Fitness advice

boa-constrictor

Hi there

I'm 34 and my job involves mainly office work. I've decided that I need to get fit not so I can run any marathons but purely so I live a bit longer. I reckon I am desperately unfit at the moment. I need something I can do in my garage (as time is a bit of an issue) so I'm wondering;

If there was one machine which I could purchase which I would get the most of in terms of upper and lower body fitness, what would it be.

Any suggestions for the best make/cheapest supplier would be welcome also. Thanks in advance.

Colm_OReilly

Get some weights - a decent barbell set will cost you a lot less than any machine and will provide much greater benefit overall.

If you can, get a pull up bar. You can get a doorframe one from Argos cheap enough (under €20)

If you head over to www.simplefit.org there's a wealth of information on bodyweight routines and programs and different levels you can start off at.

Here's three articles you might enjoy.

The Garage Gym

Beginner Workouts

What is Fitness?

Best of luck,
Colm

boa-constrictor

I dont know much about this subject but I think what I need is to become aerobically fit. I want to trim my waistline a bit and lower my cholesterol. Also I would like to be able to do strenuous tasks occasionally without feeling like I need to lie down afterwards.

I wouldn't have thought that weights would achieve this.

Colm_OReilly

Aerobic training, particularly monostructural (just one thing - running, cycling, rowing, swimming, etc) isn't a very productive way to train. For one thing, you become good at just that thing, e.g. running for 40 minutes. Plus, extended periods of aerobic training can diminish your other aspects of fitness

From the CFJ:

Aerobic training benefits cardiovascular function and decreases body fat – all good.Aerobic conditioning allows us to engage in low power extended efforts efficiently (cardio/respiratory endurance and stamina). This is critical to many sports. Athletes engaged in sports or training where a preponderance of the training load is spent in aerobic efforts witness decreases in muscle mass, strength, speed, and power. It is not uncommon to find marathoners with a vertical leap of only several inches! Furthermore, aerobic activity has a pronounced tendency to decrease anaerobic capacity.
This does not bode well for most athletes or those interested in elite fitness.

Anaerobic activity also benefits cardiovascular function and decreases body fat! In fact, anaerobic exercise is superior to aerobic exercise for fat loss!http://www.cbass.com/FATBURN.HTM) Anaerobic activity is, however, unique in its capacity to dramatically improve power, speed, strength, and muscle mass. Anaerobic conditioning allows us to exert tremendous forces over brief time intervals. One aspect of anaerobic conditioning that bears great consideration is that anaerobic conditioning will not adversely affect aerobic capacity. In fact, properly structured, anaerobic activity can be used to develop a very high level of aerobic fitness without the muscle wasting consistent with high volumes of aerobic exercise!! The method by which we use anaerobic efforts to develop aerobic conditioning is “interval training.”

So unless you are training specifically for endurance events, you're best off with a program that aims for broad, inclusive fitness - as this will best serve your day to day living. See "Why Average Joes Should Crossfit"

If you've any other q's give me a shout or post away,
Colm