Very short on time and know how

[spiker]

Hi, I'm a 44 yr old man that is really new to weight lifting and can use all the advice I can get. Just for some background info, I am very limited on time for my workouts. I work 65-70hours a week as a truck driver and started lifting for the very first time in August of this year. I was at the time 241 lbs and 5'9" in that time I have lost about 30 lbs on a low carb diet, but have seen minimal muscle growth or strength increase. Believe me when I say there really was not much muscle to begin with either. I am trying to find a workout to gain muscle mass and strength. I am trying to do as much of my exercising as I can over the weekend as I usually leave for work around 4:00 am and don't get home until about 7:00pm. Some nights I don't even get home. I was going to a gym for the month of August but the extra time was totally out of the question, so I bought a gym from Weider it is a free weight and pulley system, kind of a rack built around an unattached bench it's called the Weider club c720. So, I can do quite a lot with it.
My routine for the couple of months or so has been:

Friday-Sunday-Tuesday
1. close grip machine pull-downs- 3 sets 15,12,10 reps
2. upright machine rows- 3 sets 12,11,10 reps
3.military press- 3 sets 12,11,10 reps
4. bench press- 3sets 12,11,10 reps
5. seated machine butterfly's- 3 sets 14,12,10 reps
6. preacher curls- 3sets 12,11,10 reps
7. tricep cable push-downs- 3 sets 12,11,10 reps

Saturday-Monday
1. leg extensions- 3 sets 16,15,14 reps
2. leg curls- 3 sets 16,14,12 reps
3. standing calf raise- 3 sets 20,15,15 reps

I begin every workout w/ 10 mins on stationary bike for warm up, and end every workout w/ 3 sets of crunches to failure. And am still on a low-carb diet.

As you can see I try to pack as much as possible into the weekend as my fri,sun,tues routine takes an hour and a half or more to complete. Any and all help will be appreciated.

[spiker]

bump

[LtL]

Can you post a pic' of your set-up so that we see what exercises you can do?

LtL

[Doublehelix]

The general consensus around here seems to be that low carb diets are not the most healthy (or permanent) way to lose weight. Your body needs carbs (clean carbs) for energy. Whole grains are best, think that "white foods" are not good. Things like white rice, white bread, etc. should be avoided.

The most common recommendation for your Protein/Carb/Fat ratio seems to be 30/50/20, but there are some variants that are occasionally recommended. Check out the Diet & Nutrition section for more info.

Congratulations on your success so far, and all the best as you continue towards your goals.

DH

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[spiker]

Hopefully these pics come out right. Just an update since I first posted these comments a few months ago. I am now down to 195 lbs from 241 however still minimal muscle growth and strength increase. I have been following a pretty low carb diet, however I have added in more fruits than most low carbers seem to eat. I have been using a protien supplement powder post work out and just bought some creatine powder yesterday that I have not begun as of yet. So again any help will be greatly appreciated. I must confess that I do miss my workouts occasionally due to the amount of hours I work ( 65-70). I think I just need to get my routines to a more manageable length of time.

[thrower1986]

Personally I think you are lifting way too many reps for muscle growth. If you want strength and growth I would lift 6 to 8 reps on each exercise.

A good way to build mass and strength is to do squats. http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...s/BBSquat.html

It does look like you have a good amount of equipment, but I'll let the experts advise you on what other exercises to do.

[spiker]

Hopefully these pics come out right. Just an update since I first posted these comments a few months ago. I am now down to 195 lbs from 241 however still minimal muscle growth and strength increase. I have been following a pretty low carb diet, however I have added in more fruits than most low carbers seem to eat. I have been using a protien supplement powder post work out and just bought some creatine powder yesterday that I have not begun as of yet. So again any help will be greatly appreciated. I must confess that I do miss my workouts occasionally due to the amount of hours I work ( 65-70). I think I just need to get my routines to a more manageable length of time.
Attached Thumbnails

[LtL]

Originally Posted by spiker

Hopefully these pics come out right. Just an update since I first posted these comments a few months ago. I am now down to 195 lbs from 241 however still minimal muscle growth and strength increase. I have been following a pretty low carb diet, however I have added in more fruits than most low carbers seem to eat. I have been using a protien supplement powder post work out and just bought some creatine powder yesterday that I have not begun as of yet. So again any help will be greatly appreciated. I must confess that I do miss my workouts occasionally due to the amount of hours I work ( 65-70). I think I just need to get my routines to a more manageable length of time.

Loads of great equipment there. Have a look at one of the hypertrophy routines like Doug's 4 Day Split or Shaun's 3/4 day splits and let us know if there are specific exercises that you can't do.

LtL