Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Starting the Gym
- Thread starter Shaun.P
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You ******** me? that is like 120kg for 6'2" that is not terribly overweight... hell I'd love to be there instead of 65-70kg although ideally 95-105kg would be good... muscle not flab though
Just go to the gym and get a personal trainer who knows there stuff to give you pointers for a couple of weeks, that is what I am doing as sure advice from others is great but a professional is better imo.
Yeah.... My 120kg body is not even like Matt Stevens' body! Need to go down to 105kg or even lower, really.
Lose fat without muscle gain?Is your goal saggy skin?
The keys to proper fat loss...
(a) Free weights 3 times a week
(b) A balanced diet with a caloric deficit
(c) High intensity cardio (optional)
You certainly can expect to lose weight by sticking to cardio and eating less, but you'd probably achieve the acclaimed skinny-fat physique. You'll have no muscle because engaging in long periods of cardio will lead to that catabolic state that primarily digs into muscle for energy.
Free weights are good. You have to use them properly though. I see way too many people do stupid things at the gym. You see a lot of people use poor form to push more weight (ridiculously wide squat stances, limited range of motion doing dumbbell presses, just doing curls and ignoring the triceps which make up two thirds of the arm, etc), which is just really bad. If the OP is pushing it hard with weights, he should keep a high sugar snack around for post workout. A piece of fruit works quite well. I'm over simplifying this stuff somewhat.
There is definitely a limit how much the human skin can stretch but I don't think being 280lb and 6'2" is heavy enough to make the stretch permanent. The skin may not adapt immediately but it will follow. Besides, loose skin is much better than loose fat, at least for one's health.
You ******** me? that is like 120kg for 6'2" that is not terribly overweight... hell I'd love to be there instead of 65-70kg although ideally 95-105kg would be good... muscle not flab though
Being ~100kg would already make you one hell of a bodybuilder. The heavyweight category for natural BB competitions tops out at around 95kg the last time I checked (may be federation specific). Seriously, building muscle is one painfully long job. You're lucky if you gain 10lb a year.
My experience reflects what I read in that link. The more fat I burn (I alternate between building muscle mass and fat burning, maintaining my weight) and the more fat I burn, the less "saggy" skin I have.
So I wouldn't worry too much about it. Really shouldn't be a reason to stop yourself from living a healthy lifestyle.
Still I don't consider that over weight at all... especially not at that height but then again you say it isn't muscle so it be different I guessAye but it's all fat though! No muscle!
I'm about 100lbs overweight!
Learn the basics and go from there... also ask for a personal trainers opinion to get you started, they are great motivators
Meh.
Still I don't consider that over weight at all... especially not at that height but then again you say it isn't muscle so it be different I guess
Learn the basics and go from there... also ask for a personal trainers opinion to get you started, they are great motivators
Meh.
Are you expecting body builder type BMIs here ? Normal people with >30 BMI are quite fat and overweight. I think if the OP was a body builder with very low body fat, we wouldn't be having this thread.
Oversimplification is the starting point. But yes, even people who have been training for a couple years still don't know how to properly bench press. Full body workout, and quality over quantity are the important factors. Rippetoe's program is a great starting point.
Are you expecting body builder type BMIs here ? Normal people with >30 BMI are quite fat and overweight. I think if the OP was a body builder with very low body fat, we wouldn't be having this thread.
As a body builder I don't even look at BMI as I would be considered obese. BMI is a great index for a couch potato but once you start working out, it is best to just ignore it and focus on how you look and feel.
Caloric intake and caloric burn are what you want if you are trying to lose weight.
That's my point, I don't think the OP is someone for whom BMI isn't appropriate. Let's face it, the reason people dismiss BMI are based on very specific cases. For the general population, it is quite an applicable measurement (though BMI + Body Fat % is even better).
Or you can go by body fat percentage...
4% to 8% = Ripped
8% to 12% = Fit
12% to 14% = Soft
14% to 18% = Some Chub
18% to 24% = Overweight
24% and Beyond = Obese
Hehe.. it's worse when they try deadlifts. Form isn't always easy to establish on your own though.
Those percentages would be higher for women.
Last edited:
To be fair, it takes some time and "feeling it out" to actually understand the proper form. Guiding a novice to proper form is just one side of it.
Would you mind pointing me somewhere that shows the correct form for dumbbell presses? They're my fav, so it's kinda important that I'm doing them right
Would you mind pointing me somewhere that shows the correct form for dumbbell presses? They're my fav, so it's kinda important that I'm doing them right
Here is a video that shows proper positioning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jM7eO5e5ms8
Most people bring their elbows straight out which is really wrong and will cause should pain if you are not careful. Keep the elbows in a little and use the chest more, that is what you are trying to achieve.
Here is a video that shows proper positioning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jM7eO5e5ms8
Most people bring their elbows straight out which is really wrong and will cause should pain if you are not careful. Keep the elbows in a little and use the chest more, that is what you are trying to achieve.
Thanks, looks like I've been doing them right all along
Always good to have a form check every now and then though
Congratulations!
I have a pair of "Sketchers Go Run"
They make my feet happy (see my avatar-happy feet ahahah)
If I were you I would see if you can run for 12 minutes straight.
To quicken your recovery times get a hold of the beep test.
I have a pair of "Sketchers Go Run"
They make my feet happy (see my avatar-happy feet ahahah)
If I were you I would see if you can run for 12 minutes straight.
To quicken your recovery times get a hold of the beep test.
Thanks, looks like I've been doing them right all along
Always good to have a form check every now and then though
Form is most important. I see people lifting a lot more than they should on a normal workout and have poor form on top of that. Many times it ends up in nothing but injury.
Would you mind pointing me somewhere that shows the correct form for dumbbell presses? They're my fav, so it's kinda important that I'm doing them right
http://www.exrx.net had some decent gif animations. They seem to have updated it, and I haven't looked at the new ones. I'm not really an expert in this stuff. It's just that so many people do things that are terribly incorrect. What I mean is that it's easier for me to see when they're way off than when their form just needs a bit of tuning. The most common thing is that people do some weird stuff because they're trying to lift too much. As an example on deadlifts they'll put their stance really wide as they see power lifters do so in competitions even though the typical stance is much closer to shoulder width, or you'll see someone jerk or not keep their back straight. With deadlifts the lift part really comes from the legs channeled through the heels. The back plays a support role. You don't lift with the back. That should be obvious to anyone
. Excessively wide stance lets you lift more weight even if it isn't good for you. That's why it's a common mistake.With presses it's common for them to get the width and range of motion wrong. I mean you don't want to go back so far that it messes with your shoulders, but some of them really lack a range of motion. It'll just be a large amount of weight over a very poor range. Even if I'm not qualified to instruct them on how to fix it (and I don't say anything), it's obvious when something is that far off.
Bodybuilding.com has a massive video resource with pretty much any excercise you can imagine. They're also marked out of 10 for effectiveness, it's pretty handy. Good for learning proper form.
Don't worry, because cardio won't even do it quickly. Diet for abs that show is the key.
You should also aim to build muscle in your legs too, well actually, all over. Cycling seems to build up muscle in the legs quite well. I do a lot of squats and dead-lifts, though I must admit, I hate squats.
It's one thing making the abs visible, it's another thing having developed abs...Don't worry, because cardio won't even do it quickly. Diet for abs that show is the key.