NFT: Workout advice while losing weight

More muscle = more calories burned at rest, so building muscle helps the effort. Cardio, in particular HIIT with most of your training done at moderate activity levels (if you don't have a fitness tracker capable of monitoring your heart, get one). Combined with a proper diet should be just what the doctor ordered.

It's imperative to do both. Getting fit is a numbers game. Dieting is never a solution for long term fitness. It's lifestyle change. You need to burn more calories than you take. Building lean muscle mass in conjunction with a healthy, moderate calorie intake plan and cardio development will guide you towards your goals. It's all about moderation in your food intake. I don't suggest denying yourself the things you like to eat. Just be disciplined in how much of it you consume. Working out in the AM is important, IMO because it jacks up your heart rate early to springboard fat burning throughout the day. Good luck!!

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Thanks guys. As far as a full body routine, is something like this ok to do 2-3x a week?

Warm up: 5 minutes Rower, Treadmill,etc.

Legs: 3 x 10-12 DB/KB Squats
Back: 3 x 10-12 DB Rows
Chest: 3 x 10-12 DB Chest Press
Shoulders: 3 x 10-12 DB shoulder press
Finisher: 2 x 12 reps DB Dead-lifts
Cooldown: 5 minutes Treadmill or similar

losing weight implies losses in fat and muscle. you will lose muscle, try to optimize for more protein in the calories you eat.

whatever routine you do is to go 3-5 times a week. Also by the your last set, rep to fail. And every few weeks change up your routine, so your body is on its toes.

In comment 14300413 mdc1 said:

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losing weight implies losses in fat and muscle. you will lose muscle, try to optimize for more protein in the calories you eat.

Agree with this. You goal should not be weight loss to 170. It should be waist reduction from say 38 to 32. Muscle weights more than fat. So if you waist is 32 and your weight is 180 then you have good muscle and a trim waist line.

Great info guys. Thank you!

In comment 14300412 Game-Worn said:

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Thanks guys. As far as a full body routine, is something like this ok to do 2-3x a week? Warm up: 5 minutes Rower, Treadmill,etc. Legs: 3 x 10-12 DB/KB Squats Back: 3 x 10-12 DB Rows Chest: 3 x 10-12 DB Chest Press Shoulders: 3 x 10-12 DB shoulder press Finisher: 2 x 12 reps DB Dead-lifts Cooldown: 5 minutes Treadmill or similar

If I can offer a suggestion, no need for squats and deadlifts (you can alternate squats and deadlifts if you'd like). Add farmers walks as the finisher and find places to superset - add tri pushdowns to the DB rows as a superset for example.

Concentrate on the diet aspect first. Calorie reduction is going to make you hungry. Working out will make you hungrier still. If you don’t have a disciplined diet in place you’ll just end up eating more due to hunger which won’t get you anywhere. That leads to frustration and giving up,

Keep your workout as is until you have your diet settled in, then increase workout gradually.

In comment 14300427 Jim in Fairfax said:

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Concentrate on the diet aspect first. Calorie reduction is going to make you hungry. Working out will make you hungrier still. If you don’t have a disciplined diet in place you’ll just end up eating more due to hunger which won’t get you anywhere. That leads to frustration and giving up, Keep your workout as is until you have your diet settled in, then increase workout gradually.

I would suggest that your workout initially needs to focus on cardio and not strength training. For people who are just getting back into the gym, you will be surprised how unconditioned you are. Walking at a brisk pace (4 mph) for a half hour will give you a gauge to your initial fitness. If you are sweating and sucking wind, then just keep at a simple cardio routine until the above exercise is routine.

Once you are comfortable with your diet and basic conditioning, then introduce strength training in your routine. No need to go all Mr. Universe. You will discover muscles that you never knew you had. Use the basic cardio described above for your warm-up and add in the strength training.

Once you are no longer looking for the icy hot, ramp up your cardio with HITT training. In addition, keep up the strength training. Also, your frequency of 2-3 days a week is likely not going to be enough. If your schedule allows, I would target 5 days/week. 3 days should be the bare minimum.

5’ 7” 195 LBS, 36 years old. I targeted the gym 3-4 times a week, running a half hour on the treadmill each time, then weigh training for a half hour. I also dieted, linking my Fitbit to the my fitness pal app to track my calories.

Once the weight started coming off, my motivation went up so the gym time increased. I’m now running 60 minutes a day (6.5 miles) with 20-25 minutes of weighs. I’m barely dieting but got down to 165. I went from a 36/38 waist to 32/34.

of an impact on your weight loss than your workout. You can burn about 622 calories an hour doing step aerobics at a low intensity. That's about three Snickers Bars, or a plate of nachos, or one-third of any desert at the Cheesecake "Fattery." Eat better and eat less!

Now I’m about 175 with a 32” waist. Diet modified a little but I cheat like crazy every single day and tons on weekends. One hour on a stationary bike 3-4x a week with 2-3 periods (about 15 min) on weight machines. Severe arthritis limits the machines I can do to mainly bench and biceps. I do hot yoga (either (vinyasa, Barkan, or Bikram) every day. I think that made all the difference.

In comment 14300417 superspynyg said:

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In comment 14300413 mdc1 said: Quote: losing weight implies losses in fat and muscle. you will lose muscle, try to optimize for more protein in the calories you eat. Agree with this. You goal should not be weight loss to 170. It should be waist reduction from say 38 to 32. Muscle weights more than fat. So if you waist is 32 and your weight is 180 then you have good muscle and a trim waist line.

Ok, I don't mean to be "that guy" but muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as a pound of fat.

Muscle is just denser and takes up less space.

In comment 14300457 Eman11 said:

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In comment 14300417 superspynyg said: Quote: In comment 14300413 mdc1 said: Quote: losing weight implies losses in fat and muscle. you will lose muscle, try to optimize for more protein in the calories you eat. Agree with this. You goal should not be weight loss to 170. It should be waist reduction from say 38 to 32. Muscle weights more than fat. So if you waist is 32 and your weight is 180 then you have good muscle and a trim waist line. Ok, I don't mean to be "that guy" but muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is just denser and takes up less space.

Which is the same thing as saying that given the same volume, muscle has more mass, I.e., “weighs” more, than fat.

Mixing in weightlifting with cardio is going to be most effective. You don’t need to choose one or the other.

Cardio - You’ll burn the most calories using night intensity intervals. But you should mix in some longer sessions to build cardiovascular endurance. And, for your own sanity, mix it up. Use the bike, treadmill, row machine etc. they’ll all work.

Weights - focus on compound movements and mix in more high intensity training with moderate weight with some “heavy” days. Your body tends to burn calories for a long period of time after weightlifting, with HIIT in particular. And focus on compound movements: deadlifts (this shouldn’t be a finisher it’s a starter), squats, cleans, pull-ups, pushups, bench press, rows and military presses. Start off slow and use machines if you can’t do pull-ups if a weight assisted machine is available to you. Farmers carries are also good for your entire body.

Can’t stress enough the need to stretch and cool down. I’ve been in the gym for the last 25 years and once you hit a certain age it makes a huge difference.

and hope to lose 10 more lbs this year.

Pick whatever exercise and diet routine you will stick with. Be honest with yourself. If you need to "over diet" so you can "cheat" and still lose weight, fine. Or if you're more a "cold turkey" person, do that.

I agree it's mostly about diet. I've heard 80% of the weight loss via diet and about 20% via exercise.

For me the exercise (brisk walking, ~ 4 MPH, for 30 to 45 min 5 or more times a week) is important as it keep me from overeating. If you just burned up 300 calories over 30 to 45 min, why blow it in 1 minute by eating 2 or 3 big cookies.

In comment 14300410 Ssanders9816 said:

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This is the answer.

It one of the best things you can do.

but I'd have a cardio day in addition to the weight training. weight day, cardio day (treadmill, walking) , rest day.

Don't "diet" but check your diet - often there are a few big ticket items you can eliminate or reduce to help lose weight (e.g., beer, desserts, fatty foods (sausage-bacon-fired meats).

and never underestimate the power of water

do what works for you. Calorie deficit is still king.

In comment 14300441 Bill L said:

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Now I’m about 175 with a 32” waist. Diet modified a little but I cheat like crazy every single day and tons on weekends. One hour on a stationary bike 3-4x a week with 2-3 periods (about 15 min) on weight machines. Severe arthritis limits the machines I can do to mainly bench and biceps. I do hot yoga (either (vinyasa, Barkan, or Bikram) every day. I think that made all the difference.

Peloton :)?

In comment 14300579 GMAN4LIFE said:

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In comment 14300441 Bill L said: Quote: Now I’m about 175 with a 32” waist. Diet modified a little but I cheat like crazy every single day and tons on weekends. One hour on a stationary bike 3-4x a week with 2-3 periods (about 15 min) on weight machines. Severe arthritis limits the machines I can do to mainly bench and biceps. I do hot yoga (either (vinyasa, Barkan, or Bikram) every day. I think that made all the difference. Peloton :)?

Nah. Planet Fitness, headphones, and Netflix on my phone.

If you're in a caloric deficit, I wouldn't do that. If you're cutting you are looking to maintain your strength while dropping fat.

Training to failure not only drastically increases the work your body needs to do to repair itself but it’s also not necessary for you to do this to maintain your strength.