derekshannon wrote:
Just for some background, I've been a strength coach for over 12 years now and I run my own (small) gym. I love the advice already given. Looks like you're already in good hands.
I'll first say that it is great that 1) you are taking an interest in your friend's health and 2) that he is doing something toward getting back into shape.
I need to say, however that unless he plans on doing things outside the gym such as (working up to) sprints/hill sprints, bodyweight exercises and other fitness activities, one day at the gym is most certainly not enough.
I understand that you mentioned some other activities but as was stated already, building lean mass should be a priority.
And I'd certainly have to agree on the basics. My motto has always been "If you don't squat, you're not working out" even if that means bodyweight squats for now.
I'd do my best to get him to the gym at LEAST twice per week if--and only if--he's very active outside the gym.
There's a TON of great stuff here that'll get him/you started if the plan is to get "fit" rather than adding lots of muscle.
http://www.military.com/fitness-center/military-fitness/stew-smith/archive
And above all else, eating is of utmost importance. This is the best advice I can give. It comes from Dr. John Berardi who I always fall back on when working out my own nutrition plans.
The 7 Rules of Good Nutrition
Here’s my take on it. I call these principles, "The 7 Rules of Good Nutrition."
These aren’t the newest techniques from the latest cutting-edge plan. Rather, they are simple, time-tested, no nonsense habits that you need to get into when designing a good eating program.
Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.
Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.
Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.
Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.
Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).
Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.
Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks).
So what about calories, or macronutrient ratios, or any number of other things that I’ve covered in other articles? The short answer is that if you aren’t already practicing the above-mentioned habits, and by practicing them I mean putting them to use over 90% of the time (i.e., no more than 4 meals out of an average 42 meals per week violate any of those rules), everything else is pretty pointless.
Moreover, many people can achieve the health and the body composition they desire following these 7 rules alone. No kidding! In fact, with some of my clients I spend the first few months just supervising their adherence to these 7 rules—an effective but costly way to learn them.
Ok, this is me writing again...
PS, I've had three people come to train with me after having gotten injured doing CrossFit. There apparently was no "scaling" and most likely poor coaching in the Olympics lifts and thier varients.
It all can be good stuff if coached properly but that seems to be pretty rare nowadays.
Wow... that is the strictest diet I've ever seen!!! I mean, I not out of shape by any means... the last couple years of college have kept me out of the gym as much but now that I've graduated I've been back.
How is it at all possible to follow that diet without being super rich and having your own dishwasher or doing dishes all day??? The fruits are nice and easy... but how do you get 8 meals of lean protein containing all essential amino acids from whole foods every day????!
