The Running/Keeping Fit Thread

[Snigger]

A couple I know are doing the fast diet or 5 and 2 diet, they've lost loads of weight without really trying.

[DannyMan2006]

Dieting is a joke. Just eat healthy long term and you'll get where you want to be if you do a little more exercise.

Problem with this generation is everyone wants everything right away. Patience is the key to success. Show that and you'll make long term changes instead of going up and down in weight.

Couple of year a go I was nearly 18 stone. Now I'm 15 and a half but a lot of that is muscle. I'm 6ft 4.

All I did was cut out takeaways all the time and started exercising for 4 hours a week as opposed to none. I have a very busy week and do shift work, if I can commit to that anyone can if they want it enough.

Simple as that really and that's without going into anything major like diets and different variations of training regimes.

[spanky]

How did you schedule your training? I do a shift pattern of a month of days followed by month of nights throughout the year. Find it hard to get any routine.

[DannyMan2006]

I go four times a week which gives me plenty of opportunities to put things off if overtime comes up at short notice.

My start times have on occasion been different for every single day I'm at work and I regularly do 7 days straight. Not including OT my work days are 11 hours which included 3 hours travelling.

Despite all this I always make time and I regularly go on days I intend too. I just get to the gym and get it done. Personally I find motivating myself to go is the hard part. Once I'm at the gym I have no problems in getting on with it.

I'm also a bit of a loner at the gym. I purposely make no small talk or friends so I can just go and get things done quickly. Sad I know but it means I have time to do that and get at least some chill out time at home.

For those who find it really difficult, why not pop down when a footy game is on? Most gyms have TVs now which you can watch whilst cycling or on the treadmill. I mainly do the weights myself which makes it less of an option, but if you're struggling, go on the treadmill, watch the game and just switch off.

[Sarb]

Danny, want kind of weights session do you do? Do you finish each off with some cardio? Ive had similar weight loss. Im trraining 5 times per week now. Dont eat particularly unhealthy either. If I takeaway its only once per week. Ive built in a day of pure cardio, the other days have weights finished with cardio. Wouldnt mind a few tips

[Ams12]

Dieting is a joke. Just eat healthy long term and you'll get where you want to be if you do a little more exercise.

Problem with this generation is everyone wants everything right away. Patience is the key to success. Show that and you'll make long term changes instead of going up and down in weight.

Couple of year a go I was nearly 18 stone. Now I'm 15 and a half but a lot of that is muscle. I'm 6ft 4.

All I did was cut out takeaways all the time and started exercising for 4 hours a week as opposed to none. I have a very busy week and do shift work, if I can commit to that anyone can if they want it enough.

Simple as that really and that's without going into anything major like diets and different variations of training regimes.

patience is deffinately the key to succsess and to sustain long term benefits as opposed to short term weight loss (usually due to loss of lean muscle tissue).

Few points from my perspective & expert knowledge in this field:

BMI is pointless - it doesnt tell you where the weight is coming from (muscle/fat/water retention/bones). Arnie & a sumo wrestler both have high BMI's but only one is fat.

Soya products are not so good for you! Soyabean crops are one of the most heavily sprayed with pesticides...which in long term could affect your nervous system.
Soya has been found to aggregate red blood cells therefore increasing cardiovascular stress...may be seen through higher blood pressure.
Plus a few more reasons.

Heart Rate Reserve would be a more specific tool to use while working out heart rate training zones.

220 - age - resting heart rate = MHR x % target heart rate zone + RHR


Will give more tips after morning seasions

Be healthy folks

[DannyMan2006]

Danny, want kind of weights session do you do? Do you finish each off with some cardio? Ive had similar weight loss. Im trraining 5 times per week now. Dont eat particularly unhealthy either. If I takeaway its only once per week. Ive built in a day of pure cardio, the other days have weights finished with cardio. Wouldnt mind a few tips

If people are looking at weight loss, I'd say 40mins on the weights and 20mins cardio.

Ideally, a person would commit to 3/4 times a week at the gym, and that would enable you to split your muscles into groups and do them on different days, example:

Day 1 - Chest/Biceps
Rest
Day 2 - legs/Shoulders
Rest
Day 3 - back/triceps
Rest

Throw in a bit of and work on training days after the weights and sorted.

For the cardio, I find HIIT training works very well for me, example is treadmill, change pace dependant on how you cope:

2 mins warm up at 7km
15 mins of HIIT:

Variation of jog for 1 min at 9km and then 30 secs at a faster pace of 14km. If that's easy, try 45secs jog, 45secs faster pace. Also look to increase pace to something like 10km followed by 16km.

2mins warm down.

Finally and most important:

Always stretch of before & after exercise. Will prevent injuries and prevents you being sidelined and losing all the progress you've made.

Food wise:

Depends what your goal is. But all food you buy now is labelled so no excuses. Key thing to avoid is saturated fat content, amount of fat isn't really a massive problem.

Example daily food:

Morning: 3x Kallo rice crackers with peanut butter. Swap rice crackers for toast if you are not going to the gym in the morning.

Gym session, followed by protein shake. Not everyone likes the shakes, but if you are looking to build muscle, they are good. You need protein to help repair the muscle and that's the quickest way of getting it in the system. I spend about £30 on a tub. I have nowhere near the amount they recommend on the tub mind, I'm not a bodybuilder.....

I then travel to work. Once at work I will snack on some fruit or veg.

At lunch break I will have something like cous cous, chicken breast and a load of spinach. The cous cous is a ready made Moroccan pack from tesco, chicken breast cooked from night before. Spinach is piled into fill my lunchbox. Microwave and jobs a good un.

Towards the end of my work day I will eat something protein related, maybe one of those small bags of chicken pieces, or some muscles or prawns. That kind if thing.

Once home, I'll go the gym if I didn't make the morning session, those means eating later it doesn't really matter tbh.

For dinner I'll have something like:

Salmon/chicken
Sweet potato
Selection of vedge - I'm big on the Kale cabbage at the moment as its a "super food" much like spinach is, I'll have that with some broccoli.

Dependant on what time I had dinner, I may have some peanut butter on toast/rice crackers later on.

-------

I eat quite a lot, and I eat often.

Massive tip - if I ever get stuck for food at work or home and I need a take away, I get a chicken shish kebab. I have chilli sauce with all the salad, but. No mayo.

All it is is grilled chicken with salad, no need to feel guilty about having a take away as its perfectly healthy.

Once a week I have a free day. It's supposed to be just one free meal, but as I say, I'm not a bodybuilder. I won't go over the top but I'll have some lager and a takeaway etc, or go to a restaurant and not waste my time looking for something healthy. Life is for living.

[Pablo]

20 minutes cardio just isn't enough IMO. I'd switch those two around. 20 min weights, 40 minutes cardio. Sted heads

[Assassin]

20 minutes cardio just isn't enough IMO. I'd switch those two around. 20 min weights, 40 minutes cardio. Sted heads

I agree. I do 40 - 60 mins cardio approx 4 times a week

[Sarb]

If people are looking at weight loss, I'd say 40mins on the weights and 20mins cardio.

Ideally, a person would commit to 3/4 times a week at the gym, and that would enable you to split your muscles into groups and do them on different days, example:

Day 1 - Chest/Biceps
Rest
Day 2 - legs/Shoulders
Rest
Day 3 - back/triceps
Rest

Throw in a bit of and work on training days after the weights and sorted.

For the cardio, I find HIIT training works very well for me, example is treadmill, change pace dependant on how you cope:

2 mins warm up at 7km
15 mins of HIIT:

Variation of jog for 1 min at 9km and then 30 secs at a faster pace of 14km. If that's easy, try 45secs jog, 45secs faster pace. Also look to increase pace to something like 10km followed by 16km.

2mins warm down.

Finally and most important:

Always stretch of before & after exercise. Will prevent injuries and prevents you being sidelined and losing all the progress you've made.

Food wise:

Depends what your goal is. But all food you buy now is labelled so no excuses. Key thing to avoid is saturated fat content, amount of fat isn't really a massive problem.

Example daily food:

Morning: 3x Kallo rice crackers with peanut butter. Swap rice crackers for toast if you are not going to the gym in the morning.

Gym session, followed by protein shake. Not everyone likes the shakes, but if you are looking to build muscle, they are good. You need protein to help repair the muscle and that's the quickest way of getting it in the system. I spend about £30 on a tub. I have nowhere near the amount they recommend on the tub mind, I'm not a bodybuilder.....

I then travel to work. Once at work I will snack on some fruit or veg.

At lunch break I will have something like cous cous, chicken breast and a load of spinach. The cous cous is a ready made Moroccan pack from tesco, chicken breast cooked from night before. Spinach is piled into fill my lunchbox. Microwave and jobs a good un.

Towards the end of my work day I will eat something protein related, maybe one of those small bags of chicken pieces, or some muscles or prawns. That kind if thing.

Once home, I'll go the gym if I didn't make the morning session, those means eating later it doesn't really matter tbh.

For dinner I'll have something like:

Salmon/chicken
Sweet potato
Selection of vedge - I'm big on the Kale cabbage at the moment as its a "super food" much like spinach is, I'll have that with some broccoli.

Dependant on what time I had dinner, I may have some peanut butter on toast/rice crackers later on.

-------

I eat quite a lot, and I eat often.

Massive tip - if I ever get stuck for food at work or home and I need a take away, I get a chicken shish kebab. I have chilli sauce with all the salad, but. No mayo.

All it is is grilled chicken with salad, no need to feel guilty about having a take away as its perfectly healthy.

Once a week I have a free day. It's supposed to be just one free meal, but as I say, I'm not a bodybuilder. I won't go over the top but I'll have some lager and a takeaway etc, or go to a restaurant and not waste my time looking for something healthy. Life is for living.

Cheers mate. Appreciate it, always good to share ideas/tips

In my 5 sessions, I have a day of Cardio (20 mins on Cross Trainer and 20 mins on Rower. Usually go HIIT on the Cross Trainer, then 20 mins of work on stomach)

The other 4 sessions are weights. Each session starts with a 10 min warm up on Cross trainer or Rower, then I'll do an hour or so of weights (split sets, with some stomach work) and finish with 10 mins on a cardio machine. I lost a fair bit of weight, but I'm going to try and change up a bit and leave the split sets for a bit.

I used to Shoulders and Back on 1 day, Biceps and Triceps on another, Chest and Legs on separate days. Still cant shift the stomach and side fat completely though. I'm assuming it might be diet related as I train pretty hard

I have the protein shakes, they are decent. But I also have the bars too on most days. I've got a low carbs drink (Reflex Instant Whey), not high in calories either.

Can't say my diet is particularly bad. No fizzy drinks, very little sweet stuff too. Have cut bread right down as well. Maybe I just eat too much

[DannyMan2006]

Sarb, when you get to a certain body fat % it becomes insanely hard to shift it without being very strict.

I'm a casual gym goer who sticks to the routine and doesn't eat crap on a regular basis. That gets me to a certain level. If and when I get close to a 4 pack showing, at that point I may look at things closer to get down to the 6 pack.

I don't know what it is for me, but it is certain that some people show a 6 pack on 10% or more, whilst some have to get right down to 6% body fat. Depends on your genes at that kind of level.

[DannyMan2006]

20 minutes cardio just isn't enough IMO. I'd switch those two around. 20 min weights, 40 minutes cardio. Sted heads

Depends what you are going to the gym for. Some weeks I do no cardio. But I should say I walk 2 and a half miles a day at a fast pace whilst travelling to work, plus I don't have a desk job, I am on my feet every now & again throughout the day.

Lifestyle & gym goals come into the equation, no right way or wrong way for anyone.

But one fact - the bigger your muscles, the more fat you burn when at rest. So hitting the weights is a major player in the weight loss game.

Too many people go on the cardio machines and hammer it for all their worth. They'll get fitter, but if their main aim is to look good, it's not the greatest idea. Because when running at a certain level, you start to burn muscle more than fat, which harms your chance of losing weight.

Of course, sprinting on a treadmill for 5 hours a week will see you get where you want if its just weight loss, but you could have got there that much quicker if you slowed the pace and hit the weights.

Personally, I may not be as hardcore or as dedicated as many, but if I'm wasting my time down a gym, you can be dam sure I want to be making it worth my while. So I always make sure that my hour is packed to the max with routines that work for me.

[Sarb]

Cardio can get pretty boring at the gym too. Think with weights you can mix it up a bit, lot more variety, different exercises. HIIT is good re. cardio. Too many times though I see the same people, on the same equipment, going through the motions. There is no shock factor for the body and you aren't really pushing yourself.

I look decent, just the stomach area. But to be honest, I'm not letting it get me down. I'm setting targets, increasing the weight I lift every week. I think the fact that I'm sitting in an office all day doesn't help with things. But I enjoy going to the gym so I guess that's the main thing

[Pablo]

Depends what you are going to the gym for. Some weeks I do no cardio. But I should say I walk 2 and a half miles a day at a fast pace whilst travelling to work, plus I don't have a desk job, I am on my feet every now & again throughout the day.

Lifestyle & gym goals come into the equation, no right way or wrong way for anyone.

But one fact - the bigger your muscles, the more fat you burn when at rest. So hitting the weights is a major player in the weight loss game.

Too many people go on the cardio machines and hammer it for all their worth. They'll get fitter, but if their main aim is to look good, it's not the greatest idea. Because when running at a certain level, you start to burn muscle more than fat, which harms your chance of losing weight.

Of course, sprinting on a treadmill for 5 hours a week will see you get where you want if its just weight loss, but you could have got there that much quicker if you slowed the pace and hit the weights.

Personally, I may not be as hardcore or as dedicated as many, but if I'm wasting my time down a gym, you can be dam sure I want to be making it worth my while. So I always make sure that my hour is packed to the max with routines that work for me.

Thanks for the detailed post, but all I meant is you have your weightings (40:20) the wrong way around IMO

[Ams12]

20 mins of interval training is enough time for cardio if your main aim is fat loss! Any longer duration & you will be burning muscle & liver glycogen stores & not fat...this is counter productive if u are trying to burn fat cos u are only burning suger & not body fat. Also, if you are trying to improve your fitness levels then you would need to spend alot longer at a steadier pace to build endurance...not many people have time to spend over an hour a day at the gym!

Circuits are a great way to improve fitness, burn body fat & build lean muscle in the shortest amount of time...just stick to heavyish loads & big compound exercises!

A high protein diet (2g per kg of body weight) low carbs (about 50g a day mainly from vegetables) & high fat intake (30-35% of calorific needs...from good fats - poly/monounsaturated) is ideal for changes in body composition.