Wow. Lot's of great info here. Matt started it all off really well. I didn't read every single word in the thread so forgive me if I repeat anything, but I'm gonna see what I can add to the mix.
One of the most important things I've found is that I have to keep my workouts enjoyable. If I'm hating going to the gym, I'm going to stop going. How do I do that? Hmmmm...
There are days that I would rather stick needles in my eyes than head to the gym (today for instance). What I'm going to do is say, OK, it'a form day. I'm going to do a chest workout, but I'm going to practice form. That means I'll use about a third of the weight I can handle, really flex the muscle I'm working on, and practice making sure my form is perfect and that I'm really hitting the muscle targeted. What usually happens is the blood gets pumping after a handful of sets of doing that and I wind up havin a great workout. If I remain unmotivated and can't go past the light weight, I at least didn't waste the day by not going to the gym. I'm amazed sometimes also that I wind up sore the next day anyhow from really focusing on what I'm doing.
I also change my routine constantly. I try to vary at least one exercise per workout, change my entire routine every couple of months, and go back and forth on an almost daily basis from heavy weight (3 to 7 reps) to light weight (usually 10 to 15 reps with an occasional set of 50 or 100 to really change things up) - depending on how I'm feeling. Going heavy all the time I've learned can reak real havoc on my joints.
paging through magazines, even though they're all the same, helps to keep me somewhat motivated. i've gotten a lot of good info out of muscle media, and one of the real muscle mags is good - muscle and fitness i think? i forget. men's health is fun reading and helps keep me motivated also for some reason - not very informative though.
i used to workout 3 days on, 1 off and then repeat the routine. my workout was very similar to the one spankbass just posted. i still split it up pretty much the same but workout one day, run the next, workout, run, workout, run, rest. i miss days here and there, but rather than beat myself up i'm happy for the rest time. i'm starting to realize my body likes to heal and doesn't appreciate being in pain every single day.
last quick notes - the protien thing. i think the jury is still way out on how much protien we should have. i've read everything from 1/2 a gram of protien per pound of body weight to 2 1/2 grams. personally I thing the latter would kill someone. last medical information i read claimed athletes don't need nearly as much protien as they think, and excess amounts can be harmful. i shoot for 1 gram per pound of bodyweight (150 in my case) but usually wind up with around 130 grams. i'm very satisfied with how my muscles have developed.
creatine works. i used to use it with the whole loading phase they recommend. lately i've been leaning a lot more towards being holistically healthy than "deisel" looking so i only take enough to make up for what i'm otherwise missing cuz i'm a vegetarian. it's also recommended to take 3 month breaks every three months becasue it may be taxing on the kidneys and liver.
I was using my dumbells last night after I increased the weight by 10 pounds. I was normally able to get 15-20 reps for bicep curls. I did them much slower and with this weight by the second set I was lucky to reach 8. Felt so great after it ^^.
