Alright, so heres the scoop. Me and a buddy got really into weight lifting like a year ago, and I got all toned up. Then, i had this freakish arm injury (don't ask me to explain, most doctors didnt even know what to tell me), so i stopped lifting. After a month or so passed, i continued to be lazy, and have been that way up until about 2 weeks ago. I've decided this is it, the time for me to get back into good physical shape, and stay that way. My goal is to shed 15 lbs (give or take), while toning muscles. I'm not trying to win the world's strongest man, and I don't "need" to be perfectly sculpted, I'd just like to get back into good shape. Here are some details....

I own a Weider Crossbow (its like a bowflex, not something you shoot things with), which is a really nice peice of equipment, and keeps me from having to drive to a gym. I lift with that every day that I dont run.

My girlfriend also owns an Eliptical, but I can't get myself to run out of breath on that thing before my legs get too sore, maybe I'm just not doing something right. So, for now (until snow falls and the temp drops to negative a billion) I am running outside. Will probably try the eliptical in winter.

My original goal was to run twice a week, but starting this week I bumped that up to 3 times a week...

I eat pretty decent. I dont eat junk food, and I drink MAYBE one pop a day.




So here are my questions..

What kind of activities do you recommend?
Are there certain foods I should or shouldnt be consuming?
Are there any "substances" that I can take to kick the process in the butt, and make my efforts seem more worthwhile, faster??
Any little tips and tricks you can provide will be greatly appreciated.



Also, I'm not going to go all out and start eating strictly tofu and carrots or anything like that. Like i said i'm not trying to win the Mr. Universe contest, I just want to slim down and look good in a bathing suit again.

 

i'm in weight training in school, they teach us 3 sets of 10, and use a precentage chart, do you use a chart or just randomly do sets? work out 3 times a week, no more, your body needs to 're-set' and rest

substances, yeah theres quiete a few, but that gets into not so good stuff, my brother benches 300 and he takes powder/protein drinks like crazy, so if ya really want that information i can get it, i just recomend staying away from it

i'm sure i'll think of more tips and tricks, hope this helps in some regards

 

Jguess when you say "running" you mean jogging? Sprints are so much better for you. I dont' know your aerobic capacity but, warm up with like a 1/4-1/2 mile jog and then sprint for maybe 75 yards, then walk til you feel like you can sprint again. Start with 10 sprints and work up.

As far as the lifting goes, concentrate on the large muscle groups for now. Forget the "curls for the girls." The more muscles you can get involved in a movement the better. Bench press, rows, military press, upright rows. And dont' forget about the lower body. Squats and deadlifts are the number one best way to build muscle and stoke your metabolism.

Aand with the substances, get a good whey protein with glutamine for right after a workout and an egg or soy protein with long chain amino's for a supplement and/or right before bed.

Food to stay away from, keep it simple so that you can stick to it. Just see if you can cut out all things fried. That would be a great start. If you have to go to the drive thru, get the chicken, skip the fries. It's the little decisions everyday that you need to change.

Sprints, big muscle groups, and no fried foods. Sounds simple enough doesn't it?

 

I just swim a couple thousand yards 3-5 times a week... full body work out.


PS. Sniper... I saw a kid with an Under Dog t-shirt today, made me think of the Super-D.

 

Well Fourty You have come to the right place. I weigh 220 lbs with 12% body fat, and i eat like a cow. Things i eat. Eggs, Protein shakes, tons of grilled chicken, fish, veggies. If u wanna shed lbs, do this. Do not eat 3 times a day. Eat like 5-6 times a day, BUT eat small. 3-4 scrambled eggs for breakfast. Few hrs later some grilled chick, then maybe a shake, some more chickn for dinner, then maybe a detour bar or something. Running is the best way to shed lbs. Try to run 4 times a week. As for workouts, you wanna mix up your routein. Say youre doing chest. You start w/flat bench, then incline, then flys. Next time u do chest, do flys, incline, and then flat. Do some pushups inbetween sets, THAT will kick your *** lol. Supersets always help too. (getting 2 exersises done at once). Remember, its best to work out in the AM when u wake up, thats when you are at your peak testostirone for the day. (Thats what causes morning wood lol). (uh huh-huh-hut)



oh and protein shakes are good if u make em right..........use protein mix, low fat froz ygrt, peanut butter and bannas, or just get creative. Lemme kno if u have any Q's, i used to be a personal trainor @ golds.

 

as for foods, the biggest thing to cut out is soda. that is the single most unhealthy thing in our socially acceptable diets. if you cant give it up completely, switch to diet. i did it a couple of years ago, and i lost over 10 pounds in a week (from about 210-200 at 6'2", so its not like i was huge before) a steady supply of caffeine isnt great for a diet and exercise program, but its better without the simple carbs. also, try to stay away from "white" carbs. white rice, white bread, sugar and potatos. they are pretty much empty foods. stick with whole grains as much as possible, as close as you can to the way it came from nature. and for snacks, try almonds. they are a decent source of protein, and unsaturated fats.

now for supplements. Muscletech is the most overpriced brand on the market, yet also one of the most effective, so suck it up and pay the crap prices. Get a couple of months worth of Hydroxycut, Cell-Tech (i prefer the low carb one) and Nitro-tech. that will cut your bodyfat, provide you with creatine (its not dangerous unless you get something like 20X the recommended amount) and the Nitro is a great protein source. though ive heard stories of peopel failing 'Roid tests while using it. just shows how hard muscletech pushes the envelope. an da multi-vitamin and maybe an amino acid tab should help as well.

now, for techniques, all i can say is, NEGATIVES, and the power matrix. i cant find the chart for the power matrix online, but ask around at the gym and someone might have a copy. very effective, i used it in highschool to get over my plateus(sp?)

 

ok this is nothing new to say but pcupo and sacs hit it on the head dude. eat several times a day, cut out sugar and bread (unless right before or after a workout and only in small amounts). running is the best thing for cutting the excess fat that dieting wont hit, and do toning excercises to give that "cut" look you want. unfortunately running slows muscle growth when body building but you seem to want a beach bod so you will be cool.

 

When I was into weightlifting and had time...most of my workout was swimming and stretching...only 15% were actual lifting weights and that was good...I used to be the armwrestling champ of my class...now I'm 200lbs of mostly fat as I got lazy and I drive a lot and no time for workouts:-D

 

yeah, i need to get back to the gym, if i didnt stay in physical jobs, i would be like 50-100 pounds heavier. oh, there you go, get a job at Fedex loading/unloading trucks! you get payed to work out. i did that for almost 2 years. not too bad, and you can make some decent money too.

 

1. I recommend any aerobic exercise you can do. Swimming is the best because you're burning energy keeping warm and propelling yourself. Plus it's low to zero impact on your joints. Bike riding and running are cool too though.

2. Stick with unprocessed, organic carbs like fruits, vegetables, whole wheat breads, pastas. Stay away from foods high fat and protein. I cringed as I read Pcupos recommendations (nothing personal Pete, just a difference of eating philosophy). And oh yeah, what Sacicons said. Sodas are death. Something we can all agree on, DON'T EAT FAST FOOD!

3. No idea. Let nature do it's own work.