Am I getting value from my exercise routine?
fedenaj1
Posts: 14 Member
Hello everyone,
I wanted to share my exercise routine with the group and get some input. Before, however, it think it's prudent to briefly explain my current situation. I'm at 290 lbs (down from 311). I calorie count (coupled with a loose South Beach phase 2 routine). I have an old Norditrack elliptical that I use for an HIIT tabata workout of 23 minutes and 15 seconds. The elliptical does not offer any resistance, that functionality is broken. I then do 21 pushups right after. I do this Monday thru Friday and give myself a break on Saturdays and Sundays. Feels great! However, the Monday coming back is always a little rough. This is where I'm currently at in my journey. I will say though, my weight loss is not stellar. I weigh on Friday mornings, I'll see gain sometimes instead of loss. Also, sometimes I'll see progress, then that progress is rolled back. I do feel that the exercise is the key to my success, so I want to make sure I'm doing it right. That's why I wanted to ask this question.
Thanks, in advance.
I wanted to share my exercise routine with the group and get some input. Before, however, it think it's prudent to briefly explain my current situation. I'm at 290 lbs (down from 311). I calorie count (coupled with a loose South Beach phase 2 routine). I have an old Norditrack elliptical that I use for an HIIT tabata workout of 23 minutes and 15 seconds. The elliptical does not offer any resistance, that functionality is broken. I then do 21 pushups right after. I do this Monday thru Friday and give myself a break on Saturdays and Sundays. Feels great! However, the Monday coming back is always a little rough. This is where I'm currently at in my journey. I will say though, my weight loss is not stellar. I weigh on Friday mornings, I'll see gain sometimes instead of loss. Also, sometimes I'll see progress, then that progress is rolled back. I do feel that the exercise is the key to my success, so I want to make sure I'm doing it right. That's why I wanted to ask this question.
Thanks, in advance.
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Replies
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I'm sorry, what is your question?
If it's that you don't see weight loss every week, that's to be expected. You don't talk at all about how you are measuring and quantifying your food.2 -
OH, your title is the question.
Any exercise is better than none. What kind of "value" are you looking to obtain?3 -
Thank you very much for the responses, yes, tried to get the question out first, it is the title. I hope I have this thread in the right area. I expect more loss from the exercise I'm doing. I base this on losses I've seen in the past with similar attempts. Am I doing enough? Since it's all about weight loss, I don't buy the whole "it's all about how you feel.." aspect. Maybe that's because I'm uneducated. I fear that the hard work and effort I'm putting into my routine is not optimal. Not sure how I can find out what the best routine is for me and give me the most benefit but keep me from hurting myself. Hope that makes sense...1
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I don't think you're over-doing it with 23 min and then 21 pushups. Add to your time as you can. 23 minutes on a non-resistance elliptical is going to become too easy quite quickly.
Weight loss is all about calories, so make sure you keep close tabs on your food. That's really the biggest part.
Exercise is something to increase as ability and conditioning improves. Don't overthink the HIIT thing, HIIT is pretty specific and I'm not sure you'll be able to challenge yourself enough on an elliptical with no resistance.
Focus on your food and maybe add in some different exercise in addition to your 23 minutes on the elliptical.
You don't say how long you've been at this or how much you're eating. Just keep doing what you're doing and log your food as accurately as you can.3 -
Thank you. I've been at this off and on for several years. I get this same routine going, then stop as failures and discouragement sets in, then get back for whatever reason. This latest "cycle" is driven by health reasons and a very impressionable doctor. I have been at this latest effort since April 5th. I've worked up to 23 minutes from 15. The pushups started at 10 and I've worked up to 21. I log my progress, I have notes going back to 2015. This time around, I've progressed past all my previous efforts as far as timings on the elliptical and counted pushups, but my weight loss is much less. This is why I wanted to ask the question. That elliptical is all have. I am ready to increase the "work" interval of my HIIT routine. I will do that soon. My calorie limit, based on my body metrics, is 1720, and increases to 2175 when I do my routine. I am good about staying under when there are no special occasions going on.0
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I agree with cmriverside. Change things up. If you've been doing this same routine since April, it's time to change.
One thing to remember, you will never be able to exercise away the pounds. You reduce calories to lose weight, you exercise to improve your cardiovascular health with aerobics. You also workout with weights or using body resistance (i.e. your pushups) to build strength, endurance and muscle mass. But your body quickly becomes efficient at doing the same motion over and over again, (you burn fewer calories) so introduce new moves/exercises to challenge your muscles.
There is a website called HasFit that has free workouts designed for all fitness levels. Squeezing in time to workout can be difficult but 4 to 5 days of aerobic workouts and 2 to 3 times a week for strength would be great. If this seems overwhelming, just do what you can but keep doing it.
Weighing your food is a good idea if you aren't doing that already. Measuring is good but you would be amazed at how things like bread can vary from what the package says. And they hardly ever vary in our favor, lol.
Good luck and don't give up! You can do this.
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Instead of daily pushups - which may lead to shoulder injuries down the road - follow a proven, full-body strength program designed by a pro. If you don't have strength equipment, try the Nerd Fitness beginner's program. You'll be doing it every 2-3 days.
Other than that, it looks ok. If you're relatively sedentary, consider doing some cardio daily, or even multiple short sessions daily, if your schedule permits.
Maybe you can somehow rig a bungee strap to add resistance to the elliptical? Just don't hurt yourself.
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Weight loss is 30% exercise and 70% diet for starters. Logging your meals is very important when using this app.
As for the exercise, I don't know what other equipment you have available. If none there are all kinds of body weight movements that you can do as resistance training. I would also recommend walking, especially hills or inclines to increase the demand on your body.
You can friend me if you like for more support and advice.
Rick3 -
Thank you each and every one of you. You're all awesome.2
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I would second the idea of finding a more comprehensive body weight workout-just make sure you are adapting it to your current ability and fitness level.
There might be benefit from increasing your cardio minutes, but just pounding yourself with more/longer HIIT workouts is not productive. HIIT is more of a time efficiency tool than a weight loss tool. (Not saying no HIIT, just not ALL HIIT). But I'm not sure what options you have for doing some productive steady-state cardio. That's why the longer, body-weight workouts might be a decent substitute.2 -
There are a gazillion exercises you can do at home with little to no equipment or space-- push-ups being one of the very best IMO. Keep improving your time and reps, you're doing great and exercise of any sort is fantastic, but it's truly going to be the food side of the equation that will get you where you want to be. Make that your priority. Planning, prepping and tracking are where it's at.2
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Thank you all for the wonderful insight. What if your calorie count falls below what your calculated metrics determine is correct? I realize I'm at the risk of taking this thread on a tangent but I feel it's linked...0
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I would try to stick with your calorie needs as recommended.
I don't know how much weight you need to lose, but it's pretty important to keep your calories up as much as possible to prevent nutrition related health issues.2 -
I would second the idea of finding a more comprehensive body weight workout-just make sure you are adapting it to your current ability and fitness level.
There might be benefit from increasing your cardio minutes, but just pounding yourself with more/longer HIIT workouts is not productive. HIIT is more of a time efficiency tool than a weight loss tool. (Not saying no HIIT, just not ALL HIIT). But I'm not sure what options you have for doing some productive steady-state cardio. That's why the longer, body-weight workouts might be a decent substitute.
This is all spot on. Also, if there is no resistance on the equipment it will be hard to achieve the High Intensity in HIIT after awhile.2 -
Weight loss is 30% exercise and 70% diet for starters. Logging your meals is very important when using this app.
As for the exercise, I don't know what other equipment you have available. If none there are all kinds of body weight movements that you can do as resistance training. I would also recommend walking, especially hills or inclines to increase the demand on your body.
You can friend me if you like for more support and advice.
Rick
actually weight loss is 100% diet. exercise is for health and will change how your body looks.you dont even have to exercise to lose weight but it helps in a lot of other ways2 -
Any reason why you can't substitute walking and jogging outside for the elliptical? Your own body weight might provide the resistance you need that you're not getting. You might get some inclines on an outdoor route, too. And be sure to take at least a 30 minute walk on Saturday and Sunday. That way you're not going from complete sedentary to a needlessly rough Monday workout.1
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DebLaBounty wrote: »Any reason why you can't substitute walking and jogging outside for the elliptical? Your own body weight might provide the resistance you need that you're not getting. You might get some inclines on an outdoor route, too. And be sure to take at least a 30 minute walk on Saturday and Sunday. That way you're not going from complete sedentary to a needlessly rough Monday workout.
Very good questions. I've always told myself that I would jog when my weight was lower. Right now, when I try to even "jostle" out to the driveway to flag down my wife it hurts. I fear that jogging is not a good idea now at my current weight. Also, due to where I live, rural and in the country, no shoulders to walk on, no sidewalks, it's not safe to walk on our roads. I hope these don't sound like excuses, I'm being honest...0 -
I would second the idea of finding a more comprehensive body weight workout-just make sure you are adapting it to your current ability and fitness level.
There might be benefit from increasing your cardio minutes, but just pounding yourself with more/longer HIIT workouts is not productive. HIIT is more of a time efficiency tool than a weight loss tool. (Not saying no HIIT, just not ALL HIIT). But I'm not sure what options you have for doing some productive steady-state cardio. That's why the longer, body-weight workouts might be a decent substitute.
This is all spot on. Also, if there is no resistance on the equipment it will be hard to achieve the High Intensity in HIIT after awhile.
Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of.0 -
DebLaBounty wrote: »Any reason why you can't substitute walking and jogging outside for the elliptical? Your own body weight might provide the resistance you need that you're not getting. You might get some inclines on an outdoor route, too. And be sure to take at least a 30 minute walk on Saturday and Sunday. That way you're not going from complete sedentary to a needlessly rough Monday workout.
Very good questions. I've always told myself that I would jog when my weight was lower. Right now, when I try to even "jostle" out to the driveway to flag down my wife it hurts. I fear that jogging is not a good idea now at my current weight. Also, due to where I live, rural and in the country, no shoulders to walk on, no sidewalks, it's not safe to walk on our roads. I hope these don't sound like excuses, I'm being honest...
not an excuse I live in a rural area too and only sidewalks are in town and I live out of town limits. I walk to town often but thankfully theres enough room to walk.is there anywhere close where you can swim? its low impact, and easy on the joints0 -
DebLaBounty wrote: »Any reason why you can't substitute walking and jogging outside for the elliptical? Your own body weight might provide the resistance you need that you're not getting. You might get some inclines on an outdoor route, too. And be sure to take at least a 30 minute walk on Saturday and Sunday. That way you're not going from complete sedentary to a needlessly rough Monday workout.
Very good questions. I've always told myself that I would jog when my weight was lower. Right now, when I try to even "jostle" out to the driveway to flag down my wife it hurts. I fear that jogging is not a good idea now at my current weight. Also, due to where I live, rural and in the country, no shoulders to walk on, no sidewalks, it's not safe to walk on our roads. I hope these don't sound like excuses, I'm being honest...
Those aren't excuses; they are reasons.
Yeah, diet is the biggest part of the equation for you. When it comes to exercise, your gym (even a home gym) needs to be convenient and the exercise that you choose for yourself needs to be enjoyable and sustainable over a long time.
I love lifting weights and love cycling.
Running is great too but there are other sports or activities that are great for others, however bore me to tears.
Golf ? .. uggh, no thanks; what a complete waste of time (for me)
Swimming? I would rather drown.
There are a lot of body weight exercises that you can do at home, and all that you need is a floor.... and well, a body.
There's always a way to mix in some exercise. That being said, a clean diet is the most important element for dropping the weight that you're looking to lose.
best of luck, my friend; feel free to 'add me' or hit me up on a pm anytime.
I wish you well.1 -
If it's 23 minutes, it may be HIIT but it's not tabata. Tabata is a specific protocol developed by a man named Tabata which is 20 seconds max intensity, 10 moderate intensity, for 4 minutes, with a 2 minute warm up and cool down. Sorry to be pedantic, just thought you should know. If the broken elliptical machine gets to the point that you aren't able to achieve high intensity on it, there are plenty of exercises you can use for HIIT intervals without equipment. Various jumping exercises such as burpees are good for this. I do a jumping abdominal twist thing as intervals. The main thing is that it's something which is the correct intensity for you.
Since you've been doing the same 21 push-ups for a while, one thing you might try is the 100 push-up challenge, which gradually increases the number of push-ups you can do. You could also add some other body weight exercises such as squats, crunches and pull-ups.1 -
rheddmobile wrote: »If it's 23 minutes, it may be HIIT but it's not tabata. Tabata is a specific protocol developed by a man named Tabata which is 20 seconds max intensity, 10 moderate intensity, for 4 minutes, with a 2 minute warm up and cool down. Sorry to be pedantic, just thought you should know. If the broken elliptical machine gets to the point that you aren't able to achieve high intensity on it, there are plenty of exercises you can use for HIIT intervals without equipment. Various jumping exercises such as burpees are good for this. I do a jumping abdominal twist thing as intervals. The main thing is that it's something which is the correct intensity for you.
Since you've been doing the same 21 push-ups for a while, one thing you might try is the 100 push-up challenge, which gradually increases the number of push-ups you can do. You could also add some other body weight exercises such as squats, crunches and pull-ups.
Understood. I somehow made the association from my Southbeach diet book (HIIT) and a Tabata app on my phone that fit the description of what I was supposed to do. These timings and intervals are current stepping stones. I will improve. Thank you for the insight, its appreciated.0 -
You mention that the intensity on your elliptical is broken... is the distance broken as well?
IF not, mix it up. Instead of finishing with 21 pushups, do 4 or 5 or 8 every 1/4 mile And mix up the intervals for the speed... go for distance vs time....
one day do 30 seconds.. another do 1/8 of a mile.. or 1/4 mile vs 60 seconds.. etc.
Also, there are other Body weight exercises you can do as you lose weight.0 -
I think you will see little benefit from your routine until you get more consistency with staying on track with your diet. I get the impression that you are a bit hit or miss with it due to those "special occasions." 80% of losing weight in done in the kitchen. Also, it sounds like you are eating your excercise calories back. People have differing opinions, but not eating them back worked for me and helped keep me on track especially because measuring actual "burned calories" is tough and rarely accurate.
How about a P90x or Insanity? I have had friends who have had great success with that. The body is amazingly resilient even when overweight and you will be surprised at what you can do when you really push yourself. (Coming from someone who was 90lbs overweight with stressed knees and pushed through brutal MMA workouts as my excercise of choice)1
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