Comeback Workout!

[Shawn]

I need advice in getting back to my workouts, I was an active guy until I depressed last year, in the beginning of my depression I started to overdo exercise, but one day I stopped it all and became sedentary I didn't gain fat but the contrary I lost a lot weight! because I didn't wanted to eat. I was inactive 1 year... and Well now I have two jobs one is mine, and one from another company so it's hard to scheduling gym time, I also tried to increase the meals but I think it's just increasing my belly fat so I feel kind of frustrated. I was thinking in putting the exercise time before job because after it I feel tired and just want to lie down, but before job I think I'm don't having the enough time to do whole routine... I'm not sure what can I do u_u

[LJay]

I am the last one in the world to ask this, but here goes.

Whole routine? Do half of it then. Hpw far do you live from work? Can you walk all or part of the way at least three times a week? Walking half an hour a day is a great thing. If you can't do that, then try for 15 minutes. Didn't you say you are a shopkeeper? Keep e set of dumbells in theback room and use them a little every day, even if it is while you are on the telephone.

Food? Stick to lean meats and fruits and vegetables. Try to cut way back on starches and fatty foods like cheese and ice cream and salad dressings and sweets. Drink water instead of soda and fruit juice.

And, of course, get lots of safe sex.

[MikeW]

I need advice in getting back to my workouts, I was an active guy until I depressed last year, in the beginning of my depression I started to overdo exercise, but one day I stopped it all and became sedentary I didn't gain fat but the contrary I lost a lot weight! because I didn't wanted to eat. I was inactive 1 year... and Well now I have two jobs one is mine, and one from another company so it's hard to scheduling gym time, I also tried to increase the meals but I think it's just increasing my belly fat so I feel kind of frustrated. I was thinking in putting the exercise time before job because after it I feel tired and just want to lie down, but before job I think I'm don't having the enough time to do whole routine... I'm not sure what can I do u_u

I work out four days a week. But I'm semi-retired so I have plenty of time.

There have been times when I've stopped working out for one reason or another. It's always difficult to get back to it. So this is my advice:

First of all, take it easy. Don't expect to start again at the level you left off. You have to build back up to that level. The good news is it will not take as long as it did originally. Muscles 'remember' their previous developed state and very quickly build back up to that state when the demand is made. But begin slowly and gently. Let your body adjust to the new demands.

If you haven't the time to do a full workout, break it up into time slots that you do have. There are different ways to do that. For example, consider the six 'big' (compound) moves: Bench Press, Deadlift, Squat, Shoulder Press and Pullup. That right there is a "full body" workout. One should be able to do a few sets of each in under a half hour. If you went to the gym three days a week, did a few light sets of each, your body would begin to adjust very quickly. In fact, you should aim to do them all as quickly as possible while maintaining good form. (Again, using light weight.)

After a month or so, once your body begins to get used to the idea of being back at the gym, you may find yourself *wanting* to go... and wanting to get up earlier and have a bit more time. Then you may want to work heavier or with more volume. You may want to break up the three days into Uppr body front, Upper body back, and legs (for example).

THE most important thing (IMO) is to do something you enjoy. Whehter it is lifting weights, swimming, riding a bike, playing a sport... doesn't really matter. What matters is to build "activity time" into your life.

[Shawn]

I am the last one in the world to ask this, but here goes.

Whole routine? Do half of it then. Hpw far do you live from work? Can you walk all or part of the way at least three times a week? Walking half an hour a day is a great thing. If you can't do that, then try for 15 minutes. Didn't you say you are a shopkeeper? Keep e set of dumbells in theback room and use them a little every day, even if it is while you are on the telephone.

Food? Stick to lean meats and fruits and vegetables. Try to cut way back on starches and fatty foods like cheese and ice cream and salad dressings and sweets. Drink water instead of soda and fruit juice.

And, of course, get lots of safe sex.

Okay I need to clear the shopkeeper thing, I'm the owner of a e-commerce company, my products are delivered from my home warehouse, meanwhile I getting the budget to buy a building for it (or maybe I'll construct it, I'm still analyzing), and well I have my other job to keep separate budgets, and not use the company ones for me.

I also like running, when I left I was running 8km (5miles) every 2 days in the morning, but in the other job I've to use suit so I don't think that would be a possibility. and well I eat in the other job but I eat what they serve: rice, fried chicken, and soda haha

Yes, I used to drink natural fresh homemade juice... maybe I can take that back

The last point... I don't have a coup... Yes I know that I can... ah forget it.

Maybe if I put more weight in the dumbbells?

[Sylph]

No se como de ayudarte, porque yo no ejercer ni nada.

Solo bailando. A mi música nativa o el reggaeton o algo así.

But you have to understand that weight and exercise affect different people, differently.
And that you may just have to find a more appropriate method for you specifically.

Porqué, haciendo las cosas que otras aquí se hacen, lamentablemente, lo ha una posibilidad de hacerte peor. Si me entiendes.


Probablemente que no debes a comer arroz y pollo frito tan mucho también, por eso podría ser la razón ñ~ñ

[Shawn]

[MENTION=20947]MikeW[/MENTION] Hi legend! "Bench Press, Deadlift, Squat, Shoulder Press and Pullup" I got it, I bought a gym to have it in home, but I think I will go out to watch other people doing exercise to avoid getting bored here.

Well I also like to swim but the olympic pool is far from my home. I think I will choose running.

I think that I will try to wake up more early in the morning to can do the full body.

[matty7]

you don't have to go to a gym to exercise - you can do it at home when it suits you just using things around you - check out body weight exercises on Google - the second entry has 50 things to do anywhere just using your body weight - you can be a s fit as anyone , plus the benefits to your mental health is immeasurable

[Insertnamehere]

For one, you're not going to be at the same place you left off.

You will have to patiently start slow and work your way back up to where you were. Don't get crazy on expectations about what you should be doing.

Start. That's the first mark to hit. Once you start, see how much is good for you over the week. Try 2 days..3 days...start increasing the number of times steadily, but at a suitable pace.

If time is your problem, there is a lot you can do that takes little time, but usually such exercises have to be more intense to be effective (i.e 30 min of cardio kick-boxing will do probably the same as 1 hour on the treadmill, but it is more demanding). There is nothing else you need other than a space in your room and the internet to come up with plenty of exercise routines.

As for tiredness, work, other things, etc, I'm afraid you can't avoid them. Once you get a set pace going on though, you'll find yourself pushing through day by day all the same. At least, that's what I do, and trust me every day there is a whole lot of swearing at how much I don't want to be working out...and then I start.

[TwisttheLeaf]

I'm adding to what [MENTION=20947]MikeW[/MENTION] has already said.

Weight lifting builds muscle, BUT you need cardio exercise to burn fat. That means your belly fat won't go away unless you're doing something cardio (like the running you mentioned choosing).

It's entirely possible to have an 8-pack stomach under a soft layer of fatty belly, so make sure you remember to do your cardio!

[MikeW]

I'm adding to what [MENTION=20947]MikeW[/MENTION] has already said.

Weight lifting builds muscle, BUT you need cardio exercise to burn fat. That means your belly fat won't go away unless you're doing something cardio (like the running you mentioned choosing).

It's entirely possible to have an 8-pack stomach under a soft layer of fatty belly, so make sure you remember to do your cardio!

[MENTION=23908]Shawn[/MENTION] ... I finally have time to comment on [MENTION=20738]TwisttheLeaf[/MENTION]'s post. I'm not going to contradict him, I too believe cardio is important. Where we *may* disagree somewhat is whether or not it contributes significantly to fat loss.

Let me say first off that until about seven years ago (IOW, around age 61) I had no interest in anything 'athletic'. I'd grown up a slender guy... what I would now call "skinny fat" (someone who looked thin but with very little muscle and, in fact, had a relatively high body fat percentage). My young adult weight was around 165lbs. As I got older the eating habits I had as a young man (that is, eating and drinking anything I wanted) didn't change but my metabolism DID change. Consequently, I ended up gaining a LOT of weight. By the time I began working out I, at 5' 10" weighed about 250 lbs. Now I'm under 190 lbs. However, in the past five years, I've gained a lot of muscle. I'm not a huge muscle stud by any means but I'm more muscular now than I've ever been. Muscle weighs more than fat... so my guess is my *ideal* weight (somewhere closer to 10% body fat than I am now) would be around 175 lbs.

When I get interested in something I do a TON of research. I've been researching losing fat and body building for years now. What I discovered is that the truth is FAR more complicated than I could have imagined. So much depends on 1: DIET (a very complex subject in its own right); 2: GENETICS; 3: BODY TYPE (similar to genetics); and finally ENERGY EXPENDITURE (how one metabolizes food/fuel).

There are so many variables within each of those parameters that it is virtually impossible to make over-reaching statements that will be true for everyone.

That said, when it comes to "fat loss" the most important factor (aside from genetics and body type) IS DIET (not whether you do or do not do cardio, or even lift weights for that matter). It is now clearly established by science that if you want to burn fat, you HAVE to be operating in a caloric deficit. What that means is, you have to some idea how much food (calorically) you need to stay the same as you are and THEN live in a state where you consistently (over time) eat LESS than that. Thus, the truth is, unless you have a genetic pre-disposition for being "skinny" (10% body fat or under), you have to EAT LESS than what is "normal" for you... AND that means you *have* to be willing to feel hungry a lot of the time.

This is a generality. The details fill tons of already available books.

I also have to point out that there are different *kinds* of "cardio". Typically, for example, running is what is referred to as "steady state" cardio. That is, you run more or less at the same rate for a given period of time. Lets say you hit the runner's 'zone' and are going at a good clip and can stay that way for 30 minutes or so. How many calories do you believe that burns? Well, of course, it is going to vary somewhat from one individual to another. But the truth is running for a half hour at six miles per hour will burn somewhere between 350 to 575 calories. That may sound like a lot but if you consider that a plain bagel (for example) has 245 calories, it's not that much.

The bottom line here is you can NOT out run a bad diet. If you're overeating (eating in a caloric surplus), you can run for hours and still not loose fat. In fact, you're far more likely to end up putting your body into a catabolic state, thus burning muscle for fuel.

This whole, "what does the body use for fuel," question is huge. So far as I understand it now, we need to think of our bodies as fluid things. At the molecular and cellular levels, our bodies are CONSTANTLY changing, transforming -- even when, and sometimes especially when, we're asleep. It is so complex that, although our science now tells us far more than we've ever known about metabolism, there is still much that we do NOT know.

What we do now are two things: 1) The body is always using a combination of carbohydrates, fats and proteins as fuel. Understand that "using" here means not only physical activity... moving around one way or another. It means all the transformative processes going on inside the body... from thinking and feeling, sensing and perceiving (the brain uses a lot of energy) to all the chemical processes going on inside it. 2) When it comes to physical activity, the body prefers to 'burn' carbohydrates first, fats second and muscle tissue third. THUS... in any activity that we engage in for the purpose of "burning fat" we have to FIRST use up all (or most) of the carbohydrates available. The first to go are the simple carbohydrates: Alcohols and sugars; then the more complex carbohydrates. Only *then* will it begin to burn fats. But the first fats to go are the fats consumed in the diet. It's only after THEY have been used up that the body will reach into its stored fat for fuel.

I think it has been fairly well established scientifically now that so far as 'fat burning' is concerned, interval aerobics are better for this purpose than steady state cardio. Google HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) for example. Rather than running at six miles per hour for half an hour, one can burn the same amount of calories (remember, carbohydrates go first, then dietary fats, then stored fats) running as hard as one can for one minute and then at a moderate pace for one minute, then back to running very fast for one minute.... alternating this 10 to 15 times. Moreover (so far as I understand it) this is less likely to put one in a catabolic (muscle consuming) state.

The bottom line for me is "cardio" (steady-state cardio) is best thought of as a heart conditioning activity. THAT is its primary virtue, not fat burning. ALL activities, including weight lifting, also burn calories. BUT if you want your weight lifting to 'burn fat' it HAS to be performed rapidly. IOW, you get your heart rate up by moving quickly, with very little rest between sets. Twenty seconds at most. THIS builds up a lot of lactic acid in the muscles. You'll feel the 'burn' and this is exactly what you want to both burn fat and build muscle.

Finally, though, the bottom line is diet. Diet is at least 80% of the body transformation process. To build muscle you *have* to be consuming enough calories (and specifically proteins and complex carbs) to fuel and build up muscle tissue. This is why body builders speak in terms of "bulking" and "cutting" phases. They'll eat in a calorie surplus to "bulk" and then, once they've reached a certain point, will cut back their food consumption, continue to workout, but in a caloric deficit, to 'burn off' any accumulated fat. These "cycles" have to be repeated many times over a period of years.

I'm going to leave aside the TRUTH (seldom stated but true none the less) that MOST of the bodybuilders (and models and actors) we see with those amazing "cut" bodies are using Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AASs) or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARMs) or both to build those physiques. MOST are also using some other drugs (such as T3) to "cut" -- get their body fat percentage under 10%.

I'm sure this is way more than you wanted to know but I wanted to chime in on this because it just isn't quite as simple as [MENTION=20738]TwisttheLeaf[/MENTION] has indicated. Yes, cardio has its virtues. If you're trying to build muscle, it is best done AFTER (never before) your weight lifting. Yes, it can contribute to fat loss but it can NOT out run a caloric surplus.