Please comment on my programme...

OPENROAD

OK started training consistently again after nearly 5 years off.

Started Oct 20. Start weight according to scales was 16st 8lb.

I am 5'11.

Current Weight is 15st 8lb.

I work out from home can't access gym.

Am using a concept II rower and Horizon treadmill.

Workout as follows:

Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday: Rower 30 mins approx 6500m.
Monday/Wednesday Treadmill 20 mins with 2 mins sprint 2 mins walk.

Diet:

Monday to Friday

Get up around 10:30
Glass water 11:00
Start workout 11:05

12:30 Protein drink with low fat milk/3 weetabix low fat milk/slice wholemeal toast with flora/ 2 cups green tea.

15:30 Half bowl Museli with low fat milk. 2 cups green tea.

17:30 Spar large roll ham and cheese.

19:30 Cup oxtail soup.

20:30 Two chicken breasts in oven with a small portion of wholemeal rice/frozen green beans/peas.

22:00 Glass water and 7 Brazil nuts.

23:00 Apple.

23:30 Protein drink with low fat milk and 3 rice cakes.

00:00 Bed.

Saturday

Same as during week except Breakfast is 2 boiled eggs and 4 slices wholemeal toast and no spar roll-sub in bowl of Museli.

Sunday: Same as during week except Breakfast is 3 egg omelette and 2 slices wholemeal toast with flora.



Any comments greatly appreciated, I know I am missing weights from my workout. When I was in gym I used fixed weight machines,not as good as free weights I know. I was thinking of investing in one of those multi gyms, which would be easier for me to use as opposed to free weights.

My objectives are obviously to loose weight would like to get down to 13st and back to a trouser 34in waist, currently 36in.

If I continue with my current workout am I likely to continue to loose weight

BossArky

Get a set of dumbbells and do this on top of your cardio.

If you just do cardio you risk wasting away any muscle you do have. Weights will help maintain that muscle and grow new muscle mass if you eat enough protein. Aim of your grams of protein equal to your weight in lbs, per day.

BossArky

Oh, also.. loose the milk with the protein shakes. Have water instead... less calories overall. Eat lots of tuna.

rubadub

OPENROAD wrote: »

Any comments greatly appreciated, I know I am missing weights from my workout. When I was in gym I used fixed weight machines,not as good as free weights I know. I was thinking of investing in one of those multi gyms, which would be easier for me to use as opposed to free weights.

You recognise free weights are better so get them. A good quality muli gym for home costs a fair bit, while relatively cheap cast iron plates are fine.

This is a good value set, http://www.irish-lifting.com/product_info_equipment.php?cPath=1_15&products_id=260 and you can simply buy more plates as you get stronger.

I would also recommend a chin up bar. I no longer use my bench, for my chest I use gymnastics rings for various dips on the chinning bar. The entire kit takes up little room.

And do not focus on weight alone when lifting. I have been ~12stone for over a year now and am getting thinner all the time, slowly building muscle and losing fat at the same rate.

Vegeta

Lucky fecker to have a Concept II rower, I want one myself but am trying to justify the expense

Anyway the simple answer is, if you are losing weight on this regime and staying healthy then stick with it.

In the future there are some things you could work on. Instead of just rowing for 30 mins straight you could change it up like the running and do intervals of higher and lower intensity

Free weights are great so I'd get some of them in (in fact as a pure fat loss goal, I'd do them before the running and rowing)

Your diet is middle of the road. You are eating small meals multiple times a day which is great. If I were to give simple advice on it I'd cut out the milk (in protein shakes) and bread. I'd replace the weetabix with porridge with milk. Wouldn't have muesli (depending on brand can be a nice bit of sugar in it)

Read the following post though and see what you think.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=52976214&postcount=9

OPENROAD

Thanks guys for replies.

davyjose

You need to do some form of weight training. If you can't get near a gym, and money is tight for buying your own weights with xmas coming up, you can start with bodyweight exercises. Single leg squats, sit-up's, and of course the humble push-up, which IMO is a very over-rated exercise. Maybe if you want to make 1 quick investment, it would be, as Rubadub said, to get a chin-up bar - no offense intended but at your current weight I'm assuming this will all give you a very good work-out to start with.

OPENROAD

davyjose wrote: »

You need to do some form of weight training. If you can't get near a gym, and money is tight for buying your own weights with xmas coming up, you can start with bodyweight exercises. Single leg squats, sit-up's, and of course the humble push-up, which IMO is a very over-rated exercise. Maybe if you want to make 1 quick investment, it would be, as Rubadub said, to get a chin-up bar - no offense intended but at your current weight I'm assuming this will all give you a very good work-out to start with.

Tks Im deffo going to introduce some weight training, money is fine, which was why I was considering buying a multi gym like the one below. I do know free weigts are better but I am worried about my technique and what to do with the free weights as I only used fixed weights when I was in the gym.

http://www.starfitnesstore.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=459&category_id=29&option=com_phpshop&Itemid=1

davyjose

Beware of the assumption that weight machines will promote perfect technique. You have to remember that everybody is shaped differently and these machines come in 1 size. I damaged my shoulder quite badly in the past using machines.

It could be worth your while, short-term getting a personal trainer for 5 or 6 weeks to learn the basics of some of your more usual free weight moves, like the bench-press, Squat, shoulder press, and take it from there.

To be honest from what I've heard, multi-gyms are a very quick way of wasting a lot of money

OPENROAD

davyjose wrote: »

.

To be honest from what I've heard, multi-gyms are a very quick way of wasting a lot of money

Thanks mate.

Hanley

Multigyms start you in your weakest leverage point and it's often an unnatural position where the joints integrity is compromised. I'd go so far as to say in the long term they're MORE dangerous than free weights.

For the money you're spending there you could get a really awesome home gym set up...

-Power rack €350 http://www.irish-lifting.com/product_info_equipment.php?cPath=1_11&products_id=197
-adjustable flat/incline/decline bench €140 http://www.irish-lifting.com/product_info_equipment.php?cPath=1_5&products_id=164
-olympic bar + 140kg weights €200 http://www.irish-lifting.com/product_info_equipment.php?cPath=1_15&products_id=259
-adjustable dumbbell handles €100 http://www.irish-lifting.com/product_info_equipment.php?cPath=1_9&products_id=229
-get some bands so you can do "cable" work http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?SearchPhrase=flex+bands&x=0&y=0&m=SR

Pretty much everything you'd need for under €1,000. I would absolutely KILL to have the space to set up my own home gym. And as soon as I move out it's going to become a priority.

So yeah, while it might take a bit more time to learn free weights, it's a desicision you absoultely would not regret 2 years from now.

OPENROAD

Hanley wrote: »

So yeah, while it might take a bit more time to learn free weights, it's a desicision you absoultely would not regret 2 years from now.

Thanks for the links.

davyjose

Hanley wrote: »

Pretty much everything you'd need for under €1,000. I would absolutely KILL to have the space to set up my own home gym. And as soon as I move out it's going to become a priority.

Sorry to go OT folks, but Hanley, do you think you would benefit from a home gym? I would have thought that working out in a place with other people with similar goals would be more helpful??

Hanley

davyjose wrote: »

Sorry to go OT folks, but Hanley, do you think you would benefit from a home gym? I would have thought that working out in a place with other people with similar goals would be more helpful??

It's a tricky one. I wouldn't be training at home exclusively. Probably just on week days. Since I'll be training for my professional accounting qualification next year until 2012 I'll be working long hours with lots of study outside of it too. So time is really gonna be an issue.

If I can avoid it I'd like to not have to spend much time travelling to and from the gym. I'd probably end up deadlifting and doing my bench assitance work at home. And then heavy squat and heavy bench on the weekend in Hercs.

Do you see the method to my madness?

davyjose

I do indeed, man. I think a lot of people avoid home gyms because of motivational reasons. I'm fairly sure that won't be a problem for you, ha ha