2014 Official Chaz Fitness Challenge

Beanie

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Since I've been doing My Fitness Pal and exercising (either a long walk with Sally, a 30 minute walk around the track at the park, or 30 min of stationary bike at the work gym), I've officially lost 23.8 lbs!

I would like to do a Pilates class-60 min, twice a week-would that have the same benefits as strength training?
That is awesome!! Way to go!

Pilates and yoga are a type of strength training. The benefits of strength training depend on increasing difficulty. In most cases this simply means increased resistance - heavier weights - but in the cases of things like bodyweight workouts, it can mean harder moves. I would say a good pilates class would probably find ways to regularly challenge you and push you harder and further! And if you're doing work with a resistance band like some pilates moves do, changing to a higher tension resistance band will definitely do the job of increased resistance.
 

PWCorgi

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Since I've been doing My Fitness Pal and exercising (either a long walk with Sally, a 30 minute walk around the track at the park, or 30 min of stationary bike at the work gym), I've officially lost 23.8 lbs!

I would like to do a Pilates class-60 min, twice a week-would that have the same benefits as strength training?
That's awesome!! :banana:
 

PWCorgi

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So my friend and I are checking out the gym tomorrow and hopefully signing up.

Which means I need a plan. Does it make sense as a super super out of shape person to split workouts into leg day, arm day, etc? Or at this point is just doing a little of each every time a better idea?
Anyone have a suggested beginner routine? I have been googling, but I don't know how to tell if one routine is better than another?

Since I live in the arctic and it SNOWED TODAY :mad: I am thinking of starting C25K at the gym on a treadmill. And doing running/weights on alternating days to start with?

I'm really excited :D
 

Ozfozz

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Just started a good fitness routine 4 times per week + hour hikes with the dogs most days of the week, along with restricting caloric intake....

Annnd somehow managed to mess up my back yesterday (halfway through a rest day), to the point I can barely breathe let alone move. Was hoping it would be gone today. Nope. Planned on working out hard, hiking, then going out for lunch. Now none of that will happen.

It'll be 3 days in a row without workout (wont be able to fit one in tomorrow even if I do feel fine), and at least 2 days no hiking.

This is why I don't start things like this :wall:
 
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So my friend and I are checking out the gym tomorrow and hopefully signing up.

Which means I need a plan. Does it make sense as a super super out of shape person to split workouts into leg day, arm day, etc? Or at this point is just doing a little of each every time a better idea?
Anyone have a suggested beginner routine? I have been googling, but I don't know how to tell if one routine is better than another?

Since I live in the arctic and it SNOWED TODAY :mad: I am thinking of starting C25K at the gym on a treadmill. And doing running/weights on alternating days to start with?

I'm really excited :D
No :)

Simple is good, develop a habit of going. Pick one thing you don't like and make yourself do it, then do stuff you do like in short term.

My wife for example, never wanted to touch weights, only treadmill. Which to me is a one gigantic time sucking waste :) So every day she'd do her treadmill and she picked 2 exercises to do as well, now she does a pretty good balance between strength training and treadmill. If she'd have gone in all weights all the time, she'd have been done in less than a month. So be honest with yourself, but push yourself too. The most important thing at this point is create a habit.

Split routines should be left to body builders. I don't think they are all that good for the general public or for athletes. Split routines do allow for "killer" workouts, but they also seem to be a lot about specialization and your muscles just don't work that way. Isolating a certain muscle and working the **** out of it can build a sexy muscle and leave you prone to injury as well.

For me, big movements that work large muscle groups and recruit the most fibers are the best. You get more done in a shorter amount of time and your body learns to work in a coordinated fashion like it was designed to do.

I'd get rid of every leg curl or extension machine on earth if I could. Melt them down and make something worthwhile :)

So, to start, i'd pick 4 sets for each muscle group and over the next couple weeks increase that to 6-8 sets. If you're really deconditioned to working out, the first 12 weeks of strength gains are all your nervous system adapting anyway so don't get to caught up in changing and adding variety and all that jazz. Just get good at what you're doing.

For example I'd do an entire body workout one day, leave a day or two for something else. Walk, jog, run with the dog, basket ball, hiking, biking, chase your nieces and nephews around a park, anything else that gets you active, then the next day, get back in and do weights.

Exercises to do, squats, lunges, leg press if you must use a machine. After a while you have romanian squats, one legged deadlifts, pistols, split squats, side lunges, etc.

Push ups, dumbell bench press, barbell press, after a while more dynamic movements, alligator crawls, one arm 1/2, on knees, whatever you need to do to make them challenging yet do them. Then you can do flat and varying inclines. Shoulder presses etc.

Rows (there's 20 varieties to do), chin ups, can't do one? find a machine that lets you add weight to help you. Or look for some strapping, like the jungle gym xt. you can hang those anywhere, even just by shutting a door on them and use your legs as need to be do the form correctly.

Learn form, create a habit. Avoid exercises that are very specific. Learn to use your core to stabilize doing the rest of your workout and save the 30 minutes on "abs" that every one seems to want to do. Another gigantic time sucking waste :)

Start fairly static and strict as you get better, make the moves more dynamic. Example, simple unweighted squat, then add weight, then add 18 inch box steps/Lunge or machine shoulder press (if that's what you're comfortable with, though I'd recommend a barbell press at least preferrably dumbells) Then maybe an assisted wall hand stand, then assisted wall walks, then handstand pushups. it's a progression and nobody starts at the top.

Build the strength, then make it more difficult in terms of being more dynamic or increase the weight.

I'm very long winded, so NO, do not worry about breaking things up. Do it all one day, 4-6 total sets per "body part" depending on your level and add as you advance. 6 months to a year from now, let's address this question again :)
 

Beanie

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+1 to all the above. Many bodybuilders these days don't even do split routines. "Leg day" is kind of a joke now. The guys at my gym like to say "leg day is every day."

See Stronglifts 5x5 if you want a plan to follow to get started, it's free to sign up and get the plan and then you can unsubscribe from his e-mails after that if you want to (and you probably will because they are very sales-y and frequent.) The workouts consist of squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. That's it. It really is dead simple and I recommend it to anybody in search of programming ideas because it is so simple, not overwhelming, you don't have to think about it a lot.

For other programs, here's a lovely book (in fact you should probably get this one anyway):
http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Stre...R5ZA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395325522&sr=8-1

and this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Strong-Curves...I0QM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395325567&sr=8-1

and yet another:
http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lif...9RGC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395325588&sr=8-3

Here's this one, too, BTW, on the subject of bodyweight workouts:
http://www.amazon.com/Bodyweight-St...GD6_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395326221&sr=1-2
 
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simple is good. I'd say simple is best. that 5x5 looks like a nice simple and effective way to start and with little variation to those same exercises could keep someone doing great their entire life.

Simple, compound and dynamic exercises that recruit a lot of muscles and they work together in a coordinated fashion. The body is complex, yet simple, work it that way. push, pull, squat, extend. Life is good :)
 

Fran27

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How often do those of you trying to lose weight weigh yourselves?
Every day when I'm in a 'losing weight' window (basically from the fourth day of my period and the week after). Otherwise I don't, because I know I will have maintained or gained water weight... but it's how I work.

I've heard of Stronglift 5x5 and it's probably what I'll do if I ever decide to do it... I read the program. It's easy. I just can't imagine increasing my weights every week, my strength gains have been horrible with this 'diet'. Must be pretty awesome when eating at maintenance though, so I might give it a shot then. For now my 45 dumbbells will have to do.
 

FG167

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How often do those of you trying to lose weight weigh yourselves?
Every other day at least, sometimes every day. I have a WICKED sweet tooth, this helps me keep that in check.

Monday - Run
Tuesday - BodyPump, short run
Wednesday - Run
Thursday - Cycling or Combat, no run
Friday - Run
Saturday - Long Run
Sunday - Strength training session - squats, deadlifts, lunges, weighted glute bridge
Thanks Beanie! I think I'm going to go ahead and join the University's gym then. I can go at lunch and alternate Body Pump, HIIT, Quick Fit, and RIPPED. Right now the rest of the semester is 1/2 off so I am just going to do it and if I don't like it, I'm not stuck for an entire semester.

They offer Combat and also yoga/pilates. What do you think of those classes? I've never done yoga/pilates...I don't know if I have the right mind set.
 

sillysally

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See, the last couple of days I've weighed myself in the morning first thing. I've been staying in my eating plan, and doing 30 minute of walking or stationary bike every day this week. However, yesterday and the day before I'd gains 0.4 lbs each morning, and I get a bit discouraged. DH says I'm obsessing and that I should stick to weekly, so I was curious what the norm was.
 

Fran27

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It's normal, it's not linear at all... You can be retaining water, or you didn't pee or poop as much... You'll lose, gain a bit, lose again, stall... It's a bit frustrating but you have to remember that it takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound.

That's why I love counting calories (yeah it sounds a bit masochistic I guess, and I'm pretty anal about it and weigh all my food too). I know that I'm eating less than I burn, so I know it can only be water weight. It's less stressful this way, instead of having to guess.
 

Julee

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Just did W1D1 of C25K. I'm a good ~15lbs heavier than when I had started it the first time.

It was raining, but I went out, I finished it, and I'm proud. Hot shower time.
 

PWCorgi

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Woooo! Go you!!

I start...in about an hour. The gym I joined officially opens today. Just waiting for my gym buddy to get home from work. Then off we go!
 

PWCorgi

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Back from the gym, and I feel awesome. Just did Day 1 of C25K, but I was worried that it was going to kill me with how out of shape I am. ... NOPE! Killed it! Could have kept going!

We go back tomorrow to start weights.

This gym is exactly what I need right now :D
 

SpringerLover

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Back from the gym, and I feel awesome. Just did Day 1 of C25K, but I was worried that it was going to kill me with how out of shape I am. ... NOPE! Killed it! Could have kept going!

We go back tomorrow to start weights.

This gym is exactly what I need right now :D
HEY! Are we still going to run outside?!
 

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