looking for a little support

:yelrotflmROFL !!

ZJ, I can definitely see progress in your pics, dude! Have you been eating more fish as well? it's super healthy and we eat it at least 2 times a week. Sometimes 3. I've reduced red meat, pork and been eating more chicken.

You're doing good, not sure why you don't see it, but the pictures do show it. How much cardio are you doing?

- Mag.

 

honestly, i'm doing very little cardio. a few of hours walking a week. i jog to the gym and back and i've gone on a couple of long bike rides. the weather hasn't been cooperating but now that finals are over i'll have a lot more time to take the bike out.

 

Ima hurt you!

 

That's great, my friend. I love biking. It's great exercise without all the sweat... unless you go hardcore. I just take rides on the greenways and look around, stop and watch the creeks, etc. But here in TN there a lot of hills, so the uphills do put some resistance to work with.

Keep at it!

- Mag.

 

This is my workout routine. Note you will need a basic workout bench, a minimum of 150 pounds of weights, and some screw on dumbells. Also a pull up bar (iron gym) and doggie running companion helps on the running day.

Work out every other day:
Day 1: Chest, Bicepts, Situps
(4 sets) 10, 9, 8, 7, reps of flat benchpress,:if your not struggling on the last one you need to add more weight.
(3 sets) of 10 Chest Fly's use lighter weight but concentrate on form
(3 sets) of 10 Bicept Curls: again if your not struggling on the last few reps you need to add weight
(3 sets) Chin Ups: do as many as you can each time: If you cannot do 1 then use a chair and place your foot on the chair to assist
(3 sets) Sit ups: I like to do 2 reps of 75 and 1 rep of 50 but set a number in your head and break it into 3 parts getting easier as you go.

Take day 2 off for recovery

Day 3: Legs/Abs
(4 sets) 10 reps Squats/with calve raises, take your benching bar and dead lift the bar. I like to use 90-110 pounds of weight. and set it on your shouders behind your head. When you reach the top of your squat go on your tippie toes to work the calve.

(4 sets) 10 reps of leg extensions (comes with your bench) If the last few don't hurt add more weight

(3 sets) 10 reps of leg curls (also comes with your bench) If the last few don't hurt add more weight

Do the same abdominal workout from above

Take your dog running: I like to sprint 100 yards then walk till I regain my energy then sprint far another 100 yards. This will build up your speed

Take day 4 off

Day 5: Shoulders/ tricepts/ Back/ Abs
(4 sets) Shoulder Press 10 reps: if it doesn't hurt the last few add more weight
(4 sets) Dumbell Row 10 reps:if it doesn't hurt the last few add more weight
(3 sets) shoulder shrug 10 reps: Concentrate on form
(3 sets) scull crushers 10 reps: Last few should hurt in each set
(3 sets) as many as you can do wide arm pull ups
Same ab workout from above.

take day 6 off
Day 7 you can take off too if you need to, otherwise start from day 1 again.

If you use this workout and eat healthy then this workout will work greatly for you. You don't need to cut out all bad food, but just be concious of what you are eating, I still eat pizza and even fast food maybe 1 a week and I still maintain a 170 lb muscular frame. I can bench nearly 1.5 x my body weight and have a 6 pack. You can do it man.

 

whoa, long time no update. sorry about that, i'm falling short of the accountability....

i suppose the biggest reason for this is that even though i'm working out three times a week, i'm not losing a pound. some old pants are fitting and i can tell i'm losing weight in my face but i just get a little disgusted when i step on the scale. i don't know, i just like measurable results instead of subjective these-pants-fit-better's.

there's probably a reason for no lost poundage. last week the diet took a major hit, a buddy's wife was out of town for 10 days so we declared it "grill week". nothing but red meat, ribs and beer passed through my system for days straight. i just turned up the bike riding and hoped to come out neutral. i didn't do myself any favors but, man, i can run a grill...

 

keep up the good work. don't think of those times as setbacks, just small breaks spread far apart... we all need a vacation

IMO, losing weight is 70% diet and 30% exercise.

eating well will serve better to 'neutral' it out than a bike ride. So do both

Good luck and stick to it.

 

We all have minor setbacks, don't be too hard on yourself! You've got to enjoy life, too.

I agree with Pered. The best way to lose weight is a healthy diet - cutting calories. Exercise is very important for your physical health and maintaining weight loss, but the best way to lose a lot of weight is diet. Don't deprive yourself, just cut back your calories. Making little cuts here and there really adds up. Avoid that handful of jelly beans, those three sips of soda, use skim milk, etc.

 

Beyond the slipup in diet (likely not too bad), don't worry about not losing weight if you can lift more or lift the same amount easier. Muscle weighs more than fat.

 

dude, you're doing awesome. you cannot use a weight scale EVER when you're trying to get in shape. seriously my personal trainers at lifetime fitness always swore to never use the scale as a metric for getting healthy and in shape. this is because you wind up burning the fat calories and you're training your body to store less fat because your body starts to 'know' that it doesnt need to anymore because you fuel your body with food that it uses as energy first and doesnt have to worry about storing extra for the rest of the day. im typing fast so i dont know if that makes sense to you the way i wrote it, but basically do not go off of a scale.

case in point.... friend of mine had weight issues... weighed ~250lbs... 17% body fat... after 6 months of a serious regiment of workout/excersise and MINOR changes to his actual diet... he's now at ~265, went from a 38 to a 32 waist size...

so again, dont go off of weight man