Working Out
- Thread starter stosh
- Start date
stosh said:
Tell us what it is that you are trying to achieve and we can me more specific with our e-mis-information!stosh said:
What do you want to do? Build mass? Tone up? Burn fat? Just sit and scope out the chicks on the treadmills?
stosh said:
Just show up in a speedo...
16oz. curls.
The Cheese
The Cheese
If you want to burn fat, you are looking at the aerobic exercises. Running, stair stepper, stationary bicycle, those types of workouts. You may also want to incorporate some light weight lifting and stretching excercises in there to tone and limber you up at the same time. Then there is making sure you have a healthy diet...stosh said:
if you want to get faster on a bike, just get the self-accelerating 29" wheel version.
Mix it up. Just swimming is going to most likely bore you. So, swim some, try the row machine, those things kick ASS and hardly anyone uses them!
Alot of running. I go work out 3-4 time a week at school, and when I'm home I go 3 days a week for a hard workout. At school I get most of my running in football, but Sunday mornings when I'm not busy I go running. At home my workout is directed at an area of my body one day. So, lets say, monday, chest, shoulders, back, wednesday, arms, more shoulders, and abs, and on Friday is all lower body. Also at home, our gym is on the 4th story of a buliding, so I run up and down the stairs(don't cut yourself short) for about 10 minutes, then run laps for 10, and then more stairs, and do that for about 30 minutes. It's very hard work but rewarding. I always forget the name of the workout, but your gym will most likly have blocks you can stack up, and you should stack them up, and jump up on it, then down, then up, and do that for about a minute, then rest for 30 seconds, and do another minute. Here at school I work out at night or early in the morning, so make sure you stretch very well before doing anything, and get a good meal in before also.
most gyms offer some sort personal training to members. see if its an extra fee and talk to a pro
Polandspring88 said:
I find that I burn a LOT more fat if I do 30 mins weights and 30 mins cardio stuff as opposed to just doing a bunch of cardio.
You're at the Y, right? Can/do they offer a consult where some hottie sets up a program for what your goals are? (never been to a Y before)
try out www.exrx.net there's a lot of good information there. If I were you Stosh, I'd get an appointment with a trainer there, and they will teach you how to use the machines and set up a basic workout to get you started. If you've never done this before you want to keep it very simple until you are comfortable with it.
I get either one or 2 free consultations.SilentJ said:
I find that I burn a LOT more fat if I do 30 mins weights and 30 mins cardio stuff as opposed to just doing a bunch of cardio.
You're at the Y, right? Can/do they offer a consult where some hottie sets up a program for what your goals are? (never been to a Y before)
Cross trainers burn a lot of fat.
BUT.....
The best advice, the absolute best advice is to go and be consistent.
On days you feel, well, just tired, GO
On days youre busy, GO
On days you just don't want to, GO
On days youre on the fence with it, GO
Going consistently is the key. Once you get started, the rest falls into place.
The cross trainer is great for cardio. I do 30 minutes with my heart rate around 150, get approx. 3.35 miles in at about 7.5 mph, 400+ calorie burn
BUT.....
The best advice, the absolute best advice is to go and be consistent.
On days you feel, well, just tired, GO
On days youre busy, GO
On days you just don't want to, GO
On days youre on the fence with it, GO
Going consistently is the key. Once you get started, the rest falls into place.
The cross trainer is great for cardio. I do 30 minutes with my heart rate around 150, get approx. 3.35 miles in at about 7.5 mph, 400+ calorie burn
Yay for impact!ThePriceSeliger said:
Running (jogging) hurts my knee - it sucks. I ONLY do sprints (heels never hit the ground) or climb stairs. I've seen some research somewhere
that showed stretching without a proper warmup before a workout actually increases risk of injury. I do a good warmup with light stretching prior to my workouts and heavier stretching after my workouts.
The beginner spin class is a good startstosh said:
The pool is a great way to get in shape. There are different types of laps to swim to keep it from getting boring. I know it sounds silly, but water arobics are really fun 
I do 30 minutes cardio, and then circuit weights to tone. I don't want to build, so I keep the weights low, and the rep's high.SilentJ said:
I find that I burn a LOT more fat if I do 30 mins weights and 30 mins cardio stuff as opposed to just doing a bunch of cardio.
You're at the Y, right? Can/do they offer a consult where some hottie sets up a program for what your goals are? (never been to a Y before)
end yet I still bulked up.The other thing is to remember is that muscle mass weighs more then fat, so while you may be toning and building, the eight will not drop like you think. Gage it on how your clothes feel.
It's like that Geico commercial with that dude Little that sells those , but a lot more elaborate. "You can doooo it!"stosh said:
The motion is similar to cross country skiing.
This is the one they have at the Y I belong to.
http://us.home.lifefitness.com/content.cfm/x9iellipticaltrainer
DO NOT TRUST THE HEART RATE MONITORS on those machines if they have them. They are way off. Get yourself a real good heart rate monitor. Sears has em for around 40 bucks.
http://us.home.lifefitness.com/content.cfm/x9iellipticaltrainer
DO NOT TRUST THE HEART RATE MONITORS on those machines if they have them. They are way off. Get yourself a real good heart rate monitor. Sears has em for around 40 bucks.
Well in my line of sports, impact is a way of life, so it doesn't bug me even though I have has surgery on my knee three times and I'm only 16. Football, Freestyle/Racing Skiing, Lacrosse, and Mountainbiking. Stretching is the MOST IMPORTANT thing. I give myself an hour before football to stretch, and when I get to the field, we all stretch as a team, then run, then do drills and such. When your jumping on and off the box, you should always be on your toes though, because if your on your heels, your doing it wrong.SilentJ said:Yay for impact!
I've seen some research somewhere
QUOTE]Yeah I've been modifying my diet over the past few weeks but I'm not doing very good.[/QUOTE]
Making that big of a lifestyle change is difficult. It is even more difficult to change everything at once (ie exercise and diet). Take it slowly. Once you get used to the exercise, start making changes to your diet. This is what has worked for me so far.
I am far from an expert, so take my comments for what you think they are worth. I'm still about 40 lbs from my goal weight. I've lost 35 so far, so things are going pretty well. I can tell you that it feels great to be able to ride up (as opposed to having to walk) a 4 mile fire road and not be completly red in the face from exertion. Having friends and coworkers notice you getting slimmer is a big motivator, too.
Best of luck!!!
Making that big of a lifestyle change is difficult. It is even more difficult to change everything at once (ie exercise and diet). Take it slowly. Once you get used to the exercise, start making changes to your diet. This is what has worked for me so far.
I'm going to agree here, as well. As you develop muscle, your body requires more energy to maintain the muscle. Your body will basically be buring fat while you sleep. Don't be surprised if your weight goes up initially. Muscle is more dense than fat. If you develop muscle before burning any fat, the numbers on the scale will go up. Pay more attention to how your clothes are fitting than the scale. If your clothes are getting loose, you are losing fat regardless of what the scale reads.
I am far from an expert, so take my comments for what you think they are worth. I'm still about 40 lbs from my goal weight. I've lost 35 so far, so things are going pretty well. I can tell you that it feels great to be able to ride up (as opposed to having to walk) a 4 mile fire road and not be completly red in the face from exertion. Having friends and coworkers notice you getting slimmer is a big motivator, too.
Best of luck!!!
I'm with you, I haven't doing much impact after my knee surgery. It's all swimming, rowing, xc skiing, elpticals, and riding for me.SilentJ said:Yay for impact!
You probably have 2 free consultations. Most trainers will take you through a routine as a sample of how they would train you and what you can expect from setting up regular appointments with them. If you are unfamiliar with gym equipment, it's easy to forget everything they tell you and be confused about where to start when you come in on your own.
You might want to invest in a personal trainer for a month (once or twice a week) to get you started. Once you are familiar with the equipment, you could conduct your own workouts and do occasional "check-ups" with the trainer.
Get a notebook and keep track of your progress. It helped me to get a good book with plenty of illustrations of free weights, stretching exercises, and sample workouts.
Stick with it!! You will see results.
You might want to invest in a personal trainer for a month (once or twice a week) to get you started. Once you are familiar with the equipment, you could conduct your own workouts and do occasional "check-ups" with the trainer.
Get a notebook and keep track of your progress. It helped me to get a good book with plenty of illustrations of free weights, stretching exercises, and sample workouts.
Stick with it!! You will see results.
ThePriceSeliger said:
I was exactly the same way 10 years ago....I've been lifting/training etc...for almost 12 years now. My experience tells me that warmup is the most important thing combined with light stretching. Also, as good as it feels to stretch muscles between say, a set of bench presses or squats, it's actually counter-productive.
Another thing you should try once since the unmentionable is quickly approaching is cross country skiing. If you do it at a fairly rapid pace, especially the skate skiing, it will kick your ass.
I'd say start w/ 30 min's of cardio, 3 days a week
and mix it up, hit everything (treadmill, stair stepper, elipitical, stationary bike, spin bike, row machine, swimming)
if theres something you really dont like leave it out of your rotation
you could do 1 "thing" for 30 min's, or 2 for 15 min's each
Start adding time, 35 mins the 2nd week, 40 the week after that, and up to 60 mins........maybe add a day if you can (4 days/week)
Also, I'd also say get a trainer to show you around the weights, and then lift 2 times a week (maybe one upper body, one lower body)
most IMPORTANTLY, is don't be lazy and get your lazy ass TO THE GYM!!
oh yeah, but a HRM to keep yourself in the zone when doing your cardio
and mix it up, hit everything (treadmill, stair stepper, elipitical, stationary bike, spin bike, row machine, swimming)
if theres something you really dont like leave it out of your rotation
you could do 1 "thing" for 30 min's, or 2 for 15 min's each
Start adding time, 35 mins the 2nd week, 40 the week after that, and up to 60 mins........maybe add a day if you can (4 days/week)
Also, I'd also say get a trainer to show you around the weights, and then lift 2 times a week (maybe one upper body, one lower body)
most IMPORTANTLY, is don't be lazy and get your lazy ass TO THE GYM!!
oh yeah, but a HRM to keep yourself in the zone when doing your cardio
Almost as important is cool down, especially after a cardio workout. Never just "stop" when doing cardio....cool down is really important.SilentJ said:
Also, as good as it feels to stretch muscles between say, a set of bench presses or squats, it's actually counter-productive.
Stosh, the website I gave you has a wealth of information, from diet/nutrition, to workouts and excercise. There are also some workout sheets that you can just print out for your workout journal. There is also a diet adjuster, to help you set goals and gradually change your diet to a more healthy one. The site is backed by some very reputable sources (IMO).
Another note of interest, if you're trying to do this with Aubrey. Make sure you never tell each other your progress. That way differences will not discourage the other one.
Oh, BTW Stosh, I've lost another 30 lbs since you saw me last. 60lbs dropped in 1.5 years.
Another note of interest, if you're trying to do this with Aubrey. Make sure you never tell each other your progress. That way differences will not discourage the other one.
Oh, BTW Stosh, I've lost another 30 lbs since you saw me last. 60lbs dropped in 1.5 years.
stosh.. do yourself a favor and get the book "body for life" by bill phillips.. it explains everything from eating to working out and how to do so. well worth it!!!!
also if you wanted check out bicycling .com .. has a trainer.. from chris carmicheals people.. they set up a whole shcedule for you.. that incorparates working out and what ever aerobic excercises you want to do
also if you wanted check out bicycling .com .. has a trainer.. from chris carmicheals people.. they set up a whole shcedule for you.. that incorparates working out and what ever aerobic excercises you want to do
This about the number one best advice right there. No matter what it takes get to the gym. With school work and my family, I have had to take a posture of gym=high priority. The reason is simply, my health.douglas said:
There are varying ideas of how to work out. I like to do 30 minutes, minimum 3 times a week cardio on that contraption I posted. Then I do the weight circuit. At first cover the basics, and stick with it. Then as you get more comfortable, you can begin to adjust based on what you feel you may need.
Everyone does it different, and not everyone is wrong. These are just ideas from people that do go to the gym. My pay off was a 36 lbs weight loss so far, and muscle tone. My physique is such that Im built like a damn linebacker, so my chest, even with just muscle toning as opposed to building, is still big. One day youll be pumping CAD and youll go to scratch your back, and youll be like ..What the hell is that? Then youll realize its muscle you didnt know you had.
Whatever way you go, if youre consistent, it WILL pay off. Youll look and feel great! I promise!
isn't there a fitness/nutrition forum here somewhere? i swear i've seen it.
douglas said:
I have actually had some of my best workouts on days where I was tired or didn't feel like going to the gym, but went anyway.
Also, if you feel it takes forever to get through 20-30 minutes of cardio, bring along your .mp3 player or walkman and use it during your eliptical / treadmill time. Music makes the time go by a lot faster. Some places have tv's and a fm channel you can tune into to hear the tv broadcast as well.
I definitely agree with others that consistency is the key. You get NO benefit at all if you don't go, as opposed to only a reduced benefit from doing a program that's not ideal. Besides, unless you go in with no direction and no clue, you'll probably improve pretty quickly in the early stages.
For me, that means not having too structured a schedule/program and getting as much cardio-type stuff done outside on a bike as I can. I basically do the same program I was doing throughout high school when I was playing football (3x a week, only a few set lifts with mandated set/rep numbers). Plus, since I've been doing it for about 6-7 years, I don't write anything down or need to keep track; I just know what I have to do. It's not the best but I like it and enjoy it so I am more likely to go to the gym.
For me, that means not having too structured a schedule/program and getting as much cardio-type stuff done outside on a bike as I can. I basically do the same program I was doing throughout high school when I was playing football (3x a week, only a few set lifts with mandated set/rep numbers). Plus, since I've been doing it for about 6-7 years, I don't write anything down or need to keep track; I just know what I have to do. It's not the best but I like it and enjoy it so I am more likely to go to the gym.