Getting fit for summer

jamesy411

Expert Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Posts
157
Media
0
Likes
153
Points
78
Location
London (Greater London, England)
Sexuality
99% Gay, 1% Straight
Gender
Male
So i'm just seeking some advice.


I have a very average body, with some fat. Roughly around 19% body fat if my corrections are correct. I'm looking to get in shape for summer, mostly just toned but with the potential to start bulking once it comes into the winter months.

Is it worth me investing in a PT from the beginning? I know its something that i could do by myself, however i really struggle when i feel like i don't know what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to be eating.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 

DSF140

Mythical Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Posts
3,701
Media
10
Likes
29,131
Points
433
Location
Atlanta
Verification
View
Sexuality
69% Gay, 31% Straight
Gender
Male
So i'm just seeking some advice.


I have a very average body, with some fat. Roughly around 19% body fat if my corrections are correct. I'm looking to get in shape for summer, mostly just toned but with the potential to start bulking once it comes into the winter months.

Is it worth me investing in a PT from the beginning? I know its something that i could do by myself, however i really struggle when i feel like i don't know what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to be eating.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Any pics? It's difficult to advise unless we know what you look like.
 

Gj816

Mythical Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Posts
7,278
Media
86
Likes
26,395
Points
333
Location
Nashville (Tennessee, United States)
Verification
View
Sexuality
90% Straight, 10% Gay
Gender
Male
Congratulations on wanting to better your body and your health.
Might I suggest that since you are beginning that you consider two things:

First, don't be shy or feel awkward going into the gym. Everyone has to start some where. Check out men'shealth.com or muscle & fitness for exercises (workouts) to start on if you don't already have an idea of what you want to start with. You can also Google wikiHow to show you step by step instructions on exercises.

Two years ago I was in your shoes. Never had been to a gym and didn't know what I was doing. But I did want to change the way my body looked.

I got in there watched the other men workout. Introduced myself to several of the others and made myself at home. It's been a slow process for me, but everyone is different. I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm not where I was either. I look a lot better.

Second, don't get discouraged because you are not seeing results as fast as you think you should.

Don't get discouraged when you hit plateaus and neither loose weight or gain muscle. It is perfectly normal. Just work through them. Keep going.

It becomes a lifestyle and you will see results. It takes dedication, determination, and discipline.

Drink plenty of water, eat healthy, and get at least 8 hrs of sleep a night. And don't forget to take progress pics to track your accomplishments.

Most importantly, it's not going to happen over night. It will happen just be persistent.

Also you'll need to decide what type of workout you are going to do. Are you going to do workouts that only work one or two muscle groups a day? Or are you going to do a full body workout everyday?

Everyone has their own opinion on this. Personally I do a full body five days a week. It works better for me. Just some thing for you to consider.

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.
 

vnmous

Loved Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2006
Posts
730
Media
0
Likes
643
Points
563
Location
Orange Beach, AL, USA
Sexuality
No Response
Gender
Male
Congratulations on wanting to better your body and your health.
Might I suggest that since you are beginning that you consider two things:

First, don't be shy or feel awkward going into the gym. Everyone has to start some where. Check out men'shealth.com or muscle & fitness for exercises (workouts) to start on if you don't already have an idea of what you want to start with. You can also Google wikiHow to show you step by step instructions on exercises.

Two years ago I was in your shoes. Never had been to a gym and didn't know what I was doing. But I did want to change the way my body looked.

I got in there watched the other men workout. Introduced myself to several of the others and made myself at home. It's been a slow process for me, but everyone is different. I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm not where I was either. I look a lot better.

Second, don't get discouraged because you are not seeing results as fast as you think you should.

Don't get discouraged when you hit plateaus and neither loose weight or gain muscle. It is perfectly normal. Just work through them. Keep going.

It becomes a lifestyle and you will see results. It takes dedication, determination, and discipline.

Drink plenty of water, eat healthy, and get at least 8 hrs of sleep a night. And don't forget to take progress pics to track your accomplishments.

Most importantly, it's not going to happen over night. It will happen just be persistent.

Also you'll need to decide what type of workout you are going to do. Are you going to do workouts that only work one or two muscle groups a day? Or are you going to do a full body workout everyday?

Everyone has their own opinion on this. Personally I do a full body five days a week. It works better for me. Just some thing for you to consider.

Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.
Great advice
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gj816

nice_guy_here

Legendary Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Posts
168
Media
39
Likes
1,934
Points
598
Location
United Kingdom
Verification
View
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
This was my response in another thread : -

In short - there are no quick-fixes, no magic powders or potions to being in shape. Even surgery and implants are painful and take time to prep and recover from.

Here's my advice:

1) Have some short, medium and long term goals that are achievable
2) Stay focused and don't lose motivation or hope if you don't quite hit them - progress is progress
3) Get a professional's help/advice - this could be just an instructor at the gym or paying for a Personal Trainer/Coach. I cannot stress how important it is to be taught by someone that is accredited and knows what they are doing! Technique is more important then putting more weight on the bar, no matter what the people in the gym/your ego tells you.
4) Make a plan of your week, when you can train, when you are going to rest (again, another key factor that most people miss - more is not always better!) that is realistic and you can stick to.
5) Understand your diet, what nutrition you need, how much fluid you need to take it - keep a food diary and work out what you are lacking. You don't need protein shakes if you eat right. Learn what proteins, fats and carbohydrates are, what they do and how you can get good, clean sources of them.
6) Plan your meals for the week (and prep if you can). This will not only help you to know what you're shopping for but will also help to keep costs down as you will only be buying what you need and then not wasting anything, or be tempted to put something else in your shopping bags!
7) Take Creatine Monohydrate
8) Keep progressing your workouts - change the intensity, change the lifts, change the order, change the weights, change the time under tension - every 4-6 weeks. I work through periods of Stability, Muscular Endurance, Hypertrophy, Strength and Power. Don't let your muscles get used to things!
9) Eat! This is the biggest thing - I would rather miss a workout than a meal because training without the right fuel can be just a detrimental to your goals. Again, refer to #3 for more information - with the best will in the world, asking big and vague questions to strangers on the internet will never give you as good an answer as speaking to someone in person that can give you the right info specifically for you!
10) Stick with it - there is never perfection, only progress! Don't judge yourself against anyone else other than the person in the mirror
 

Taya

Superior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2019
Posts
367
Media
0
Likes
3,922
Points
488
Sexuality
99% Straight, 1% Gay
Gender
Female
So i'm just seeking some advice.


I have a very average body, with some fat. Roughly around 19% body fat if my corrections are correct. I'm looking to get in shape for summer, mostly just toned but with the potential to start bulking once it comes into the winter months.

Is it worth me investing in a PT from the beginning? I know its something that i could do by myself, however i really struggle when i feel like i don't know what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to be eating.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Check out Intermittent Fasting and OMAD.
Not only articles but youtube videos of people with their own success stories.

We started about 6 months ago and it worked wonders for us. I am still going albeit on a milder tempo to prevent any possible side effects.

With 19%, I'd recommend you start with 18-6 and move up in increments. 20-4, 22-2, 23-1.
Add a ketogenic touch, no carbs or sugar and you will see the miracle.
Check it out and you will know what I mean.

20-30k steps everyday would help. Easy to do, nothing to pay.

Give it a try. What have you got to lose? Except the excess kilos.
 
D

deleted963073

Guest
A good trainer that can teach you proper technique and give good nutritional advice can be a great investment over the long term, but can be an expensive loss if you don’t follow through. Find a trainer that you want to look like and has a personality your comfortable with.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Plasticroad1

drainedmt

Legendary Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Posts
511
Media
0
Likes
1,631
Points
398
A few more simple tips:

Find a workout buddy and keep each other accountable.

Keto isn't for everyone. See a nutritionist/dietician first. Keeping a good diary may help. Obviously it's easy to see where the excess calories/fat are coming from if you eat poorly.

I have two cousins who are both doctors and they say the best way to lose weight is intermittent fasting aka 5/2. It's what Jimmy Kimmel did. But again, figure out a plan with a nutritionist.

Weight isn't the end all be all. Some guy can be toned and be average of even above weight. And of course muscle is heavier than fat.

So in short, consult a nutritionist, be accountable. There's actually great apps for everything I wrote above too you can download.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gj816
D

deleted847535

Guest
Nice guy here said it best
a good trainer is not a waste of money, lifting right with good form will save you time and help focus your workouts, so worth it. just to avoid injury lifting wrong and then having to take time off.

3) Get a professional's help/advice - this could be just an instructor at the gym or paying for a Personal Trainer/Coach. I cannot stress how important it is to be taught by someone that is accredited and knows what they are doing! Technique is more important then putting more weight on the bar, no matter what the people in the gym/your ego tells you.
 
D

deleted847535

Guest
View attachment 1563319 View attachment 1563321 View attachment 1563318 View attachment 1563318 Same. Looking for the most effective exercises for home. Two kids and a full time job limits the gym possibility.

Trying to lose the boobs and love handles lol

look up some at home body weight exercises. we are talking push ups, mnt climbers, planks, lunges, squats,
if you have home weights add them.
then think about doing some High Intensity Interval Training, HIIT. take mnt climbers as an example keep good form but go all out as fast as you can for 20 seconds rest for 20 and do 10 cycles like that to start.
you can do that with high knees, pushups, even riding your bike. pedal as hard as you can for 20 recover for 20 and repeat, you will be amazed at how it eats up the miles.
 

nice_guy_here

Legendary Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Posts
168
Media
39
Likes
1,934
Points
598
Location
United Kingdom
Verification
View
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
View attachment 1563319 View attachment 1563321 View attachment 1563318 View attachment 1563318 Same. Looking for the most effective exercises for home. Two kids and a full time job limits the gym possibility.

Trying to lose the boobs and love handles lol

In this day and age, everyone is "time-poor" hence the boom in fast-food, meal prep companies and the desire for a quick-fix to everything. I'm going to be the bearer of bad news - there is no quick fix to your health and fitness journey. What you have to look at is your priorities -
  1. When can you commit to working out? - don't say you're going to work out 5 times a week when realistically you can only manage to get in 2 sessions around working, kids, social life, etc. Hit a smaller, manageable goal first before changing that. Make it become a habit!
  2. How long? - realistically, how much time CAN you dedicate to a workout? If it's only 30 mins, look at something that is full-body and intense. If it's a couple of hours, look at a more structured session that incorporates separate lifts.
  3. When CAN'T you? - always have to look after the kids on Thursday night? Meet the guys for a drink on Wednesday's? Look at your schedule and PLAN when you can and CANNOT work out.
  4. Are you going to need any equipment/do you already have some? - body weight is great and cheap, but has it's limitations. Weights and machines are excellent but can be expensive and space-consuming. Just don't get conned into the "latest and greatest" thing on QVC - 999 times out of 1000 they are trash!
  5. What can you do to change/improve your diet? - simple things - can you take your own food to work instead of buying it? Can you plan your meals so that they are more healthy/fit in with your training?
  6. Can you incorporate exercise/healthy diet into something that you would be doing anyway? - looking after the kids around the house? Take them for a walk or go play in the park! Kid's not interested in "eating healthy"? Get them involved in making something together and teach them how to cook! Work in a building with multiple floors? Take the stairs instead of the elevator!
The reality is that you have to put in the work - there are no magic exercises, no "super-diet plan", no one-size-fits-all advice that anyone on here can give you. If you want to lose weight, the simple answer is look at your Calories IN vs. Calories OUT. Or in layman's terms - put less in your face and move around more. If you want to build muscle, you have to put them through enough progressive overload to cause hypertrophy - in other words you have to make them lift things that are heavy, enough times to cause tears in the fibres.

I could sit here and write about the benefits of HIIT vs. Weight training vs. Long-steady Distance vs. Body weight training vs [any number of hundreds of things] - the bottom line is we as a group here can only give you very vague and general information that may or may not be applicable to you. Even then, unless you are doing what you read CORRECTLY it doesn't matter how much you do, it won't work as well as it could if you talked to someone face-to-face about it. it doesn't have to be at a gym, there are plenty of fitness professionals that out there that will help you on a personal level and should give you much better information that is tailored to you.
 

nice_guy_here

Legendary Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Posts
168
Media
39
Likes
1,934
Points
598
Location
United Kingdom
Verification
View
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
Oh and I forgot to mention - find something that you ENJOY doing. Don't go out and try to do something just because X says it's the best way to lose weight. If you hate cycling, don't do it. If you find a love for walking, do more of it. If you love hula-hooping, do that! So long as it is making you more active than before, it's going to help you. Just don't be tempted to do something because you THINK it will do good but makes you miserable (unless it's for a specific goal, I can't stand swimming - so you know what, I don't go swimming!)
 

ryans138

Loved Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Posts
90
Media
8
Likes
518
Points
268
Verification
View
Sexuality
99% Straight, 1% Gay
Gender
Male
Oh and I forgot to mention - find something that you ENJOY doing. Don't go out and try to do something just because X says it's the best way to lose weight. If you hate cycling, don't do it. If you find a love for walking, do more of it. If you love hula-hooping, do that! So long as it is making you more active than before, it's going to help you. Just don't be tempted to do something because you THINK it will do good but makes you miserable (unless it's for a specific goal, I can't stand swimming - so you know what, I don't go swimming!)

Right on. The best exercise is the one you'll do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bondi and DSF140

Gj816

Mythical Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Posts
7,278
Media
86
Likes
26,395
Points
333
Location
Nashville (Tennessee, United States)
Verification
View
Sexuality
90% Straight, 10% Gay
Gender
Male

nice_guy_here

Legendary Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Posts
168
Media
39
Likes
1,934
Points
598
Location
United Kingdom
Verification
View
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Male
Check out Intermittent Fasting and OMAD.
Not only articles but youtube videos of people with their own success stories.

We started about 6 months ago and it worked wonders for us. I am still going albeit on a milder tempo to prevent any possible side effects.

With 19%, I'd recommend you start with 18-6 and move up in increments. 20-4, 22-2, 23-1.
Add a ketogenic touch, no carbs or sugar and you will see the miracle.
Check it out and you will know what I mean.

20-30k steps everyday would help. Easy to do, nothing to pay.

Give it a try. What have you got to lose? Except the excess kilos.

Intermittent-fasting is one of the biggest fad things in fitness today! When you understand how the body works, the look at the claims it makes there is no scientific way that the promises it makes can be true.

One claim that intermittent-fasting will speed up your metabolism - going against 99.99% of all research done on the subject of fasting and metabolic rate. Another claims that you feel more alert and focused - all this despite the process of fasting starves your system of carbohydrates, which is the only source of fuel that you brain can use ... so tell me how does starving your brain of fuel HELP to increase alertness and focus?

The reason that intermittent fasting works for some people is that there is simply no way that anyone can take in the number of calories in the short window that they are allowed to with it than with a normal eating pattern - again, CALORIES IN vs. CALORIES OUT. Changing what you put into your body (eg. keto, Atkin's, paleo) pales in comparison to changing the AMOUNT you put in.

Taking more steps (ie. being more active) is the best advice in that reply. Another helpful one - portion control - instead of 3 scoops of potatoes/pasta/rice/whatever, only have 2 - go back if you're still hungry after but you'll be amazed that you're only eating it because it is there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DSF140 and Stabilo

Taya

Superior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2019
Posts
367
Media
0
Likes
3,922
Points
488
Sexuality
99% Straight, 1% Gay
Gender
Female
I don't need to tell you anything.
Your comments are the other side of the coin, as it has been with almost anything.
I read, watched, researched and THEN lost 22kgs in 4 months. And continuing albeit with a slower pace due to my choice in maintaining skin elasticity. No problems so far.
I do agree with the negative calorie surplus being the main factor but I am a living proof. Not an armchair commentator.
 

Sailingbear

Legendary Member
Verified
Gold
Joined
Feb 22, 2017
Posts
1,027
Media
6
Likes
2,286
Points
283
Location
Treyburn, North Carolina, United States of America
Verification
View
Sexuality
80% Straight, 20% Gay
Gender
Male
For me, it was getting control of my diet. I work out at the gym 6 days a week, weights, and aerobics. I keep a spreadsheet on all food intake and my workouts. The diet that works for me is the ketogenic diet. I started both the workouts and Diet two years ago. To date, I have dropped 94 pounds and added a lot of defined muscle. Some loose skin but think it is coming back to normal. Just very slow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Taya and DSF140