Alternative -- get a side job doing stone work.
You should do squats, deadlifts, bench presses, bent-over rows, and bicep curls to start.
Three sets of these six exercises can be done in an hour and they hit every major muscle group.
Sorry, I said six exercises but I named five. I forgot to include military presses.
There’s lots of ways to do what you are suggesting. I’ll give three very good general rules.
Don’t work the same muscle two days in a row.
Go for muscle failure...not bazillians of reps and sets. For most muscles your resistance should allow you to do at least eight reps but no more than 12. Once you can do 12 full reps, bump up the weight...but still be able to do at least eight (prevents injury).
Use a controlled 2-4 count. Two count on the positive motion, four count on the negative motion. i.e. curls. Two count lifting the weight up, four count on the way down.
Get 10 lb dumbells and work out at home to “wake up” your muscles.
Do some kind of aerobic work too for your heart.
Stick with it. Be prepared to revert to a basic maintenance program when work, etc, takes over your schedule, or when you need a break.
Oh yeah, first thing: Breathe. Exhale on the lift, except for deadlifts, in which case you inhale on the lift.
Throw two different exercises at each body part (eg. do 2-3 sets of of 10-12 reps on bench press and 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps of butterflies for chest) at moderately heavy weight.
Don’t forget to do some flexibility exercises, and also I would recommend trying to get to the point that you can do 25 pushups in a row; try to do some pushups every day.
We don’t know you very well, but judging by your screen name, you might want to try my favorite exercise...
12 oz curls.
bttt
I have lifted on and off since 1980 (well, more off than on).
The best program I have ever used was Body For Life.
Buy the book and work the program and you can’t go wrong.
I am an avid powerlifter, and have been actively in competition for many years. Here is what I know:
A. Compound lifts should be the staple of your work out. Single joint exercises are for lagging areas, and used seldom.
B. The best exercises in the world (in order) are:
1. Deadlift variations. This works the entire back chain of the body from traps down. Some deadlift should be the basis of your workout
2. Front Squat. I could say back squat, but more people do back squat and neglect front squat. When you squat, YOU MUST HAVE YOUR LEGS BREAK PARALLEL. If you can’t break parallel and come back up you are using TOO MUCH WEIGHT.
3. Pull up chin up. A chin up is, by far, the better way to build biceps than a curl of any kind.
4. Bench press, any variation.
5. Clean from hang.
6. Standing military press.
7. Bent over row
C. As a beginner, I would recommend 3 full body workouts per week, using a push pull method and two days of cardio.
A push pull method means to do a pull exercise (say like a pull up) for every push (like a bench press). People tend to do TOO MANY PUSHES and end up with bad shoulders and shoulders that roll forward like a chimp. (If your hands rest in front of you when you stand, this means YOU.)
D. A great rep range for beginers is 5-6 -— not 10. In sets of 5, with ONE MINUTE rest between. So, five reps, one minute, 5 more -— for 25 or 30. If this is too easy, go up in weight.
E. Whatever you are doing will cease to be effective in 3 months, and you need to come up with something new.
F. Sample workout:
Deadlift 5 by 5
Press and pull up -— 5 each, one minute between
Bench and bent over row 5 each, one minure between
Situps set of 50
Calf raise 3 sets of 10
Puke
G. For cardio do this on the 2 days you don’t lift. I am NOT a huge fan of jogging. I would recommend:
1. Sprint intervals (much better for fat loss)
2. Buy a 8 pound sledge hammer and find an old tire. Hit the tire with the sledge for 30 minutes. You will puke.
3. Buy a REALLY big (as in bigger than you) tire. Flip tire over and over for 30 mintues. Puke and fall over.
Your best bet is any book by Stuart McRobert -
“Brawn”
“Beyond Brawn”
are excellent. Everything you need to know.
it focuses on muscle confusion. you workout certain muscle groups for a month and then you switch it up.
this doesn't let your muscles get into a rhythum. it confuses them and forces them to work harder.
so it looks like this, for example:
week 1 through week 4:
day 1, back and biceps; day 3, legs and shoulders; day 5, chest and back.
weeks 5 though week 9:
day 1, shoulders and arms; day 3, chest and legs; day 5, back and shoulders.
days 2, 4, and 6 are cardio workouts. just try to change it up so your muscles don't get used to the same workouts.
Keep your routine short and sweet. Mine takes less than 30 minutes and I do it twice a week. When it’s short, you’re less likely to avoid doing it.
Use machines rather than free weights since they’re easier to deal with, especially if you’re exercising by yourself.
Do only ONE SET of each exercise. Multiple sets are boring and will make you choose not to work out. Just make sure it’s a good set — i.e. with a good burn and to failure — of about 8 reps.
Definitely do the “pull” exercises like rows. These help develop your back. For whatever reason, people just want to do their chest and arms, but the back is critical for a balanced looking physique. Otherwise you wind up looking chimpy as mentioned earlier.
My routine is bench press, lat pulls, shoulder shrugs, ab curls, back extension, butterfly, rows, military press, curls, neck machine. I just bounce from machine to machine.
I’m amazed by the results I’m getting with this 25-minute, single sets, twice a week workout.
Check out Dave Draper’s page for some old-school wisdom. Great tips for all levels. See: http://www.davedraper.com
When I started back to weight training about a year and a half ago, I used this schedule:
http://www.leehayward.com/workout_programs/
There is a link about 60-70% down the page that will download the schedule into an excel spread sheet.
It’s pretty good, lots of variety, and you won’t get bored. It takes no more than an hour, four days per week.
Good luck!
Dude - what's your secret.