Getting in Shape

[squeaky]

I, personally, can't do that. Being a chick, it's too much work! If the gym was right down the street from my house I probably would but to tote around clothes, hair dryer, hair products, and make up is a major PITA.

It is a good idea though, FruDaddy - I used to do that - and like I said, for me, major PITA! :nod:

 

[adam728]

Consider scheduling you workout for the mornings, before you go to work, that way you won't be so exhausted from you day that you would rather just have a beer and veg out.

That would be great, but I usually leave for work by 5 am. I've never been able to work out in the morning anyway, I just don't know why. It's always been an end of day thing for me.

Tomorrow I need to hit the road by 4:30 am so I can be in the Mexico plant by 6:30 for the start of 2007 production. :bang:

 

[squeaky]

Well I went on my first trip to the gym since May of 2005 - boy am I OUT of shape!

I lasted 15 minutes on the elliptical machine - and that was tough. Then I did a little bit of a circuit, one machine for each major muscle group, just to ease back into it. I'm feeling it today! But I can't wait to go again!

 

[olthesav]

15 min cycling 20 min cross trainer, 1500m row then full circuit of fixed weight equipment in teh gym 2 sets of ten reps on each on medium weight to whet i can lift three timnes a week,,+ full days riding every sunday.. seems to be working well so far i was night and day difference at this moto compared to my last a month ago when i came in so exhausted after the first race i thought i was gonna croak it!!

 

[olthesav]

tip to make it more intersting train with a friend,, sure is good fun racing on the rowing machines!!

 

[squeaky]

If I had a friend that would actually get off their butts and train with me I'd be so happy! Unfortunately, no one seems to have the same schedule as me, or the motivation, etc...

But I've been doing well so far - I made my way on the elliptical from level one manual the first time I went for 15 minutes to Level two random hills and 30 minutes last time I went to the gym. I feel better already!

 

[squeaky]

Okay so I guess I'm the only one getting in shape this year?!

Well I've been going to the gym 2-3 times a week since the beginning of the year. What a difference! I feel so good!

I'm doing 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer - I do random hills and I'm up to Level 6. Then I do 25 minutes of weights - I try to hit every major muscle group at least once and then I stretch for 5 minutes. I haven't lost any weight but I wasn't trying to. I can, however, see a difference in my muscle tone, especially my stomach and legs.

Anyone else doing anything successfully?

 

[darylZero]

I'm a triathlete and my first triathlon of the season is on March 18th but a month ago my training hit a little snag… I got a CR250R and now riding it is the only thing I want to do. :laugh:

 

[DaRooster]

Hello to all, been meaning to post about training since December now and damn if I never got around to it! Been training 3x or 4x (if work doesn't get in the way) a week and seems to be helping out a ton. I'm currently around 210 from 225 at around the holidays and never really feel worn out all of the time. My workout usually consists of 1.75 miles on the elliptical and 5 miles on the bike each around a level 4 on the alpine workout level. I usually alternate lower and upper body workouts each time I go. I've noticed I can lift more easier as I coninue to go but try not to blow myself out. I'm trying this in an attempt to go racing this Spring. My son wants to start racing this year and has dragged me (to much delight) along for the ride. The downer for all of this is I've refreshed and cleaned both bikes and am just waiting on the blasted weather to break. I hate to say it but Ohio weather just plain sucks. Its way too damp out even though temperatures are rising. Every day on the way to work I pass a track and all I can do is just look and hope it dries up soon. :ride:

P.S. I just got back from the gym.

Later,
Chad

 

[rickyd]

I go about 4-5 times a week. During the week lately I have been doing alot of running and some eliptical. BUt this past week I started back up w/Spin Aerobics 2 times a week. Saturday morning I will take a Circuit training class, very intense! Then On Any Sunday i will be riding some laps on my bike and then do it all over again next week :cool:

Keep up the good work Squeaky :cool:

 

[FruDaddy]

I'm doing 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer - I do random hills and I'm up to Level 6. Then I do 25 minutes of weights - I try to hit every major muscle group at least once and then I stretch for 5 minutes. I haven't lost any weight but I wasn't trying to. I can, however, see a difference in my muscle tone, especially my stomach and legs.

You might see faster results if you break up your workout, perhaps, legs, chest and arms, back and abs. That way you can hit each muscle group a little harder. Either way, keep it up. I have found that if you let up, it gets too easy to stop, and real hard to go back.

For anybody interested, bodybuilding.com seems to me to be an excellent training resource.

 

[kawikiller]

regularly stretching is great for the body. One of the main things I believe in being athletic is flexibility. I used to run 4 miles a day 5 days a week. I hate running. I was on a strict diet also. I am naturally thin so when I was running and dieting I actually put on weight (muscle). I have since stopped and eat whatever I want and drink beer whenever I want and dont excercise at all anymore. I only dropped 5 pounds but I am not as toned as I was before. But oh well, im naturally thin I dont need to be all buff. And all the dieting and stuff was a pain. meal replacement shakes etc.


burpee's are a great way to get into shape. It does it all, and doesnt take that much time out of the day. it gets your legs arms chest if throw in a sit up your abs and it also is great for conditioning. dont know what a burpee is? thats ok heres a link. if you can push out 50 of these things in a row you are in decent shape.


ok well I cant insert a link, just google burpee and you will find it.

I thought I would add calisthenics are great, better than weights etc. in my opinion.

 

[squeaky]

You might see faster results if you break up your workout, perhaps, legs, chest and arms, back and abs. That way you can hit each muscle group a little harder. Either way, keep it up.

Really? So - if I do 2 strength training workouts a week and break it up into Legs/Abs/Back for one and Chest/Arms for another I may see better results because I'm not cramming all of those areas into 1/2 hour workout?

 

[FruDaddy]

Yep, I find that 2 days between working out any on body part is best for me. You basically get to concentrate more on each part instead of cramming through in a hurry. My plan is 4 days per week mon, tue, thu, fri. I do 5-6 exersices each day, 3 sets each of 8-10 reps (70-85% of max weight) with 1-2 minutes between sets. It takes about half an hour, and I do half an hour of cardio on the treadmill.

I am not a fitness expert, so take my recommendations with a grain of sand. I am basing this on what I have read and what seems to work best for me. I do try to read up and find better ways of doing things myself. For instance, I usually do my cardio first, but last night I found several articles telling me that the cardio should be done after the resistance (if they are both done).

 

[kawikiller]

I have done martial arts on and off my whole life. Trust me burpees are great!

 

[FruDaddy]

They may in fact be wonderful, but how well do they work the hamstrings, back, shoulders, and biceps? Also, spending 5 minutes doing these will not do much for your cardio (you need an accelerated heart rate for at least 15 minutes). Doing burpees to train for MX is kind of like sprinting to train for a marathon. You say that you have been in martial arts, then you should realize that the burpees were only a small part of your training and conditioning. I'm sorry, but no single exercise will ever be the be-all for physical conditioning.

 

[Haycock Kid]

I haven't re-read all 17 pages, but I think since my last post to this thread - I've sold my treadmill, almost purchased a used bow flex, but purchased a new recumbent bike and a used total gym. Practicing yoga and tai chi on my own. Everything works but nothing works forever - been mixing up the routines for two months now - good leg and arm pump w/ total gym and cardio w/ bike - my endurance has improved, but we'll test it next month w/a week of riding in GA. With all the exercising - I'm toner but less flexible - need to do more yoga which is good for flexibility, but strength too. Anything is better than nothing - take a walk if you don't have time to ride...over fifteen years ago I trained w/a partner who was a friend of the fitness coach for the Dallas Cowboys - he would e-mail us routines - always cardio after resistance - never enough abs - balance drills to work the small muscles and large - also work front / back, and outside / inside muscle groups focused on upper and then lower - light weight high rep then heavy low rep and then speed drills like box jumps and more stretching - it is a real science to do it right. Now that I'm over 40 yo, I train w/ a polar heart rate monitor; it has greatly increased my performance. Or read forums about exercise and drink beer like me tonight...lifting 12 oz at a time.

 

[adam728]

My plan is 4 days per week mon, tue, thu, fri. I do 5-6 exersices each day, 3 sets each of 8-10 reps (70-85% of max weight) with 1-2 minutes between sets. It takes about half an hour, and I do half an hour of cardio on the treadmill.

I found several articles telling me that the cardio should be done after the resistance (if they are both done).

I finally joined a gym after moving out here to Tucson. Been going for a few weeks, spent the last two nights with a personal trainer, and he told me basically exactly what you just said. Break it up, and always do resistance first, cardio second.

I'm doing 5 days a week, basically I was told to do
Monday - Upper body
Tuesday - Abs & cardio
Wednesday - Lower body
Thursday - Abs & cardio
Friday - Upper body

Mon, Wed, Fri have the option of doing cardio after the resistance, which I am doing. I'm concentrating more on that and upper body right now because that's what kills me (there is ab stuff in the upper body routine too). I can run with fast guys on the bike for maybe 15-20 minutes, then I am all pumped up and out of breath, which is bad, because this weekend's race is 70+ miles of single track...... :bang:

You want to see a grown man look retarded? Put him on one of those big stupid rubber balls for the first time trying to do crunchies. I felt so pathetic when the guy litterally had to catch me as I almost busted my head flipping off it. :|

 

[SpeedyManiac]

I can relate. I started hitting the gym in February and those stability balls are difficult to get used to. Now, after a couple months I can finally balance on one no problem. I can definitely feel a huge improvement in my abs over the last two months.

 

[squeaky]

I've still being going to the gym on and off, but with the weather getting better I've been trying to incorporate more outdoor activities. I went for a 45 minute hike the other day on some trails by my house, when about 35 minutes into the hike I saw an animal in the brush. I thought it was a deer - come to find out it was a coyote :yikes: . Needless to say, I won't be walking those trails again until the coyote problem has been situated.

An hours worth of yard work burns about the same amount of calories as a 45 minute hike (with hills).

I've now decided that with summer coming I don't want to waste my time after work at the gym, so I'm going to start going for strictly cardio 3 time a week in the morning.

 

[FruDaddy]

Lately, I have been mountain biking on my day off from the gym, and also on some afternoon/evenings (with the kids). An hour on the bike is a lot more fun than 30 minutes on a treadmill.

I'm glad to hear that you have found a good program that works for you.

 

[shadowsniper]

i'm lookin to get into better shape too. one thing that has been working for me is better eating habbits and i have been taking some nutrilite supplements aswell to keep my body fully fueled up the vitamin nutrients and minerals it needs. it's called Double X and it's awsome. it's a little spendy but well worth the change. just by taking it i starting getting more energy and losing weight and felt better than i have for awhile. you can check it out if you want at LBDreams.Mychoices.Biz on top of the double X i've been walking more and and doin more physical activities which is workin out great.

 

[mg89]

oh man, i'm pushing 270, i gotta do something. But it's weird, I still manage to get up in the air.

 

[Papakeith]

270 turns to 300+ real quick. Ask me how I know :bang:

The only thing I've found that helps is regulating your portion size at mealtime, and finding good substitutes for the crap snacks that are out there. You know eat less, exercise more.

I'm just now getting back under 300 after doing WWatchers since just before Thanksgiving. 40 down, only another 100 to go.

 

[WaltCMoto]

PK,
Take care of your self brother. 340 is like 2.2 BSwifts if my math serves me correctly. Your height indicates 1.7 BSwifts would be optimal.