First of all, I'm fairly out of shape. My body has great potential for building muscle and bulking up because of my genetics, but I would like to lose some weight while I'm at it. I know that it can be hard, even counterproductive to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, so i just want to make sure what I am doing isn't hampering my progress.
Currently I'm 310lbs (down from 330 in 2 months) and 6'6" tall. Football player type of build (I was in the band though
).
I'm not looking to be a bodybuilder, or have perfectly chiseled 6-pack abs, but I want to be healthy and just a little bulky. I'm limited on time because of work, except for the weekends, so Saturday is where I usually put most of my effort in. My normal morning routine cannot really last more than 30 minutes, and working out after work has never been successful since I'm usually worn out and use that as an excuse.
What I've been doing is waking up, eating about 3 eggs worth of egg beaters on an english muffin or toast about an hour before working out with a glass of water. Then 30 minutes prior, I drink a protein shake (Muscle Milk, 32g protein)
My weekend workout starts with about 5 minutes of stretching and walking. Then about 20 minutes of high intensity upper body exercises. Unfortunately none of the lower body machines at my apartment are comfortable for me to use because of my height; not to mention my legs are already quite bulky so I'm not looking to gain a lot of muscle there. I will do squats and leg lifts on my non-cardio days though. I feel like carrying around 300+lbs is enough of a leg workout anyway.
After my workout on the machines, I follow with a warmup walk around the block, then I jog until I lose my breath. Once I catch it I walk about another half a mile to a mile, and depending how much I've got left in me I'll jog for a little while again. The whole workout lasts about 45 minutes. Afterward, I follow up with another protein shake.
During the week I usually do 2 days of walking/running and 1 day of weights followed by light cardio, so I'm working out a total of 4 days during the week (instead of none).
My diet has changed drastically. I have cut out all High Fructose Corn Syrup, white bread, and fast food of any kind. I still enjoy my pastas ( mosty whole wheat or spinach now), hamburgers, etc, but more like once a week instead of nearly everyday. I drink a lot more water and limit myself to one soda per day, where I used to consume 4 to 6. I'm definitely feeling much healthier than before, but I am curious if my approach of gaining muscle while trying to lose weight is self-defeating. I know that having more muscle means burning more calories, but I am trying to lose my belly within a year.
Currently I'm 310lbs (down from 330 in 2 months) and 6'6" tall. Football player type of build (I was in the band though
). I'm not looking to be a bodybuilder, or have perfectly chiseled 6-pack abs, but I want to be healthy and just a little bulky. I'm limited on time because of work, except for the weekends, so Saturday is where I usually put most of my effort in. My normal morning routine cannot really last more than 30 minutes, and working out after work has never been successful since I'm usually worn out and use that as an excuse.
What I've been doing is waking up, eating about 3 eggs worth of egg beaters on an english muffin or toast about an hour before working out with a glass of water. Then 30 minutes prior, I drink a protein shake (Muscle Milk, 32g protein)
My weekend workout starts with about 5 minutes of stretching and walking. Then about 20 minutes of high intensity upper body exercises. Unfortunately none of the lower body machines at my apartment are comfortable for me to use because of my height; not to mention my legs are already quite bulky so I'm not looking to gain a lot of muscle there. I will do squats and leg lifts on my non-cardio days though. I feel like carrying around 300+lbs is enough of a leg workout anyway.
After my workout on the machines, I follow with a warmup walk around the block, then I jog until I lose my breath. Once I catch it I walk about another half a mile to a mile, and depending how much I've got left in me I'll jog for a little while again. The whole workout lasts about 45 minutes. Afterward, I follow up with another protein shake.
During the week I usually do 2 days of walking/running and 1 day of weights followed by light cardio, so I'm working out a total of 4 days during the week (instead of none).
My diet has changed drastically. I have cut out all High Fructose Corn Syrup, white bread, and fast food of any kind. I still enjoy my pastas ( mosty whole wheat or spinach now), hamburgers, etc, but more like once a week instead of nearly everyday. I drink a lot more water and limit myself to one soda per day, where I used to consume 4 to 6. I'm definitely feeling much healthier than before, but I am curious if my approach of gaining muscle while trying to lose weight is self-defeating. I know that having more muscle means burning more calories, but I am trying to lose my belly within a year.