Inspired by BentheMan's thread where he has set a goal for himself to get 1,000 miles under his bicycle's tires by May, I thought it would be a good idea to think about personal goals with relation to fitness. This way we are held accountable to stay on track, at least to a minimal degree, by the others who frequent this section of sciforums and we can also discuss and ask questions about how to achieve the goals we have set. Obviously the goals are going to be personal, as there is already going to be a fairly large gap in fitness between posters here. But, perhaps reading successes or strategies will help and encourage others who may not be as fit to do something about it, and the members who have a bit more experience can help with words of wisdom. So, now that the little preface is out of the way, I will explain my goals and why I have decided to participate in such activities. Background: I am 26, male and have grown up on the West Coast of Canada. For the past two and a half years, my lifestyle has changed from that of fairly regular physical activity -- mostly due to a new job that had regular hours. My living situation was one where I didn't have a lot of motivation to get out and do much either. Combine a desk job, no real sports outside work (besides irregular bike rides that got progressively harder) and an unhealthy diet, and I was well on my way to some serious health problems and weight gain. At my peak I was 265 lbs, although at 6'1" I carried it reasonably well. And still, riding was more of a chore than it was fun, and something needed to be done. I have had gym experience before, and went quite regularly while I was at University. After first year post secondary I dropped from 230 down to 195, then as I developed muscle I got back up to 205-210. This is where I would like to be again. Goal: I would like to get my weight down to 210 by January 1, 2009 -- if this turns out to be unreasonable, then an extension will be granted by myself to the date March 1, 2009. Strategy: Lifestyle: I moved from my old town to a new city, and have started walking everywhere. I have also decided that I can get away with spending less time on my personal computer, less time playing video games, and less time watching TV. I have also started a new job, and while it is also a desk job, the hours are far more stable and I can get into a routine. Shift work that changes every month and swings you from a 6-8 am start to a 2:30-4:30 pm start and then back to mornings prevents routine. Random "weekends" also does not help. Activity: I started at the gym on Sept 24, 2008, and have increased my workout gradually over the month so that I am now going 5 days a week for 45 minutes to 75 minutes. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are set aside for cardio* -- this will help me drop some weight and will also get my lung capacity up to previous levels of performance and beyond. I used to live on my bike, and days with 20-30 km worth of riding were common (and not a challenge). Tuesdays and Thursdays are resistance training**. I have a few muscle groups that I would like to work on, but I'm not looking for a lot of bulk. Shape and tone are the overall goals, but for now it's just the basics. Diet: I have changed both what I eat, and the intervals in which I eat it. I try to get 6 meals a day in, and I balance them as best I can with protein, carbs, and fatty acids. I may need to find supplements to make sure I get everything I need -- something I was hoping to discuss a little bit here. Lots of fruit (bananas, oranges, grapes, pineapple), vegetables (broccoli, lettuce, carrots, cauliflower) and chicken. I have also tried various protein bars to try and supplement that aspect. I eat at 0700, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600 and 1830. I have also started minding my calories. I check everything and try to make sure I am around the 2,000 Cal mark each day. Progress: When I started at the gym, I was weighing in at 260 lbs first thing in the morning. After approximately one month, as of this morning, I weigh 242 lbs for a loss of 18 lbs. I am also noticing a significant increase in lung capacity and am able to push myself harder for longer. So, definitely positive results so far, and I hope to continue the gains (and/or losses) that I've started to make. Does anyone else have similar goals or aspirations? Post them up and let's help each other meet them. ===================================================================================================================== *The cardio routine is as follows: - 7 minutes on a bike in "Warm up" mode, which gradually increases resistance -- here I can usually pedal just over 2 miles and get my heart rate to ~160. - 20 minutes on an elliptical trainer in X-Trainer Aerobic mode with resistance at 12-15 out of 20 -- X-trainer Aerobic is an interval training where the first two minutes are between three and four miles per hour, one minute pushing against the supports, one minute pulling against the supports, 1 minute running at 6+ mph, 1 minute at 3-4 mph, 2 minutes at your own pace using legs only and 2 minutes in reverse. This cycle is repeated twice. - 5 km rowing -- this takes me approximately 23 minutes to complete. - 3-5 sets on an ab machine - 10 minute cool down on a bike -- manual mode, gradually reducing resistance on my own. **Resistance training is a work in progress, but is currently: - Warm up on bike, same as above. - 3 sets of 8-10 reps of various chest workouts (flys, various presses with a mix of inclines), a mix of machines and free weights - 3-5 sets on an ab machine - 3 sets of 8-10 reps on a bicep machine - 3 sets of 8-10 reps on various tricep workouts, a mix of machines and free weights - 3 sets of 8-10 military press machine - 10 minute cool down on a bike
Good on you IM - keep it up. May I offer you a tip? Walk Walking a surprisingly good exercise - particularly for fat burning apparently. So set yourself a little rule like: If I can walk there in 20 mins or less, then I'll walk. Little extra efforts like that can add up to a big difference over time. If you don't work too far from home, consider cycling as well - this summer I was working in a lab about 6 miles from home - the difference in time between driving and cycling the distance when all variables (traffic parking etc) were added up meant I only lost 20 minutes a day - but that saved me 45 minutes working out on cardio machines at the gym - or allowed me to double up on my exercise at the gym with no net loss of time. In short if you are looking to lose weight and regain fitness, look for ways that help you to maximise every opportunity to do so - don't confine it to gym / track work only
I definitely walk when I can, and ride when I can. Living on the West Coast of Southern Canada, however, means an awful lot of rain throughout the winter which is less than ideal for walking/riding to work. That will mean I have to get changed before my shift, and will be more trouble than it's worth. It's also a 45 minute walk, which I don't mind but wouldn't want to do twice a day. Sometimes I decide it's better to walk home, and I'll even walk home from the gym which is 40 minutes or so. Thanks for the tips though, it's excellent advice!
Mine is to wake up every morning, after that its anybodys guess. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Hi IM, I have a story of over weight and high blood pressure meds that seems to keep the BP down but reduced my energy and ability to keep up my former exercise program. About four months ago I decided to ween myself of the BP med, restrict my diet to the things you mentioned mostly, and gradually increase my exercise program. I lost 20 pounds, almost all of my goal but not quite, doubled my exercise, mostly walking but increased from about 50 miles per month to about 90 miles, and go my BP down naturally to around 120 over 70 on some of my days. But oops, I have lost my momentum. Slowly the diet is creeping back to the old bad items, the exercise is tapering off, and the BP is now 145 over 87, too high they say. So I guess what I want to say is that it may just help me to see you are on a program and having some success. Maybe I can get back on track. One way I like to start back is to fast for a day or so and then get the diet right for awhile. When I do that my energy goes back up quickly. Good luck. QW
I'm trying to add two inches to my arms by spring and bulk up the shoulders. I'd like to lose a bit of the belly, but now that I'm in my thirties, it's harder and harder to take off the belly weight. I eat a very high protein, and a low carb diet. I work out five days a week (one of those days per week, until the end of November, is with a trainer). Right now my traps and delts are on fire. I did a heavy regimen of shruggs, upright rows and standing side-flies. ~String
Sometimes life gets in the way of working out, so I can certainly understand that. I've found that I enjoy certain types of workout more than others -- I really enjoy rowing on the machines, and elliptical trainers have helped a lot because my knees aren't the greatest and they are zero impact. I think that's key, because if I didn't like doing it I'm sure I would not. So, find something that you like doing and try to stick to that. It's even better if you get someone close that you can go with who has similar goals, that way you can hold each other accountable for missed sessions. It's always good to have encouragement. From what I understand of diet and nutrition, fasting is generally not the best way to go about things. It causes your body to slow down metabolism and go into more of a "store energy for hardship" phase. Instead, try breaking up meals into smaller snacks throughout the day, this way your body will be constantly digesting and burning energy at an even rate. I've been bad at this for the past week, but the most significant gains in the weight loss department were weeks where I followed this routine. Good luck to you as well. String: How big are your arms currently? 2 inches sounds ambitious, but I'm sure you'll able to manage. I may have some questions for you regarding certain types of exercises a little later in my journey.
Two inches is not too much. It's actually quite achievable, especially considering how intense my workout is. We'll see. ~String
I just want to look all hypermuscled and carved out like Milla Jovovich when she was playing Alice in Resident Evil 2. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Do you have a particular workout routine that you are going through to achieve that? Rick - I am using machines for the time being, and will move on to free weights when I am more interested in actual definition and strength development. I am in a weight loss phase, and am mostly using weights as a way to burn fat while I rest from cardio days.
Nice! That's an awesome goal!! What kind of runs are you doing right now, at this point of your training?
I'm currently using a routine that Nietzsche recommended, 3/4 sets of 8 repetitions, depending on how much energy I feel like expending.
This is my goal, to be a fighter of this level. http://www.watch-dragonball-z.com/episode_207.html peace.
