Fitness advice

[millwall ken]

Hi all,
Kick started my New Years pledge today; to get my fat a*** back into some sort of shape. Now I know that there are more than a few fitness fanatics on this site so it'll be to them that I'm seeking advise from.
Now, I should state that I'm not in any way new to exercise and fitness - indeed this time last year I done a bleep test and attained a score of 11.2.
I have also played a lot of rugby in the past, but none in the last five years.
However due to an injury that I picked up on a half marathon last february, I was unable to train for a couple of months - and what with a young baby, odd working hours, bouts of unemployment, the list goes on and on, it has turned into a year since I've done any sort of fitness training.
This has had the obvious consequence on my weight, and I have ballooned to just under 14 stone from 10 and a half stone.
Now to be honest I won't be joining a gym, as I have a full set of free weights and decent bench, a treadmil, stepper and heavy weight punch bag - as I used to be a pretty good amateur at one time. Now what I was planning to do - as time constraints are a real issue in my life, is to spend the next month on the treadmil in order to build up a baseline of fitness. After a month, I then intend to shift up a gear into HIIT twice a week for the cardio. It will be during this month that I intend to start doing some weights as well (3 times a week), I was thinking of just starting with 3 sets of 8 reps to begin with and up it each week until I get to 12 reps. After which I would up the weight.
Now can anyone give me any advice, suggestions or a critic on this formula please.

 

[alarm man]

you dont look to bad for your age des,i must agree..

 

[millwall ken]

Oh so thats the reason that the little minx chooses to hide in them deep valleys is it? And as for her pretty boy other half - I'm surprised that he actually plays a Mans game. Surely He'd be more comfortable playing female football, or why doesn't he join a boy band? After all, the Welsh are well known for their singing voice....

 

[Des 56]

For ***** sake,that frightened the crap ot of me
My screen suddenly turned into a mirror and I thought it was me

Then it dawned on me,its not I, he's got more teeth than me, the handsome *******

 

[eskimo39]

Hi Ken, to keep my weight around the same I take a protein shake for breakfast and lunch and then eat a normal meal for evening dinner with plenty of veg.

I train 4 times a week but train different parts each time, for example:

Monday
5 Min Stretch
30 Min Cardio
60 Min Weights (Chest & Tricepts)
30 Min Mat Work
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

Wednesday
5 Min Stretch
30 Min Cardio
60 Min Weights (Back & Biceps)
30 Min Mat Work
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

Friday
5 Min Stretch
30 Min Cardio
60 Min Weights (Legs & Shoulders)
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

Saturday or Sunday
10 Min Stretch
60 Min Cardio
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

There is not really a great universal way to lose weight or tone up which works with everybody. I would invest purchasing a HRM (heart rate monitor) which will allow you to find your ideal level of excersise. It is pointless running flat out if you are trying to burn fat, just as it is pointless doing 15 reps with weights if trying to build strength.

Get a HRM (or use your finger) and get your resting pulse rate RPR after sitting or lying still for 15 minutes or so
You then need your MHR (maximum heart rate) by training flat out until your heart rate stops climbing
Now take away your RHR from your MHR to get your working heart rate WHR
To get your zone training rate use X% (from below) from your WHR and add your RHR
Now when you are training/running/swimming/cycling etc you need to increase the BPM to the zone you wish to achieve:
60-70% of your resting heart rate is the best energy efficient rate for burning fat
70-80% this is used for cardiovascular training, strengthening your heart, lungs & blood vessels
80-90% will start to produce lactic acid (burn) in your muscles but your body cannot burn fat efficiently (so no good for weight loss)
90-100% this is to train fast muscle fibres eg sprint training and has little if none fat burning use

I hope this makes sense, eg I am 32 years old and my RHR is 59 bpm and my max is around 190 bpm so my working heart rate WHR is 131 if I am fat burning (60-70%) is take 70% of my WHR (131) which is 91 and then add my RHR 59 which gives 140 bpm

Now when I train I get my heart rate to around 140 and keep it there, if it starts to drop I speed up and if it starts to rise too much, I slow down. It is very easy to think the higher the heart rate the more fat you will burn but your body can only effectively burn fat at certain levels. If you go too high it will have to burn glycogen which is a much easier energy for your body to use but is taken from muscle, and as fat is not used, you lose no weight)

For toning up and fat loss don't go too high/heavy on the weights, you should be able to do around 3 sets of 12 reps to fatigue. For strength gain this changes to 3+ sets or 6-8 reps to fatigue. (Remember to get a spotter if you are using heavy weights)
I always leave around 2-3 minutes between each set to aid muscle recovery and 3-5 minutes when strength training.

The fitter you get, the lower your RHR will become so keep checking your WHR from time to time to optimize your workout zone, also don't ever use your weight as an indication of fat loss. The best way is by look and how your clothes fit. As you burn fat and gain muscle your weight may even go up but you will notice you lose inches from waist/chest etc as the dormant fat is used for energy and literally burned away.

I am 19 stone and 6'5" so have never been one for running (it isn't good for the knees), I tend to do lots of pad work, bag work, cross train, row and cycle for cardio. My gym is a MMA training centre so we can use things like bikes etc as well as bags & weights.
Swimming is also a great overall excersise as it tones your whole body but you need to speed things up to get your heart rate up.

Finally the more muscle you get, the easier it will be to burn fat as muscle uses fat for energy.

I hope this helps and sorry for going on if it is too much. As always please don't do too much too soon and it is always to get a check up with a local gym or doctor before starting any training. If you need any more help, feel free to get in touch.

 

[millwall ken]

Hi Ken, to keep my weight around the same I take a protein shake for breakfast and lunch and then eat a normal meal for evening dinner with plenty of veg.

I train 4 times a week but train different parts each time, for example:

Monday
5 Min Stretch
30 Min Cardio
60 Min Weights (Chest & Tricepts)
30 Min Mat Work
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

Wednesday
5 Min Stretch
30 Min Cardio
60 Min Weights (Back & Biceps)
30 Min Mat Work
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

Friday
5 Min Stretch
30 Min Cardio
60 Min Weights (Legs & Shoulders)
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

Saturday or Sunday
10 Min Stretch
60 Min Cardio
15 Min Cool Down & Stretch

There is not really a great universal way to lose weight or tone up which works with everybody. I would invest purchasing a HRM (heart rate monitor) which will allow you to find your ideal level of excersise. It is pointless running flat out if you are trying to burn fat, just as it is pointless doing 15 reps with weights if trying to build strength.

Get a HRM (or use your finger) and get your resting pulse rate RPR after sitting or lying still for 15 minutes or so
You then need your MHR (maximum heart rate) by training flat out until your heart rate stops climbing
Now take away your RHR from your MHR to get your working heart rate WHR
To get your zone training rate use X% (from below) from your WHR and add your RHR
Now when you are training/running/swimming/cycling etc you need to increase the BPM to the zone you wish to achieve:
60-70% of your resting heart rate is the best energy efficient rate for burning fat
70-80% this is used for cardiovascular training, strengthening your heart, lungs & blood vessels
80-90% will start to produce lactic acid (burn) in your muscles but your body cannot burn fat efficiently (so no good for weight loss)
90-100% this is to train fast muscle fibres eg sprint training and has little if none fat burning use

I hope this makes sense, eg I am 32 years old and my RHR is 59 bpm and my max is around 190 bpm so my working heart rate WHR is 131 if I am fat burning (60-70%) is take 70% of my WHR (131) which is 91 and then add my RHR 59 which gives 140 bpm

Now when I train I get my heart rate to around 140 and keep it there, if it starts to drop I speed up and if it starts to rise too much, I slow down. It is very easy to think the higher the heart rate the more fat you will burn but your body can only effectively burn fat at certain levels. If you go too high it will have to burn glycogen which is a much easier energy for your body to use but is taken from muscle, and as fat is not used, you lose no weight)

For toning up and fat loss don't go too high/heavy on the weights, you should be able to do around 3 sets of 12 reps to fatigue. For strength gain this changes to 3+ sets or 6-8 reps to fatigue. (Remember to get a spotter if you are using heavy weights)
I always leave around 2-3 minutes between each set to aid muscle recovery and 3-5 minutes when strength training.

The fitter you get, the lower your RHR will become so keep checking your WHR from time to time to optimize your workout zone, also don't ever use your weight as an indication of fat loss. The best way is by look and how your clothes fit. As you burn fat and gain muscle your weight may even go up but you will notice you lose inches from waist/chest etc as the dormant fat is used for energy and literally burned away.

I am 19 stone and 6'5" so have never been one for running (it isn't good for the knees), I tend to do lots of pad work, bag work, cross train, row and cycle for cardio. My gym is a MMA training centre so we can use things like bikes etc as well as bags & weights.
Swimming is also a great overall excersise as it tones your whole body but you need to speed things up to get your heart rate up.

Finally the more muscle you get, the easier it will be to burn fat as muscle uses fat for energy.

I hope this helps and sorry for going on if it is too much. As always please don't do too much too soon and it is always to get a check up with a local gym or doctor before starting any training. If you need any more help, feel free to get in touch.

No mate, examples like this are just what I'm looking for. To be honest I've always used running to keep my weight under control, and the weights for toning. This is because I've always been like a bulldog in my build. However a lot of the modern trends recommend using weights as opposed to using cardio for weight control. So it's hard to guess what way to go now a days. And this is why I'm seeking advice off of members on this forum. I used to be a member of 'men's health and fitness' forum, but to me, that was a forum for the body beautiful and posers-are-us. Like I said, I have done loads of different training regimes - all whilst I was a lot younger. However, as I'm touching 40 now, I have to avoid regimes that will leave me exhausted for too long. This was why I'd thought of starting with a low rep of weights. I'm well aware that muscle burns more fat than cardio will, but like I said I'm on the wrong side of 30, to concentrate just on weights to burn fat. Hence the reason I thought of the two pronged attack of using both weights and cardio.

 

[eskimo39]

I didn't mean to use weights to burn fat, I only use weights for toning & strength. What I mean is as you become more muscular (naturally through training) you will find you burn fat easier as to use and maintain muscles your body has to use fat on a daily basis. People with low muscle mass lose very little fat on a daily basis as the body doesn't need to feed the muscles very much.

Cheers