Help Getting Into Shape and Losing Weight.

[CynCyn]

Hi

My husband referred me here after getting some great advice. I’m looking to lose weight and get back into shape. I’d say, right now, I’m not in very good shape at all and slightly overweight at 5’5” 150lbs. I used to go to the gym quite often, but over the past year or so I’ve had no time. Recently I’ve made room for 45 minutes to an hour a day to focus on a workout.

I’ve already cut out the bad foods and started on a healthier balanced diet (but if anyone wants to through something in about this, I'd be happy to hear it!). What I need really is some advice on what I can do in home for a workout that will fit in to the 45 min to an hour time period that I have, burn off the unwanted fat and gain some strength with pretty much just my body weight to work with. I do own an elliptical machine, so that is an option as well.

I’ll be reading through other things while I wait for replies, and thank you!

[bwhite55]

Hi

My husband referred me here after getting some great advice. I’m looking to lose weight and get back into shape. I’d say, right now, I’m not in very good shape at all and slightly overweight at 5’5” 150lbs. I used to go to the gym quite often, but over the past year or so I’ve had no time. Recently I’ve made room for 45 minutes to an hour a day to focus on a workout.

I’ve already cut out the bad foods and started on a healthier balanced diet (but if anyone wants to through something in about this, I'd be happy to hear it!). What I need really is some advice on what I can do in home for a workout that will fit in to the 45 min to an hour time period that I have, burn off the unwanted fat and gain some strength with pretty much just my body weight to work with. I do own an elliptical machine, so that is an option as well.

I’ll be reading through other things while I wait for replies, and thank you!

you can do tabatas and intervals, i've become addicted to them cuz they make my workouts fun, and you can squeeze an amazing workout in 4-25 mins of time(depending on how many exercises you do.) HIIT would work well on the elliptical. i don't have any of the links cuz i just click the links that these guys provide, they know of alot of info on conditioning and stuff and where to find it.


but i do know of:

www.rossboxing.com
www.crossfit.com

[tetsu ryu]

What Bwhite55 suggested is a great idea! But keep in mind that exercise alone won't help you loose weight. You need to eat lean meats with your meals and cut out fried foods and sodas.That is a great way to start off your weight loss quest! Tabatas are a type of exercise interval in which the person performing the drill does a selected exercise for 20 seconds and then rests for 10 seconds, and that's your first set but now you need to do 7 more! That's right, tabatas are 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds. Tabatas may not be the best thing for a person new to exercise but it is in my opinion the best exercise for fat loss and will achieve the desired effect with much less time needed.

Good luck!

Tetsu

[bwhite55]

What Bwhite55 suggested is a great idea! But keep in mind that exercise alone won't help you loose weight. You need to eat lean meats with your meals and cut out fried foods and sodas.That is a great way to start off your weight loss quest! Tabatas are a type of exercise interval in which the person performing the drill does a selected exercise for 20 seconds and then rests for 10 seconds, and that's your first set but now you need to do 7 more! That's right, tabatas are 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds. Tabatas may not be the best thing for a person new to exercise but it is in my opinion the best exercise for fat loss and will achieve the desired effect with much less time needed.

Good luck!

Tetsu

they work great for people tryin to get RE-conditioned after a layoff(mine was 3 years). i'd start off and do an exercise that hits the full body(burpees would be awesome) and do a set of tabata of that, and then maybe eventually add another tabata exercise(like maybe BW squat?) a few weeks later after you take about a min break and eventually go down on your breaks. right now i'm doing about 4 exercises(i alternate upperbody/lowerbody/core/fullbody) per tabata, and i don't take a break in between, so here's a typical tabata(which i do once a week) for me.

pushups(elevated or crossover)
squats
kettlebell swings(i don't have a kettlebell, so i stuff a backpack w/ lots of books, getting a KB tomorrow tho WOOT!)
burpees

thats just a sample. i pick 4 diff exercises each time so my body doesn't adjust to a certain pattern.

in 16 mins i just got one of the best exercises of my life, and you never plateau, cuz every time you go as intense as you can, so you progressively bump up your intensity, or at least that's what i've noticed. and again i'm new to tabata but that's what has worked for me big time over the past 4 weeks.

and thanks tet for the diet info that i left out. i got so involved in plugging tabatas i totally forgot, but good advice.

*EDIT* forgot about thrusters.

tabata burpees + tabata thrusters=full workout.

[CynCyn]

Thanks to those who responded. I just started a new diet last Monday which involveds eating 5-6 smaller meals with much more focus on fruits, veggies, and lean protiens. So far, so good.

I plan to start back with my workouts tomorrow and give the tabata a try. Sounds like a great thing for maximizing results. I see some good suggestions with burpees and thrusters. Anyone else have any suggestions for exercises they like to use with the tabata method?

Thanks again! I definitely appreciate the help!

[CrowZer0]

High Intensity Interval Training. Best for fat burning. Example, Sprint Intervals.

[bwhite55]

High Intensity Interval Training. Best for fat burning. Example, Sprint Intervals.

tabata is simply a form of intervals.

[CrowZer0]

tabata is simply a form of intervals.

I see, I'm not familar with the term. I shall google it. :P

[bwhite55]

I see, I'm not familar with the term. I shall google it. :P

its doing an exercise for 20 seconds, resting 10 seconds, thats a set, you do 8 sets.

[CrowZer0]

its doing an exercise for 20 seconds, resting 10 seconds, thats a set, you do 8 sets.

Yeht hanks I checked out a T-Nation article on it by Dan John!

[Jabcor]

I've been reading up on these myself. One thing that isn't clear to me is if Tabata workouts are combined with other workouts ever. In other words, if you do a Tabata workout, is it the only thing you do for a workout that day?

In either case, would it be ok to have a workout week something like:

Monday: Tabata
Tuesday: Taekwondo
Wednesday: Tabata
Thursday: Taekwondo
Friday: Tabata
Saturday: Taekwondo
Sunday: Rest

Or is it to much/little?

[Yohan]

It really depends on how long you've been doing the tabata. Expect to be shredded the first couple of times you do it.

[bwhite55]

I've been reading up on these myself. One thing that isn't clear to me is if Tabata workouts are combined with other workouts ever. In other words, if you do a Tabata workout, is it the only thing you do for a workout that day?

In either case, would it be ok to have a workout week something like:

Monday: Tabata
Tuesday: Taekwondo
Wednesday: Tabata
Thursday: Taekwondo
Friday: Tabata
Saturday: Taekwondo
Sunday: Rest

Or is it to much/little?

from what the guys here say, tabata is hard on the CNS, so i only do it once a week. my typical training now is like this m-weights w-tabata f-weights sunday-run on the beach, w/ light cardio on the bike or elliptical trainer each rest day. it'll help alot w/ conditioning, and yes as mentioned before will shred you.

[Incredible Bulk]

thats way too much stress on the CNS. as bswhite mentioned, only do tabatta 1-2 a week.

you only have one day off, i'd throw one in mideweek on wednesday

[Jabcor]

Excellent, that is just what I wanted to know, thanks guys.

CNS = Central nervous system?

[bwhite55]

Excellent, that is just what I wanted to know, thanks guys.

CNS = Central nervous system?

yeah, i haven't been able to find any articles on the CNS and how it affects everything, but i think the major thing is just exhaustion all the time, which i noticed when i tried to do it more than twice a week.

[NaughtyKnight]

I would normally chime in with a massive diet and training program for you to follow, but there is probably enough info up there ^^. Perhaps too much.

The most important advice I can give you is STICK AT IT. You have already started a new diet, which is a huge part of changing your body. Just sticking to your new diet for a few months will show some benefits. Adding a training program, and following it for months/years will transform you beyond anything you could imagine.