6 weeks to improve myself

[HarryFlatters]

Hi all,

A bit of background - currently 82.5kg and 6' tall (was >100kg a few years ago). I do very little exercise other than 1 round of golf and a walking a few miles at lunchtime a few times per week.

I've got 6 weeks today until I go off on holiday, and I would like your advice on what sort of programme I should be asking for at the gym so that I'm not embarrassed to take off my tee shirt. I'm not necessarily talking about getting "fit" per se, but leaner and toned, if that makes sense..?

Your input is welcome.

Cheers,

H

[V8mate]

Three, hour-long sessions each week with a PT and cut out all booze, sweets, chocolate, biscuits and cakes for the duration.

[AndrewEH1]

I'm 5'10 and was around 96kg! Fattest I ever want to be so this is what I'm doing, not very scientific but seems to be working.

Eat less and run more! Also think about what you are eating, more greens a little protein and not too many carbs. Cut out chocolate/bread/alcohol.

[Hoofy]

Don't just replace "bad foods" with eating lots and lots of healthy foods. It's not too difficult to eat just as many calories especially from food that you think is healthy but isn't really. Or is healthy but calorie-dense.

[AndrewEH1]

Hoofy said:

Don't just replace "bad foods" with eating lots and lots of healthy foods. It's not too difficult to eat just as many calories especially from food that you think is healthy but isn't really. Or is healthy but calorie-dense.

Exactly, in the beginning I was literally weighing out my food to control the portion size!

[CountZero23]

V8mate said:

Three, hour-long sessions each week with a PT and cut out all booze, sweets, chocolate, biscuits and cakes for the duration.

This would do it if you put as much effort into your diet as your PT will force you to put into the gym.

Cut out carbs as much as you can (especially high GI ones).

3 PT sessions a week will be expensive, cheaper option is to only do one PT session a week and replace the other two with classes.

6 weeks is a reasonable about of times to see real changes.

[HarryFlatters]

I don't drink any booze through the week, and maybe only have a few tins and some wine at the weekends. I don't (and never did) eat junk food, so have already cut out sweets, chocolate, crisps etc.

I normally have a smoothie or some bran flakes and a yogurt for breakfast, lunch is a small flour tortilla with hummus, salad and sandwich meat. Dinner is a salad or veggies with grilled meat, or a fish taco, or a veg frittata so all low carb and lean. I seriously don't think I can eat any less.

Running is a bit of an issue - I have "profoundly flat feet" (verbatim, from the biomechanical specialist I've seen), which causes ankle, shin, hip and back pain. Any non impact cardio is fine. I'm also ok with most forms of lifting, apart from the bench press due to a knackered elbow joint (badly broken when I was 10).

[LordGrover]

There is no one size fits all nor magic bullet. In general though, improve your diet and take a little exercise. It's really that simple.

[battered]

If you can't run then get on a bike or swim, depending on what you like.

As others say there is no magic bullet butif you eat healthy food and take exercise you'll look OK and feel fit in 6 weeks' tie.

[UberMeister]

I'd probably look at something like Stronglifts 5x5.

[RJB_666]

The training program I set myself is based around the style of Neil Hills Y3T program. Set of workouts here might be useful to you- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/y3t-neil-hill-9-we... Tough & varied workouts but you will just have to add your cardio to it. I opt for 3 HIIT cardio sessions per week. If low impact you could do intervals on a bike. 30 seconds all out with 1 minute steady. Doing that for 20 minutes would be sufficient to raise your metabolism. If your metabolism is good you may just want to do low intensity cardio. Maybe an hour on the cross trainer or power walk.

I'd also probably recomend carb cycling with the small time frame that you have. The refeed of carbs can increase your metabolism and leptin levels.

[Luke.]

5 2?

[Sticks.]

RJB_666 said:

I'd also probably recomend carb cycling with the small time frame that you have. The refeed of carbs can increase your metabolism and leptin levels.

I'd never heard of that, so Googled it. Thanks, interesting. I'd cut out any refined carbs anyway.

How does it work on increasing your metabolism?

Btw OP, you'd probably be better off eating fruit and drinking more water rather than smoothies - takes longer to digest and absorb the sugars.

[V8mate]

UberMeister said:

I'd probably look at something like Stronglifts 5x5.

Why would you do strength training if you want to add definition? He would need to do hypertrophy lifts, and push quite hard given the short time-frame too.

Maybe doing 15x-12x-8x rep sets, increasing the weight with each set?

[HarryFlatters]

Cheers all, I'll look to get a programme together that incorporates some HIIT cardio with some weights and see how it goes.

[BoRED S2upid]

If you can swim get down the pool, 2 or 3 times a week will work wonders have you seen how well built pro swimmers are!

[didelydoo]

You're not going to get any bigger/more muscly in 6 weeks. You will be able to get less fat though, which will give the illusion of more muscle.

Diet and cardio would be the way top go IMO, maybe a bit of weight training if it's something you already do, if not I'd not bother.

[battered]

With a bit of work on diet and some exercise you could be 1/2st lighter in 6 weeks. Twice that if you are a bit of a fatty, which it doesn't sound like you are.

You'll look a lot fitter 1/2 st lighter. OK, you won't look like Andy Murray but he's had more than 6 weeks to go at, and he's younger.

[AndrewEH1]

didelydoo said:

You're not going to get any bigger/more muscly in 6 weeks. You will be able to get less fat though, which will give the illusion of more muscle.

Diet and cardio would be the way top go IMO, maybe a bit of weight training if it's something you already do, if not I'd not bother.

My uneducated thoughts too, focus on the cardio. Trying to make gains will only make you seem 'fatter'.

[mcelliott]

My advice would be, super clean diet (obviously), a nice little bit of cardio 3 or 4 times a week minimum, your choice what type. Then how about a little program of press ups at home for the next 6 weeks. Don't know how many you can do at the moment but maybe 4 or 5 sets of 10 daily, then build the numbers up steadily over the 6 week period. You will definitely see an improvement in your chest, shoulders and arms.

Don't bother paying a PT to give you instruction as most of them are out of shape. Never take advice from someone with a larger waist size from yourself.