I remember a while ago in the HAW threads there was some discussion about working out and such. I was wondering if anyone was interested in reviving the idea, and wanted to go at it together (in that we can keep motivating each other to go).

I had been working out fairly regularly from April to late July of this year, with not that much progress. I did some research and applied some of what I learned - the cool thing was that I did not have to spend a ton of time at the gym, but more of spending quality time at the gym. I actually spent less time and made more progress.

From late July to late September, I estimate that I lost about 20 lbs of fat. I went from a size 38 to a size 34. In that period the most time I spent at the gym per week was about 4 hours per week. After Fall Colors I slacked off a bit and now I'm trying to get back on track.

So if you wanna try what I did (it's applicable to anyone, regardless of what shape you're in), then we can use this thread for support and encouragement...

If all you want is some accountability in whatever workout plan you have so you keep going, that's cool too... in the winter I especially seem to need some accountability because it sucks to go to the gym when it's cold.

I've gotten several coworkers to join me at the gym and they've made good progress... so I thought I'd throw this out here too

 

Yeah. I think I started that. That's pretty damn good John. Plus its from all of the DDR stuff too.

Good thread to start up.

 

Haha... actually I did not play a lot of DDR because while working out improperly, I developed shin splints that hindered my ability to do it regularly.

Switched to the elliptical for cardio, and DDR every now and then now. But proper cardio requires 20 mins of continuous activity, so I try to stick with the elliptical for the real thing.

 

make sure you switch it up. I use to go forward for 5, then reverse for 5. and so forth. It definitely works different groups of muscles. The reason for the 20 minutes is to keep your heart rate up (but I'm sure you already know that).

But keep it up. You're definitely doing something right. You may even be my motivation to find time to work out again.

 

good job john... i'm proud of you man.. ... from a 38 to a 34 is huge... you can fit in most bucket seats now...

 

actually you should be on the treadmill or whatever you use for cardo for 25 minutes.... 20 minutes for the work out and then 5 minutes for cool down..... if you do this properly you won't be as sore the next morning..

 

Right. After I switched to the proper way of doing it I have never been sore. It is usually 20 to 25 minutes of high-intensity interval training. The idea is that the peaks of exhaustion is what triggers the adaptation response in our body. In addition forcing the body to recover under duress also speeds the process.

I go at a moderate pace for 3 min, getting my HR up to 140-150. Then I go faster for 1 minute, and keep going faster and faster each minute until I get up to 175-180. Then I go back to my normal pace where I had a HR of 140-150, then keep at that pace til I get back down to 155...

Then I repeat until I am near the 17 minute mark. Then one last peak - I push myself sometimes to 190 on the last one, then go back to the normal pace until I am back to 155-160.

My initial "moderate" pace used to burn 720kcal/hr and my peak was 960kcal/hr. Now the moderate is 930kcal/hr and peak is 1200kcal/hr.

This approach gets you results very fast - the progress I described above happened in only 6 weeks or so. Combined with proper weight training, this approach consumes very little time but is very effective.

One of the best things about training this way is that anyone can do it - for some just walking briskly gets them to 140-150 HR... by using heart rate or perceived exertion as a guide, you don't burn yourself out or get injured trying too hard. No need to run a x-minute mile - just going at your own pace that your body can handle.

 

Hmm interesting... I'd like to do this, but my goals and expectations are to gain weight rather than lose it

I just need to come up with some sort of diet that gets me MUCH more calories. I believe that as of now, I know how to and can do the actual exercise part of it, but I just don't get enough calories in to actually gain weight.

I'd like to gain ~20 lbs.... seems a bit much but eh, hopefully I'll reach ~130 lbs some day

 

Oh, I've gained weight doing this. Gained muscle weight, that is. The progress I'm talking of above is getting progress in getting in good shape, not in losing weight.

You can easily gain weight - you just don't do the cardio part. You can do the cardio and gain weight, but it's a bit easier if you don't.

First - are you against in any way for consuming whey protein? You don't necessarily need a ton of calories - you will have to eat more when you start, but whey protein is by and far the easiest way to ensure you get muscle growth.

I have a coworker from India who was of similar build as you. I got him started on working out and we now work out together. He was 5'10, 125 lbs. Now he is close to 140 lbs. It's been a few months... he started out barely benching 30-40 lbs but today he did one rep of 125 lbs.

I'm sure you could do it too though it would help if you had a workout partner - spotting helps you get maximal results.

 

naveed is like 5'10, 105lbs... it's gonna take a while....

with my workout.. i gained 20-25lbs last year... .. i used to be like 130-135... now i'm in the 150-160 range... and i still do cardio...