basically i have a 25lb dumbbell, two 25lb plates, two 10lb plates, two 05lb plates, and a curl bar. i know its not much. i have very little income and just moved to a new state. so i am trying to get a good start in this move. i really could use a decent routine to start out with. i would like to gain more muscle mass and get more cut. i don’t really know where to start so any suggestions and comments are appreciated.
[quote]erik.the.blue wrote:
i would like to gain more muscle mass and get more cut.[/quote]
That’s like saying you want to take a trip to Maine and Oregon. Choose one or the other, go towards it 100%, and then switch gears.
What do you currently weigh? What kind of shape/fatness are you - seeing abs already, kinda pudgy, etc.?
Get an Iron Gym doorway pull-up bar. They’re $20-30 at Target or Wal-Mart and don’t screw into the doorframe. Then you can get started on this basic bodyweight routine:
With the weights you have, you’re pretty much stuck with dumbbell swings and one-arm or one-leg work with the barbell. Because the weights you have are so light, you’ll almost certainly be able to do higher reps pretty quick, which makes it difficult to design a decent plan.
Play around a bit, try some basic exercises (bent over row, floor press, Romanian deadlift, front squat, lunge, curl, overhead extension, etc) and get a feel for where you’re at strength-wise. Since you can load the bar to about 80 pounds, see what you can handle for different rep ranges. Anything you can do an easy 12+ reps of won’t really be of any use, so it’s important to know what kind of exercises are available.
I was in this situation and it sucked. I eventually bit the bullet and bought a 300 lb weight set for about $200. You dont need anything else to get strong, and I did lots of deadlifts, cleans, and rows. I understand money is an issue but some things are worth it to me.
thank you for the advice guys. i’m about 245-250. my trainer back home recommended the convict conditioning program. still kinda pudgy but i’m starting to get more definition in in my pecs and back.
How much are you willing to spare for equipments? A good barbell set with enough weights goes a long way for gaining strength and muscle mass. When I was in college I managed to buy a set (around 130kg total if I remember correctly) for really cheap from a senior who was going to graduate. 3 years later I sold the set to someone else for pretty much the same price.
Try looking at some garage sales or maybe find a gym that’s trying to restock their equipments or something. Just my 2 cents.
A kettlebell, or a pair of them, could also be a worthwhile investment (and these will nicely compliment the Convict Conditioning approach). Kettlebells require little storage space, and the initial investment of $60 or so for a 45-pound kettlebell doesn’t sound like much when you consider that it’s nearly indestructible and you can likely use it for decades. Swings, goblet squats, cleans, snatches, and farmer’s walks - while they won’t turn you into Mr. Olympia - all can be very good fat-loss tools that will help maintain muscle mass while losing the fat.
Buy a 40-50 lbs sandbag and a roll of duct tape. Drop the bag into a garbage bag and then wrap it with a lot of duct tape and carry the sucker around. Do squats for reps, do shoulder loaded getups, wrap it enough and you might be able to throw it in the grass. It’s one of my favorite home tools and cost about $10. Since you’re a bigger guy maybe wrap 2 together? Also run some sprints if you’ve got room. Buy a backpack, drop the sandbag inside, and ruck it.
If new and pretty isn’t a factor Craigslist is a great place to find affordable stuff. Takes some watching but I’m seeing well funded folks selling good stuff cheap here in San Antonio.
[quote]sweet-t wrote:
If new and pretty isn’t a factor Craigslist is a great place to find affordable stuff. Takes some watching but I’m seeing well funded folks selling good stuff cheap here in San Antonio.[/quote]
This is also a good point. I’ve acquired a decent stock of dumbbells for my apartment (10’s up to 40’s) without buying anything new.
Try some of these…
There are clips on youtube where you can make TRX-like straps for 10 bucks.
Jailhouse Strong by Josh Bryant is also getting rave reviews