Work out suggestions for a larger man?

chubbygirl253

I was over 315 lbs when I joined the Y. They have classes for all fitness levels. My first class was adaptive yoga where they taught yoga basics from a chair. yep, over half the class were sitting in a chair and the other half were leaning on the chair. There are also machines he could do like recumbent bike, recumbent crosstrainer, and rowing that are also seated. When he's ready there is low impact machines like ellipticals that he can start at doing for 5-10 mins like I did. And strength training. Instead of free weights he might feel more comfortable sitting at the weight machines like the chest press, abductors, shoulder press, etc and work specific muscle groups. Strength training will not only help with weightloss and strength, but it also decreases the amount of excess skin he'll have. I also like walking around the track at the Y. The Y has great facilities, programs, classes, support, knowledgeable and compassionate staff, but it's for people of all fitness levels and ages. He might feel out of place going to a gym full of hard bodies but at the Y he'll fit right in. Also, I really recommend water aerobics.
When I first started working out i couldn't work out a whole hour. Now I work out 4 hrs a day/6 days a week! It can definitely be done. I'm still 285 lbs but my fitness level is so much higher in just a few months time. Good luck! You guys can friend me on here if you want.

chubbygirl253

At 6'3" 275lbs I had no limitations.

Start slowly if you plan running due to impact stresses (the same as anyone new to running), but other than that, his stats don'tmake him a special snowflake by anymeans.

LOL at special snowflake. I mighta been a special snowflake when I started but now I'm super

kskroch

Depends on over all condition and if there injuries or any other factors.

Certainly walking, some stretching and simple floor exercise is a start. if you can easily do that then go for more...

good luck !

jamaljohar

My husband is 6 ft 4 and over 300 lbs. He would like to start working out but has no idea where to start. His work is sedentary and since he works from home he doesn't really get out much.

Does anyone have suggestion on where he could start?

i was in a similar position. I am 6' and i weight 350lbs, one day i just decided enough was enough. i jogged 20 minutes everyday, I had to battle shin splints after a month or so of doing that but they eventually went away, even with the shin splints i still jogged. when the weight started to come off i started to go to the gym and run and lift weights, i also bike ride about 20 miles to and from work, ( i usually do that on my off days from the gym). and my current weight is now 240

cargotrailer

When I decided to change my lifestyle, approx 4 years ago, I was 326lbs, I am 6'4". I did P90X. I have an athletic background, but at that point I couldn't walk a flight of stairs without breathing heavy.
I just worked my way into it slowly. I did it in my basement with a pull up bar and one 20lb dumbbell. I also changed my eating habits. I lost 60 lbs the first time through, then another 45 the second.
It worked for me, and changed my life.

bufger

As others have pretty much said..

Personally I went for walking (20 mins at a brisk pace), stationary bike and weights.

Now i'm at a good cardio level where I can manage a 60 min basketball game, 30 mins of rowing or a session of P90X etc.

You need to take the little steps and big diet changes to get you into a range where you can do some really fun cardio.

willwillywilson

I see a lot of suggestions for walking but I'm going to plug the elliptical if you go the gym route. At my heaviest, before I even started logging, I came in at 6' tall 365lbs. The first time I got on the elliptical it was for a whopping 2 minutes before I was tired but after adding a minute or 2 each gym visit it got much better pretty quick. Just hit the treadmill after too. Also don't forget strength training. I didn't start lifting until 6ish months ago when I was 290lbs and I still kick myself I didn't start earlier. The weight has come off faster since then.

Weezoh

When I started I was 320 (although I only wish I was > 6' ) Anyway at the time I was having some sciatic issues and started with walking. For the longest time that's what my wife and I did was walk. She was recovering from a stroke at the time (shingles sucks!) and we had to limit our distance due to her recovery but quickly we had to take it easy for my sciatic. Anyway we both got stronger and now walk between 3 and 4 miles at a time when we walk. We also got back on the tandem bike this past spring and started biking a lot more. I've added dumbells and kettlebell to my routine now and I'm really liking the changes it's making in my strength.

Basically I would tell him to do what he could now and always look to improve. Definitely ask his doctor what he thinks he should be doing and if there's any restrictions based on his situation. After the stroke we both decided it was time we did something about where our lives were headed and eventually we found MFP.

girlfighter1990

Yeah he needs to start waling or biking to get the body moving into a direction of working out, then find a good cross training gym or mma fitness program..

sjiphone

Aquasize. especially deep water aquasize. You get a full cardio workout without gravity. Big guys (and gals) can experience a lot of hip and knee problems carrying that extra weight around. Burn off some of it in the pool where it isn't going to impact his joints. There is no use starting an exercise program if you are going to hurt yourself (knee pain, joint pain) and have to quit it. Start off slowly and as the pounds come off step up the intensity or the type of exercise. I stated with aquasize because I hurt my knees while jogging. It's good low impact cardio. I progressed to cycling, then the elliptical and then weight lifting. I've gone from 230 to 167 and feel great. Go slow. Don't overdo it. Take baby steps at first while you build up your strength and endurance.

Goal_Line

Start slow and continue to increase the intensity. I was 5 10 250lbs. I walked 30 mins a day for a week, then did 30 mins 2 times a day (morning and evening). After a few weeks I joined the YMCA and started 30 mins of cardio on their machines, and kept the 2 walks in daily as well. After that I added weight lifting to the cardio.

Start slow, listen to his body as he feels stronger he should increase the intensity overtime. His body will adapt and after a number of months, he won't believe with how much better he feels.

Feel free to have him friend me, I've been there.

BigGuy47

I started out at +300lbs I'm now under 200lbs. I started out walking (I still walk daily), running would punish my knees (arthritis). Eventually I added strength training 3 days a week. In hindsight I waited too long (about 8 months) to add strength training. If I did it over again I would start strength training sooner.

A combination of walking and strength training has worked well for my weight loss and fitness.

hatsdown

I will throw a slightly different pitch.. if hes 300lbs and has not worked out, I would advise seeing a GOOD personal trainer and a visit to his Dr.. get clearance from the doc to make sure there are no health issues to consider. seeing a qualified personal trainer that can perform an analysis specific to your husband (such as an FMS screen - http://www.functionalmovement.com/fms). In other words, ensure no health issues, then evaluate if he has any functional issues to be addressed. the workout program would start from there.. If this is not an option, look into Cosgrove's "New rules of lifting" or rippletoes book "starting strength"

the generic advice of "just walk" MAY be ok.. if he has good knees, etc. but cardio alone is not the answer to everyone. strength training will get him stronger and more able to move around his body mass as well as reduce the chances of injuries (if executed properly). if done as noted in cosgroves book, it will also have a big impact on cardiovascular fitness and burn more fat than cardio alone.

^^ This.
I am 6'4" as well. Although I like the idea of taking it slow by "walking" it can also lead to a lack of motivation because you may not feel the burn. As others have suggested here, cardio is important, but so is strength training. Nothing like feeling pumped up biceps to motivate someone.

Bob314159

It depends how you walk, I went on some hills a few days ago, 2 large hills up - equivalent to 25 flights of stairs and I felt the burn. You can walk level at a strong 4mph and burn a lot - (I can't keep that up for more than a few minutes, but I'm up to 3.5 for full hour)

However if I had done that 6 months ago, when I was out of condition that would have been a serious health risk. You have to build up to it.

doug4018

I agree with most of the others that mentioned walking. When I started I was 327, and 6'5" and doing anything more than walking was not realistic. After a month of walking 5-6 days a week as briskly as I could manage, I moved on to more intense cardio activities.