Returning to the gym. A few Q's

DarraghR

I have recently returned to the gym after a very long absence. My goals are to increase my strength, have better breathing, stamina, slight increase in body mass and most importantly get rid of a beer belly that has come from drinking alcohol and eating lots of chocolate.

Currently I am going to the gym 3 times a week and doing 45 minute sessions just to ease myself back into it. I have a protein shake straight after and then my dinner or lunch. Most of my gym session consists of the shoulder press, chest press, ab machine and a few others focusing on arms, upper body and shoulders. Cardio wise I just do 10 - 15 minutes on the exercise bike and burn 100 calories.

Diet would be Wheetabix and smoothie every morning. Lunch is mostly ham, chicken or tuna on white bread and unsalted nuts. Dinner might be rice, pasta or potatoes as a side then red meat, fish but mostly chicken in a jarred sauce.


A few questions ...

What should I be focusing on to loose weight in my face and stomach apart from a proper diet?

Is 1 protein shake after my session really enough or should I be taking one on my break day?

I know 1hr 3 times a week should be minimum but should I up it to 4hrs?

Cardio first or last?


Any recommendations for online fitness resources would be great

jive

DarraghR wrote: »

I have recently returned to the gym after a very long absence. My goals are to increase my strength, have better breathing, stamina, slight increase in body mass and most importantly get rid of a beer belly that has come from drinking alcohol and eating lots of chocolate.

Currently I am going to the gym 3 times a week and doing 45 minute sessions just to ease myself back into it. I have a protein shake straight after and then my dinner or lunch. Most of my gym session consists of the shoulder press, chest press, ab machine and a few others focusing on arms, upper body and shoulders. Cardio wise I just do 10 - 15 minutes on the exercise bike and burn 100 calories.

Diet would be Wheetabix and smoothie every morning. Lunch is mostly ham, chicken or tuna on white bread and unsalted nuts. Dinner might be rice, pasta or potatoes as a side then red meat, fish but mostly chicken in a jarred sauce.


A few questions ...

What should I be focusing on to loose weight in my face and stomach apart from a proper diet?

Is 1 protein shake after my session really enough or should I be taking one on my break day?

I know 1hr 3 times a week should be minimum but should I up it to 4hrs?

Cardio first or last?


Any recommendations for online fitness resources would be great

1. Do lots of compound movements. Split your days up to upper body and lower body. Do 4x 1 hrs per week.

2. 1 is plenty.

3. See point 1.

4. Cardio last but no need to go overboard on it, 30 mins 2 or 3 times a week would be sufficient from a health POV. Replace a weights day with cardio if you prefer, go do something outside you enjoy. Just get off your ass.

Don't over complicate it. Move more, eat less. You can't lose fat from certain areas you just lose fat and see the change as it comes.

Wheatabix and a smoothie is a ****e breakfast. A better diet will do more for you than an exercise routine so focus on what really matters.

Base your diet around eggs, fish, chicken, meat, salads, lots of veg, fruit, nuts, avocados, etc. Only eat foods you actually like don't bother eating avocado or another 'super food' because you think you have to. Try get a protein source in at every meal.

In summary:
Move more, eat less. Enjoy it and make it sustainable. Most importantly don't use the weekends as a treat (it's 3 of 7 days in a week), this is where many really sh1t on their hard work. Don't worry about timing of meals, protein shakes, what exercises you're doing/not doing etc. it doesn't matter, don't believe everything you see online and try to be 'perfect'.

Online source: search for Dominic munnellys website on Google, you won't need any other sites (in fact you will do yourself more harm than good going to most other sites).

Zillah

You can't lose weight in any one location, it is lost generally all over. Your face should be one of the first places to show, with your stomach probably being one of the last.

Protein shakes aren't special, they're just high protein food. When you have them doesn't matter much at all. Just make sure you have a high protein take most days over a long period of time. I'd have one every day rather than just workout days.

You should be doing big compound movements like squats and deadlifts. I am also partial to underarm rows and standing military presses. You can google for how to do all of those.

Make sure your rice/pasta/potato sides are nice and small.

(EDIT: Obviously bench press as well. I tend to mentally leave that out as a shoulder injury makes them very uncomfortable for me)

QuietMan2010

x2 for the squats (and deads).

I would thoroughly recommend squats as the one single exercise you do every session. I've only been at them for six months or so and my stomach is now flat and hard without ever doing a single sit-up or isolated abs exercise. I've also lost a stone in weight overall (which includes the fact I've probably put on a couple of pounds of muscle).

Look at a program like Starting Strength 5 x 5, its three times a week and no more than an hour each session (certainly at the start, anyway), easy to follow and track progress.

Gumbo

QuietMan2010 wrote: »

x2 for the squats (and deads).

I would thoroughly recommend squats as the one single exercise you do every session. I've only been at them for six months or so and my stomach is now flat and hard without ever doing a single sit-up or isolated abs exercise. I've also lost a stone in weight overall (which includes the fact I've probably put on a couple of pounds of muscle).

Look at a program like Starting Strength 5 x 5, its three times a week and no more than an hour each session (certainly at the start, anyway), easy to follow and track progress.

And the SS app tracks all your weights and reps so each session is tracked.