Quote:
Originally Posted by keenan87
BUMP (sorry for bring up an old thread)
I was looking for some advice and after reading through this thread, I came up with questions for myself and what might be beneficial for me.
Currently, I am 5'7 and weigh about 170 pounds and a lot of it is fat. I have a relatively active lifestyle as I try to play squash 3-4 times a week but the factor for me is the proper diet. My ideal weight is 145 pounds as I want to get rid of a lot of excess fat and build muscle as well.
First of all, I am not sure if I am over-doing the amount of exercise that I should be doing as my daily routine for the past week has been:
8:00 AM GYM - Before my classes
30 minutes on the bike, Hill+ (kind of like HIIT, with 1:1 minute ratio)
Weights for about another 20 minutes
Then, before bed I do 75 sit-ups and 3 sets of bicep curls (light 25 pound ones)
I have done this routine for 6 out of the past 7 days (Mon-Sat) and feel a little tired but something that I can handle. Is this too much, too little or am I doing it right? I also play soccer on my rest day for about 1 hour, but that is mostly because I love playing the game.
Secondly, I love fruits (something I will eat a lot) and know if I really focus I can take care of my diet but for building muscle, how important are protein shakes etc? I see a lot of people with shakes in their hands after a work-out and I am not really sure if it is necessary. I have decided on No fast food, pop or candy/chips, even though candy is going to be the toughest one for me.
Thirdly, I have always gotten mixed answers for this but is it necessary to pick different muscle groups everyday or can you just work them all everyday. Obviously, one muscle group won't be getting more attention than any others and I have been told that it is okay to just do everything when starting up.
I plan on losing 25 pounds in the next 3 months and I hope i can pull it off. Also, is there stuff that that has motivated other people as I know that results do not come in a day and that I need to keep working at it (I also heard that many people get discouraged for this reason and give up).
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I dont think there is anyway you are over doing it. It might feel like it at first as your body is not used to it however your schedule is far from over doing it.
Believe it or not, lifting weights is a great way to burn fat as well. If you think the cardio is tiring you then look at lifting more weights.
It is important to cycle through muscles on different days to allow your body to repair itself. If you do Biceps everyday then they are not having time to repair.
Protein shakes are good but not some miracle...a good amount of the people in the gym have no idea why they are even drinking the protein shake.
If I was you I would consider a pre workout supplement. It will give you incredible focus and energy which lasts throughout the day.
It is a battle for me to get fruits and veggies into my system so I drink one of those gross shakes daily. Seeing as you love the fruits and veggies it should help a lot in the weight loss. I would try and get something filling in after the workout in the morning and then have a good lunch and try to eliminate or limit your carbs after 2pm.
Lastly, don't always ride the bike or always run on the treadmill. Mix it up... set up a fun little circuit with a skipping rope, box, etc and create 5 exercises you do one after the other until they are all done. Ex, I have fun doing 100 skips, 10 jump up jump down on a box, 20 sit ups, 10 jump and touch the ceiling, 20 pushups and a 1 minute plank. I am way more fatigued after doing this 2 or 3 times than I am after 30 min on a treadmill.