Hey friends. I am trying to reduce weight. Can anyone here suggest some good work out plans?
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A good resource for all kinds of workout ideas: exrx.net/
Mind you though that anaerobic exercises, which I think is what most people mean by “workout,” will not make you lose weight. For that, you should be doing cardio. If you’re overweight, stationary bicycle is the easiest on the knees (better than treadmill at least). Try 30-60 min each time, 2-3 times per week, maintaining at least 75-85 rpm. Rowing might also be a good idea. It’ll only work though if you do it regularly without compensating by eating more. For best results, you should probably look at your diet first of all.
What do you eat? how do you go to work and other places? what do you do during the weekend?
I think many experts would disagree with you on that:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_loss_training_wars.htm
I think most experts would say gaining some muscle mass would be a big help as a result of the change in metabolism that supposedly takes place. In other words, a combination of anaerobic and aerobic is what I think most would say is best for weight loss.
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I hate these kind of questions. When people are asking about how to lose weight, unless they’re an athlete trying to cut weight for competition. You don’t need to do complicated exercises, just do the basics, simple compound exercises and healthier diet. Don’t make your goal trying to lose weight, most people that do gain it right back. You should be asking how to live a healthier lifestyle.
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[quote=“marasan”]I think many experts would disagree with you on that:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_loss_training_wars.htm
I think most experts would say gaining some muscle mass would be a big help as a result of the change in metabolism that supposedly takes place. In other words, a combination of anaerobic and aerobic is what I think most would say is best for weight loss.[/quote]
Having more muscle mass definitely helps to lose weight but you can’t build it and lose weight at the same time, which is what I meant. See this article: Can You Lose Fat and Build Muscle At The Same Time?
While it shouldn’t hurt to do some anaerobic exercises as well, there are two caveats: (i) if the OP focuses on these instead of the arguably more “boring” cardio, he may become disenchanted by the perceived lack of results: for example, doing half sit-ups will not make the beer “muscle” go away but might actually push it outwards, thus making it even more prominent; (ii) we don’t know how overweight he is, how much time has passed since he last worked out (if ever), or even his age, and depending on these factors he might be running a higher risk of injury from these.
I’m not a fitness expert though, so the usual disclaimer applies. Just trying to get the OP on the right track, and for this, I think what Andrew wrote is some very good advice:
If the Op is serious I would be cool talking to her in a PM. Im not a trainer of anything. But i play so many different sports. i would bulk up to 225lb for football to 185-190 for soccer. My weight would range from 20-30lbs throughout the year. So I can give you some advice on doing it the right way.
[quote=“Doraemonster”]Having more muscle mass definitely helps to lose weight but you can’t build it and lose weight at the same time, which is what I meant. See this article: Can You Lose Fat and Build Muscle At The Same Time?
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Huh, that’s interesting. I really thought there was no debate about this anymore- that it was well accepted that gaining some muscle mass was a good way to aid in fat reduction efforts. But to be honest, it’s not really something that I focus on. I do tons and tons of cardio and haven’t lost weight and it’s not a goal of mine when I exercise. I simply enjoy the three different sports I’m doing at the moment, and they just happen to be cardio-oriented (swimming, cycling, running). I haven’t gained weight, though, even though I eat tons and drink beer almost daily. Okay, I’m rambling and I’m not sure what point I’m trying to make! My mind is just numb from trying to catch up after the typhoon holiday.
It is def possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time if you do it right. I’'ve lost 5Kg’s lower my bf% over time and increased muscle mass at the same time using one of those machines that measures it this month.
Eat better and moderately, drink moderately, and move as much as possible (ideally in some way you find “fun”).
You were correct, there is no debate. Just because some guy on his blog says otherwise doesn’t make it true. There is no debate, building muscle is an excellent way to lose weight as it allows your body to burn more calories 24/7. In fact, for most people weight lifting is far more effective in losing weight than doing cardio. The problem with doing cardio for most people is, unless you’re really busting your ass you won’t burn much more than a few hundred calories in the workout and they are more hungry when they finish it and end up eating more than they burned. Weight lifting can do the same obviously, but for most people they are a lot more hungry after a cardio workout than they are after weight lifting.
But at the end of the day, losing weight is about 90% diet and 10% exercise. You can workout like a mad man 7 days a week, but if you’re taking in too many calories that puts you in a caloric surplus you’ll still gain weight. It’s really just a matter of calories in - calories out. There are some variables of course and everybody is a little different, but in essence our body is that simple.
I suggest you get yourself a calorie app on your phone and use it religiously for about 3 months. Calorie Counter by FatSecret is my favorite, but My Fitness Pal is good too. Input everything you eat and try not to go over 2000 calories a day on average. Of course some days you can go over if you’re out with family or friends, but then make sure there are some other days where your under. Long term 2000 calories a day and you’ll lose as much weight as you want. After 3 months of using the app you’ll get a really good understanding of how many calories are in the most common foods you eat and what exactly is a 2000 calorie day. Most people just don’t know how many calories are in what they are eating. After 3 months you likely won’t need the app anymore, you’ll just be better informed about nutrition and your own habits.
Also, look into “intermittent fasting.” It’s not a diet or program, it’s just an eating schedule. If you’re only eating during an 8 hour window every day, it’s much easier to keep your calories around 2000.
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I used to play basketball on semi-professional level, then due to a back injury I went from 75kg to 120kg in a matter of few years. Once my back was ok, I dropped very quickly from 120kg to 90kg by simply walking for long periods and making short cardio work. Then I hit a wall where cardio would not help me much around the 85kg mark, and switching to weights and HIIT (running and/or cycling) helped me a lot. Now I hover around the 80/82kg mark, still a bit overweight but I can live with that.
Of course, diet helped a lot as well. I’ve had the biggest improvements by removing any products based on flour from my diet. Not really a “low carb” diet per se, just replacing bread/pasta/noodles/pizza/that sort of stuff with extra vegetables.
Last winter I got a couple of extra kg, but now that summer is here I should be able to drop them fairly quickly.
Jesus!
Jesus![/quote]
No, I’m Ibis, you’re jesus!
Some lessons I’ve learned from losing weight (about 6 kilos) two years ago, gaining it back, and then trying things again (successfully so far- about 2 kilos in three weeks).
Get serious about bad eating habits. I had some bad eating habits- daily chocolate, almost daily beer, and some other things- that I knew weren’t good, but I indulged anyway. I’m going to control myself this time and do so long-term.
Tons and tons and tons of cardio make you feel great, but you won’t lose weight. Yeah, that’s me.
Being hungry for part of the day is just the way it goes when you’re trying to lose weight- get used to it. I’m starting to learn not to freak out so much and maybe even embrace feelings of hunger- I don’t need to feel stuffed all the time and it’s probably more natural to feel a bit hungry for some part of the day.
Make realistic goals. I’m only trying to lose a few kilos and then I’m going to maintain that weight for a while before attempting more weight loss.
Have a good reason for losing weight. I want to improve my running and I’m sure my weight is a big reason for the slow progress. I’m sure improved running times will be a huge motivation boost during all this.
my 2 cents for loosing fat- especially belly fat-
i can see result within days and iam talking from my personal experience-
i do 5 sprint of 50 -70meters ( on a track) then run a full 400m-
i do it 4 to 5 times- then you will keep sweating for hours after work out-
it usually take around 30 min not more as i dont want to destroy my knees with long runs
ps= i do lift 4 to 5 times a week and train with a dragon boat team twice a week ( i hope to increase the training to 3 times a week tho)
Hey, if it works for you, great! I’m not sure I would recommend that for everyone, though, since running sprints is a good way to get injured. I used to do hill repeats, but that was many years ago.
I plan on doing intervals again. 400m plus 1 minute rest. 8-12 times. But I also have the goal of trying to improve my 5k time and so something like this makes sense for me but maybe not for everyone.
fair enough - just my 2 cents
it does work for me and totally understand your way-
truth is, losing weight can be achieved only by doing something-
first and most important thing is to start somewhere, then next step is just trying to find out what work with you
Definitely. Everyone approaches things differently and different approaches seem to work. For me, diet made the key difference. It hasn’t been all that hard either (so far). I miss my nightly beer probably the most.
I wish I could do the kind of workout you describe, but I would be worried about injury. Maybe I’ll try it in the pool. I started swimming late in life so I don’t have any of the shoulder issues that many people that swam competitively seem to develop over time.
The best thing for weight loss is to reduce the amount of sugar intake.
If possible, don’t eat 4 hours before going to bed.