Any fitness gurus here?

[daltron]

If you experience joint pain and want to try a fat supplement (fish oil) then I'd look at GNC. They sell a brand of fish oil that has EPA, DHA and ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid) which is all the major Omega 3 fats. Also check the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3. It should be a small ratio...less than 4:1 (the lower the better)

Again, I recommend staying off of supplements until you've made good habits of eating well. They are called "supplements" for that reason...they supplement the food you eat. You can't expect them to work well if you don't already have a solid food plan.

Make sure you pay attention to the fish oil label. People often see "x grams of fish oil" and think awesome, but in reality the important numbers are EPA and DHA. I think you reversed your ratio, you want more omega 3's not less. Omega 6 can lead to inflammation.

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[Evolvd]

Nope, I said it right, you want less than a 4:1 ratio, and the lower that ratio the better. So less Omega 6 and more Omega 3 ;)

 

[Shark77]

Since weight loss is just calorie deficit, find exercises that you enjoy that can maximize that. For me, I hop on a $250 spin bike 5 to 6 times a week for 45 mins and then do some various body weight exercises afterwards. The thing to look out for when you exercise is that you'll want to eat more. Make sure you don't eat all that workout up.

 

[PamAndJim]

OK, some observations after day 1:
- I drastically over estimated the equipment at the gym. They literally have 4 weight machines - leg curl, leg extension, a crunch machine and some sort of seated row thing. They do have one of those squat/bench racks that I can use. They also have various dumb bells. Overall I'll just have to be a little more creative.
- I had just enough time to do 5 minutes of warm up in the bike and 4 exercises (I did a set of 15 and three sets of 10 each, increasing the weight with each set). I may try 15, 12, 10, 8 and bump the weight up a little more with each set.
- walking up the stairs to put my daughter to bed tonight was a challenge. I'm sure tomorrow will be a blast

 

[NowInSixth]

Are your workout goals just to lose weight? Being specific would probably help a lot of guys customize something for you that would help more.

 

[Evolvd]

OK, some observations after day 1:
- I drastically over estimated the equipment at the gym. They literally have 4 weight machines - leg curl, leg extension, a crunch machine and some sort of seated row thing. They do have one of those squat/bench racks that I can use. They also have various dumb bells. Overall I'll just have to be a little more creative.
- I had just enough time to do 5 minutes of warm up in the bike and 4 exercises (I did a set of 15 and three sets of 10 each, increasing the weight with each set). I may try 15, 12, 10, 8 and bump the weight up a little more with each set.
- walking up the stairs to put my daughter to bed tonight was a challenge. I'm sure tomorrow will be a blast

Not a bad start. Try to extend your warm ups to at least 10 minutes and do a cool down. Cramps and muscle soreness can be significantly reduced with a proper warm up and cool down and don't forget to stretch!

Don't worry about trying to figure out a set work out plan. Try to hit every major muscle group at least twice a week and give each group 48 hours of rest before you work it again. (Except for core exercises, you can do those every day). The trick to faster results is to keep your body guessing about what damage you're going to do to it...vary your routine and don't stick to a specific regimen for more than 8 weeks or your body will adapt and you'll plateau.

 

[Nick]

I've been foam rolling before every workout and before/after leg workouts. Greatly reduced my soreness and recovery. Anybody else foam rolling?

 

[Evolvd]

I do but only after workouts. I was told by a physical therapist not to do it until the muscles were loose and warm from working out.

 

[daltron]

The trick to faster results is to keep your body guessing about what damage you're going to do to it...vary your routine and don't stick to a specific regimen for more than 8 weeks or your body will adapt and you'll plateau.

Eh that's way too general of a statement. Too many variables like the lifting age (beginner, vet, advanced, etc), loading parameters, sets/reps, technique, goals (fat loss, hypertrophy, strength), etc.

If anything people probably vary their training too much. A good program will vary the sets and reps based on loading intensity and should allow someone to progress for at least 3 months unless it's a specialized program for a seasoned lifter.

A beginner just really needs to focus on the basic compound lifts and technique proficiency. All their gains at first are going to be from training the central nervous system, not gaining muscle. After that initial phase then they can branch out a little. Once they get the hang of lifting Chad Waterbury's "10x3 for fat loss" program is great, too. It allowed me to drop some needed pounds during a college football offseason training break. I just wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.

 

[Evolvd]

However for the beginner this is the best time to make huge gains. Finding variation and trying new movements or exercises help to combat boredom and reduce the chances of giving up too early (as typically happens to folks who are new to working out)

 

[daltron]

However for the beginner this is the best time to make huge gains.

Those gains are purely from the central nervous system, not muscle growth. Sticking to compound movements with the right choice of isolation exercises will provide the most bang for the buck and strength increases. Nothing helps boredom like dramatically raising your squat or deadlift. Too much variation to combat training ADD won't produce much at all. The body needs to learn to use its muscles before it can build them up.

 

[Shouldhavegotthegt]

Eh that's way too general of a statement. Too many variables like the lifting age (beginner, vet, advanced, etc), loading parameters, sets/reps, technique, goals (fat loss, hypertrophy, strength), etc.

If anything people probably vary their training too much. A good program will vary the sets and reps based on loading intensity and should allow someone to progress for at least 3 months unless it's a specialized program for a seasoned lifter.

A beginner just really needs to focus on the basic compound lifts and technique proficiency. All their gains at first are going to be from training the central nervous system, not gaining muscle. After that initial phase then they can branch out a little. Once they get the hang of lifting Chad Waterbury's "10x3 for fat loss" program is great, too. It allowed me to drop some needed pounds during a college football offseason training break. I just wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.

Good advice there. Beginners can just about anything and see results. Going from do nothing to something is an improvement. Ease in and build up. No need to vary workouts too much. That's more for advanced lifters that are in plateaus.

Consistency is key. That's trick. Stick to it. Day after day, week after week, year after year. That's it. It's a lifestyle change. There are no short cuts its just putting in the work.

 

[Evolvd]

I don't recall saying anyone who's starting out should be varying their program right away. I do recall saying pick a regimen and try it for 8 weeks. If you stop seeing results, change it up.

And I disagree with the muscle growth comment as beginners can see an increase in muscle mass within 30-45 days, proven by science and biometric testing.

 

[daltron]

I don't recall saying anyone who's starting out should be varying their program right away. I do recall saying pick a regimen and try it for 8 weeks. If you stop seeing results, change it up.

And I disagree with the muscle growth comment as beginners can see an increase in muscle mass within 30-45 days, proven by science and biometric testing.

You said specifically don't stick to the same regimen for more than 8 weeks. Adding another month is fine, and most good beginner programs can last significantly longer than 8 weeks. Starting Strength is a great example of that by Mark Rippetoe. The majority of any muscular gains a beginner sees will also happen after the CNS adapts, not before. The muscle can't experience optimal growth if the body can't even properly use the majority of the muscle it already has.

Bottom line is, a beginner should find a good, proven program (5/3/1 for beginners, Starting Strength, etc) and stick it for the prescribed duration and not worry about hitting strength or size goals on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

 

[Evolvd]

Potato potato

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