Any Atlasians have a favorite weightlifting regime?

[Indy Texas]

Recently, I reached a point where I was tired of being a 25 year old with the physique of a ninth grader (while on a beach in Florida earlier this year, I was approached by a teenage girl who took me for a high schooler; she was visibly unsettled to find out that I was probably older than any camp counselor she'd ever had). All 145 of my pounds on my 5' 11" frame were fine for running cross country in high school, but now I basically wear long sleeves as often as possible to hide my freaky scarecrow arms from the world. I've also been having a lot of problems with depression over the past year or so and want to try to improve my self-image and self-confidence. (And maybe, just maybe, go on a date for the first time in about 3 years or so).

I joined a gym but feel completely lost when I'm there. I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself and the bulk of my time ends up getting spent running on a treadmill or an elliptical, doing a few reps at whatever machine happens to be available, and then leaving feeling like I got absolutely nothing accomplished. I've just gone from being the skinny kid to being the skinny kid who gave 24 Hour Fitness his credit card number.

Does anyone on here have a lifting routine that they regularly use and would care to share or any other potentially useful advice?

[afleitch]

That was once me

The truth is, there isn't a great regime that will work for everyone. If you have a naturally slight frame than lifting weights will simply define what you've got. They key to putting on weight is to eat. And I mean Eat. When I first tried to put on weight (I've added 40 pounds since then) I had six weeks of doing one thing; squatting and eating. I ended up putting on 'fat' for the first time in my life. Then I started a lifting routine. Your best bet it just to find one online. The way I gain weight because my metabolism is still fairly fast is to bulk and cut; it's something for everyone not just bodybuilders. I started off at just over 120 (I know) and when I got stuck at 140, I returned to eating and squatting and ended up at 175, then cut back down to 160 which I was able to maintain.

[bedstuy]

1.  My regular routine is something like this: Lift weights 4-5 times a week, usually 2-3 days spent on upper body, 1-2 on my lower body.  I mostly use free weights and a few body weight things, do 3-4 sets of each exercise, 8 reps, with a minute-3 minute break between each set.  8 reps would be a good number if you're looking to just gain muscle and definition as opposed to gain strength.   

2.  If you really have no idea how to lift weights, maybe you can get a personal trainer to show you.  It can be expensive to get a personal trainer on a long-term basis, but it could be very helpful to just have a few sessions where you learn basic form.  If you don't know proper form, you can injure yourself, especially your back and shoulders.  Or, maybe you can find a workout buddy. 

3.  In terms of diet, you could probably just benefit from eating more protein in your diet.  Depending on the person, you may not need to consume what seems like too much food to put on muscle mass.  But, when it comes to adding lean muscle, you should think about more protein.

4.  You're probably self-conscious when you're at the gym which makes it an uncomfortable place to be.  I used to feel that way.  Unfortunately, a lot of gyms are an unfriendly, overly-masculine environment or at least they feel that way.  But, if you know your routine and go regularly, you'll stop feeling uncomfortable.

5.  You have to really exert yourself to gain muscle.  Generally, you need to be at or near the point of failure (not be able to do another rep) by your final rep.  So, if you're planning on doing 8 reps, pick a weight that you can do 7-9 times maximum.  Once you've adjusted to that weight after a few days or weeks, increase the weight.  This is called "progressive overload."  If you keep challenging your muscle, it will need to go through hypertrophy to keep up.

[Paul Kemp]

We need KingoftheBenchPress back

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

We need KingoftheBenchPress back

NO.  K? Thx.  Andrew fills in just fine. 

[Paul Kemp]

We need KingoftheBenchPress back

NO.  K? Thx.  Andrew fills in just fine. 

KingoftheBenchPress > jmfcst

...but I suppose that's reserved for another thread.

[Torie]

To add to the excellent comments above, you need to get a lot of stretching in. The joints need to be flexible, and stretched, to allow room for the muscles to expand. For me, having sat hunched over a desk for 40 years, it took, and is taking, a long time, to undue that decades' legacy of physical sloth.

[rejectamenta]

Based on my own experiences I would recommend something like Practical Programming or Stronglifts 5x5 (the version with inverted rows and pushups), but strict adherence to any remotely sound method will work. Those two are fairly idiot proof programs that drill the core compound movements, leave room for accessory work and establish a baseline for you to build upon when/if you decide to approach training differently.  Some would call them strength training programs, but at the novice stage it's best to think of whatever you're doing as an Everything training program.

Additionally, buy one of these for a door and go hog wild on pull-ups (do negatives, i.e. jump off the ground to the top position and slowly lower yourself, if you can't do one yet) every time you walk by it.

[patrick1]

As stated by others, eat and lift. You would probably want to dial back your cardio a bit because you want to be at a caloric surplus.  I would by no means ditch it completely because it is good for your heart and overall health but make this an ancillary part of your routine. There are a lot of things you can do to put on mass. Even a bodyweight routine doing things like push ups and pull ups or inverted rows and squats can show results. I know a few friends who are pretty damn ripped who get results this way. If you are looking for individual exercise ideas I think this is a good resource http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html
Everyone at the gym was a beginner at some point so just do your thing.  If you are worried about jumping on the bench and being weak,  just start with a smaller bench and do some dumbbell work. Practice your form. Don't try to go too heavy too fast or you will hurt yourself.

[memphis]

I like the weight machines because they make you do the exercises correctly. The free weights are clumsy and if you don't know what you're doing, it's not hard to injure yourself with them. Everything on the machines is already set up in the right position (though you may have to adjust the seat position) with a little picture that tells you what to do and what muscles are used. Try several machines. See what you like. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself. Initially, you should expect the muscles you've used to be sore the next day. If they're not, you may not be pushing yourself enough.

[LastVoter]

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Program
Enjoy

After a few months of this you can go onto a real routine
And s others said, you need to eat, if you can't eat just drink a gallon of milk a day.

[Kitteh]

lol

[afleitch]

I like the weight machines because they make you do the exercises correctly. The free weights are clumsy and if you don't know what you're doing, it's not hard to injure yourself with them. Everything on the machines is already set up in the right position (though you may have to adjust the seat position) with a little picture that tells you what to do and what muscles are used. Try several machines. See what you like. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself. Initially, you should expect the muscles you've used to be sore the next day. If they're not, you may not be pushing yourself enough.

I agree. I still use weight machines and for more independent lifts use Smith machines as they give you free range of movement but keep the bar guided.

[Bacon King]

the best regime for weightlifting is north korea

[DINGO Joe]

I'm big on reps, I'll start out lifting 12oz and continue til I'm down to zero and repeat as needed.

[Dancing with Myself]

If I was to get back into the groove, I would just go with how I used to lift when I played Football. We did lower body on Monday, Upper Body on Tuesday, Ran the whole time on Wednesday,  Reps and Unique stuff Thursday, and stretch and eliminate soreness on Friday.  We used to have a class period in High School just for lifting weights, so this is where I got most of my work.

We mainly did this to put on muscle though.