a slew of exercise (mostly) questions

V

vandal1023

New member
Hi all!
I just actually worked out with the goal of exercising again the following day (usually I way over do it so I can't move the next day and then lose all motivation and don't exercise again for another 3 months) and had a few questions.

I have the attention span of a gnat. It's really sad. So I've been doing (by which I mean today I did) 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on a recumbent bike, and as close to 10 minutes as I could jumping rope (no where near 10 minutes, let's just say that) and actually did the full 10 minutes which is rare. Is that going to be at all effective? I move from one activity directly to the next, I don't sit down until my heart rate goes down or anything, it's a really fast transition.

Also, I'm going to try to do some weight training. Mostly because my bust area is huge, not in a delightful way (at least not for me). Because of this and the work I do (in home care for quads, lots and lots of lifting) I have really really terrible back pain. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what exercises I should do and what muscle groups I should work on?

thanks so much!
Liz
 
vandal1023 said:
Hi all!
I just actually worked out with the goal of exercising again the following day (usually I way over do it so I can't move the next day and then lose all motivation and don't exercise again for another 3 months) and had a few questions.
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If you get sore from exercising after a long lay off, it's actually better to do a little active recovery, such as a very light jog or even walk. It helps reduce the pain.

And someone smarter than I'll ever be once said, "pain is weakness leaving the body." I believe that to an extent.

I have the attention span of a gnat. It's really sad. So I've been doing (by which I mean today I did) 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on a recumbent bike, and as close to 10 minutes as I could jumping rope (no where near 10 minutes, let's just say that) and actually did the full 10 minutes which is rare. Is that going to be at all effective? I move from one activity directly to the next, I don't sit down until my heart rate goes down or anything, it's a really fast transition.
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There is no magical amount of exercise that leads to desired results. What's enough for you might not be enough for me. Or, it may be too much for me. So really, you are asking an unasnwerable question.

However if you are just getting back into exercising, 30 minutes of cardio is very good. You should be proud. Do that a few times per week and you will be off to a great start.

Also, I'm going to try to do some weight training. Mostly because my bust area is huge, not in a delightful way (at least not for me). Because of this and the work I do (in home care for quads, lots and lots of lifting) I have really really terrible back pain. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what exercises I should do and what muscle groups I should work on?
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Yes.

Assuming your back is okay and just sore from weakness, I suggest doing a full blown program such as the one I laid out in the "weight loss through exercise" section of this website. It's a stickie called "workout." Check it out.

Also, I have a lot of respect for what you do. That's an admirable job. :)
 
thanks so much! I will definitely go check out the fitness plan. I'm completely lost as to what I should be doing. Cardio and weight training should be done, that's all I've got.
As far as my other question, I may have phrased it poorly. I'd definitely like to be able to do more cardio, and I'm working on that. But is switching from one activity to another so often going to effect results much?
thanks!
-Liz
 
vandal1023 said:
thanks so much! I will definitely go check out the fitness plan. I'm completely lost as to what I should be doing. Cardio and weight training should be done, that's all I've got.
As far as my other question, I may have phrased it poorly. I'd definitely like to be able to do more cardio, and I'm working on that. But is switching from one activity to another so often going to effect results much?
thanks!
-Liz
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Nope. Cardio is cardio, as long as you are going right from one form to another without very little downtime, you are fine.
 
where do I find "the "weight loss through exercise" section of this website. The stickie called "workout." ????
 
cheers steve. I'll have a butchers through that tomorrow on the train.

i realise that I have been focusing too much on cardio, when infact its muscles that burns fat. I would ideally like to get a personal programme put together, any ideas or websites that might be able to assist?
 
bmst said:
cheers steve. I'll have a butchers through that tomorrow on the train.

i realise that I have been focusing too much on cardio, when infact its muscles that burns fat. I would ideally like to get a personal programme put together, any ideas or websites that might be able to assist?
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There are some trainers here on the site that you can pay for personalized attention.

Or you can start a thread and get pretty specific responses. I know I've walked quite a few people on here through the basics of constructing a personalized routine for them.

And weight lifting isn't about building muscle that burns fat. It's more about giving your body a reason to hold onto the muscle it currently has while in an energy deficient state.
 
No offense to Jimmy, but there are trainers who've been posting here for quite a while who've displayed their competence as trainers/knowledge.

I'd recommend going with someone who's been around for a while whom you can trust opposed to someone posting their first message on the forum.
 
Steve said:
I'd recommend going with someone who's been around for a while whom you can trust opposed to someone posting their first message on the forum.
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In your experience Steve, who would you suggest? I just need to get started, I am at max 28lbs overweight, most round my middle and my chest :eek: I have no upper body strength - very apparant when I am tasked at doing press-ups, and altho they seem muscular my legs are in fact weak, esp my ankles
 
I couldn't actually recommend one. Just know that there a few good ones here as members.

And quite frankly, you don't *need* a trainer.

Some do, or they won't adhere to anything. But if you are just looking for a plan or a place to start..... there is enough information in the stickies here to get you started.

Or ask more questions and you will find your answers.

I'm a trainer, and I'll be the first to tell you that nobody needs them for the reasons most think they need them. I could tell you in one PM what you'd need to do to take you to your goals.

But would you actually take the advice and stick with it for a long enough time to make things happen?

That is where a trainer sometimes pushes things along.

There are no secrets when it comes to losing weight.

Eat right, meaning figure out your caloric goal goal and fill this caloric goal with the right macros.

Exercise with a mixture of strength training and cardio.

It really is that simple. Sure, you need the details, but again, the details can all be found already on this forum. And if you can't find them.... I know I constantly repeat myself gladly.
 
Tell you what works for me who also has the attention span of a gnat ... find a sport/hobby that involves it that you like :)
I got into cycling, but it varys and changes. Ive done some jogging, and im trying soccor and rugby etc. The cycling seems to have got me hooked but it still goes in and out of fashion every few weeks. When it goes out of fashion i sign up for another race, and suddenly the motivation comes back *G*
 
thanks

you both have made some very valid points. I would ideally like to know what I'm doing so I dont do myself an injury, and if I have something to follow I'd quite happily stick to it, so your comment steve about not needing a trainer is quite valid (today), tho when I get to the stage of body sculpting then that's when I'll call upon some serious support.

Cheers

Loz
 
bmst said:
you both have made some very valid points. I would ideally like to know what I'm doing so I dont do myself an injury, and if I have something to follow I'd quite happily stick to it, so your comment steve about not needing a trainer is quite valid (today), tho when I get to the stage of body sculpting then that's when I'll call upon some serious support.

Cheers

Loz
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Honestly, I think the need for a trainer exists mostly in the beginning. A "hands on" trainer for form support. That assumes that trainer knows what the hell their talking about and can teach you the proper execution to begin with.

I'd gladly explain any exercise to you over the web... but that could never take the place of hands on experience and adapting an exercise to match your individual biomechanical characteristics.

I find that on-line training actually is better for "education" purposes. You'll get more info out of an online PT than a IRL PT in most cases, IMO.

"Muscle sculpting" isn't much different than fat loss. They both should involve controlled diets, cardio, and weight training. The only difference on a "bulking" routine opposed to a "cutting" routine is more food and more volume in terms of weight training.
 
Steve said:
Exercise with a mixture of strength training and cardio.
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Is there a good ratio of strength training to cardio? And I heard recently that its better to do your strength training before your cardio... I thought it was the other way around.

Thanks for posting all this stuff, Steve. Its been most helpful. :jump:
 
Healthyhabit said:
Is there a good ratio of strength training to cardio? And I heard recently that its better to do your strength training before your cardio... I thought it was the other way around.

Thanks for posting all this stuff, Steve. Its been most helpful. :jump:
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Not particularly, no.

With regards to strength training, what you could normally handle while eating normal or above maintenance, you can't handle while dieting.

So something has to give. You have a choice between intensity and/or volume.

In my experience, it's best to keep intensity high. Give you body a reason to preserve muscle. Instead, cut back on volume. This normally translates into doing as much as 2/3 less than you would had you otherwise not been dieting.

2-3 fullbody sessions per week would suffice, assuming they are set up properly.

By set up properly, I mean:

1. Lifting 2-4 times per week.
2. Hitting the big muscle groups at least twice per 7 day period.
3. Emphasis on the core exercises - Bench, Row, Squat, Deadlift, etc.
4. Focus on heavy loads (think 4-8 reps) using 3-6 sets
5. Manage fatigue... which means the objective is NOT to go into the gym and shoot for PRs (personal records) each and every time you lift.
6. IF you feel the need to include isolation work, stick at the end of the routine or even on it's own seperate day.... but again, only if needed.

I'm sure I can think of more.... but my head hurts at the moment, LOLZ.

My take on how much cardio/metabolic work..... do as much as you need and no more. I don't particularly like this form of exercise and quite frankly, it sits far in the backseat behind manipulation of caloric intake..... meaning, why waste an hour of your life running when you could very easily reduce cals by a marginal amount. I do enough so I can still eat a good amount of food and get my cardiovascular coniditioning in. This usually translates into maybe 2 SS sessions and 2 days of HIIT or complexes. But this is certainly not written in stone.

It will be different for everyone.
 
Healthyhabit said:
Ok thanks. I'm going to reduce the number of reps per set for sure. I think maybe I was doing too much.
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Most do. And quite frankly it's okay to do more than I had recommended if lifting is new to you. Reason being: Even the higher reps (which translates into lighter loads lifted) provide enough of an overload to send the neruochemical signaling prompting muscle maintenance.

For those of you who've been lifting for a while though, you've really got to work at providing a stress/stimulus great enough to give your body a reason to maintain muscle... and this generally translates into "strength training" rep ranges as I provided in the above post.
 
Ahh thats good to know. I'll keep that in mind for when I'm a little more experienced at this. For a beginner, is there a good amount of time of muscle-rest between sets? I've just been waiting until my muscles felt like they were ready for another set.
 
Healthyhabit said:
Ahh thats good to know. I'll keep that in mind for when I'm a little more experienced at this. For a beginner, is there a good amount of time of muscle-rest between sets? I've just been waiting until my muscles felt like they were ready for another set.
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No matter of experience level, rest period is determined by load.

The heavier you go, the more rest required before your next set.

If you are performing say, sets of 10-15 reps.... 60-90 seconds would be more than enough.

When I'm doing sets of 4-6, I generally rest around 2 minutes.

I'm working sets of 1 rep into my program at the moment and for that I sometimes wait as long as 3-4 minutes.
 
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