Here’s my story: Three years ago I was 6’2”, 155 lbs. I had some back problems so I started lifting weights at home (dumbbells) and eating an extra meal a day. My routine was bench press, standing shoulder press, single arm row, and dumbbell squats. My back pain went away almost instantly after starting lifting weights, and my weight shot up to 205 lbs in about 9 months (mostly muscle, a little fat but nothing unhealthy). Anyway fast forward two years. I moved about two years ago and due to leaving the weights behind and uncertain employment I hadn’t done any weightlifting. My weight is the same, but there is much more fat than muscle now, and I am having some back pain again. I’ve started going to an actual gym as I want to squat using a barbell. My main goal is to put on some muscle (especially the core muscles and back), and eventually lose some weight although strengthening the back is more important to me. I’ve seen physiotherapists in the past and they all recommended weightlifting, so I think I’m pretty safe with squatting. My back problems are pretty minor so I don’t think there is any problem with different exercises. I’m doing pretty much the same routine as before for now as that’s what I’m comfortable with, and plan to slowly mix it up in the future. I started doing 2 sets of 10 reps to keep the weight lower at first. I am now doing 3 sets of 7 reps, and will go to 5 sets of 5 reps in a while. All sets are the same weight. My routine consists of twice a week of (in order): I start by walking on the treadmill as fast as I can until I’m sweating (I hate running) Squat (barbell) Bench Press (dumbbells) Single Arm Row (dumbbell) Standing Shoulder Press (dumbbell) Captain’s Chair Rowing machine (currently only about 7 minutes, I try to add time each time) Finish it off by walking at about 70% speed for 3-4 minutes Stretching Protein Shake Future plans: after a couple months of getting really comfortable with squatting I want to add deadlifting, although this exercise makes me a little nervous. I’ve been reading Mark Rippetoe’s starting strength to get the basics down. As I get stronger I would like to swap out the rowing for weighted chin-ups, maybe do dips instead of the bench press. After about 6 months I figure I will go crazy on the cardio and lose 10-20 lbs. Is there anything I should add? The only thing that really makes me feel wasted from the workout is the rowing machine, and even after about an hour I feel pretty refreshed, not tired at all so I could add more exercises, but I don’t know if there is anything that would benefit me.
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