Exercise

[Costock_Fox]

How have we not got a fitness of gym related thread on here already?

 

I have been religiously going to the gym for the past year and have seen decent changes and I am now at my lowest weight in about 10 years after losing about 3 stone over a longer period.

 

I am now looking to reduce my levels of fat and tone my body by building muscle. Any PTs on here able to give me advice? The internet is a confusing place when it comes to max protein consumption etc so would appreciate any advice.

[Goober]

Check out the Athlean X guy on youtube, he's usually pretty spot on

[Costock_Fox]

21 minutes ago, Goober said:

Check out the Athlean X guy on youtube, he's usually pretty spot on

Will give it a go cheers.

[TiffToff88]

Most people on foxestalk, myself included, if i ever stumbled across a gym:

 

Edited 15 February 2017 by TiffToff88

[Costock_Fox]

14 minutes ago, TiffToff88 said:

Most people on foxestalk, myself included, if i ever stumbled across a gym:

 

Haha I did type something similar in my original post but thought starting a thread insulting the entire membership on here wasn't wise.

[SystonFox]

Lean in fifteen

[Charl91]

I do gym stuff sometimes. Terrible at doing any sort of cardio, but can do a half decent bench press.

[Nugent]

If you want to start building muscle, you need a good solid program to start and stick to, too many people do different exercises/weights willy nilly each day and then wonder why they haven't made any progress 3 months down the line.

 

How many days are you looking to train weights a week? What's your goal?

 

http://startingstrength.com/get-started/programs

 

https://stronglifts.com/5x5/

 

Starting Strength is supposed to me a great program for beginner lifters, as is Stronglifts 5 x 5. These focus on the big compound lifts - bench press, deadlift, squat, row etc, and are simple to follow at 3 days a week.

 

Doing something like this would be most beneficial to start with, then maybe move onto a body part split as and when you are stronger/more experienced. 

[Nugent]

As for nutrition, if you want to gain muscle you need to eat in a calorie surplus (consuming more calories than you use/burn), myfitnesspal app is good for tracking calories, it can get tedious but after a while you generally get a rough idea of what your eating so don't need it as much. Use this - https://tdeecalculator.net to work out how many calories approx you burn a day, and shoot for 200kcal extra a day to start building muscle with minimal fat gain.

 

Having 1.4g - 1.6g of protein per kg bodyweight is generally thought of as enough to build muscle, but no harm in having more.

Edited 15 February 2017 by Nugent

[Costock_Fox]

26 minutes ago, Nugent said:

If you want to start building muscle, you need a good solid program to start and stick to, too many people do different exercises/weights willy nilly each day and then wonder why they haven't made any progress 3 months down the line.

 

How many days are you looking to train weights a week? What's your goal?

 

http://startingstrength.com/get-started/programs

 

https://stronglifts.com/5x5/

 

Starting Strength is supposed to me a great program for beginner lifters, as is Stronglifts 5 x 5. These focus on the big compound lifts - bench press, deadlift, squat, row etc, and are simple to follow at 3 days a week.

 

Doing something like this would be most beneficial to start with, then maybe move onto a body part split as and when you are stronger/more experienced. 

Thanks mate.

 

Yep I know what you mean, I spent the first 9 months just doing exactly what you have said and although I lost weight/ gained a bit of muscle it didn't have a huge impact.

 

I train 5/6 days a week for about an hour a time, I always do at least 10 exercises per visit and 3 sets of 6. I'm still probably not as structured as I need to be hence my post but I guess my overall aim is to be toned with a 6 pack. Not really fused about being huge to be fair.

[lgfualol]

The problem with the gym is actually getting motivated enough to go there. I try to go twice a week but when I get home from work I just can't be arsed.

[RoboFox]

I try to go five times a week, plus a run at the weekend. If you don't mind looking like a bit of a narna, classes like Body Pump are great for toning, all round strength and calorie burn. It's a resistance training class that uses variable barbells, so you're able to set your own level of training.

 

Classes in general work wonders for motivation, and I find I'm able to push myself much harder than if I'm doing something alone. If you can get through the pain of the first few classes, it's well worth sticking with. 

[Nugent]

8 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

Thanks mate.

 

Yep I know what you mean, I spent the first 9 months just doing exactly what you have said and although I lost weight/ gained a bit of muscle it didn't have a huge impact.

 

I train 5/6 days a week for about an hour a time, I always do at least 10 exercises per visit and 3 sets of 6. I'm still probably not as structured as I need to be hence my post but I guess my overall aim is to be toned with a 6 pack. Not really fused about being huge to be fair.

 

I'd say research a few routines, pick one, stick to it for at least 8 weeks and then reassess. The most important thing is to find a routine you enjoy, if you enjoy it your more likely to stick at it and see progress.

 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/the-ultimate-guide-to-an-effective-training-split.html

 

https://www.t-nation.com/training/8-most-effective-training-splits

 

Have a read of these and take your pick. Or go with a classic bodypart split - back/biceps, chest/triceps, legs, shoulders/abs. 

 

[ousefox]

I've been going for a couple of years now. I was probably in my best shape this time last year. Since then I think I've eaten far too much and not been going to the gym as consistently as I used to. Started to put a lot of weight on my stomach so now I've been eating a lot less. Trying to find a happy medium is quite difficult! I'm going today and trying to promise myself to get back to 4/5 days a week from now on.

 

I also have a posture problem with anterior pelvic tilt that I'm struggling to get rid of - don't know if anybody else has had that.

[Nugent]

9 minutes ago, lgfualol said:

The problem with the gym is actually getting motivated enough to go there. I try to go twice a week but when I get home from work I just can't be arsed.

That used to be a major problem for me, now I go at 7am every morning before work and it's great - gym is quieter, feel more awake at work, and it's nice getting home in the evening and be able to relax rather than having to drag myself to a busy gym in the cold and dark.

[Costock_Fox]

14 minutes ago, lgfualol said:

The problem with the gym is actually getting motivated enough to go there. I try to go twice a week but when I get home from work I just can't be arsed.

I used to be the same mate but go to a really nice gym and have seen some decent results which hasn't made me into a bit of a gym freak tbf.

 

I eat really healthily and barely touched a drop of booze this year so far to see how far that takes me.

[Costock_Fox]

7 minutes ago, Nugent said:

 

I'd say research a few routines, pick one, stick to it for at least 8 weeks and then reassess. The most important thing is to find a routine you enjoy, if you enjoy it your more likely to stick at it and see progress.

 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/the-ultimate-guide-to-an-effective-training-split.html

 

https://www.t-nation.com/training/8-most-effective-training-splits

 

Have a read of these and take your pick. Or go with a classic bodypart split - back/biceps, chest/triceps, legs, shoulders/abs. 

 

Thanks mate appreciate that, I will have a good look at these.

 

i tend to do a split but as I don't record what I do or follow a program i probably miss loads.

[goose2010]

Try classes I go Spinning i thought i was a relatively fit until i started, christ its a killer! good for you though and low impact.

[lgfualol]

11 minutes ago, Nugent said:

That used to be a major problem for me, now I go at 7am every morning before work and it's great - gym is quieter, feel more awake at work, and it's nice getting home in the evening and be able to relax rather than having to drag myself to a busy gym in the cold and dark.

 

8 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

I used to be the same mate but go to a really nice gym and have seen some decent results which hasn't made me into a bit of a gym freak tbf.

 

I eat really healthily and barely touched a drop of booze this year so far to see how far that takes me.

Last year I had no problem going often, but I think since it is Winter and it hits -10 where  I am sometimes I just want to stay warm and watch TV. 

 

Gym does make you feel good though. As does eating healthily and drinking a ton of water a day. I have some pretty bad gym-guilt right now  

[Costock_Fox]

23 minutes ago, lgfualol said:

 

Last year I had no problem going often, but I think since it is Winter and it hits -10 where  I am sometimes I just want to stay warm and watch TV. 

 

Gym does make you feel good though. As does eating healthily and drinking a ton of water a day. I have some pretty bad gym-guilt right now  

Agree with that last part, When I don't go I feel a bit shit and can get down but when I'm on it I feel good about myself.

 

Would ****ing love to go home and devour a burger, chips and a few beers like old times though . Sevilla is the one, If anyone sees someone crawling round Sevilla clutching churros after sniffing a sangria that will be me.

[Costock_Fox]

33 minutes ago, goose2010 said:

Try classes I go Spinning i thought i was a relatively fit until i started, christ its a killer! good for you though and low impact.

Can't think of anything worse .

 

My cardio routine is brutal, I do 2000 metres on the rower (aiming for 8 minutes but only on 9 ATM) 10 minutes on the power mill stepper on a high speed which is murder and then do interval sprints for 10 mins on the treadmill.

 

Pretty funny the other day when I didn't notice that I had physically rowed  5 metres across the gym floor in n the rower till 8 mins in  such a tit.

Edited 15 February 2017 by Costock_Fox

[goose2010]

13 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

Can't think of anything worse .

 

My cardio routine is brutal, I do 2000 metres on the rower (aiming for 8 minutes but only on 9 ATM) 10 minutes on the power mill stepper on a high speed which is murder and then do interval sprints for 10 mins on the treadmill.

 

Pretty funny the other day when I didn't notice that I had physically rowed  5 metres across the gym floor in n the rower till 8 mins in  such a tit.

Thats impressive actually rowing a rowing machine

 

Saying that last week i very nearly fell off a spin bike! spinning about 160rpm and my shoe can unclipped about fell off trying to avoid the pedle smacking me in the back of the leg!

[leicesterlad1989]

My advice would be to find a routine and stick to it but also enjoy what you do. I can't imagine too many enjoy cardio but with regards to lifting weights, find something that's challenging and it relatively fun.

I love weight training. If I decided to add a bit of extra cardio to my routine, I'd certainly blitz more fat but I genuinely love lifting weights. I can compete with myself on a daily basis and you can see and feel an improvement. It can be frustrating if you have a bad session but overall I do get a great sense of achievement.

 

Currently follow a strong man lifting regime based around compound lifts such as deadlifts, squat, bench and military press.

 

Also ignore these bloody Men's Health or Muscle & Fitness magazines -  absolute nonsense and do not get sucked into buying ridiculously expensive supplements.

 

 

[Charl91]

1 hour ago, Nugent said:

That used to be a major problem for me, now I go at 7am every morning before work and it's great - gym is quieter, feel more awake at work, and it's nice getting home in the evening and be able to relax rather than having to drag myself to a busy gym in the cold and dark.

 

Would love to go before work, but my gym opens at 7, and I get to work at 7:30 :'(

 

I always go straight after work; I know that if I go home first, I'm never going to be motivated enough to go back.

[Nugent]

29 minutes ago, Charl91 said:

 

Would love to go before work, but my gym opens at 7, and I get to work at 7:30 :'(

 

I always go straight after work; I know that if I go home first, I'm never going to be motivated enough to go back.

 

Ahhh nightmare mate, I use the 'The Gym', which is 24 hour, although I've been at gyms like yours in the past which don't open till 7, which is annoying!