Fitness Training

[shamrock104]

Anyone got any good suggestions for a training program over a six week period.
I want to get back into running but was more interested in hearing about a good diet
so I can lose some weight particularly around the stomach.
Thanks in advance.

[North Shore]

Mathematics.

Eat x calories, burn y calories.
if x - y = positive number, stomach/ass get larger
if x - y = negative number, stomach/ass get smaller.

In terms of the y part, anything will do, just start off easy, and work up to longer/harder activity levels. Currently, I'm swimming ~800m every morning, and then riding my bike to work ~20 min each way..

[BTD]

May I highly recommend Crossfit.

http://www.crossfit.com

Its free, and is moving the fitness world away from bodybuilding styles of training, more toward functional training. Lots of body weight execercises, gymnast style exercises, and olympic lifting.

In my last 7-8 years of working out I have seen my biggest personal gains since starting crossfit last Sept.

Anyway thats my 2 cents.

Check out the workout of the day on the website. Its free everyday.

BTD

[BTD]

Oh yeah, not to go directly against what North Shore said but, don't necessarily start off easy.

Start off with easier movements. But intensity should be up all the time. On a scale of 10 make your workout around an 8 or higher right from day 1. Intensity is the only way to make gains. People get discouraged when they start of "easy" and then don't know when to start going hard (and they never do) so they quit.

Intensity right from day 1. Your 8 out of 10 on the first day will be way different in terms of what you can do compared to 6 months down the line
BTD

[mcrit]

For the weight loss thing, put more veggies in your diet, reduce (not elimanate) carbs if you have a carb rich diet, and keep snacks to a minimum.
As for the running, just go out and run. Make sure you have a good pair of shoes for that. The trick is to run every day. Do a long slow run one day, sprints the next, ....you get the picture. Talk to the guys at the running room about a program.

[shamrock104]

Thanks for the replies guys, I just want to get going with a pair of running shoes and to start watching what I eat and drink.

[altiplano]

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[hazatude]

Pull Cherokees around by hand all freakin' day. That'll blast your quads

[5x5]

Good on you to get it going early in your life. A lot of my friends (50+) realize they let it go and have a real hard, if not impossible, time making the lifestyle changes to keep it going.

With running, talk with someone in a shoe store that will actually watch you run (on a treadmill or in front of the store) so they can properly evaluate your stride. This is very, very important before they recommend you a shoe. It's worth it to go to a specialty store as SportChek et al not only have bonehead kids as clerks for the most part, they also sell many shoes that are special made for their store. Look very similar to manufacturer's mainline models but are built cheaper and often have a slightly different model name/number.

Following .'s World plan is a good idea. Just beware if you start to feel any lingering pain or soreness in the front's of you legs, it could be the beginning of shin splints. And you don't want those, believe me. So if you feel the pain, slow down a bit and run a little less distance.

As for food, a couple good suggestions so far. My main general recommendations would be to really watch fat content on the labels. Fat has lots of calories and also (especially low grade animal fat) really bonds well to human tissue. If you eat those dried Asian noodles, prepare for a shock and check the fat content. It's through the roof and probably from a dietary point of view, one of the worst things you can possibly eat next to ice cream. The other thing, is cut out any eating less than 1 hour before you go to bed. Most of us crave and enjoy that bedtime snack, but it's a killer. You ingest all those calories (cause as a snack it tends to be high sugar/fat content) just before your metabolism slows way down and your bodies energy requirements are at their lowest. Extra calories = extra fat.

And lastly, cut down on any booze. One glass of wine (and maybe beer) is possibly good for you, but any more than that is going straight to your gut - no doubt about it.

Good luck and I applaud your determination to get yourself in better shape.

[. ._]

I say be proud of the gut!

Pizza and beer makes it grow, and gives you that 45 year old belly that is necessary to enter middle management. Wearing company golf shirts will help too.

If you have kids, start them early on this routine.



-istp

[C23flyer]

I say be proud of the gut!

Pizza and beer makes it grow, and gives you that 45 year old belly that is necessary to enter middle management. Wearing company golf shirts will help too.

If you have kids, start them early on this routine.



-istp

Hold the tomatoes!

[BTD]

Intensity is the only way to make gains.

Not sure about that - but it is the way to get injured and burn out.

If you are starting a running program and going hard right away you are going to plateau in a hurry and be quite discouraged when you can't keep it up. Your likelihood of injury is way up too.

Intensity is the only way to make gains. Running is just an intense form of walking. If you are already of average fitness you will not make any noticeable improvements from walking. Your heart is already pumping blood even when sitting down. So why run at all? Because your heart has to work harder to accomplish the same things. Intensity.

The problem is people always misinterpret what intensity for each person is. If you are terrible unfit and walking is high intensity for you, then start walking you will make progress. As you make progress you must push up your intensity level and adapt the workout so you don't plateau. If you do not, you will stop making progress, get discouraged and quit.

Highly intense exercises for someone at the beginning of a workout routine will not be the same level as many months/years into it. Start out with simple movements to limit the risk of injury, but work hard from day 1.

If running is what you are into (a fairly simple movement that most people can already do with little risk of injury) don't be afraid to keep the intensity up as you go.

BTD

[Hedley]

You need to change the way you eat and exercise for the
rest of your life, because what you've been doing up to
this point isn't working.

Somebody pointed out caloric arithmetic. First, you need
to be less sedentary. You don't need to run a marathon,
just spend an hour a day walking. Just get off the couch,
put on some comfortable shoes, and start walking. Riding
a bicycle for an hour a day is another great way to get exercise
without injuring yourself. Increase the caloric output.

You gotta reduce the caloric input. Here are some ideas how:

1) try to cut out the refined sugar, bread and potatoes.
Replace soda/pop with water.

2) no more snacks during the day. No desserts. Don't
eat anything after 6pm. ok, maybe dry popcorn.

3) smaller portions! No more second helpings.

4) start reading the dietary labels on the side of
the package. You will be surprised.

Eat less. Exercise more.

And later one, when you get the calories under control,
try to reduce the fat in your diet.

[Invertago]

Drink water... it is the easiest way to cut back the calories... replace pop, juice, slurpies, coffee (with cream sugar etc) with water. Then start to burn more calories then you consume and you will loose weight... it is simple math, but simple math doesn't sell diet plans so you don't see it advertised.

[altiplano]

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[2R]

Get a new girlfriend
New girlfriend nocturnal activities are a great way to lose weight .You can lose at least five pounds a night with the right one .Never mind the stair-master ,the groin-mistress is the best way to lose weight

[BTD]

He said he used to run, therefore I assume he has at least some level of fitness background. If someone who was very very unfit was just starting a program I'd still suggest higher intensity, and walking might get them there.

I'm guessing BTD isn't a ....

I am not a strict ., but running is part of many workouts I do, as is rowing, pullups, handstand pushups, cleans, jerks, squats, standing shoulder press, deadlifts etc. If you stay in your comfort zone, results will not follow, because you are already doing something your body can do. How long do you stay at a low intensity before ramping it up. 1 week 2, 3, 5, a year? Nobody knows and they get discouraged.

I think we are almost arguing the same thing from different angles.

BTD

[No_Delay]

Go to a naturopath and get a food allergy test to see what your body does not like.

I have cut out ALL wheat, and never felt better. While not an easy adjustment, I am leaner and feel great all of the time. No bloating, lack of energy etc.

Apparantly close to 25% of people are allergic to wheat, and about the same amount allergic to dairy.. Our bodies just don't like it.

[altiplano]

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[Norfolk]

P90X

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitnes ... P90XDOTCOM

[BTD]

I hear where you're coming from BTD. You can't just go out there aimlessly and wander about.

I think the key is realistic goals but long term perspective. You want to keep the program up right?

Set yourself up for a training regime that you can accomplish and build from there. If you start your training out doing hill sprints and long runs you are setting yourself up for failure and likely injury. Remember you want to finish strong - your last mile should be your fastest.

Exactly. But if you can already run 10k no problem, walking isn't going to allow you to progress. Always just go a bit further than the time before. You have to work on an individual level. Running a mile in 12 min might be the best you can do, but someone else could do it in a breeze. Intensity levels for the individual is all I've been trying to say.

BTD

[Cool Rythms!]

Shamrock104, I was a personal fitness trainer for nearly 11 years. Also competed in two bodybuilding competitions, so I definately know about the dieting part!

It all depends on what results you're looking for. Do you want to get lean? Do you want to lose some weight? Are you looking to get into any sports where cardiovascular activity is very high?

If you'd like, send me a PM and we'll chat a bit more about it. Because you know already how people on this forum can be sarcastic and the types of responses you'll get.

Or if you'd like, you can also visit any fitness center near you and ask to speak with a personal trainer. I'm always glad to help fellow pilots acheive their fitness goals, so feel free to get in touch with me anytime.

Cheers

[Cool Rythms!]

I did notice some pretty useful responses from people in regards to your post Shamrock. Take note of everyones advice and do what you feel is best for you. I still encourage you to PM me though.

Cheers to you and everyone else

[Dust Devil]

Don't forget to hit the weights. If you want to keep the weight off (should say fat off I suppose) you need to build muscle. Weight isn't everything. I'm aiming for a weight of about 220 - 230lbs but lean. Get someone to check your lean body mass. Ignore the height and weight calculations to get BMI. They mean nothing.