How much rest & cardio?

[blinki]

I'm 5ft4, 134lbs, male and I'd guess around 15% body fat. I want to look toned but properly ripped isn't realistic for me. I want to put on a bit more muscle and drop some body fat. I don;t have specific goals but I want my abs to at least me noticeable and I'm thinking maybe around another 10-15lbs of muscle. Previously I had been just doing weights at home which added about 10lbs to me- all muscle with no obvious fat lose or gain. But I've outgrown my weights so I joined the gym. I'd also like to be doing more cardio for the sake of my general fitness.

Now I'm feel a bit aimless and unsure what to be doing with myself. It's not so much the specific exercises but more how much weights, how much cardio, how much rest. I don't want to be doing bulking/cutting cycles- I'm much more on the Average Joe side of things than body builder.

Previously I was doing one day work out, one day rest. I split by body part- chest & back; shoulder & thigh; neck, forearm & calf; bi & tri. Now I'm thinking I'll split it to chest, neck & back; shoulder, tigh & calf; bi, tri & forearm. I'm thinking two days cardio to see how much the fat comes off me and then adjust accordingly if need be. I'm thinking weights, cardio, weights, rest, weights, cardio. My cardio is always rowing or bike. My main concern is that it's not enough rest and too much cardio.

Eating-wise, I struggle to get enough calories ect. into me at the best of times even when I feel like I eat loads. My diet even when I'm not making an effort is very clean and low calorie- sometimes I think I listen a bit too much to warnings about eating too much fat and salt and all that. I can manage around 2000 calories and 100g protein a day but that makes me feel like eating is my part time job. I don't have money for supplements and my budget generally limits my options.

I'm sorry if this is a bit noob-ish but I'd really appreciate any feedback

[thestoatyone]

Stronglifts 5x5 is a really good place to start. Do cardio on rest days if at all. That's about it, when you can squat 1.5 times bodyweight on a bar at least once then start fucking about with more complex regimes...

[blinki]

Thanks for your reply. I can't really do stronglifts due to injury issues- I squat 50lbs as a warm up sometimes but I wouldn't risk going much heavier than that. It's a bit of a long story but doctors says best for me to stick stay clear of it. I know it's the best way to build real strength but not much I can do

[blinki]

thanks for your reply but fitness isn't really my primary concern- re-reading my initial post that's probably not clear. Being able to do more cardio for the sake of fitness is good but I don't want to be doing it to the detriment of gain muscle/general vanity based goals. Maybe I'm wrong but I think there's a need to balance cardio and weights so to give your muscles enough time to be recovering/growing. I don't really have a clue what that balance is or if cardio affects it

[xJimx]

Thanks for your reply. I can't really do stronglifts due to injury issues- I squat 50lbs as a warm up sometimes but I wouldn't risk going much heavier than that. It's a bit of a long story but doctors says best for me to stick stay clear of it. I know it's the best way to build real strength but not much I can do

Is it a back issue you've got? If so you need to check out belt squats.