I used to keep myself in top notch contidion. Now work and other life responsibilities, I have let that slide. Have a bit of body fat to get off and would like to start getting built again. Any suggestions.... more cardio than lift, heavy lift, more reps.... what to start off with? Swimming? Diet wise?:shrug:
Getting Back in Shape??
- Thread starter charged98cobra
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Start running alot. Cut out the crap food, and portion control for what you eat. Stop drinking caffeinated products, drink water. Don't use the same lifting routines repeatedly, and try to swim every once in a while.
Depends on what your goals are if you ask me. I was over weight by a solid 35 pounds after my freshmen year of college from working full time and going to school full time I was to tired to do shit after that.
I wanted to put on some mass and get bigger and stronger and try to stay lean.
So I worked out 5 days a week lifted weights 3 days and ran 2-3 days a week for cardio or biked at night whatever. I went from 235 down to 200lbs almost 199lbs which I have not weighed since 5th grade (I have been over 6' since 5th grade). After I lost alot of fat I started lifting heavy and taking in more protein and trying my best to eat clean. I wear a smaller pant size then I did when I was 200 pounds now, except I am 223lbs. It took me 3 years to add on that 23 pounds and while I don't have 10% BF I am the leanest I have ever been and the biggest and strongest I have ever been.
So for me I dropped weight first then lifted heavy and ate right and packed on the muscle. But that is what I wanted to do.
So if thats what your going for its a nice way to get there.
I also skip all the supplement BS out there and just take a multi vitamin and use protein powder to get extra protein in me. That's it for me. Just hard work and staying with it for 3 years.
I wanted to put on some mass and get bigger and stronger and try to stay lean.
So I worked out 5 days a week lifted weights 3 days and ran 2-3 days a week for cardio or biked at night whatever. I went from 235 down to 200lbs almost 199lbs which I have not weighed since 5th grade (I have been over 6' since 5th grade). After I lost alot of fat I started lifting heavy and taking in more protein and trying my best to eat clean. I wear a smaller pant size then I did when I was 200 pounds now, except I am 223lbs. It took me 3 years to add on that 23 pounds and while I don't have 10% BF I am the leanest I have ever been and the biggest and strongest I have ever been.
So for me I dropped weight first then lifted heavy and ate right and packed on the muscle. But that is what I wanted to do.
So if thats what your going for its a nice way to get there.
I also skip all the supplement BS out there and just take a multi vitamin and use protein powder to get extra protein in me. That's it for me. Just hard work and staying with it for 3 years.
If you just want to look decent, lift. If you want to look somewhat ripped, lift and eat right. If you actually want to have more energy, eat right, Run, crunches, pushups, try to not lift heavy as it saps your cardio. You don't lean out as fast, but its worth it.
so true.
i have lost 40 lbs since the first of the year.
working for miller brewing co. really packed the pounds on lol.
i havent really gone at it 100% hardcore but took my time and the results are there.
first of the year i just tried to stop eating fast food and stopped drinking ALL types of alcohol and in one month i dropped 15lbs with minimal workout. ( 3 years ago i was repping close to 200lbs on the preacher ) I had to start with 25-30lbs with lots of reps back in January.
staring mid Feb. i started jogging and biking ( i freaking hate running but it takes a 3rd of the time than biking to get the same amount of cardio so i mixed it up ) at this point i still wasnt eating great but i was still of fast food and was shedding a decent amount of weight.
march, april, may and june i worked out in my basement just trying to get my strength back up and concentrated on building muscle. so i wasnt really losing much weight ( burning fat and gaining mass was keeping the scale at a dead lock)
ending late june i stared eating 2 eggs in the morning triscuits & granola for lunch and salad for dinner. did that for 2-3 weeks a lost 10-12 lbs.
so now im down from 260-265 to 220 in a matter of 7 months.
i want to get down to 200lbs by october.
graduated HS @ 215lbs 7 years ago.
not sure if this helps or not but if anything let it be fuel for the fire.
good luck and dont look back.
I agree with this. As hard as it can be cut out coffee and pop and stick to water and maybe non caffeinated pop every once in a while. Those things just zap your energy.
If you're having trouble getting on a regular schedule at the gym then do push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and a 1-2 mile run at least 3 times a week at home when you can't make it to the gym. I was seeing good results going to the gym but I had to start readjusting my workout to fit military standards. I noticed that just doing those simple workouts at home yielded me huge results and when I do go back the the gym I've progressed and lifting more than I expected I would.
When you really push yourself with those simple workouts and you start seeing results you will start to get really motivated again to push yourself further and you'll want to get to the gym more.
I picked up one of those Iron Gym pull up-bars for $30 bucks and it was probably one of the best investments. I highly recommend it.
Good luck!
eat properly and do a lot of cardio. if you want to tone up and loose weight then do weight that you can do for high reps 10-12 and do machines/cables.
All I did was change my eating habits and literally ate about half of what I would normally eat, yes this includes going to dinner. I just wouldn't eat until I wasn't hungry anymore like I use to. I lost 40 pounds in 9 months without exercising or anything, just changing my eating habits. I found that after going to Chili's or wherever, once I ate half of my favorite dish etc, later on I felt full. I also drink a lot of water now and cut out soda.
What do you want to accomplish? I'm a personal trainer, and I can tell you 100% that diet is every bit as much important as your lifting when trying to gain muscle mass. Here is my weekly work out. I will just specify body part... Great workout
Monday- Chest, triceps. 4 sets of flat bench shoot for 6 reps. As long as you can do 6, jump weight. When you can only do 4. Stick with it for that day. 3 sets dumbbell inline once again 4-6 and keep jumping. for triceps, I love dips and cable pushdowns. Scull crushers are great as well. Get some protein in your system and get ready for cardio. total of 15 mins on treadmill/elliptical with 3 mins fast 3 mins slow to recover.
Tues-off
Wed.- Back and biceps Im tired so I'm not putting as much detail, but cable lat pull downs, bentover rows, and even dead lift are great for your back. Biceps- more about great form then weight. instead of cardio perform ~100 reps of abs (crunches, toe touches, side crunches) Done
Thurs. Off
Friday- Legs and cardio, If you feel comfortable doing some light squating or lunges, then they would benefit your stamina and joint health. 4-6 reps (add weight if possible)
Today do 10 minute jog on treadmill done
Doing this would be a great way to get back into it. If you got serious you can really give a whole day to shoulders alone, but at this point its not necessary. Just do cardio 3 times a week, and work your core likewise. As for diet cut out sodas, fast food, and processed foods. Good luck lol! but just keep at it. Now you owe me 50 bucks lol
Monday- Chest, triceps. 4 sets of flat bench shoot for 6 reps. As long as you can do 6, jump weight. When you can only do 4. Stick with it for that day. 3 sets dumbbell inline once again 4-6 and keep jumping. for triceps, I love dips and cable pushdowns. Scull crushers are great as well. Get some protein in your system and get ready for cardio. total of 15 mins on treadmill/elliptical with 3 mins fast 3 mins slow to recover.
Tues-off
Wed.- Back and biceps Im tired so I'm not putting as much detail, but cable lat pull downs, bentover rows, and even dead lift are great for your back. Biceps- more about great form then weight. instead of cardio perform ~100 reps of abs (crunches, toe touches, side crunches) Done
Thurs. Off
Friday- Legs and cardio, If you feel comfortable doing some light squating or lunges, then they would benefit your stamina and joint health. 4-6 reps (add weight if possible)
Today do 10 minute jog on treadmill done
Doing this would be a great way to get back into it. If you got serious you can really give a whole day to shoulders alone, but at this point its not necessary. Just do cardio 3 times a week, and work your core likewise. As for diet cut out sodas, fast food, and processed foods. Good luck lol! but just keep at it. Now you owe me 50 bucks lol
:rolling:
:lol:
On a seriose note, can I ask why you should cut down on the caffeine? Seems like a ton of pre-workout mixes contain a ton.
Get yourself a case of red bull and a cute chick and just have a ton of sex. I'm not talking about those 20 minute sessions, but the hour long sessions at a min. Do this 2-3 times a day and you will be in shape in no time. If not, you sure did have a great time trying to get into shape. Its a win win situation if you ask me.
I weighed @ 194-196 (varied),.. about a month and a half ago.,., I started running in our neighborhood (its pretty hilly too) and I run from 2 to 6 miles almost every evening, I have come down to as little as 171., and I seem to be stuck there.,., :shrug:
so I will listen to the SVTP Dr.'s also :-D
so I will listen to the SVTP Dr.'s also :-D
Get that metabolism kick started by eating 4-6 smAller portioned meals throught the day as apposed to 2 or 3 BIG ones. You will loose the weight.
How tall are you because 170 isn't bad. Im 5'8 at 160 and I wouldn't mind hitting a muscular 175. If you're chubby then you could start lifting and that extra fat will just feed your muscles.
Pay attention to yourhearrt rate too. I know this probably isn't exact but I was always told at150bpm you're burning fat and at 170bpm you start to burn muscle. Maybe someone can elaborate on that or correct it if it's a little off.
Hey I havent read this whole thread but my mom is an expert in fitness and nutrition and that is her practice for a living. one of her biggest sayings is "anything is ok in moderation" so this leads to a loose diet with exercise. yes i would cut out the sodas and caffeine as much as possible as well as fast food. If you just want to lose weight, try eating a lot of vegetables and lean meat such as white meat chicken. basic cardio will be all you need on top of that and you dont have to do it every day. day on day off, take weekends off if you want. just make sure to allow recovery time. if you want to build muscle and burn fat thats a whole different story. My mom always told me not to take protein shakes and all that supplement stuff you see high school and college students doing. honestly it is proven to be a waste to the average lifter. those shakes were designed for body builders who need a quick hunger fix, they are not meant to boost muscle mass as they are labeled. Also, excess protein turns to fat just keep that in mind. one chicken breast is well enough to sustain a workout. My mom suprisingly is allowing me to take this stuff called Concrete. It is creatine but it is not monohydrate creatine(this is the one everyone is familiar with and is also known as "water weight") this form only contains 10% creatine. Concrete is 100% creatine. it is not water weight and you do not have to take mass amounts of water when taking it. it also does not make you "deflate" if you stop taking it. your body produces creatine to allow muscles to contract and by boosting that level you give your muscles more energy as well as strength and recovery. not to make this sound like an ad but I honestly felt a difference as soon as i took it for the first time. and by 3 days i was already getting stronger and lowering body fat. now my mom works for the government as well as i and she will not let me nor anyone in her gym take anything that will harm your health. i started taking this one to get bigger but also because i began to get tired easily in the gym. this allows me to add more muscle and retain my energy. but all that creatin stuff aside, i put on 70lbs of muscle in 3 and a half months without the use of creatine. anything can be done as long as you eat right and get the exercise you need to look how you want.
sex is actually a very good form of exercise especially for cardio. i believe its for every 25 minutes of sex is equivalent to running 1 mile.
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