help

[blade321]

Im 14, and over the summer would like to start a new workout plan.
Im just getting over a knee injury, so no running, squats, anything like that. Phsical theripy is taking care of that.

Im 180 6'0", so a relitivly big guy. My abs are extremely strong I measured sit-ups and crunches. I can do 60 CRUNCHES, not sit-ups. I got to 200, yes 200, sit-ups before I got bored and gave up. My body fat is about 17-18%, not bad imo.

I want a plan that is rigorous, like screaming in pain rigorous. Perferably simple things, nothing to complex. So thanks ahead of time.

 

[Sassy69]

damn - you are one big kid! How did you injure your knee? And what are you doing for PT now?

What is your goal specifically? Normally I would probably tell someone your age to keep it real simple & just stick w/ calisthenics / your own bodyweight type stuff because you are still growing. But sounds like you already grew!

The whole ab thing is sort of overrated-- everyone wants a 6-pack so they do thousands of sit-ups / ab work -- then can't figure out why they can't see their 6-pack and they are actually getting thicker in the waist -- that's because seeing the 6-pack is all about diet.

And just for the record - "screaming in pain rigorous" is a bit of overkill --- because if its that ba,d you may actually be hurting yourself, overtraining or possibly not eating to fuel what you are doing or recovering sufficiently to do it again.

I would start by asking for the following:

1) What specifically are your goals? Strength? Size? Cut up? train for a particular sport?

2) what is your PT now & where are you in your recovery of that / what does the doc say about it?

3) What is your current diet? Can you post this up in detail e.g.

Meal 1: 8 am
1 c oatmeal
2 scoops protein mix

Meal 2: 10 am
5 oz chicken
1 c rice
1 c green beans

etc

Also if you put the whole thing into an online foods program like www.fitday.com, you can see very specifically what you are eating as far as total cals, & macronutrient breakdown (% protein, % fat, % carbs). Then maybe there are some tweaks we can suggest to get you to a more optimal diet to support whatever is the training you decide to do.

This may appear tedious and why the heck do I need to bother w/ my diet -- if you are interested in developing a strong training program, if you understand now that 80% of any progress you want to make in the gym will be driven by what you eat. If you build a solid base and come to understand how your body responds to the variations in the diet, you will be light years ahead of anyone say in your JV level football team or whatever you choose to do with yourself.

That's where I would suggest to start -- toss any of the myths & misconceptions about diet & training early on & you will develop a base of strength & metabolic response that will serve you extremely well as you are growing and especially when you hit your peak in natural testosterone production in the coming years. And lastly, but not the least, will also go very far to helping you recover from any injuries and further preventing them in the future. Its very hard to recover 1000% from any joint injuries so even just w/ this knee injury you may spend the rest of your life favoring that knee which may result in another part of your body developing how it normally would not to compensate.

 

[BiggT]

Do you play any sports? Do you expect the knee to be back at 100% soon?

 

[fortunatesun]

For specific training ideas you should look at the Training Information Vault sticky at the top of this forum. They have soon good programs for beginners as well as lots of much needed information.

If you can't do normal lower body exercises, you might want to consider some bodyweight training ideas as a supplement to your therapy.
Advisory: don't subtitute my advice for a consulting medical opinion.
Nevertheless, sensible active recovery aids the healing process- which is the point of rehabilitation. For legs, try Hindu or Rockup squats.

For the sake of balance, you could do a total bodyweight program the would serve as a foundation for heavier weight training once you fully recover. This is one of the fundamental, and often ignored rules of training programs: Unless you have the skills to stabilize, control, and efficiently move an additional load, there's no use getting under the bar. On the other hand, olympic caliber athletes who train using primarily bodyweight exercises often bench 2x their own bodyweight. This link is a comprehensive program- Building an Olympic Body - but gives you an idea of what can be accomplished.

 

[blade321]

this post is deleted

 

[blade321]

I hurt my knee in basketball. Jumped to touch the rim on a 10' hoop, I touched the net, but I landed wrong; sublixed, bone bruise, evedence of hairline fracture. Was on crutches for a few days (I didnt know how bad it was), I hurt it again a week after the initial injury. I was on crutches for a day.The next day I was off, but it hurt like FUCK after I went to the bathroom, so bad that it took a half hour to get my leg up on my bed. It hurt like hell, like someone was stabbing it with a knife. I went to the hospital, the pain went away, luckily. They put me in an immobilizer and on crutches. I was in the immobilizer for a month, then doctor said it was ok to bend it, but put only 1/2 my weight on it. I was on crutches for a total of 2 months. Now I'm weak, but I can walk. I still cant run or jump for another month or so.

Now that I'm done rambling, I don't want to be big, I don't want to be cut, I just want to be strong. Size/apperance aren't too important to me.

 

[Protobuilder]

I don't want to be big, I don't want to be cut, I just want to be strong. Size/apperance aren't too important to me.

Wow. That's refreshing to hear, especially coming from a young guy. With that mindset, you're on the right path. Skip past the pumpers and the pretty boys and just work on developing brutal strength through lots and lots of gut-busting hard work. Check out the training vault sticky. Give serious consideration to Rippetoe's 3x5 program. It's a very solid, strenght-based program.

 

[Sassy69]

So you probably still want to watch the weight-bearing stuff, e.g. squats, deads & cleans. You can probably do those w /just the bar to ensure tight form. Bench presses, curls, rows, cable work should be ok, but again just watching any leg-based stabilization so you don't aggravate anything.

That might be the way to go --- also for those exercises that do require lots of weight-bearing stuff on the legs, there are usually some machine or cable alternatives that you can go to if needed.

Diet-wise - I'd mostly want to make sure that you are getting enough protein to support the muscle building and also enough carb to fuel the building process.

 

[blade321]

So you probably still want to watch the weight-bearing stuff, e.g. squats, deads & cleans. You can probably do those w /just the bar to ensure tight form. Bench presses, curls, rows, cable work should be ok, but again just watching any leg-based stabilization so you don't aggravate anything.

That might be the way to go --- also for those exercises that do require lots of weight-bearing stuff on the legs, there are usually some machine or cable alternatives that you can go to if needed.

Diet-wise - I'd mostly want to make sure that you are getting enough protein to support the muscle building and also enough carb to fuel the building process.

My diet is not bad, but not much of anything, I should add more.
m1:
cereal
m2:
sandwhich
fruit
juice
something sweet
m3:
granola bar/snacks of that nature
m4:
different every day

 

[IronJunkey]

My diet is not bad, but not much of anything, I should add more.
m1:
cereal
m2:
sandwhich
fruit
juice
something sweet
m3:
granola bar/snacks of that nature
m4:
different every day

It would benifit your greatly to end your day with a protien shake. Also cut down your sugars unless its before your workout. Because it will maintain your body fat. Not that you care, but it seems with each meal you have lots of carbs and sugars. (cerial,granola bars(natures vally is 30g suger each!..Juice..)

Always balance your meals with protien.
The more you eat the more you grow. Food is anabolic. So feed yourself as much as possible. And You should deff. set something up with a trainer so you can make sure your form is correct espically with your injurys.

-IronJunkey