I'm struggling to exercise because I'm too heavy.
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i was 260 when i started. i started by going on walks. i joined a gym. couldnt do more than 5 minutes on the elliptical. i would do that, then go to the recumbant bike, because it was easier for me. Now I can easily do an hour or more of pretty heavy cardio.
just get moving. once you get in the habit, you can work on building up endurance and difficulty....0 -
Hey OP. I'm echoing the others in here that state walking is best. 11 years ago when I was 19, I weighed 190 pounds. I lost 15 pounds easily when I stopped drinking so much soda every day, but I wasn't exercising yet. I began eating at a reasonable deficit and I started walking a few days per week. I had my CD/FM radio player with me and I'd just walk. First it was 2 miles, then 4 miles; soon enough I was walking from Times Square in Manhattan to my home in Brooklyn. When I was at home I'd dance to music or jog in place/do jumping jacks for ten minutes. I lost another 25 pounds this way. Then I started incorporating Aerobics and Pilates into my exercise routines. Short 15-20 minute workouts. By the time I was about to turn 21, I was 115 pounds.
Don't feel pressured to start an intense workout routine. Most people burn out this way because they feel they have to go balls to the wall to see results. Eat at a deficit and go walking a few days per week. If you can manage a daily walk, that's great! You don't have to walk 30 minutes every time, either. If not, no sweat. You'll work up to a point where you feel comfortable and eventually you will accomplish a level of fitness you never thought possible for yourself.
Don't worry too much about lifting weights right now either. Lifting is great, but you will not build muscle lifting while on a calorie deficit. People at a calorie deficit lift weights to try to preserve the muscle they already have. Judging from your level of fitness I'd say you wouldn't have to worry about that at this point and you can build muscle after you've lost a reasonable amount of weight.
If you have any questions or need support, please feel free to add me. Good luck on your weight loss journey!0 -
CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
That's great advice for someone who is looking to improve an existing workout routine, but for someone who is struggling, setting the bar so high from the start can be quite off-putting and may discourage them. The OP is just starting off, and making some progress. She, and indeed anyone, can lose weight and become more fit without the level of workout you describe for yourself, which is 10-20 hours a week of exercise including the walking. OP, just keep walking, a little harder and a little faster each day. You'll get there.
I was merely pointing out what it takes to get a minimum training effect. If a person is struggling, the first goal should be to achieve the minimum, and then improve from there. I had trouble walking a mile at first, and my first goal was to get to a level that I could do the minimum. Once I reached that goal, I was able to actually start getting a training effect.
My point is that it's not easy, and you have to put the work in to get there regardless of what level you are at.CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
OP, all those things above aren't things the "have to be done". For example, taking advice like do reps until you can't do another way is a great way to end up injured. You do what you can and progress as time goes on. If today you walked for 30 minutes and felt like you could do more then that's great, next time add a couple of minutes. Eventually you can pick up the pace. Maybe some day soon you'll find yourself jogging for a block or 2. You don't need to throw everything at the wall and hope it all sticks. Work your way up at a pace you find reasonable.
3 sets are needed to break both muscle fibers down and achieve muscular failure, and each set needs to be until you cannot do another rep. You do not have to do this from jump street if you are struggling, but it should be the goal. I think most injuries are from using very heavy weights. You should also do the proper warm up and cool down as with any exercise.
Again, I was only saying what is required to get improvement.
None of that is "required", it is your preference. Muscle failure isn't necessary to achieve in order to get the proper muscle fiber recruitment. The amount of sets is also an individual thing and can be tailored to meet your training format. You do not need to work to failure because there aren't any proven benefits to pushing yourself to failure as opposed to meeting the goal you set out. If someone lifts heavy and at a low rep rate they can achieve slow twitch fiber recruitment as a primary and fast twitch on that back end as fatigue sets in but that doesn't mean the person needs to go to failure or where they can't push out the next rep. Also, recruitment of both muscle fibers all the time or evenly isn't a must. Once again, the person's goals will assist in dictating the direction that they take their training.
There are plenty of ways to structure a lifting program where it's conducive to the trainees goals and their current conditioning. The is no one set standard of what "needs to be done". That frame of thinking is a result of someone looking at what they found to work for them and thinking it needs to be applied across the board. Unfortunately when you work with individual clients that differ from each other you realize that the approach isn't black and white.
Would recommended be a better word than required?
I am making some basic suggestions, and you are overcomplicating.
That is your recommendation to her. You presented it in a way that is telling her that's what she needs to do or else she's wasting her time when that's not true.
You are attempting to give her basic suggestions by creating rules she needs to abide by which can easily lead to failure or injury. My suggestion to her was to start of slow. Go read where I actually gave her tainting advice and you'll see how incredibly basic it was. Where it got complicated was were I needed to break down to you the proper dynamics of training when applied to a variety of individuals. You believe it's overly complicated because it's a bit more advanced than the simplistic approach of giving someone rules of what they should do.
You don't need to break any proper dynamics down to me. I used to be a fitness instructor in the military.
cardio: heart rate at a cardio pace for a minimum of 20 minutes and a minimum of 3 times per week = minimum training effect
muscular: 3 sets until you cant do another rep per set and a minimum of 2 times per week = training effect
Sure you can do less and see some slight benefit and burn a few calories, and people are going to do whatever they want to do, but if they are not seeing any significant results it is probably because of the reasons I just mentioned.
I don't know what your problem is, but this is basic rules for improving fitness level.
Oh... I'm sorry... suggestions.
OP,
Sorry for hijacking your thread, but some people that don't agree with certain things seem to steer threads off course by turning things into an argument.
You have done a 30 minute walk and felt like you could do more. That is a GREAT start, and way better than me when I first started. I had to go lay down after walking a mile at first.
I recommend that you start off by pushing yourself a little on the walks each time. If you are already doing it for 30 minutes, try to increase your pace so your heart is in a cardio zone for that 30 minutes. If you don't know what a cardio zone is, here is a link that will explain it to you...
http://wserver.flc.losrios.edu/~willson/fitns304/handouts/heartRates.html
Once you get to the point of achieving a training effect, you can slowly increase that by increasing the time that you spend in the cardio zone. You can get the minimum in 20 minutes, but I recommend at least 30 minutes.
For muscular I would start off slow with light weights and gradually work yourself up to where you can do the 3 sets, and allow 24 hours of recovery between sessions on any given muscle group. I think you can work abs every day though.
It may sound a little overwhelming at first, but it's not as hard as it sounds. You just have to put the work in to start seeing results, and you are already off to a great start being able to walk for 30 minutes and feeling like you can do more.
Like I said, I had to lay down after walking a mile a little over 8 months ago, and now I can do 5 mile walks at about a 4 mph pace on very hilly hiking trails, and keep my heart rate in zone 3 & 4 for over an hour, and the way I accomplished that was the same suggestions that I am making to you.
I have lost 43 pounds so far, and feel 1,000% better for it.
Good luck.0 -
Depends on what your current challenges / limitations are.
Do what you can.
If that's standing up from the couch 5 times during every commercial break, do that.
Keep large cans of baked beans handy for arm exercises. Work up to bags of flour in plastic sacks.
When you're in bed, do leg raises & holds, crunches (semi-situps... at this point, probably all you can do is make
the motion, constrict the muscles in your abdomen; that's OK! Just GET STARTED!)
Walk to the end of the driveway & back. Next commercial break, do it again.
Next week, walk to your neighbor's driveway.
Then the one beyond that.
Eventually, work up to walking around the block. You get the idea.
Swimming is great. Also, walking in water.
Do you have a bicycle (or adult tricycle)? Low-impact, high-calorie.
If you have access to a gym, the elliptical burns LOTS of calories & is low-impact.
Also do weightlifting. Work your way through the machines to start, get someone to show you how to use the
free weights if you want to advance a bit. And at home, do body weight exercises. (Use youtube & your favorite
search engine to find things to do.) You probably won't gain any muscle, but you can preserve what you have,
and that's MUCH easier than trying to rebuild it once you've lost weight.
Find a variety of things you can do, so you don't get bored.
Most importantly, DO THEM.
Keep doing them.
As you need to, make them harder.
ETA: for basic info on exercising, not opinions, but backed by reputable scientists...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-exercise-667080
Here's the part about weightlifting:There are 3 goals or types of weight training.
Most people should start by building muscle.
After a month or so of that, you can add in building endurance.
Going for power is a more advanced technique, which I'll leave to the competitive weightlifters.
Free weights or machines?
Machines reduce the chance that you can do something wrong & injure yourself, don't take as much understanding of what you're doing, and target specific muscles or groups.
Free weights work more muscles in concert and allow for more exercises to be done in a smaller area, even at your home, but require learning how to do them correctly.
No matter which you're doing, you need to know the maximum amount you can lift, called the one-repetition maximum or 1RM.
For building muscle, you want to do 1 or 2 sets of 8-12 repetitions of a weight that's 70-85% of your 1RM.
For building endurance, do 1 or 2 sets of 15-20 repetitions of a weight that's 50-65% of your 1RM.
Either way, start low on both weight & reps and work up.
You should just be able to do the last 2-3 reps.
When it gets easy to do the maximum # of reps, add 5 pounds and go back to the minimum # of reps.
(From the American College of Sports Medicine's book "Resources for the Personal Trainer, 4th edition".)
Remember to work both sides of a joint (or the body) - if you're doing bicep curls, also do tricep extensions or dips. If you're doing quadricep extensions, also do hamstring curls. If you're doing abdominal curls, also do lower back extensions.
.
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bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need[/b] to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
That's great advice for someone who is looking to improve an existing workout routine, but for someone who is struggling, setting the bar so high from the start can be quite off-putting and may discourage them. The OP is just starting off, and making some progress. She, and indeed anyone, can lose weight and become more fit without the level of workout you describe for yourself, which is 10-20 hours a week of exercise including the walking. OP, just keep walking, a little harder and a little faster each day. You'll get there.
I was merely pointing out what it takes to get a minimum training effect. If a person is struggling, the first goal should be to achieve the minimum, and then improve from there. I had trouble walking a mile at first, and my first goal was to get to a level that I could do the minimum. Once I reached that goal, I was able to actually start getting a training effect.
My point is that it's not easy, and you have to put the work in to get there regardless of what level you are at.CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
OP, all those things above aren't things the "have to be done". For example, taking advice like do reps until you can't do another way is a great way to end up injured. You do what you can and progress as time goes on. If today you walked for 30 minutes and felt like you could do more then that's great, next time add a couple of minutes. Eventually you can pick up the pace. Maybe some day soon you'll find yourself jogging for a block or 2. You don't need to throw everything at the wall and hope it all sticks. Work your way up at a pace you find reasonable.
3 sets are needed to break both muscle fibers down and achieve muscular failure, and each set needs to be until you cannot do another rep. You do not have to do this from jump street if you are struggling, but it should be the goal. I think most injuries are from using very heavy weights. You should also do the proper warm up and cool down as with any exercise.
Again, I was only saying what is required to get improvement.
I agree with setting goals, and I agree that we have to put the work into our own fitness programs. I train hard myself and have been doing so for many years, but I would not recommend my workout program to another person who is clearly struggling to just get up and move. It's not appropriate.
In your postings you are using words such as "you need to" and "required." None of what you said is actually required to achieve better fitness, and what you are telling her what should be her goal. Do you realize there are many fit people out there, and not all their fitness goals are the same or achieved in the same way?
While your program worked for you, and continues to work, it is not what is required to get improvement. There are many way to improve fitness, especially when you are starting at square one.
I am talking about what is needed to get a training effect. not any particular program. I am just using what I do as an example.
for cardio you have to keep your heart rate at a certain level for a certain period of time to achieve a training effect, and for muscular you have to do 3 sets to achieve a training effect. It does not matter what activities you choose to accomplish that, but you should still follow those guidelines to achieve a training effect.0 -
Guys, would you mind taking your disagreement to another thread? I'm not sure it's helping the OP.0
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Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
When I first started I found it so hard with the weight I was at.
I used to do 5 mins then stopped the in 10 and worked up slowly. I still struggle being in my feet for long times as they hurt like hell. But hope one day they won't when I am a good bit lighter x0 -
bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need[/b] to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
That's great advice for someone who is looking to improve an existing workout routine, but for someone who is struggling, setting the bar so high from the start can be quite off-putting and may discourage them. The OP is just starting off, and making some progress. She, and indeed anyone, can lose weight and become more fit without the level of workout you describe for yourself, which is 10-20 hours a week of exercise including the walking. OP, just keep walking, a little harder and a little faster each day. You'll get there.
I was merely pointing out what it takes to get a minimum training effect. If a person is struggling, the first goal should be to achieve the minimum, and then improve from there. I had trouble walking a mile at first, and my first goal was to get to a level that I could do the minimum. Once I reached that goal, I was able to actually start getting a training effect.
My point is that it's not easy, and you have to put the work in to get there regardless of what level you are at.CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
OP, all those things above aren't things the "have to be done". For example, taking advice like do reps until you can't do another way is a great way to end up injured. You do what you can and progress as time goes on. If today you walked for 30 minutes and felt like you could do more then that's great, next time add a couple of minutes. Eventually you can pick up the pace. Maybe some day soon you'll find yourself jogging for a block or 2. You don't need to throw everything at the wall and hope it all sticks. Work your way up at a pace you find reasonable.
3 sets are needed to break both muscle fibers down and achieve muscular failure, and each set needs to be until you cannot do another rep. You do not have to do this from jump street if you are struggling, but it should be the goal. I think most injuries are from using very heavy weights. You should also do the proper warm up and cool down as with any exercise.
Again, I was only saying what is required to get improvement.
I agree with setting goals, and I agree that we have to put the work into our own fitness programs. I train hard myself and have been doing so for many years, but I would not recommend my workout program to another person who is clearly struggling to just get up and move. It's not appropriate.
In your postings you are using words such as "you need to" and "required." None of what you said is actually required to achieve better fitness, and what you are telling her what should be her goal. Do you realize there are many fit people out there, and not all their fitness goals are the same or achieved in the same way?
While your program worked for you, and continues to work, it is not what is required to get improvement. There are many way to improve fitness, especially when you are starting at square one.
I am talking about what is needed to get a training effect. not any particular program. I am just using what I do as an example.
for cardio you have to keep your heart rate at a certain level for a certain period of time to achieve a training effect, and for muscular you have to do 3 sets to achieve a training effect. It does not matter what activities you choose to accomplish that, but you should still follow those guidelines to achieve a training effect.
Then I don't believe you are aware of how you are coming across.
Besides this, she's not asking for a training effect, or even cardio per se, she just wants to get started and moving.
You do not have to do 3 sets to achieve a training effect. There are many training programs out there that do not use 3 set repetitions and people do very well on them. 5 X 5 is one of them.0 -
Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
I started at 337 and PWND that recumbent bike at the local gym..went from 10mph average, to 15mph average. I have faith in you! Stationary bikes are hardly effected by your size
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bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need[/b] to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
That's great advice for someone who is looking to improve an existing workout routine, but for someone who is struggling, setting the bar so high from the start can be quite off-putting and may discourage them. The OP is just starting off, and making some progress. She, and indeed anyone, can lose weight and become more fit without the level of workout you describe for yourself, which is 10-20 hours a week of exercise including the walking. OP, just keep walking, a little harder and a little faster each day. You'll get there.
I was merely pointing out what it takes to get a minimum training effect. If a person is struggling, the first goal should be to achieve the minimum, and then improve from there. I had trouble walking a mile at first, and my first goal was to get to a level that I could do the minimum. Once I reached that goal, I was able to actually start getting a training effect.
My point is that it's not easy, and you have to put the work in to get there regardless of what level you are at.CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
OP, all those things above aren't things the "have to be done". For example, taking advice like do reps until you can't do another way is a great way to end up injured. You do what you can and progress as time goes on. If today you walked for 30 minutes and felt like you could do more then that's great, next time add a couple of minutes. Eventually you can pick up the pace. Maybe some day soon you'll find yourself jogging for a block or 2. You don't need to throw everything at the wall and hope it all sticks. Work your way up at a pace you find reasonable.
3 sets are needed to break both muscle fibers down and achieve muscular failure, and each set needs to be until you cannot do another rep. You do not have to do this from jump street if you are struggling, but it should be the goal. I think most injuries are from using very heavy weights. You should also do the proper warm up and cool down as with any exercise.
Again, I was only saying what is required to get improvement.
I agree with setting goals, and I agree that we have to put the work into our own fitness programs. I train hard myself and have been doing so for many years, but I would not recommend my workout program to another person who is clearly struggling to just get up and move. It's not appropriate.
In your postings you are using words such as "you need to" and "required." None of what you said is actually required to achieve better fitness, and what you are telling her what should be her goal. Do you realize there are many fit people out there, and not all their fitness goals are the same or achieved in the same way?
While your program worked for you, and continues to work, it is not what is required to get improvement. There are many way to improve fitness, especially when you are starting at square one.
I am talking about what is needed to get a training effect. not any particular program. I am just using what I do as an example.
for cardio you have to keep your heart rate at a certain level for a certain period of time to achieve a training effect, and for muscular you have to do 3 sets to achieve a training effect. It does not matter what activities you choose to accomplish that, but you should still follow those guidelines to achieve a training effect.
Why on earth are you nattering on about training effect to a beginner?
That's not the point.
OP, When I started exercising a little over a year ago, I weighed more than you. I walked out of the house with my cane, and down to the corner and back. I kept walking every day until I felt I could walk further. I stopped using my cane eventually. As time went on, I wanted to add going faster, so friends suggested working intervals. I'd go as fast as I could between telephone poles, and then slow back down. 5 poles slow, 2 poles fast. My speed picked up.
It got colder. I joined a gym. I started with weights then... fast forward? I walk 5.5 miles several times a week. I've started C25K. I water jog for an hour. I still lift weights. I'm thinking of taking tai chi and pilates.
You've totally got this. You've gone on your first walk. That's the first step. Keep going.
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bcalvanese wrote: »CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
That's great advice for someone who is looking to improve an existing workout routine, but for someone who is struggling, setting the bar so high from the start can be quite off-putting and may discourage them. The OP is just starting off, and making some progress. She, and indeed anyone, can lose weight and become more fit without the level of workout you describe for yourself, which is 10-20 hours a week of exercise including the walking. OP, just keep walking, a little harder and a little faster each day. You'll get there.
I was merely pointing out what it takes to get a minimum training effect. If a person is struggling, the first goal should be to achieve the minimum, and then improve from there. I had trouble walking a mile at first, and my first goal was to get to a level that I could do the minimum. Once I reached that goal, I was able to actually start getting a training effect.
My point is that it's not easy, and you have to put the work in to get there regardless of what level you are at.CitricAcidCycle wrote: »bcalvanese wrote: »Hi MFP community
I'm happy to say I have managed to keep off the alcohol for 2 whole weeks and I'm starting to see some small results already :-)
I am however struggling to exercise at my current weight. What can I do that won't kill me or take too long but has good results. I have thought about weights and swimming ?
For cardio you need to keep your heart rate in a cardio zone for a minimum of 20 minutes non stop, and a minimum of 3 times per week to get a minimum training effect.
For muscular you need to do 3 sets of each exercise, and each set you have to do until you cannot do another rep. The amount of resistance will determine the number of reps you can do per set. more weight less reps will work more toward strength, and less weight more reps will work more toward endurance.
There is really no way to shortcut these things, and you have to put in the work, but there are ways to combine things into a smaller number of activities that do more than one thing at a time.
For example, I walk and ride my bike. So I get good cardio and a good endurance workout for my legs, but I was looking for something for my upper body. I discovered that kayaking works every muscle group in the upper body and core all in a single activity. In kayaking, you are using you pulling muscles on one side and your pushing muscles on the other side, and stabilizing with your core all at the same time and with each stroke. And if you do it fast, you can get a pretty good cardio as well.
I walk every day (at least 5 miles), bike (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times per week, and kayak (30 to 60 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week. So, with just those 3 activities, I get a good full muscular and cardio workout.
OP, all those things above aren't things the "have to be done". For example, taking advice like do reps until you can't do another way is a great way to end up injured. You do what you can and progress as time goes on. If today you walked for 30 minutes and felt like you could do more then that's great, next time add a couple of minutes. Eventually you can pick up the pace. Maybe some day soon you'll find yourself jogging for a block or 2. You don't need to throw everything at the wall and hope it all sticks. Work your way up at a pace you find reasonable.
3 sets are needed to break both muscle fibers down and achieve muscular failure, and each set needs to be until you cannot do another rep. You do not have to do this from jump street if you are struggling, but it should be the goal. I think most injuries are from using very heavy weights. You should also do the proper warm up and cool down as with any exercise.
Again, I was only saying what is required to get improvement.
None of that is "required", it is your preference. Muscle failure isn't necessary to achieve in order to get the proper muscle fiber recruitment. The amount of sets is also an individual thing and can be tailored to meet your training format. You do not need to work to failure because there aren't any proven benefits to pushing yourself to failure as opposed to meeting the goal you set out. If someone lifts heavy and at a low rep rate they can achieve slow twitch fiber recruitment as a primary and fast twitch on that back end as fatigue sets in but that doesn't mean the person needs to go to failure or where they can't push out the next rep. Also, recruitment of both muscle fibers all the time or evenly isn't a must. Once again, the person's goals will assist in dictating the direction that they take their training.
There are plenty of ways to structure a lifting program where it's conducive to the trainees goals and their current conditioning. The is no one set standard of what "needs to be done". That frame of thinking is a result of someone looking at what they found to work for them and thinking it needs to be applied across the board. Unfortunately when you work with individual clients that differ from each other you realize that the approach isn't black and white.
Would recommended be a better word than required?
I am making some basic suggestions, and you are overcomplicating.
That is your recommendation to her. You presented it in a way that is telling her that's what she needs to do or else she's wasting her time when that's not true.
You are attempting to give her basic suggestions by creating rules she needs to abide by which can easily lead to failure or injury. My suggestion to her was to start of slow. Go read where I actually gave her tainting advice and you'll see how incredibly basic it was. Where it got complicated was were I needed to break down to you the proper dynamics of training when applied to a variety of individuals. You believe it's overly complicated because it's a bit more advanced than the simplistic approach of giving someone rules of what they should do.
You don't need to break any proper dynamics down to me. I used to be a fitness instructor in the military.
cardio: heart rate at a cardio pace for a minimum of 20 minutes and a minimum of 3 times per week = minimum training effect
muscular: 3 sets until you cant do another rep per set and a minimum of 2 times per week = training effect
Sure you can do less and see some slight benefit and burn a few calories, and people are going to do whatever they want to do, but if they are not seeing any significant results it is probably because of the reasons I just mentioned.
I don't know what your problem is, but this is basic rules for improving fitness level.
Oh... I'm sorry... suggestions.
OP,
Sorry for hijacking your thread, but some people that don't agree with certain things seem to steer threads off course by turning things into an argument.
You have done a 30 minute walk and felt like you could do more. That is a GREAT start, and way better than me when I first started. I had to go lay down after walking a mile at first.
I recommend that you start off by pushing yourself a little on the walks each time. If you are already doing it for 30 minutes, try to increase your pace so your heart is in a cardio zone for that 30 minutes. If you don't know what a cardio zone is, here is a link that will explain it to you...
http://wserver.flc.losrios.edu/~willson/fitns304/handouts/heartRates.html
Once you get to the point of achieving a training effect, you can slowly increase that by increasing the time that you spend in the cardio zone. You can get the minimum in 20 minutes, but I recommend at least 30 minutes.
For muscular I would start off slow with light weights and gradually work yourself up to where you can do the 3 sets, and allow 24 hours of recovery between sessions on any given muscle group. I think you can work abs every day though.
It may sound a little overwhelming at first, but it's not as hard as it sounds. You just have to put the work in to start seeing results, and you are already off to a great start being able to walk for 30 minutes and feeling like you can do more.
Like I said, I had to lay down after walking a mile a little over 8 months ago, and now I can do 5 mile walks at about a 4 mph pace on very hilly hiking trails, and keep my heart rate in zone 3 & 4 for over an hour, and the way I accomplished that was the same suggestions that I am making to you.
I have lost 43 pounds so far, and feel 1,000% better for it.
Good luck.
Lol. When I started out for the first time exercising in my life, maybe 12 years ago and at about 280 pounds, I did 10 minutes on a stationary bike because I could. 10 minutes a day quickly became 15, then 20, and so on. I didn't worry about spending 20 minutes in the "cardio zone" and its probably a good thing too because if I had I probably would never have kept at it. This is not a good rule of thumb for an very heavy person who is just starting out. This is for fitter people who want to increase their fitness.
OP, just do what you're doing. You're doing great. I don't want to tell you not to push yourself, since I don't know what "pushing" might mean to you, but I will tell you that you do NOT NEED to exhaust yourself or do so much that it hurts, and that you SHOULD NOT do that. Just keep walking regularly for a month, and then you'll have a much better idea of where to go from there.0 -
The elliptical and spinning are both low impact on the knees. That is what I have used and was exclusively doing when I first started getting back into shape. From there I was able to start losing weight and actually started running. You can do this. The spin classes are fun, and people work on their pace based on heart rate, not speed.0
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Good start, OP. Build up as you can. Ignore the lunacy of lifting to failure for three sets as an ongoing program.0
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Oh well done!
Getting up and starting is the hardest.
I still, not having a natural inclination toward exercise, have to talk myself into it.
Having a set routine helps me when I waiver. Right now it is learning to swim. 12:30 is pool time come hell or high water.
It is kind of like when one stops logging, it is hard to get back to it for some, me it's the exercise.
If you have never tried aqua fit, give it a go. You can go at your own pace, it is friendly, and so much silly fun. A good work out too.
Do what you can do, not what others think you should.
Cheers, h.0 -
200lbs isn't that big at all, and well done on your loss so far and not drinking for 2 weeks! Awesome work.
I was 253.5lbs (bmi of 52) when I started out and walking is just fine for exercise. In fact it's pretty much all I do now, and it works perfectly for me. I did a good 30,000 steps in a day last Friday. There is no way that would have ever happened in Jan. I'm about 168lbs now :-).0 -
kickstandup wrote: »The elliptical and spinning are both low impact on the knees. That is what I have used and was exclusively doing when I first started getting back into shape. From there I was able to start losing weight and actually started running. You can do this. The spin classes are fun, and people work on their pace based on heart rate, not speed.
I love the Elliptical cross-trainer, but for some reason my knees does not like spinning.0 -
I started at 311 lb. I started exercising at 280. The first thing I did was a water aerobics class which gave me a nice cardio workout and helped strengthen my core and my legs. After a couple of months of just doing that, I started walking.
Do what you can do now, and build on it. Since you have started walking, work on increasing your pace and your distance, perhaps try to get further in the same amount of time. It took me a year, but I can now walk 5-6 miles daily, plus swim 1.25 miles and go to the water aerobics right afterwards 3 x a week.
Congratulations on a good start!0 -
I started with a workout DVD and had to do it twice. The second time around I was in much better shape, could do most of the exercises without modifying, and moved on to the second level of the DVD. I found it fun, and as a long time jogger, for like 40 years, finally found it to be boring and wanted a change (and had also stopped for 5 months and gained weight and was a mess).
I think any exercise is better than none, and while I would like to get my HR into the "zone" 20 min. 3 days a week, I also found that doing nothing in terms of exercise, wasn't getting my HR into that zone. Take it slow and easy and remember that it gets to be fun as well! I loved the roller blade example! Some exercise is better than none, that's my motto. Until I got on here and learned of all the types of exercises people were doing, I thought "jogging" was it. Now I know that there is much more.0 -
I started at over 400lbs. Initially I couldn't even last 10 minutes on an elliptical. It was horrible. Persistence and will are what gets you past that initial start up hardship we've all experienced. I was around 320 when I did my first 5k a few months ago. Stretch. A lot. It will help with the aches. And walking? Is pretty awesome as a low impact form of exercise to get you active.0
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