Casual training? - JP Fitness Forums

Hojima · 02-15-2008, 06:26 PM

Hey, I've been having some troubles with getting the figure I want. I quit weight lifting since the summer and I'm ok with it since I was pretty big. I've been running instead to do a bit more of a casual work out, but its not working for me, as I'm still getting fat (though that may be a diet issue). I have 2 questions. Is running on land MUCH better than on the treadmill? I have been running 7 miles on the mill, bit it seems to produce less than when I ran an average of 5 on land. My last question pertains to me coming back to weight lifting. I used to spend a lot of time and effort on it since many say you either do it right or not at all. Can you do a 3-1 workout to break routine that works out all the muscles but gains as little mass as possible, with just gains in strength or endurance and loss of fat. Also I don't want any high weight that really strains the muscles and has a higher risk of damage. My max out before I quit was about 275lb for the bench press, and my other lifts were relative to that league. I want something that is less than 200. I've done a bit of searching and people say it's also a lot about diet. Anyone have any more info on this?

Mahler · 02-15-2008, 07:50 PM

If your interest is in fat loss, diet is paramount. After getting the diet in order, the next thing I would do would be to do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) in place of the running. As far as the weights are concerned, there are many Fat Loss routines that do not require maximal loads.

Hojima · 02-15-2008, 08:51 PM

it's not just fat loss, but also maintaining fit. Muscle wise, I more or less have enough mass, but I'd like to have more strength and/or endurance. As for the diet aspect I've made a post elsewhere. Thanks for your response, I think I should have a more intense but short workout. The seven miles I run takes a little more than an hour.

Mahler · 02-15-2008, 09:17 PM

With those goals in mind, I can highly recommend New Rules of Lifting. Do the fat loss routines. They are anything but easy, but will give you a much better workout than a one hour run, and I managed to gain strength and endurance as well.

Hojima · 02-15-2008, 10:05 PM

Any good place to start the fat loss routines?

Cynic · 02-15-2008, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hojima

Any good place to start the fat loss routines?

The gym.

Phaedrus49er · 02-16-2008, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hojima

Any good place to start the fat loss routines?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynic

The gym.

And the kitchen... Mahler's advice is solid, though.

Lisa~ · 02-16-2008, 08:18 AM

This article by Alwyn Cosgrove explains the best types of activities for fat loss: The Hierarchy of Fat Loss.

Alwyn also wrote the workouts in the New Rules of Lifting and I agree with the guys above that this program would be effective for the goals of fat loss, muscle maintenance, and increased endurance.

Hojima · 02-16-2008, 05:40 PM

I didn't mean the place to perform I meant a place to find out about it. I just need a workout that burns fat, increases strength and/or endurance, and does not gain muscle (at least not significantly). Thing is, when I weight lifted, I would gain about 10lb of muscle in about 2 months without any noticeable gain in fat. I don't want to look like one of those huge veiny body builders. Btw, thanks Lisa for the article.

Phaedrus49er · 02-17-2008, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hojima

Thing is, when I weight lifted, I would gain about 10lb of muscle in about 2 months without any noticeable gain in fat. I don't want to look like one of those huge veiny body builders.

What and how much were you eating?? Not to say it's impossible, but that's not exactly typical.

Hojima · 02-17-2008, 03:47 PM

Well, since I was in high school at the time and my mom could cook for me, I don't know what I didn't eat (besides sugar, I completely cut that). I mostly had eggs, protein shakes, steak with cooked veggies, and sandwiches. Still, me and my friend were working out every day, with only 1 or 2 breaks a week. We were pretty dedicated. Over the course of a semester (a few months), I went from a 225lb bench to a 275lb bench. For the squat I went from 375, to 450. I don't really know what I started at with dead lifts since I would vary in strength due to my back being sore, but I remember doing 395 once.