I think you'd need roids to even come close to achieving that.

 

Entirely not true, going from someone who had no upper body strength to something is totally different. Quite honestly, never thought the cheating way, was the way to go. I like knowing the progress made was well earned and deserved. I can completely understand your stand point though. Hence why I was always getting asked at the gym and at work. Hence the nickname/screen name. Anything in this life is possible as long as you have the heart and soul to go through with it. I'm by no means thin, ripped, or super strong. I just did what I could. I used the numbers as an example of what I have been able to accomplish, hence why I said for everyone else it was different. And the gainis not hardto achieve due to the fact that naturally you "SHOULD" be able to push your own body weight.

 

Workouts and building muscle really depends on genetics.

I went to Sears bought an $8 wheel. Start out on your knees and roll out like 25 a day.
When you get stronger, stand up on your feet and roll out the same number.
Long story short, I'm 6'3 about 250lbs. The wheel does wonders for me. I stopped for about a year and after 3 weeks my arms were rock solid again. It's a total upper body workout, abs included!

 

High weight & low number of repetitions to build muscle
Low weight & high # of reps to tone muscle

Diet is always important. Eggs have your highest source of natural protein- essential in transporting Nitrogen which is needed to repair tissue and build muscle. Your body is over 60% water, this includes your muscle. Caffeine will work against your muscle building (arguable by those who use it for an energy boost during a workout).

Start with workouts that you enjoy to get you back into the rhythm of working out. Switch up your routine and workouts occasionally, even if it is simply changing your hand placement on the bar.

Think long term- Running is a great exercise, but is high impact on your joints. Rollerblading, ellipticals and swimming are great cardio alternatives

 

If I was you, start simple, just walking in the morning for a mile or 2, push ups, crunches, and go from there. Trying to lift to much doesn't do you any good if you rip something, most people that go to the gym don't want to get healthy, they just want to get big for some reason. They always lift heavy weights, don't do any cardio and always jacked up on some shake that somebody said will make your muscles grow faster.

 

i appreciate all the feedback guys. my goal is to just lose some weight and get into better shape for things i want to accomplish in the future. right now im at about 250 and id like to get down around the 200 area. i dont really care to be a muscle bound maniac just be fit and healthier. over the summer i was running/jogging around 3 miles 5 times a week cus at the time my bike was wrecked and i didnt have anything else to do. but i ended up getting a new bike and after that all i wanted to do was ride so all that running went right out the window.

im kinda at the point where i dont like the direction my life is going and this would be something that would give me the ability to make a change for hopefully the better. so i just wanna try and get as much info as possible so i can do it right and get the best results.

 

Diet, as mentioned already, is a huge part of being fit. I remember hearing (for body building) it's 80 or 90% what you eat and 10% gym.

 

i can belive that... i did the same thing as you pretty much all through my sophmore year college... gym 6 days with different (non steroid) supplements and went from pushin 95 to 245

so to the thread starter, anything is possible... but like it was said the drive and the committment MUST be their (as well as the good diet as others have said)

 

There are a lot of myths out there. Its going to be very hard for anyone to suggest a workout for you. What works for some, doest work for others. Every person out there has a different number of fast twitch muscle fibers and slow twitch muscle fibers. That will determine if you a person that will gain from heavy low reps, or high reps. Even your individual body parts will vary. Some body parts will respond well to heavy weight and low reps while others require high reps with lower weight.

Some people like 3 days of working out with 2 days of cardio. thats what I do. Doing cardio on the same day I work out doesnt work for me. But it does for some. Also, hitting the same body part once a week works the best for me. I split my routine up into 3 days, with chest/back one day, arms bi's tri's the second day, legs and shoulders the last day. I will mix it up in a month so form now as Ive been doing this split for 3 months now and my gains slowing down. I will probably split it chest and bi's, back and tri's, and keep shoulders and legs on the same day.

Be sure to eat 5-6 smaller meals a day. It will keep you matabolism running strong and you wont have any dips your body's fuel. When you have dips, your body goes into a catabolic state. When this happens, the first thing to be consumed by your body is muscle. thats why its so hard to build muscle and loose fat. Its a very dedicated process. Also, try not to loose more than a few pounds a week. Its almost impossible to loose more than that without loosing muslce too. Cut your calories by a couple hundred a day. On the average, 1000 calories adds up to 1 pound. So, if you can cut 2000 calories a week out of your diet, you should be on track to loosing weight.

the best thing you can do is experiement. Be honest with yourself. Lift what you lift while maintaining good form. So what if the guy next to you is curling 75lb dumbbells and your curling 35's. If your form is good and his all over the place. Your getting the better workout.

And dont worry about getting too big. I know you just want to slim down and be healthy. If I were you, I'd eat and train like a body builder. You wont get too big. In fact, Muscle will help you loose fat. It take more energy to fuel a body full of muscle than it does to fuel a body full of fat. The more muscle you have, the more fat your body will be able to burn in a day. Think of it as a engine. A normal body being a 4 cylinder engine, a muscle body being a 502 bigblock. Its going to take a lot for fuel to go the same distance. Even at rest, your body will consume more fuel just sitting there watching tv.

Also, very important and often overlooked. Make sure you get enough sleep. 7 hours is really the minimum you should shoot for. Unless one of the rare people out there that only needs 5 hours. also, hydrate yourself. Water is very important.

 

Squid and Ynks4evr made some good comments. Put yourself in a mindset and look for the results you want. Believe it or not trial and error is gonna get you what and where you wanna be. It will take time and the fact that you are already 250 you should be able to tone up nicely depending on your build and no worry much about gaining muscle. Stronger piece of advice I can give you like I give everyone else who has ever asked for information or tips. "STAY AWAY FROM THE SCALE" You don't need a piece of equipment messing with you mentally like that. Workout to get where you want, not what people say you should be at.