ECM Fitness Thread

[Silver Bullet]

I started finally hitting the gym every night around 11 or midnight after work. I am on my 7th week.
Monday - chest & triceps
Tuesday - back & biceps
Wednesday - shoulders
Thursday - legs or cardio
Friday - legs or cardio (whichever I did not do Thursday)
Weekend - rest

I also do a one mile run after every workout. I am not much of a runner but my goal is to be able to run 1 mile without stopping or walking. My best time so far is 9 mins but a few months ago I was doing 8 mins.

I take pre-workout (Jack3d) and whey protein before working out and casein protein for post workout.
I am gonna switch to C4 after hearing good things but I am gonna wait another month to start taking pre-workout again as the effects have stopped working.

I'm open to any facts and suggestions After 7 weeks I went from ~180 lbs(beer belly) to ~167 lbs ^_^

[exelr8]

Try taking L-Carnitine 30 minutes before a workout. It makes your body use already stored fat as a source of energy. Also try taking green tea twice a day as it boosts your metabolism. Are you dieting any?

[slipkord]

I'm training my skinny ass for a marathon. Srsly.

[exelr8]

Jer, try training for a 5k first. Smaller goals that lead up to a larger goal are easier to obtain and it helps you not lose focus

[alpha]

Woohoo!  I am officially down 30 pounds today.

I started finally hitting the gym every night around 11 or midnight after work. I am on my 7th week.
Monday - chest & triceps
Tuesday - back & biceps
Wednesday - shoulders
Thursday - legs or cardio
Friday - legs or cardio (whichever I did not do Thursday)
Weekend - rest

I also do a one mile run after every workout. I am not much of a runner but my goal is to be able to run 1 mile without stopping or walking. My best time so far is 9 mins but a few months ago I was doing 8 mins.

I take pre-workout (Jack3d) and whey protein before working out and casein protein for post workout.
I am gonna switch to C4 after hearing good things but I am gonna wait another month to start taking pre-workout again as the effects have stopped working.

I'm open to any facts and suggestions After 7 weeks I went from ~180 lbs(beer belly) to ~167 lbs ^_^

I don't see anything about you doing any core workouts; you should look into incorporating them.  What is your overall goal?  and related, what does your diet look like?

Also, don't pay too much attention to your mile time right now.  Since your goal is to be able to run a mile without stopping, work on being able to run that mile without paying attention to time.  Once you hit that goal, and you continue to run, you can start paying attention to speed.
You may also want to look into incorporating interval training.

I'm training my skinny ass for a marathon. Srsly.

Have you been running for a while?  A marathon is no joke, and a lot of experienced runners recommend that you have been running regularly for about a year before training for a marathon.  I was signed up to run one last year, but unfortunately got injured playing basketball halfway through the training program.  It was tough, since I didn't really keep up with running before jumping into a training program.  It's really hard to work on cardio endurance and marathon training at the same time.  If you've been running for a while, this should be a moot point.

Good luck!

[Silver Bullet]

Try taking L-Carnitine 30 minutes before a workout. It makes your body use already stored fat as a source of energy. Also try taking green tea twice a day as it boosts your metabolism. Are you dieting any?

Thanks I'll look into L-Carnitine. I used to drink green tea but not right now. I don't have any specific meal plans. I just reduce carbs in my meals, and avoid them at night time. I eat more meals but in smaller portions and every two hours. Laying off fried food and if I can't find anything to eat then I make a protein shake.

What I have been eating post workout is baked salmon or baked talopia with a side of vegetables, mostly broccoli.

[Silver Bullet]

@Alpha, I don't do core or abs because I still have a slight belly. I want to get rid of it completely first. I heard from multiple folks doing core/abs is pointless unless you have very little body fat. That's the reason for me running after weight lifting. You are right about paying attention though. I found that when I watch tv while on treadmill I hardly feel as tired vs my body feeling tired as I get closer to 1-mile mark. I am about to switch up my workouts, as I feel like my body is starting to plateau.

What is interval training?

[alpha]

@Alpha, I don't do core or abs because I still have a slight belly. I want to get rid of it completely first. I heard from multiple folks doing core/abs is pointless unless you have very little body fat. That's the reason for me running after weight lifting. You are right about paying attention though. I found that when I watch tv while on treadmill I hardly feel as tired vs my body feeling tired as I get closer to 1-mile mark. I am about to switch up my workouts, as I feel like my body is starting to plateau.

What is interval training?

Whoever told you that "doing core/abs is pointless unless you have very little body fat" is being stupid.  If anything, that may be considered bro-science; but I don't think bro-science is even that stupid. 

Core exercises are done to help improve your balance and stability.  It also helps reduce the possibility of back injuries.

That being said, running is great for losing that extra fat; technically, cardio workouts in general.  The only thing I'm not sure of is if running for about 8 or 9 minutes is enough to help you burn fat.  The first few minutes are used to help you warm up and elevate your heart rate; your body starts burning fat when your heart rate is elevated.  You'll want to continue for at least 20 minutes.

Keeping your diet clean will be the primary factor to losing fat; exercise definitely helps.

But, definitely do not be afraid to do core exercises because you have some extra belly fat you would like to lose.

Interval training is where you go hard for a specific amount of time, then go easy for a specific amount of time.  This could be time based or distance based.  For example:

Run for a min, walk for a min, run for a min, walk for a min -> continue cycle for say 30 min
Run for 0.25 mile, walk for 0.25 mile -> continue cycle for say 3 miles
Run for a min, walk for a min -> continue cycle for say 3 miles
Run for 0.25 mile, walk for 0.25 mile -> continue cycle for say 30 min

The times and distances I listed above are purely for example purposes.  If you can only do it for say 15 minutes or for a mile, then do it.  As your cardio endurance increases, you'll be able to do it for longer.

[Silver Bullet]

Hmm that makes sense. What I figured was that lifting weights itself was helping me lose weight. I have very low stamina when it comes to running. I also heard its better to run all the way if possible because walking will hardly burn any fat but I see where you are getting at. If I walk then it will give me a chance to take a break but still moving so I can run more and cover more distance.

I'll consider the core exercises later on. I'm more motivated when I see results so I would prefer to lose my belly first. My posture is fine right now. Always keep back arched. After this week I'm gonna start doing drop sets and see how that goes. Thanks for the advice alpha!

[Rich01]

Not sure if anyone already uses this site:
Askthetrainer.com

it has some good info and may change perceptions.

[striktlyaccord]

I am gonna switch to C4 after hearing good things but I am gonna wait another month to start taking pre-workout again as the effects have stopped

C4 = +1

[alpha]

I just got home from the gym, and I'm not sure what to think of today's workout.  I did a bit of a circuit training routine; concentrating on a little bit of cardio by running for 3 minutes followed by some core exercises, and then repeating the cycle for 4 rounds.  I increased my speed on the run and I increased the weight on each core exercise; yet, I feel like I didn't work hard enough.

So I'm not sure if I should feel happy that I increased both speed and weight, or if I should feel disappointed because I feel like I could have done more.

[Armyguy239]

so i weighed myself a couple days ago... i'm down anothe 5 pounds

South Beach body Chris coming soon

[Silver Bullet]

Alpha don't put yourself down. As long as you did more than before it's still an achievement. Just move on and push harder next time. I just read up that interval training is better for weight loss without losing muscle than jogging.

[Silver Bullet]

so i weighed myself a couple days ago... i'm down anothe 5 pounds

South Beach body Chris coming soon

Keep it up!