I went back to the gym today to ask them about that body fat muscle mass index stuff and they said they'd have a trainer call me in a day or 2, measure me. The guy talking to me proceeded to magically become a salesman and started talking about training programs that cost $800+ dollars.
Everywhere you f'in go man. Everywhere you f'in go.
BTW, I don't know what kind of aerobic exercising if any you're doing, but I highly recommend HIIT (high intensity interval training). You'll burn FAR more fat than just exercising at a steady pace or going at the pace some expensive machine tells you to go at. There's a lot of scientific research behind it. You can look it up online but basically (like the name sounds) you have brief intervals of very high intensity followed by low intensity recovery intervals. When I do HIIT running, for example, I might run almost as hard as I can (maybe 95% effort) for 20 seconds followed by 60 seconds of low intensity. Then 20 seconds of high, 60 of low, etc. You'll want to vary things up: after a couple of weeks, do 15 high/45 low intensity, then maybe 30/90, etc. The Concept II rowing machines are good for this type of workout too, and you may find others that work well. Some aerobic machines don't work very well for the high intensity periods though.
A couple of notes:
-Make sure you warm up for a few minutes before going at a high intensity and cool down for a few min before stopping.
-HIIT training works very well but it's tough on your central nervous system. I think most trainers would recommend that you not do HIIT on two consecutive days. If you're also weight-lifting, I'd say don't do both on the same day and make sure you have one or two days a week of just rest.
-Unless you're in very good shape already, you're probably gonna feel pretty wiped out after just a few rounds of high then low intensity intervals. That's fine. You'll get more out of 10 min of that than an hour on the treadmill at a slow pace. Basically, HIIT and weight-lifting are the only two ways to speed up your metabolism and help you burn fat not only during but even for many hours after exercising. Even when I was exercising pretty hardcore and at a very low bf% (around 6 at one point), I wouldn't do more than eight rounds of high and low intensity. It would be an exhausting but rewarding 20 or 25 min workout.
Actually Bonn, I pretty much do nothing but cardio, at the very moment. I'm going to start with the weight lifting though, sooner than later. Your idea sounds pretty good though. I haven't been doing running on the treadmill though, just b/c I'm a little worried about my knees and lower back and such. I have been doing elyptical for 30 minutes, going what I think is fast, and I'm working to make it faster. Then I do 12 minutes on the stair master (Working to make it longer) and 15 minutes just walking fast on the treadmill. I do that 5 days a weeks and it's a heck of a workout, but I know I have to start changing things up soon. There's a machine or two I'd like to give a try. I'm actually not sure what they are called, but it looks like the elytical, kind of, but it's a little different. It's supposedly harder. Wind sprints are also a great thing. I suppose that fits in with your HIIT idea though.
A friend of mine also tells me it's not so good to lift and do cardio in the same day, (Or at least a lot of both) but I just don't see it. I'll see. For at least this week though, I'm going to stick with the cardio. And I'm also only using my bathroom scale from this point foward.
Allanfan: Your welcome for all my helpful advice.
I like Bonn's advice. It's dreamy.
Here's what I do and I believe it to be perfect.
Two days on. One day off. Stretch. Run. I base my lifting off of bench press, dead lifts, 21s, and squats. So for bench press day, I do other chest exercises. Dead lift day I focus on back, etc. That stuff is usually equated with power lifting, but I do 4 sets of 10-12 reps and base my routing off those exercises because they are the largest muscle groups really get your muscles burning more energy throughout the course of the day. If you're trying to lose weight, think of you muscle as your engine and the bigger the engine the more that's burned when idling. When I'm lifting I only take a minute of rest because I'm trying to break a sweat.
[Edited by - supremecommander on 06-23-2009 5:15 PM]
Alanfan, what I've heard from many good people is that cycling is a great way to lose weight.
You can use it for transportation, recreation, or just fitness. Everyone can ride. The start-up is low. And it's FUN, so it will keep you coming back for more and feeling good.
Running is boring, all that stuff is boring. Just get a nice road bike and cruise around, man. You'll be good.
Edit:
don't weigh yourself. Weight fluctuates for many reasons, maybe even water. How much water you have in you. Also, always weigh yourself naked, clothes weigh a lot. Just weigh yourself every 2 weeks. And get on a road bike, not a mountain bike. Just do it bro..
Edit:
I just read SC's post. I disagree that you need strength training, at least not right now. Just do the cycling, nothing else, and that's it. You can always hit the weights when you lose some pounds. Your goal isn't to build muscle mass, it's to slim down and tone down. Get on a bike, get on a road bike, dude.
Edit:
Dude, another way to lose weight, although not very popular or appealing, is to go on a FAST!! I read it in this great book, called 'The Santa Barbara Diet'..this guy knows what he is talking about. He lost 40 pounds in 6 weeks.
He says that fasting is only hard the first 2 days. You get used to it after that. And you drink lemmon water. It might not be the healthiest, you will probably suffer a little, but the human body and mind are resilient. You will recovery quickly and be much lighter. The long term benefits far outweigh the short-term suffering and damage a fast inflicts.
If you're really serious about changing your life then you will fast, and you will endure the suffering. Just think of how great it will be to be 40 pounds lighter in 6 weeks. Unbelievable, bro.
Dude just fast
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 06-24-2009 12:56 AM]
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 06-24-2009 12:57 AM]
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 06-24-2009 01:06 AM]
Orange. That's a horrible, inhealthy (Mentally and physically) and disturbing way to lose weight. First off, I'm not on a race. I don't have a deadline. If I lose it by January, cool. If I lose it whenever, cool. I'm just trying to get the job done.
Secondly, fasting does not lead to any kind of lifestyle. You probably go back to the lifestyle yoou were at. I'm not dieting. I'm changing my lifestyle to something I can live with for the rest of my life. I don't know about you, but drinking lemon water is not something I'm interested in.
If you lose 40 lbs in 6 weeks, your setting your body up for something similar to what Eddie Curry went through. You have to make things gradual. My goal is 4 lbs a week. Meaning 24 in six weeks. Not 60.
Cycling is cool once in awhile, but getting a bike and making that your main source or excercise is not good. You'll get a workout, but you'll have to break and cruise a lot, and that goes against my theory. What I'm doing is probably 10 times better, and I already mentioned it, I believe.
Strength training is HUGE for losing weight. Doing cardio helps you burn more fat and calories NOW, but lifting weights is big for your metabolism in the long run. It's important to do both.
Thank you for the advise to you and everyone else in this thread btw, except of course Bippity10.
PS: My long term goal is to tone up. Just get in good shape. I don't want to be a skinny minny. I'm going to keep doing my cardio training for now though, b/c what I'm doing is really good. My first goal is to just burn the gut off. When that's making some real progress, I'm going to start doing a little less cardio and I'm going to lift weights.
Awesome, bro, victory will be yours soon, YOU ARE HUNGRY I CAN FEEL IT. ROCK ON
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 06-24-2009 02:01 AM]
I found a picture that I think will help you
Posted by Bonn1997:
I found a picture that I think will help you
ummm, what is that strange liquid in front of the scale.....
allanfan, you're being a girl about all this. just remember that wings and suds are the basic building blocks of a happy and fulfilled life and stop watching so much oxygen and lifetime tv.
you're welcome.
Posted by jimimou:
Posted by Bonn1997:
I found a picture that I think will help you
ummm, what is that strange liquid in front of the scale.....
What do you think it is?
It looks like water, hence the towel. The person on the scale obviously just got out of the shower.
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 06-24-2009 08:40 AM]
Posted by orangeblobman:
It looks like water, hence the towel. The person on the scale obviously just got out of the shower.
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 06-24-2009 08:40 AM]
can anyone say leaky faucet?
Posted by jimimou:
Posted by orangeblobman:
It looks like water, hence the towel. The person on the scale obviously just got out of the shower.
[Edited by - orangeblobman on 06-24-2009 08:40 AM]
can anyone say leaky faucet?
LOL, like drippings??
Allan: I just wanted to say your welcome again. Since you said thank you so many times, I feel like I should say your welcome again.
INGRATE!
Posted by Bippity10:
Allan: I just wanted to say your welcome again. Since you said thank you so many times, I feel like I should say your welcome again.
INGRATE!
If you read my last post, you would have seen that my thank yous are directed towards everyone in this thread towards you.
Stop being such a malcontent and just accept my slap in the face to you.
Posted by Marv:
allanfan, you're being a girl about all this. just remember that wings and suds are the basic building blocks of a happy and fulfilled life and stop watching so much oxygen and lifetime tv.
you're welcome.
lol. I'm with Marv on this one.
OK. I bought a new scale today. I weighed myself and I'm 259 lbs. This is THE scale I'll be using from this point foward.
Total official weight loss so far: 17.5 lbs.
[Edited by - Allanfan20 on 29-06-2009 12:01 PM]
Posted by Allanfan20:
OK. I bought a new scale today. I weighed myself and I'm 259 lbs. This is THE scale I'll be using from this point foward.
Total official weight loss so far: 17.5 lbs.
[Edited by - Allanfan20 on 29-06-2009 12:01 PM]
awesome dude... I'm bored and an exercise enthusiast--what's your exercise objectives and what would be considered a success? how are you getting there?
