How are my fitness plans?

[Sandwich]

Hey, I was hoping that I could get some help with my fitness plans.

I'm 6 feet tall, and weigh about 230 pounds. In good shape I believe that I'd weigh about 185-190. I've been a little over-weight for most of my life. Though as a fairly big guy, I hide it relatively well.

But I figure that it's time for me to get into shape. I want to look and feel better, and improve my health.

I'm interested in buying an elliptical, and a large set of free-weights.

I figured that I could do 30 minutes on the elliptical in the morning (high heart beat), followed by raises, flys, shoulder presses, etc with the dumbbells. Perhaps some pushups,and situps as well. Then I would do an additional 30 minutes on the elliptical at night. As my fitness increases, so will the time that I spend on the elliptical. I figured that I could do this 5 times a week.

I'd like to compliment the exercise with a good diet. More frequent, smaller meals throughout the day. Things like baby carrots, celery, broccoli, salads, fruits, small portions of nuts, and lean protein. Drink lots of water, and a little bit of milk for the calcium.

Does this sound like the kind of diet and exercise that could get me into shape quickly, or will I need to step things up? I was hoping to see a loss of 20-30 pounds in the first 3-4 months (the one and only time I've been on a diet in my life, I lost weight quite quickly - without increasing exercise). Is that wishful thinking, or a realistic goal? I'm still quite young, so I'm sure that my body would respond well.

I should probably mention that my current exercise regime consists of sitting on my ass and doing nothing in the most literal sense. Not too mention eating poorly.

If that's just not enough exercise, I'd like to note that I'll be moving in several months. When I do, I'd like to take up martial arts once more. Of course, it's dependent upon the location that I move to, and what martial arts are available in the area. Muay Thai, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are all martial arts that I'm interested in (not that it matters).

Couple more questions. How many calories should I be feeding my body (with weight loss in mind)? I assume something between 2000 and 2300.

And how much can I find a good elliptical for? I was hoping to spend somewhere in the $700-$1000 range. But I'm not quite sure what the best number would be.

Thanks.

[jbb]

Since you're currently sitting on your ass, doing nothing, and eating poorly, then you will likely see significant results with any of the exercise and diet options you mentioned.

You asked whether that would be enough exercise. Don't worry about that right now. Start slowly and let your body adapt. If you do too much too soon then you will get very sore or possibly injured. Likewise with diet -- if you go too extreme then you are less likely to stick with it.

I would start with focusing on healthy eating. Eat lots of veggies, quality lean protein (lean cuts of beef & pork, skinless chicken, fish), non-fat or low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, and whole grains. Avoid processed foods, deep-fried foods, trans fats, sugar, and corn syrup. Try to limit most carbs to whole grains. If you can follow this 80-90% of the time, then you will lilkely lose weight and won't have to hassle with counting calories or macronutrients. You'll also be feeding your body good stuff that will promote good health.

For exercise, some free weights are a good start. Lifting heavy weights will help keep you from losing muscle as you lose fat, and as a newbie you will also likely gain some muscle mass and strength. I wouldn't recommend spending lots of money on a machine, but if you just love using an elliptical trainer and are pretty certain that you will use it regularly, then go ahead. Lots of folks buy these and then don't use them, so you can find a used one and save some money, and not lose as much if you decide to sell it later. I personally would rather find some enjoyable outdoor activity like walking, jogging, cycling, skating, hiking, etc. Intervals on a treadmill or a spinning class have enough variety that I can enjoy them, but otherwise I get really bored with steady state stationary training. The key is to find an activity that you enjoy so that you'll stick with it.

I also recommend doing some reading on exercise and fitness and diet. I think that strength training is very important, so I recommend reading Starting Strength, and The New Rules of Lifting (NROL) and start some of the easier programs in those books. They also provide some good nutritional advice.

[tattooed phat man]

Let me emphasize a few things that jbb said.

1. Tighten up your eating - your description sounded good.
2. Find an exercise that you really like to do to compliment your diet.
3. Start doing the exercise that you like regularly.
4. Learn about other workouts you like or that can help you do what you like doing.
5. Keep your eating tight as you can.
6. Use the money you save on food and drink to buy exercise equipment.

I'm a big fan of running, cycling, swimming, calisthenics and dumbbells for people starting out. They don't cost much, get a lot done in a short time, and build a good base for doing more advanced work.

[FlyinM]

Originally Posted by jbb

I also recommend doing some reading on exercise and fitness and diet. I think that strength training is very important, so I recommend reading Starting Strength, and The New Rules of Lifting (NROL) and start some of the easier programs in those books. They also provide some good nutritional advice.

Good advice here. I personally recommend NROL for guys that are just starting out. I'm not a trainer, just a user of the plan. For exercises routines and food information go to a proven plan like NROL, Testosterone Advantage Plan, and others to get your baseline.

[chaddukes]

You can go "balls to the wall" from the outset and lose 20+ pounds in a month. I've done that several times in my twenties.....that should tell you something.

The only thing that worked longterm for me was focusing on developing one new habit.....one habit at a time. So, create a list of your worst habits. And create a list of the positive habits that you want to have in your life. Then prioritize them. Then tackle item number one. And don't go to item number two until you have a handle on number one.

Someone could create a perfect diet and fitness program for you, but if you can't maintain it for the long haul it won't really matter. Consistency is the key to results. If I had started out 18 months ago doing all the things that I do now I wouldn't have made it past the first month!

[Deserve]

There is a lot of sound advice in here. The only thing I would emphasize is picking a plan and following it. Don't make up your own. As it was said earlier because your starting out you'll get good results. You just won't get optimal results.

Look around around on this site. There are a number of quality plans made by professionals available free to the person that knows where to look. Several were already mentioned.

[Sandwich]

Thank you very much for the replies. I actually created the same thread on two different forums, and I found the users here much more helpful.

I was pretty confident that I would use the elliptical on a regular basis, but I'm kind of figuring that a gym membership would be a better use of my money. Even if I'd prefer to train in private.

I'll continue browsing the site, looking for the fitness programs that were mentioned in this thread.

Thanks again.

[Sandwich]

Actually went to the gym today (I had a 10 day pass from a year ago that still had 8 visits left on it..)

I did 22 minutes on the elliptical at high intensity, then 40 sit ups, 15 pushups, and 20 curls with 20 pound dumbbells.

I was a little embarrassed that that's all I could do, even if it's the most exercise that I've done in 10 months. I get tired abnormally fast, and lactic acid seems to effect me faster than anyone I know. When I'm not tired I can do about 55-60 reps with 20 pound dumbbells, but I was struggling by the time I got to 18.

I would have gone with something in the 30's, but I could already tell that I would have difficulty when I was walking over.

Is this just because I'm out of shape, or is it possible that my muscles simply create lactic acid faster than others?

I've got friends who are out of shape, but they can still walk around and do 12-14 different different types of exercises. I do pushups, and some cardio and my arms are too tired to do pretty much anything else.

I don't want to sound like a complainer (I haven't quit just yet), but it's really frustrating.

[diamondpete]

hi Sandwich

Welcome aboard.

As someone said, since you are just starting out, anything is better than nothing. Not to discourage you, but I think you should be looking at exercises that will give you more "bang for your buck".

This means doing exercises that "cover more" at one time. So if you do bicep curls you are only working your arms and it takes "x" amount of time . But basically it takes almost the same amount of time to do any other exercise at the same number of reps. So if you choose and exercise that covers more of your body, you will "get more bang for your buck".

The greatest example (I think is) the leg extension machine (or leg curl machine if you go the other way) vs squats. Or biceps curls vs a chin up.

SO instead of wandering around the gym doing really high reps of a "low return" exercise, I suggest you try some full body exercises. NROL is a great place to start (about $20 on amazon). If you want to have a look at a free program, try HGM (in the FAQs under routines) and you will see a "full body" program" that uses minimal equipment. (mind you it is a but dated, but a great program to start with) .

I would look to MUCH fewer repetitions than you are going for and try and get some kind of plan ready before you hit the gym.

Hope this helps.

peter

[Sandwich]

Thanks Diamond.

Would 30 minutes on the elliptical, followed by situps, pushups, leg press, and squats be a solid work out for starters? I know it's not a ton, but I guess I'm just in much worse shape than I realized.

I thought about buying a small set of dumbbells so I can do 6 or 7 different arm exercises at home when my arms aren't dead tired. I understand what you're saying. For weight loss I'm better off doing exercises that target larger muscle groups/more muscles at once. But I'd still like to improve the definition and strength of my arms. They'll look better, and maybe I won't have such issues with quick lactic acid buildup.

[jbb]

Sandwich, you really do need to read NROL. Right now you are making up workouts with seemingly random exercises. The experts can write more effective programs, so you'll get better results following their programs. I made the same mistake for decades. My strength training consisted of going through the machine circuit at the gym. I was working very hard, going through the circuit 3 times and using weights that would give me 8-12 reps to failure. However, I wasn't getting stronger (wasn't able to increase the weight I used over time), so obviously it wasn't working. Earlier this year I started the NROL programs. At first I could barely keep my balance doing squats and lunges, even with very light weights, and I could really feel my core muscles struggling to maintain my balance. Since then I have steadily been able to add weight to the exercises, showing that I am getting stronger. I'm not doing any arm curls, but my biceps are getting bigger and more dense.

As someone said, these books are cheap, and they give you proven programs developed by experienced professionals who have successfully trained lots of regular folks as well as professional athletes. If you can have a trainer or someone at the gym show you the proper form for deadlifts and squats and overhead presses, that would be a good idea.

As far as the workout you mentioned, the leg press is redundant with the squats. I would just do the squats. There are much better and safer core exercises than situps, and a lot of experts aren't even recommending crunches anymore. Pushups are good, but you also need to balance them with pulling exercises. Pull-ups and chin-ups would be good, and chin-ups will build your biceps as well. Rowing exercises, like barbell bent-over rows and seated cable rows, will help balance the pushing exercises and will also help improve your posture and will also build your arms. Also, I would probably do the cardio after the strength training instead of before.

[Deserve]

As a beginner form is of the utmost important. One of the positive that books like NROL have over the plethora of free quality work outs that are available is that the books give quality instructions on how to perform the exercise safely and effectively.

The stuff that is free just tells you what exercises to do and you are left to you own devices to figure what is the best technique.

[xanderd]

I know that making a financial investment feels like you are making progress and committing yourself, but i would question whether the elliptical is really necessary.

Climate and physical environment permitting, why not just jog outside for free?

I am a big fan of sprinting once a week rather than long cardio sessions more frequently - it saves time and stresses your central nervous system, encouraging hormone secretion. The high intensity also keeps your heart and lungs fit.

[Katydid77]

Get NROL Sandwhich.

Heck, if you can't afford it at the moment, request it through inter-library loan at your local library.

All you need is to read through it and 'put together' in your mind what everyone here is trying to tell you.

It's no fun walking around the gym and feeling a bit lost. It is much easier to become frustrated and lose track of what you are doing. A plan really does make all the difference.

And maybe start a training log here