a CS major

I'm a huge fan of the UFC and MMA in general and I plan to join the MMA club on campus to help me keep in shape (and to become a badass in general).

Thats all I have for now

~Dave

[Steve]

Dave,

What's up dude! Motivation's a tough one - it has to come from within you. Motivational youtube clips can help on a day to day basis, but you need to know what your end goal is and have something to push for in order to keep that drive going permanently.

Get there!

-Steve

[Cacophony]

Are you the "warm and fuzzy motivational speach inspired" kind of a guy or the "GET YOUR ASS MOVING OR I'LL BEAT YOU WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE motivationally inspired" kind of a guy. I'm flexible. *wicked grin* Though if you really want warm and fuzzy we might have to pass you off to someone nicer.... My hand holding usually includes a fair amount of friendly ass kicking. *beams*

[Pazuzu]

I guess I really need to focus on keeping my eyes on the prize... that being said, bring on the ass kickin! I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty as long as it gets me movin in the right direction.

[Cacophony]

Okies... what's the initial plan of attack? What have you got sketched out so far?

[Pazuzu]

I definitely have a much better plan than I have in the past.

My goal is essentially to put on some muscle so my diet is going to have 3500 calories a day in it, and i'll eat six meals a day, because everything I've read says that thats a good way to go. My choices of meals are kind of limited as I'm a freshman in college so I have to eat at the cafeteria. They have enough healthy options though that I should be able to make by though.

My workout routine is essentially going to be lift weights Monday, Wednesday, Friday and cardio Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday.

My weight lifting routine is going to be something like this (each workout is 3 sets 8-10 reps):

Bench press

Dumbbell pull-over

Goblet Squat

Lat Pulldown

Dip

Dumbbell Deadlift

I'm going to start each of my workouts with 10 minutes of jogging to warm up. I'll switch up the number of reps and sets every now and then to keep my body guessing as well as switching the style of some of the moves (incline/decline) and do some different moves altogether after a while.

That's all I have for now... I'm not terribly experienced in designing a workout routine so if theres anything wrong with it I'd love to know.

[Cacophony]

Can I make a suggestion if you haven't done weights in awhile? *gets excited* I literally just finished my Strength and Resistance Training course the week before Christmas, so this is all really fresh in my head.

The first 4 odd weeks are mostly initial anatomical adaptation - your body is going to be trying to figure out how to move to do what you want it to. You're going to want to focus on higher volume, full body movements with 60-70% of your maximum weight. Until you can safely do a complete bodyweight squat, ass to the grass, with proper alignment and tecnhique, for example, you don't want to be loading yourself up with a lot of weight your body doesn't know how to coordinate. You can physically strong enough but if you haven't set the neurological patterning to smoothly transition the support of the weight from your arms/shoulders to your back to your legs you'll have trouble and risk injury. It's kind of like the hours you spend playing catch before a baseball game: you don't throw the ball back and forth in a straight line over and over and over because that's what you do in a baseball game. You throw the ball back and forth in a straight line over and over and over because when you need to snap off a throw during a gain you want your body to be so fluid and accustomed to the movement that you don't have to think. You just flow.

[Pazuzu]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try not to push myself to the limit right off the bat. Once I get to the right point of the learning curve though, the game is on!

[sumdawgtwigg]

Welcome and good luck!