Your opinion on my workout!

[lotsaluv]

Howdy partners!
I just bought a treadmill a few weeks ago and wanted to know if you all think this is a decent work out or if i should be doing something else.

I have been walking quickly on an incline for 10 minutes, then doing some toning exercises with weights, then doing another 10mins on treadmill, 2 minutes running then 1 minute rest walking really slow.

I've been doing and plan to keep doing this every day and making it a bit harder every few weeks.

Does this sound like a good idea? I hope so coz i spent a bloody fortune on that tread mill!!! hee hee, thanks for your time!

 

[Steve]

It's a start.... and each 'proper' start for each individual is going to be unique. I think it would be more optimal to seperate the cardio from the weight lifting.

And what do you mean by 'toning exercises?'

 

[lotsaluv]

wow you replied so fast I am v impressed.

I get tired after doing one 10 minute session, thats why i decided to seperate but i will deffo give it a try!

I have been doing leg lunges and squats and sit ups and doing these leg lift things with weights that i learnt at the gym.

 

[Steve]

I'd try and train with resistance (bodyweight, dumbbells, bands, whatever) 2-3 times per week focusing on the total body.

May I ask your stats?

 

[paydirt]

Steve, feel free to correct me here. Is one of the reasons its good to separate cardio and weight lifting into different sessions because of it doesn't lead to optimal blood flow and because of that you will have less energy/oxygen overall than doing them separately?

 

[lotsaluv]

I' 5"7 and 168 lbs. I havent measured myself with a tape measure though so i don't know anymore than this.

 

[Steve]

Steve, feel free to correct me here. Is one of the reasons its good to separate cardio and weight lifting into different sessions because of it doesn't lead to optimal blood flow and because of that you will have less energy/oxygen overall than doing them separately?

That's not so much a concern especially at the novice stage.

The real reason I suggest that is very simplistic. Mixing everything up tends to decrease the focus on why you are doing each separate modality in the first place.

In my experience, novices trying to lose weight will almost always over-emphasize the cardio, more so when they do this type of circuit training when we know that they are both in place for unique, yet important reasons.

 

[Steve]

I' 5"7 and 168 lbs. I havent measured myself with a tape measure though so i don't know anymore than this.

Yea, especially considering you don't have all that much weight to lose, I'd segregate your resistance training from your cardio. Resistance training requires a lot of intensity (not in the aerobic sense as most associate exercise with) and said intensity will be diminished if you muddy the waters with cardio mixed in.

Especially when you don't have a lot of weight to lose, resistance training should serve the primary role of maintaining the muscle you currently have. In order to do so, that intensity from above must be present.

 

[dan82]

yeah..it is not only avoid eating its a combination of things...gotta exercise...do something.. thats a must..doesnt have to be a lot of exercise not lifting weights...thats one of the major mistakes...gotta run!!..thats it..first burn the fat..then build muscle...watch what you eat..not obsessively..that will just make you hungry..hehe..just eat what you want as healthy as possible ..small amounts more times a day..and drink water

 

[Steve]

yeah..it is not only avoid eating its a combination of things...gotta exercise...do something.. thats a must..doesnt have to be a lot of exercise not lifting weights...thats one of the major mistakes...gotta run!!..thats it..first burn the fat..then build muscle...watch what you eat..not obsessively..that will just make you hungry..hehe..just eat what you want as healthy as possible ..small amounts more times a day..and drink water

Not exactly......

 

[Chris Huggett]

Steve, just seen some of your pictures. How long did it take you to get like that? And if you don't mind me asking, how much do you weigh? I'm 6 ft and about 250lbs. I want to lose weight and have a few muscles showing here and there. What's the best way forward for me? Because there are so many different opinions.

 

[Steve]

Steve, just seen some of your pictures. How long did it take you to get like that?

I've been lifting weights pretty seriously since I was 15. Not always correctly.... but still in the gym on a consistent basis.

I'm 26 now.

And if you don't mind me asking, how much do you weigh?

Fluctuates pretty wildly actually. When I'm cutting, I get down to the mid 180's. The peak of my last bulk was 205ish.

I'm 6 ft and about 250lbs. I want to lose weight and have a few muscles showing here and there. What's the best way forward for me? Because there are so many different opinions.

I'd suggest starting your own thread or coming to my journal in the future when you have questions such as this. It increases the chances of it being read and answered.

That said, I'd focus primarily on losing the excess fat right now. Fat loss is going to be driven primarily by controlling your energy (calorie) balance. You want to be in an energetic deficit, meaning more calories out than in. When this is the case, your body has no choice but to use up some of it's stored energy (fat).

This deficit should come from a combo of a balanced/controlled diet and adequate/proper exercise.

Before we get into that, why don't you tell us what you are currently doing in terms of diet and exercise?

 

[Chris Huggett]

Well, i started going to the gym last Monday. Now, i only got round to going 3 times last week due to the sheer amount of aches and pains i had all over my body, i woke up feeling like i'd been run over.

Those 3 times i was at the gym, i was doing about 40mins cardio, (20mins x-trainer, 20mins cycling). I have pretty bad ankles, so i try to keep impact training to a minimum. I don't know how accurate the machines are, but they ask you to enter age and exact weight, and at the end they had calculated i had burned about 400 kcals over both machines.

I had read around that to do a bit of weight training would also help, something like, more muscle, more calories burnt. So i did some weights. I think that's where the aching is coming from.

In terms of diet, i've started to force breakfast in me. even though i'm not keen. Starting to get more used to it. Breakfast and lunch is pretty much the same everyday.

Breakfast:

Moderate Bowl of Cereal

In between:

Breakfast bar (131 kcals)

Lunch:

Tuna, Mayo & Sweetcorn Sandwhich (391 kcals)
Snack a Jacks (125 kcals)
Pepperami (126 kcals)

Dinner:

My dad cooks this, and it's always relatively healthy stuff. Stir fries, home made curries, pasta, home made soups. He doesn't cook out of the packet, put it that way. To be honest, i think he puts broccoli in everything, some wierd obsession, but hey, i like it.
_____________________________________________________________________________

My main problem has been my sheer amount drinking. I'm going ok at the moment. I limited my self to 1 night out last week. Which involved about 6 pints of lager. I've been told there's about 200kcals in a pint of Carlsburg, and on a normal night out, i'd put away 10-12 pints (2-3 times a week). So from just cutting down the drinking am i bound to lose weight that way aswell?

Cheers

 

[Steve]

Well, i started going to the gym last Monday. Now, i only got round to going 3 times last week due to the sheer amount of aches and pains i had all over my body, i woke up feeling like i'd been run over.

Beating your body into submission is definitely not the answer.

You want to ease into things.

Many people gauge the efficacy of a workout by how hard they are sweating, how out of breath they are, and how sore they are the next day.

That's not good.

Gradual progression from a conservative baseline will treat you best in the long run.

Those 3 times i was at the gym, i was doing about 40mins cardio, (20mins x-trainer, 20mins cycling). I have pretty bad ankles, so i try to keep impact training to a minimum. I don't know how accurate the machines are, but they ask you to enter age and exact weight, and at the end they had calculated i had burned about 400 kcals over both machines.

If 3 sessions at 40 minutes made you really sore, I'd suggest starting at a lower intensity by either reducing the speed you used or decreasing the time.

I had read around that to do a bit of weight training would also help, something like, more muscle, more calories burnt. So i did some weights. I think that's where the aching is coming from.

Ahhh, ok. I'm responding as I read..... this could be the case.

What did you do for weights?

Breakfast:

Moderate Bowl of Cereal

In between:

Breakfast bar (131 kcals)

Lunch:

Tuna, Mayo & Sweetcorn Sandwhich (391 kcals)
Snack a Jacks (125 kcals)
Pepperami (126 kcals)

Dinner:

My dad cooks this, and it's always relatively healthy stuff. Stir fries, home made curries, pasta, home made soups. He doesn't cook out of the packet, put it that way. To be honest, i think he puts broccoli in everything, some wierd obsession, but hey, i like it.

Cheers

And what has your weight been doing? Increasing, decreasing, staying the same?

Diet could certainly use some improvements. Have you ever heard of

 

[Steve]

Most definitely.

I'm actually training a friend of mine at the moment. He's been putting on weight for the last year. I asked him about his diet and when he told me, I said there's no way in hell you're putting on that kind of weight eating that amount of food.

I then asked about drinking.

He was drinking heavy beer daily.

It adds up and doesn't do a lot of good, at all. Since then, we've reduced drinking to Saturdays only and he's dropped 11 lbs in 2 weeks and already looks a lot better.

It all comes down to choices.

 

[Chris Huggett]

What did you do for weights?

I don't know the name of all the machines, but i used all the machines that worked my upper body, as i dont have to much fat on my legs. 3 sets, 8 reps i think i was doing for most things. All the weights were different depending on the machine....ranging from 25kg to 45kg. i just upped the weight if i thought it was going to be too easy.

And what has your weight been doing? Increasing, decreasing, staying the same?

I've actually decided to stay away from the scales for a bit. But according to my family and friends they have noticed my beer belly isn't quite so pokey outey! If you go back to my last post you'll see i edited it, and spoke of alcohol consumption.

 

[Steve]

I don't know the name of all the machines, but i used all the machines

I don't have a real problem with machines for starters. Eventually though, you'll want to work more towards free weights.

that worked my upper body, as i dont have to much fat on my legs.

Weight lifting isn't about the fat.

You're falling victim to a popular myth that you can 'spot reduce' the fat away particular areas on your body via targeted weight lifting.

You can't.

Ideally, you should be following something like a routine that hits your entire body 2-3 times per week.

If you go back to my last post you'll see i edited it, and spoke of alcohol consumption.

Yup, I saw that right away and commented above.

 

[Chris Huggett]

I don't have a real problem with machines for starters. Eventually though, you'll want to work more towards free weights.

So free weights are better then? What is the difference?

Ideally, you should be following something like a routine that hits your entire body 2-3 times per week.

Ok, i'll bear that in mind.

 

[Steve]

So free weights are better then? What is the difference?

There's a few things. First, don't let me fool you into thinking machines are evil. They have a place and time. I use machines myself for some exercises. But many people ONLY use machines and this is what I have a problem with.

Ideally, the majority of your workout is done using free weights.

They allow you to move through your unique biomechanical planes of motion. A squat looks similar regardless of who is doing it. However, if you look closely, our knees and hips move in unique paths, maybe not even visible to the eye. By constantly locking yourself into the machine's fixed plane of motion, overtime, this can lead to injury. This disallows you from letting your joints move through their unique biomechanical planes. This is something known as pattern overload syndrome and can lead to microtraumas overtime.

Muscles respond best when they're required to control weights, not just push against them. This brings stabilizers into the picture. When you lift with free weights, small muscles that are not necessarily used to move the weight are brought into play for balance and stabilization. Basically, more of your body is called upon when using free weights. By locking yourself to machines, you take stabilizers out of the picture for the most part. This too, can lead to injury down the road when you do something in the real world that requires the use of your stabilizers.

Free weight exercises tend to improve real-world athletic functioning— running, kicking, jumping, throwing, and/or whatever sport you happen to play or activity you choose to do.

 

[Chris Huggett]

Just got back from the gym. had a moderate portion by my standards of brown rice mixed with tuna, crab meat, sweetcorn and peas.

You mentioned my dieting could do with changing. How was that meal? The right sort of stuff?

Also decided to eat slowly and drink at the same time and surprisingly enough, i was full, when normally i would go back for more.