The Fitness Thread...

[Mr Mystery]

How do?

You know me. I lovey food, I love my beer, and I love my ciggies.

But earlier this year I weighed myself for the first time in years, and was surprised to find I was a little under 17 stone. Despite being 6'3" with a fairly stocky build, this simply cannot go on. You see, as well as being worryingly heavy, I also recently turned 33...and I've never been in shape.

So it's time to do something about it. Work has a free gym, and come pay day, its time to get some gym kit together and turn this lard into muscle!

And I invite you all to motivate myself, and each other.

First up, I need to work on my cardio, because all those ciggies take their toll, and to my mind its the gateway to all other exercise. Little point in being able to bench press planets with my teeth if doing so near kills me to death....

Most of my fat is in the belly area, and my physical strength is likely a bit above average. But running, or any more than a brisk walk and I'm boned!

So, suggestions for exercises, in little words please. No point going on about reps and that without saying what they are (really am a gym noob)!!

And to go with, what sort of progress milestones should I be setting? Is there any exercise I should leave for when my heart is stronger and my lungs have increased capacity? Help me Obi BoLs Kenobi, you're my only hope!

[Kirsten]

personally I find walking is the simplest thing to do. I lost 4st walking for forty minutes every day. Get yourself into a slightly better condition, then maybe throw in a little jogging as you walk if you feel like it, but a good walk every day helps.

[Mr Mystery]

15 minutes each way to the office and back, so I'm not completely sedantry. But of course, more is always good.

Plus, there's a rather attractive young lady who is a fitness nut, so inviting her for a run (I quite enjoy cross country...more manly!) is a good in, no?

[Kirsten]

yeah fine, make sure you can actually run though before trying to impress a lady ;)

[Mr Mystery]

Hence gym bunnying to start! Don't mind her seeing me sweaty....just not face down wheezing....

[Kirsten]

not a fan of gyms personally, anything you can pay to do in a gym, you can do for free outside or at home

[eldargal]

Yep. Press up, sit ups, stretches, walking, jogging up stairs (not down though, learn that the hard way...) swordfighting in 30kgs of armour all good exercise.;)

[DarkLink]

Crossfit is awesome. Crossfit gyms themselves are expensive (because you've got a trainer leading a class and stuff like that, so it's usually actually a pretty good deal compared to any other fitness trainers), but there are plenty of Crossfit gyms that post their workouts for free. It generally requires a minimal amount of equipment, and you can work around missing equipment without too much trouble.

Access to a pullup bar and an olympic/powerlifting bar with some weights (you don't even need that much weight, and if you don't have a bar you can use dumbbells or really just about any reasonably heavy object) and you can do about 85% of all Crossfit workouts. Throw in a kettlebell, a box for box jumps, a jump rope, and you're up to about 95% of all Crossfit workouts.

It does require some technique for a lot of movements. There's a reason most Crosssfit gyms have trainers running their classes. Take the time to learn how to deadlift, squad, clean, etc properly. Took me nearly a whole school year on my own to build up to doing full crossfit workouts with full range of motion and good technique. Five years later and there's still stuff to work on. But as a comprehensive fitness program, it blows anything else I've ever seen out of the water.

Aside from the minimal amount of equipment and potential gym membership, you can access just about anything you want to learn about for free just by browsing the internet. Crossfit not only has tons of free information on its own methodology, but Crossfit intentionally dips into a wide range of other sports, from olympic weightlifting to gymnastics and even to physical therapy, in a way that something like P90x can't really compete with.

Edit: Also, being mathematically minded, I very much like the science and theory behind Crossfit. There's no "I got shredded in 30 days, and you can to". It's more "Crossfit consists of constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity across broad time and mortal domains", and there's a detailed explanation behind every aspect of that statement.


Edit2:
BTW, did you all know that USMC OCS's PT program is always planned and executed by a British Colour Sergeant on loan from the Royal Marines? I don't actually remember the name of our Colour Sergeant, because we just called him Colour Sergeant, but he was awesome.

[Mr Mystery]

True. But for now, I basically rack disciprine. Hoping that gym will sort that by getting me used to exercise, much the same as LARP does (though sixth time up that bloody hill tested somewhat)...

Once I'm into my groove, can even jog the 2 miles to my local. Might sound counter productive, but sod it.

[Nabterayl]

If you have discipline issues, do you know what's behind them? For me, I can't sustain regular exercise with no more motivation than "I need to get fit" or "I like being fit." I need something else, so I can say to myself, "I'm running every morning to get/stay in shape for historical dance" or "... for historical fencing" or even "... because I really fancy this girl" (though that one, for neurological reasons, is not a very sustainable motivator).

It's not about a specific exercise, but would something like that help keep your motivation sorted?

[Mr Mystery]

Dunno to be honest! The lovely lass is very, very lovely....

Never tried to stick to an exercise regime before.

However, once I get in my stride, my typical rack of disciprine usually evaporates. For instance, I've gone from around 15-18 ciggies a day to less than 10, just by not smoking when at work, with an eye to reducing it further (confirmed boredom smoker!)

[Deadlift]

Hmmmm cardio, I may do some one day ;) even if it kills me which it just might lol.

Seriously though I don't do enough, I warm up on a rowing machine for 1000 metres, then cool down on the bike for 10 minutes per gym session.
Most heavy lifters avoid cardio like the plague. It's rumoured that its wasted energy better spent on the bench. I think it's because we're all generally fat buggers that don't like it :)
I'm 38 this year and I think it will be time soon to maybe concentrate less on the big lifts and more staying. alive.
Not done a maximum Deadlift for ages but I'm repping about one and a half times my body weight. No I don't care to share my weight either. But rest assured Mystery your a fair bit lighter and taller than me. :D
Still wife says I'm great a carrying groceries.

[Deadlift]

Dunno to be honest! The lovely lass is very, very lovely....

Never tried to stick to an exercise regime before.

However, once I get in my stride, my typical rack of disciprine usually evaporates. For instance, I've gone from around 15-18 ciggies a day to less than 10, just by not smoking when at work, with an eye to reducing it further (confirmed boredom smoker!)

Congrats on cutting the tabs back mate, keep on it.

[DarkLink]

Oh, and also, diet has a much, much greater effect on body fat than exercise does. If you exercise a lot but eat like crap, you'll still be fat, you'll just be a strong and fast fat guy. It takes an absurd amount of exercise to really get lean just by pure exercise, though if you go from no exercise to a regular workout you'll see a bit of a difference. Exercise certainly doesn't hurt, and there's a whole range of health reasons beyond getting a six pack to work out, but ultimately a healthy diet will do more for your bodyfat percentage. And cutting out smoking. And drinking. Also, sleep matters, like, a lot.

Edit: Deadlift, I've actually found that running is a pretty good warm up for deadlifts. Gets the blood flowing real well. Rowing is a good workout, too. 500m sprints hurt like nothing else.

[Deadlift]

Dark links right, diets very important. I don't eat the buns at McDonald's just the burgers. No chips either.

[Mr Mystery]

Typical dinner these days? Baked spud, chicken breast, broccoli. 'I can't believe its not butter' on the spud, bit of Nando's hot sauce for the chicken boobie. Low sodium salt/fresh Maldon sea salt.

And guilty pleasure of 250g coleslaw...

So nothing majorly big fattyfatfat in that, and reasonably well balanced.

Rest of my cooking is 90% home made too.

[DarkLink]

Naturally, I posted that as I was drinking some soda, and I had cookies for breakfast:rolleyes:...

Yeah, that's not too bad. Excess carbs are a lot worse than fat is. Turns out your body doesn't create bodyfat from dietary fat, as much as that would sound logical, but instead from excess blood sugar. Eating lots of carbs (bread, pasta, sugar, etc) leads to a spike in blood sugar levels you don't get from fatty foods which leads to storing excess calories as fat. If you just ate fat, your body rations those calories much more efficiently and you're less likely to store a significant amount of those calories as fat.

[Mr Mystery]

Meh. As long as you don't kid yourself about how much you eat, little harm done.

For instance, I'm not fussed about carbs. They're healthy in moderation! If anyone expects me to start weighing my grub, they can...foxtrot oscar

[Deadlift]

Have you tried Sweet baked potatoes MM, these guys are really great and make a nice change from normal spuds, I don't add butter or a substitute as they are much tastier to me than bog standard jackets. Pineapples to are a fantastic super food and help metabolise fat so I'm told. Chicken breasts are great as a source of protein, but pork is actually just as good if not better on lean cuts. Turkey too is fantastic. Also loads of water is good. I drink easily 3-4 litres a day but them I'm also taking supplements that require it. 2 litres minimum is a good place to start. Also carbs, even the better ones are best avoided at dinner time. I personally don't eat or drink any carbs (when I'm serious training mode) after 5pm. This means no beer in the evenings really. There are some low carb beers available. Ones by cobra and the others michelob. Not bad but not fantastic either. But these are the sacrifices we make.

[DarkLink]

It's really more about what food you stick to. Cut out grains like bread and pasta, and avoid junk food like cookies, and you'll probably never have to worry about excess carbs. Sugar in moderation is not the phrase to describe the average American diet, though.

I can't help but laugh whenever I see someone recommend bread or pasta as a health food. Take a cup of bread and compare it to a cup of vegetables, doesn't really matter whether it's whole grain or what, it's a pretty sad comparison. The vegetables have far, far more vitamins and nutrients for fraction of the calories, while the bread/pasta is basically just pure sugar with some fiber. Even the most whole-grainey, nutritionally reinforced crap can't come close to touching the nutritional values of fruits, vegetables, and meats. And that's without even touching the gluten issue (which is a mix of both legitimate health concerns and overplayed drama). You can't get much worse advice than this:

http://www.whale.to/a/food_pyramid.gif


Edit:
Sweet Potatoes are pretty good, yeah. Avacado is awesome, too.

[Deadlift]

Bread is a killer no doubt. I don't touch it generally. Rice rarely and pasta even less so. I did a ketosis diet about 5 years ago whilst trying to get my weight down. Basically very similar to Atkins and little to no processed food at all. I lost about 45 pounds I think and I was absolutely at my strongest then.

[Wolfshade]

The big thing is if you can incorporate it into your everyday activities. I cycle to/from work each day, most directly it is just 6 miles each way so it's just under 20 minutes, but in nice weather I can put a nice loop or two into it pushing it up to 10/12 miles.
Nice and simple and part of my day :)

[Minibem]

If you want something easy to start with walking is a good thing to do. Walking on uneven ground is very good for you as it uses a lot more muscles. It might not be practical for work but you could walk to work in trainers and change your shoes at work.

There are a lot of different things that you can do but as you said Mystery the hardest thing to do is to get into a routine. There are a range of different things you can do. Keep a training diary of basic exercises to see how you are doing. Make a "vision board" with the exercises up there find a training buddy as it's easier to say I won't bother doing X if you don't have someone waiting for you.

Happy to put something together for you if you want Mystery. Use to be a coach in a previous life

[Wolfshade]

I have the solution:

https://www.zombiesrungame.com/

Fitness App + Zombie game

[Mr Mystery]

And having failed spectacularly to get going this month, I'm determined to make a start 23rd July(ish), my next pay day.

So, running shoes. Any recommendations for a beginner?

[Build]

A big one for me is one hour, brisk walk first thing in the morning, after you've had a litre of water to drink and before you eat anything, very good at burning fat without burning stored energy or muscles tissue. Having plenty of water between meals is a hugh one too.

- Remember: A happy mountaineer always pees clear.

Assuming you're feeling brave you could always give HIIT (High intensity interval training) a go a couple of times a week. I do rowing for that (although I do HIIT at the end of a cutting cycle for a couple of months) knackers you out quick and steam rollers through body fat. I will happily give you a break down of how to do it if you would like.

Weights though are my bread and butter (excuse the pun) for training and keeping a nice shape. Compound movements are the dog's danglys too, especially your squats, deadlifts and presses.


Your diet is the other big one, I'm an endomorph so struggle to stay lean, but typically the only large carbs sources I have come from fruit and sweet potatoes. I eat more fats with high protein to compensate and I'm a huge advocate of coconut milk as it's brilliant for assisting in fat loss, it's also great if you have crappy skin too.


I have a mate who helps me out with diet and training and he is an absolute monster (google Cornelius Parkin).

[DarkLink]

Do cleans, snatches, and jerks as well. If you want to do functional movements, there's no better place to check out than Crossfit, even if you're not going to a gym or even planning on doing Crossfit itself.

Fruits and sweet potatoes aren't bad, they've got a low glycemic index and have glucose rather than fructose.




So, running shoes. Any recommendations for a beginner?

Minimalist shoes are awesome. I will never wear 'normal' tennis or running shoes again. There are a pretty good range of minimalist shoes out there now. I wear Merrells, and New Balance Minimus are good, as well.

They take a little getting used to, since you'll be using muscles in your feet and calves you've never used before, but once you build them up to where they're supposed to be, you'll naturally improve your running form. One of the worst things that ever happened to human beings with regards to the biomechanics of running is high-heeled shoes with thick padding.

Just keep in mind that excessive quantities of LSD (both the drug and Long, Slow Distance cardio) are actually kind of counter productive. You'll get good at jogging long distances, but excessive cardio actually actively atrophies all unnecessary muscle. Compare these two:

http://www.crossfitoakland.com/old_site/marathoner_sprinter2.jpg

High intensity makes you good at both high and low intensity stuff. Low intensity training only makes you good at low intensity stuff.

Walking, hiking, and light jogging, don't really count with this regard. That's the stuff that you do to keep your body moving outside of your actual workout program. But when you go to workout, do something relatively short and intense for 80-90% of your workouts. Not counting warm-ups, streching, cool-downs, and whatever strength building weightlifting you might do, your cardio/conditioning workouts should mostly be between 10-20min max.

Once you get fit enough to easily handle low-impact high intensity workouts, then the answer is to do multiple workouts a day to get fit, not to make each individual workout longer.

[Deadlift]

And having failed spectacularly to get going this month, I'm determined to make a start 23rd July(ish), my next pay day.

So, running shoes. Any recommendations for a beginner?

New Balance I think, not stupid expensive but comfy non the less. Me I don't run really, I kind of trundle along but I swear by this brand of shoe. They also do a wide fitting which for me with hobbit feet is a must.