fitness

[livelyjay]

how long have you been lifting?
I've been working out for a long time, since junior year in high school (1996). It was never a religion for me like it is to many people. I never used a notebook to track what I was doing every day, nor did I have enough equipment. In college I went pretty much every night with my friend. I got up to 225 bench (not max, but a couple of reps at that weight) and decent squats. Now it's down to a few times a week, but I go for a 30 minute walk every morning and afternoon (will turn into jogging once I am cleared to do it).

what do you use(supplements)?
None.

do you concentrate on anything?
Right now I am concentrating on rehabbing from ACL replacement surgery and maniscal cartilage repair, so quads and hams are the most important now. Biceps, triceps, and shoulders are my main concern for the upper body. I'm also concentrating on getting rid of my gut.

and stats if you care like sharing.
5'10", 195lbs
I've lost 10 pounds since my operation. Eating a minimal amount while sitting on the couch for 4 weeks helped, and my body trying to rebuild the quad muscle is helping pull extra weight out of the rest of my body.

On a good note, I finally get to start using the stairmaster, elliptical/cross-trainer, and swimming!

 

[ms3guy22]

my friend tore is acl and the slow rebuilding of his quad and calve is killing him

 

[Rickman]

Wow, I'm glad I just saw this thread. Can I ask you guys for some advise?

I've just discovered that I'm having my first baby around June. And I really want to get back into shape. Not that I'm overweight, but I can tell I just need it. I'm about 5' 8" and weigh around 160-170 so I pretty much straddle the normal/overweight line according to BMI.

All through high school and college I was pretty thin (5' 8" 130-140). This was with absolutely no effort to stay that way. After college once I started my career as a graphic designer, I pretty much became a desk jockey. I've never been a very active person, and it's never been a problem until the last few years.

I've tried the gym, but I'm not the "gym" type of guy. I can't commit to it and I don't want to spend the money.

What should I do to easily trim back down? I'm not looking to "buff" up necessarily, just cut some weight and get into better condition overall.

As of this week I've started getting up 1-2 hours early and running for as long as I can take it (I'm also asthmatic).

Any advice on a workout routine?

 

[jred321]

the biggest thing is to stick with it. a lot of people start and then will stop a few weeks later. to really see results it takes time so just keep doing it, keep pushing yourself and don't get discouraged.

there are 2 factors to getting in shape: diet and exercise. a lot of people do 1 or the other but you need both. for diet just eat like you've been told your whole life. normal size portions, vegetables, lean meats, etc... you don't seem too overweight or anything so you don't have to cut back on the things you enjoy severely but just keep an eye out for it.

for exercise running is great for you so keep that up. 5 miles/day 5 days a week is a pretty good workout but don't rush into it or you'll get injured. another cheap, easy thing to do is crunches, push ups and pull ups before or after your run. if i was just running i'd do a few rounds of crunches before and then some push ups, pull ups and something like 8 minute abs after.

when i recently moved temporarily for work i decided i wasn't going to join a gym and instead do a workout similar to what i just posted. after trying it i found out that running is just too boring for me so instead of running now i got a mountain bike and will take that out for as long as daylight lasts after work. it's way more fun for me and the climbs are a good cardio workout plus you get the fun of decents and the challenge of obstacles. i also joined a gym because they had a 4 month no pita cancellation membership for $100. i haven't been much but once it starts to get dark when i leave work i will start going again

 

[Rickman]

Thanks for the advice. I do have a bike I never use. Maybe I'll alternate between running and biking (pretty much only streets and sidewalks where I live though). I know I can ride better than I can run.

I'll also cut out the trips to Diary Queen.

How long, typically, should it take to see results if I run or bike 5 days a week and do some of those other excersizes you mentioned? I did actually do a bunch of pull ups and sit ups today after my run. I know I can't do five miles running now, that would kill me. But I'll work up to it.

I know once I start seeing the results I'll be more motivated to keep it up. Maybe I'll run in the mornings and do a ride after work?

 

[jred321]

well that depends on what you want to see as a result. rather than setting something like a weight goal i prefer to set things like exercise goals and let the weight do what it wants (muscle weighs more than fat so as you increase strength, which is a good thing, your weight might stay the same but your body compsition will change). so let's say for now you can only run 2 miles, do 20 sit ups, 20 push ups and 3 pull ups. in 1-2 months you could probably push that to running 5 miles, 50 sit ups, 50 push ups and 6 pull ups. i don't really know what your weight will be but you'll have results and you'll feel a million times better and begin to understand why all of those crazy people exercise in some way every day.


there's also that P90x thing that they have infomercials for all of the time. they make it sound great, who knows it it'll actually work in practice but that's a 90 day program

 

[Rickman]

I'm not looking for rushed results. I just know I'll be more motivated when I see my love handles start to go away. I don't have a "belly" per-se, but my size 32 pants do seem a bit tighter than they did a year ago. 3-5 years ago I wore size 30 pants.

Sadly because of my asthma and long inactivity, I can only run about a mile or so now... and some of that is only fast walking. I can actually run pretty fast if I need to, just not for very long. But hopefully this will give me a cardio and respiratory workout as well and get my endurance up a bit.

I've seen that infomercial and it seems too good to be true.

 

[jred321]

have you talked to your dr about your asthma lately? maybe he could have some sort of pill or something to help you out since they have a pill for everything now

 

[S.A.MSP]

i need to get my ass in the gym took a little time off, been lifting on and off since 2004 (jr. yr. of HS). tried a few different stuff, creatine, protein shakes, etc. in jr. year i weighed 135lbs with a goal weight of 180lbs, today i weigh 175lbs and i'm 6'1", i ate alot to get where i am, in 2006 i lifted everyday for 8 months straight, i weighed 155 then and was benching 270, i had the strengh but i wanted the size so i stopped cold turkey and just started eating alot and now i just have to get back on track but it sucks going to the gym alone but i'm going tonight because i need to get rid of stress

 

[Rickman]

have you talked to your dr about your asthma lately? maybe he could have some sort of pill or something to help you out since they have a pill for everything now

Yeah, I've tried everything. I don't take any regular medications for it. I do keep a perscription albuterol inhailer with me at all times just in case. I go through about 1 a month.

It's actually a lot better now than it used to be. I was hospitalized 4-5 times as a child because it got so bad. I also know my triggers now, so I know what to avoid. I can also tell when I'm pushing myself too hard/far.

 

[livelyjay]

my friend tore is acl and the slow rebuilding of his quad and calve is killing him

I'm one of the few lucky/smart ones who researched their butt off before having the procedure done. A friend one mine who had similar work done told me there are three important things to do before surgery: Stretching, Cycling, Stretching. Keeping my flexibility up has helped my recovery ten fold. I'm at least a month ahead of this other guy in rehab and I had the procedure done 1 week before him.

 

[livelyjay]

I'm not looking for rushed results. I just know I'll be more motivated when I see my love handles start to go away. I don't have a "belly" per-se, but my size 32 pants do seem a bit tighter than they did a year ago. 3-5 years ago I wore size 30 pants.

Sadly because of my asthma and long inactivity, I can only run about a mile or so now... and some of that is only fast walking. I can actually run pretty fast if I need to, just not for very long. But hopefully this will give me a cardio and respiratory workout as well and get my endurance up a bit.

I've seen that infomercial and it seems too good to be true.

I used to have seriously bad asthma. Nebulizer, all kinds of pills, inhalers, oxygen tank at the house for emergencies, etc. In HS and college it was down to two pills a day and inhaler as needed (once every day or two). At one point I just stopped taking my pills and I really couldn't tell the difference. Now I use my inhaler about once a week, and it's only because I haven't been keeping up with my allergy meds, which is one generic Claritin a day. If I keep up with that, I use my inhaler once a month.

One thing that helped with asthma is swimming. I took swimming lessons when I was little and it helped out a lot with the asthma, and keeping in shape as well.

 

[Mr. Win]

Running is a dedication thing... When I start I could barely run a mile and when I did I was dying. I kept at it. Alternated bike and running. Then within a month or two I was running three miles. Don't be afraid to walk. Something I run as far as I could then turn around a walk/jog back. Each time I ran to the same spot... going a little further each time. Fitness takes time... and dedication. Jred is right its about diet and excercise not just one or the other. But don't let dieting own you! Don't feel bad cause you had a few beers one night or ate some sweets. Enjoy it! Then you should be good without it for a little while.

 

[livelyjay]

Here's a question I have been wanting to ask for a long time: How do I get stronger? I am basically back to square 1 right now because I had to take so much time off for my knee to recover. I have a decent body mass right now, but I'm weak as hell. What should I concentrate on so I can work on my overall strength?

 

[ms3guy22]

like stupid strong or what, try lifting heavy and doing negatives, that i know for sure will help. i think for how i look i'm pretty strong. i'm wasn't complaining about strenght, i was talking about size

 

[livelyjay]

When I was working out about 5 times a week I plateaued at 225 bench and only three or four reps per set. Like S.A.MSP mentioned, he weighed 155 and could bench 270. That's the kind of strength I am talking about. Maybe not that much, but I would like to be able to get 5 or more reps, for three sets, of 225 without being dead tired afterwards.

Am I supposed to start with light weights and a lot of reps and work my way up, or do I start with heavier weights, fewer reps, and work my way up? I know this isn't going to come about immediately either, but I just want to be put on the correct path from the start.

 

[Mr. Win]

Lively - If you've been out of practice for a while i'd start with a slightly higher rep count for about 8 weeks. Your basic 12-10-8 with a heavy set for 3. Try using dumbbell is your having problems with the straight bar. Put a focus on compound lifts... Bench, Deads, and Squats. Below is a great routine.

I'll do my best to try and remember all the elements that make the program work.

The premise of the routine is progressive overload, meaning that every week you are putting increasing amounts of stress on the muscles, generally through small increases in the amount of weight used. The progressive overload forces the body to grow to adapt to the increasing amounts of stress, even though the body really isnt training to failure.

The routine consists of choosing a heavy compound exercise to use for each bodypart, these can include, squat, deadlifts, bench press, close grip bench, standing barbell curls, military press, etc. On top of the initial 5x5, you also choose 2 other exercises, and aim to do 2 sets on each, of 8-10 reps per set. Here's a sample routine
Chest Flat bench 5x5 incline
dumbell press 2x8-10
incline flyes 2x8-10

The key for me when using this routine is to start light, at weights that you can easily nail your reps and concentrate on form. For example, say you can bench 225lbs for 8 reps, start with 195lbs on the bar. This should be easy, but if you keep your reps slow and in control, you will still get a good pump and have a good workout. Next week, bump up the weight by a SMALL increment, remember the key is to be able to keep adding weight, it's not a race to get to the massive poundages. If you add too quickly you will plateau in a hurry and the routine wont do jack for you. So you hit 5x5 on 195, next week its 200, the week after 205, etc. When you get to a point where you're starting to have trouble hitting your reps, add something extra to help, if you're natural, thats when I would throw in creatine and whatever else as this will help you keep adding weight. If you dont get all 5x5, then do not add more weight next week, stick with the same and the odds are you'll hit it next time you try.

This routine is very effective as it targets fast twitch muscle fibres(5x5) as well as slower twitch(8-10reps) all in the same workout. Generally when done correctly you can gain lots of size as well as some pretty incredible strength all at the same time. I'm only a bodybuilder and dont give a rat's ass about strength, but have hit lifts (ie, deadlift 550lbs for 5 reps) that would allow me to compete as a powerlifter.

I've got a nice collection of lifting workouts if your looking for something particular.

 

[livelyjay]

Thanks for the input. Deads and squats are way out of the picture because I'm not allowed to do anything more than a partial squat with my own body weight. Remember, I'm 9 weeks into an ACL and meniscus repair.

The past two weeks I have just been doing 3x15 with a low weight on the bench, pulldowns, rows, dumbbell curls, and overhead tri extensions. I bumped up the weight on the curls and tri extensions and moved down to a 3x10. I don't have a gym membership, so access to machines is pretty limited and my dumbbell collection is limited as well (I'll hit up craigslist soon).

Thanks for the suggestions, but the program you outlined is more for body building and not strength training right? So should I apply the same technique, only with lighter weight and more reps, then increase the weight slowly every week?

 

[SuperStretch18]

how long have you been lifting?
I just re-joined the gym in August. Used to lift in high school, but that probably don't count since that was 10+ years ago. After that started skating, which was probably the best shape I've ever been in. Been about five years since any real excercise.

what do you use(supplements)?
Only supplement I use is whey protein, but after reading this, I need to re-check the brand and type. Good diet though. No red meat, no pork, no soda, very little sugar intake. Lots of chicken & fish, veggies, etc. I probably do get too many carbs, but the wife is italian, so what can I do...

do you concentrate on anything?
I work on everything. Cardio to warm up and down every time I go (about three times a week). Not looking for size as much as strength and speed, so I tend to not max out on weight and focus on more reps at a relatively quick pace. Over did it a bit last time though and needed to take most of this week off to recoup...

6'4", fluxuate from 195 - 200. Not concentrating on weight so much, but do want to get my body fat analysis done soon...

 

[Mr. Win]

Thanks for the input. Deads and squats are way out of the picture because I'm not allowed to do anything more than a partial squat with my own body weight. Remember, I'm 9 weeks into an ACL and meniscus repair.

The past two weeks I have just been doing 3x15 with a low weight on the bench, pulldowns, rows, dumbbell curls, and overhead tri extensions. I bumped up the weight on the curls and tri extensions and moved down to a 3x10. I don't have a gym membership, so access to machines is pretty limited and my dumbbell collection is limited as well (I'll hit up craigslist soon).

Thanks for the suggestions, but the program you outlined is more for body building and not strength training right? So should I apply the same technique, only with lighter weight and more reps, then increase the weight slowly every week?

This is for strength training. Apply the exact same technique with comfortable weight for yourself.