Finally going to get back into shape!

Lestratcaster

axisus said:

I spent years doing lots of strenuous exercise to lose weight. Never worked. 

Managed to finally start eating less. Lost weight.

The exercise is great to make you feel better, but definitely adjust your diet to lose weight.

I used to play football alot in my teens and 20's until the injury, kept me in good shape so I'm sure going to the gym 2-3 times a week will help.

octatonic

RedRabbit said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

It depends on the person, but my opinion is that is usually a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
People are really good at talking themselves out of being able to do things.

It doesn't really matter when you do it though.
I'd tend not to recommend cardio before strength training though, that is how people get injured- being tired and lifting heavy things.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

RedRabbit said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

It depends on the person, but my opinion is that is usually a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
People are really good at talking themselves out of being able to do things.

It doesn't really matter when you do it though.
I'd tend not to recommend cardio before strength training though, that is how people get injured- being tired and lifting heavy things.

I probably won't wanna be doing much weight stuff anyway in my first week or two? I don't even know what weights to be doing haha.

Blaendulais

Medically remember the most important muscle is your heart!  
Also don't expect anything spectacular in muscle gains - if you have decent testosterone levels (age related) and you train heavily and regularly and correctly, the studies show you will be lucky to gain 4 pounds in a year

This affects your metabolic/calorific requirement a lot less than the total bullshit a personal trainer will try and tell you

Also bear in mind if you are 70kg you will be doing well to burn 500 cals in an hour of training -the equivalent of a mars bar and a pack of crisps!!

Good luck you will feel so much better

You may find certain machines such as the elliptical make your achilles a little sore as there as often long term stiffness - it depends on the angle your foot subtends with your ankle when you stand on it

Lestratcaster

Blaendulais said:

Medically remember the most important muscle is your heart!  
Also don't expect anything spectacular in muscle gains - if you have decent testosterone levels (age related) and you train heavily and regularly and correctly, the studies show you will be lucky to gain 4 pounds in a year

This affects your metabolic/calorific requirement a lot less than the total bullshit a personal trainer will try and tell you

Also bear in mind if you are 70kg you will be doing well to burn 500 cals in an hour of training -the equivalent of a mars bar and a pack of crisps!!

Good luck you will feel so much better

You may find certain machines such as the elliptical make your achilles a little sore as there as often long term stiffness - it depends on the angle your foot subtends with your ankle when you stand on it

I'm not really looking to make any gains, just slim down and keep in shape really.

Yeah I'm a little worried about the achilles, when I first got injured it was swollen really bad, then as it got better I had a lot of scar tissue under. I had physio and some shockwave therapy which helped reduced it and I can move it free-er but its still not 100%. I can run on it and stuff but yeah those weights will be the test.

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

RedRabbit said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

It depends on the person, but my opinion is that is usually a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
People are really good at talking themselves out of being able to do things.

It doesn't really matter when you do it though.
I'd tend not to recommend cardio before strength training though, that is how people get injured- being tired and lifting heavy things.

I probably won't wanna be doing much weight stuff anyway in my first week or two? I don't even know what weights to be doing haha.

You do, but you want to do it properly otherwise you will get injured.

You want to be lifting weights because you have a mostly sedentary life (like most people) and we were not meant to have a mostly sedentary life.
We are basically 'monkeys with bills to pay' and the 'bills to pay' bit has overtaken our lives so much that we don't use our bodies the way we are meant to.
Lifting weights will condition your muscles, increase your strength, raise your metabolic rate, assist/maintain bone density.
You don't need to go to the gym to do this- body weight exercises like the press-up challenge are a pretty good way to get your body what it needs to do but probably doesn't.
If you did 30 press ups today and you've not done any for a bit I'd be pretty confident you'd be feeling it a day or so later.

If you've never lifted free weights before and can't or won't get some instruction in how to do it properly then I'd say it is probably safer to do so with body weight than free weights.

Squats, Dips, Pressups, Lunges, Planks are all you need to get started, or have a look at this if you want to get a few more exercises to do.

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/g23341982/best-bodyweight-exercises/

So yes start today, do as much as you can and then a bit more.

RedRabbit

octatonic said:

RedRabbit said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

It depends on the person, but my opinion is that is usually a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
People are really good at talking themselves out of being able to do things.

It doesn't really matter when you do it though.
I'd tend not to recommend cardio before strength training though, that is how people get injured- being tired and lifting heavy things.

Cheers.  Plan at the moment is to do body weight and kettle bell work in the mornings and half an hour on the treadmill at night.  When the morning workout gets a little easier I'll think about moving the cardio into the morning. 

Not really a fan of working out in the evening anyway. It only takes a late finish at work or bad traffic to make the evening feel rushed and I do like to have time to cook and de-stress when I get home.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

RedRabbit said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

It depends on the person, but my opinion is that is usually a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
People are really good at talking themselves out of being able to do things.

It doesn't really matter when you do it though.
I'd tend not to recommend cardio before strength training though, that is how people get injured- being tired and lifting heavy things.

I probably won't wanna be doing much weight stuff anyway in my first week or two? I don't even know what weights to be doing haha.

You do, but you want to do it properly otherwise you will get injured.

You want to be lifting weights because you have a mostly sedentary life (like most people) and we were not meant to have a mostly sedentary life.
We are basically 'monkeys with bills to pay' and the 'bills to pay' bit has overtaken our lives so much that we don't use our bodies the way we are meant to.
Lifting weights will condition your muscles, increase your strength, raise your metabolic rate, assist/maintain bone density.
You don't need to go to the gym to do this- body weight exercises like the press-up challenge are a pretty good way to get your body what it needs to do but probably doesn't.
If you did 30 press ups today and you've not done any for a bit I'd be pretty confident you'd be feeling it a day or so later.

If you've never lifted free weights before and can't or won't get some instruction in how to do it properly then I'd say it is probably safer to do so with body weight than free weights.

Squats, Dips, Pressups, Lunges, Planks are all you need to get started, or have a look at this if you want to get a few more exercises to do.

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/g23341982/best-bodyweight-exercises/

So yes start today, do as much as you can and then a bit more.

Ok so like you said, a mix of both with cardio. I will probably invest in a trainer though cos I need that structure and motivation otherwise I will get lazy and go off.

The first week or so is going to be killer cos I'm so out of shape haha.

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

Blaendulais said:

Medically remember the most important muscle is your heart!  
Also don't expect anything spectacular in muscle gains - if you have decent testosterone levels (age related) and you train heavily and regularly and correctly, the studies show you will be lucky to gain 4 pounds in a year

This affects your metabolic/calorific requirement a lot less than the total bullshit a personal trainer will try and tell you

Also bear in mind if you are 70kg you will be doing well to burn 500 cals in an hour of training -the equivalent of a mars bar and a pack of crisps!!

Good luck you will feel so much better

You may find certain machines such as the elliptical make your achilles a little sore as there as often long term stiffness - it depends on the angle your foot subtends with your ankle when you stand on it

I'm not really looking to make any gains, just slim down and keep in shape really.

Yeah I'm a little worried about the achilles, when I first got injured it was swollen really bad, then as it got better I had a lot of scar tissue under. I had physio and some shockwave therapy which helped reduced it and I can move it free-er but its still not 100%. I can run on it and stuff but yeah those weights will be the test.

I have an achilles problem too.
I'm not a doctor so I can't tell you what you should do but what helped massively with mine was the eccentric heel drop exercise:



Also have a read of this:
https://runnersconnect.net/achilles-tendonitis-and-insertional-achilles-tendinopathy-in-runners/

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

RedRabbit said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

It depends on the person, but my opinion is that is usually a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
People are really good at talking themselves out of being able to do things.

It doesn't really matter when you do it though.
I'd tend not to recommend cardio before strength training though, that is how people get injured- being tired and lifting heavy things.

I probably won't wanna be doing much weight stuff anyway in my first week or two? I don't even know what weights to be doing haha.

You do, but you want to do it properly otherwise you will get injured.

You want to be lifting weights because you have a mostly sedentary life (like most people) and we were not meant to have a mostly sedentary life.
We are basically 'monkeys with bills to pay' and the 'bills to pay' bit has overtaken our lives so much that we don't use our bodies the way we are meant to.
Lifting weights will condition your muscles, increase your strength, raise your metabolic rate, assist/maintain bone density.
You don't need to go to the gym to do this- body weight exercises like the press-up challenge are a pretty good way to get your body what it needs to do but probably doesn't.
If you did 30 press ups today and you've not done any for a bit I'd be pretty confident you'd be feeling it a day or so later.

If you've never lifted free weights before and can't or won't get some instruction in how to do it properly then I'd say it is probably safer to do so with body weight than free weights.

Squats, Dips, Pressups, Lunges, Planks are all you need to get started, or have a look at this if you want to get a few more exercises to do.

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/g23341982/best-bodyweight-exercises/

So yes start today, do as much as you can and then a bit more.

Ok so like you said, a mix of both with cardio. I will probably invest in a trainer though cos I need that structure and motivation otherwise I will get lazy and go off.

The first week or so is going to be killer cos I'm so out of shape haha.

Working with a trainer is a good way to do it.

There is a trap that people get into, which is once they get over the initial 'I haven't exercised for a while' hump and it starts to feel OK.
The trap is to not ramp up the intensity and to just plod along.
Our bodies are hugely adaptive.
We adapt to not using them pretty quickly and we also adapt to taking up the exercise pretty quickly too.

As soon as something feels OK it is time to change what you're doing and make it harder.
This is the way you progress.

Final thing is to remember to stretch, active stretching before exercise, passive exercising afterwards.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

RedRabbit said:

octatonic said:

Mix up cardio and strength training.
If you want to do something ever day then you could do:

Day 1: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 2: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 3: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 4: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 5: 30 mins weights, 20 min running/cardio
Day 6: 45 mins running/cardio
Day 7: Rest

@octatonic if doing the above do you think it makes much difference if you split the days with strength and cardio into morning and evening sessions? I prefer the idea of getting it all done in one block but, at the moment, if I'm doing a workout that pushes me then I doubt I could do the cardio after weights. 

It depends on the person, but my opinion is that is usually a mental barrier rather than a physical one.
People are really good at talking themselves out of being able to do things.

It doesn't really matter when you do it though.
I'd tend not to recommend cardio before strength training though, that is how people get injured- being tired and lifting heavy things.

I probably won't wanna be doing much weight stuff anyway in my first week or two? I don't even know what weights to be doing haha.

You do, but you want to do it properly otherwise you will get injured.

You want to be lifting weights because you have a mostly sedentary life (like most people) and we were not meant to have a mostly sedentary life.
We are basically 'monkeys with bills to pay' and the 'bills to pay' bit has overtaken our lives so much that we don't use our bodies the way we are meant to.
Lifting weights will condition your muscles, increase your strength, raise your metabolic rate, assist/maintain bone density.
You don't need to go to the gym to do this- body weight exercises like the press-up challenge are a pretty good way to get your body what it needs to do but probably doesn't.
If you did 30 press ups today and you've not done any for a bit I'd be pretty confident you'd be feeling it a day or so later.

If you've never lifted free weights before and can't or won't get some instruction in how to do it properly then I'd say it is probably safer to do so with body weight than free weights.

Squats, Dips, Pressups, Lunges, Planks are all you need to get started, or have a look at this if you want to get a few more exercises to do.

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/g23341982/best-bodyweight-exercises/

So yes start today, do as much as you can and then a bit more.

Ok so like you said, a mix of both with cardio. I will probably invest in a trainer though cos I need that structure and motivation otherwise I will get lazy and go off.

The first week or so is going to be killer cos I'm so out of shape haha.

Working with a trainer is a good way to do it.

There is a trap that people get into, which is once they get over the initial 'I haven't exercised for a while' hump and it starts to feel OK.
The trap is to not ramp up the intensity and to just plod along.
Our bodies are hugely adaptive.
We adapt to not using them pretty quickly and we also adapt to taking up the exercise pretty quickly too.

As soon as something feels OK it is time to change what you're doing and make it harder.
This is the way you progress.

Final thing is to remember to stretch, active stretching before exercise, passive exercising afterwards.

Again, referring to guitar lessons, I know for a fact if I don't push/motivate half my learners they would not pick it up and end up just leaving it to gather dust for years. Or just go back to how they used to, playing the same old stuff again.

So yeah I will have to up the workout intensity more, I saw some kickboxing classes or something I might try out too.

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Working with a trainer is a good way to do it.

There is a trap that people get into, which is once they get over the initial 'I haven't exercised for a while' hump and it starts to feel OK.
The trap is to not ramp up the intensity and to just plod along.
Our bodies are hugely adaptive.
We adapt to not using them pretty quickly and we also adapt to taking up the exercise pretty quickly too.

As soon as something feels OK it is time to change what you're doing and make it harder.
This is the way you progress.

Final thing is to remember to stretch, active stretching before exercise, passive exercising afterwards.

Again, referring to guitar lessons, I know for a fact if I don't push/motivate half my learners they would not pick it up and end up just leaving it to gather dust for years. Or just go back to how they used to, playing the same old stuff again.

So yeah I will have to up the workout intensity more, I saw some kickboxing classes or something I might try out too.

OK, sounds like you have your head screwed on- you should progress swiftly.
The hardest part is starting, so go start.

Martial arts sounds great, careful with your hands though.
I like cycling- it is low impact and provided you have a good degree of hip mobility you can do it for a long time and you see some nice scenery.

Lestratcaster

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Working with a trainer is a good way to do it.

There is a trap that people get into, which is once they get over the initial 'I haven't exercised for a while' hump and it starts to feel OK.
The trap is to not ramp up the intensity and to just plod along.
Our bodies are hugely adaptive.
We adapt to not using them pretty quickly and we also adapt to taking up the exercise pretty quickly too.

As soon as something feels OK it is time to change what you're doing and make it harder.
This is the way you progress.

Final thing is to remember to stretch, active stretching before exercise, passive exercising afterwards.

Again, referring to guitar lessons, I know for a fact if I don't push/motivate half my learners they would not pick it up and end up just leaving it to gather dust for years. Or just go back to how they used to, playing the same old stuff again.

So yeah I will have to up the workout intensity more, I saw some kickboxing classes or something I might try out too.

OK, sounds like you have your head screwed on- you should progress swiftly.
The hardest part is starting, so go start.

Martial arts sounds great, careful with your hands though.
I like cycling- it is low impact and provided you have a good degree of hip mobility you can do it for a long time and you see some nice scenery.

Yeah that's the thing that holds me back, arm/hand injuries. Otherwise I won't be able to work!

Used to cycle, and as I can't swim its the only few non-contact sports I am capable of currently doing.

octatonic

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Working with a trainer is a good way to do it.

There is a trap that people get into, which is once they get over the initial 'I haven't exercised for a while' hump and it starts to feel OK.
The trap is to not ramp up the intensity and to just plod along.
Our bodies are hugely adaptive.
We adapt to not using them pretty quickly and we also adapt to taking up the exercise pretty quickly too.

As soon as something feels OK it is time to change what you're doing and make it harder.
This is the way you progress.

Final thing is to remember to stretch, active stretching before exercise, passive exercising afterwards.

Again, referring to guitar lessons, I know for a fact if I don't push/motivate half my learners they would not pick it up and end up just leaving it to gather dust for years. Or just go back to how they used to, playing the same old stuff again.

So yeah I will have to up the workout intensity more, I saw some kickboxing classes or something I might try out too.

OK, sounds like you have your head screwed on- you should progress swiftly.
The hardest part is starting, so go start.

Martial arts sounds great, careful with your hands though.
I like cycling- it is low impact and provided you have a good degree of hip mobility you can do it for a long time and you see some nice scenery.

Yeah that's the thing that holds me back, arm/hand injuries. Otherwise I won't be able to work!

Used to cycle, and as I can't swim its the only few non-contact sports I am capable of currently doing.

Try rowing too.

tony99

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Lestratcaster said:

octatonic said:

Working with a trainer is a good way to do it.

There is a trap that people get into, which is once they get over the initial 'I haven't exercised for a while' hump and it starts to feel OK.
The trap is to not ramp up the intensity and to just plod along.
Our bodies are hugely adaptive.
We adapt to not using them pretty quickly and we also adapt to taking up the exercise pretty quickly too.

As soon as something feels OK it is time to change what you're doing and make it harder.
This is the way you progress.

Final thing is to remember to stretch, active stretching before exercise, passive exercising afterwards.

Again, referring to guitar lessons, I know for a fact if I don't push/motivate half my learners they would not pick it up and end up just leaving it to gather dust for years. Or just go back to how they used to, playing the same old stuff again.

So yeah I will have to up the workout intensity more, I saw some kickboxing classes or something I might try out too.

OK, sounds like you have your head screwed on- you should progress swiftly.
The hardest part is starting, so go start.

Martial arts sounds great, careful with your hands though.
I like cycling- it is low impact and provided you have a good degree of hip mobility you can do it for a long time and you see some nice scenery.

Yeah that's the thing that holds me back, arm/hand injuries. Otherwise I won't be able to work!

Used to cycle, and as I can't swim its the only few non-contact sports I am capable of currently doing.

Try rowing too.

rowing too were?

Dominic

I don't know much about gym/training but I have lost 2.5 stone in the last 4 months by walking every day and most importantly removing all bread ,potato, biscuit,pasta and cheese from my diet.

LastMantra

Your diet sounds kinda strange. All that fruit is a lot of sugar. Celery and lettuce is basically fresh air!

Lestratcaster

LastMantra said:

Your diet sounds kinda strange. All that fruit is a lot of sugar. Celery and lettuce is basically fresh air!

What can I say, I like my fruit! Haha.

cm01

16:8 diet, eating pretty clean, high protein, coupled with fairly heavy basic weights (concentrating on the big exercises like squats, bench press, chin ups, deadlifts etc) plus a couple of high intensity sessions a week has worked for me

Consistency and intensity is the key - I’ve been doing this for about 4 months now and my muscle has increased and body fat dropped massively - at 46, I’ve got a 6 pack showing for the first time in about 20 years!

drofluf

I've just learned to accept that round is a shape and so now I consider myself "in shape"