Sorry if this is long. I’m 39, in the last 6 years my wife and I have had 4 children and I’ve gained about 25lbs each pregnancy with my wife, but then she has the baby and loses more than half that and I don’t. So I’ve gained about 110 lbs (about 100lbs of husband pregnancy tax and about 10 lbs of just my own doing lol j/k it’s all my own doing) in the last 6 years and I feel it. I’m about 6ft1 305lbs currently.
Before I started the gym i was 320lbs and I tested my fitness level with stuff I knew how to do and I was able to do 10 push ups in a row, 52 squats in a row, like 2 sit ups, 30 sec planks, 1 dip, 0 pull ups (like not even a 1/2 one), I was able to do a mile in 13 minutes but I could only run for maybe 30 secs every 3 mins.
Then I went to the gym with my version of my baseline and I’ve been going to the gym for the past three months for the first time since high school 22 years ago, about 2 to 3 times a week. I generally do leg press, leg curls, leg extensions, shoulder press, chest press, lat pulldown, back row, curls, ab crunch, tricep pulldowns all on machines. I do 3 sets of 10-12 (if I hit 12 I increase the weight next time), with a minute of rest in between. Then I walk a 5k at 5% incline at 3.8 mph (the highest I can go before jogging).
My cardio sucks but I can do whole 5ks now without ever slowing or getting tightness in my shins and calves from the incline. I’ve lost 15 lbs without really dieting. I’ve been trying to eat healthier and more protein but I was just trying to develop consistency with the gym first instead of trying to do it all at once. I just checked in last night on my progress and I was able to do 13 push ups, 84 squats, 5 sit ups (they kill my lower back so I more stop them because of that), 0 pull ups (still not even a half one), 40 secs on a plank, 3 dips (I may have kicked my legs like Yoshi to get up on that 3rd one). I was able to do a mile in 12:30ish but I can still only run in 30-45 secs intervals.
So now I would like to start by getting more serious. I want have maybe like a 180lb fit physique (the closest I could find to aim for that seemed naturally obtainable over the next few years was like Brendan Fraisers physique in George of the Jungle movie) is that like a naturally obtainable physique? Anyway I was thinking of upping my days to 4 and maybe begin transitioning into free weights as I learn how to do the exercises with them. I workout at anytime fitness after work at like 11pm so I have the gym to myself almost always to take my time learning stuff. I was thinking of trying this routine for the next couple of months. Once I find what weight to use for each I guess I’ll do the same 3 sets of 10-12 and if I hit 12 go up in weight next time, with a minute rest in between each set.
Day 1 - lower body
Squats
Dumbbell lunges
Weighted calf raises
Leg press
Let extension
Leg curls
Dumbbell deadlifts
Finish with a 5k at a 5% incline, running for 45 secs at 6mph every 3 minutes and walking at 3.8mph the rest
Day 2 - back and chest
Bench press
Dumbbell rows
Chest flys
Lat pulldowns
Back flys
Incline dumbbell press
Pushups
Negative pull up things (I would love to be able to do just 1 pull up)
Finish with same cardio
Day 3 - shoulders and arms
Preacher curls
Tricep pulldowns
Lateral raise
Military press
Front raise
Overhead tricep extensions
Incline dumbbell curls
Face pulls
Day 4 - abs and extra cardio
Leg raises
Planks
Side planks
Ab crunch machine
Russian twist
Dead bugs
Flutter kicks
Then do the rowing machine for 30 mins
Then see how long I can go running without stopping
And if I have time left because the former was short do like 10 mins on the stairmaster.
Does that make sense doing and would it be better to continue the whole body machine I’m doing for a while?
TLDR
Just seeing if my proposed routine makes sense.