critique my workout
 

Hello everyone - I just need some advice with my workout plan. Some quick background on me. I am 27, male, used to play HS/college football and was in great shape until I was 23 then I packed on 70+ pounds in four years. I am now 5'11 and 310 pounds. I haven't worked out at all in years and am getting back into it now for fat loss and overall body functionality. I'm not really interested in muscle size but in strength. I work in law enforcement and as such I need a lean, fast, flexible body to handle the challenges thrown at me. So here is what I am doing right now:

SuMWF- 30 mins cardio (pretty high intensity, elliptical, bike or treadmill)

T,TH - full body weights (dumbell chest presses, dumbell overhead presses, lat pulldowns, bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, body weight full squats, calf raises, crunches, lying leg curls) doing 2 sets of 10-12.

Again, my goals right now are fat loss and functional strength. Any ideas or tweaks I should make to this plan? I am open to any and all advice from you guys. Thanks!

If you are looking for functional strength, once you get a few weeks of this workout under your belt, I'd add some "moving" exercises, balance, and explosive plyometrics. Remember your football drills?

Try adding lunges, then lunges holding a dumbbell (heavy enough to make a difference) in one hand so you have to work to stay balanced. On the return trip down the hall, hold it in the other hand.

Add some weight to those squats unless you have "football knees".

Do vertical jumps onto a platform (you need to drop some pounds first...). This works your hamstrings, but also improves how quickly your muscles fire.

Does your gym have a weight sled? Run SHORT weighted sprints.

You don't need bodybuilder muscles, so don't do a bodybuilder workout. Instead of an overhead press, stand holding the dumbbells, bend your knees and touch them to the floor, stand up, then do a curl and press. LOTS more body parts moving. You can get fancy as you get fitter and add a lunge in there, or try it standing on one leg, then switch for your second set.

Have fun!

Mel

I would emphasize grip training as well, if you are really interested in "functional" strength. How about some thick bar lifts (2.5" diameter bar) and some gripper or gripmachinework? I use a 2.5" diameter dumbell handle for one arm deadlifts and Captain of Crush Grippers and a gripmachine for crushing grip.

Mel's suggestion of pulling a sled for cardio is a very good idea, as well as piling weight on the squats and deadlifts.

Most of your focus should be on losing 100+ pounds if you really want to be fast and flexible. 5'11 210# is a pretty good weight for a lean bodybuilder type physique. If you really don't want to be muscular I would think you could easily go below 180#.