Periodical Workout Thread ...

What a timely thread...I just started my workout back up today. 18 months ago I was nearly back to 'high school' shape. Then I got lazy...yada yada...

My thing has always been that I DREAD working out, running, stationary biking, etc. I was in my best shape back in HS when I played hockey. And I couldn't get enough of it...I'd be on the ice 3-4 hours a day. Hockey = fun; running = mindnumbing.

So, after my on-and-on workout and diet regimes for the past 10-15 years, my plan now is to do something 'fun' and athletic for at least :30 mins a day; lifting, biking, tennis, whatever...and also slowly start to cut out junk food and fast food.

Now I've gotta go see what all of this burnthefast stuff is about...
 
So, we're all gonna look like this?
matthew_mcconaughey300withdog.jpg
 
Agree with Terry , Crystal Light is a nice way to change up drinking straight water...but John's also right, the negligible amounts do add up, so maybe as a way to "change up" from non-stop water, but still should drink straight water at least part of the time.

J.R. Hudson said:
Dumbells. Invest in dumbells !
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I wholeheartedly agree ... even when I was going to a gym, 98% of my workout was with dumbbells. The other 2% was when I got tired of waiting for the dumbbells and used some of the machines, and my cardio days I used the treadmill/stairclimber/cycling machines.

I had a list of several exercises for each muscle group that could each be performed with dumbbells. So each time I returned to a particular muscle group I would use the next exercise in the list. So every week I was doing different exercises but working the same muscle groups.

Michael Anthony Horrigan said:
I still have a set. I want to hit the bike and lose some pounds first before bulking up. I need to get my body fat percentage down. :thumbup:
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I used to do the same thing ... spent hours and hours on the treadmill and/or bike and ignored the weights .. with little to no result. When I switched to the system I used successfully for several years, I did a mixture of weight training and cardio. Monday/Wednesday/Friday - weights, Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday - cardio. Each week changed on weights, one week was M/F upper body, W lower body, then the next week M/F lower body, W upper body. The weight workouts lasted 45 - 60 minutes and the cardio only 20 minutes. I found that the weight training did more for losing weight than anything else I ever tried.
 
Ah, just came back from the gym and I'm DRENCHED in sweat haha. Feels great actually. You know what I need to do again? I have to set up my workout schedule again (ie - back/tri, chest/bi, legs/shoulders days)

One of my main problems I realized is that I HATE cardio. I don't mind riding a bike, but there's so much snow and ice around here, it makes it difficult, if not dangerous to do so. Then I thought, well my gym has TVs on the cardio machines. I end up getting wrapped up in the show and forgetting that I'm supposed to be moving my legs. Then I figured, "oh, I'll listen to my iPod and judge my time by averaging 4 minute songs". Then I end up being sucked into plugging my headphones into the TV and watching the show.

Damn technology! Any tips for getting my ass back into doing cardio? Not that I was ever in to doing cardio...but still.

-Kegan
 
I used to do the same thing ... spent hours and hours on the treadmill and/or bike and ignored the weights .. with little to no result. When I switched to the system I used successfully for several years, I did a mixture of weight training and cardio. Monday/Wednesday/Friday - weights, Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday - cardio. Each week changed on weights, one week was M/F upper body, W lower body, then the next week M/F lower body, W upper body. The weight workouts lasted 45 - 60 minutes and the cardio only 20 minutes. I found that the weight training did more for losing weight than anything else I ever tried.
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Probably the mixture of the two. Running by itself will help, and working out by itself will as well, but the two combined do wonders. :)
 
Yea, the mixture is the best... but I actually often missed the cardio days because of work schedules. And had the best results of my life by doing the weights 3 days a week and nothing else. And that's with driving 4 hours a day for work, sitting at my desk 8 hours, spending several hours at home sitting in front of the computer. I was more conscious of my eating as well, trying to keep my portion sizes down, but I was still eating what I liked, just not eating a lot of it, and tried to introduce more fruits/vegetables. Also reduced my soda intake to no more than 1 soda a day and drinking lots and lots of water.

And, Sundays were free days. No exercise and no diet .. eat whatever I want, as much as I want (though I found I didn't eat much more than I did during the week, though I would save my "desserts" for Sunday)
 
Kegan Sant said:
Ah, just came back from the gym and I'm DRENCHED in sweat haha. Feels great actually. You know what I need to do again? I have to set up my workout schedule again (ie - back/tri, chest/bi, legs/shoulders days)

One of my main problems I realized is that I HATE cardio. I don't mind riding a bike, but there's so much snow and ice around here, it makes it difficult, if not dangerous to do so. Then I thought, well my gym has TVs on the cardio machines. I end up getting wrapped up in the show and forgetting that I'm supposed to be moving my legs. Then I figured, "oh, I'll listen to my iPod and judge my time by averaging 4 minute songs". Then I end up being sucked into plugging my headphones into the TV and watching the show.

Damn technology! Any tips for getting my ass back into doing cardio? Not that I was ever in to doing cardio...but still.

-Kegan
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Have you tried the bicycles at the gym? I like to vary it up between treadmill, spin bike, and the stairs machine. Also, setting up goals might be a good motivational tool. What I found out works for me is making a playlist on my iPod, and dividing it into intervals of fast and light exercise (in this case, running, spinning)
 
Well, that's what I was using today - the bicycles at the gym. I also use the elliptical but everything has a TV! I have a Gazelle at home, but quite frankly it's useless. I was into buying those gimmicky workout machines a while ago. I have an Ab-Lounger, Gazelle and some new Rock N' Roll step thing from Tony Little.

I found that I only really used them right before I went out somewhere because it tightened my muscles a bit in a hurry. For longterm stuff? No chance.

-Kegan
 
I've lost 10kg and have another 10 to go.

Just started some boxing which will be great for me (so I can beat down kids talking at the cimema :thumbsup:). Did an hour and a half last night, was a group training and a couple pretty girls there definitely made it easier (suck in that stomach... suck in that stomach). Since losing some weight my cardio is 100% better without even trying.

I think the only way to lose weight is to find something you enjoy. If you don't enjoy running, stationary bike etc. you WILL NOT stick with it. My favourite exercise at the moment is skipping, I watch UFCs and just skip when the round timer's on. Going to buy a chin/dip machine soon.
 
I just broke another mile

8:46 ! (Total 1.82 Miles on the circuit)

Average 6.4 Mile

Yay !

(Plus upper body and all that nonsense)
 
Michael Anthony Horrigan said:
I still have a set. I want to hit the bike and lose some pounds first before bulking up. I need to get my body fat percentage down. :thumbup:
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The fastest way to lower your bodyfat is to start resistance training; a body with muscle burns calories even while sleeping.

1) Build Muscle

2 - 3 days a week for me

Increase the amount of muscle in your body. For every extra pound of muscle you put on, your body uses around 50 extra calories a day. In a recent study, researchers found that regular weight training boosts basal metabolic rate by about 15%. This is because muscle is ‘metabolically active’ and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you’re not moving.

Training with weights just 3 times a week for around 20 minutes is enough to build muscle. Not only will you be burning more calories, you’ll look better – whatever your weight.

2) Burning Calories for Activity

4 - 6 days a week !

This is the energy used during movement – from lifting your arm to operate the remote control to cleaning the windows. This accounts for approximately 30% of the calories burned by an average person.
3) Dietary Thermogenesis

EAT 5 to 6 Smaller meals a day ! (Between 320 and 425 Calories a meal)

The ‘thermogenic effect’ described as meal-induced heat production – the calories burned in the process of eating, digesting, absorbing and using food.

Drink at least a gallon of water a day !

-

That's the magic incredients right there !
 
Interesting thread...

For me, I started an exercise and weight loss plan in early December when I got engaged. My goal was to drop 50lbs of blubber that I had packed on eating pizza and desserts during the courtship of my fiancé's. The people around me noticed how big I was getting, but I was happy and in love so I sort of didn't pay as much attention as I should have.

That being said, in under three months of eating correctly (limiting my carb intake, cooking at home rather than eating out) and working out (30 minutes of cardio minimum at least 5 days a week, 3 days weight training at least 4 days a week, never the same cardio three days in a row) I have already lost 35lbs. I am 15 away from my initial goal weight or... well a lot more away from my baseball/college weight.

The thing is, once you get into a routine, regardless of what you are doing, weight drops. Toning is easy if you are patient and set goals throughout (get a tape measure and measure drops in waist and gut as well as gains in arms and legs).

People spend all this money joining gyms or buying home gym equipment (both of which I am guilty of in the past or present), but ultimately it just takes a little self motivation and setting small goals.

At this point I am realigning my goals to get back down to my college weight and physical condition. Is it going to happen by the wedding? Nope... but at the same time, I at least have a goal that I can continue to work towards. In the meantime I am just a couple of pounds away from hitting my initial goal weight and that is something to be proud of... Plus the fiancé likes that I'm trimming down because I had gotten really hefty there and second chins aren't attractive.

Eat right, do exercise that you enjoy and are physically able to do, and push through the pain... For me, I watch the Yankeeographys while I work out and it's easy to hit 48 minutes.
 
Now that's love haha. Gaining and losing 50lbs. Very inspiring Jeremy.

Back when I was younger, I was 5'5 and weighed 180 pounds. It wasn't pretty and I think I was 15 years old. I started to like a girl and knew there was no chance I'd get her looking the way I did. I started eating properly and exercising and I got down to 135lbs. Then I decided I could do WAY better than her haha and chose someone else.

I stayed around that weight for a few years and then my last relationship is when I packed on the pounds. Courtship really does that to a guy - I went up to around 150 and I'd grown a couple inches (5'7) so it wasn't too bad. I decided to turn that fat into muscle and I was solid for a while and now within the last few months I've gained weight without really noticing. I'm 185lbs now and let me tell you, not very much of it is muscle. My goal is to be 160lbs by April and be a little more solid all around.

Lowering your body fat is hard, so I can't be 160lbs of fat, I have to have a lower body fat (hoping for 10-12%!!...currently at 21% I think? Eek..)

-Kegan
 
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