So, I Joined the Gym, Now What ?
Discussion
As the Title Really, I've decided it's time to get a lot fitter and thinner. I hive never been a gym person, I cycle a reasonable amount but other than that i get no exercise at all.
So planning on going to the Gym 5 days a week, Early morning before work. So about 6.30am. Hopefully it will be empty.
But would love some advise on what to do I've found a few training plans on line but if anyone has one they would recommend. Should I look at getting supplements from the off or wait until later down the line.
I'm 5'8" and 15 stone, so in an ideal world I would like to loose a little weight(weight loss is not the aim, fat loss is) and gain tone/muscle. I'm not adverse to hard work so looking for quick results so I can see a change before getting bored.
I rarely drink these days and I realize a large part of this is getting my diet in order so that's part of the overall plan, going back to basics on food.
Any advise welcome
So planning on going to the Gym 5 days a week, Early morning before work. So about 6.30am. Hopefully it will be empty.
But would love some advise on what to do I've found a few training plans on line but if anyone has one they would recommend. Should I look at getting supplements from the off or wait until later down the line.
I'm 5'8" and 15 stone, so in an ideal world I would like to loose a little weight(weight loss is not the aim, fat loss is) and gain tone/muscle. I'm not adverse to hard work so looking for quick results so I can see a change before getting bored.
I rarely drink these days and I realize a large part of this is getting my diet in order so that's part of the overall plan, going back to basics on food.
Any advise welcome
ewenm said:
Define your goals - "fitter and thinner" are vague.
Fit for what? Fit to run a 5k in X mins? Fit to bench press Y kg? Fit to spend a day walking in the hills without it being overly exhausting?
Thinner? How will you know when you've hit your goal? How are you measuring it?
Fair point, I guess the short Answer is I want to Look and Feel good about myself,not look in the mirror and see the fat lump I am now.Fit for what? Fit to run a 5k in X mins? Fit to bench press Y kg? Fit to spend a day walking in the hills without it being overly exhausting?
Thinner? How will you know when you've hit your goal? How are you measuring it?
Fitter - I have no set goals as such, but I'd Like to be able to run about with my 2 years old and not feel knackered after 10 mins, when I cycle I currently cycle about 10 miles and I'm tired, but I'd like to be able to cycle 20-30 and feel the same as I do now after 10 miles.
Goals may change or become more defined as times goes on, but that's my starting point
Thinner, Well If I maintained my current size and took away the fat I'd guess I should weigh 12 stone not 15 I but I would like to put on some muscle, so weight is not the aim, I do want to loose the belly and moobs, see some muscle under the skin and not rolls of flab.
Does that help ?
SHutchinson said:
Put your trainers on and go for a run outside. If you want to lose a bit of bodyfat you should look in to changing your diet.
I'm not a professional fitness coach or dietician however.
Running is out of the question for me(Bad Knee), I currently cycle, but with the cold weather we've had i'm not inclined to get on the bike for fun. I do intent to cycle to and from the gym, 3 miles each way so a nice warm up.I'm not a professional fitness coach or dietician however.
Edited by djt100 on Monday 8th April 15:32
Hi OP,
It looks like you're in a similar position to where I was just over 18 months ago! 5' 8", 15st 8lbs. My weight had really crept up since I started working from home, young daughter, like a drink, and a bit of a foodie, like to cook, eat out a lot as well - not a good combination for staying fit and trim
Anyhow I tried the conventional wisdom of regular cardio and low-fat diet, so jogging (did a couple of local 5km's), calories counting etc. But all I really got was injuries from the running (sore knees, shin splints) and hungry and low energy from the diet ;( - so went away and did some research, read some forums, and came across nerd fitness - http://www.nerdfitness.com/ - which then lead to a move towards a paleo/primal lifestyle and I've never looked back! I'm now around 13st, BF gone from 30% to 13% and added lean muscle mass of around 5kg, so lost around 20kg's of fat in total to date. The beauty of Paleo is that I can continue to eat great satisfying food and not worry about the calories.
I lift heavy weights which helps with the body composition (getting my body to a point where weight/BF starts to look after itself) - focusing on the key compound exercises, squats, bench presses etc, and enabled me to build strength and muscle whilst dropping the fat. I don't do a lot of cardio, but what I do is HIIT on the rower (concept2) and bikes/cross-trainer, also some circuit training.
I've done it primarily for the fitness, as now wrong side of 40 and BP was starting to creep up and low energy. Now have perfectly normal BP, resting pulse of high 40's and bundles of energy. Overall chuffed with progress and the trips to the gym are now something I look forward to and get me out of the office. Added benefit is that i no longer look like I need rescuing by Greenpeace when I get into the local pool
So to sum up - my advice is shift a lot of iron, and drop the sugar, wheat, bad fats (but not the good!) and processed foods
It looks like you're in a similar position to where I was just over 18 months ago! 5' 8", 15st 8lbs. My weight had really crept up since I started working from home, young daughter, like a drink, and a bit of a foodie, like to cook, eat out a lot as well - not a good combination for staying fit and trim
Anyhow I tried the conventional wisdom of regular cardio and low-fat diet, so jogging (did a couple of local 5km's), calories counting etc. But all I really got was injuries from the running (sore knees, shin splints) and hungry and low energy from the diet ;( - so went away and did some research, read some forums, and came across nerd fitness - http://www.nerdfitness.com/ - which then lead to a move towards a paleo/primal lifestyle and I've never looked back! I'm now around 13st, BF gone from 30% to 13% and added lean muscle mass of around 5kg, so lost around 20kg's of fat in total to date. The beauty of Paleo is that I can continue to eat great satisfying food and not worry about the calories.
I lift heavy weights which helps with the body composition (getting my body to a point where weight/BF starts to look after itself) - focusing on the key compound exercises, squats, bench presses etc, and enabled me to build strength and muscle whilst dropping the fat. I don't do a lot of cardio, but what I do is HIIT on the rower (concept2) and bikes/cross-trainer, also some circuit training.
I've done it primarily for the fitness, as now wrong side of 40 and BP was starting to creep up and low energy. Now have perfectly normal BP, resting pulse of high 40's and bundles of energy. Overall chuffed with progress and the trips to the gym are now something I look forward to and get me out of the office. Added benefit is that i no longer look like I need rescuing by Greenpeace when I get into the local pool
So to sum up - my advice is shift a lot of iron, and drop the sugar, wheat, bad fats (but not the good!) and processed foods
StuH said:
Hi OP,
It looks like you're in a similar position to where I was just over 18 months ago! 5' 8", 15st 8lbs. My weight had really crept up since I started working from home, young daughter, like a drink, and a bit of a foodie, like to cook, eat out a lot as well - not a good combination for staying fit and trim
Anyhow I tried the conventional wisdom of regular cardio and low-fat diet, so jogging (did a couple of local 5km's), calories counting etc. But all I really got was injuries from the running (sore knees, shin splints) and hungry and low energy from the diet ;( - so went away and did some research, read some forums, and came across nerd fitness - http://www.nerdfitness.com/ - which then lead to a move towards a paleo/primal lifestyle and I've never looked back! I'm now around 13st, BF gone from 30% to 13% and added lean muscle mass of around 5kg, so lost around 20kg's of fat in total to date. The beauty of Paleo is that I can continue to eat great satisfying food and not worry about the calories.
I lift heavy weights which helps with the body composition (getting my body to a point where weight/BF starts to look after itself) - focusing on the key compound exercises, squats, bench presses etc, and enabled me to build strength and muscle whilst dropping the fat. I don't do a lot of cardio, but what I do is HIIT on the rower (concept2) and bikes/cross-trainer, also some circuit training.
I've done it primarily for the fitness, as now wrong side of 40 and BP was starting to creep up and low energy. Now have perfectly normal BP, resting pulse of high 40's and bundles of energy. Overall chuffed with progress and the trips to the gym are now something I look forward to and get me out of the office. Added benefit is that i no longer look like I need rescuing by Greenpeace when I get into the local pool
So to sum up - my advice is shift a lot of iron, and drop the sugar, wheat, bad fats (but not the good!) and processed foods
Thanks, I've never heard of this so will look into, Should give me something to read this evening It looks like you're in a similar position to where I was just over 18 months ago! 5' 8", 15st 8lbs. My weight had really crept up since I started working from home, young daughter, like a drink, and a bit of a foodie, like to cook, eat out a lot as well - not a good combination for staying fit and trim
Anyhow I tried the conventional wisdom of regular cardio and low-fat diet, so jogging (did a couple of local 5km's), calories counting etc. But all I really got was injuries from the running (sore knees, shin splints) and hungry and low energy from the diet ;( - so went away and did some research, read some forums, and came across nerd fitness - http://www.nerdfitness.com/ - which then lead to a move towards a paleo/primal lifestyle and I've never looked back! I'm now around 13st, BF gone from 30% to 13% and added lean muscle mass of around 5kg, so lost around 20kg's of fat in total to date. The beauty of Paleo is that I can continue to eat great satisfying food and not worry about the calories.
I lift heavy weights which helps with the body composition (getting my body to a point where weight/BF starts to look after itself) - focusing on the key compound exercises, squats, bench presses etc, and enabled me to build strength and muscle whilst dropping the fat. I don't do a lot of cardio, but what I do is HIIT on the rower (concept2) and bikes/cross-trainer, also some circuit training.
I've done it primarily for the fitness, as now wrong side of 40 and BP was starting to creep up and low energy. Now have perfectly normal BP, resting pulse of high 40's and bundles of energy. Overall chuffed with progress and the trips to the gym are now something I look forward to and get me out of the office. Added benefit is that i no longer look like I need rescuing by Greenpeace when I get into the local pool
So to sum up - my advice is shift a lot of iron, and drop the sugar, wheat, bad fats (but not the good!) and processed foods
. I joined the gym today so tomorrow will be my first session Your description of yourself could be me.
djt100 said:
Thanks, I've never heard of this so will look into, Should give me something to read this evening . I joined the gym today so tomorrow will be my first session
Your description of yourself could be me.
If you're like me - you'll end up reading the whole site and then moving onto the likes of 'Marks Daily Apple'. I joined the gym today so tomorrow will be my first session Your description of yourself could be me.
I'm something of an evangelist for the Paleo/Primal lifestyle now
StuH said:
LordGrover said:
Nice one StuH. 
Mirrors my paleo experience too.
Thanks! Are you another paleo convert then?Mirrors my paleo experience too.
Loving it - just wish I'd been more aware thirty years ago.
LordGrover said:
Yep. On and off (god knows why I ever stop), for a couple of years. Mainly through Primal Blueprint but various online resources. I've made some major changes as well as going primal including quitting smoking and alcohol and forgoing the gym in favour of bodyweight exercises bolstered by a few basics in my garage 'gym'.
Loving it - just wish I'd been more aware thirty years ago.
Yes, I agree about wishing I'd found it earlier, but then I needed to be in the "right" place to make such a fundamental lifestyle change, and not sure i'd have had the incentives when I was younger. Another big plus for me is that having spent years battling acid reflux, it dissapeared almost overnight with the paleo diet - turns out i'm gluten intolerant - why wasn't this suggested by GP/specialists rather then prescribing me years of medication?Loving it - just wish I'd been more aware thirty years ago.
Glad to hear another success story
In what way is your knee bad? I am missing a fair bit of cartilage from my left knee, which means it locks up when I run or cycle for long periods of time. It's actually from when I used to do a lot of downhill mountain biking when I was younger.
I tend to do mostly weight training, but have never really had a fat problem. I have noticed a lot of fat loss and increased definition now that I have started doing squats. They're a great exercise for burning fat as well as increasing muscle mass, and the increased strength will certainly be useful for your cycling. Big, compound lifts (Ones that recruit a large amount of muscle, for example squats, deadlifts, bench presses and military/shoulder presses) use a huge amount of energy.
As far as diet goes, you want to have more protein and less fat, and if your aim is to lose fat then consuming less calories than your body needs is key, as it forces it to burn fat for energy. Don't go too extreme here, or your body will get into the habit of converting any food into fat. Brown rice is a great source of slow burning energy, as is Muesli. Cook meals that you can eat when you're out and about, as it will stop you just popping into the shops to get a sandwich, which are usually crap from a nutritional standpoint. I have almost completely cut bread out of my diet as I regard it as a bit of a waste of space. Try wraps instead, they have less rubbish in them but are still easy to eat when you're on the go.
Remember that building muscle is a great way of getting rid of fat, and keeping it off too. Increased muscle mass increases the amount of calories you burn, even when you aren't using them, so your cycling will burn more calories than it would normally.
Best of luck, there's loads of great advice on this forum which you can use. Keep reading up on new techniques to keep you motivated.
I tend to do mostly weight training, but have never really had a fat problem. I have noticed a lot of fat loss and increased definition now that I have started doing squats. They're a great exercise for burning fat as well as increasing muscle mass, and the increased strength will certainly be useful for your cycling. Big, compound lifts (Ones that recruit a large amount of muscle, for example squats, deadlifts, bench presses and military/shoulder presses) use a huge amount of energy.
As far as diet goes, you want to have more protein and less fat, and if your aim is to lose fat then consuming less calories than your body needs is key, as it forces it to burn fat for energy. Don't go too extreme here, or your body will get into the habit of converting any food into fat. Brown rice is a great source of slow burning energy, as is Muesli. Cook meals that you can eat when you're out and about, as it will stop you just popping into the shops to get a sandwich, which are usually crap from a nutritional standpoint. I have almost completely cut bread out of my diet as I regard it as a bit of a waste of space. Try wraps instead, they have less rubbish in them but are still easy to eat when you're on the go.
Remember that building muscle is a great way of getting rid of fat, and keeping it off too. Increased muscle mass increases the amount of calories you burn, even when you aren't using them, so your cycling will burn more calories than it would normally.
Best of luck, there's loads of great advice on this forum which you can use. Keep reading up on new techniques to keep you motivated.
clarkey540i said:
In what way is your knee bad? I am missing a fair bit of cartilage from my left knee, which means it locks up when I run or cycle for long periods of time. It's actually from when I used to do a lot of downhill mountain biking when I was younger.
I tend to do mostly weight training, but have never really had a fat problem. I have noticed a lot of fat loss and increased definition now that I have started doing squats. They're a great exercise for burning fat as well as increasing muscle mass, and the increased strength will certainly be useful for your cycling. Big, compound lifts (Ones that recruit a large amount of muscle, for example squats, deadlifts, bench presses and military/shoulder presses) use a huge amount of energy.
As far as diet goes, you want to have more protein and less fat, and if your aim is to lose fat then consuming less calories than your body needs is key, as it forces it to burn fat for energy. Don't go too extreme here, or your body will get into the habit of converting any food into fat. Brown rice is a great source of slow burning energy, as is Muesli. Cook meals that you can eat when you're out and about, as it will stop you just popping into the shops to get a sandwich, which are usually crap from a nutritional standpoint. I have almost completely cut bread out of my diet as I regard it as a bit of a waste of space. Try wraps instead, they have less rubbish in them but are still easy to eat when you're on the go.
Remember that building muscle is a great way of getting rid of fat, and keeping it off too. Increased muscle mass increases the amount of calories you burn, even when you aren't using them, so your cycling will burn more calories than it would normally.
Best of luck, there's loads of great advice on this forum which you can use. Keep reading up on new techniques to keep you motivated.
My knee is bad from a motorcycle accident 20 years ago, I chipped large chunks out of my kneecap and the cartilage has worn. I can do anything that is non impact. I tend to do mostly weight training, but have never really had a fat problem. I have noticed a lot of fat loss and increased definition now that I have started doing squats. They're a great exercise for burning fat as well as increasing muscle mass, and the increased strength will certainly be useful for your cycling. Big, compound lifts (Ones that recruit a large amount of muscle, for example squats, deadlifts, bench presses and military/shoulder presses) use a huge amount of energy.
As far as diet goes, you want to have more protein and less fat, and if your aim is to lose fat then consuming less calories than your body needs is key, as it forces it to burn fat for energy. Don't go too extreme here, or your body will get into the habit of converting any food into fat. Brown rice is a great source of slow burning energy, as is Muesli. Cook meals that you can eat when you're out and about, as it will stop you just popping into the shops to get a sandwich, which are usually crap from a nutritional standpoint. I have almost completely cut bread out of my diet as I regard it as a bit of a waste of space. Try wraps instead, they have less rubbish in them but are still easy to eat when you're on the go.
Remember that building muscle is a great way of getting rid of fat, and keeping it off too. Increased muscle mass increases the amount of calories you burn, even when you aren't using them, so your cycling will burn more calories than it would normally.
Best of luck, there's loads of great advice on this forum which you can use. Keep reading up on new techniques to keep you motivated.
djt100 said:
My knee is bad from a motorcycle accident 20 years ago, I chipped large chunks out of my kneecap and the cartilage has worn. I can do anything that is non impact.
More or less the same as what I did, but on a pushbike . I haven't had any problems with what I have posted above. You could also try swimming, I find it helps your muscles relax after weight training and it's meant to be good for your joints.Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff