I have the equipment, now I need a regime!

[Ciarán12]

Hi Eveyboby,

Okay, so I have a set-up conducive to a reasonably effective regime, I think, but I'm not sure what that regime should be exactly.

I have 2 15kg adjustable dumbbells, I have a set of resistance bands (three bands in all) and a mini exercise bike in front of chair (which I cycle pretty much all day long while I work). Additionally, I have a pair of crappy hand grippers, but the resistance isn't much so I doubt they are useful. I measured the weight of resistance on the strongest resistance band with one of those scales you hang your luggage from to see how much it weighs and, when standing and holding both ends in one hand and curling it, the resistance is about 6kg at the bottom of the curl and 12-13 kg at the top.

So, that's what I've got, and as I work from home I've got all day to use them. goal is to lose body fat and, if possible, gain lean muscle (but that is secondary to the fat loss). I have read a whole bunch of conflicting things online about the efficacy of weights vs cardio for fat loss and whether or not it is even possible to gain muscle while losing fat. I'm too confused to sift through it, I just want something relatively simple that will work.

Any ideas?

Thanks so much!

EDIT: To give you an idea of build, I'm 190 pounds, 5'11", and as for strength, I did three sets of 16 reps of bicep curls (alternating, so 8 on each arm) of the 15kg dumbbells today and thought that that was quite hard.

[Boss Man]

Hi Ciaran, good to talk to you.

You can lose weight and build muscle as 1lb of added muscle burns an extra 45-50 calories per day.

As for the equipment, you may find it a bit of a struggle with a couple of 15kg weights and some bands, as you'll not be able to do much if any shoulder stuff with the weights as they would be too hard and the weights would rapidly become too light for the quads and hamstrings.

Would you be in a position to purchase additional equipment at all?

[Ciarán12]

Hi Ciaran, good to talk to you.

You can lose weight and build muscle as 1lb of added muscle burns an extra 45-50 calories per day.

As for the equipment, you may find it a bit of a struggle with a couple of 15kg weights and some bands, as you'll not be able to do much if any shoulder stuff with the weights as they would be too hard and the weights would rapidly become too light for the quads and hamstrings.

Would you be in a position to purchase additional equipment at all?

Hi Boss Man, thanks for answering.

I have some funds for extra equipment, but I have limited space, so I would prefer to use dumbbells if possible. I could purchase more weight for them (as I said, they are adjustable). When you say they would be too hard for shoulder stuff, do you mean because 15kg is too heavy for that? Because I could just take some weight off if that's the case. As for quads and hamstrings, I have actually noticed a big increase in size over the last 2 or 3 months simply from using the exercise bike all day, which is pretty interesting, but I'd of course be interested in any additional exercises that could help me build them even more.

I have a general question though - do you think there is a place for (light) cardio in a regime as well? Most of what I read online seems to pit cardio against weight training as two opposites that detract from one another, but I can see benefits in both - cardio burns a vast quantity more calories than weight training (and the argument that weight loss is simply a matter of calories in vs calories out is pretty persuasive), but weight training builds muscle which in turn burns calories, so even if the exercise itself isn't burning as much it's adding to the calorie output in other ways. But the two sometimes seem to be mutually exclusive - calories in vs calories out dictates that you need to eat a low calorie diet and burn as many calories a day as you can (thus the emphasis on cardio), but to build muscle you need to consume more calories than you burn. So how can I do both? Again, main goal is fat loss, so getting more muscular is only helpful if it results in the quickest, most effective way to burn fat (the added strength and size is a plus, but I'd rather be ripped and skinny than fat and winning strong man competitions, but that's just the aesthetic I'm going for personally).

[Boss Man]

Low calories is a load of tosh. Forget people espousing 1,200 calories a day nonsense. You need the calories whether you're burning fat or building muscle, because low calorie promotes fat retention, as the body goes in a "starvation mode" and thinks it's being starved so it won't relinquish as much fat as it might otherwise do.

Cardio definitely has a place where weight training is concerned and there is no reason to avoid it, as long as you're not doing too much to the point where you're exhausted or sacrificing muscle.

As for the 15kg dumbbells yes I mean no shoulder work, as the weight would be too much. I have never trained for massive size, but I deadlift over 100kg's and 14kg dumbbells for 10 reps is about limit on shoulder exercises, I could go higher without struggling for reps or compromising technique.

In relation to getting more equipment, free weight is always the best way to go and probably the most cost effective too and as for space constraints, it stacks up on top of itself anyway.

I still have a weights kit that I don't use and the discs pile up on top of each their in the corner of the room and the free bar goes under the bed and then you've got a totally flexible system, that you can upgrade with another couple of discs of a certain weight as and when needed.

This is the sort of free weight setup I often suggest on here.

1 x 10kg, (22lb), free bar

2 x 10kg, (22lb), weight discs.

4 x 5kg, (11lb), weight discs.

4 x 2-2.5kg, (4.4 - 5.5lb), weight discs depending on the manufacturers specs

4 x 1-1.25kg, (2.2 - 2.75lb), weight discs depending on the manufacturers specs

If you've got enough space, then a flat bench would be a good option for doing chest stuff, but if you not you could find ways to work around that.

[Ciarán12]

Low calories is a load of tosh. Forget people espousing 1,200 calories a day nonsense. You need the calories whether you're burning fat or building muscle, because low calorie promotes fat retention, as the body goes in a "starvation mode" and thinks it's being starved so it won't relinquish as much fat as it might otherwise do.

I have heard that before, yes. So, is there an ideal calorie goal you would recommend then? And about diet in general, I'm aware of the need for a high protein diet if I'm trying to gain muscle, how many grams of protein do you think I would need a day?

Cardio definitely has a place where weight training is concerned and there is no reason to avoid it, as long as you're not doing too much to the point where you're exhausted or sacrificing muscle.

What I'm doing now is light cycling over long periods of time. At no point is it particularly tiring, it just raises metabolism a bit and, apparently, helps develop thigh muscles. Additionally, I occasionally go out for a 5k run.

As for the 15kg dumbbells yes I mean no shoulder work, as the weight would be too much. I have never trained for massive size, but I deadlift over 100kg's and 14kg dumbbells for 10 reps is about limit on shoulder exercises, I could go higher without struggling for reps or compromising technique.

When I used to go to the gym I was doing shoulder flies (though not with arms fully extended) with 10kg dumbbells, 3 sets of 10 reps. I can take some weight off the dumbbells I have and bring them down to 10kg and try to work back up to 3 sets of 10 again.

In relation to getting more equipment, free weight is always the best way to go and probably the most cost effective too and as for space constraints, it stacks up on top of itself anyway.

I still have a weights kit that I don't use and the discs pile up on top of each their in the corner of the room and the free bar goes under the bed and then you've got a totally flexible system, that you can upgrade with another couple of discs of a certain weight as and when needed.

This is the sort of free weight setup I often suggest on here.

1 x 10kg, (22lb), free bar

2 x 10kg, (22lb), weight discs.

4 x 5kg, (11lb), weight discs.

4 x 2-2.5kg, (4.4 - 5.5lb), weight discs depending on the manufacturers specs

4 x 1-1.25kg, (2.2 - 2.75lb), weight discs depending on the manufacturers specs

If you've got enough space, then a flat bench would be a good option for doing chest stuff, but if you not you could find ways to work around that.

Cool, that looks attainable mostly, except for the bar - I might have enough space to store it, but I don't have the space to set it up and use it. If I could get the weight discs, could I just use the dumbbell bars I've got with them?

I currently have:

4 x 0.5kg, weight discs

4 x 1.25kg, weight discs

8 x 2.5kg, weight discs

2 x 0.5kg, dumbbell bars

So I just need to pick up the 5 and 10kg discs.

I was thinking of getting a foldable incline bench, as that would save on space. Do you think that would work?

Would there be any basic workout you would suggest for me using what I've already got? I'll try to pick up the rest, but I'm itching to get started with some sort of regime. Right now I'm just periodically doing sets of curls. Also, How often should I train with weights? I'm told every day would be too much, so what about 3 times a week? And should I do cardio on non-weight days? Sorry, I have loads of questions, you see why I need help now!

[Boss Man]

Yes a folding bench would work.

As for dumbbell scenario, yes you could just do dumbbell stuff.

As for a weights workout, I'd suggest something like this.

As for calorie intake I'd aim for one of these 3 macro ratios

Protein / carbs / fats

1. 30% / 40% / 30%

2. 33% / 33% / 33%

3. 35% / 30% / 35%

[Ciarán12]

Thanks for the info, but i think you forgot something! -

As for a weights workout, I'd suggest something like this.

[Boss Man]

Yes you're right there; I'm not sure how that happened .

Squats, 2 sets 10 reps

Lunges, 2 sets 10 reps

Romanian deadlifts, 2 sets 10 reps

Bent over rows, 2 sets 10 reps

Bench press, 2 sets 10 reps

Shrugs, 2 sets 10 reps

Planks 30-45 seconds, increased by 5 seconds a week, until you're doing 75-90 seconds

This is done 3 x a week every other day.