BG Fitness Fanatics II: We Work Out

[Guitarman]

Buy at least one heavier dumbbell, a 40+lb. Look up on bodybuilding.com how to do a "goblet squat". Squats are amazing for your body in that they work a ton of muscle groups at once, and burn some of, if not the most, calories per rep of any other movement. Normally i'd suggest a bar and do the standard squat, but since you're trying to hit your goals on the cheap, a single weight doing goblets will be more cost-effective.

[Vandalhart]

Those are Calisthenics. A power rack, adjustable bench, and an Olympic weight set.


read this too: http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wi...inner_Programs

I know I have that equipment at the company gym. I'll have to start going with one of my co-workers or when other people are around if I go that route. So this is 6 workouts a week, with A being say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and B being Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday?

Someone like Milkster or CS would be able to better articulate this, but the key attribute of cardio in my opinion is the sustained heart rate. When you do 30/40+ minutes of cardio, your heart elevates and stays elevated for that time.

When lifting, no matter how intense, there are breaks built into your routine to allow your muscles to recover so you can increase what you are lifting in each set. By definition cardio is aerobic and most weightlighting is anaerobic.

Your core workout listed above, if done with no breaks in between may qualify as an aerobic workout, but you mentioned taking a one minute break between each. Furthermore, since it's only 7-10 exercises, you're probably only looking at 7-10 minutes, as opposed to the more traditional view of cardio, which is a 30+ minute period of time.

Yes, most of the workouts I've been following are being hosted on this website:
www.bodyrock.tv

Most of them are 5-10 sets of something, with a 10 second break in between. I would be pretty wiped so I'd usually take extra time in between each exercise. That's sounding like an aerobic workout to me then. Hrm, I'll have to take a look at this. For now, I'll likely start back up with something while I look at the weight training in more detail. Doing cardio is at least better than doing nothing like I am now

[gt_killa]

go to simplesciencefitness.com . There's a calculator for your BMR, do that to figure out your calorie in take daily. What time do you work? Do you think getting to work before work start and workout at the gym there early an option? (I wake up around 4 and get my workout in from 5-6/6:30). If that's possible, you can try a PPLx2 , PHUL routine for weight/resistance training. Layne Norton PHUL's great as well Link here.

As other had mentioned above, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will need to maintain at that level. What is your BF% ? Age? Height? You might need a body re-composition if you've been eatting below maintenance level for a while (look up Reverse diet). With the right diet and right workout routine, It'll take anywhere from 4-6 months to do so...After that shred then you can slow bulk, shred and slow bulk, shred. Repeat. Sometimes it might take even longer at a year for you to get back to regular metabolic rate. It's a long journey as a natty so don't give up too early. Don't buy into those clients transformation/proweight-lifter transformation that you see floating around the net. A lot of them are on PEDs (even ones who competes) and their cycle is around 8-10 weeks which is why you see such a dramatic transformation (none of them will talk or mention bout it cuz it'll be like they cheat/losing trust of clients, sort of a taboo thing to say) There's a lot of dark things inside the fitness industry.

So figure out your daily calories, macro-nutrients, then pick a program and stick to it. Records everything. Then reflect every 2 weeks, see if there's anything that need to be change/alter. You have to listen to your body too, noone know your body better than you. Progress will be made in time, you just have plan it out and follow it.

[FNH]

I know I have that equipment at the company gym. I'll have to start going with one of my co-workers or when other people are around if I go that route. So this is 6 workouts a week, with A being say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and B being Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday?

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ

No it is workout A on Mon, Workout B on Wed, Workout A on Friday, Workout B Monday, Workout A on Wed, Workout B on Friday, and so forth

[Vandalhart]

Buy at least one heavier dumbbell, a 40+lb. Look up on bodybuilding.com how to do a "goblet squat". Squats are amazing for your body in that they work a ton of muscle groups at once, and burn some of, if not the most, calories per rep of any other movement. Normally i'd suggest a bar and do the standard squat, but since you're trying to hit your goals on the cheap, a single weight doing goblets will be more cost-effective.

Sorry Guitarman... I didn't realize we had jumped to a new page and missed your post. I'll check prices on 40lb weights.

go to simplesciencefitness.com . There's a calculator for your BMR, do that to figure out your calorie in take daily. What time do you work? Do you think getting to work before work start and workout at the gym there early an option? (I wake up around 4 and get my workout in from 5-6/6:30). If that's possible, you can try a PPLx2 , PHUL routine for weight/resistance training. Layne Norton PHUL's great as well Link here.

As other had mentioned above, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will need to maintain at that level. What is your BF% ? Age? Height? You might need a body re-composition if you've been eatting below maintenance level for a while (look up Reverse diet). With the right diet and right workout routine, It'll take anywhere from 4-6 months to do so...After that shred then you can slow bulk, shred and slow bulk, shred. Repeat. Sometimes it might take even longer at a year for you to get back to regular metabolic rate. It's a long journey as a natty so don't give up too early. Don't buy into those clients transformation/proweight-lifter transformation that you see floating around the net. A lot of them are on PEDs (even ones who competes) and their cycle is around 8-10 weeks which is why you see such a dramatic transformation (none of them will talk or mention bout it cuz it'll be like they cheat/losing trust of clients, sort of a taboo thing to say) There's a lot of dark things inside the fitness industry.

So figure out your daily calories, macro-nutrients, then pick a program and stick to it. Records everything. Then reflect every 2 weeks, see if there's anything that need to be change/alter. You have to listen to your body too, noone know your body better than you. Progress will be made in time, you just have plan it out and follow it.

That is a lot of information :D

MyFitnessPal had my caloric goal to around 1600 a day. I'll gather up some information and get these numbers sorted out. I'll also take some time to read that giant ass page. I'll get back into tracking everything I eat. Now that I have my scale I'll likely be able to do it better than before. I'm also going to try and keep my breakfasts and lunches pretty scheduled.

I believe I'm classified as Obese as I am now. When I had hit 185lbs I was considered Overweight, if memory serves.

Getting to work early doesn't really suit my schedule unfortunately. We're only a single car household so I usually take my wife to work and go get her at the end of the day. That being said, perhaps we can shift it around so she can drop me off (which would be earlier start) and give me an extra 30-45 minutes during the day I can use to hit the gym.


Also, I would normally start every workout with 10 minutes on the treadmill, then 2-5 minutes resting before doing anything else. If I went the routes suggested, would it be best not to do that? I wouldn't mind getting into the habit of running 30 or so minutes total in a day. I did enjoy it when I was doing it regularly.

[gt_killa]

nah you dont have to start with threadmill..Do stretch the muscle out then Just do 1-2 warm-up set of the exercise you about to you then go ham on it. eg: Bench: 150lb, warm up with bar > 90lb-100lb > your normal weight for bench (3x6-8 @150lb) or w.e.. I'd limit running to 2 times a week max. You want to build and gain muscle mass at the moment, remember to look up Reverse Diet.

[Moss]

A few minutes on the treadmill before your workout is a good idea. I prefer to shoot around on the basketball court to loosen up and get the blood flowing, but treadmill or exercise bike is a solid alternative. I wouldn't do it longer than 5 minutes or so though because I start to get tired.

Starting Strength is always a good recommendation. Look into Stronglifts 5x5 also, which has an incredible phone app for tracking.

[Vandalhart]

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ

No it is workout A on Mon, Workout B on Wed, Workout A on Friday, Workout B Monday, Workout A on Wed, Workout B on Friday, and so forth

Awesome, yet another webpage to add to my bookmarks for all this

So, here's how I was going to tackle this first. I wanted to start this Monday, but I may have more research to do so I'll settle for at least getting to the gym and maybe trying out the positions with little to no weight on them to see how I feel when doing them.

Since it's the hardest part to properly do, I think I'm going to start planning meals out in more detail. Mainly breakfast and lunch, as I can control them and will not be sharing them with someone else. Having a few static options for breakfast and lunch should help me do this. I think I'm actually in pretty good shape with my intake at the moment. That may only be because I haven't been hit with a huge craving or an urge to gorge yet.

Doing a workout 3 times a week definitely beats doing it every day like I was. That is in no way to say these 3 workouts will be easy. I know better than that. I'll likely still be doing walks at lunch and after supper with the dog though. If that seems to cause problems I'll rework something.

[Cream Soda]

Honestly, you just have to MAKE time for the gym. If nothing else, join a 24 hour gym and if you can only go twice a week, that's still going to be substantially better than not being able to.

Cardio can cut weight
Weight lifting can cut weight
Diet can cut weight

but when you have synergy going on throughout all 3, that's where you hit the point and see some major results. Each category as an individual is going to take significantly longer to reach the same point (assuming you're even capable of reaching said point with just one of the 3 categories)

The only question is how important this goal is to you. If it has any amount of importantance, then you're going to want to pick up a gym membership. There are plenty of places that will get you in for $10/month (looking at You Fit, and if you have no other options, lolplanet fitness. While PF is trash, still better than nothing)


Edit: Home gym will be best bang for your buck over time, but has a huge start up cost. It's something that starts small and accumulates over time. I'm now at the point to where the only time I ever go to a gym is as a friend's guest to go play with them. Otherwise I take care of everything in my garage. Couldn't ask for more. I love it.

[gt_killa]

costco also has 24hr membership for like $370 (2 years worth), which come out to be ~$15.5 a month, which is a much better deal if you were to sign up with them on a monthly basis (i think it's around $25-$30, depends on when/which sale person you sign up with) It's also a hassle to deal with them so I'd rather just pay up the sum and get in the door fast.

[RKenshin]

To second and add to what CS and others said:

It's all about priorities, how seriously you take this, and sticking with it in the long-term. A routine that is manageable and held in the long term is > a balls-to-the-wall routine that you can't maintain and end up giving up on.

Be honest with yourself about excuses, and know the difference between a real obstacle and an excuse; "I truly can't workout today because of X" vs "I could workout but it's easier to just skip it because of X." It's too easy to find excuses anywhere, if you look for them. To this day, almost 5 years in, I still catch myself coming up with 'fake excuses' all the time (I got a bad sleep, maybe I should go lighter/skip. I didn't eat a big lunch, maybe I should go light/skip cardio. Seasonal allergies at their worst, maybe I should skip. I only have an hour before X, maybe I should skip. My arm is sore, maybe I should skip, etc).

I've made a habit of second guessing every time I consider doing less at the gym/skipping, and 95% of the time it's just laziness/looking for an easy way out as opposed to a real impassable circumstance.

CS is a pretty shining example of that attitude... not having money for a gym membership, real equipment, a car, or ideal quality/amounts of the right food hasn't stopped him at any point, and not only does he keep going but he does it often/hard enough to be in the top 1% of physical shape. CS is has definitely inspired me to push harder and accept less as an excuse.

Personally, time tends to be my biggest enemy... I've spent 14 hours of every day at or traveling to/from work, 5-7 days a week, for 9/10 weeks of the past year+. I've still managed to average gym/exercise 4-5 days/week, though it definitely isn't easy.

Make sure to use BG as a resource/motivator too, before giving up or if you have any struggles. A lot of good knowledge, experience, and advice here.... good luck man!

[Astylla]

As someone who has struggled with her weight all her life, everything that's been touched upon about excuses and time is right on. I hit my breaking point last year and got serious and lost almost 50 lbs. I was working out 5 to 7 days a week in some form be it a 30 minute YouTube video, a walk, running or the gym. I ended up hurting myself and using that as an excuse for far too long. I'm just now getting back to my good habits. I have had some challenges like surgery and injuries that did need healing but decided to use it as an excuse to eat badly.

As of today I'm still 23 lbs down but not where I was it want to be. Myfitnesspal was great for me so I'm back on it, and measuring and tracking everything. I'm still not
100 % physically, but that doesn't mean I don't have options. I can't do weights (still recovering from carpal tunnel in both hands), but I can do HIIT workouts at home. I can't run due to bursitis of the hip, but I can walk up and down hills. Most of my focus is on eating right again for the next few weeks and slow integration of my workouts like before.

I have amazing support from people like CS and my husband as well as Facebook groups where we support each other. Instead of weeks, I take it by day now. Being ready is key, no one can force it.. You have to want it.

[RKenshin]

One of the toughest potential 'excuses' to typically get past is injuries, because you do legitimately have to be very careful with them and give it proper attention/time to heal.

But, too often the easiest thing to do is to give up completely and/or be 'too gentle' with it. And it can be tough to tell the difference between something minor and something serious, or figure out how to make sure you're not making it worse. Obviously, there are some injuries you can't work around, but there's a lot that you can; I'd even wager you can for most if not nearly all. You just have to be careful and patient with it.

I've had my fair share of them over the past 4.5 years, and (thankfully) they all healed well enough over time - and without having to take more than a week straight of time off from the gym or a body section. Not without making some major changes to my routine/diet at some parts though; like a shoulder injury that kept me from flat barbell bench for ~6 months (and some other chest exercises), a wrist injury that severely limited the upper body exercises I could do for a month, an upper back injury that practically paralyzed my neck for an entire week (this happened a few times, issue with my form), a forearm injury that limited my range of motion for ~3 months, a lower back injury that didn't really effect my workouts but worried me for ~2 months... and others. All of which healed and feel fine now, despite taking as long as half a year or more to go away. If I had taken breaks or given up any time something was hurt, I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am now... and my body proportions would be way out of wack.

I'm by no means encouraging pushing through pain and/or risking making an injury worse, but just know that an injury isn't the end, and there are almost always other safe things you can and should be doing. You will eventually hurt something, no matter how careful or light you exercise, so it's particularly important to recognize this.

[gt_killa]

2nd on injuries...wrist injury is a bitch

[Cream Soda]

One of the toughest potential 'excuses' to typically get past is injuries, because you do legitimately have to be very careful with them and give it proper attention/time to heal.

Lol and here I am; trying to drop weight for my next anime convention (another 3-5 lbs should do lol have 12 days left). Been doing double Fossil runs 7 days a week for the past 2 weeks. One of my lats finally said fuck you. Tried to push through it for a day or two but it's clear my lat is out of commission.

So now I'm still doing double Fossils, but I'm skipping any station related to the lats (4 of them, for 2 laps that's minus 8 stations). Now I'm just adding an extra lap in it's place and doing everything but the pull ups and monkey bars. When the lats are healed up time to go back to beast mode haha. The extra lap gives me an extra 6/10th mile jogging distance and since there's 13 stations, minus 4 = 9 so I still get full number of stations overall)

Though I would have never have had to double up the way I have had I taken 8 weeks to prepare like I had planned. I love food too much though and always have to cram it into 3-4 weeks instead.

So everyone has their weaknesses. Even if I can go ham int he gym and out at my obstacle course, I have trouble sticking to a diet (doesn't help that I can't cook worth a fuck lol). No matter what way you decide to slack/procrastinate, you'll pay for it in another area

[Meresgi]

Edit: Home gym will be best bang for your buck over time, but has a huge start up cost. It's something that starts small and accumulates over time. I'm now at the point to where the only time I ever go to a gym is as a friend's guest to go play with them. Otherwise I take care of everything in my garage. Couldn't ask for more. I love it.

Yeah I found home gym to be the best for me. Granted I just have a couple sets of dumbbells/bench/and pullup bar still. Really though if you can snag a pullup bar you can do a lot with just bodyweight to a certain extent. As advice to anyone thinking they don't have time for the gym and $$ for equipment. Check out reddit bodyfitness too, a lot of decent routines there

[myreality]

2nd on injuries...wrist injury is a bitch

Going to one up you on this, Wrist and Right knee injury. I get incredibly nervous with heavier weights now.

Also came in to show this. For me planking becomes literally unbearable in 10 minutes. This guy is insane for going above 5 hours! He has a goddamn catheter attached!



Hey CS! Here is your challenge!

[Melena]

As far as the home gym is concerned, i was actually surprised at how inexpensive equipment can be. We used to just assume Sears was the standard price. Then randomly we were walking through a sports authority as we needed something random and I decided to look at the exercise equipment. A near top of the line treadmill for 900, elipticals for <700, various weight systems like bowflex type things for 2-3 hundred. Once we pay down a bunch of our debt, we will probably start piece mealing our own gym into our own place.

[Vandalhart]

Yeah, there seems to be a good time of year to purchase exercise equipment. I believe some of the top of the line models available at a few places just after Christmas for huge discounts. It was bringing down costs of stuff from $2500 to like $1000 or less. If I ever went that route, I'd probably want a treadmill and an elliptical machine. I used those at work a lot and enjoyed them.

I started tracking my food yesterday and I was under my calories by about 500. I also went for two walks monday, and a walk today even though it was gloomy out. I still haven't come to a decision about how I want to approach the gym. We'll see how I go as time goes on. One of the reasons I stopped counting calories last time was because I had a streak in MFP of 362 days and forgot to track before midnight. It's stupid reason for stopping, but now I don't care if my streak gets high anyways.

[Astylla]

If you want another MFP friend you can find me under Astylla