Obligatory I got fat over over Christmas thread....help me.
Discussion
Good Morning and Happy New Year PH'ers,
Anyway Ill cut to the chase, Im a fit youngish chap (26). Riding upto 150miles a week on my Road bike last year and also going to the gym 2-4 times per week.
But due to the nature of my job (I sell Toys) from October till about 2 weeks ago I cannot spare a minute to exercise. Combined with my lack of self control and love for unhealthy food I have gained probably 8lb since October. Looking in the mirror it literally is a food baby, I still have half decent muscle definition apart from this slab of fat on my gut.
So....with a holiday in 5 weeks what is the best way for me to remove this. No need to tell me about food, I will be sorting my diet out.
- Get my Lycra back on and ride 100 miles per week for 5 weeks in this s
tty weather.
- Get the turbo Trainer out for 30-40mins of HIIT for 4-5days per week.
- Get back to the gym and spend 30-40mins doing cardio and then 30mins on the muscles.
- Get my Insanity discs back out and do that for a month.
- Or a combination of the above? Gym 2-3times per week, Night of insanity and a long bike ride at the weekend maybe?
After this I will probs set back into my routine of going to the gym a few times a week and getting out on the bike as much as I can when the weather allows.
Thanks in advance.
Anyway Ill cut to the chase, Im a fit youngish chap (26). Riding upto 150miles a week on my Road bike last year and also going to the gym 2-4 times per week.
But due to the nature of my job (I sell Toys) from October till about 2 weeks ago I cannot spare a minute to exercise. Combined with my lack of self control and love for unhealthy food I have gained probably 8lb since October. Looking in the mirror it literally is a food baby, I still have half decent muscle definition apart from this slab of fat on my gut.
So....with a holiday in 5 weeks what is the best way for me to remove this. No need to tell me about food, I will be sorting my diet out.
- Get my Lycra back on and ride 100 miles per week for 5 weeks in this s
tty weather. - Get the turbo Trainer out for 30-40mins of HIIT for 4-5days per week.
- Get back to the gym and spend 30-40mins doing cardio and then 30mins on the muscles.
- Get my Insanity discs back out and do that for a month.
- Or a combination of the above? Gym 2-3times per week, Night of insanity and a long bike ride at the weekend maybe?
After this I will probs set back into my routine of going to the gym a few times a week and getting out on the bike as much as I can when the weather allows.
Thanks in advance.
-My fitness pal and track calories, find your BMR here: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to start with.
-Keep a high protein diet
-IMO I'd do more weight work, 4 sessions a week making sure you do 1 compound exercise each session.
-diet you said you're doing however I'd write down what sort of foods you plan on eating and we'll nitpick as per usual
-Keep a high protein diet
-IMO I'd do more weight work, 4 sessions a week making sure you do 1 compound exercise each session.
-diet you said you're doing however I'd write down what sort of foods you plan on eating and we'll nitpick as per usual
<highandmightymodeon> I lost 4lb over the christmas break 
<highandmightymodeoff>
If you can put yourself through Insanity, thats what I'm going (even to the point of doing a session xmas day and new years day). Atleast you wont grime up your road bike or have to brave the elements. 45-60m a day has to be easier than 100 miles p/week right?
<highandmightymodeoff>If you can put yourself through Insanity, thats what I'm going (even to the point of doing a session xmas day and new years day). Atleast you wont grime up your road bike or have to brave the elements. 45-60m a day has to be easier than 100 miles p/week right?
Thanks for the responses. My weight was never going to fall over the Christmas period, my eating times and diet was all over the place (75hrs weeks meant that most of my time was spent at work, I scrapped breakfast and didnt eat my evening meal until 8-9pm most days. We also had bacon baguettes every day for a month and the odd takeaway!)
As for the diet and calorie plan, this is something I always try to avoid. I like to eat but also have a good understanding of whats in food, so I am confident I can moderate my food effectively.
Insanity, I did the full 60days last year before my annual skiing trip - it gave some pretty impressive results but it felt like it took over my life and got a bit repetitive. I might try and throw in one of the hard plyometric and Cardio Abs workouts though, as they are a good workout on their own.
I think I may just have to mix it up. With a couple days in the Gym, couple nights on the bike (I have a decent 20mile country loop which ill hit flat out.) and a night sweating Insanity out in the living room!
Im looking forward to it! Cant wait to hit the gym tonight to break myself back in!
As for the diet and calorie plan, this is something I always try to avoid. I like to eat but also have a good understanding of whats in food, so I am confident I can moderate my food effectively.
Insanity, I did the full 60days last year before my annual skiing trip - it gave some pretty impressive results but it felt like it took over my life and got a bit repetitive. I might try and throw in one of the hard plyometric and Cardio Abs workouts though, as they are a good workout on their own.
I think I may just have to mix it up. With a couple days in the Gym, couple nights on the bike (I have a decent 20mile country loop which ill hit flat out.) and a night sweating Insanity out in the living room!
Im looking forward to it! Cant wait to hit the gym tonight to break myself back in!
Hoofy said:
Weirdo!
I assume I gained as I had more days of unlogged food but then I log most days for the rest of the year. Like you, I kept up my training routine, though.
Haha, I think its just a case that im still in a phase of high weight loss (19st 13lb! November 2013 down to 18st 7lb at the moment). I did have the odd week of poor eating where my weight didnt change for 2 weeks, but that was completely my fault.I assume I gained as I had more days of unlogged food but then I log most days for the rest of the year. Like you, I kept up my training routine, though.
Anyway, not to detract from the original topic - the weather outside at the minute is bloody balmy! a few days of this and the cycle outside isnt looking so bad! however, I'd still be tempeted with the HIIT as it seems to be a godsend for burning fat (for me anyway).
Well got to the gym last night and did a 45min sesh of mainly resistance. Didnt want to go crazy as I havent been for a couple months, but still feeling a couple aches this morning.
Now my muscles have been woken up ill push it a bit tonight and crack on with it. It was surprisingly fun and I am feeling massively motivated which is good.
Weather outside still isnt helping with my Bike Craving though, it really is diabolical and not worth risking.
Now my muscles have been woken up ill push it a bit tonight and crack on with it. It was surprisingly fun and I am feeling massively motivated which is good.
Weather outside still isnt helping with my Bike Craving though, it really is diabolical and not worth risking.
I'm in a similar position to yourself after bulking for the last couple of months of 2013. Managed to keep the gut away until mid way through December and over the last 3 weeks or so the food baby is there more and more often, and I find myself getting really bloated after eating.
I'll going to be doing 4 nights weight training, a couple of ab sessions, football once and week and might try and get myself into the gym before work twice a week for some HIIT. All of the above combined with the right diet should see me shed that bit of tummy pretty quickly (I hope..)!
I'll going to be doing 4 nights weight training, a couple of ab sessions, football once and week and might try and get myself into the gym before work twice a week for some HIIT. All of the above combined with the right diet should see me shed that bit of tummy pretty quickly (I hope..)!
Friggerpants said:
Surely if you excersize in morning, you'll kick start metaboloism for all day?
I get to work at 6.30-7am as it is so not any chance of me going to the gym before work. I typically go to the gym at 4-5pm. So hopefully early enough to get some benefit anyway. But to answer Spunky. I was looking good till a couple weeks ago, where somehow its all caught up on me. I think the 2kg of Dairy Milk I ate last week hasnt helped!
russy01 said:
But to answer Spunky. I was looking good till a couple weeks ago, where somehow its all caught up on me. I think the 2kg of Dairy Milk I ate last week hasnt helped!
By the sounds of it it won't take you long to lose that little bit of weight then, a few weeks of good exercise/diet (which should be easy when you get back into the routine of it) should see it gone. That's what I'm telling myself anyway 
What sort of HIIT sessions are you proposing to do on the turbo? If you're doing proper full bore sessions I would say only 2 or 3 maximum a week. Through the winter I only do 2 a week and that's more than enough. Couple this with some decent road rides and the fat will fall off a lot quicker than going to the gym lifting weights. I never bother with cardio at the gym (personal bug bear of mine) - cardio should be done outside! So just to recap, hard sessions on the turbo with some decent road rides thrown in too. Then if you need to go to the gym, do it on the days you're not doing the above.
mcelliott said:
What sort of HIIT sessions are you proposing to do on the turbo? If you're doing proper full bore sessions I would say only 2 or 3 maximum a week. Through the winter I only do 2 a week and that's more than enough. Couple this with some decent road rides and the fat will fall off a lot quicker than going to the gym lifting weights. I never bother with cardio at the gym (personal bug bear of mine) - cardio should be done outside! So just to recap, hard sessions on the turbo with some decent road rides thrown in too. Then if you need to go to the gym, do it on the days you're not doing the above.
Yes well I take the same outlook, but that also includes the Turbo (Bikes should also be outside!!). I wasnt looking to do anything too crazy on the turbo, just some fast spinning with some decent sprints - possibly a putting one of my DVDs on (couple TT and mountain DVDs).Im going to keep up the gym for a few days to get my body lubed up and then man up and get the bike on outside. Living in the country I can do many routes which are hilly and uninterrupted so I can train hard effectively - or if the weather doesnt improve considerably ill just have to get the turbo out.
russy01 said:
Yes well I take the same outlook, but that also includes the Turbo (Bikes should also be outside!!). I wasnt looking to do anything too crazy on the turbo, just some fast spinning with some decent sprints - possibly a putting one of my DVDs on (couple TT and mountain DVDs).
Im going to keep up the gym for a few days to get my body lubed up and then man up and get the bike on outside. Living in the country I can do many routes which are hilly and uninterrupted so I can train hard effectively - or if the weather doesnt improve considerably ill just have to get the turbo out.
Sounds like a good plan - good luck.Im going to keep up the gym for a few days to get my body lubed up and then man up and get the bike on outside. Living in the country I can do many routes which are hilly and uninterrupted so I can train hard effectively - or if the weather doesnt improve considerably ill just have to get the turbo out.
Doing cardio on any equipment in the gym is soul destroying, either take it outside or take up a sport - infinitely more enjoyable. Totally personal but even cycling and running outside would bore me to death, try basketball, tennis, football etc.
I wouldn't go all out 100% as most do every January then giving up after 2 weeks. Just up the training volume and level steadily.
Finally and I know it sounds brutal, you want to cut the fat, then cut out ALL the junk pronto. All the hard training will not amount to much without a clean diet.
I wouldn't go all out 100% as most do every January then giving up after 2 weeks. Just up the training volume and level steadily.
Finally and I know it sounds brutal, you want to cut the fat, then cut out ALL the junk pronto. All the hard training will not amount to much without a clean diet.
amare32 said:
Doing cardio on any equipment in the gym is soul destroying, either take it outside or take up a sport - infinitely more enjoyable. Totally personal but even cycling and running outside would bore me to death, try basketball, tennis, football etc.
I wouldn't go all out 100% as most do every January then giving up after 2 weeks. Just up the training volume and level steadily.
Finally and I know it sounds brutal, you want to cut the fat, then cut out ALL the junk pronto. All the hard training will not amount to much without a clean diet.
Can't play many sports (anything which involves running around) due to an issue with my foot - hence me taking up cycling in the first place.I wouldn't go all out 100% as most do every January then giving up after 2 weeks. Just up the training volume and level steadily.
Finally and I know it sounds brutal, you want to cut the fat, then cut out ALL the junk pronto. All the hard training will not amount to much without a clean diet.
If you read my OP going all out in Jan is not going to have a negative affect. I exercise hard for 10months per year, just my work completely cocks things up for the Christmas period.
Another good little session at the gym this afternoon, also booked a spinning sesh up for the morning.
Food. I'll cut enough crap out don't worry. But at the same time you only live once so I'll have the odd biscuit and beer.
Blimey 8lb is nothing, you've eat loads of junk for two moths including salty foods and loads of starchy carbs no doubt, a good few pound of that will be water retention and fall off in the 1st week, then just eat less move more and you're good.
8lb in five weeks isn't even 2lb a week.
8lb in five weeks isn't even 2lb a week.
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