What type workouts are you doing?

[Sequimite]

I find that intense cardio exercise is the most effective for general health as well as weight loss. Due to physical limitations with my right foot, that means cycling, elliptical, rowing. Of these cycling is the most enjoyable and the least expensive. Financial constraints have caused me to avoid the gym. Fortunately I live where cycling year round is practical and there is a group I bike with that does an intense 20 to 30 mile ride three times a week. After being out of town, getting sick and recovering from a badly twisted knee, I'm now heavier and out of shape, but will be back on that program starting Monday.

I love all the gym weight training machines, but now make do with dumbbells.

[rjingra]

Originally Posted by lucusmarcus

What type of workouts are you doing to help lose weight. Are you doing cardio, weight lifting, both, what? I've been thinking about getting a weight bench to go along with walking/jogging. Do you find this to be much better than just cardio? I don't have much room for it as it will be going in the back porch.

I'm 54 and I've been doing the Bowflex Body Leaness Plan. I started on 13 Jan and was losing 1.5 - 1.75 lbs p/week until the Feb Blizzards hit MD. During that period I stopped working out for about a week but kept tracking and eating according to the plan. Since restarting 2 wks ago I've lost another pound. I've lost 11lbs total which doesn't seem like that much but I can't keep my jeans up anymore! My waist is getting smaller so I'm not too concerned with the weight right now. I'm not doing any cardio but we'll see how that works if the I can get motivated to get out in the cold.

[rykertest]

I lift weights 3 days a week, then on one off day I do hill sprints, the on another I do sled training and sometimes I will replace one of those and use my rowing machine. If I could control my carb intake I'd be much better off than I am. lol I'm strong but a little chubby. :P Let that be a lesson. Strength is great but I got impatient and upped my calories TOO high to get stronger. Well I did but the buttons on my pants did not.

[rrross]

I go to the gym most days of the week but I think I'm in a different boat than some of you here. I am trying to lower percent bodyfat and increase lean mass with an overall weight gain.

For this I do a lot of weight training along with 10-30min light interval cardio before and after workout but usually before so I can warm up. I am trying to reduce my calories now so I can cut fat around my stomach. I use this cardio/weight regime with 40% carbs 40% protein 20% fats.

In my opinion supplementing interval based cardio with weight training will help you to lose weight faster, tone you more and more completely transform your body. And the extra muscle and weight work will help your daily caloric expenditure go up.

[jonr71]

Originally Posted by rrross

I go to the gym most days of the week but I think I'm in a different boat than some of you here. I am trying to lower percent bodyfat and increase lean mass with an overall weight gain.

For this I do a lot of weight training along with 10-30min light interval cardio before and after workout but usually before so I can warm up. I am trying to reduce my calories now so I can cut fat around my stomach. I use this cardio/weight regime with 40% carbs 40% protein 20% fats.

In my opinion supplementing interval based cardio with weight training will help you to lose weight faster, tone you more and more completely transform your body. And the extra muscle and weight work will help your daily caloric expenditure go up.

I am not the biggest or strongest guy in the gym so I tend to avoid weights as I tend to view them as a good way to injure myself. If I do any weights it is simple dumbell chest presses etc and then use some of the weights machines on arms shoulders and back.

I tend to select weights that I can do sets of 3x10 leaving me straining for the final 4-5 reps. I am gradually increasing the weights but over 3 months this has only been by 20-25% from a pretty low starting position.

In your experience (any anyone elses) should I try to do fewer reps of a higher weight or should I continue to gradually build in the way I am doing? I want to lose weight (20lbs) and gain lean muscle at the same time. The way I look is not so important (my wife still loves me despite my lack of definition) to me but I guess you get that in the package. Is heavier weights a route to more fat loss and lean muscle right now?

[rrross]

Avoiding injury is important but don't let it determine what you lift. If you want to do heavier weights, then a good 30min cardio and even plyometrics routine before you start lifting is a good way to warm up your muscles, get the blood flowing and minimise risk of injury.

Another way to reduce risk, and this is just as important if not more than warming up, is good form. Actually, you want to go for near perfect form in some of the back involved excersises. This will also help you target the muscles you are trying to specifically work out.

3x10 is a standard lifting routine and you are correct to try to go to failure at the 4th or 5th set if you wish. While I'm not an expert at losing weight while gaining lean mass I know that a complete transformation will come in stages. You might start with weights and cardio and go heavy after an intitial 'gym break-in' but later I'm guessing you'll simply want to maintain mass and enhance definition by doing higher reps and focus more on cardio to meet your goal.

What I can say about going heavy is that it will increase your free testosterone if you don't burn yourself out (don't overdo it) and it will help you therefore to gain that lean mass muc faster and in a natural way.

This is purely on the weight side of things. For cardio, which I don't usually do much of (I'm here more for the nutrition) I would say high intensity interval training? anyone agree? I believe it is recommended to help burn as much fat as possible while keeping lean mass.

You might want to try compound exercises mainly and or main muscles group excercises, because this will develop the biggest muscles and you'll burn more calories doing it. So don't do 3 different sets on calves and then be so sore you can't run or ride for the next 3 days (I've done this :P).

There is a lot of information on the web for this but you are at a reasonable starting point. I would say change up your excerise routine every 2 months as well, otherwise your body will just adapt to the routine and you wont gain as much (lean mass).

Don't forget to eat clean. As well, don't cut your caloric intake too much from what you burn in a day, having too much of a deficit will mean you body starts burning muscle too, set a reasonable loss target and adjust calories for that.

[jonr71]

Thanks rrross.

I guess I do sometimes get too scientific about things instead of just giving it a go and seeing what happens. I will take a look at some stuff online about form especially.

I do tend to do high intensity interval training which is working well for me. On the bike or eliptical I am doing 30 minutes of intervals which as my heart rate above 165 during the "hills".

I had asked a question before about the relationship between processed starch/sugars (white flour, pasta, sugar) and why they would behave differently. You mentioned your nutrition focus so perhaps you can help. I guess from a novices POV I am keeping my calories in a sensible window to maximise weight loss without slipping into muscle burning and stagnation. How does eating the right kind of calories help?

[rrross]

white flour is a simple carbs, you want complex carbs because they will metabolise slower and provide you with longer lasting energy rather than a quick energy spike. I believe this also helps in avoiding a high insulin response since your body produces the insulin to take glucose from the blood and put it in the muscle.

You can feel hungry when you have low blood glucose.

So eating the right foods and avoiding simple carbs should help the way you feel in regards to being hungry and many other things including the way your body continuosly responds to the food you eat.