Need help with weight loss / muscle gain
Moderators: Boss Man, cassiegose
Need help with weight loss / muscle gain
New member here! Lot of good info on this site. Thought I would join the forum and see if I can get some help on getting myself looking and feeling better. To start off I'm a 6' 34 yr old and weigh about 225lbs. I've been at this weight for quite a few months and really haven't done too much about it. I'm going on a trip to Mexico in the middle of February and knew that would be the catalyst for me getting back into shape. I would like to lose as much weight as I can before then, but I also know I don't have a lot of time. overall goal is to lose the weight and pack on some muscle by then and ultimately by the beginning of summer, achieve the "beach body". main question is should I start "cutting" by doing cardio for a while until I lose substantial weight and then start packing on mass by weight training? Or should I be incorporating both? I plan on working out at home and have a treadmill, dumbbells, a Gold's Gym XRS20 weight bench, and will soon get an olympic bar with weights. I am currently still working on figuring out a meal plan that will help me get me where I want to be. I use to drink a ton of pop and overdo on fast food, but I've cut just about all of that stuff out. I think it's just a matter of getting the right sources for carb and protein balance and then finding something that works. Forgive me if this is pretty broad, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling. Any help is appreciated.
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cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Hi there!
Welcome to the site! I think you'll find a lot of very useful information on here as well as some truly wonderful people.
February huh??? Thats 2 and a half months away. I think you can make some definite changes in that time... and if you stick with it you'll have that beach body by summer for sure. :)
For diet.... Youll want to be eating lean proteins (chicken/turkey breast, fish, lean red meats, low fat cheese, soy), whole grains (oatmeal, whole wheat bread/pasta/couscous, brown rice, quinoa, barley), health fats (fish, coconut oil, olive oil, flax, nuts, avacado) and of course fruits and lots of veggies. Make sure you're eating every 2-3 hours (starting as soon as you wake up) drinking lots of water throughout the day. Also stay away from candy, pop, and fast food as much as possible because that stuff is SO bad for you. :)
For your workout.... You'll want to start incorporating weights into your workout ASAP. This will help with muscle growth which will in turn rev up your metabolism (your body burns an extra 30-50 calories per pound of muscle so adding muscle helps you to burn more calories). If I were you I would start by lifting weights 3 days a week and doing HIIT 2 days a week with atleast one day off per week (if you take only one day off each week that extra day can be easy cardio like walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc). For your weights I would do a full body weight workout 3 days a week doing things like squats, lunges, deadlifts, military press, rows variations, pull ups, pushups and dips. On your HIIT days you can do things like stair repeats (find a set of stairs and run up as fast as you can then jog back down; do this for about 20-30 minutes and you'll be spent), intervals, fartleks, and sprints.
Your workout schedule might look something like this:
Monday: weights
Tuesday: HIIT
Wednesday: weights
Thursday: HIIT
Friday: weights
Saturday: leisurely cardio
Sunday: Off
I hope that helps. Please post more questions if you have any.
Take care.
Cassie :)
Welcome to the site! I think you'll find a lot of very useful information on here as well as some truly wonderful people.
February huh??? Thats 2 and a half months away. I think you can make some definite changes in that time... and if you stick with it you'll have that beach body by summer for sure. :)
For diet.... Youll want to be eating lean proteins (chicken/turkey breast, fish, lean red meats, low fat cheese, soy), whole grains (oatmeal, whole wheat bread/pasta/couscous, brown rice, quinoa, barley), health fats (fish, coconut oil, olive oil, flax, nuts, avacado) and of course fruits and lots of veggies. Make sure you're eating every 2-3 hours (starting as soon as you wake up) drinking lots of water throughout the day. Also stay away from candy, pop, and fast food as much as possible because that stuff is SO bad for you. :)
For your workout.... You'll want to start incorporating weights into your workout ASAP. This will help with muscle growth which will in turn rev up your metabolism (your body burns an extra 30-50 calories per pound of muscle so adding muscle helps you to burn more calories). If I were you I would start by lifting weights 3 days a week and doing HIIT 2 days a week with atleast one day off per week (if you take only one day off each week that extra day can be easy cardio like walking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc). For your weights I would do a full body weight workout 3 days a week doing things like squats, lunges, deadlifts, military press, rows variations, pull ups, pushups and dips. On your HIIT days you can do things like stair repeats (find a set of stairs and run up as fast as you can then jog back down; do this for about 20-30 minutes and you'll be spent), intervals, fartleks, and sprints.
Your workout schedule might look something like this:
Monday: weights
Tuesday: HIIT
Wednesday: weights
Thursday: HIIT
Friday: weights
Saturday: leisurely cardio
Sunday: Off
I hope that helps. Please post more questions if you have any.
Take care.
Cassie :)
Thanks for the info Cassie! I'm starting a 3 day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) full body workout which includes squats, deadlifts, chins, barbell curls, bench press, seated overhead press, triceps extension and crunches, very similar to what you suggested.
I will be working out exclusively at home since I have an olympic weight set and weight bench with spotters. The only exercise that will give me problems is the chins because I do not have the equipment to do that yet. Do you know of any exercises that will work the biceps and lats like the chins using free weights? I have thought about buying one of those chin up bars that you mount to the inside of the door frame, but I don't know how well they really work and which ones are the best. I'm not too worried about drilling holes in trim because I would probably mount it in the laundry room so it doesn't look unsightly. Or are there some where you don't need to drill holes? I don't know.
Another question. From what I've been reading, some people say to do some light to medium cardio after lifting weights to further help with fat loss since the body will be burning fat for fuel. I understand the only reason I would be doing cardio after lifting weights is for weight loss. When I do lose as much fat as I possibly can, I would be doing strength training on "on" days and cardio on '"off" days so as to not hurt strength gains.
So for fat loss routine would be:
Monday: weights then cardio
Tuesday: off? or lighter cardio?
Wednesday: weights then cardio
Thursday: off? or lighter cardio?
Friday: weights then cardio
Satuday: cardio
Sunday: off
What are your opinions on this routine? Or do you think I would have better luck with the HIIT routine you mentioned?
Thanks a lot!
I will be working out exclusively at home since I have an olympic weight set and weight bench with spotters. The only exercise that will give me problems is the chins because I do not have the equipment to do that yet. Do you know of any exercises that will work the biceps and lats like the chins using free weights? I have thought about buying one of those chin up bars that you mount to the inside of the door frame, but I don't know how well they really work and which ones are the best. I'm not too worried about drilling holes in trim because I would probably mount it in the laundry room so it doesn't look unsightly. Or are there some where you don't need to drill holes? I don't know.
Another question. From what I've been reading, some people say to do some light to medium cardio after lifting weights to further help with fat loss since the body will be burning fat for fuel. I understand the only reason I would be doing cardio after lifting weights is for weight loss. When I do lose as much fat as I possibly can, I would be doing strength training on "on" days and cardio on '"off" days so as to not hurt strength gains.
So for fat loss routine would be:
Monday: weights then cardio
Tuesday: off? or lighter cardio?
Wednesday: weights then cardio
Thursday: off? or lighter cardio?
Friday: weights then cardio
Satuday: cardio
Sunday: off
What are your opinions on this routine? Or do you think I would have better luck with the HIIT routine you mentioned?
Thanks a lot!
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cassiegose
- VETERAN
- Posts: 2525
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 6:06 pm
- Location: Prineville Oregon
Hi there! You're welcome for the info... happy to help.
For your workout... don't forget lunges. :) You can do walking lunges, standing lunges, or put your back foot up on a couch, table, chair, etc and do one legged standing lunges (which are awesome). Also, don't forget the dips as those are great (and in opinion are better than triceps extensions). You can do those by putting two chairs close together and putting your hands on one and feet on the other then dipping down. Its a great exercise if you don't have the set up to do regular dips. Also.... don't forget rows. There are lots of variations of rows (bent over dumbell, barbell, inverted) and they are great for the middle back, lats and arms. Also... have you tried doing a plank exercises for your abs? These are a great ab workout.... Also remember to keep you abs tight and engaged during your weight workout and you should feel it in your abs the next day.
You want to remember to stick to compound exercises as much as possible to get the most out of your workout. Compound exercises are those that work more than just one muscle group. Compound exercises include dips, benchpress (or pushup), military press, deadlift, rows, chin ups, and squats. I try to do mostly compound exercises and add in things like bicep curls and tricep extensions for the end of the workout... if I do them at all. This way I know the majority of energy is spent doing exercises that I'll get the most out of.
As for the chin up bar... If you google the word "chin up bar" you'll get a ton of results for ones that you can buy online. Or you can just go to a sporting goods store and look in the exercise equipment section... they usually carry them there. I bought a chin up bar this past summer and I love it. They have some that simply hang on the door frame and don't require any drilling or installation.... so you can take it down when you're not using it. They usually run around $50 or so and, in opinion, are a good investment. :)
As for the cardio... I would stick to doing only weights on Mon/Wed/Fri and doing HIIT on Tuesday and Thursday. This way you can put all your effort into your weight routine on Mon/Wed/Fri and put all your energy into your cardio workout on Tues/Thursday/Saturday. The point is to get the very most out of each workout... its quality not quantity. So if I were you I really would stick to weights every other day and HIIT or other cardio on the days when you're not doing weights. I think you'll see more results this way.
Does that all make sense?
Hows your diet going? Remember... Diet is just as important, if not more important than exercise when it comes to fat loss. :)
Hope this helps!
Cassie
For your workout... don't forget lunges. :) You can do walking lunges, standing lunges, or put your back foot up on a couch, table, chair, etc and do one legged standing lunges (which are awesome). Also, don't forget the dips as those are great (and in opinion are better than triceps extensions). You can do those by putting two chairs close together and putting your hands on one and feet on the other then dipping down. Its a great exercise if you don't have the set up to do regular dips. Also.... don't forget rows. There are lots of variations of rows (bent over dumbell, barbell, inverted) and they are great for the middle back, lats and arms. Also... have you tried doing a plank exercises for your abs? These are a great ab workout.... Also remember to keep you abs tight and engaged during your weight workout and you should feel it in your abs the next day.
You want to remember to stick to compound exercises as much as possible to get the most out of your workout. Compound exercises are those that work more than just one muscle group. Compound exercises include dips, benchpress (or pushup), military press, deadlift, rows, chin ups, and squats. I try to do mostly compound exercises and add in things like bicep curls and tricep extensions for the end of the workout... if I do them at all. This way I know the majority of energy is spent doing exercises that I'll get the most out of.
As for the chin up bar... If you google the word "chin up bar" you'll get a ton of results for ones that you can buy online. Or you can just go to a sporting goods store and look in the exercise equipment section... they usually carry them there. I bought a chin up bar this past summer and I love it. They have some that simply hang on the door frame and don't require any drilling or installation.... so you can take it down when you're not using it. They usually run around $50 or so and, in opinion, are a good investment. :)
As for the cardio... I would stick to doing only weights on Mon/Wed/Fri and doing HIIT on Tuesday and Thursday. This way you can put all your effort into your weight routine on Mon/Wed/Fri and put all your energy into your cardio workout on Tues/Thursday/Saturday. The point is to get the very most out of each workout... its quality not quantity. So if I were you I really would stick to weights every other day and HIIT or other cardio on the days when you're not doing weights. I think you'll see more results this way.
Does that all make sense?
Hows your diet going? Remember... Diet is just as important, if not more important than exercise when it comes to fat loss. :)
Hope this helps!
Cassie
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mastertrainer1
- STARTING OUT
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 10:17 am
ARM,
Sounds like you are motivated! Here's what I suggest:
Be careful with short term goals - February is only weeks away. Don't over-reach. Stay firm on, for example, a rate of 'fat loss' of two pounds per week for six weeks, then one pound per week thereafter. At best you will lose 1-2% (6-10 pounds) by mid-February.
Cut Carbs pre-cardio and eat a healthy dose of carbs pre-resistance training. Your goal with long term activity is fat loss - so make sure you eat a high protein/low carb meal before cardio. Since you are training for the 'beach body', slow your intensity on cardio (ie: fast walk instead of a slow run), and extend the time to 45 minutes to one hour. You'll be suprised at the results. Remember - carbs before wieght training, low or no carbs before cardio (long-term aerobic exercise).
As for diet - keep your protein intake consistent, spread your meals out to 5 - 6 per day if possible, stay off the trash carbs and fat, let yourself 'lapse' on occasion (helps deal with cravings), and most importantly - set a long term goal - visualize yourself at age 70 - what kind of quality of life do you want? Myself, I plan on being active, healthy, happy, and even a 'stud' on the beach.
Best of Luck,
M.T.
Sounds like you are motivated! Here's what I suggest:
Be careful with short term goals - February is only weeks away. Don't over-reach. Stay firm on, for example, a rate of 'fat loss' of two pounds per week for six weeks, then one pound per week thereafter. At best you will lose 1-2% (6-10 pounds) by mid-February.
Cut Carbs pre-cardio and eat a healthy dose of carbs pre-resistance training. Your goal with long term activity is fat loss - so make sure you eat a high protein/low carb meal before cardio. Since you are training for the 'beach body', slow your intensity on cardio (ie: fast walk instead of a slow run), and extend the time to 45 minutes to one hour. You'll be suprised at the results. Remember - carbs before wieght training, low or no carbs before cardio (long-term aerobic exercise).
As for diet - keep your protein intake consistent, spread your meals out to 5 - 6 per day if possible, stay off the trash carbs and fat, let yourself 'lapse' on occasion (helps deal with cravings), and most importantly - set a long term goal - visualize yourself at age 70 - what kind of quality of life do you want? Myself, I plan on being active, healthy, happy, and even a 'stud' on the beach.
Best of Luck,
M.T.