Workout program

[HollidaySlim]

Since my freshman year down at Purdue I have kinda let my self go, so to speak. I am 6'3" and was 170lbs in 2002 when I graduated high school. Since then I have ballooned up to a hefty 240. I am really wanting to get down to 190lbs by this June. Anyone have any tips for an effective training / diet schedule. I am kinda in the dark as to go about this.

Matt

 

[phrozen5100]

Hey man, I'm actually at Purdue right now. I have a great deal of experience and knowledge in this field - much more so than guns, that's for sure. I enjoy helping people who take the initiative to better themselves. I'll PM you and possibly post some info up here if others are interested as well.

 

[abnk]

I copied this from a reply I posted in another board since I'm too lazy to type it again:

Since your ultimate goal is weight-loss, it's a no-brainer that cardiovascular training should be your main training activity. That said, to reduce your risk of injuries, you can't forget about muscular strength.

For cardiovascular activity to be effective, you have to do it often enough, hard enough, and long enough. The Army uses the acronym FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type).

a. Frequency: In your scenario, at least every other day.
b. Intensity: Here you have to maintain a careful balance. You want to train hard enough to take yourself outside of your comfort zone is order to see results, but no so hard that you hurting yourself. To determine your maximum heart rate (MHR) use MHR = 220 - Age (example for a 40yo: 220 - 40 = 180bpm). To train effectively, you need to be between 60-90% of your MHR--the poorer shape you are in, the lower the percentage should be. To determine your average training heart rate (THR) use THR = percentage X MHR (example for a 40yo: 0.8 X 180 = 144bpm). So when you do cardio, you do not want to stay too far off your predetermined THR.
c. Time: You could probably reach your THR (or even MHR) in just a few seconds by sprinting, but simply reaching those points does not mean that you have accomplished your training goal. Our bodies, use carbohydrates as the primary source of fuel for the first 20-30 minutes. Only after that point do we start using fat as a source of energy. Therefore, for your training session to be effective, you need to train at your THR for 30-40 minutes or more.
d. Type: You should probably stick to something that is rythmic (running, bicycling, swimming, etc.) instead of something that gives you the opportunity to relax periodically (basketball, soccer, football, etc.).


For muscular strength, you want to build resistance and strength rather than power (you want high repetition and low weight). This will improve your cardio and decrease risk of injury.


All of the above is half of the work. The other half is your diet. I know "diet" sounds scary, but it does not mean that you have to start eating tofu and sushi. I have a couple of friends at work who have gone into what I call the Water-only diet. It's some powder that they mix with water, which is the only nutrient that will enter their body for one month. I think, that's suicidal. It does not have to be anything that aggressive--all you'd have to do is be a bit more conscious about you stuff in your belly (having a Mediterranean heritage, this is easy for me). If you're gonna fry your chicken, grill it instead. If you're gonna have steak and mashed potatoes at your favorite restaurant, skip the gravy on your mashed potatoes. If you're gonna drench your salad in Ranch, use olive oil instead. If you're gonna have cake, shave the icing off--icing is disgusting anyway. Simple things like this really do make a difference.


The formula is really simple Diet + Exercise = Health.

Good luck.

 

[kedie]

We've been doing that P90X workout at the firehouse. It's pretty good.

 

[42769vette]

if you are in purdue i have a friend up there that i usto train mma with im sure he is still fighting and his workouts are intense cardio

 

[phrozen5100]

Mentality + Diet

OK, I'll outline some basic advice learned from much reading and personal experience here:

-What's your motivation? If you can't answer this question, then you'd better find an answer awfully quickly. "I want to lose fat" is not your motivation, but rather a vague goal. WHY do you want to lose fat? Without motivation, you're far less likely to discipline yourself into a healthier lifestyle. This isn't a simple cookie cutter category; each person will have their own personal reasons for desiring change. All I can tell you to do is evaluate your life - find a reason. Like a fully equipped AR with no firing pin, all the information with which you arm yourself is worthless without a drive and willpower.

-What's your goal? Be specific and be ambitious here. Use quantitative goals as opposed to qualitative. If you find yourself reaching your goal too quickly, it's not ambitious enough. For example, instead of stating, "I want to lose a lot of weight", tell yourself something like, "I want to lose 50 lbs. of fat."

-Diet, diet and DIET! Get the idea? Diet is more important than exercise for weight loss. If you have the motivation to discipline yourself and set specific goals this portion is much easier. Want some specifics?

-It's not really a diet. If you're serious about keeping the fat at bay, then you have to adopt a 'lifestyle' mentality of dieting as opposed to a traditional 'diet' mentality. When I say diet, I don't mean a specific diet, but rather food consumption in general. Saying you're "on a diet now" usually implies that it's just temporary, and that following your diet you're likely to return to your habits which brought you to your current/former state. Sure, there are exceptions to this, but for most people lifestyle changes are a must. If you have trouble accepting ultimately positive lifestyle changes, look into neuro linguistic programming - it may just help you.

-Drop the pop! I don't give a damn if it's only one can a day. These are completely empty calories that contribute to weight gain and long term kidney detriment. Diet is a better alternative, but it's intake should be limited and/or complemented by consumption of large amounts of water. This same statement applies to juices. If you like that sweet taste of fruit, then just eat it. Here's another way to think about it: "If I don't drink this can of Barq's, then that leaves me another 120kcal of food I can eat!"

-Chug that water! One of the easiest and cheapest ways to sate your appetite? Water. Water has numerous benefits, including aiding kidney function and contribution to a clear complexion. Do yourself and the environment a favor and get yourself a quality metal water bottle. I use a Kleen Kanteen, but almost anything is better than buying bottled water.

-Chew. Gum is another great way to keep the appetite under control. Stride, Orbit and Trident Xtra Care are my favorites. In addition to satiety, sugar free gums have been shown to protect tooth enamel and [mint] has been shown to help alertness. This is one method I use to stay awake in college classes.

-DON'T eat six+ meals a day. I wasted a LOT of time and sanity eating 8+ meals a day. My entire life was dominated by meal preparation and consumption. I came to the realization [thanks to a well known nutritionist] that there was absolutely NO scientific backing to increased meal frequency. Don't buy into the proposition that this increases your metabolism. Check out some research journals for more information on this. If you're privy to a small snack between meals, that's just fine! Make it something fibrous, like an apple with water.

-Cleanse that colon. Fiber is great. If you eat like the average American, it is of no small benefit to add a fiber supplement to your daily diet. Avoid the cheap Metamucil, as it is loaded with maltodextrin. Colon Cleanse and Fibersure are both pretty good. Too much crap in your colon can leave you looking bloated in the midsection.

-PROTEIN! It's important to have a well-appropriated macronutrient ratio for optimal fat loss. The addition of protein to a diet is a great way to get more calories. Carbs and fats are more easily utilized as fuel than protein; this coupled with the fact that protein has more of a thermogenic effect within the digestive tract make it a great addition. Protein shakes make a good addition to your diet, and they're really convenient. Hell, I even have some I could sell you! Whatever you do, don't waste your money on the normal GNC prices.

-Fatty. Fat doesn't make you fat. Don't waste too much time with low-fat products unless you do so with the goal of overall caloric reduction! This is dependent on the person, as sometimes those who are more obese naturally process fats differently, but most people cannot weight gains to their genetically inherited lipid processing. The Keto diet is based strictly on fat consumption, but I won't discuss that here.

-Breakfast - eat it. Eat your breakfast. Just do it. You've probably heard the reasons plenty of times on mainstream media, and there's research to back those reasons.

-Your friend the nutrition label. Familiarize yourself with many basic foods: breads, ground beef, cheese, fruits, etc. Get an idea of how many calories they contain as well as carbs/fat/protein. Remember this: carbs - 4kcal/g, protein - 4kcal/g, fat - 4kcal/g and alcohol - 7kcal/g. Once you familiarize yourself with foods and macronutrients, you can estimate total caloric content of various foods you may encounter. It doesn't hurt for a week or so to track your meals. Most people have absolutely no idea what they're actually consuming (i.e. people on the 'keto' diet who really aren't).

-It's all about energy conservation. Losing weight is as simple as basic principles of energy conservation. Approximately 70% of your daily calorie expenditure is a result of metabolic processes (i.e. thinking, digesting, tissue maintaining, etc.); this is one of the primary reasons diet is more important than exercise. These calories for fuel come in various forms of macronutrients, and the thermal unit is actually called a kcal; but 1 dietary calorie (the type with which you're familiar) = 1 kcal - don't be confused if I switch between the two. The basic principle of fatloss is simple: you must expend more calories than you consume.

So first, it is important to establish a caloric goal based on your lean body mass. For example, if you weigh 200 lbs. and you are at 20% bodyfat, your lean weight is [200 * (1.0-0.2=0.8)] or 160 lbs; multiply this by 11-13 to establish a target goal for total kcal/day. Better yet, establish a weekly calorie goal to allow for some flexibility within your schedule. Don't set your goal too low, because unless you're very serious about your diet, training and anabolics, you're probably going to lose muscle. As you can see from the above calculation, a prime determinant of "metabolism" is lean muscle mass. If you lose muscle, you lose capacity to burn calories - period.

I'll discuss some exercise basics later in this thread and revise this if I notice any glaring flaws or omittances.

 

[indytechnerd]

Welcome to CrossFit: Forging Elite Fitness
It'll make you a badass.

note: I'm not said badass, that crossfit **** is hard.

 

[BE Mike]

Join TOPS or Weight Watchers. Join the Y and work out three days a week for an hour at a time. Especially at first, since you are carrying more weight than normal, go with low or no impact training. Swimming, elyptical trainers, etc. are good. Stay away from jogging and other high impact workouts. At your young age the pounds will come off pretty quickly. The really tough part is to keep the weight off for an extended period of time, like the rest of your life. The older you get the harder it is to get and keep the weight off. You'll pay the piper later in life if you go the high impact routine.

 

[Indybeer]

Believe it or not, a very easy way to control what you eat is to keep a food journal. Everything that goes in your mouth you document. Keep track of portion sizes, calories, protein, etc...

You'd be surprised once you document it how much you are eating and drinking.

Once you get an idea of how much you are eating pick a target max calorie number and adjust your food intake accordingly.

And as previously stated a good exercise routine is needed.

I've lost over 80lbs in just over a year doing this.

 

[phrozen5100]

Weightlifting Regimen

OK, so it's taken me a while to get back to this, but here is what I consider the less important part of any body composition transformation.

-Just lift stuff. The primary determinant (genetics aside) of metabolism is lean muscle mass. It's simple - the more muscle you have, the more calories are used for maintaining that muscle; in other words, the more muscle you have, the more you can eat without fat gain. If you've just gotten out of a POW camp after a decade, cardio may help help you. That's not the case, though, so you'll need to do some resistance training.

-Big compounds. I haven't met any newbies that enjoy deadlifts, chins, lunges, dips, etc.; but these are truly the most beneficial to most workout program participants. Isolation exercises like curls are just fine if you have some prior (serious) exercise experience, and you're truly looking to target specific muscles for strength/mass gain/maintenance, but most newbies simply need to add mass where they can! I always recommend low volume/high frequency full body workout programs to newbies.

-Lift details. Here are a few exercises I find noteworthy. For a beginner program, perform 3 sets of 4-10 reps of one of these exercises (per muscle group):

• Legs/lower back: squats, deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, lunges
• Upper back/biceps/rear delt: chin-ups, DB snatches, [various] pulldowns
• Chest/triceps/lat+ant delt: DB snatches, dips, DB presses, pushups
• Abs/obliques/intercostals/other: See legs/lower back

A workout routine consisting of these exercises should be performed 3x per week; allowing for 48 hours of rest between routines. It's always healthy to switch exercises after 6-8 weeks on a particular routine. Google these exercises for examples.
​

-Rep range. Keep repetitions between 4-10 for mass gain purposes. Every now and then, try working in the 2-4 rep range [strength] and the 10-18 [endurance + joint recovery] rep range.

Performing highs reps DOES NOT create definition! By performing high repetitions constantly, you can actually change the composition of your muscle fibers to hurt your strength and help your endurance. This is a common misconception, and I believe it has something to do with the association of ectomorphs (naturally thin) and their endurance (lending well to strength in high reps).

​

Supplementation

Ah yes, the common question, "What can I take to get ripped and gain muscle in no time?" Well, I've wasted (yes, WASTED) a tremendous amount of money on supplements over the years. One might argue that waste is subjective, and that the cost incurred by me would only be 'waste' if I didn't lend my honest feedback on these products. So, here I am sharing my experience:

• Protein - This is a supplement that I would not consider a waste of money. Whey is often touted for its quick assimilation and high biological value, but it's certainly not the end-all-be-all of proteins. Conversely, some manufacturers claim that their casein or blend based proteins are superior to whey with their slow digesting properties. I myself have a tendency to mix an egg or two in with my whey shake in the mornings. My recommendation here: don't sweat small differences between proteins. Whey concentrate, whey isolate, gemma, casein, etc. Unless protein shakes are the mainstay of your diet, the physiological effect of a $10.00/lb protein vs. a $6.00/lb protein is negligible. A few products: American Whey, Dymatize Elite, Lipotropic Protein, Muscle Milk, All the Whey.
• Creatine - This isn't entirely a waste of money. However, there is often belittled because of the common misconception that "you lose all your gains" after cycling off of creatine. First, one must understand how creatine works and its purpose in sports science. Creatine is essentially a very quick source of ATP for your body. Our bodies naturally contain creatine, and many lean meats have minute amounts of creatine in them. The purpose of creatine is primarily to help with endurance and muscle contractions (see strength). Creatine monohydrate is the most widely known form of creatine, and it is notorious for causing water weight gain. However, these should not be perceived as gains in the first place, as the ergogenic intent of the supplement is only to aid muscle contractions during exercise. My recommendation here: this supplement does help with endurance, but one may wish to consider alternate forms of creatine to avoid that notorious water weight gain. Also, don't buy into any 'exotic' new creatines; research before you buy! A few products: Creatine monohydrate, Green Magnitude, Con-Cret.
• Nitric Oxide - The placebo effect is strong with this one. These products claim to 'pump you up' while deflating your wallet. I've taken 8+ nitric oxide products with no ergogenic effect from any of them. A quick analysis of most products reveals ingredients that would contradict the effects of the other (i.e. caffeine + arginine). The only thing these may do is give you some more motivation to go to the gym; stimulants, nootropics and not wanting to feel like you've waste your money tend to do that. My recommendation: stay away - stay far away.
• Amino Acids - These products are used primarily intraworkout to gain/maintain muscle mass. Most commonly in the form of BCAAs, these can actually serve as fuel. Research on their use is limited, but my experience is largely positive in terms of muscle mass conservation while cutting weight. If nothing else, these help prevent you from drinking insane amounts of water during exercise - which lends to dilution in Na+ levels and a [potentially dangerous] decrease in muscle contraction ability. My recommendation: they are inexpensive and a worthy addition to a weight lifting program. A few products: Xtend, Purple Wraath, BC + EAA, Core ABC
• Fat Burners - These are largely a waste of money if used strictly with the intent to lose fat. The net thermogenic/caloric effect of many common stimulants, such as caffeine, can be easily achieved through slightly more exercise or a few less calories. Some fat burners use small amounts of hoodia and claim appetite supression. They could be right, but I've found ephedra to be far more effective at suppressing my appetite. My recommendation: These should generally be avoided for fat loss, but the stimulants may prove helpful for energy. Appetite supression can be less expensively achieved through gum chewing and water drinking. Certain thyroid stimulating based 'fat burners' are much more potent than most CNS stims.

Feel free to post any questions here! I'll probably edit this to add cardio later.

 

[CandRFan]

What do you have access to? Are you thinking a gym membership or do you want to work out at home? If I were you I'd start by making those decisions.

Myself, I hit the gym. I've been lifting weights for pretty much all my life. I've tried Bowflex and stuff like that that my friends own, but there's no way, for me, that your typical home setup could come close to the variety and the amount of weights that the gym has. Many gyms will give you a guest membership to try the place out, as well as a free intro personal training session to get you started.

There are tons of options available to you. Like I said, decide what you want to commit too. Then post it and I know, just from your thread here, that you'll be able to get plenty of support and advice.

 

[42769vette]

im not a big fan of home setups. i like the gym better because there are days when working out is the last thing i want to do, and at the gym i have my pride to think of so i have to try and work harder than my buddy next to me. at home i just say "ill workout twice as hard tommorow

 

[dburkhead]

My own workout regime is fairly simple:

5 min light cardio as a workout (usually a brisk walk on a treadmill).

Circuit training:
- Bent rows
- Squats
- Incline Sits
- Bench Press
All done heavy (3-6 reps to failure)
Repeat the circuit 3 times

Finish with 15-20 minutes of heavy cardio (brisk walk on a treadmill with incline set to keep pulse in the 160-170 range--very high for my age actually).

I've been getting good improvement on that program both in terms of strength and losing weight since I started a couple of months ago. The idea is a few heavy exercises that cover all the major muscle groups, to build strength and doing it as a circuit makes it a good calorie burner as well.

 

[Clay]

I demand you change your user name to HolidayFat!

j/k!

Ive been battling weight issues for years. Only time in my life when I remember being at a healthy weight was one year when I was really motivated at Purdue. I lived in Wiley hall, ie across from the CoRec. My roommate and I got into a work out routine and stuck with it. It all went to crap when I moved home for the summer and didnt have a work out partner, or anywhere to work out.

Right now Im back into a work out routine, doing it by myself more or less, and Im losing weight at the moment. Im under 300 for the first time in 10 years, and Im feeling better.

First, I think diet is pretty important. What works best for me is a lower fat lower carb diet. I never really counted the calories becuase I could always work them out, but I kept fat and carbs to a minimum. I also completely cut out pop, this alone knocked 20 lbs off my weight with nothing else done.

Next, exercise. I thing a balance of weight training and cardio is the way to go, at least for me. One thing I hate in a work out routine is when it gets boring. Throwing in some different weight exercises, or different cardio keeps your options open, and the monatonay low. (for the most part).

and the biggest key of the hole thing: sticking with it. It takes like 21 days to establish a routine, if you can go a month or better and stay with it, your off to a good start.