Back to Fitness - Lose Weight, then Gain Muscle

marathonic

Well, the title says it all. Over the past couple of years, I've stopped going to the gym or doing anything involving fitness until the last week or so.

I'm also not long back from a 3-month stint in the US and have put on quite a bit of weight.

My plan is to loose about 2 stone by going on a better diet, cutting out the booze and starting back at the gym.

Today, I joined up at the gym and went for a 20 minute run at 6.2 mph and a 30 minute cycle at level 11. Both were the 'Random' selections. The threadmill really did kill me and gets my heart rate a lot higher than I'd like it to be. Therefore, instead of increasing intensity initially, I'm going to stick with that routine until it gets a bit easier - hopefully, by the end of next week.

At that point, I'm going to slowly increase the pace to 7.5 mph (8 minute mile). I expect to be at that level by the end of next month. I'll then concentrate on increasing the time on the threadmill to 30 minutes. I hope to achieve that by the end of November.

I don't plan to spend longer than 30 minutes on the threadmill for fear of boredom so I'll concentrate only on increasing the pace at that point.

At some point over the next few weeks, I plan to start increasing the RPM on the bike from around 85 to about 100 and then start increasing the level (resistance). Again, I don't want to be spending more than 30 minutes on the bike.

That's the cardio plan.

I plan to keep up the cardio until I've lost 2 stone or so and then add weights into the mix. I don't know anything about weights at the moment but I think the above goal is enough to keep me going until Christmas.

I'm 5' 11". I've no idea of my weight but will check it out in the next day or two - I'm guessing somewhere between 13 and 14 stone since coming back from America. I want to get down to around 11 before increasing my calorie intake and starting the weights.

marathonic

Well, I thought I'd post a concrete, measurable goal. I done my induction in the gym today and went round some of the weights machines. I think I'll do 3 days cardio and 2 days weights per week between now and the time I reach my first goal of 10KG weight loss.

10KG weight loss will be significant because, as I'll be doing weights, it'll be in addition to additional muscle built.

The typical diet I'm planning is as follows:

7am: 2 Boiled Eggs
7.30am: Workout
9am: Protein Shake
11am: Piece of Fruit and some Nuts
1pm: Tuna/Chicken salad
3pm: Piece of Fruit and some Nuts
6-7pm: Whatever's made at home (this will be my downfall and I may decide to cook for myself at some point depending on my progress)

For some workouts, I'll not bother the pre-workout food and will add muesli at the 9am meal.

Initial Weight: 85KG (16/09)
Target Weight: 75KG (30/11)

Days Remaining: 79 (0.89KG weekly average)

marathonic

Today's gym went okay. I done a little on the bike and 20 minutes on the threadmill at 10kph and level 10 (random).

The problem is, I'm a little worried about my heart rate which, when I started the cool down, was reading 197. It reached 145 by the end of my 5 minute cooldown but I'm still thinking about reducing the level to 9 for the next session to see what difference the reduction in inclines makes.

Regarding food todays plan is:

07.00: 2 Eggs
09.00: Post workout Protein Shake with Semi-Skimmed milk
10.30: Coffee with Semi-Skimmed milk, some nuts and a Pear
1.15: Half tin tune, half an onion and a tomato
15.00: Coffee with Semi-Skimmed milk, some nuts and an Orange
18.30: Whatever is made at home which, no doubt, will be unhealthy

marathonic

Weighed myself this morning in the gym and I've lost 1.5kg during the past week. I'll not get too excited over that until my next weigh-in next week.

My diet today was:

07.00: 2 Eggs
09.00: Post workout Protein Shake with Semi-Skimmed milk
10.30: Coffee with Semi-Skimmed milk and some nuts
1.15: Medium jar of mixed salad from sainsburies salad bar (estimated 350 calories)
15.00: Coffee with Semi-Skimmed milk, some strawberries
18.30: Whatever is made at home - today is spaghetti bolognaise


I don't intend to lose any quicker than 1.5kg in a week. If this rises to 2kg, I'll add in some muesli or porridge in the mornings (I intend to do this anyway as the intensity of my workouts increases).

Todays workout was 20 mins (+ 5 cooldown) on threadmill at level 9 (random) and 30 mins (+ 5 cooldown) on bike at level 12 and 85 RPM.

G86

Did you get a program? Maybe post it up to see what people think..standard gym induction ones aren't always great. When are you thinking about introducing the weights?

r9ronaldo

can i just say i think ur eating far too little,training 5 days a week on that few calories and u will feel weak as a kitten and have no energy,ur food choices seem good but u should eat more or ur training will go backwards!

marathonic

G86 wrote: »

Did you get a program? Maybe post it up to see what people think..standard gym induction ones aren't always great. When are you thinking about introducing the weights?

Yeah, to be honest, I'm a newbie and I know my induction was absolute crap.

He just showed me how to use the threadmill, bike and cross trainer. Then took me around a few of the standard machines and told me to look at the pictures if I forgot how to use them. Then I asked about free weights and he advised me to stick to the machines for a month or two first.

Personally, my plan is to stick to the machines for a month until I get a little bit of strength, then introduce squats during a week, deadlifts during a week, bench presses during a week and pull ups during a week. That's the plan for 2-months and then I'll take it from there.

I'm not sure if that's the best plan but my initial 2-months is primarily aimed at weight loss which the machines should provide.

G86

Maybe look at doing a few crossfit metcons too.

marathonic

r9ronaldo wrote: »

can i just say i think ur eating far too little,training 5 days a week on that few calories and u will feel weak as a kitten and have no energy,ur food choices seem good but u should eat more or ur training will go backwards!

Agreed. My portion sizing for the spaghetti bolognaise was huge today. I read a few of the packet details and would say the portion wasn't far off 900calories. My evening meal is the let down of the day too - I choose my daytime food but the evening is whatever is made at home. Spaghetti Bolognaisse was a relatively healthy day (apart from the white spaghetti) but it can be pizza, chips, anything really.

Anyway, back on topic, I think I'll actually go ahead with the idea I mentioned earlier and add some muesli or porridge to breakfast (about 400 calories worth) and reduce the portion size of the evening meal. At least that'll have the advantage of me eating less of the 'random' food.

Tomorrow, I'm planning my second attempt at some weights but have a meal out tomorrow evening so, for that sole reason, I'm going to try some additional cardio to 'earn' me my cheat meal.

marathonic

G86 wrote: »

Maybe look at doing a few crossfit metcons too.

I read briefly about metcons when I saw them mentioned in another post.

To be honest, I'm planning to build up my intensity on the threadmill and bike to get a reasonable 'base' fitness. Then I'm planning to replace the bike with actual spin classes which I've heard are a good workout. I don't want to overly complicate things initially and overwhelm myself. Does this make any sense or should I really look into metcons more now?

r9ronaldo

marathonic wrote: »

Agreed. My portion sizing for the spaghetti bolognaise was huge today. I read a few of the packet details and would say the portion wasn't far off 900calories. My evening meal is the let down of the day too - I choose my daytime food but the evening is whatever is made at home. Spaghetti Bolognaisse was a relatively healthy day (apart from the white spaghetti) but it can be pizza, chips, anything really.

Anyway, back on topic, I think I'll actually go ahead with the idea I mentioned earlier and add some muesli or porridge to breakfast (about 400 calories worth) and reduce the portion size of the evening meal. At least that'll have the advantage of me eating less of the 'random' food.

Tomorrow, I'm planning my second attempt at some weights but have a meal out tomorrow evening so, for that sole reason, I'm going to try some additional cardio to 'earn' me my cheat meal.

i usually go for 6 days healthy eating and 1 day were i slack off a bit ,its good mentally to have 1 day to enjoy some chocolate etc...

for your cardio did u ever try HIIT its far better for fat loss than running at one pace 4 a period of time,

marathonic

r9ronaldo wrote: »

i usually go for 6 days healthy eating and 1 day were i slack off a bit ,its good mentally to have 1 day to enjoy some chocolate etc...

for your cardio did u ever try HIIT its far better for fat loss than running at one pace 4 a period of time,

Haven't really tried it yet but am intending to add some in. As far as I'm aware, the spin classes could be considered HIIT to a certain extent. The main aim now though (apart from obviously fat loss) is to build a good base fitness level.

I do select the 'Random' option on the cardio machines so there does be a little variety to my sessions - but based upon all I've read, I do agree that the intervals should be added in at some point in the very near future (maybe 3 or 4 weeks time).

marathonic

Was at the team night out on Thursday and had a right few drinks so gave the gym a miss yesterday.

I did go to the gym on Thursday at lunchtime and done the following:

Leg Extension 40kg
Leg Curl 40kg
Lat Pulldown 45kg
Shoulder Press 25kg
Triceps Pushdown 30kg
Seated Row 35kg
Seated Biceps Curl 20kg
Abs Machine 25kg

I attempted 3*12 on them all - didn't make it on some of them. The above weights are for the first set and then I raised the weight by 2.5kg for each set. My biceps were sore since yesterday morning (and still are).

In addition to the above, I used the Lateral Arm Raise machine but I'm probably going to give this a miss in the future because the Shoulder Press machine seems better and seems to hit the same muscles.

Then, today, I was at the gym and done 20 mins (+ 5 cooldown) on the threadmill's random program at level 9 and 10kph. I also done mins (+ 5 cooldown) on the bike's random program at level 12 and an 85 rpm.

If my biceps are still sore tomorrow, I may consider replacing weights with more cardio (I am in my weight loss phase after all) or a swim.

marathonic

Done a similar weights workout today as I did last Thursday (biceps were finally okay). The main changes involved replacing the lateral arm raise with the leg press (at 75kg) and the fly machine (at 35kg). I also done the chest press (at 30 kg). In brief, the following were the machines used:

Leg Extension 40
Leg Curl 40
Lat Pulldown 45
Shoulder Press 25
Triceps Push Down 30
Leg Press 75
Chest Press 30
Seated Row 35
Seated Biceps Curl 20
Abs Machine 35
Fly Machine 35

One of my goals is to increase the weight on 2 machines per week (as I'm planning on 2 days weights/3 days cardio, this will be 1 machine per session). I'll start with the Triceps Push Down as I found this quite easy today. The next would probably be the Leg Extension. On some of the other machines, I'm not even able to complete the 3 sets of 12 reps so I'll be happy enough if I don't increase the weight in a particular session but move closer to the full 3 sets of 12 reps.

I weighed myself today and came in between 85 and 86kg which is a dissapointment but I'm not gonna let that deter me because I do notice increases in muscles and, now that I have the above base to work off, I'll not mind not reducing body weight if I increase the weight of the above excercises.

As soon as I increase the weight on most of the above by about 50%, I'll start making the switch to free weights. This should be achievable this year.

marathonic

Okay, well today was cardio day so I done the following:

25 minutes (+5 cooldown) Random program at Level 10 and 10 kph on the threadmill

30 minutes (+5 cooldown) Random program at Level 12 and 85 rpm

The strange and confusing thing about the threadmill is that I had done my normal 20 minutes and was still feeling fine so increased it by 5 minutes. I was knackered after the additional 5 minutes and the first heart reading on the threadmill when I put my hands on the sensors was 200. That's a little worrying but I'm wondering how it could be dangerous levels if I didn't feel to bad after the original 20 minutes???

Anyway, that burned 482 + 322 = 804 kcal according to the machines. When added to the 1540 kcal my 'MyFitnessPal iPhone App' says I'm allowed if I want to lose 1.5 lb per week, I'm allowed 2344 calories for today. However, I intend to have a bigger than suggested deficit on cardio day and eat more than recommended on weights days.

My diet so far today is as follows:

Breakfast: 3 Boiled Eggs
Post Workout: Protein Shake
11 am: Wholewheat wrap with tuna, pepper and tomato
12.30: Small Handful of mixed nuts
1.45: Two slices of wholemeal bread and scrambled eggs

This comes to 1121 calories according to MyFitnessPal

I plan to have a pear and possibly some nuts at 3.30 and am having chicken, stuffing, veg and a small portion of potatoes later in the day.

marathonic

r9ronaldo wrote: »

i usually go for 6 days healthy eating and 1 day were i slack off a bit ,its good mentally to have 1 day to enjoy some chocolate etc...

for your cardio did u ever try HIIT its far better for fat loss than running at one pace 4 a period of time,

Well, as you can see from above, I've increased from 20 minutes to 25 minutes on the threadmill (excluding the 5 minute cooldown).

My target is to increase to 30 minutes and then increase from 10kph - 12kph (8 minute mile pace). I don't think I'm going to attempt to increase the level. The current level 10 setting has a max incline of 7.8 which is plenty.

After that, I'll hold that level for 1-2 weeks and then switch to HIIT. What's all your thoughts on this plan?

In addition, I plan to eventually switch from the bike to spin classes as well.

With the switch to HIIT, it'll mean that I'll not be doing bike and running on each cardio day. Instead, I'll be doing a 45 minute spin class or else 45 minutes of HIIT (it might be medium at the start but I'll be building on intensity).

I could add a 15 minute cooldown session but this may not be necessary.

Does anyone here do spin classes or HIIT on the threadmill and, if so, what is the general number of calories that you'd burn?

marathonic

Today was weights day and the following is what I done:

Leg Extension 42.5 (2.5kg increase)
Leg Curl 42.5 (2.5kg increase)
Lat Pulldown 45
Shoulder Press 25
Triceps Push Down 35 (5kg increase)
Leg Press 75
Chest Press 30
Seated Row 35
Seated Biceps Curl 20
Abs Machine 35
Fly Machine 35

I don't think I'm ready to increase anything else just yet - maybe next week. I'll decide when I have my weights session on Friday.

Also, I think there's too many machines in this list. Although I intend to move onto free weights in the next 3 - 6 weeks, I'd like your thoughts on what I could remove. I'm thinking the biceps curl. My weight on that is pathetic and I think the reason is that some of the other machines hit the biceps anyway, e.g. lat pulldown.

marathonic

Now for todays diet... dinner was a disaster but will always be my downfall (can't make everyone in the house follow my diet).

Breakfast: 2 Boiled Eggs
10am: Wholegrain Wrap with Chicken, Pepper and tomato
3pm: Protein Shake and Banana
5pm: Handful of Mixed Nuts
7pm: Quarter of a pizza, quarter of a minced beef pie and beans (916 calorie dinner :eek: )


My days was pretty hectic which made frequent eating more difficult. According to MyFitnessPal, I ate 1842 calories today. I think this is reasonable enough considering the fact that I done the above workout at the gym which I'm assuming would have burned a few hundred calories. It's a pity the dinner was so bad. I may offer to do the weekly shopping for the house so I can make healthier choices. The pie had a rediculous amount of calories.

marathonic

Done:

• 25 Minutes, Random, Level 10, 10kph on threadmill
• 30 Minutes, Random, Level 12, 85rpm on bike
• 5 minutes cooldown on both

The threadmill was a hell of a lot more difficult today than on Tuesday. I'm not sure why as the calories burned were the same. It's possibly to do with the fact that I done todays training on an empty stomach.

So far today, I've had:

• Protein Shake
• Banana
• 2 Eggs
• Small Handful of nuts

At around 530 calories, this is way too little so I must go and get my lunch now.

mrpink6789

marathonic wrote: »

With the switch to HIIT, it'll mean that I'll not be doing bike and running on each cardio day. Instead, I'll be doing a 45 minute spin class or else 45 minutes of HIIT (it might be medium at the start but I'll be building on intensity).

I could add a 15 minute cooldown session but this may not be necessary.

Does anyone here do spin classes or HIIT on the threadmill and, if so, what is the general number of calories that you'd burn?

Howdy, I have been doing HIIT on the cross trainer for about a month now and find it great. I would consider myself fit(ish) at 14 stone 11lbs. I do a 5 minute warm up then 7 sessions of 1 minute flat out, 2 minutes recovery, followed 5 minute cool down. HRM says 557 calories burned in 30 minutes.

marathonic

mrpink6789 wrote: »

Howdy, I have been doing HIIT on the cross trainer for about a month now and find it great. I would consider myself fit(ish) at 14 stone 11lbs. I do a 5 minute warm up then 7 sessions of 1 minute flat out, 2 minutes recovery, followed 5 minute cool down. HRM says 557 calories burned in 30 minutes.

Thanks for the response. Sounds good. At the moment, I'm doing (trying to be consistent) 3 days of cardio and 2 days of weights per week. When I get to my ideal weight, I'll be switching to 2 cardio/3 weights.

I started at 85kg and my first goal is 75kg. I may have a further goal of 70kg when I reach my first goal (depending on whether a 6-pack is showing or not) I'm currently 83kg and expect to reach the 75kg by the end of November.

I'll probably do a spin class, a HIIT on the threadmill and a standard threadmill run for my 3 cardio until it's reduced to 2 sessions per week.

marathonic

Today, my total calorie intake was 1670. I did 800 calories worth of excercise. It looks like I'm definately not eating enough. I'm not hungry at the moment (just after dinner). I'm not gonna eat for the sake of eating but if I'm hungry today, I'll eat some eggs or nuts.

marathonic

Exact same workout as post 17 above (the weights session) today.

I didn't find any particularly easy and there are a few that I can't even complete the second set on yet.

I may be able to increase one or two machines next week but will even be happy if I get closer to completing the ones where I'm currently lacking.

marathonic

Bought some of this peanut butter http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/index.jsp?bmUID=1285952959854 and some oatcakes today.

My diet (apart from dinners) is pretty good at the moment but I'd like to add some variety starting with peanut butter for good fats (need to watch my portions on this though during my cut period). I'll probably buy some beef jerky to try it for an alternative protein source too.

marathonic

Had a long weekend on the beer and only got back to the gym today. Really need to cut down (or out) on the beer because I feel like it's undoing about 60% of the progress made during a good week like last week.

Done:

25 Minutes, Random, Level 10, 10kph on threadmill
30 Minutes, Random, Level 12, 85rpm on bike
5 minutes cooldown on both


So far today, I've had:

8.00 am: Oatcake and Peanut Butter, Muesli and Semi-Skimmed milk, Omega 3 Capsule

1.30 pm: Had no shaker so couldn't take my protein. Had Wholewheat Pita, half-tin tuna, tomato and cucumber

3.30: Small Handful of Nuts

It'll be soup at 5pm and probably a slice of wholewheat bread and another oatcake and peanut butter later.

marathonic

Today was weights day and the following is what I done:

Leg Extension 42.5 (should be able to increase this next session)
Leg Curl 42.5
Lat Pulldown 45 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Shoulder Press 25 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Triceps Push Down 37.5 (2.5kg increase)
Leg Press 80 (5kg increase)
Chest Press 30 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Seated Row 35 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Seated Biceps Curl 20 - this machine was out of order
Abs Machine 35
Fly Machine 35 - someone was on this machine

marathonic

Reached a bit of a milestone today - 500 calories (according to the machine) on the threadmill. Done this by increasing the speed to 10.5 kph. On the downside, I felt a little dizzy after it. I've always had a high heartrate on the threadmill but I think that's my queue not to raise the bar any more (or possibly even reduce it a little - thoughts please?).

So basically, I did:

25 Minutes, Random, Level 10, 10.5kph on threadmill
30 Minutes, Random, Level 12, 85rpm on bike
5 minutes cooldown on both

I had two eggs this morning and a scoop and a half of protein post workout. Now it's time to get some carbs/fats in the form of a bowl of muesli.

mrpink6789

marathonic wrote: »

Reached a bit of a milestone today - 500 calories (according to the machine) on the threadmill. Done this by increasing the speed to 10.5 kph. On the downside, I felt a little dizzy after it. I've always had a high heartrate on the threadmill but I think that's my queue not to raise the bar any more (or possibly even reduce it a little - thoughts please?).

So basically, I did:

25 Minutes, Random, Level 10, 10.5kph on threadmill
30 Minutes, Random, Level 12, 85rpm on bike
5 minutes cooldown on both

I had two eggs this morning and a scoop and a half of protein post workout. Now it's time to get some carbs/fats in the form of a bowl of muesli.

Dizzy spells could be low blood pressure or low blood sugar - keep an eye on that.

marathonic

mrpink6789 wrote: »

Dizzy spells could be low blood pressure or low blood sugar - keep an eye on that.

Thanks for the advice. It's the first time I experienced it but it's not like I was about to drop or anything - just a little light headed.

I'll probably drop the speed again for the next cardio session and build back up to the 10.5kph for next Friday to see how I'm feeling then.

Maybe eat something with a little sugar in it pre-workout rather than just two eggs like this morning.

marathonic

Today was weights day and the following is what I done:

Leg Extension 45 (increase of 2.5kg)
Leg Curl 42.5
Lat Pulldown 45 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Shoulder Press 25 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Triceps Push Down 37.5
Leg Press 80
Chest Press 30 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Seated Row 35 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Seated Biceps Curl 20 - replacing this with back extension
Abs Machine 35
Fly Machine 35 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Back Extension 40

I decided to replace the Biceps Curl with the Back Extension because the Lat Pulldown works the biceps anyway and I find a little strain on my lower back whilst on the Abs Machine. I want to strengthen up my lower back to combat this.

I don't think I'll be increasing anything for my next session. I'd guess that the Leg Press will be my next increase though judging by how difficult I found each excercise.

I also done a 10 minute warmup on the cross trainer and a 15 minute cooldown on the threadmill. The main reason I done so long is that I know dinner today is a calorific pie and I wanted to feel a little less guilty eating it

marathonic

I've had a sore shoulder for a few days. Was going to go to the gym today but it's still 'slightly' sore. I thought it'd be better giving it another 24 hours rather than risk going back to square one. Also didn't get much sleep last night cause it hurt when I moved about.

Tomorrow, I'm going to do some cardio and leave the weights until Thursday.

Diet today was:

9.00am: 2 large boiled eggs, oatcake and peanut butter
11.00am: Handful of nuts and some grapes
1pm: 2 slices of wholewheat bread with sweetcorn, peppers and onions
3pm: Grapes
5pm: Oatcake and Peanut Butter
7pm: Beef stew with potatoes

My diet is a bit low on protein today so I'll need to fix that for tomorrow.

G86

marathonic wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. It's the first time I experienced it but it's not like I was about to drop or anything - just a little light headed.

I'll probably drop the speed again for the next cardio session and build back up to the 10.5kph for next Friday to see how I'm feeling then.

Maybe eat something with a little sugar in it pre-workout rather than just two eggs like this morning.

I wouldn't worry too much about it, I normally feel like I'm about to die after 5k at 11/12kph :pac:. It might be an idea to start setting yourself a distance target too instead of just saying 'I'll do 25mins', could be a bit of extra motivation

marathonic

G86 wrote: »

I wouldn't worry too much about it, I normally feel like I'm about to die after 5k at 11/12kph :pac:. It might be an idea to start setting yourself a distance target too instead of just saying 'I'll do 25mins', could be a bit of extra motivation

That's true. The more milestones the better cause you'll pass them quicker and quicker. The next will be the 5k (including the 5 minute cooldown) and then the 5k (not including it).

If I move past 35 minutes on the threadmill, I'll probably drop the bike on threadmill day and only concentrate on one or the other. We'll see when the time comes though because my goals and plans are changes as I progress.

My main target weights wise now is to do bodyweight on the lat pulldown (hopefully, bodyweight will be lower by that time) and then switch a couple of the isolation machines for pull-ups and/or chin-ups. I'm hoping to achieve this early in the New Year but, again, that could all change. I really need to get someone to show me how to do the squats and deadlifts because I want to move away from isolation machines completely eventually.

G86

marathonic wrote: »

I really need to get someone to show me how to do the squats and deadlifts because I want to move away from isolation machines completely eventually.

Is there anyone in the gym you could ask who looks like they know their stuff? Most people would be happy to help. You can also get vid tutorials on youtube which may help. I'd get on to them asap if I were you.

marathonic

G86 wrote: »

Is there anyone in the gym you could ask who looks like they know their stuff? Most people would be happy to help. You can also get vid tutorials on youtube which may help. I'd get on to them asap if I were you.

I'm only really getting the hang of the isolation machines now and kind of getting to know what I can lift on each. I do plan to ask someone later this month though. As you say, I'd need to have a look around to see someone that looks like they know what they're at rather than just ask the gym workers who probably don't have a clue.

Inspector Coptoor

Your diet looks pretty good.
But why are you only using machines?

marathonic

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

Your diet looks pretty good.
But why are you only using machines?

I've only recently started the gym and, at my induction, I asked the instructor to show me the free weights rather than machines.

However, he advised spending a month or two on the machines first and that you'll find it easier moving onto free weights.

Personally, I think he's probably wrong but I don't have a problem sticking to machines for a while because my main target for now is to lose weight as opposed to building muscle so I'm trying to do 2 days weights and 3 days cardio per week.

On another note, I saw a poster up in my gym where you get a free 20 sterling voucher to spend on gear if you do 1500 minutes cardio in seven weeks.

Today, I did 29 minutes on the threadmill and 30 minutes on the bike with a 5 minute cooldown on each. I'll increase that to 30 minutes threadmill next session (I originally had it at 27 but increased it near the end of the session).

That'll be 70 minutes cardio per day. If I do that 3 times per week for 7 weeks, that'll be 1470 minutes. Adding in warmups and cooldowns for my weights sessions, that'll easily make up the 1500 minutes with an allowance for a few missed sessions.

I'm thinking that'll be a nice target for now until the end of next month - at which point, I should have lost any weight I want to loose, will switch to 2 days cardio, 3 days weights and will switch to free weights.

Obviously, I'll plan to increase the intensity of the cardio through time as I'd get bored otherwise. Maybe increase the threadmill by 0.1kph every session and increase the level of the bike by 1 per week. We'll see if that works out.

Finally, today was the first gym session where (according to the machines) the total calories burned was in excess of 900.

marathonic

Okay, so here's todays excercise and diet:

Threadmill: 29 minutes at 10kph, level 10, random (+5 cooldown)
Bike: 30 minutes at 85-90rpm, level 13, random (+5 cooldown)

The threadmill I decreased from 10.5kph but increased from 25 minutes since the last session and the bike was increased from level 12. The cardio in total burned 902 calories. I ate a total of 1813 calories today.


Diet:

Breakfast: 2 large boiled eggs
Post WO: 1.5 scoops of Protein Shake
10am: Some grapes and nuts
1pm: Wholewheat Bread, sweetcorn, peppers and 110g of turkey breast
3pm: Organic, Probiotic Low Fat Strawberry Glenisk yoghurt
6.30pm: Large Gammon steak, brocolli, sweetcorn, carrots and a sausage
8pm (in a minute): 1 oatcake with peanut butter

Inspector Coptoor

marathonic wrote: »

I've only recently started the gym and, at my induction, I asked the instructor to show me the free weights rather than machines.

Good move

marathonic wrote: »

However, he advised spending a month or two on the machines first and that you'll find it easier moving onto free weights.

That's a pretty dumb thing to say. You should have ignored this.

marathonic wrote: »

Personally, I think he's probably wrong but I don't have a problem sticking to machines for a while

If you think he's wrong, then why do as he says?

marathonic wrote: »

main target for now is to lose weight as opposed to building muscle so I'm trying to do 2 days weights and 3 days cardio per week.

Losing weight shouldnt necessarily be the goal or target.
you should aim to lose fat
Why not workout 5 times a week? with a mixture of weights and cardio in each session?

marathonic wrote: »

On another note, I saw a poster up in my gym where you get a free 20 sterling voucher to spend on gear if you do 1500 minutes cardio in seven weeks.

This idea of losing weight, then putting on muscle is prolonging your time frame of attaining your goal.

You should aim to train hard, lift weights and do some conditioning blocks or HIIT.
This will strip fat and build muscle.
Having more muscle on your frame will increase your resting metabolic rate which means you'll burn more calories in everyday life while you're watching tv. sleeping, whatever.

I've learned this the hard way and it has taken a few years for this to sink in for me so I actually wont be surprised if you write another long-winded essay as to how you're right even when you asked for help as to what to do in your log.

marathonic wrote: »

. Although I intend to move onto free weights in the next 3 - 6 weeks, I'd like your thoughts on what I could remove.

I'd remove all the machine weights bar maybe the machine for biceps as they inhibit natural movement and fail to recruit stabilising muscles.

Next time in the gym, corner your instructor and ask him to show you how to squat, deadlift, bench press, over head press, chin ups, lunges and to build you a programme around them and if he refuses, change your gym

your call dude

(one last thing, far be it for me to be in the grammar police, but there's no h in Treadmill

marathonic

Okay, I have taken everything you said into account.

I'm gonna start today's weight training session by replacing one or more of the above isolation machines with chin-ups and/or pull-ups. If I can't do the sets, I'll try those negative sets (time to get googling). Is it only the lat pulldown that these will replace?

I don't really have time to get shown the other lifts today as my gym session is during lunch break but the above should be a bit of an improvement over what I'm doing currently. Would I be correct in saying I should start both excercises with a narrow grip until I can do at least 10-15 reps and then progress to wide grip?

Regarding 5 days mixed cardio and weights, I think I'd like to start the Starting Strength program over the next month or two so will probably stick to a 3 days weights session at that point. Potentially cardio on the other two days depending on bf levels.

Would it make sense to learn bench presses, squats, deadlifts and barbell curls all in the one go over over a couple of weeks. I don't want to be overwhelmed so was conisdering adding one of these at a time and removing the associated isolation machine(s). If separately, would you have a recommended order (I'm thinking maybe the order listed above)?

Finally, regarding the HIIT, I've always intended to replace the slow steady cardio with this. I want to get my base fitness levels up a bit more using the slow steady cardio first though but fully intend on replacing it before the end of November - probably join the Spin Classes in my gym for one or two cardio sessions per week at that point and remove the threadmill completely.

mrpink6789

marathonic wrote: »

Okay, I have taken everything you said into account.

I'm gonna start today's weight training session by replacing one or more of the above isolation machines with chin-ups and/or pull-ups. If I can't do the sets, I'll try those negative sets (time to get googling). Is it only the lat pulldown that these will replace?

I don't really have time to get shown the other lifts today as my gym session is during lunch break but the above should be a bit of an improvement over what I'm doing currently. Would I be correct in saying I should start both excercises with a narrow grip until I can do at least 10-15 reps and then progress to wide grip?

Regarding 5 days mixed cardio and weights, I think I'd like to start the Starting Strength program over the next month or two so will probably stick to a 3 days weights session at that point. Potentially cardio on the other two days depending on bf levels.

Would it make sense to learn bench presses, squats, deadlifts and barbell curls all in the one go over over a couple of weeks. I don't want to be overwhelmed so was conisdering adding one of these at a time and removing the associated isolation machine(s). If separately, would you have a recommended order (I'm thinking maybe the order listed above)?

Finally, regarding the HIIT, I've always intended to replace the slow steady cardio with this. I want to get my base fitness levels up a bit more using the slow steady cardio first though but fully intend on replacing it before the end of November - probably join the Spin Classes in my gym for one or two cardio sessions per week at that point and remove the threadmill completely.

The stronglifts 5X5 program incorporates pull ups and chin ups, its similar to the starting strength program. My advice would be to get a trainer to show you proper technique of the squats, bench press, overhead press etc or some of the starting strength moves, whatever you decide to go with. Just jump in to it rather then replace it with machines. I did machines for about 5 months, then moved on to free weights for each muscle group for about 6 months then moved on to stronglifts. I wish I had started off on stronglifts!

I'm 6 weeks in to it and have noticed a big increase in overall strength, the scales havent fluctuated much but clothes have fit better and BF is down a few percent so I would recommend one of the programs.

As I said in a previous post to you, I can't recommend HIIT enough. Obviously during it you curse yourself because its exhausting but you feel better for doing it after!

marathonic

I tried chin-ups today. Only managed 2 but that'll soon improve.

My diet for the day had 1941 calories:

Breakfast: Muesli with semi-skimmed milk
Snack 1: Cashews, 3 strawberries and a pear
Post Work Out: 1.5 scoops of whey protein
Lunch: 110g Turkey Breast pieces mixed with onion and peppers
Snack 2: Organic, Probiotic Low Fat Strawberry Glenisk yoghurt
Dinner: Lamb, turnip, potatoes, peas and sweetcorn

I think todays diet was pretty good. I don't want to veer above the 2,000 calorie mark on a non-cardio day though. I'm not feeling hungry at all now which is a good thing. If I was, I'd eat but in the future I'd try to cut out whatever the high-calorie, low return food is in my diet - potatoes in the above diet.

I calculate the calories to maintain my weight as about 2,300.

marathonic

Friday 15th

30 (+5 cooldown) on threadmill at level 10 and 10kph
30 (+5 cooldown) on bike at level 13 and 85rpm

Total Burned: 914 calories


Diet (consumed 2693 calories :eek:)

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs
Post Workout: 1.5 scoops whey, bowl of muesli and semi-skimmed milk
Snack 1: Handful of cashews
Lunch: Medium salad bowl from Sainsburys
Dinner: Homemade Chicken Supreme with Basmati Rice and Oven Chips :mad:
Snack 2: Oatcake with peanut butter


Saturday 16th

Was in a different gym to my standard gym. Done 4k on the threadmill followed by a full body workout on weights. The main thing I done differently today was used the free weights for the bench press/incline bench press. I can notice a vast difference in the difficulty between this and the isolation machines - the extra effort required to keep the bar in it's proper position. I will definately be dropping the isolation machines and doing free weights for this from now on. Hope to figure out squats next weekend.


Diet so far:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, muesli and full fat milk.
Snack: Oatcake, Peanut Butter and a plum
Lunch: Stir fry with mushrooms, onion, peppers, garlic, lemon sauce and a little of the leftovers of yesterdays chicken supreme
Post Workout: Double scoop whey

G86

What did you put on the bench? Glad you see the difference!

Inspector Coptoor

Good lad.
That's the way to go.

Now, switch to doing weights first with card afterwards and you'll really start sucking diesel.

marathonic

Liam Henners257 wrote: »

Good lad.
That's the way to go.

Now, switch to doing weights first with card afterwards and you'll really start sucking diesel.

Yeah, I'd planned to do weights first but the person I was with wanted cardio first so I agreed as I went to a session in his gym (he's training for cycling so it's better for him to have cardio first).

marathonic

G86 wrote: »

What did you put on the bench? Glad you see the difference!

Didn't wanna push it with it being the first time doing free weights. Just done the bar for a warmup followed by:

Bar + 10kg
Bar + 15kg
Bar + 20kg

I will do it more structured at some point. Today was really just a taster.

marathonic

Was just at my gym and had a look at the weights equipment. They don't have a squat rack or an olympic barbell.

All they have is a large set of dumbells, two benches and two Hammer Strength smith machines that look like this:

http://www.2ndwindexercise.com/commercial/strength/Hammer-Strength/Benches-Racks/plsm.htm

Advice please? The only bar I seen beside the benches is one of those ones that bends at 45 degree angles along the bar.

Also, the benches were occupied at lunchtime so I may need to rethink my schedule for going to the gym.

marathonic

Today was weights day. Until I figure out what to do about the fact that my gym ain't got a squat rack (just the smith machine shown above), I've moved back to machines and the following is what I done:

Leg Extension 50
Leg Curl 45
Lat Pulldown 45
Shoulder Press 25 (can't yet complete all 3 sets)
Triceps Push Down 45
Leg Press 90
Chest Press 32.5
Seated Row 35
Abs Machine 40
Fly Machine 35
Back Extension 45

Had a 1656 calorie diet today. Included plenty of protein in their with eggs, chicken and whey. Had two cheats too with a scone and small portion of oven chips. I'll probably have a 50g portion of beef jerky or some peanut butter later on too to bring it up to about 1800 calories.

marathonic

Well, it was cardio day today and the following is what I did:

30 minutes (+ 5 cooldown) on threadmill at level 10, random, 10kph
30 minutes (+ 5 cooldown) on bike at level 14, random, 85rpm

According to the machines, that burned 940 calories (I'm aware this could be off by a long shot though).

The diet so far is as follows:

07.00: 2 hard boiled eggs
Post Workout: Double scoop of whey
10.30: Handful of Cashews and a Yoghurt (Glenisk Organic)
12.30: Tuna salad in a wholemeal wrap
1.45: Some strawberries

That's 1004 calories so far. I'll have some more strawberries and a yoghurt at 3pm and whatever's cooked at home later. I was going to have porridge earlier but decided that I might skip the carbs for breakfast once a week to see if it has any effect.

marathonic

I done a weight training session on Saturday 23rd October and then fell out of the routine. The first week was just lack of motivation but then I came down with the flu. I debated whether to go to the gym or not but decided not to because I know I wouldn't like other people coming to the gym with the flu when I'm healthy.

I'm going to get serious into it from tomorrow again. I'm not looking forward to jumping on the scales but I reckon a week will bring me back to where I was two weeks ago so won't worry too much about it.

I'm still a little annoyed that my gym just has those hammer strength smith machines rather that racks.