Trying to lose fat and gain endurance

MatthewLewis81
MatthewLewis81 Posts: 59 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I'm Matthew, a 32 year old guy, 5' 11" tall and 218 lbs. I've used two body fat calculators (calipers and measurements) to estimate my body fat being between 12% and 18%, so I figure all I really need to lose is about 20 lbs of fat before I'll meet my goals. I've already lost 5 lbs since joining My Fitness Pal about ten days ago, so I'm hoping my weight goal is within reach by late fall.

The main thing I want to do, though, is increase my endurance. I used to be able to mountain bike, play basketball, etc., and hardly get winded. These days, after 15 years of a desk job, I feel like I'm going to expire after just a minute or two of strenuous activity. I'm seriously out of shape and have really got to improve in that area.

I have two main questions:

1.) What is the best way to safely build my endurance?

2.) If I'm dedicated and stick to it, what kind of timeframe am I looking at for noticing significant improvement?

I'm currently walking about three or four miles per day (around 4mph) and I'm planning to add some jogging. I also do weight training, which has always come easy for me as I tend to put on muscle very quickly.

Thanks for any ideas,

Matthew

Replies

  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
    I would check out the Couch to 5K program. Also looking into HIIT (high intensity interval training), Tabata, sprints, etc.
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
    I would say download a C25K app for your phone and use that. I started running back in January and coudn't keep going for more than 5 minutes at a time, today I can run 10 miles with a 8:15/mile pace. Start out slow and build up gradually, I think if you used to be fairly fit it will come back fairly fast.

    Good luck!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,043 Member
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  • rjc0914
    rjc0914 Posts: 28 Member
    Hey Matthew I'm 31, 5'11" currently 190 down from 260 (about 10 months in the making) and also have been at a desk job for about 6 years. I haven't really taken my bofy fat % yet but if I had to guess I'd say I'm in the low 20s. I too had been walking mostly 3-4 days a week and about a month and a half ago started jogging. I have never been much of a runner or had much endurance...at first I could only go for about 5 mins and would have to stop and walk but now I'm able to go 30 mins plus at a time...if I pushed myself I could probably do about 40-45 before I fell over dead haha. Anyway in the past few weeks I've definitley noticed a little of the "pudge" coming off around my belly. I do workout as well with some light weights/bands too a couple days a week. I'd say start small like I did...5 -10 mins at a time and walk in between for like an hour or so total. I'd say try to do it every other day give or take. It should only take a couple of weeks to start building up your endurance. Trust me I didn't think i had it in me either! Like you I'm hoping my BF % continues to go down over the rest of the summer. I'm pretty close to what I feel is a good weight for my frame, so it's more about appearance now...In other words I'm not starving myself or anything trying to drop actual pounds (I eat about 2200 cals a day and go over all the time). Feel free to add me if you want and good luck.

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