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What helped you stay in shape?

I lift 2-3 times a week. When I'm at the gym I'll do a sprint set on the treadmill for a mile at the end.

Once it starts to warm up (it is already, I'm just procrastinating) I'll start running outside again 2-3 times a week for 2 or so miles, for now.

All the comments about running 2hrs per day and it being bad is ludicrous. While it's true that hes not gaining anything unless he speeds up (which he probably does), he has a decent time for 10k. He is in shape, low body fat or not-- his cardio is probably excellent. That's what counts to be honest. I'm more of a muscle guy and my cardio is lacking... do I consider myself in shape? Not really. Muscle mass doesn't mean crap towards being healthy relative to general high-intensity activity and cardio.
 
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I was going to type out a long drawn out response as to why the way he is exercising isn't a very good way to do it. But I don't care that much. Run 2 hours per night. You're fine.
 
What helps me stay in shape is an utter fear that if I start taking days off because I don't feel like running, I'll start gaining the weight that I worked so hard to remove.

Anything less then an obsession in this regard is not acceptable for me. I run 5 to 6 days a week, and now that its warm out - I do about 5+ miles per day. I also take karate 3 days a week, which helps strengthening my core and provides a some level of a cardio workout - plus it helps me with my self defense skills :)

Bottom line, you need to have self discipline to keep at it, and to eat right. If I go out and run for an hour, then scoff down a few donuts, what good is that. I'm putting crap into my body.
 
maflynn said:
What helps me stay in shape is an utter fear that if I start taking days off because I don't feel like running, I'll start gaining the weight that I worked so hard to remove.

Anything less then an obsession in this regard is not acceptable for me. I run 5 to 6 days a week, and now that its warm out - I do about 5+ miles per day. I also take karate 3 days a week, which helps strengthening my core and provides a some level of a cardio workout - plus it helps me with my self defense skills :)

Bottom line, you need to have self discipline to keep at it, and to eat right. If I go out and run for an hour, then scoff down a few donuts, what good is that. I'm putting crap into my body.
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Yup. Most important thing for weight control is diet and portion control
 
In the early 90s, when karate dojos were springing up like McDonalds (the McDojo era, i'll call it) I trained martial arts for abour 5 years. It didnt make me a good fighter or anything, though it did make me think I was a deadly ninja at a laughable 120 pounds.

What it DID do for me was give me incredible conditioning. When I started team sports in highschool, like soccer, I was blowing by everyone with my wheels. My maximum oxygen extraction / V Max was really high.

Not sure what karate dojos are like now, with the advent of MMA popularity in the midwest.
 
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Check it out. There might be one near you!
http://m.youtube.com/user/ThirteenAreOwes?client=mv-google
 
acidfast7 said:
I never really got out of shape (35yo).

Eating healthy and sparing is a huge deal.

Walking everywhere is a huge. I had a meeting at 9am today, two miles from where I lived, so I just walked there and back. Sure, it added an extra 30 minutes each way (but it would take 15 min with the tram and just as long to get the bike out of the basement.)

I'm actually quite surprised. The other day I hopped on the bike and did 60km (roughly 40miles) @ 22km/h (14mph).

Never getting out of shape really helps.
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So true. Would be hard to stay motivated otherwise
 
Biggest thing for me is fitness and nutrition education. Most people jump on the treadmill and monitor their calories but there are other ways to get results too.

I like cardio. I do at least 1 half marathon and a few 5K's or obstacle courses every year. I also play basketball for a couple hours every weekend and take Krav classes. But my focal point is always weight lifting. The guys who do strict cardio / dieting without weights aren't aware how much muscle mass they're losing along with the fat. And once you lose muscle mass, your metabolism drops, which affects how much you can eat without getting fat. But optimal weightlifting builds muscle mass, ups your RMR for the next 24 hours, and creates human growth hormone, which also burns fat.

Ketogenic dieting is also something that gives big results, but gets overlooked. Put your body in ketosis, pair it with weightlifting, and you can drop your BF% pretty fast.
 
First off, I was a fat kid with glasses (185lbs at 5'6") and even in my high school graduation gown, you could see my gut. I have been up and down over the years, but the first fitness routine was walking all day. Went from a 38 to a 25 inch waist and weighed 125lbs (too light).

Recently (last summer working for Pepsi), I went from 165 to 154lbs.

My present routine has had a lot of treadmill running. I have ran 8 miles a day for a few days a week. I have cut back on the running and started hitting the weights as my running too much shrank my muscle mass (what little I had).

I now run 3-4 miles at least 3 days a week.

As for outdoors:
1st 10K 26:01 (flat, no hills)
2nd 10K 26:40 (hills, colder in October)
1st 10K 54:30 (Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving)
 
This is what I use to maintain the shape I am in now. It's a shape, but not a good one.

reeses-peanut-butter-400x400.jpg
 
Liquorpuki said:
Biggest thing for me is fitness and nutrition education. Most people jump on the treadmill and monitor their calories but there are other ways to get results too.

I like cardio. I do at least 1 half marathon and a few 5K's or obstacle courses every year. I also play basketball for a couple hours every weekend and take Krav classes. But my focal point is always weight lifting. The guys who do strict cardio / dieting without weights aren't aware how much muscle mass they're losing along with the fat. And once you lose muscle mass, your metabolism drops, which affects how much you can eat without getting fat. But optimal weightlifting builds muscle mass, ups your RMR for the next 24 hours, and creates human growth hormone, which also burns fat.

Ketogenic dieting is also something that gives big results, but gets overlooked. Put your body in ketosis, pair it with weightlifting, and you can drop your BF% pretty fast.
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ketogenic ... LOL

just eat healthy and less.
 
Koodauw said:
actually there is nothing wrong with it if done correctly.

To the OP, sign up afor a marathon/tri. You'll be forced to train then.
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I thought about that actually, but the time needed for training is not something I have right now. Maybe in the future when my job becomes less time consuming.

eric/ said:
There may be nothing wrong, but even if that is the case it's not a good way or working out and certainly isn't a good way to train for a triathlon or anything like that. It's just not a good way to work out. OP probably thinks he's in great shape b/c of low body fat which is =/= being in shape.

It's really not a good idea to work out longer than 45 min / 1 hr at a time.
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I do not think I'm in great shape, I'm just in better shape than I was a year ago.

I agree that working out for that length of time may not work for everybody but it sure works for some. Everybody has different tolarence therefore everybody should find a system that works for them. I was simply sharing what works for me and wanted to see what works for other people.

eric/ said:
Yup. Most important thing for weight control is diet and portion control
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Could not agree more, you can't lose weight by exercise alone. In fact I read somewhere that diet makes up majority of our weight.
 
ubitmeomg said:
[/COLOR]Also, what shoes do you run in puma1552? Admiring your daily distance. I'm about where you started, maybe a little faster. What made you improve your runs the most?
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Thanks, I'm not sure what model the shoes are anymore...they are a Nike+ racing shoe that weigh in around 6 oz IIRC, but I bought them in Japan and never saw them for sale here.

Really all I did was just do 5k for a long time and then slowly start to bump up the distance a km or so at a time with occasional nights where I might feel great and do an extra 2 or 3. Over time it just kind of got longer, and now I'm up to around 10 miles which on one hand is nice but on the other hand it's quite a bit more time commitment than when it was 5k...sometimes I'm jealous of the people at the lake who I know are just doing one lap around because they will be done much sooner than me.:cool:
 
soco said:
People get so over-the-top about fitness, it's hilarious.

Eat better, stay active. Life is hard.
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Some people only really follow through with fitness when they can (sort of or completely) obsess about it. It's all or nothing. For those who don't tend to be slightly OCD-ish about things it seems silly and unnecessary. I am all for whatever works.
 
soco said:
People get so over-the-top about fitness, it's hilarious.
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I'd rather be over the top in my fitness regiment then the opposite. This country (US) has a huge obseity problem so its clear that too many people are rather over the top in their sedentary lifestyles.

I'll not disagree that what you eat and how active you are hugely important but I think holding firm a strict workout scheme is not a bad thing
 
acidfast7 said:
i gotta agree. i think 2500 kcal is quite generous and perhaps too much.
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Depends on the person. Ive tried 2500 kcal and under that I lose weight... a lot of weight. I can keep my weight stable (again considering that I lift, etc) with ~3-3500 kcal.

As to the person questioning the 10k-- OP says he runs 2hrs every day. Thats a generous 10k minimum.
 
Running 2 hours almost every day ? :eek:

I get bored after about 35 minutes of cardio exercise.

I train 5 times/week, 35-40 minutes cardio (running/eliptical/biking/stairmaster, I vary), 15 minutes of different stretching exercises (I'm getting to the point where I'm more flexible then most of the girls! hahaha, they're MAD when I go farther then they can) and then it's 1 hour of muscle training, with about 15 minutes dedicated to abs.

EDIT : I forgot, in Winter I do some Snowpark skiing.

acidfast7 said:
i gotta agree. i think 2500 kcal is quite generous and perhaps too much.
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If I eat less then that, I lose weight (lost another lbs this week because I ate too many salads for lunch ><. Yes, I had a rage for that damn low fat sesame vinaigrette again...).

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soco said:
People get so over-the-top about fitness, it's hilarious.

Eat better, stay active. Life is hard.
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When you've got a 6-pack, it's easy to stay motivated ;)

The pursuit of narcissism is the best way to achieve results in fitness! I know when I feel less motivated, a quick glance at the "old" me and a quick trip to a mirror is enough to get me pushing that iron again. :D

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maflynn said:
Bottom line, you need to have self discipline to keep at it, and to eat right. If I go out and run for an hour, then scoff down a few donuts, what good is that. I'm putting crap into my body.
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Putting crap in your body sometimes is also important. Too strict a diet and most people get sick of it and go on binges. A bit of dark chocolate with a nice milky cup of tea, butter based oatmeal cookies for that delicious softness, fat heavier meats on the BBQ, bit of honey or maple syrup in the all bran in the morning...

Slipping in a few treats is a great way to stay fit and motivated. People that work out 5 times a week can do so without ever seeing the consequences.
 
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soco said:
People get so over-the-top about fitness, it's hilarious.

Eat better, stay active. Life is hard.
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About 6 months ago I decided I was going to care about my health since I realized that not caring for the first decades means... a better chance I won't have decades in the later years.
 
OBSESSED: What the lazy call the Dedicated.

I enjoy running, and have lost 50 pounds in the last couple years (5 foot 8: Went from 196 to 145, now about 150) doing three things. Maybe it's over simplified, but it worked for me, YMMV.

1.& 2. Eat Less, Run More. To this end I used the Lose It! App, and the Couch-to-5-K and RunKeeper/iSmoothRun apps. Get on the street/trail/paseo, get off the Dread-mill.

2. Weight training. 3-4 x a week. Chest/triceps one day, Back and biceps another day, throw in some leg and abs, then repeat.

HTH
 
I play soccer although not as competitive as I used to be. Honestly, I hate going to the gym. But I do it because it's necessary as an athlete. The day I quit soccer, my motivation to hit the gym will drop.

Anyone interested in losing weight, I'd suggest learning about the human energy systems/phases. ATP-CP, fast/slow glycolysis, and fat oxidation. These systems kick in at different durations and intensity of activity. Learning your own timing through experience will enable you to create a routine that works for you.

Also, instead of straight cardio, I'd suggest mixing it with some resistance training. Studies have shown that resistance training has more of a prolonged increase in metabolic rate, especially when done consistently.
 
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