2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

[cjonesfan921]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Stomach work just makes muscles beneath the fat. That's my problem now.

Diet is definitely key, but also how do you feel cjones? Do you feel skinnier? I've been sitting around 180 for the past two weeks after putting the screws to myself, but when I look in the mirror and put my clothes on I feel and look smaller.

I feel slimmer. I've definitely toned up a bit. I think I am going to switch to a route more centered around cardio. I think at 170 I would be more than happy.

My problem is and always has been too much beer. :/

[AUChase]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I had a really rough transition to working further away from home.

I didn't go to the gym much at all for two months.

I changed that, starting last Sunday. I quit drinking throughout the week (I was drinking a few beers every day or so) and I went to the gym Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and I'll be going tonight after work.

I didn't really get in worse shape and I'm still floating around 225, but I don't feel like I did before. I lost definition with my triceps, biceps, and chest and my legs aren't as strong as they were.

I can't lift the weight I was when I quit going, but I'm pretty close and I've been focusing more on cardio than I ever have.

I don't really expect to lose any weight, but I would like to cut back and lose what fat I do have,..

We'll see how things go in round two with the gym. I'm buying some chicken breasts and brown rice and I'm going to start preparing my lunch for a week at a time. That way I'm not tempted to just swing by Whataburger or Burger King.

I can all ready feel some of my tricep definition coming back and it's refreshing to actually feel sore again (as weird as that sounds). Muscle memory is a fascinating thing.

[mattsb84]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

We'll see how things go in round two with the gym. I'm buying some chicken breasts and brown rice and I'm going to start preparing my lunch for a week at a time. That way I'm not tempted to just swing by Whataburger or Burger King.

This is what I do. I'll buy chicken in bulk(40lbs, lasts around 3 months), marinade it, freeze it, and then make it when I need it. Make's life easier and saves quite a bit of money.

I do the same for dinners generally too.

[Kearnzo]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Had my best run so far. Went 3.25 miles on the treadmill at 6 MPH. Also am trying to complete the 9 weeks to 100 pushups program. I've made good progress form wise and getting the muscle memory down using the grease the groove technique, so i'm going to move on to actually strengthening the muscles now. I still want to work up the muscle memory as far as pullups go, as i'm making good progress on that front.

Chase, I feel you on the too much beer front. I cut back on drinking beer during the week. Only weekends from now on. During the week, I now opt for some straight bourbon or scotch. Much better for me than slugging beers like crazy. I've done better snack wise as well. I keep a bag of sugar snap peas with me at work that I munch on throughout the night. 40 calories for a whole cup.

[Chrisksaint]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I've been slacking, once I got sick and then went home for Thanksgiving it all went down hill. Was at 158 now back up to 167, only going to get worse over Xmas break as I have all this food available for me.

Will at least try to run in the mornings over break, then once I get back home i'll start over again. Hopefully this time I can stick with a routine as I'll have to wake up for 8am classes several times so i'll be able to eat at normal times.

[RockinDaMike]

Started running a month ago and I'm far from a runner. Couldn't even run 2 minutes without walking. Had a breakthrough this week and did 5k in 29 minutes without walking. Shooting for 25 minutes by January 1st when I do my first 5k run.

Still lifting and doing yoga and having breakthroughs everywhere.

After 6 months I have a new passion with yoga. I'm planning to learn more from teachers across the world and also open a yoga retreat hotel where I'm moving after I get the first one up.

I'm officially addicted to working out lol

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[bigbob]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Starting in January, I plan on dropping 60lbs by the end of March.. at that point, I'll start taking amateur boxing matches. My plan is to do one every 2 months until I feel ready to go pro.

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Starting in January, I plan on dropping 60lbs by the end of March.. at that point, I'll start taking amateur boxing matches. My plan is to do one every 2 months until I feel ready to go pro.

why January? Start now!

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Slimming the stomach area is majority diet.

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this x 1000000000

For guys, the stomach is unfortunately usually the last place you lose fat. You simply can't target where you lose fat from, you can only lose it.

If you want a flat stomach, its going to take a low bady fat %, plain and simple.

Personally, I wouldn't even waste time with crunches or any of that stuff. If you are doing squats and pullups and compound moves like those, the core will build up strength naturally anyway. And at the end of the day, it will not be a lack of muscle that is the problem, but an excess of fat.

No amount of working out will help if you don't clean up the diet. It's commonly said that being fit and lean is 80% diet, but I'd argue its even more than that. Especially when you're talking about your midsection... diet is EVERYTHING, that can not be overstated.

[Feared]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Just got myself this.



Amino-1 from Muscle Pharm. Amino Acid supplement, to get my BCAAs. Love it, I'm actually taking it on Non workout days to help me Recover, and it's helping me get to my workouts sooner with almost no lingering soreness. Really affordable too, picked up a 32 serving tub for 24 dollars, and the taste is phenomenal. Most BCAA mixes taste terrible, I got the Cherry-Limeade flavor and it tastes sort of like melted Cherry Italian Ice.

You can also take this during your workout as an Intra, but I already take Assault and taking 1 scoop of Assault, and 1 scoop of this in a 2 hour span seems like overkill, and a lot of powder for a stomach to take.

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

I feel slimmer. I've definitely toned up a bit. I think I am going to switch to a route more centered around cardio. I think at 170 I would be more than happy.

My problem is and always has been too much beer. :/

If your goals are to slim down, I personally wouldn't center any workout around cardio. Cardio has its place, it is good for increased endurance and lung capacity, but if you want to slim down, a good strong weight lifting routine will work much better.

You will burn more calories and have a higher % of those calories coming from fat and converting to muscle by lifting heavy vs cardio, period. Don't worry about bulking up, as that wont happen if you're eating the correct amount of calories to do so (aka, more than necessary to bulk)

I know people hate to hear it, but it all comes down to diet. With the proper diet, weight lifting will get you to your body goals much more effectively than cardio. With the incorrect diet, no amount of work will net you the results you want, no matter what you're doing.

But assuming you get the diet down, my #1 piece of advice to anyone would be to lift heavy and do cardio ONLY for building endurance and lung capacity. And focus on big compound lifts more than exercises that isolate individual muscles. Compound moves and correct nutrition will be your best friends in reaching your individual body goals (be it slimming down, bulking up, or steadily building lean mass). Always lift heavy and adjust the nutrition according to your goals

[bigbob]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

why January? Start now!

I've already cut 40lbs.

I haven't been able to pay for a gym since July, so I haven't been able to lift. Boxing doesn't cost anything (because the guy who does it doesn't want money).

I start my new job Monday, so I'll be out of town for at least a week for the training. So, basically, I'll be able to start training again near the middle/end of December.

[RockinDaMike]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

If your goals are to slim down, I personally wouldn't center any workout around cardio. Cardio has its place, it is good for increased endurance and lung capacity, but if you want to slim down, a good strong weight lifting routine will work much better.

You will burn more calories and have a higher % of those calories coming from fat and converting to muscle by lifting heavy vs cardio, period. Don't worry about bulking up, as that wont happen if you're eating the correct amount of calories to do so (aka, more than necessary to bulk)

I know people hate to hear it, but it all comes down to diet. With the proper diet, weight lifting will get you to your body goals much more effectively than cardio. With the incorrect diet, no amount of work will net you the results you want, no matter what you're doing.

But assuming you get the diet down, my #1 piece of advice to anyone would be to lift heavy and do cardio ONLY for building endurance and lung capacity. And focus on big compound lifts more than exercises that isolate individual muscles. Compound moves and correct nutrition will be your best friends in reaching your individual body goals (be it slimming down, bulking up, or steadily building lean mass). Always lift heavy and adjust the nutrition according to your goals

I agree but I put a lot on cardio though. Raising your heart rate is what burns the most calories. I wouldn't center on cardio either, but to do at least 30 minutes or do an easy jog a couple miles every time you lift. So basically what I'm saying is you need to do ALL 3: Lift (or some type or resistance training), Cardio and DIET DIET DIET.


I have a workout partner and we've done the same lifting program together and we definitely built muscle but he's not really losing weight like I am.

He lost maybe 20 pounds and I lost almost 70 in the last 6 months. Granted I'm definitely more disciplined in my diet but the main difference is I do cardio 5-6 times a week 30 minutes at a time and I also do yoga 60 minutes 5-6 times a week.

This last month I mix up the cardio from jogging a 2-3 miles 3 times a week and the other days I cycle or use the eliptical machine for 30 minutes.

Also I been doing sprints and hills at the park on my jogging days to really push the heart rate.


One thing that grinds my gears is when I hear the excuse why you don't lift is that you don't want to get big. TRUST ME IT TAKES YEARS to get "big" and huge commitment so you won't get like that unless you try.

Plus when you get to the size that you want then you stop lifting heavy and go lighter with more reps to get cut.

[AllJuicedUp]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Good stuff Mike!

Cardio certainly has its place (both on the physical side, and for the mental strength it builds, which imo is a vastly underrated aspect of cardio.). And I was generally referring to people who are already in decent shape but want to shed a few more pounds and really lean up. If you are significantly overweight and have a lot of lb's to lose, adding any type of cardio will be beneficial. Doing anything to get your heart rate going is always a plus. You say you dropped 70 lbs, and in that case I agree cardio helped. But I think its important to note that 1) You did have a significant amount to lose, which is different than wanting to lean out from say 190 to 175. And 2) You did it as a supplement to a good weight lifting routine, which is key imo.

Don't get me wrong, cardio completely 100% has its place and provides lots of benefits (in fact, I just got finished with a quick 2.5 mile run to prep for a 5k I'm doing in the morning). That said, I still believe as a whole, cardio for weight loss is VASTLY overrated. You can get your heart rate really pumping as good as, if not better, than any standard cardio workout from a good weight lifting routine.

A good rule of thumb. Do cardio to do cardio... don't do cardio to lose weight. As a supplement, that's fine. But if it is your primary method, you will be frustrated with the end result (even people that do lose weight through cardio alone, end up with that "skinny fat" look... whereas people who lose weight through lifting may weigh a little more, but I guarantee they'll feel better and look a lot better, which is really whats important... who cares about a number).

And as for people being afraid to bulk up, I agree, it is a HUGE misconception. As I said, it all depends on your diet. You will not get "bulky" from lifting alone. You will from lifting and eating excess calories. The diet dictates the end result of your lifting. To me, bulk is when you are gaining fat and muscle. Which despite popular belief, is not the only way it can be done. You CAN gain muscle and lose fat at the same time (especially if you are just beginning it is actually remarkably easy to do just that).

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: 2012 FITNESS CHALLENGE

Anybody do any Tai Chi? I'm thinking about taking a 101 and then an intermediate class, but know very little about it.