I want to step up training

[Sammel85]

In just under 3 weeks, I will be finishing up work and hopefully changing career soon after. I am studying to be a fitness trainer and need to be back in shape if I want a job in the industry by the time pay finishes, but this topic is what has always had me confused.

I will have around 6 weeks where I'll most likely be sitting on butt doing nothing and as I've had a very crap year health wise, I want to spend those weeks getting back into shape as much as possible.

Currently, I weight train 3 nights a week and walk puppy for an hour between 3 and 5 nights a week. I have noticed that I am toning up and body fat levels have reduced, but after a visit to the doctor yesterday with results from an ultrasound, I've been told there is some fat in liver and need to lose more weight. This gave me a little bit of a shock, but stress levels have been through the roof for almost a year now and with massive amounts of comfort eating, I gained 7kg. I've since lost 4 of those over the past 5 months with 3 days of exercise a week and not really any restrictions diet wise. However, I'm now more conscious of what I eat and have been eating better and have reduced calories - also have cut out soft drink and chocolate and have increased water intake.

current weight training session consists of:
- Stationary bike 20 min at 95rpm
- Barbell back squats
- Dumbbell bicep curls
- Cable triceps pull down
- Hamstring curls
- Seated row
- Chest press
- Leg press
- Lat pulldown
- Shoulder press

I want to increase the training I do and I know I should split it up to focus on different areas. I want to do 5 or 6 sessions.

So, do I work on different areas of the body (e.g. upper, lower, core) or do I work on different muscle groups (e.g. biceps and back, triceps and quads etc)?? I've always been confused by this and text books and internet sites don't clear it up for me either.

Just to clarify, in study, yes I am taught how to write programs, but so far only 2 to 3 day per week full body programs, not split programs and when I look online, some will say one part each session, others say selected muscles...

[Sammel85]

Thanks for that input Lesplease. Your reasoning sounds pretty logic to do an upper workout rather than one type of upper muscles and one type of lower.

As for diet, it used to be nothing until lunch, then lunch (if I had time to eat) could be anything from a salad sandwich to McDonald's if I was stressed out. When I got home from work, usually a couple of peanut butter sandwiches then dinner was mainly a pasta based meal like spaghetti bolognaise, or if no one could be bothered cooking, a pizza or hot chips. At this point, I was having a very rough time at work (reason why I'm leaving) and not looking after myself.

Now,
Breakfast - yakult, soy yoghurt and a banana (and if I get time, two weetbix and zymill milk)
Snack - a few rice crackers and almonds
Lunch - salad sandwich (no meat) and an apple
Snack - rice crackers or plain cous cous and a protein shake with zymill milk
Dinner - usually either fish and veges, spaghetti bolognaise (with homemade sauce and lots of veges) or chicken stirfry (homemade sauce)

I'm very sure it's not enough kJ/cal wise when working out, but it's a lot more food than I used to have and also a lot more healthy. I'm stuck time wise at the moment because I drive almost an hour and a half each way to and from work. So I'm up at 6am, out the door by 7am and don't get back home til 5:30pm. Then it's usually a work out and dinner and in bed by 9pm. Well at least it's only like this for the next few weeks, then I'm all free for a while

[Boss Man]

Breakfast - yakult, soy yoghurt and a banana (and if I get time, two weetbix and zymill milk)

(Too much Carb in there and not enough protein. The Yakult and Soy Yoghurt are too similar, so I'd use the Soy stuff, as it should be more Protein / amino Acid rich.

You could also put the Yoghurt on the Weetabix and see how that works out. Give the Banana 10-15 minutes to start digesting properly, so it's less likely to be impeded by the Cereal.

Add a few Egg Whites and a Yolk, or a bit of Chicken, Turkey or Ham in there for more Protein. You don't need much though, as you've already got a it in the yoghurt and Cereal.)

Snack - a few rice crackers and almonds

(Again a bit more Protein might be useful, you covuld possibly have some low Fat Cheese with your Crackers, but remember the Carbs in it too, so factor that in, depending on the number of Crackers. otherwise just have some of the things mentioned earlier. You could use some of those Protein sources to make Cracker style sandwiches and see how that pans out.)

Lunch - salad sandwich (no meat) and an apple

(Add poultry or meat of some kind.)

Snack - rice crackers or plain cous cous and a protein shake with zymill milk

(Fine)

Dinner - usually either fish and veges, spaghetti bolognaise (with homemade sauce and lots of veges) or chicken stirfry (homemade sauce)

(Good choices.)

(You could also have a snack about 2-3 hours after this, like a bit of Low Fat Cheese some Yoghurt and small sandwhich, a portion of Peanuts etc.)