Paging Fitness Gurus (3 Viewers)

Getting a decent diet is the most important aspect imo. You can track calories and macros etc if you wish, but I find that the main thing is to eat plenty of whole foods.

Don't bother with processed crap in a packet. Plenty of meat, veggies, potatoes, rice, oats and fruit will get the job done.

If you want to get fit and strong (which is the best way lol), I'd recommend doing a combination of resistance and hiit training. Don't bother with bro splits. Just do a 2-3 whole body strength workouts a week (or upper and lower if you wish) and then do 1-2 hiit type sessions a week.


For hiit, these types of things work well during isolation. But if you have the space and when gyms open up, plenty of sled pushes and more sprints to get the heartrate up.
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For strength training, provided you have no underlying back issues, I recommend doing plenty of compound lifts (bench, squat, deadlift, shoulder press) with some accessory lifts mixed in too. Stick got he barbell and dumbbells for the most part.

I wouldn't worry too much about supplements, mostly they are pointless, but you could get yourself some protein powder if you want to. I have some that I mix in with oats, water and berries, just to give it some flavour for breakfast.

If you do all of those things in combination you will be surprised how quickly you can achieve some great results and totally recomp your body.

Oh and don't under-eat. That's always a big mistake that people make.
 
I should also add that you should initially hire a personal trainer.

They can teach you correct form and ensure that your workouts are safe and that you are improving your health and strength of your body. Improving your strength, particularly in your core will be much better for you in the long term.

That better @WedgeRock ?
 
I’ve done CrossFit for the past five years and a like it a lot. Not trying to sell you on it, but I enjoy it because of the people, positive attitudes, and short sessions. It focuses on strength and cardio and you can/should scale the workouts to what you feel comfortable. Also look for a place that offers a beginners course, so you can learn the right techniques to prevent/limit injuries.

I try to eat natural foods as much as possible and stay away from processed. But do enjoy the occasional cheat meal. Haha. I brought the RP Diet template and was on that for a bit..but grew tired of the meal prep and regimented weight, eating, etc. but it did work.
 
Mike's post above is very solid advice although that exercise plan plan will leave most people not used to high intensity exercise rendered immobile for several days after doing it.

Consistency in both exercise and diet is key. No need to go extreme on either one, you will just crash and burn. Incremental positive changes in your diet and incremental progress in exercise work wonders for me.

First step if you haven't already, elimnate the fuck out of any and all added sugar in staple foods and drinks you have.

Yogurt? Check the label, anything with flavour usually has 3,4,5 or 6 times the sugar of plain yogurt. I'm looking at you Chobani.
Peanut butter? Get the one with 100% peanuts and nothing else except maybe a little salt.
Sports drinks? Drink coconut water if you actually need electrolytes.
Sugar in coffee? Keep putting less and less in each week.
Fruit juice? Water it down slowly until its just water instead.
Soda/Soft drinks? Try sugar free ones.

I built this in my backyard two days after gyms, group fitness and team sports were banned here in Brisbane. I attach my gymnastic rings to the top and have exercise bands too. One of my goals is to get to 10 consecutive ring muscle ups by the end of 2020.

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Good luck and keep this thread updated!
 
For cardio, I really love getting out on a bicycle for an hour. Great exercise, low impact, and only the initial cost of a bike if you don't already have one.

I recommend nice bike trails rather than riding the road. Much safer.
 
@Perthmike pretty much nailed it.

Compound lifts, full body workouts 3-4 days a week, focus on eating whole foods, cut out as much processed sugar and processed food as you can. Cut down on alcohol too.

Cardio HIIT is tough. I would start my cardio regimen by getting outside and walking, it’s a great way to burn extra calories, gets your heart rate, will help to lower your resting heart rate, and is easier on your joints than running. When gyms open back up, I’d also recommend the ergometer/row machine. It’s a great total body workout that is underrated and underutilized by most gym goers.

Fitness trackers help as well. You can set them to give you reminders to get up and move, track your heart rate, steps, and generalize your daily calorie burn.
 
Seriously, though. I did the P90X workouts (the originals) years ago, and it worked crazy good. I lost like 40 pounds in those 90 days. Seriously.

I don't think it's a routine that most people can do for the rest of their lives (working out 6-7 days a weeks isn't for everyone), but once you hit your goals, you can easily cut back to 3-4 workouts per week. They are really effective.
 
Getting a decent diet is the most important aspect imo. You can track calories and macros etc if you wish, but I find that the main thing is to eat plenty of whole foods.

Don't bother with processed crap in a packet. Plenty of meat, veggies, potatoes, rice, oats and fruit will get the job done.

If you want to get fit and strong (which is the best way lol), I'd recommend doing a combination of resistance and hiit training. Don't bother with bro splits. Just do a 2-3 whole body strength workouts a week (or upper and lower if you wish) and then do 1-2 hiit type sessions a week.


For hiit, these types of things work well during isolation. But if you have the space and when gyms open up, plenty of sled pushes and more sprints to get the heartrate up.
View attachment 448736

For strength training, provided you have no underlying back issues, I recommend doing plenty of compound lifts (bench, squat, deadlift, shoulder press) with some accessory lifts mixed in too. Stick got he barbell and dumbbells for the most part.

I wouldn't worry too much about supplements, mostly they are pointless, but you could get yourself some protein powder if you want to. I have some that I mix in with oats, water and berries, just to give it some flavour for breakfast.

If you do all of those things in combination you will be surprised how quickly you can achieve some great results and totally recomp your body.

Oh and don't under-eat. That's always a big mistake that people make.
As a guy who has no L5 and L4 disc's anymore.... This post makes my back hurt.
 
On the alcohol topic there are some good options out there. Beers are anywhere from 60-300+ calories each so find something that works for you. Personally, I can't tolerate light beer so I don't bother with any of the beers under 100 calories. If you don't mind light beer then you can cut a lot of calories that way Most good IPAs or even lagers are around 150-200/ea.

It just really adds up. I can pretty easily put away 3-4 beers in a night which can be like 500+ calories. I am not saying you need to count calories like a Nazi but having a rough idea of what is consumed is helpful.

For me what works is drinking Nudes with a bit of juice or hard alcohol mixed with club soda/tonic etc. There are plenty of light cocktails that taste great you just need to play around and find what you like. You can make a light Moscow Mule or light Margarita and drastically cut down overall calories versus drinking like 4 beers.

Anyway, just some thoughts from someone who is trying to get in shape but doesn't want to stop drinking lol.
 
For cardio, I really love getting out on a bicycle for an hour. Great exercise, low impact, and only the initial cost of a bike if you don't already have one.

I recommend nice bike trails rather than riding the road. Much safer.

i highly recommend cycling for over 50 as a good cardio base, then a solid mix of functional resistance and strength training (like Perth) suggested). I was a very serious athlete for many years, and triathlon was a huge passion of mine in my early adult life. However in my youth, I swam and was a competitive body builder... lol. Such a weird combo, I know.

i noticed for weight loss (and my weight swings were regular and significant depending on my training season). Running always gave me the most consistent weight loss, due to actually propelling the body forward But running has taken such a toll on my joints, now I’m in my upper 40’s, cycling and cross fit are the only things that keep me sane (and marginally fit). Diet is huge, and a struggle for me. As an athlete, I consumed around 8500 calories per day, and I grew to like food.

I really fell in love with my slam balls for an amazing overall body and core workout... check out YouTube for vids... but don’t forget cardio. Without a solid cardio base, you’re shooting yoirself in the foot, long term. A good,cardio system allows speedier recovery, and physiological benefits occur during recovery, not during actual exercise...

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I went on a huge fitness kick 3 years ago. I managed to shed 70 pounds and was in the best shape of my life. All of the advice here was the regime I followed. I bought a book by Michael Matthews called "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger" and it has some great meal advice and starting exercise plans and is really cheap. It was my bible for 2 of the 3 years. I managed to screw up my wrist not weight lifting but playing around with my son and it required surgery last July. I still haven't gained the mobility back in my wrist almost a year later. Its made it impossible to deadlift, or bench press. Basically anything with an Olympic bar outside of squats. I had just started back about 4 weeks before the corona shutdown all the gyms (my training center at work included) so I've just been sitting around watching my gut get larger waiting for things to open back up. I seriously need to get back into biking and cardio more. I'm 39 but I'm worried about the impact of the weights on my joints. I work with too many 45+ year old guys that have lifted weights for 20 years that have nothing but back, hip, shoulder you name it problems.

Lots of good advice here though, wish you luck. I'll be following this thread myself for some good ideas!
 
I went on a huge fitness kick 3 years ago. I managed to shed 70 pounds and was in the best shape of my life. All of the advice here was the regime I followed. I bought a book by Michael Matthews called "Bigger, Leaner, Stronger" and it has some great meal advice and starting exercise plans and is really cheap. It was my bible for 2 of the 3 years. I managed to screw up my wrist not weight lifting but playing around with my son and it required surgery last July. I still haven't gained the mobility back in my wrist almost a year later. Its made it impossible to deadlift, or bench press. Basically anything with an Olympic bar outside of squats. I had just started back about 4 weeks before the corona shutdown all the gyms (my training center at work included) so I've just been sitting around watching my gut get larger waiting for things to open back up. I seriously need to get back into biking and cardio more. I'm 39 but I'm worried about the impact of the weights on my joints. I work with too many 45+ year old guys that have lifted weights for 20 years that have nothing but back, hip, shoulder you name it problems.

Lots of good advice here though, wish you luck. I'll be following this thread myself for some good ideas!

Thank you for the Michael Matthews tip.

I went through a similar experience. Two years and 20 pounds ago I decided to get back in shape. I started with a hike to the local rock quarry. Nearing the base, I slipped and hit the knife edge of my wrist trying to catch my fall, fracturing it for the second time. Took 9 to 10 weeks to heal.

I appreciate everyone's responses, @Trihonda, @Perthmike and @RichMahogany. I have a better idea of what to include in my work-outs.
 
Look up Mark Sisson on your favorite podcast. He's been thru the circuit...Rogan, unbeatable mind, art of manliness...etc. he gives an entire way of life that's pretty easy to follow called primal. It's basically Paleo diet, moderate exercise, continuous slow movement, more time doing outside activities, and lots of sleep. Perfect for guys our age. I've been following it loosely for a year and I dig it.

PM me if you want to chat, I'll send you my number.
 
If I had to offer some suggestions, diet is a big factor but isn't always the answer. Balancing proteins carbs and sugars is key. Alot of people recommend cutting out carbs entirely which I tend to disagree, I prefer the recommendation of moderating carbs and choosing whole grains/wheat. Ensuring you reach enough protein every day is very important, as well as reaching/exceeding fiber. Both of these will help you feel more full. I follow a very unique diet plan that covers all the food groups and the ration of intake for each if you want more info we can chat via PM. I also turn to alot of teas to help cleanse and energize the body. As far as increasing cardio/fitness, this depends on if you are currently active or adding a new exercise plan to your schedule. Also depends on what you have available to you. Walking/jogging is a great start whether outdoors or on a treadmill, start small and work your way up. For toning and strengthening lifting weights I follow the same guide lines, start with smaller basic hand weights and various arm exercises. You can also use the hand weights for squats and lunges. I have formed a quick 15 to 30 min exercise schedule to cover arms legs and abs as well, I can give you a run down if you are interested. Beings a woman I am not trying to bulk simply tone so I've found a happy medium that keeps things looking great without becoming manly, but the routine can be expanded to fit any type of person. Apologies in advance if I've repeated anything above as I didn't read in depth the previous comments yet.
 
On the alcohol topic there are some good options out there. Beers are anywhere from 60-300+ calories each so find something that works for you. Personally, I can't tolerate light beer so I don't bother with any of the beers under 100 calories. If you don't mind light beer then you can cut a lot of calories that way Most good IPAs or even lagers are around 150-200/ea.

It just really adds up. I can pretty easily put away 3-4 beers in a night which can be like 500+ calories. I am not saying you need to count calories like a Nazi but having a rough idea of what is consumed is helpful.

For me what works is drinking Nudes with a bit of juice or hard alcohol mixed with club soda/tonic etc. There are plenty of light cocktails that taste great you just need to play around and find what you like. You can make a light Moscow Mule or light Margarita and drastically cut down overall calories versus drinking like 4 beers.

Anyway, just some thoughts from someone who is trying to get in shape but doesn't want to stop drinking lol.
Going to sound like a redneck here, but in my drinking days I did some comparisons and found that Busch light has the highest alcohol content for the least amount of calories. All depends in taste preference though.
 
As a physician who has struggled with his weight lifelong (and will be 59 next week), I can tell you that there are a hundred different ways to where you want to be.

The answer is diet and exercise. Diet is the most important for weight control, but both are about equal in terms of overall health and well-being. There are thousands of types of diet and exercise that are recommended. Within reason, this is because they all work. The body is an amazingly flexible machine. If you give it a reasonable number of calories, it will turn that into nutrition. Too many calories and you get fat. If you work your body, you will get fit. Find what works for you and STICK TO IT.

Diet (weight loss): Low carb. I don't love the low carb diet long-term, but it is a very effective way to lose weight for most people.
Diet (maintenance): Michael Pollan said "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." I think these 7 words are the simplest way to explain a healthy diet. Avoid processed foods. Portion control. Veg>>meat. That's all.

Exercise: As above, mixed cardio and resistance training is the key. I, personally, would avoid CrossFit if you are over 50. There are exceptions, but IMO there are too much timed and competitive exercises in CrossFit. It helps (a lot) with motivation but leads to poor form and increased injury. Maximum intensity all the time is a way to get hurt, especially if you aren't 20 anymore. Ideally, 2-3 weekly workouts with weights or another form of resistance and 2-3 per week of running, walking, cycling, swimming. One thing CrossFit gets right is variety. Do different things all the time. It will keep your mind interested and your body improving. Avoid extreme levels of intensity so as to avoid injury - fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. This is particularly important for the aging athlete.


PS Why is CrossFit like CSI? They both last a little less than an hour, and somebody is going to get hurt.
 

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