I’m 41 and I’ve begun to exercise and lose weight for the last 6 weeks or so. I was drinking too much coke and have replaced about half of it with water so I’ve improved in this area although not as much as I’d like. I’m 5’8 and was up to 194 pounds at the end of last year, but I’m down to 178 now. I’d like to get back to 170 or even 165 in time.
I’ve got an exercise routine that I do daily, but it is just something I’ve come up with on my own so I don’t know if there is a better way than what I’m doing. For the last couple of months I do situps, and a couple of dumbbell exercises. I’m up to 30 situps daily. I’m not sure what to call these exercises so I’ll just describe them. I think the first one is a curl, I will stand and one arm at a time left a 10 pound dumbbell 30 times. After both arms are done, I will then keep my arm straight and lift the dumbbell away from my body in the direction of the arm - right arm lift towards the right until it is horizontal, let it drop and then repeat. 30 times for each arm.
I’ve certainly felt my abdominal muscles be tighter than they were before and my biceps are also larger and stronger.
Is there a better way to do what I am doing? Should I do 3 sets of 10 reps on each arm while going back and forth between arms or is 1 set of 30 just the same?
I’ve been doing this daily? Is this a good idea or bad, I’ve seen some mentions to every other day, but daily is easier for me to keep track of and stay with.
I’ve got a treadmill, but just haven’t got on it yet.
I’d love any advice you guys have for getting fit on top of what I’ve got going on now. I also take a daily multivitamin, Target generic I think.
Some guys here may call me a quack but I use the p90x program, it works and its hard ass hell. You should just cut soda altogether, the easiest way it to stop buying it!
Losing fat happens in the kitchen first. You need to kick the soda habit all together and focus on eating real food. Minimize things based on flour (pasta, etc).
As far as the weights, try to lift heavier. If you can lift 30 times straight, then it’s not enough of a challenge. It should be difficult to finish 8-10 reps.
Stay away from steady state cardio like jogging. Instead, stick to walking as much as possible. If somewhere you need to go is in walking distance rather than driving, then walk there. Sprint sessions are good maybe once a week. You don’t need more than total 2 minutes of all out sprints (break it up into 20 second blocks if you want) to get the same benefit as 30 minutes of “cardio.”
That’s pretty horrible advice. You had me on everything else. Walking is a very efficient human movement. You aren’t going to loose a lot doing that. At first you may, but only if you were a slug before.
I’m with dropping sugar. Know that sugar is worse in your diet than fat by a long shot.
Flour based anything I’d lose. Even when I make steak tacos, I use the corn tortillas that you have to cook before serving.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t burn much of anything doing “cardio” either. The benefits of exercise come during the recovery phase, not during the activity itself. The “calories burned” number on the treadmill is laughably bad, designed solely to keep you on the belt for longer so you can feel like you’ve done something for yourself. Hell, most of the number it gives you is how much you’ve burned by simply sucking air and living.
Walking a lot isn’t about burning fat, it’s about not being sedentary. That alone will pay huge dividends. Getting up to go work out for 30 minutes or an hour and then sitting back down again for the rest of the day at your desk or on the couch is a terrible way to go about things.
I’m not going to go into the issues with steady state “cardio,” as there are others here far more qualified than I (and lots of opinions either way). But the bottom line is that spending lots of time doing “cardio” may help someone lose “weight” up front, but it does not help body composition. If anything, an abundance of cardio decreases muscle mass (look at endurance athletes for an example) and increases the release of cortisol into the blood stream, which further drives fat retention- especially in the mid section. Cortisol can be good for short term workouts (heavy lifting or sprinting, for example) but WILL cause issues if too much continues to float around in the body.
If you look at the work of Tabata back in the mid 90’s, they pointed out then that short durations of maximum effort (i.e. sprinting) triggered the body to spin up all the same fat burning processes as “cardio” in far less time and with far less wear and tear on the joints.
If the OP wants to run a mile, then go for it. Running a mile or two isn’t going to cause too many problems, especially at a slower pace. But there are far more productive ways to spend 50 minutes in a gym than on an elliptical. Actual strength training, mobility work, and short intense bursts of activity like rowing, KB swings, boxing, or other activities. Those things will net far better results than mind-numbing “cardio.”
Thanks for all the advice guys. I am looking for the best for the bang in terms of effort and time. I’m using a 10# weight right now, so I should up this somewhat? How should I do the reps/sets? Should I do it everyday or every other day? Should I add anything else?
The benefits of cardio aren’t just in weight loss. I’m not advocating that one has to be a marathon runner to be in shape, but any unbalanced training regime will give unbalanced results.
If you are spending 50 minutes on an elliptical, you’d be much better spending half that time running. Elliptical machines are a poor substitute for running. Its easier because you aren’t working as hard. Treadmills don’t directly equal running on the road either. You can get closer with incline work, but I digress…
Some of the best training cycles I’ve had are running a fast mile (in the 5:40 range), then hitting the weights. I’ve had better increases doing this, only running maybe 6 miles a week, then training cycles where I hit 125 miles for the month. But both have their place, and not being in one routine for too long is key.
Most people don’t run because they are horrible at it, having no understanding or demonstrated ability as to proper running form.
Pace work is where I experienced more over training issues than doing distance work. If someone didn’t have a demonstrated ability as to proper running form, and can’t even run at any pace continuously for 30 minutes, I wouldn’t advocate doing wind sprints.
Congratulations on having the motivation to get started.
My advice, for what it is worth, is stick to the basics.
Get a two or three day a week whole body strength training program and a three to four day a week cardio program.
If you are short for time, 40 minutes resistance training follow by 20 minutes cardio Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Saturday. Evaluate after 3 months.
Nutrition. Try to restrict refined foods. An easy metaphor is cut out added sugar and white processed breads.
I eat varied fish, poultry, meat, olive oil, cheeses, vegetables, nuts, some fruit, and the occasional treat. No soda, juice, bread, pasta, cereal. Not for everyone.
Good luck.
PS My results could be genetic, but my weight is 5lbs below my HS weight from football, probably 6 to 10% body fat, I am in my mid 40s, strength on par from my mid 20s. I am lax on the cardio but still trying to motivate for more but the strength training has helped. Do probably tabata intervals a couple of times per month. My last treadmill test with Dr put me in the 99% whatever the F that means.
You cannot achieve a caloric deficit through exercise alone.
As was said before, weight loss starts in the kitchen. While many may disparage the Paleo eating lifestyle, I have used its principles to achieve my goals. I just turned 43 and am similar in height/weight as you, 5’7" and wasup to 196lbs. 4 months of a mostly Paleo eating lifestyle and some exercise got me down to 160lbs. I have re-started lifting again and am up to 170lbs with the added muscle. The eating lifestyle allowed me to see quick results, which inspired me to continue and suceed. I have never felt better. The diet change has also benefited my aches and pains. I used to live on ibuprofen. I can count on one hand the number of times I have taken any in the last 8 months now.
YMMV, but something to consider.
Keep up the motivation and good luck and continued sucess with better health and fitness.
Choclab’s advice is solid. I’m really just going to ad a few details on what he said, because I did not notice it in your initial post.
I don’t know what your background with weight lifting is, but since you weren’t sure that the exercises you are doing are called a curl, and a lateral raise respectively, I’m going to assume that knowledge is minimal.
My advice would be, if you can afford to, and one is close to you and that is join a gym, and take some personal training, requesting that you learn some basic weight lifting exercises. I think this is crucial because it really needs to be done correctly with proper form, and really you should have a professional show you how to do this. Primarily so that you’ll maximize the benefit of the workout, but more importantly so you don’t injure yourself.
If the above is not a possibility then starting out with a book on weightlifting and a bench in your garage, (or wherever) might work. You might also want to invest in another 10lb dumbell so that you have 2 and two 15lb dumbells, and maybe a 20lb dumbell. Some basic exercises are:
Bench press (Chest)
Bent Over Row (Back)
Squats (Legs)
Deadlifts(Legs, Lowerback)
Military Press (Shoulders)
Upright row (Upper back)
Lunges (Legs)
Curls(Biceps/Arms)
Tricep Curl (Triceps/back of the arm)
Calf Raises (Calves)
Crunches (Upper Abdominal/Stomach)
Flutter Kicks (Lower Abdominal/Stomach)
Push ups
This would be a good start for a whole body routine done every other day as Choclab mentioned. If you go the second route and work as a do-it-yourselfer, then it MUST be overemphasized that when you are lifting you should do it slow, maintaining full control of the weight and going the full range of movement, again for benefit, but most importantly injury avoidance especially for the squats and deadlifts.
Alan, the way you are describing what you are doing suggests that you have limited if no experience working out. I recommend you go to a gym and work with a trainer so you can establish a good foundation for you workouts.
I agree, I do have no experience working out. Problem is I don’t have the time to get to the gym. It really is the reason I’m asking here. I’ve learned a lot of stuff over the Internet so I was hoping to learn something on this. I’m looking to improve or correct on what I’m doing. BrigandTwoFour sent me a pm about simplefit.com so I may get started there once I get a pullup bar.
Bodybuilding.com tons of info, workouts, meal plans and much more. Im 6’ 4" I went from 260 to 195. Sitting around 205 now with the help of that site. A great cardio workout is called intervals which you could do outside. Do a 2 min warmup just walking then run as hard as you can for a min straight then jog for 30 secs then run again for 1 min then back to jog for 30secs. Keep doing this until you hit 16mins. Studies show this workout is just like jogging for 45mins straight. You need to keep shocking your body to keep getting results with a good diet and workouts from bodybuilding.com you should do great
I don’t think some of the folks here understand how much of a beginner you are as far as fitness and nutrition is concerned. Just based on your original post, I am fairly confident that your knowledge base is extremely limited or outdated (not a dig on you). I am with the couple of posters who recommend a trainer.
Here is what I recommend:
See a nutritionist. One or two appointments and she should be able to get your diet sorted out and tailored to you. She can also help explain the basics of physiological processes related to exercise/nutrition. You can go cheap and use the internet but you will have to weed through a lot of bs to get to solid information. Honestly, the investment will be worth it in the long run.
Set up an assessment/physical training session. Some gyms offer this service or you may be able to find a studio or an individual who may even come to you. Go with a reputable individual. This person should be able to set up a beginner level program for you to follow to strengthen your body. Your program right now is very, very one dimensional and while better than nothing, working a part of your core and 30 rep bicep curls is NOT acceptable for a PT regimen. The trainer will also ensure your form which is a major factor in injury prevention. When you progress enough, see the trainer again to shake things up. Eventually you will be confident enough to progress on your own.
See a sports medicine doctor. Have him do a work-up and disclose all previous injuries. Show him your nutritional and exercise plans. Discuss goals and take into consideration any advice/critiques he has to offer.
Stay committed! Give yourself off days to recover and be somewhat flexible with your schedule. When you start to get bored, change your routine (seek out a trainer to help you until you have the confidence and knowledge base to do it yourself). There is a world of options out there: calisthenics, running, biking, swimming, sprinting, TRX, ropes, jump rope, weights (I like adjustable dumbells)/bench, kettle bells, pull-up bar, insanity, p90x (haven’t used this), or even zumba (I won’t laugh). Throw in activities such as hiking, biking, climbing, or just about any sport. If you enjoy shooting, add conditioning or PT into your training to elevate your heart rate/induce fatigue. If you’ve got a lawn and garden guy, consider doing it yourself or hand wash your own vehicles (time permitting). Just find ways to get off your butt.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: No one on this forum would tell a new shooter who just picked up his first glock to go and run this drill or that drill. Everyone would be harping on that individual to get proper training. That applies here as well. Bad habits and bad form are dangerous and counterproductive!!! Seek out professionals to guide you initially.
Alan - There is great advice in this thread. It’s good to see you being proactive in your phyiscal fitness and health. If there is anything else that I can add to the discussion is to remember that this is not only about phsyical conditioning, but mental conditioning as well. One of the things so often talked about on this forum is having the proper mindset. This should apply to your fitness regimen as well. If you truly want lasting permanent changes then you will have to subscribe to some hard lifestyle changes. Just remember this on those really tough days when it’s hard to find motivation. Actively manage that negative voice in your head telling you that you “can just make it up tomorrow” and just push through it. Good luck!