Starting a 4-month training

[Rhezuss]

Sup everyone!

I'm currently 35 years old and been pretty sedentary for the past 5 or so years. I moved in with my gf 2 years ago after a 6 years LDR where I lived alone in an appartment and drank too much beer and ate crap due to my lazyness.

So fast forward to last month. A co-worker/friend is a damn machine. He got from pure sedentary lazyness/300+ pounds to very active/170 pounds, no fat. He's a beast and motivated like i've rarely seen. He trains 5-6 days a week and sometimes 2-times a day.

So he talked me into training with him 3 times a week/1 hour per session during lunch time. He worked on a circuit training that he will do with me, coach me every minutes in the gym and do the same circuit to motivate me and make all this experience fun and relaxing. It's concentrated in fat burning et some muscular tonification exercises. To add to that, my gf likes to hike in the weekends and we walk every other day for 1-1.5 hour.

So yeah, after gaining 25 pound in the last 3 years, i'm now gonna start to remove some excess and get back in shape a bit.

It's a pretty big step for me to go to the gym but having a free personal trainer will just make it a lot more fun.

What would you recommend for meals to maximize that training? Many little meals during the day or keep the 3 meals a day? Protein bars?

I'm pretty psyched about this and even though it's only 4 months (for now) he's positive that at the end there will be clear results if I keep at it.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[cbrunny]

Good luck! Getting fit is fun. Sounds like you're on the right track.

I won't be popular with this around here, but I think protein bars are overrated. I've started reading about nutrition lately and it sounds like most people will benefit more from just a healthy, wholesome diet with little/no processed foods than from eating protein bars or shakes alone. I'd start there (I did). Fresh fruits & vegetables are key. Non-processed meats. Non-processed cereals. Whole grains. This stuff isn't new and should be pretty intuitive.

Count calories too. Fitness trackers are fun and cool and can be a great help. I had a fitbit for years and loved it. Recently switched to Garmin and love that even more but you can't go wrong with one. Just make sure it tracks your heart rate.

From where you are now to where you want to be, consider the amount of change that needs to take place. Then chunk it into bits and add one extra chunk when you've mastered the previous chunk. Not many people succeed with an "all or nothing" mentality, especially with fitness (see, for example, January 4th). Sure, you might get faster results with all or nothing, but you want to sustain not burn out. So grow into it.

 

[Rhezuss]

Good luck! Getting fit is fun. Sounds like you're on the right track.

I won't be popular with this around here, but I think protein bars are overrated. I've started reading about nutrition lately and it sounds like most people will benefit more from just a healthy, wholesome diet with little/no processed foods than from eating protein bars or shakes alone. I'd start there (I did). Fresh fruits & vegetables are key. Non-processed meats. Non-processed cereals. Whole grains. This stuff isn't new and should be pretty intuitive.

Count calories too. Fitness trackers are fun and cool and can be a great help. I had a fitbit for years and loved it. Recently switched to Garmin and love that even more but you can't go wrong with one. Just make sure it tracks your heart rate.

From where you are now to where you want to be, consider the amount of change that needs to take place. Then chunk it into bits and add one extra chunk when you've mastered the previous chunk. Not many people succeed with an "all or nothing" mentality, especially with fitness (see, for example, January 4th). Sure, you might get faster results with all or nothing, but you want to sustain not burn out. So grow into it.

Thanks for the tips. I'm with you about the all or nothing not being the best but my friend will coach me every days at the gym. If I had to go alone I wouldn't go far but having someone that gone through the same steps as me is very motivating, especially when you see the results.

Can't wait to start, got my membership setup today and starting tomorrow for tuesday-wednesday-thursday trainings for the next 4 months.

I'll try to gradually check and control what I eat. We've been cooking a lot of healthy meals since we moved together. I'll just have to start to remove processed food out of the house and be more cautious of my intakes, without sacrificing that poutine from time to time

 

[vi edit]

Protein bars (or energy, whatever you want to call them) are decent, controlled snacks. Protein satiates well and it's a very "'fixed" amount to eat. It's easy to account for the calories for them and they transport well for work/activities.

 

[SlitheryDee]

As far as protein goes I don't think it really matters so much what the source is or the timing of your intake of it is. Just make sure you get enough of it in you every single day. I subscribe to the "1 gram per pound of lean body mass" school of thought. I don't think you need to be precise in your estimate. My best guess is that I have around 150lbs of lean body mass, so I need 150 grams or more of protein every day. In practice I'm getting around 200 grams most days, so that's all good. You'll have to assess yourself and try to come up with a number to shoot for as well. I wouldn't sweat any other details though. Calories low. protein high. Minimize processed carbs. Exercise consistently.

 

[Rhezuss]

First day today...alsmot puked lol
The guy is a freaking hyperactive but knows when to stop. His training is really fun and it's a non-stop thing, we'll just reajust the series so I can complete it tomorrow and build from there.

But oh boy that feeling when your body says "NOPE"...not fun

 

[cbrunny]

That's the best part!

 

[SP33Demon]

I've been experimenting with the Warrior Diet. Seems like I keep the fat off way easier only eating once or twice a day. Of course it's hard to get all those calories in such a small time window so it can sometimes affect my sleep since my eating window is also my training window. So my 8 hour window is more like 6.

Try high reps with weights you can handle on compound movements. Perfect your form first and go higher reps to groove the neural pattern. Then focus on slightly heavier and you should see a nice body recomp.

 

[Rhezuss]

Today completes my first week of intense training. It's a damn blast and motivation is easy when your trainer is also a friend and a co-worker.

Tuesdays, wednesdays and thursdays until september and probably longer.

Just need to check my intakes and be a bit more cautious about what I eat and how much I eat.

It's damn fun and the feeling you get after a good intense hour of trainig is priceless.

 

[edro]

Quest Bars (Cookies and Cream and Smores)

Get a digital scale and measure/weigh your food if you are cooking at home.
It's very easy to overeat.
Once you've weighed your food and recorded your intake for a few months, you will have a better feeling for how much you should be eating.

I am sure there are people out there who eat half a bag of potato chips and record it as 1 serving.
Then they wonder why they aren't losing weight... It's because you just ate 1000 calories in a sitting.

I only lift weights, work core and do body weight exercises. My only cardio is soccer once a week.
I personally think cardio is a huge waste of time.
A half hour jog is like 2-300 calories; the same as not eating a snack.
The elevated heart rates of weight lifting are good enough cardio vascular exercise, IMO.

 

[iluvdeal]

It's a great way to break up the workday for sure, physically and mentally it's a great release.

However do realize your fat loss is mostly going to be dictated by how you eat, a lot of people who start working out don't see any results on the scale because they basically negated the calories burned from working out by eating more due to their increased appetite.

 

[Rhezuss]

Yep, we just do a 10 minutes cardio run to start the circuit, then it's weight lifting, push ups, sit ups, and various machines. He has a circuit that works the whole body, intensly for one hour.

I don't see time passing and it's motivating just to have someone doing the same excersises as you.

 

[edro]

Calories low. protein high. Minimize processed carbs. Exercise consistently.

I agree 100%.
That should be on a t-shirt.

 

[Rhezuss]

It's a great way to break up the workday for sure, physically and mentally it's a great release.

However do realize your fat loss is mostly going to be dictated by how you eat, a lot of people who start working out don't see any results on the scale because they basically negated the calories burned from working out by eating more due to their increased appetite.

Yes, that is my real challenge. I tend to have small portions for lunch but when I get home i'm starving like mad...I have to get in the mood of cutting my dinner portions and i'll be good to go.

Me and the girlfriend are cooking a lot at home and everything is balanced with lots of vegetables/greens, lean meats, tofu (damn i'm not a fan of this stuff). We don't use must salt and sugar and try to choose good ingredients.

I just have to check my portions lol

 

[cbrunny]

The elevated heart rates of weight lifting are good enough cardio vascular exercise, IMO.

If you don't care about cardio in the least, that's probably barely true. Plenty of weightlifters still do cardio days now and then.

If you just want to bulk up...literally size over function... cardio can probably take a back seat.

Personally, I don't understand the point of fitness without cardio.

If you do more cardio, you need more carbs. People that do only cardio - endurance athletes and such - tend to eat way more carbs than protein. I'm trying to transition my diet to be roughly 65% carbs, 20% protein, 15% fat. All non-processed of course.

People that think that cardio doesn't build muscle are fools, btw.

 

[slag]

I don't think cardio is a waste. Anyone can lift weights. Many people can't run a mile or two straight without having to stop and gasp for air. Running increases stamina which helps whole body health, and gets your heart rate up higher (normally) than straight weight lifting/training. A mix of both is probably the best though. Personally, I like both, but more so the running as its easier to do anywhere and costs very little after you factor in a pair of running shoes.

I guess it really depends on your goals though. I hike with boy scouts, go boating and swim often in the lake, and stamina and endurance is important to me. You just don't get that by lifting weights alone.

 

[SP33Demon]

I don't think cardio is a waste. Anyone can lift weights. Many people can't run a mile or two straight without having to stop and gasp for air. Running increases stamina which helps whole body health, and gets your heart rate up higher (normally) than straight weight lifting/training. A mix of both is probably the best though. Personally, I like both, but more so the running as its easier to do anywhere and costs very little after you factor in a pair of running shoes.

I guess it really depends on your goals though. I hike with boy scouts, go boating and swim often in the lake, and stamina and endurance is important to me. You just don't get that by lifting weights alone.

Weights may not build stamina and endurance but it burns calories at the equivalent of a 6 minute mile.

In fact, when researchers at the University of Southern Maine used a more advanced method to estimate energy expenditure during exercise, they found that weight training burns up to 71 percent more calories than originally thought. Which suggests that a fast-paced circuit workout burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute per mile pace.

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/10-exercises-that-burn-more-calories-than-running/list

Can't imagine how many kcals my heavy 40 squats and deads eat up per workout.

 

[cbrunny]

Weights may not build stamina and endurance but it burns calories at the equivalent of a 6 minute mile.

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/10-exercises-that-burn-more-calories-than-running/list

Can't imagine how many kcals my heavy 40 squats and deads eat up per workout.

So your fitness is purely about calories rather than outside-the-gym function? Just what the muscles look and feel like?

 

[edro]

I don't think cardio is a waste. Anyone can lift weights.

lolwut
Same logic applies with running. Anyone can run.

Weights may not build stamina

lolwut

You guys are using some extreme generalizations.

If your weight lifting routine is not building stamina, you're doing it wrong.
You don't have to do 1 rep power lifting routines...

 

[cbrunny]

All I'm saying is that cardio has a purpose. If you neglect your cardio, you neglect an important part of your fitness.

Lifting weights /= cardio.

 

[edro]

And all I'm sayin is that lifting weights IS cardio.

 

[cbrunny]

And all I'm sayin is that lifting weights IS cardio.

That is egregiously wrong.

 

[vi edit]

Technically anything that takes your heart rate more than 60% above your resting for 10 minutes or longer is cardio. So if the type of lifting is hitting that, then yes it is cardio. There are still positive CV gains from lifting. Now will you ever see a large muscled dude with a resting HR of say...44? Doubtful. The gains only go so far.

 

[cbrunny]

I'd be interested to see heart rate data from a monitor as a lifter does their routine.

If one wouldn't mind I'd be happy to post my heart rate data from a run or a cycle to compare.

 

[vi edit]

Here's my own data on lifting...

These are various lifting routines with P90x & P90x3

Shoulder/Bicep/Tricep
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=E46B...4A82A!7956&parId=E46BB480E134A82A!128&o=OneUp

Chest and Back:
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=E46B...4A82A!7957&parId=E46BB480E134A82A!128&o=OneUp

Eccentric Upper:
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=E46B...4A82A!7958&parId=E46BB480E134A82A!128&o=OneUp

Is it like this?
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=E46B...4A82A!6487&parId=E46BB480E134A82A!128&o=OneUp

or this:
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=E46B...4A82A!7960&parId=E46BB480E134A82A!128&o=OneUp
No....

But it still is stimulating the CV system.