I Quit Smoking & Need A New Workout/Training Plan

I'm 35 and decided after 22 years I would give up smoking back in July 2011 and succeeded which I'm very proud of BUT I'm also hating it because I've gone from the perfect weight for my height to around 25lbs over-weight, this is new territory for me, I've always been naturally slim and toned without any exercise.

I would like to lose the extra weight and maybe build up my arms and chest a little. I would appreciate a little work out plan or just a link to somewhere with a simple plan to trim off these extra pounds and gain a little muscle.

Please help me go back to my perfect 32 inch waist from this very uncomfortable waist line that I'm dealing with at the moment.

Cheers
Tony

Well I would suggest hitting the gym. It is a great way to gain muscle. When you gain muscle, your metabolic rate will increase and you will start losing weight without even knowing it. Being 17 this has worked for me however I can appreciate that at 35 you will find it harder. However if you are serious about it, it is definitely possible to get that slim toned body we all seek to achieve.

Although I will give you a workout plan, I would suggest getting a personal trainer. They are of course professionals and can tailor a workout plan to your personal needs.

My workout which is working great is:

20 pressups x3
30 situps x 3
10 bicep curls per arm (at least 10kg) x3
50 Calf raises x2
20 Tricep dips x3
20 squats x3 (start of without weight)

This is the workout I use without going to the gym. I dont have time for it with my studies and in my opinion is a great system for a beginner. However if you decide to go to the gym you will need to incorporate bench presses and so on. You will need to alternate with your muscle and cardio work out. You would need to do weight training one day and then treadmill the next. You keep rotating so your muscles dont get worn out. Finally you will need to increase the weights when they become easier for full muscle gain. However if you seek to tone your muscles then repetition is your best bet.

Hope I helped.

If you do decide to get a PT, research them first. I have come across a fair few who have NO IDEA what they're talking about.

Given your prolonged hiatus from the fitness game, I would suggest some GPP work

T NATION | Practical Guide to GPP

from there you can assess your needs, weaknesses etc.

Maybe you cold follow up with something like this:

T NATION | Rebuild Yourself with Complexes

Thanks Kash and Olly for taking the time to give me something to work with. I gave Kash's little routine a bash yesterday and my calf muscles are proper aching. I will join a gym eventually I guess, because all my clothes are starting to feel a little tight and I need to nip that shit in the bud.

Cheers

best joining a gym mate, it s very hard to get into it at home withouht the proper equipment.
from that base your workout around
squats
deadlifts
benchpress
dips
military press
bent over row

try stronglifts 5x5 (very good workout from personal exp)

another home workout is get a kettlebell a wrkout & get swinging...soreabejusus :D

I agree with Dinger. Although, if you have the space - it may be cheaper and less time consuming to just buy a squat rack, bench, bar & weight discs. I picked mine up second hand from eBay for £160, and have followed Mark Rippetoes starting strength routine (45 minute work out with weights, 3 times per week) for months - increasing the weight every week almost without fail. A lot cheaper than a year contract at my local gym (£70 per month). You'll find yourself burning more calories (which may be enough to start losing weight), but you'll probably have to adjust your diet. I wouldn't recommend going to wild here - theres no point making huge changes that you can't commit to keeping. Just make small adjustments, and track your progress regularly. I have also followed an intermittent fasting diet, which I've found excellent - and a lot easier to commit to than trying to restrict my calories on a per meal basis. Check out Intermittent fasting diet for fat loss, muscle gain and health if you have a spare hour or so, there's TONS of information on there.

Also bear in mind that everything counts - you don't need to go balls to the wall to get results. Even a 30 minute walk 5 times a week will make a difference! It all adds up, as long as you're consistant.

my personal advice would be to eat what you want within reason at meal times but don't eat lots of crap, I've lost about 10lbs in around 2 months without real change to my diet. I still eat bacon sandwiches, order pizzas, eat chocolate, all the delicious things, just not as much. I also go to the gym 2-3 times a week and do kickboxing once a week, I spend an hour doing cardio then mooch around the weights for about 30 - 45 minutes I don't really have a serious set plan, just a rough idea of what I want to do. I don't really know much about it really, just though you might like to read about how someone else has managed it.

Lol, everyone here will have a completely different opinion of what you should do. One of the quirks of the gym! I would say it depends on your goals. For now, I want to concentrate on strength training, so to this end I following the Starting Strength programme: Starting Strength Wiki

It's quite simple and the workouts are short. You need to sleep and eat right to make big gains though.

I don't have any advice on routines or how to get fit, but congratulations on quitting smoking. I'm currently attempting it now, finding it extremely difficult. Going for runs in the evening, because once I get back I'm so out of breath and feeling unfit so it puts me off smoking until the next day!