|
4 days in a row of going to the free gym I have at my apartment. Been going there for 1-1.5 hours at a time, then stopping by the pool/jacuzzi for a soak, socializing, and a shower. Been fat all my life and this could finally be my chance of losing it. I've resolved that 205 pounds (at 5'7''), my current weight at age 23, is going to be my the heaviest I'm going to be at my life and have resolved to not gain anymore and lower it.
Still, summer school starts on Monday. Kind of worried that I wont really be able to continue once school starts.
One more thing: as a warmup, I've been cycling on the bike machine for about 30-40 minutes. I do it while watching TV and doing an "evil" level Sudoku puzzle. I stop when I finish the puzzle) and after like 20 minutes and getting off, I've started to feel numbness/"falling asleep" in the groin area. Looked it up online and seems as though it's a common occurrence for cyclists. Does anyone know of a way to make it so that I wouldn't feel numbness when cycling? I've been thinking about getting a pillow or something to sit on while I cycle.
|
I'd suggest looking up some more information about fitness online. We don't know what you're doing at the gym but if you're doing weight training at reasonable intensity then 4 days in a row will most likely just injure you in some way. Rest days are important.
Keep in mind that nutrition is a bigger part of weight loss than exercise. You spend maybe 5% of your week at the gym, but you're eating at least 3 meals a day every single day. You can look up more about this online but the basic rule is a high protein low carb diet.
|
|
|
I do not know about the machine, but with a real bicycle, it is about the height of the handle bars and the saddle. With the handle bar lower than the saddle, and riding the bicycle in a more sporty posture, there is less body weight on the groin and saddle and more in the thighs and feet.
Here are two pictures with the two extremes of posture on a bicycle:
+ Show Spoiler +
|
eat plants and animals
limit carbs to 50-100g / day
imba fat loss
|
On June 24 2011 18:51 Ropid wrote:I do not know about the machine, but with a real bicycle, it is about the height of the handle bars and the saddle. With the handle bar lower than the saddle, and riding the bicycle in a more sporty posture, there is less body weight on the groin and saddle and more in the thighs and feet. Here are two pictures with the two extremes of posture on a bicycle: + Show Spoiler +
it should be the same on a machine.
last summer, i did pretty much the same thing you are doing now except with a real bike. biking about 30km / day in ~2hrs (not that quick). lost a loooottt of weight (went from a size 34 to a 31 in about a month). the pain in the groin area was remedied by adjusting saddle/bar height and really just getting used to it..
|
GL, just little bit jelly of having own gym and jacuzzi... also evil lvl of sudoku :D
You should post pics Before and Now.
|
Working out: Set goals you want to reach.
Push yourself harder but not too hard.
Eventually you won't need those goals anymore. Or maybe you will. I just got rid of scheduling my runs and workouts, I just do how I feel everyday and find it more entertaining that way.
School is no problem, working out will make you more effective in everyday life. You'll understand that if you keep working out and then get sick for a month or so... You'll feel so weak compared to how you were doing.
Warmup: Get out to the wilderness, run through a forest, feel the cool breeze and listen to the birds. Definately won't let you fall asleep. The harder the terrain (if you even go offroad) the more you have to focus.
|
On June 24 2011 18:43 wonderwall wrote:
I'd suggest looking up some more information about fitness online. We don't know what you're doing at the gym but if you're doing weight training at reasonable intensity then 4 days in a row will most likely just injure you in some way. Rest days are important.
Keep in mind that nutrition is a bigger part of weight loss than exercise. You spend maybe 5% of your week at the gym, but you're eating at least 3 meals a day every single day. You can look up more about this online but the basic rule is a high protein low carb diet.
Workout has pretty much gone like this for the past couple of days:
Day 1: Running and Cycling.
Day 2: Cycling warmup. 3 sets of Bench presses, 3 sets of bicep curls, 3 sets of crunches. Then more running.
Day 3: Cycling: warmup. 3 sets of shoulder lifts, 3 sets of... I don't know what you call it, but when you lean one arm and leg on a bench and one leg on the floor and lift a weight off the floor with your remaining arm. 3 sets of crunches. Running.
Day 4: Same as Day 2.
As you can see, Weight training is VERY light right now, just want to get into the habit of doing it so I can actually do it every day with only LIGHT soreness. Starting with Day 6, I'm going to increase the number of sets. Not set schedule for increasing weights, I'll do it as I need it.
On June 24 2011 19:48 misclick wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2011 18:51 Ropid wrote:I do not know about the machine, but with a real bicycle, it is about the height of the handle bars and the saddle. With the handle bar lower than the saddle, and riding the bicycle in a more sporty posture, there is less body weight on the groin and saddle and more in the thighs and feet. Here are two pictures with the two extremes of posture on a bicycle: + Show Spoiler + it should be the same on a machine. last summer, i did pretty much the same thing you are doing now except with a real bike. biking about 30km / day in ~2hrs (not that quick). lost a loooottt of weight (went from a size 34 to a 31 in about a month). the pain in the groin area was remedied by adjusting saddle/bar height and really just getting used to it..
Machine is the type with a back on it. i.e. the type you lean back on, not sit upright.
|
if you have enough brain power to be watching something or doing a sudoku puzzle, you're not biking hard enough. always gotta be focused. having your mind elsewhere will only slow down your progress
Try turning what you have now, into pyramid sets while supersetting.
so say for day 2:
10x bench press
10x squat
10x bench press
10x squat
-increase the weight- 8x bench press
10x squat
1 more time
-increase the weight- 5x bench press
10x squat
essentially, just throw in a set of squats/pushup/manmaker/v-ups between every set and dont take a break between them. this will strengthen your heart quite a bit too in the process.
You're arms will be resting while you legs are working. This will also force your heart to pump blood through the entire body rather than concentrating it to the arms only.
|
Don't push yourself too hard on one session. It is much more important that you continue exercising regularly. It's really common for people to start training hard, get burned out, and then stop all together. Don't even think about it, just keep stepping out the door to the gym. If you think about it there are too many reasons you can convince yourself that today isn't the day for exercising.
|
On June 24 2011 18:43 wonderwall wrote:
I'd suggest looking up some more information about fitness online. We don't know what you're doing at the gym but if you're doing weight training at reasonable intensity then 4 days in a row will most likely just injure you in some way. Rest days are important.
If you properly cycle through targeting different muscle groups and doing different kinds of exercises, this isn't necessarily true. It's just that doing the same exercise or working the same muscle in the same way every day will cause too much strain on it and possibly injure it.
|
Some EASY changes to your diet will also help you lose weight and keep it off even when your workouts slow down.- Cut out snacking. (if you find yourself opening the cupboard for a snack, simply close the door and get a drink of water instead)
- Don't take seconds for meals.
- Recognize what are carbohydrates and eat less of them. (if it was made with a potato, bread, or flour, don't eat it)
- Stick to vegetables and meat.
|
On June 24 2011 21:26 ProjectVirtue wrote:
Try turning what you have now, into pyramid sets while supersetting.
I would not recommend super-setting to a beginner. When I say super-set is when I pick two exercises and do them back to back with little to no rest in between which is not really something someone getting back into it would want to do.
There are tons of lifting strategies out there, just need to research them.
As far as losing weight through cardio is concerned, sitting on the bike for 30 minutes at a comfortable pace is a huge waste of time. Look up and learn the concept of intervals where essentially you go all out for 30 seconds, then slow it down/rest for 30 seconds on and off. Doing that for 10 minutes goes a lot farther than biking at a constant easy pace for an hour. It's also a lot more entertaining. I can't stand people at the gym that sit on the bikes/treadmill/stepper for an hour at a slow pace, because I know they are getting a subpar workout.
Also, knock off the TV watching and playing Sudoku while working out. If you can do a Sudoku puzzle then you aren't giving it your all. Understandably you need to start out at your own pace to get in the groove of things but eventually you're going to need to get serious if you ever want to reach your goals.
On June 24 2011 23:26 TheGiz wrote:Some EASY changes to your diet will also help you lose weight and keep it off even when your workouts slow down. - Cut out snacking. (if you find yourself opening the cupboard for a snack, simply close the door and get a drink of water instead)
- Don't take seconds for meals.
- Recognize what are carbohydrates and eat less of them. (if it was made with a potato, bread, or flour, don't eat it)
- Stick to vegetables and meat.
Snacking is actually a great way to lose weight. Instead of eating 2-3 large meals a day, cutting down to 4-5 small meals forces your metabolism to work more which in turn will burn more weight.
|
On June 25 2011 02:15 Horuku wrote:
Snacking is actually a great way to lose weight. Instead of eating 2-3 large meals a day, cutting down to 4-5 small meals forces your metabolism to work more which in turn will burn more weight.
The thing is that most fat people snack in addition to eating 3 meals a day. These are not disciplined people we're talking about here who will turn their hamburger lunch into two muffins throughout the afternoon. I'm talking about the guy that has the hamburger and eats two muffins. Yes, the muffins are healthier, but if you eliminate them you eliminate the calories that they add to your daily intake.
Same thing goes for people who have dinner then go out to the bar and eat wings and drink beer. The beer is bad enough, but you're eating chicken wings when you already had a meal.
I used to have a cookie every time I walked through the kitchen when I was 9 years old, and I was overweight because of it. Now I open the cupboard, say 'nuh-uh' and go for a glass of water instead. As a result my weight is pretty stable.
|
|
|
That topic seems too big and I feel my story would get lost in the shuffle. I like that blogs are more personal and I can get direct feedback.
|
Day 5: Slipped a bit today. Some stuff went down like me forgetting some stuff at home and having to go back. Could only cycle today, which sucks. Had to make some adjustments to cycling as well. Bought a seat cushion today that might help with the circulation. I didn't feel the numbness in my groin today, or at least not to the degree of the past 2 days. Had some height problems though, as my knees almost touched the handlebars with the cushion under me.
|
Day 6: Getting back up there. Now I was able to do my weight training, but didn't have enough time to run afterward. 7:30 seems to be a good enough time to finish by like 9:40 and then have enough time to go to the pool/jacuzzi afterward (both close at 10). Went at 8 today.
One more day and I'll have gone for a full week. Yay.
|
Day 7:
Bah, momentum is definitely slipping. Fucking 8AM Summer Class is really messing up my schedule. Had some kind of allergies on Sunday, so the drowsiness that resulted kept me from going. Yesterday I was just really tired in the middle of the day due to the 8AM Summer class and took a nap and I woke up after the gym had closed. Managed to make it late today and at the very least got some cycling in.
Really need to start adjusting to Summer School schedule.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT![[image loading]](http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bike_fit1sideview.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://munfitnessblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/correct-riding-bike-posture.jpg)
