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Advice on workout and Protein Whey for Weight Loss
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30-05-2010 10:03pm#1Hi guys,
just a few questions I'd like to put through to you.
I got a circuit workout off a private fitness instructor last year which was to help with my weight loss.
The routine consisted of three sets of the following:
Squats x 10
Chest Press x 10
Lat Pull Down x 10
Lunges x 10
Shoulder Press x 10
Side Shoulder Raise x 10
Triceps Pushdown x 10
Hamstring Curls x 10
Bicep Curls x 10
Ab crunch x 25
I fell off the wagon and trying to get back on it. I'm currently only able to repeat one round of the above routine (I was like this last year when I started and slowly built it up)
I normally try and do the routines in the morning before work, but have found that I normally have to do them in the evening.
My question is, is this a good way to lose weight? My main focus is to lose weight, age 24, 5'7 and around 16 stone
:o
As for diet, I know what I'm supposed to do and trying to work on it, typically:
Morning - Porridge
Mid Morn - Nuts/Banana
Lunch - Salmon and brown bread/meet or extras from last nights dinner
Afternoon - Nuts/Apple
Supper - Meet, rice and a bit of veg
Anything I can do to improve this?
Also, I've been reading mixed reviews about taking protein whey for weight loss. What do you guys think? I intend to go and do the routine above 3 times a week, the days I'm resting, I'd hope to go for walks with the dog/cycles.
What do you guys think?
Any help, advice etc would be great.0
Comments
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Taken from:
http://www.wheyoflife.org/faq.cfm#9Q: Will whey protein help me lose weight?
A: Adding whey protein to the diet is a great way to jump-start a weight loss program. Whey protein is a key ingredient in numerous weight loss and meal replacement products and whey protein isolate (with no fat or carbohydrates) is often the preferred choice. Studies have found that individuals who combine diets with leucine rich protein foods, like whey protein, and exercise have more lean muscle tissue and they lose more body fat. As they lose fat their metabolic rate increases and they naturally burn more calories each day. Another way that whey protein helps manage weight is by promoting satiety, or a feeling of fullness. One recent study showed that whey protein was superior to casein, the other protein in cow's milk, in promoting satiety.
This article goes into a lot more detail:
http://www.answerfitness.com/240/does-whey-protein-help-weight-loss-fitness-nerd/
Hope this helps
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Taken from:
http://www.wheyoflife.org/faq.cfm#9
This article goes into a lot more detail:
http://www.answerfitness.com/240/does-whey-protein-help-weight-loss-fitness-nerd/
Hope this helps
Hi Danger, thank you very much for the link, I'd had a look at that article, but just wanted to run it by neutral minds before I go and dive into it.
I've gotten some Whey off a friend of mine and am thinking of using it, but thought it would be best to get some opinions on here first.
If I was to use it, how much and how often and when?
Any tips/comments/suggestions would be great. 0 -
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Thats really informative B-Builder!
I was considering adding a little whey protein to my smoothies after I sort my diet out and start exercising regularly. Would you advise against that?
I am not anti supplement, so I would not blanket advise against taking whey.
But Why are you taking it?
What is your lean body mass weight?
How much protein are you getting each day from your normal food intake?
What are your goals?
Are you getting enough protein already from your diet to support your goals?
Will the extra calories provided by the whey interfere with these goals?
These are the kind of questions that you should be asking yourself.
Once you can answer these questions, weighed up the pros and cons and are sure that taking the supplement will help achieve your goals, then go ahead.
But as I have said, taking supplements just because you see others doing it is not a valid reason. And contrary to poplar belief, Whey protein is not a magic powder. It's simply a powdered food source.
Best Regards,
M0 -
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Hi Oregato
I am doing strong lifts 5x5 myself (though I have modified it a little)
When I started I worked with very light weight and found that I flew through the routine, as I did not need much rest between sets.
But the emphisis here with the light weight should be getting your form/technique right.
Then when you have your technique down you start adding weight at each workout.
Once the weight starts to build up, you will find yourself requiring more rest time betwen sets. I take around 90 seconds between most sets now and my routine can take more than an hour to complete.
However the results I have gained with this program and a reasonably clean and low carb diet I am really happy with.
My stats
Male, 47yrs old, 5' 6", 77kg, 11% BF
Squat: 92.5kg
Bench: 77.5kg
Dead Lift 120kg
Standing Press: 55kg
These are not huge numbers by any means and hopefully I will be able to increase them further, But I am happy enough with my progress to date.
Best Regards,
M0 -
Hi Oregato
I am doing strong lifts 5x5 myself (though I have modified it a little)
When I started I worked with very light weight and found that I flew through the routine, as I did not need much rest between sets.
But the emphisis here with the light weight should be getting your form/technique right.
Then when you have your technique down you start adding weight at each workout.
Once the weight starts to build up, you will find yourself requiring more rest time betwen sets. I take around 90 seconds between most sets now and my routine can take more than an hour to complete.
However the results I have gained with this program and a reasonably clean and low carb diet I am really happy with.
My stats
Male, 47yrs old, 5' 6", 77kg, 11% BF
Squat: 92.5kg
Bench: 77.5kg
Dead Lift 120kg
Standing Press: 55kg
These are not huge numbers by any means and hopefully I will be able to increase them further, But I am happy enough with my progress to date.
Best Regards,
M
Thanks B-Builder. My main concern is not doing enough, I think the routine I have is going alright for me but I'm not sure if this is the optimum route to go. I do find that I'm sweating like a pig afterwards and feel really tired exhausted. I'm only able to do one round of the routine so far, and its taking me around 25 minutes (I try to rest as little as possible between different exercises, but sometimes, it does require me to change equipment/weights on the bench which takes a little time)
Do you think I should switch over to starting strength? Is starting strength more orientated towards getting bigger or losing weight? Like I said, I want to lose as much as I can efficiently, this doesn't mean that I'm looking for a quick fix, what I mean is something that if I put an hour into, I know that that hour would have been used to the best of my abilities.
Thanks again for the useful information.
Will0 -
Thanks B-Builder. My main concern is not doing enough, I think the routine I have is going alright for me but I'm not sure if this is the optimum route to go. I do find that I'm sweating like a pig afterwards and feel really tired exhausted. I'm only able to do one round of the routine so far, and its taking me around 25 minutes (I try to rest as little as possible between different exercises, but sometimes, it does require me to change equipment/weights on the bench which takes a little time)
Do you think I should switch over to starting strength? Is starting strength more orientated towards getting bigger or losing weight? Like I said, I want to lose as much as I can efficiently, this doesn't mean that I'm looking for a quick fix, what I mean is something that if I put an hour into, I know that that hour would have been used to the best of my abilities.
Thanks again for the useful information.
Will
Hi There
The thing that will have the biggest influence on weight loss is your diet.
You need to have a calorie deficit of around 500 calories per day and be eating clean 95% of the time at least. So you should work out your maintenance calorie figure and then subtract 500 from that. Then spend a few days getting a idea of how many calories you are actually eating. Once you create a calorie deficit the weight loss will follow.
As for exercise, both starting strength and strong lifts are programs designed to build strength. They are built around the big compound lifts, so in each lift you are using a number of muscle groups. The routine you were given is all isolation exerciese. It is a fairly generic routine given to most new gym users. These routines are taken from what a professional body builder would use. However these guys have already built up their strength. You will never see a Pro Body Builder curling 12kg dumbbells. You might see them using 30-40kg dumbells.
So for folks starting off with weights, you are better starting off with a strength program. This will give you both strength gains and size gains (providing your diet is geared towards gaining muscle). Then when you have built up a decent level of strength, the isolation exercises can be used to target certain muscles more speciffically.
Also starting off with just isolation exercise can lead to muscle imbalnces and a non symetircal physique. For instance I have seen a couple of guys in gyms who only seem to work their chest and biceps, with the result that have a well developed chest and biceps. However their triceps and forearms are under developed and skinny. They have real skinny legs and because they have neglected their back, their shoulders are pulled forward, so they look kind of hunched over.
You are far less likely to suffer muscle imbalances using a fully body strength program like starting strength or Strong lifts.
Also as I said, the crossfit type workout (see the video in my first post) is a great way to burn body fat and get good conditioning.
My current conditioning workout is as follows.
25 V-Ups
50 Kettlebell Snatches (25 each arm)
25 push-ups
50 double hand Kettlebell swings
25 Burpees
25 Kettlebell thrusters (using 2 16kg kettlebells)
50 Mountain Climbers
50 Kettlebell Clean & Press
This is done by going straight from one exercise to the next (as much as possible, and I do two rounds, with 5 minutes rest between rounds). Also I try to do these rounds as quickly as possible. My current time is 15:52 for the first round and 21:38 for the second round. I do this workout twice a week now.
This really takes it out of you and I am always totally fcuked and feel physically sick for about 20-30 minutes after the second round.
Make sure that you haven't eaten for about 2 or 3 hours before you try something like this
Here is the Youtube video from which I got this routine. I modified it a little as I could not do 50 burpees together, so I halved it and added the 25 thrusters. Also I swapped the mountain climbers to be the second last exercise, so I am using the KB's every second exercise.
Best Regards,
M0 -
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Thanks for the tips B - Builder, I might look into starting strength, as opposed to doing my normal routine, the only thing that puts me off doing the routine your doing is it looks really intensive and I doubt I'd get through the whole thing, but maybe, I'll try out starting strength to begin.
As for my original routine, would you say its worthwhile to keep going with it, although it might not be affective, I can live with it to a certain extent, I fear that I'll get a routine that's too difficult and I'll end up losing interest, what do you guys think?
Hi Will
IMHO you should seriously look into starting strength. You will get much better results from that then from the routine you are currently doing. Also I found strong lifts very motivational when you start adding weight, as each week you are lifting heavier then the week before so you know you are getting stronger. And if you have your diet sorted, it will not take long before you start to see the changes in your body shape. This will give you the motivation to keep going.
Then when you get to the stage that you can not add any more weight to some of your lifts, you simply drop the weight back down, not to where you started, but maybe by around 20%-25% and start again. This method helps you pass your previous sticking points.
My Conditioning routine looks intense and is challenging for me. But I am sure there are guys on here who could breeze through that. That routine was not meant for you to follow. It was to give you an idea of they type of workout which if you used it along with your starting strength workouts would really help with your goal of dropping body fat and give you the best bang for your buck.
So say that you were working out 4 times a week, your week might look something like this- Day 1 (Monday). Starting strength, workout A
- Tuesday (rest or maybe a walk or easy cycle)
- Day 2 (Wednesday). A conditioning workout.
- Thursday (Maybe do 30 minutes of stretching)
- Day 3 (Friday). Starting Strength, Workout B
- Day 4 (Saturday). A conditioning workout
- Sunday. Total rest. Maybe 30 minutes stretching
On your starting strength days the emphasis is on building strength and getting all your reps and sets complete. So if you need to take a minute or two between sets, then that's ok.
On your conditioning day(s) the emphasis is on building endurance, so you should try to go through the circuit of exercises, one after the other, with as little rest as possible. Of course you may not be able to go non stop at the start. Look at my own conditioning workout. 16 minutes for the first round and 23 minutes for the second. That's 7 minutes extra of stopping to catch my breath or give my arms a rest so I don't let the KB go flying across the room. But the idea is to push yourself. You should be dripping with sweat. You should be gasping for breath. And your heart should be beating out of your chest. When it's not, it's time to find a tougher routine
If you look again at the video in my first post
You can see that this lady is doing a circuit of 4 exercises,- Air squats
- Dumbell Snatches
- Inverted rows on Rings
- Pushups
So maybe you could start with 15 reps in the first round, 10 reps in the second round and 5 reps in the last round, but with the goal of building up to 21, 15 & 9. Also if you have no where to do inverted rows, then swap it for a bent over row using your barbell and some weight.
These are just some ideas that IMHO will get you better and faster results than the routine you are currently following. But I am am IT engineer. I am not a personal trainer and have no qualifications in physical training or nutrition, so what I have advised is what I have found works for me or have read about given good results.
Best Regards,
M0 -
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Hi Will
IMHO you should seriously look into starting strength. You will get much better results from that then from the routine you are currently doing. Also I found strong lifts very motivational when you start adding weight, as each week you are lifting heavier then the week before so you know you are getting stronger. And if you have your diet sorted, it will not take long before you start to see the changes in your body shape. This will give you the motivation to keep going.
Then when you get to the stage that you can not add any more weight to some of your lifts, you simply drop the weight back down, not to where you started, but maybe by around 20%-25% and start again. This method helps you pass your previous sticking points.
My Conditioning routine looks intense and is challenging for me. But I am sure there are guys on here who could breeze through that. That routine was not meant for you to follow. It was to give you an idea of they type of workout which if you used it along with your starting strength workouts would really help with your goal of dropping body fat and give you the best bang for your buck.
So say that you were working out 4 times a week, your week might look something like this- Day 1 (Monday). Starting strength, workout A
- Tuesday (rest or maybe a walk or easy cycle)
- Day 2 (Wednesday). A conditioning workout.
- Thursday (Maybe do 30 minutes of stretching)
- Day 3 (Friday). Starting Strength, Workout B
- Day 4 (Saturday). A conditioning workout
- Sunday. Total rest. Maybe 30 minutes stretching
On your starting strength days the emphasis is on building strength and getting all your reps and sets complete. So if you need to take a minute or two between sets, then that's ok.
On your conditioning day(s) the emphasis is on building endurance, so you should try to go through the circuit of exercises, one after the other, with as little rest as possible. Of course you may not be able to go non stop at the start. Look at my own conditioning workout. 16 minutes for the first round and 23 minutes for the second. That's 7 minutes extra of stopping to catch my breath or give my arms a rest so I don't let the KB go flying across the room. But the idea is to push yourself. You should be dripping with sweat. You should be gasping for breath. And your heart should be beating out of your chest. When it's not, it's time to find a tougher routine
If you look again at the video in my first post
You can see that this lady is doing a circuit of 4 exercises,- Air squats
- Dumbell Snatches
- Inverted rows on Rings
- Pushups
So maybe you could start with 15 reps in the first round, 10 reps in the second round and 5 reps in the last round, but with the goal of building up to 21, 15 & 9. Also if you have no where to do inverted rows, then swap it for a bent over row using your barbell and some weight.
These are just some ideas that IMHO will get you better and faster results than the routine you are currently following. But I am am IT engineer. I am not a personal trainer and have no qualifications in physical training or nutrition, so what I have advised is what I have found works for me or have read about given good results.
Best Regards,
M
I can't thank you enough for the helpful and informative posts.
I think you're right about starting strength. Is there a book I can buy or any helpful websites that I should visit to find out more, I remember looking into it before, but nearly every site asks you to buy the book.
Is there any definitive websites that would explain the concept to me a bit better?
I think the routine you outlined looks really good, on the conditioning days, I could do the circuit training that I posted up? I find that it gets my blood pumping but at the same time, I feel a tired satisfaction after.
Also, I hear of people complaining about aches and pains (in a good way) on the days after a workout, I haven't gotten that feeling over the past two weeks I've been on the circuit training, is this an indication I'm not pushing hard enough??
Thanks again for the help B-Builder, keep it coming
Will0 -
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Those articles make it sound pretty good, but I'm just wondering if it's worth it or if it would really benefit me much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRpbM9nzDcMAdvertisement