Making early progress - thanks to this forum.

N00b2fitness

Hi all, I would like to pass on my gratitude to the many of you on here who are incredibly knowledegable in the area of fitness and so kindly offer your advice and help to the likes of me. I sometimes wonder what's in it for you folks as you seem to be offering advice the whole time and never getting any. So firstly many many thanks.

I've been following a diet and fitness program for a few weeks now and am already seeing results physically. At the outset, I was inactive, unfit and probably weak as a kitten, 5'10 and just over 14 stone. Chubby enough, spare tyre, double chin etc.

I've been going to the gym a bit in the past month or so but stepped it up recently and changed my diet. I've also cut out alcohol, I used to drink a fair bit and snack on chocolate, crisps, my diet was awful basically. Here are my details, any feedback welcome.

Diet, typical day:
Breakfast (8 or 9am) - Porridge made in water with small drop of skimmed milk + honey.
Lunch (midday) - Soup + salad with dry roast chicken, boiled egg
Snack (3/4pm) - Fruit... orange, apple banana something like that.
Gym from 6:30 - 8 or so.
Tea/Dinner - Grilled chicken Breast + beans, wholemeal bread.
Some more fruit in evening.

Workout: (4 times a week) Here is what I did last week - will mix it up a from week to week but this is a guideline.

Day1:
Squats - 60kg 3 x 5
Deadlift - 100kg 3 x 5
Dips - 3 x 5 (can hardly manage to do these)
Sit Ups & Stretches

Day 2:
20m stepper fat burn L10 (sweat like a pig)
Bike 20m Level 6 @ 70 - 80rpm
Treadmill 10 minute jog/walk (brisk)
Sit Ups & stretches

Day 3:
Incline Bench (dumbells)15kg 3x5
Bent Over Row (dumbell) 15kg 6x5
Bicep Curl (dumbell)10kg 4x5
Barbel bicep 15kg 3x5
Tricp Pshdwn 9plates 10x3
Situps & stretches

Day 4:
5k run < 28 mins
20m stepper fat burn L10
Sit Ups + Stretches

Feedback on improvements welcome. I just want to look normal, not looking for massive muscle gain, would like some definition and lose a good few kilo's of body fat. (I'm not measuring bodyfat, seems a bit overkill, I reckon if I keep this up I should see some minor results in a month or two)

ali.c

N00b2fitness wrote: »

Feedback on improvements welcome. I just want to look normal, not looking for massive muscle gain, would like some definition and lose a good few kilo's of body fat. (I'm not measuring bodyfat, seems a bit overkill, I reckon if I keep this up I should see some minor results in a month or two)

Its looking good, this is just a suggestion but i would recommend getting a variety of food options that you know you like and that are easy to make. Now i am still learning all about this but i found at the start that it was hard to come up with things to eat. Mostly now its pretty much the same, fish/chicken/beef with vegetables for dinner so i cook it differently so i dont get bored.

Edit: For me anyway finding good food that suited my tastes took a bit of experimenting but it was definately worth it!

N00b2fitness

Thanks for the tip, because it represents such a deviation from my standard diet of "lots of bad stuff at the wrong time", it is challenging to find what to eat and when. I'll try to ensure it doesn't get boring or routine.

Any other tips from the experts? Even an endorsement that that it's a relatively okay programme to be getting on with would be welcome.

ali.c

http://www.f-heit.com/readTopic.do?id=531356

This article is worth a read!

Transform

Average overall program and well done on changes to diet - drop the bread in evening meal and add more veg if you need to.

Program - drop all the sit ups etc at end of the cardio and spend it working on flexibility for 10-15mins, there is enough ab work done on weights days.

The weights are ok - just keep changing the exercises every few weeks and in particular the order you are doing them in i.e. squats on second day instead of same day as deadlifts etc

Day 1 weights needs to be fleshed out more also

N00b2fitness

Transform wrote: »

Program - drop all the sit ups etc at end of the cardio and spend it working on flexibility for 10-15mins, there is enough ab work done on weights days.

Good point, will do that.

Transform wrote: »

Day 1 weights needs to be fleshed out more also

Yeah I thought as much, anyone any suggestions on some weight exercises to add to it?

With the best of intentions on going 4 times a week, I've not been able to manage 4 times last week due to not recovering in time, even though it's split cardio/weights on alternate days. For someone my level, is 3 times a week really enough? I've got the guilts big time now since I only made it 3 times last week... I figured no point in going while I'm aching all over. Is that the right tack?

Cadrach

N00b2fitness wrote: »

Good point, will do that.




Yeah I thought as much, anyone any suggestions on some weight exercises to add to it?

With the best of intentions on going 4 times a week, I've not been able to manage 4 times last week due to not recovering in time, even though it's split cardio/weights on alternate days. For someone my level, is 3 times a week really enough? I've got the guilts big time now since I only made it 3 times last week... I figured no point in going while I'm aching all over. Is that the right tack?

Three times a week can be fine, but if you can do 4 times then that's even better, especially for weight loss. You will ache more at the start because your muscles aren't used to it - if you don't work to failure then it will be easier the next day. Guilt is good - it means you'll work harder tomorrow.