Training Regimes

[Comrade 86]

Xmas paunch has failed to shift this year so been thinking about get back into training. Ideally I'd have liked to do some team sports but I'm probably too fragile for rugby and definitely too slow for football these days. Played 5-a-side not too long back on a pitch no bigger than two tennis courts and nearly blacked out after 10 mins - also had astro turf burns a foot long on both legs! Boxing and martial arts a definite no-no as am already punchy as fook, though would love to spar as not much gets you fitter quicker. That said, I'm not much of a gym rat these days so struggling for viable options.

What do you folk do for exercise? Pretty sure I saw @Spanish had qualified for something at national level recently (athletics?) which is super cool. Anyone else amongst us forumites still playing sports at a decent level or in training to do so? Was banging out 200 - 400 press-ups daily in 100 reps until a couple of years back. Nearly collapsed after 20 last night so got to stop the rot somehow.

Anyone found any good bodyweight type workouts worth having a look at? Apart from increasingly irregular sex and ever more regular powerwa*nks, I've kind of lapsed into physical apathy so I figure I need to be doing something for general strength, heart and lungs. Friend who's super-buff told me free weights increase bone density which matters as you get older so might invest in a rack for home. @Norman pretty sure you mentioned you train regularly - what works? Anyone got any advice on what else is out there in terms of general regimes that are worth considering and do the forum fitness gurus amongst you think diet is important beyond the obvious stuff? I eat sensibly (I think) and pretty much always cook fresh food but I'm thinking swapping red meat for fish some of the time might be good?

Cheers.

[Norman]

Free weights are immense. So much better than any machine at a gym.

Chest and triceps Monday, back and biceps Wednesday, legs and shoulders Friday.

Maximum of an hour each session. Eat cleanish. Need to get about 150g of protein in on lifting days. 100g on the other days. 8 hours sleep a night, or 8 hours on lifting days if you can.

Fish is good. Tuna is brilliant. Odd protein drink to help with getting protein in, also helps skip the odd meal. 

The more muscle you have, the quicker you burn fat. When youve worked up the weight a bit, you'll notice you can eat quite a lot of poo without gaining weight.

I'm 5'9, 14 stone 4lbs. Lift 155kg bench, 225kg deadlift, 175kg squat. 

And i eat ian incredible amount of poo without gaining weight. Talking 4 packets of crisps everyday. At least 2 chocolate bars etc.

Also, if you get a barbell, you can do proper deadlifts. Immense for muscle building, but also makes your heart go into very high bpms. Meaning it is generally better than going for a run. Stimulates nearly every muscle in your body too.

I do everything at home. No machine. Just a bench, free weights, barbell and a squat rack. Probably cost me 200 quid in total. Never been to a gym unless on holiday. 

Best decision of your life when you get in the routine.

[Anag Ram]

7 hours ago, 86 points said:

Xmas paunch has failed to shift this year so been thinking about get back into training. Ideally I'd have liked to do some team sports but I'm probably too fragile for rugby and definitely too slow for football these days. Played 5-a-side not too long back on a pitch no bigger than two tennis courts and nearly blacked out after 10 mins - also had astro turf burns a foot long on both legs! Boxing and martial arts a definite no-no as am already punchy as fook, though would love to spar as not much gets you fitter quicker. That said, I'm not much of a gym rat these days so struggling for viable options.

What do you folk do for exercise? Pretty sure I saw @Spanish had qualified for something at national level recently (athletics?) which is super cool. Anyone else amongst us forumites still playing sports at a decent level or in training to do so? Was banging out 200 - 400 press-ups daily in 100 reps until a couple of years back. Nearly collapsed after 20 last night so got to stop the rot somehow.

Anyone found any good bodyweight type workouts worth having a look at? Apart from increasingly irregular sex and ever more regular powerwa*nks, I've kind of lapsed into physical apathy so I figure I need to be doing something for general strength, heart and lungs. Friend who's super-buff told me free weights increase bone density which matters as you get older so might invest in a rack for home. @Norman pretty sure you mentioned you train regularly - what works? Anyone got any advice on what else is out there in terms of general regimes that are worth considering and do the forum fitness gurus amongst you think diet is important beyond the obvious stuff? I eat sensibly (I think) and pretty much always cook fresh food but I'm thinking swapping red meat for fish some of the time might be good?

Cheers.

I think your issue might be the word ‘regime’.

I get your frustration at not being able to do the things you used to but you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. 

If you can fit press-ups and sit-ups into your day, great. Don’t worry how many. 

If you can fit in a jog or a swim, even better.

Free weights will help body tone, but you need aerobic exercise too. You will feel so much better.

Find a challenge - a walk, run, cycle or swim for example that seems out of reach but needs training for. Book it so you have a commitment.

Reward yourself with a smile when you have exercised. Don’t get hung up on what you haven’t achieved.

Oh, and good luck!

[Parsnip]

If I lived in Derby I'd be a full time Crossfit banker. Crossfit Deviant is brilliant and will get you in the best shape of your life very quickly.

[McRamFan]

Depending on the results you want, look to weightlifting, if you want to increase strength and mussle mass, and high intensity cardio, to help burn the fat.

Weightlifting, will not help in weight loss, as you burn less calories, than you do with cardio, the fat you burn will convert to muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.  Plus you have to load with protein, when weightlifting, otherwise you will damage your muscles/joints/connective tissues.

Either way it takes time, as you have to either reduce cal intact or increase workrate, the hard bit is eating extra as you will bet hungry when you exercise more. 

Also don't forget hydration, there is a theory that if you drink a pint of water before a meal, you will eat less and the meal will digest quicker.

[Day]

10 minutes ago, McRamFan said:

muscle weighs more than fat

What weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of stones?

Muscle is more dense than fat, takes up less space, but doesn’t weigh more.

[TigerTedd]

I’ve started since January, after a year of ill health. 

I got given a book by the army about 5 years ago that has 3x 12 week regimes in it. I’m in week 11 of the first regime so far. It’s a mix of high intensity circuits, steady state long runs, and sprint training 4 times a week. Ultimately the target is to pass an army personal fitness assessment. 40 press ups in 2 mins, 60 sit ups in 2 mins, a mile and a half in 10.5 mins. 

I’ve never passed the PFA cos of the run. I can smash out the rest. 

This has definitely improved me, the final test is scheduled for a PFA next Tuesday. But when I started I was miles off, 15 mins for a mile and a half, and I was absolutely blowing. 

Yeasterday I did 4.5 miles in 45 mins (same pace, but 3 times as far). 

‘I really regret doing that workout, said nobody ever.’ I like that quote, and it’s totally true. It can sometimes take a lot to get out there, and when you’re out there you feel like you’re going to die and want to stop, but when you’re done, you feel really good, and pleased with yourself. 

Coincidentally, at the same time my village started a running club, that I get involved with when it syncs with my regime. 

Theyre all doing the couch to 5k from the NHS, and it’s had some great results there. 

It might not make you an adonis overnight, but it’s a good way to get into regular cardio and break you in easy. 

Weve all now entered the local 5k in May, which will be the first time I’ve ever done any kind of organised run / race. I’m quite excited. 

[McRamFan]

3 minutes ago, David said:

What weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of stones?

Muscle is more dense than fat, takes up less space, but doesn’t weigh more.

Correct, I was being lazy, it's Sunday.

[Comrade 86]

5 hours ago, Anag Ram said:

I think your issue might be the word ‘regime’.

I get your frustration at not being able to do the things you used to but you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. 

If you can fit press-ups and sit-ups into your day, great. Don’t worry how many. 

If you can fit in a jog or a swim, even better.

Free weights will help body tone, but you need aerobic exercise too. You will feel so much better.

Find a challenge - a walk, run, cycle or swim for example that seems out of reach but needs training for. Book it so you have a commitment.

Reward yourself with a smile when you have exercised. Don’t get hung up on what you haven’t achieved.

Oh, and good luck!

Swimming! That's the one. So obvious yet I never even thought of it. I can swim about 70 metres really quickly, then I basically drown. Must therefore be good exercise!

[Comrade 86]

@Norman cheers mate. That's really helpful and concise enough for me to take onboard.

And155KG!!! That's some serious iron there mate! Over 70 lbs more than I ever lifted, even when I was in shape.

By the way, all that mean stuff I said to you... I didn't really mean it ?

[Comrade 86]

4 hours ago, Parsnip said:

If I lived in Derby I'd be a full time Crossfit banker. Crossfit Deviant is brilliant and will get you in the best shape of your life very quickly.

Ah, when I was living in Cape Town all my Saffer buds were into crossfit. No idea what it is mind! Will have a peep. Thanks.

[DarkFruitsRam7]

12 hours ago, Norman said:

Poids libres sont immenses Free weights are immense Free weights are immense. So much better than any machine at a gym.

Chest and triceps Monday, back and biceps Wednesday, legs and shoulders Friday.

Maximum of an hour each session. Eat cleanish. Need to get about 150g of protein in on lifting days. 100g on the other days. 8 hours sleep a night, or 8 hours on lifting days if you can.

Fish is good. Tuna is brilliant. Odd protein drink to help with getting protein in, also helps skip the odd meal. 

The more muscle you have, the quicker you burn fat. When youve worked up the weight a bit, you'll notice you can eat quite a lot of poo without gaining weight.

I'm 5'9, 14 stone 4lbs. Lift 155kg bench, 225kg deadlift, 175kg squat. 

And i eat ian incredible amount of poo without gaining weight. Talking 4 packets of crisps everyday. At least 2 chocolate bars etc.

Also, if you get a barbell, you can do proper deadlifts. Immense for muscle building, but also makes your heart go into very high bpms. Meaning it is generally better than going for a run. Stimulates nearly every muscle in your body too.

I do everything at home. No machine. Just a bench, free weights, barbell and a squat rack. Probably cost me 200 quid in total. Never been to a gym unless on holiday. 

Best decision of your life when you get in the routine.

I'm about 5'11 but not even 10 stone.  I've started going to the gym about 4/5 times a week, doing separate days for chest, shoulders, back and arms.  I do about ten exercises on each workout, 3 x 8-12 reps. I enjoy it but I'm not expecting to see huge differences because of my genetics.

If I wanted to, I could eat a meal every two hours. Even if I did that without exercise, I don't think I'd get fat, as my metabolism is ridiculously fast. Because I'm a skint uni student, I can't afford to eat as much as I possibly can so I make do with cereal before a workout (05:30), a fry up afterwards (08:00), a tin of tuna (10:30), lunch (usually chicken breast and rice, 13:00) and tea (reasonably healthy, average-sized portions of uni food 17:30). 

Have you got any tips that might help me? I appreciate that you're a completely different build to me, but you clearly know what you're on about.

[Comrade 86]

18 minutes ago, BurtonRam7 said:

Because I'm a skint uni student, I can't afford to eat as much as I possibly can so I make do with cereal before a workout (05:30), a fry up afterwards (08:00), a tin of tuna (10:30), lunch (usually chicken breast and rice, 13:00) and tea (reasonably healthy, average-sized portions of uni food 17:30). 

....who can afford cereal, a fry up, a chicken breast and tea, EVERY DAY!!!!! WTF is wrong with SuperNoodles ya posh git? 

 

[TigerTedd]

1 hour ago, 86 points said:

....who can afford cereal, a fry up, a chicken breast and tea, EVERY DAY!!!!! WTF is wrong with SuperNoodles ya posh git? 

 

I once lived off a big Costco box of nice and spicy nik naks, and a box of knock off cash and carry malborough lights for two weeks while I was a student.

I tell a lie, after a week I went a bit mental, smashed open my piggy bank, and paid for a curry mix and a battered sausage with pennies. 

[Comrade 86]

3 hours ago, McRamFan said:

Depending on the results you want, look to weightlifting, if you want to increase strength and mussle mass, and high intensity cardio, to help burn the fat.

Weightlifting, will not help in weight loss, as you burn less calories, than you do with cardio, the fat you burn will convert to muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.  Plus you have to load with protein, when weightlifting, otherwise you will damage your muscles/joints/connective tissues.

Either way it takes time, as you have to either reduce cal intact or increase workrate, the hard bit is eating extra as you will bet hungry when you exercise more. 

Also don't forget hydration, there is a theory that if you drink a pint of water before a meal, you will eat less and the meal will digest quicker.

Thanks mate - all makes sense.

[Comrade 86]

3 hours ago, TigerTedd said:

‘I really regret doing that workout, said nobody ever.’

Good work Ted! I suppose having some predefined targets is probably a good thing. Hadn't really considered that to be honest.

 

[Norman]

4 hours ago, BurtonRam7 said:

I'm about 5'11 but not even 10 stone.  I've started going to the gym about 4/5 times a week, doing separate days for chest, shoulders, back and arms.  I do about ten exercises on each workout, 3 x 8-12 reps. I enjoy it but I'm not expecting to see huge differences because of my genetics.

If I wanted to, I could eat a meal every two hours. Even if I did that without exercise, I don't think I'd get fat, as my metabolism is ridiculously fast. Because I'm a skint uni student, I can't afford to eat as much as I possibly can so I make do with cereal before a workout (05:30), a fry up afterwards (08:00), a tin of tuna (10:30), lunch (usually chicken breast and rice, 13:00) and tea (reasonably healthy, average-sized portions of uni food 17:30). 

Have you got any tips that might help me? I appreciate that you're a completely different build to me, but you clearly know what you're on about.

Just keep doing what you are doing. If anything, ten exercises per workout is too much.

For instance, my chest and tricep day includes bench press, close grip bench press, skull crushers and dips. Followed by heavy paused bench press reps.

So only 5 exercises.

Just keep going up in weight you lift. If you aren't, eat more at night. Cereal, drink milk etc. 

The more weight you lift, the bigger you get. Simple as that. If you can't lift any heavier week after week, start eating fat at night.

And don't be scared to add fat on your tummy. 1/3 of every lb you put on is muscle. It's easily lost again. The muscle will remain of done right.

[DarkFruitsRam7]

30 minutes ago, Norman said:

Just keep doing what you are doing. If anything, ten exercises per workout is too much.

For instance, my chest and tricep day includes bench press, close grip bench press, skull crushers and dips. Followed by heavy paused bench press reps.

So only 5 exercises.

Just keep going up in weight you lift. If you aren't, eat more at night. Cereal, drink milk etc. 

The more weight you lift, the bigger you get. Simple as that. If you can't lift any heavier week after week, start eating fat at night.

And don't be scared to add fat on your tummy. 1/3 of every lb you put on is muscle. It's easily lost again. The muscle will remain of done right.

Thanks mate. The good thing is, I do quite frequently increase the weight I’m lifting, so there’s clearly progress in that sense.

I do get hungry before bed and I think I will start planning so I have something to eat at about 9pm. Perhaps after my next student loan comes in at the end of next month.

As for drinking milk, see my latest post in the ‘Unpopular Opinions’ thread in The Pub to see what I think of it!

 

[therealhantsram]

5 hours ago, 86 points said:

....who can afford cereal, a fry up, a chicken breast and tea, EVERY DAY!!!!! WTF is wrong with SuperNoodles ya posh git? 

 

Forget that. It's the bit about breakfast at 5.30 that blew my mind. When I was at uni, no one Could even make a 9am lecture! 

[Coneheadjohn]

I have Map my Run on my phone which gives me 3 runs a week of between 2 and 6 miles with some intervals.

Gym is whole body 3 or 4 times a week with just basic exercises and compound movements.

Squats,deadlifts,overhead press,bench press,press ups,dips and pull-ups (not many☹️) bent over rowing,planks.

Then I’ve got into this functional stuff,farmers walks,flipping a tyre,sledge push and pull.

I usually do 6 exercises a workout and change them each time.

I just try different stuff off YouTube.

I want to start doing these Turkish get ups,but I think it might be more like a Turkish fall down.