Who here works out regularly and incorporates a regular weight training regimen? I want to start going to the gym 3-4 days/week and need to come up with a relatively simple routine I can incorporate along with cardio and a better diet.

I’m not trying to get “ripped”….but I’m approaching 40 and while I’m relatively active, I’m overweight and out of shape and need to do something about it.

Been a few years since I've worked out regularly.
Mon- chest, triceps, shoulders, 30-40 minutes of cardio afterwards
Wed- legs, 10-15 of treadmill before working legs
Fri back and biceps, 30-40 minutes cardio afterwards

I lift 3-4 days a week. Only after a recent cortisone shot that helped my knee have I went back to leg day and 4 days a week.
I do chest and tricept day 1, Back and Abs day 2, Legs on 3, and shoulders and biceps day 4.
I still do free weights for bench shoulders and biceps on a few lifts. Im pretty fortunate that the gym I use has plenty of cable machines and various lift machines for just about any lift. For instance I never use free weights on leg day =all machines. I found out the stress on these 46yr old joints was much less If I got creative with cables. You would be amazed how much easier on the body it is and can still get in a good workout. I dont do much cardio but I dont rest long between sets. Once the heartrate gets up I try to keep a fast pace and keep it up. Dont discount Push ups, pull ups and dips. I always do 100 dips on tricept/chest day and have good results.
Generally speaking If you want to stay in shape focus on weight you can handle 3 sets of 10. If you want to rip up sets of 8, and if you want to add mass sets of 5-6. Good luck the 1st 3 weeks suck but you will feel better and it becomes part of life you will enjoy. Even on bad days a bad workout is better than no workout. Gym time is my decompression time.

PM Claims Rep. Dude is a work out machine

You can do a lot in your living room/spare room etc. Just saying. Push-ups, sit-ups, leg raises, stretches, dumbells, kettlebells, etc. Just start somewhere w' something & make it a habit of a healthy lifestyle.

I lift regularly and have for sometime, but there has been gaps.

I recently went from 220# and 22% body fat to 210# and 13% body fat. Currently at 205# and 14% body fat, thanks to fixing up our house, selling our house, moving our house and the holidays.

I think the best way is to have a simple plan to start with that doesn't overtax your body. If you try to do too much at first you will end up burning out and quit. Think of weight training, bodybuilding and getting into shape as if you are carving a statue out of oak with dental pick instead of a chainsaw. Getting in shape is not a drag race it's a marathon. Slow and steady wins the race.

Make a spread sheet with your work out plans for each week on an 6, 8 or 10 week schedule. Record what you are doing. Increase your weights each week. See what works and what doesn't work. If I was you and I was just starting I would do it this way:

I would to a full body workout 2x per week:

Day A Tuesday?

Squat 3 x 10
Bench 3 x10
Bent over row 3 x10
Standing shoulder fly 2 x12
Tricep press 2 x12
Bicep Curl 2 x12
Calf raise 2 x 20
Crunches 2 x 20

Day B Saturday?

Deadlift 3 x 10
incline press 3 x10
Pulldowns 3 x10
Cable shoulder fly 2 x12
Cable Tricep press 2 x12
Cable Bicep Curl 2 x12
Calf raise 2 x 20
Russian twists 2 x 20

2 to 3 minutes of rest between sets. Watch youtube videos for getting the form correct on those exercises before moving to any serious weight.

The rest of the days of the week I would start walking just a mile a day until you work up to 3 miles a day on those 4 walking days. (Take Sundays off) Once you are up to walking 3 miles a day 4 days a week, to increase resistance, start walking with a backpack or a plate carrier vest to add a little weight each week to increase resistance.

if you do that simple plan for 1 year increasing resistance each week along with a healthy eating plan including increased lean proteins you and your friends will be amazed at the progress you will make.

I like it, I think I'll try the Irish Plan

Let me plug our local Birmingham F3 workout group on here. F3 stands for Faith, Fitness, and Fellowship. It is a peer led workout group that meets weekly at local schools, tracks, etc. My group is located in Alabaster- there are several smaller groups around the Bham area. It is free, comradery is good, you do what you can do, and a mix between some crossfit and cardio. I have been going since August and have noticed a huge change in my overall shape, made some great friends, and get to share my faith with other guys... check it out! https://f3nation.com/



PM me if you have any questions.

Total Gym is best way I’ve found to slim up and tone up without getting sore and I would with free weights
A few minutes a day 3-4 days a week will work wonders for you

There’s actually an F3 group in my hood but their schedule doesn’t work for me due to having to get kids ready and out the door in the mornings.

What Irish posted was kinda along the lines of what I was looking for.

Thanks fellers

Gomer, as you would expect, you’ll get a range of responses, and none are wrong. The most important thing is to find what works for you, and your schedule, and stick with it. Your routine could, and should, change, but once you get in the habit it is a lot easier going. I find my mental state is so much better/positive when I can exercise.
For me, I work out during lunch hour. I don’t have set days, but I will get 4 days a week in, sometimes 5. My routine is this: chest/back and biceps/triceps on same day, then I do legs and shoulders the next day. For example, I may do a bench press set for chest, then immediately do pull-ups for back, then go back to the bench, alternating exercises quickly. This will also keep you heart rate up. I do three exercises for each part, and three sets for each exercise. Abs I will do at any point between exercises. I will vary what exercise I do from day to day, and mix up free weights with machines, but you get the idea. I’m 53 now, started working out when I was 15, and have only lost about 15% of my strength. I’ve learned that these older joints don’t like heavy lifts like those 30 year old joints did. I walk two miles, do rowing machine, or bike, as time allows here and there.
My weight has crept up over time. I’m only 5’7”, and graduated high school at 165. I’m 185 now. I had actually gotten up to 193, but I’ve started watching my diet and am losing about a pound a week now. Looking to get back to 175 and I’ll be happy with that, considering the muscle I’m carrying. Of course, BMI says I’m borderline obese at that weight, but bmi scale can SUCK IT. I’d have to get to 155 to be “normal”. We all know bmi sucks for anyone that is an athlete or lifts.

If you do anything consistently you’re in the top 5-10% of people.

The main thing is to get a plan and stick with it for at least 8 weeks and see what is working and what is not. There are just some exercises that I just don't like doing and I like to change up every 8 or 9 weeks. Take a few days off, reset your goals for the next 9 weeks and start right back into the updated plan. This keeps everything fresh and keeps your body from totally adapting to everything. Plus it keeps you from getting totally bored with your workouts. Keep records so that you can go back and see how far you have made it.

Change things, but keep progressing the weight and/or the number of reps to keep challenging yourself forcing your muscles to try to adapt.

Also as you get into fitness remember that most social media influencers are all on steroids and you are never going to look like some of them no matter how hard you try, so don't let them be your inspiration.

As others I'm sure have already stated realize results will take time.
I'm 58 years young and probably close to the best shape I've been in since late teens early 20's. I'm still a work in progress, but getting there. As I've gotten older it does seem to take longer to burn fat and build muscle.

Make it part of your week by setting aside certain days for whatever program you go with. YouTube is your friend on correct form for weightlifting and cardio.

I do 3 days heavy lifting (WARM-UP before) with legs 1 day, shoulders and back, then arms. Arm day I'm usuall y doing some core stuff as well. Keep your rest time to a minimum and you'll get taxed with your racing heart and lungs screaming for air which in itself is a cardio workout. STRETCH afterwards.
10-20 min of rowing machine at a pretty good pace in between heavy lift days if I can get by the gym. It's low impact on my joints.

You need to stay consistent, get quality rest, eat right and stay hydrated. I've found the whey protein and staying hydrated really help as I've gotten older.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you feel in a few weeks.

Nice results Irish

I been back at it for going on 7 months after over decade lay off - wish i would hav kept up w numbers like Irish - my body fat would hav been enormously high. Lost most of my 50 pounds thru diet - built up muscle n gym. I hav been doing 5 days a week but that could drop to 4

Good luck - i started real slow like Irish said - first week at 1 set then 2 sets for few weeks then 3. I had gotten fairly week and hav gotten fair amount back

Agree with everyone on having a goals and figuring out what works for you and how your body responds. If you wanna do bicep curls until you cant wash your hair cause your biceps are so big then focus on that. I personally am more into functional movement. When I need to move and move quickly I want to be able to. For me and my body type pushups, sit ups, jumping jacks, squats etc. With only a few seconds rest in between works best for me.

I started using Starting Strength a few years ago.
I'm 55 and hope to hit that 315 bench in a few months.
Unfortunately work has put the screws to me the past few months and I've fallen behind.

It's pretty simple. 5 lifts doing 5 sets of 5 reps.
Bench
Deadlift
Squat
Overhead Press
Bent Over Row
I combine that with brisk walking and rucking for cardio.

I misread this at first glance…..😂

Pick an actual 3-4 day routine and stick with it for 3 months. Not some routine you made up, I lost a lot of gains that way. And learn how to do the lifts with proper form. After 3 months you can adjust or change routines. Here’s a basic one I use - Workout. Add in the cardio of your choice 2-3 days per week.

I recently had a retired hwy patrol tell me to work out using 3 movements. 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 20 air squats. All done in under 1 minute for 20 sets. So in 20 sets thats 400 air squats, 200 push ups, and 100 pull ups. Honestly, I can only do about 6 sets and I'm shot. The pull ups are the hardest for me. I guarantee it will get your heart rate up. I'm going to keep at this and see if I can get to the 20 sets.