work out routine..need help!

[Dan86]

Hi everyone I'm a 22 year old male with 1 more year left until I have a BA in AJ and a minor in Zoology. I need help with a good workout routine so that I can pass the minimum requirements of the power test when I start applying for departments. I never played sports in highschool so was never really shown how to properly workout, but know some of the basics (bench press, biceps, triceps, etc) and realized just a few years ago that I wanted to have a career in Law Enforcement. I know it's sad but I'm not quite up to my body weight in benching yet (173 lbs) probably because I have a hard time keeping in a routine because there isnt enough time in a day. I would like to be able to bench my body weight within the next few months and was wondering if it was possible and how to approach it. I'm only 20 pounds off or so. Can anyone give me some good workout tips (i.e. times per week, reps/sets, etc) and or a website to follow? I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks,

Dan

[FireCop86]

search the health and fitness forum there are a lot of great tips there

[1two9]

I know it's sad but I'm not quite up to my body weight in benching yet (173 lbs) probably because I have a hard time keeping in a routine because there isnt enough time in a day.

Dano -

Buddy, a website can't help you with this.

1. No excuses. Find time.

2. Lift.

3. Eat.

Now, that's over-simplified, but I wanted to make a point.

Check out www.elitefts.com. It's a powerlifting website, but the principles are the same, and there are numerous Q&A forums... A good place for improving your lifts quickly, and properly.

[CUFFS137]

crossfit.com 'nuff said.

[HotSoup]

Join a gym, something that has personal trainers. Usually when you join they give you a free day or two with a personal trainer if you want. Tell them what your goal is have them show you some basic stuff and then while going to the gym watch other people and what they are doing and don't be afraid to ask questions of people at the gym.

[safetyallday]

Wow 22 years old and out of shape already!

[BikeCop501]

p90x.... .

[Monty Ealerman]

Dan86:

I wonder how tall you are. The benchpressing your weight requirement is easier to meet for the shorter and stouter than for the taller and thinner. I point that out not for an excuse opportunity, but just so you'll understand that different body types present different fitness goal challenges.

I'm 6' tall and weigh about 180 lbs., and I can bench 200 lbs. or so. But I'm about 3 decades older than you are. I know guys that can bench 2-3 times their weight. Like the others said, get in the gym and get fit.

You're in your 20s and weigh about 170. If you maybe lose some fat (I of course don't know your percentage) and put on maybe 15 lbs. of well-distributed muscle mass I'm sure you'll be well able to bench press well beyond your weight. I'm confident that you'll always appreciate your having got into the fitness habit.

Regards,

Monty

[kannahspapa]

Dan86 it's easier than you think. I've trained quite a few candidates. You say that you're 20lbs or so less than your bench goal, so I'd guess about 150 max. Therefore you should be able to do 8 to 10 reps at 80 to 100 lbs. After warming up start by doing 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps 3 times a week for 2 weeks.
On the 3rd week start a pyramid system of 10-6-4-2 reps. ie 80lbs x 10, 100lbs x 6, 120lbs x 4, 140lbs x 2. After that return to 80lbs and do 10 burnout reps. Do this 3 times a week for 2 weeks.Then after 2 weeks add 5lbs on each side and do so every 2 weeks. You say a few months so let's say 3 months or 12 weeks adding 10lbs every 2 weeks after the 1st 2week period. Your 10 reps at 80lbs have become 10 reps at 180lbs and 2 reps at 240lbs. Your workouts should start at about 1 hour. When I first started lifting we had an ISP trooper here named Garza that got me started using this method and my best bench was 405 lbs. I'm training a candidate for his power test for the part-time academy and using this method he's benching 245 lbs. Whatever you decide commit to the workout and goodluck.

[Monty Ealerman]

I agree with kannahspapa on the goal-oriented progressive method, including the specifics he provided, and with HotSoup on seeking a trainer to help.

[HotSoup]

Also you might want to find a friend who you can go with.....having some friendly competition along with somebody to help spot you as the weights get heavier will help you more then you think.

[djblank87]

+3 for Crossfit.....but with excuses like "There is not enough time in the day"! You would not be able to handle it, sorry but I'm just telling you the truth.

[ChiCity]

1 hour a day, for a good workout, maybe 30 minutes a day just to get in shape for the POWER. If you want to be a cop, find time. 3 or 4 times a week.

Here's how you work out.

First, you need a gym to work out in. If not, you at least need a bench.

Luckily, my gym has about one weight machine for every muscle group, so I just cycle through the machines, it's easier and less worry about injury.

I start by jogging a half mile to get my blood flowing. Then I do one set on each muscle group, jog again for between half to one mile, do another set on each group, jog again, do one more set, and jog again, go home.

The running between cycles isn't necessary, but I get bored just running or just lifting for the entire workout. But remember that the POWER consists of running, upper body (pectoral and triceps) strength, and core (abdominal, oblique, hip flexor) strength, so don't neglect the other stuff. Also, if you have the time, try to work out other muscle groups, because some Police Departments use other fitness tests in the initial application process.

General tips for lifting:
-For building muscle, its better to do less reps of more weight. For each set, try to do 8-10 reps. So, your goal is to find a weight that you can lift at least 8 times, but heavy enough that once you hit 10, you can't lift any more.
-Breathe. Try to inhale when you are bringing the weight down/back and exhale when you are actually exerting the effort to push it or pull it.
-People debate whether it's better to do your reps slowly or quickly, but it seems to me that I get a better workout when I do them slowly and you're less likely to injure yourself that way.
-Drink lots of water.
-Eat lots of protein.
-If you have time, work opposite muscle groups (i.e., if you do 30 reps on your biceps, do 30 on your triceps). This will help prevent injuries.
-Don't work the same muscle groups every day. They need time to heal, and in healing they grow. The way I do it is upper-body the first day, core the second day, legs the third day. And you don't have to do consecutive days.

Over the course of a month I was able to lose 10 pounds of body weight and bring my max bench press up by 10 pounds, and I was only working out 3-4 times a week, and not following any sort of diet. So, even if you don't have any weight to lose, you can definitely meet your goal within a few months.

PM me if you want more detail, tips, or exercises to work certain muscle groups.

Everyone is different, but the above works for me. It's not too hardcore, but I just started lifting regularly 3 months ago and am definitely seeing results.

[Taylor13]

Send a PM to Columbus, he'll help ya.

[Mrs. Hoppes]

Walk Away The Pounds.