Gym Members

just joined a radical gym, haven't exercised since april or may, can barely shoot hoops w/o losing breath. anyways, it's time to get active.
up to 180 lbs (probably 25% body fat) :benched: from 150 lbs when i moved here 1 year ago.


anyone else a member of a gym? or just exercise regularly?
figured this would be a good spot to share advice, tips, inspiration, etc.

Up 30 in a year. Impressive.

Diet is more important than your choice of activity whether your goals are to lose fat or bulk up.

Don't overdo the cardio if you want to keep the weight off. You need to build muscle that will continually burn the fat. Cardio can help you "sweat off" the pounds but you won't gain much muscle that plays a big role in keeping the fat off.

If you're serious about lifting, a good starter program is called "Starting Strength."

The Workouts Recommended for Strength Training | Starting strength training (http://www.startingstrengthtraining.com/workouts/)

Also, I use this resource all of the time:

Exercise & Muscle Directory (http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html)


It's a directory of every exercise you can think of and more, organized by body parts and best of all, it has GIFs of the exercises to show you how to do it properly.

Example: Pick Chest, under Dumbbell choose Bench Press...voila:

http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/PectoralSternal/DBBenchPress.gif
Instructions

Preparation
Sit down on bench with dumbbells resting on lower thigh. Kick weights to shoulder and lie back. Position dumbbells to sides of chest with bent arm under each dumbbell. Execution
Press dumbbells up with elbows to sides until arms are extended. Lower weight to sides of upper chest until slight stretch is felt in chest or shoulder. Repeat. Comments

Dumbbells should follow slight arch pattern, above upper arm between elbow and chest at bottom, traveling inward over each shoulder at top. No need to drop weights - see suggested mount and dismount techniques: standard (http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/PectoralSternal/DBBenchMount.gif) or advanced (http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/PectoralSternal/DBBenchPressMountAdvC.gif). Also see mount & dismount from special machine rack (http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/PectoralSternal/DBBenchPressMachMountDismount.gif).

I totally agree with MonkeyDad. Garbage in, garbage on.

I occasionally work out at Ketchum Y, it's yet to become a regular thing due to the time split with the High Desert and DTLA, but it will be soon.

Just jerk off a lot and eat cottage cheese. Problem solved.

The J/Oing burns calories and you instantly lose a ounce of weight or more at the end.

The cottage cheese is low in calories and the protein will help build the muscle in your forearm.

A good diet of beer and alcohol is a must.

Beer Curls - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2mEshF-5Co)

I'm a total gym rat. I don't really have any blanket advice other than just sticking to it until it becomes a routine, and the fact that DIET is so damn important.

You can do crunches till the cows come home. If you eat like a dumpster you'll still look like one.

Exercise is great for a lot of things. Building strength, endurance, muscle, heart health, heck it's even a great way to fight depression. However as a weight loss strategy it sucks. It sucks hard.

To have exercise work the way people thinks it works you have to work out for hours on end. The average 30 minute to an hour workout burns 300 to 400 calories if you work your arse off. Most people can't keep up with that. And assuming you don't eat extra after that workout you're not even loosing a pound over the course of a week. Never mind you'll likely be on a deficit so you'll lack the energy needed to maintain the pace. Plus it's pretty easy for your body to adjust and the amount of calories you burn per workout to go down.

If you just want to loose weight and fat all you have to do is eat at a deficit. Last year I lost 60 pounds and the only "exercise" I did was walking for a job I had. I ate pizza, ice cream, starbucks ice drinks with extra whip, fries, steak, basically every bad food on a regular basis. The Starbucks, ice cream, and fries were a daily thing for at least a month or two. However because I watched my calorie intake the weight came off. And I haven't had a great metabolism since I hit puberty.

Now if you're going for the 'beach body' then you'll need exercise. My advice on that is just focus on lifting weights and dieting. If you want to add cardio use kettle-bells and wind sprints (quicker workouts, same benefits). Drink water, eat plenty of protein, and above all else track your calories. Also remember to track your calories. Did I mention track your calories? You also might want to look into calorie cycling so you don't stay in a deficit for too long. If counting calories is a pain you could try Weight Watchers Online like I did but that can get costly.

Just remember you can't outrun a bad diet.

Here was my progress throughout the last year. I'll probably go back later and try to get to 159 but right now theres no rush. You'll notice though it's pretty easy to loose at the start but with patience you'll get there. Remember this was without lifting a single weight nor stepping foot on a treadmill.
http://i46.tinypic.com/4ij8na.jpg

I'm a total gym rat. I don't really have any blanket advice other than just sticking to it until it becomes a routine, and the fact that DIET is so damn important.

You can do crunches till the cows come home. If you eat like a dumpster you'll still look like one.
What happens if I replace dumpster with pu#@y.

Exercise is great for a lot of things. Building strength, endurance, muscle, heart health, heck it's even a great way to fight depression. However as a weight loss strategy it sucks. It sucks hard.

Yup, yup.

Diet to lose weight, exercise for fitness.