Blonde will make thin ....Here we go again !

[sovietsong]

Thanks for your help, I'm working with limited equipment & will only be using weights once or twice a week. I guess I'm just looking for a good all round work out (without a gym membership/loads of equipment) to compliment the cardio I'm doing.

[Patonius2000]

Thanks for your help, I'm working with limited equipment & will only be using weights once or twice a week. I guess I'm just looking for a good all round work out (without a gym membership/loads of equipment) to compliment the cardio I'm doing.

What equipment do you have? It's quite difficult to advise because your weights at home might be too light, for example, thus rendering your workout pointless (besides the extra cardio). It sounds like you aren't going to hit every muscle group (guess you can't do legs with your home equipment?) with a twice a week program.

Also it depends on what your goals are. Most people either want to Lose weight/fat or Gain weight/lean muscle. Work out what you want to achieve and then create a plan that you will be able to stick to. Doing two days a week isn't ideal but it's workable if you can set out your goals and follow a specific plan week in week out.

General advise would be to focus on lifting heavy and with good form. Know what muscles you are stimulating with each exercise. If the wrong muscle feels tired then your form is poor so lift lighter and work on your form. Hit failure. Record your lifts.

[sovietsong]

Thanks for your help, I'm working with limited equipment & will only be using weights once or twice a week. I guess I'm just looking for a good all round work out (without a gym membership/loads of equipment) to compliment the cardio I'm doing.

What equipment do you have? It's quite difficult to advise because your weights at home might be too light, for example, thus rendering your workout pointless (besides the extra cardio). It sounds like you aren't going to hit every muscle group (guess you can't do legs with your home equipment?) with a twice a week program.

Also it depends on what your goals are. Most people either want to Lose weight/fat or Gain weight/lean muscle. Work out what you want to achieve and then create a plan that you will be able to stick to. Doing two days a week isn't ideal but it's workable if you can set out your goals and follow a specific plan week in week out.

General advise would be to focus on lifting heavy and with good form. Know what muscles you are stimulating with each exercise. If the wrong muscle feels tired then your form is poor so lift lighter and work on your form. Hit failure. Record your lifts.

My main goal is weight loss.  I am currently cycling to & from work everyday, playing 7 a side football once a week (normally 90mins) & trying to walk for a couple of hours on top.  
  
I started this process at 18st 8lbs & need to get to 13st 8lbs for a bet I've had at work (need to achieve the target at any point in 2012), I'm currently at 16st 3lbs.  I thought adding a small weight routine to the exercise I'm already doing was a good idea to keep things varied.

I guess I'm not looking for miracles but just would like to know if I can make any simple amendments to improve what I'm doing without buying loads of stuff.  I won't be joining a gym for example.  

I currently have a set of dumb bells & a bar.  I have a chair that reclines & a stool.  

[craigbetts]

Soviet - no equipment, no problem. Bodyweight circuit for the win, legs can be included in the form of lunges, squats and an exercise known as gun drills (like a cross between a lunge and a skip). There's loads of good bodyweight routines on you tube. Good luck in achieving your target.

[sovietsong]

Soviet - no equipment, no problem. Bodyweight circuit for the win, legs can be included in the form of lunges, squats and an exercise known as gun drills (like a cross between a lunge and a skip). There's loads of good bodyweight routines on you tube. Good luck in achieving your target.

Thank you mate.  will defo have a peep.

[Patonius2000]

Thanks for your help, I'm working with limited equipment & will only be using weights once or twice a week. I guess I'm just looking for a good all round work out (without a gym membership/loads of equipment) to compliment the cardio I'm doing.

What equipment do you have? It's quite difficult to advise because your weights at home might be too light, for example, thus rendering your workout pointless (besides the extra cardio). It sounds like you aren't going to hit every muscle group (guess you can't do legs with your home equipment?) with a twice a week program.

Also it depends on what your goals are. Most people either want to Lose weight/fat or Gain weight/lean muscle. Work out what you want to achieve and then create a plan that you will be able to stick to. Doing two days a week isn't ideal but it's workable if you can set out your goals and follow a specific plan week in week out.

General advise would be to focus on lifting heavy and with good form. Know what muscles you are stimulating with each exercise. If the wrong muscle feels tired then your form is poor so lift lighter and work on your form. Hit failure. Record your lifts.

My main goal is weight loss.  I am currently cycling to & from work everyday, playing 7 a side football once a week (normally 90mins) & trying to walk for a couple of hours on top.  
  
I started this process at 18st 8lbs & need to get to 13st 8lbs for a bet I've had at work (need to achieve the target at any point in 2012), I'm currently at 16st 3lbs.  I thought adding a small weight routine to the exercise I'm already doing was a good idea to keep things varied.

I guess I'm not looking for miracles but just would like to know if I can make any simple amendments to improve what I'm doing without buying loads of stuff.  I won't be joining a gym for example.  

I currently have a set of dumb bells & a bar.  I have a chair that reclines & a stool.  

OK this is great, so you need to lose 37lbs by the end of the year. Your focus should be on cardio, diet and eating at a caloric deficit. If you aren't bothered about losing a bit of muscle then weight training is unnecessary. Work out your base metabolic rate http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ and your tdee http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html.

Next, get an idea of the number of calories you need to burn to create a healthy deficit. This is personal but I never go much higher than 1000cal deficit because I feel like shit, and I need enough energy to do weights so I can maintain muscle.

As an example;
3500cal = 1lb body fat. If your tdee is 2700cal, try and consume no more than 2000cal daily.

Do this for a week and you create a deficit of 4900cal a week, which = ~1.5lb per week. 37/1.5 = 25 weeks. You will hit your goal just in time for the xmas binge!

In reality you will probably lose more than this per week with a 4900 deficit because you will inevitably lose a little bit of muscle. Most pro bodybuilders' aim simply to maintain muscle when they're cutting so losing some is perfectly normal. Also remember that weight loss isn't linear, don't get derailed if you don't lose any weight one week. If you haven't lost anything for 3 week then you're probably doing it wrong though.

This might be a lot to take in, but get you diet sorted and you can't really fail to reach your goal. I don't count calories because I'm not on a weight target and it's a pain in the ass. But I don't binge eat and tend to eat the same things all the time so I have a good ballpark idea of my daily calories.


 

[EvilPie]

Did my push up vid tonight but it's upside down and I can't figure out how to turn it around.

Will post as soon as I can sort it.

100's going to be very tough but I definitely think I can do it by August 23rd.

[iRaise]

I've decided to add a small weights routine into my weekly exercise.  Nothing major as I'm still focusing on cardio but feel that its good to mix things up & lots of people have told me its a good idea.  

Today was my first go.  I am just using dumb bells so obv not going to be that varied but I did the following & would love to get the input from the Evil Pie on ways I can add/improve without getting loads of equipment or a gym membership.

Hammer curls 12 x 3 sets

Incline Chest Presses 12 x 3 sets (using my reclining chair!)

Lateral Raises 12 x 3 sets

Upright Rows 12 x 3 sets

Plan to do something once or twice a week to compliment by bike riding/walking.  I guess I've just done things I that are easy or I had seen before.

What are your long term goals?

Ideally you want to work out each muscle group once a week to begin with. I split my training up like this:

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest & Back
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Tri's & Bi's
Days 5: Rest
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Abs & calves

You can split that up however, just avoid doing back to back days of exercises that use the same stabilising muscles, i.e. chest one day then tri's the next. There are lots of videos about on youtube that will show you correct form or if you want post a video here I'l take a look.

Do you not do abs everyday? How about when you started compared to now?

[Patonius2000]

I've decided to add a small weights routine into my weekly exercise.  Nothing major as I'm still focusing on cardio but feel that its good to mix things up & lots of people have told me its a good idea.  

Today was my first go.  I am just using dumb bells so obv not going to be that varied but I did the following & would love to get the input from the Evil Pie on ways I can add/improve without getting loads of equipment or a gym membership.

Hammer curls 12 x 3 sets

Incline Chest Presses 12 x 3 sets (using my reclining chair!)

Lateral Raises 12 x 3 sets

Upright Rows 12 x 3 sets

Plan to do something once or twice a week to compliment by bike riding/walking.  I guess I've just done things I that are easy or I had seen before.

What are your long term goals?

Ideally you want to work out each muscle group once a week to begin with. I split my training up like this:

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest & Back
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Tri's & Bi's
Days 5: Rest
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Abs & calves

You can split that up however, just avoid doing back to back days of exercises that use the same stabilising muscles, i.e. chest one day then tri's the next. There are lots of videos about on youtube that will show you correct form or if you want post a video here I'l take a look.

Do you not do abs everyday? How about when you started compared to now?

Sometimes I will do abs 2/3 times a week if I can fit it in, but once a week is enough. You won't start to see proper ab definition until you reach about 10% bf anyway. Spot training ie. training one muscle over and over, does not work. 1000 situps a day won't get you the abs you want but proper diet and reducing your bf% will. I've always weight trained and played sports growing up but have always been slightly overweight due to bad diet. I just finished my first ever proper cutting diet and went from 170lbs/20.8%bf to 155lbs 12.6% bf in 12 weeks. Diet is everything.

[iRaise]

I've decided to add a small weights routine into my weekly exercise.  Nothing major as I'm still focusing on cardio but feel that its good to mix things up & lots of people have told me its a good idea.  

Today was my first go.  I am just using dumb bells so obv not going to be that varied but I did the following & would love to get the input from the Evil Pie on ways I can add/improve without getting loads of equipment or a gym membership.

Hammer curls 12 x 3 sets

Incline Chest Presses 12 x 3 sets (using my reclining chair!)

Lateral Raises 12 x 3 sets

Upright Rows 12 x 3 sets

Plan to do something once or twice a week to compliment by bike riding/walking.  I guess I've just done things I that are easy or I had seen before.

What are your long term goals?

Ideally you want to work out each muscle group once a week to begin with. I split my training up like this:

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest & Back
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Tri's & Bi's
Days 5: Rest
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Abs & calves

You can split that up however, just avoid doing back to back days of exercises that use the same stabilising muscles, i.e. chest one day then tri's the next. There are lots of videos about on youtube that will show you correct form or if you want post a video here I'l take a look.

Do you not do abs everyday? How about when you started compared to now?

Sometimes I will do abs 2/3 times a week if I can fit it in, but once a week is enough. You won't start to see proper ab definition until you reach about 10% bf anyway. Spot training ie. training one muscle over and over, does not work. 1000 situps a day won't get you the abs you want but proper diet and reducing your bf% will. I've always weight trained and played sports growing up but have always been slightly overweight due to bad diet. I just finished my first ever proper cutting diet and went from 170lbs/20.8%bf to 155lbs 12.6% bf in 12 weeks. Diet is everything.

Surely you do it for core strength more than anything though, will it not help with most of the weight exercises with a stronger core? Thats one of the key reasons I do it, I hope thats the right logic. Totally understand that without losing the fat the 6 pack is never happening but I always feel I am lifting/running/better posture, better when I am really pushing myself with abs. I'm with you on diet, as you wont notice too much in anything if the fat is covering it, and I have a much higher energy level when I am eating better/healthier.

[booder]

Did my push up vid tonight but it's upside down and I can't figure out how to turn it around.

That Ronnie is useless.

[GreekStein]

I've decided to add a small weights routine into my weekly exercise.  Nothing major as I'm still focusing on cardio but feel that its good to mix things up & lots of people have told me its a good idea.  

Today was my first go.  I am just using dumb bells so obv not going to be that varied but I did the following & would love to get the input from the Evil Pie on ways I can add/improve without getting loads of equipment or a gym membership.

Hammer curls 12 x 3 sets

Incline Chest Presses 12 x 3 sets (using my reclining chair!)

Lateral Raises 12 x 3 sets

Upright Rows 12 x 3 sets

Plan to do something once or twice a week to compliment by bike riding/walking.  I guess I've just done things I that are easy or I had seen before.

What are your long term goals?

Ideally you want to work out each muscle group once a week to begin with. I split my training up like this:

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest & Back
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Tri's & Bi's
Days 5: Rest
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Abs & calves

You can split that up however, just avoid doing back to back days of exercises that use the same stabilising muscles, i.e. chest one day then tri's the next. There are lots of videos about on youtube that will show you correct form or if you want post a video here I'l take a look.

Do you not do abs everyday? How about when you started compared to now?

Sometimes I will do abs 2/3 times a week if I can fit it in, but once a week is enough. You won't start to see proper ab definition until you reach about 10% bf anyway. Spot training ie. training one muscle over and over, does not work. 1000 situps a day won't get you the abs you want but proper diet and reducing your bf% will. I've always weight trained and played sports growing up but have always been slightly overweight due to bad diet. I just finished my first ever proper cutting diet and went from 170lbs/20.8%bf to 155lbs 12.6% bf in 12 weeks. Diet is everything.

Surely you do it for core strength more than anything though, will it not help with most of the weight exercises with a stronger core? Thats one of the key reasons I do it, I hope thats the right logic. Totally understand that without losing the fat the 6 pack is never happening but I always feel I am lifting/running/better posture, better when I am really pushing myself with abs. I'm with you on diet, as you wont notice too much in anything if the fat is covering it, and I have a much higher energy level when I am eating better/healthier.

Overwork any muscle group and you'll do more harm than good but abs is the one thing you can do every day and it'll do you good.

[iRaise]

I've decided to add a small weights routine into my weekly exercise.  Nothing major as I'm still focusing on cardio but feel that its good to mix things up & lots of people have told me its a good idea.  

Today was my first go.  I am just using dumb bells so obv not going to be that varied but I did the following & would love to get the input from the Evil Pie on ways I can add/improve without getting loads of equipment or a gym membership.

Hammer curls 12 x 3 sets

Incline Chest Presses 12 x 3 sets (using my reclining chair!)

Lateral Raises 12 x 3 sets

Upright Rows 12 x 3 sets

Plan to do something once or twice a week to compliment by bike riding/walking.  I guess I've just done things I that are easy or I had seen before.

What are your long term goals?

Ideally you want to work out each muscle group once a week to begin with. I split my training up like this:

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest & Back
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Tri's & Bi's
Days 5: Rest
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Abs & calves

You can split that up however, just avoid doing back to back days of exercises that use the same stabilising muscles, i.e. chest one day then tri's the next. There are lots of videos about on youtube that will show you correct form or if you want post a video here I'l take a look.

Do you not do abs everyday? How about when you started compared to now?

Sometimes I will do abs 2/3 times a week if I can fit it in, but once a week is enough. You won't start to see proper ab definition until you reach about 10% bf anyway. Spot training ie. training one muscle over and over, does not work. 1000 situps a day won't get you the abs you want but proper diet and reducing your bf% will. I've always weight trained and played sports growing up but have always been slightly overweight due to bad diet. I just finished my first ever proper cutting diet and went from 170lbs/20.8%bf to 155lbs 12.6% bf in 12 weeks. Diet is everything.

Surely you do it for core strength more than anything though, will it not help with most of the weight exercises with a stronger core? Thats one of the key reasons I do it, I hope thats the right logic. Totally understand that without losing the fat the 6 pack is never happening but I always feel I am lifting/running/better posture, better when I am really pushing myself with abs. I'm with you on diet, as you wont notice too much in anything if the fat is covering it, and I have a much higher energy level when I am eating better/healthier.

Overwork any muscle group and you'll do more harm than good but abs is the one thing you can do every day and it'll do you good.

Yeah I am only talking about abs, other muscles rest days are good, glad I am at least semi right! Do you feel you are lifitng better when you concentrate on abs?

[Girgy85]

Weighed in today at 22st dead which is a 1lb loss since the 18th.

Cardio sesh today, 45 mins on treadmill just short of 5km, calfs felt sore so did 15mins on xtrainer.

I have a 1 hour session with my PT tomorrow then Wednesday gonna do 2 laps of the racecourse.

[GreekStein]

I've decided to add a small weights routine into my weekly exercise.  Nothing major as I'm still focusing on cardio but feel that its good to mix things up & lots of people have told me its a good idea.  

Today was my first go.  I am just using dumb bells so obv not going to be that varied but I did the following & would love to get the input from the Evil Pie on ways I can add/improve without getting loads of equipment or a gym membership.

Hammer curls 12 x 3 sets

Incline Chest Presses 12 x 3 sets (using my reclining chair!)

Lateral Raises 12 x 3 sets

Upright Rows 12 x 3 sets

Plan to do something once or twice a week to compliment by bike riding/walking.  I guess I've just done things I that are easy or I had seen before.

What are your long term goals?

Ideally you want to work out each muscle group once a week to begin with. I split my training up like this:

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest & Back
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Tri's & Bi's
Days 5: Rest
Day 6: Shoulders
Day 7: Abs & calves

You can split that up however, just avoid doing back to back days of exercises that use the same stabilising muscles, i.e. chest one day then tri's the next. There are lots of videos about on youtube that will show you correct form or if you want post a video here I'l take a look.

Do you not do abs everyday? How about when you started compared to now?

Sometimes I will do abs 2/3 times a week if I can fit it in, but once a week is enough. You won't start to see proper ab definition until you reach about 10% bf anyway. Spot training ie. training one muscle over and over, does not work. 1000 situps a day won't get you the abs you want but proper diet and reducing your bf% will. I've always weight trained and played sports growing up but have always been slightly overweight due to bad diet. I just finished my first ever proper cutting diet and went from 170lbs/20.8%bf to 155lbs 12.6% bf in 12 weeks. Diet is everything.

Surely you do it for core strength more than anything though, will it not help with most of the weight exercises with a stronger core? Thats one of the key reasons I do it, I hope thats the right logic. Totally understand that without losing the fat the 6 pack is never happening but I always feel I am lifting/running/better posture, better when I am really pushing myself with abs. I'm with you on diet, as you wont notice too much in anything if the fat is covering it, and I have a much higher energy level when I am eating better/healthier.

Overwork any muscle group and you'll do more harm than good but abs is the one thing you can do every day and it'll do you good.

Yeah I am only talking about abs, other muscles rest days are good, glad I am at least semi right! Do you feel you are lifitng better when you concentrate on abs?

I probably do some ab work 1 in every 2 gym sessions but still have too much body fat to feel good about them even though I know my core is pretty strong. Some days you have strong days and some days not quite as much - I don't know if I'd attribute it to doing abs but having a strong core is important for sure.

I was at my strongest when I was doing a lot of squatting and leg training as well, which I just can't do at the moment because of the amount of sport I'm playing and need to be fairly mobile for.