Hello! I have been on a dirty bulk (i was living in a different country for a year, and i ate and drank a whole lot) and i was working out doing a 5x5 program. I made a lot of progress, but now i am obese. Normally i practice Taekwondo, boxing and running. Now with the extra weight i am struggling with how to make a program for myself, where i combine strenght training and boxing/running. How to make an effective and manageable split? My problem in previous years, when i have cut weight i have ended up with a skinny fat physique, now i am trying to maintain muscle mass while getting back to martial arts training. Any suggestions, advice or tips? Thank you very much.
I’m not a fitness & nutrition expert, but I would say that if you clean up your diet and train consistently, you shouldn’t have to do much more than you’re used to. Most martial arts and boxing classes that I’ve participated in have always included a strength & conditioning element of some sort. Lifting weights and running would complement these classes very well. I think that the 5X5 program is fine. I have a friend who was also obese. After he was accepted into the RCMP, he got into ridiculously good shape with intermittent fasting and the 5X5 program in order to prepare for Depot training. I’d say just keep doing what you’re used to, but focus more on diet & nutrition. As they say, you can’t out-train a poor diet.
You should try exercise machines. Excess baggage means you must sweat, and a lot, over longer periods of time. Most machines, even bicycles, have the desirable quality of both aerobic and anaerobic improvements. This means that muscle will be built and fat eliminated at the same time. It might seem as if the scale doesn't show it in the short term because muscles weighs more than fat, but it's a proven method for getting to your ideal muscle/fat percentage. Always remember the golden rule about fat..your body needs fat to survive.
That 5*5 program is really helpful in fitness. I think you should add some other exercises of different kinds which may be swimming, cycling etc. But losing weight is not possible by exercises only. It depends upon your diet plan and lifestyle. Managing your diet with anaerobic exercises will help in gaining the fitness and losing weight.
5x5 programs focus on strength rather than weight loss, so if you don't focus on fixing your nutritional input while you work out, you'll put muscle on but will be hungrier and therefore will eat more. As a result, for weight loss the answer is almost always calorie control couples with everything else you do. If you want both strength (or muscle size) and weight loss, you need to look at the methods employed by bodybuilders for inspiration. They don't do a single set of workouts that lead to their physique, they cycle through bulking and cutting phases. During the bulking phase, they build up their muscles with a lot of workouts and a calorie surplus to allow them to build muscles. In the cutting phase they focus on workouts that will encourage the body to maintain muscle mass while running a high calorie deficit. Overally this is way too much effort for me, so I have a long term focus on strength and will do an occasional reduction in calories when I think I have some fat that needs to go, but I don't adjust my workouts.
