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Old 02-20-2006, 10:11 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Working out at Home

I'm an extremely out of shape and overweight person who (with his girlfriend) is trying to start working some of it off.

Right now I'm making an hour walk Monday/Wednesday/Friday, but I need to try to do some anaerobic work. That's where the problem comes in.

I could go to the rec center and use their weight lifting area, but honestly, I have some serious social phobias and the last thing I really want to do is go in there and start working out around a hundred muscled up guys who do this all the time. I just couldn't handle that by myself - I'd probably vomit. I know it sounds dumb, but sorry, that's off the list. I'd like to try to find some kind of strength training that doesn't involve weight lifting at the rec center.

So what I'm looking for is a book recomendation that will help me start out with some kind of working out that I can do in the privacy of my own dorm with my girlfriend and start trying to get a little better in shape. Obviously there's crunches and pushups, but there's only so far you can get on those basic exercises.
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Old 02-21-2006, 03:37 AM   #2 (permalink)
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Buy the encylopedia of bodybuilding by Arnie (THE Arnie), and get yourself a weights bench if you want to do some weights training somewhere along the line but don't want to make a fool of yourself in the gym, much like myself. You should be able to get a fold up bench and with a little squeezing fit it all in. May not look pretty, but it can work...
Otherwise, get yourself a set of cast iron dumbells, and start playing around with those in the safety of your room. Not as many exercises you can do, but if you want to start off slowly and ease yourself in they're great.
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Old 02-21-2006, 07:24 AM   #3 (permalink)
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Location: Indiana
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorade Frost
I'm an extremely out of shape and overweight person who (with his girlfriend) is trying to start working some of it off.

Right now I'm making an hour walk Monday/Wednesday/Friday, but I need to try to do some anaerobic work. That's where the problem comes in.

I could go to the rec center and use their weight lifting area, but honestly, I have some serious social phobias and the last thing I really want to do is go in there and start working out around a hundred muscled up guys who do this all the time. I just couldn't handle that by myself - I'd probably vomit. I know it sounds dumb, but sorry, that's off the list. I'd like to try to find some kind of strength training that doesn't involve weight lifting at the rec center.

So what I'm looking for is a book recomendation that will help me start out with some kind of working out that I can do in the privacy of my own dorm with my girlfriend and start trying to get a little better in shape. Obviously there's crunches and pushups, but there's only so far you can get on those basic exercises.
I agree that watching these beefed up guys stare at themselves in the mirror for an hour isn't exactly fun. The gym kind of sucks if you don't enjoy the idea of checking everyone out and everyone checking you out kind of things, or unless you genuienly enjoy lifting for the sport. With that being said, most people at the gym wouldn't hesitate to help you out or give you advice if you asked them.

I don't have any book reccomendations, however don't discredit pushups and crunches. I stared doing them after hearing of a famous football player who did nothing but that and running. It was Eddie george (i think), and he did 1000 pushups a day and ran if I remember correctly. Basically I modified this and started doing 40 pushups and 40 deep squats (no weight) everyday. Now I've worked up to 200 pushups a day then 200 squats the next day at about 40-50 reps a set. Of course I take days off if I need to and it's taken me over a year to get up to 200 reps.

The advantage of that is you can do it anywhere, it requires no equipment, and it hits most of the major muscle groups which is key to burning calories and getting a more toned look in my opinion. Whatever workout you choose do not ingore legs or think that walking is good enough for them. Legs muscles have the ability to burn some serious calories if you work them hard.

Last edited by samcol; 02-21-2006 at 07:29 AM..
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Old 02-21-2006, 07:36 AM   #4 (permalink)
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I have recently reached a weight loss goal (I lost 112 lbs) by diet and excersize, and I never stepped foot in a gym or bought a single piece of exersize equipment. I did exactly what you are doing, walking. I walked every day for about 30 minutes, or longer on weekends. The lighter I got, the faster / farther I'd walk. I eventually started doing some challenging hiking trails, and now I take them with ease. I never really wanted to "beef up" however, I just wanted to slim down.

Make sure you do the right thing as far as diet goes, excersize won't help without the proper nutritional intake, and vice versa.
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Old 02-21-2006, 08:07 AM   #5 (permalink)
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I don't have a book recommendation; there are a zillion websites that can give you basic and advanced information, including detailed descriptions of exercises and even workout plans. But it's like buying a car or computer -- if you don't really know what's realistic for you, or have certain basic concepts, too much information is just going to confuse you.

I would go to the bookstore and spend at least half an hour browsing what's there. You're looking for a beginner's book -- something that emphasizes fitness and working out with limited equipment over achieving massive brawn. Books that talk about "fitness for busy people," or weight training for businessmen," and such. These are great starter books; they'll introduce you to basic exercises and basic concepts, and they won't confuse you. They're good to start with for the first few months, especially for somebody who's coming from a severely out-of-shape place. The key is to get rid of them when they become too easy and move on to something a little harder.

As for working out in the gym -- well first, you need to know what to do, so if you're a total newbie, you'd need a gym that would give you at least some help to start. As for the embarassment factor: well, there _are_ gyms that are total meat markets, where everyone's wearing spandex and staring at themselves in the mirror. But there are also gyms where people of different sizes, shapes, and ages work out and nobody does too much preening. And those are very welcoming.

You may be telling yourself, "They'll look at me in the gym and think I don't belong." And that's not true. At a good gym, you get your credibility from _showing up and working hard._ If you do that and don't spend too much time lazing around and yakking, everybody real will know that you are On The Path, and respect you for it.

And by the way, most gyms have a number of big-muscled types who laze around and yakk out on the floor when everybody else is trying to work. And they are _not_ especially respected or well-liked by those who are serious.

Last edited by Rodney; 02-21-2006 at 10:35 AM..
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Old 02-21-2006, 02:21 PM   #6 (permalink)
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I think the best investment you could make would be a treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike. With this device, you will see the best results. Aenorobic exercise (weight lifting) is beneficial, but currently your goal should be weight loss. After getting your body into shape for awhile, then begin lifting.

To enhance your weight-loss goal, there are two main components:
1) Diet - this is the biggest thing that everyone forgets when trying to lose weight. It is possible to lose huge pounds without ever doing exercise. The key is caloric deficit. Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR), and that is how many calories your body expends in a single day. For reference, a pound of fat is equivalent to 3500 kilocalories (for science people, 1 kilocalorie = 1 Calorie). For example, during your diet, you have a caloric deficit of 500 Calories, you will lose 1lb of fat every week. This is what you should strive for. Another key element for a diet is to remember it is a lifestyle change. That is why "fad" diets are mostly unsuccessful. Find healthy foods that are also tasty (my opinion the best is grilled chicken breasts [no fat, no cholesterol, high protein]).
2) Exercise - Walking, running, and biking are the best aerobic exercises. A good investment would be a heart rate monitor. Use the heart rate monitor and then exercise at a pace for aerobic exercise (usually around 140-150 beats/min), and that will net you the best results for cardiovascular gain. It will also keep you at a pace that wont let you stop after 10min from exhaustion or from being able to go for 3 hours straight.

Hope this helps, good luck with your plan, and PM me if you have any questions.
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Old 02-21-2006, 06:25 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Allow me to preface this by saying I did not read any of the above posts, because I'm lazy. That said :

All you need is a set of free weights. A bench is helpful, but not essential. Butterflies etc can be done on the floor to nearly the same effect, so long as you put a pillow nder your lower back for lumbar support.

Check out the library, there should be about a million books that will help you put a routine together.
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Old 02-22-2006, 04:18 AM   #8 (permalink)
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Location: The Great White North
Quote:
Originally Posted by soccerchamp76
I think the best investment you could make would be a treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike. With this device, you will see the best results. Aenorobic exercise (weight lifting) is beneficial, but currently your goal should be weight loss. After getting your body into shape for awhile, then begin lifting.

To enhance your weight-loss goal, there are two main components:
1) Diet - this is the biggest thing that everyone forgets when trying to lose weight. It is possible to lose huge pounds without ever doing exercise. The key is caloric deficit. Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR), and that is how many calories your body expends in a single day. For reference, a pound of fat is equivalent to 3500 kilocalories (for science people, 1 kilocalorie = 1 Calorie). For example, during your diet, you have a caloric deficit of 500 Calories, you will lose 1lb of fat every week. This is what you should strive for. Another key element for a diet is to remember it is a lifestyle change. That is why "fad" diets are mostly unsuccessful. Find healthy foods that are also tasty (my opinion the best is grilled chicken breasts [no fat, no cholesterol, high protein]).
2) Exercise - Walking, running, and biking are the best aerobic exercises. A good investment would be a heart rate monitor. Use the heart rate monitor and then exercise at a pace for aerobic exercise (usually around 140-150 beats/min), and that will net you the best results for cardiovascular gain. It will also keep you at a pace that wont let you stop after 10min from exhaustion or from being able to go for 3 hours straight.

Hope this helps, good luck with your plan, and PM me if you have any questions.
Great advice on the cardio and heart monitor. I would caution on the heart bpm suggested as you don't really know the proper rate for your body. If you are out of shape your range may be much lower.

I saw guy recently tested. He was in his late 30s and you would think his rate would have been in the 140-150 range. It turns out that the point where his body stopped burning equal amounts of fat & sugar anaerobic thresh hold (AT) was 132 bpm, so his best fat burning range was below that. On the other hand, I work out regularly, am 50 but my AT is usually around 160.

30 minutes a day to start below your AT would be very beneficial for you. That may be just walking fast initially. After a week or so in crease 15 minutes a day and then another 15 minutes after another week or two. Time at lower rates is much better than a few minutes at a higher rate.

Here are a few links for you that might help. One link leads you to a heart rate zone chart if you click on the PDF link (or it may take you right to the chart if it works right). The second page of the chart when you print it shows how to find your AT.

Good luck!!

http://www.lifetimefitness.com/modul...ning_chart.pdf

http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/tri...ate-000574.php

http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460
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Old 02-22-2006, 09:43 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Location: Right Here
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorade Frost
I could go to the rec center and use their weight lifting area, but honestly, I have some serious social phobias and the last thing I really want to do is go in there and start working out around a hundred muscled up guys who do this all the time. I just couldn't handle that by myself - I'd probably vomit. I know it sounds dumb, but sorry, that's off the list. I'd like to try to find some kind of strength training that doesn't involve weight lifting at the rec center.
.
In my experience the local community rec center is where you go to get started, most of the guys lifting in there have an average build. Once you get to the higher end gyms then you get the overly muscled up guys.

If you want to work out at home, first before you buy anything, get someone who will lift with you. For one, a spotter will keep you from getting injured and allow you to lift with more confidence. Second, it will help you keep to a work-out schedule.
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Old 02-22-2006, 08:41 PM   #10 (permalink)
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You don't even need free weights. There's more than just crunches and push-ups... you can do lunges, squats, dips (with a couple of chairs or chair/desk) and burpees using your own weight. Then there's always leg-lifts: lying on your back or getting on all fours (to engage your core). All great exercises not requiring any equipment!

EDIT: If you don't know what Burpees are, you can look them up in the exercise list on www.crossfit.com... as well as a bunch of other exercises of which some others don't require weights or other equipment.
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Last edited by Supple Cow; 02-22-2006 at 08:43 PM.. Reason: forgot to link to crossfit, the uber-fitness site!
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Old 02-22-2006, 08:50 PM   #11 (permalink)
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Yeah dude, don't waste your money on free weights just yet. Working out your arms is not going to do a whole lot for getting rid of the fat. I second Supple's post. That is the stuff that will work the best for you. Anything that will raise your heart rate and keep it up.

Fast walking, biking, crunches, leg lifts, etc are the best things to do. And yeah, you MUST change your diet. If you don't, all your effort will be in vain. Here's a simple formula for weight loss:

calories in < calories out = weight loss

That's all you need to know.
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