Obesity Discussion Forums

[MikeB]

Welcome to the board!
Remember it doesn't take a gym to exercise, these can be done at home quickly and will do wonders:
The first exercise - walking lunges is HUGE cardio movement...
Walking lunges
Pushups
Abs
Misc
Misc

There are a million more exercises but with some light dumbells ($20 or craigslist.com for local cheap items).

[MikeB]

Here's my personal video running through some of my exercises. The chinup/dip/leg raise was $99 from sports authority so not terribly expensive.

[Obesity Discussion]

Great videos Mike, thank's so much for sharing with us!!!

[Steve]

Good post. I find many people who can't afford a gym or don't have the courage to join one automatically rule out strength training.

ANYTHING that progressively overloads your system will trigger adaptation.

If you are going to buy equipment, I suggest staying away from machines. Stick with free weights, for numerous reasons.

Start with a set of dumbbells that you can add/subtract weight from.

Other equipment I recommend is an adjustable bench that can be set to a decline, flat, and an incline. An olympic barbell. Obviously plates for the bar. These plates can be used for the dumbbells too.

If you really want to get serious, getting a power rack is ideal.

If you've never lifted before and are very deconditioned, starting with simply calisthenics is all that's required. Build your base with these. Just be sure to graduate (progress the overload). Doing bodyweight exercises will not cut it forever.

[wright306]

I personally have found for little or no money at all, a great cardio is jump rope or jumping jacks...makes for unbelievable legs! Also for me...just recently had my daughter, who now weighs 20lbs...baby wearing (thats in a baby carrier) to do any kind of activity is great exersize with her added resistance.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by wright306

I personally have found for little or no money at all, a great cardio is jump rope or jumping jacks...makes for unbelievable legs! Also for me...just recently had my daughter, who now weighs 20lbs...baby wearing (thats in a baby carrier) to do any kind of activity is great exersize with her added resistance.

Oh yeah, that'll do it too! I have to travel carring a 40lb backpack on my back for work every week, and drag luggage around, that makes for a great workout for me, especially since I'm always late for my flights!

[Steve]

Jumping rope rocks!

And a growing child will certainly do for progressive overload.

[wright306]

especially at the rate my darling daughter is PROGRESSING in weight! she is seven months old and weighs 20 lbs. Most 1 years olds weigh that much.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by wright306

especially at the rate my darling daughter is PROGRESSING in weight! she is seven months old and weighs 20 lbs. Most 1 years olds weigh that much.

My son was 20lbs at 4 months....

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by wright306

especially at the rate my darling daughter is PROGRESSING in weight! she is seven months old and weighs 20 lbs. Most 1 years olds weigh that much.

Originally Posted by MikeB

My son was 20lbs at 4 months....

I don't think I weighed that much until I was a year and a half

[Irving]

good stuff mike!

[Irving]

Originally Posted by wright306

especially at the rate my darling daughter is PROGRESSING in weight! she is seven months old and weighs 20 lbs. Most 1 years olds weigh that much.

oh wow that is fast!

[PassTheBypass]

Also for those doing their first weight training: Yes, you can move that weight 5 times, even though it isn't easy. The good looker next to you is really impressed, and you decide to do 10 more. But guess what, your tendons are not ready for it yet. You will be a ball of pain if you overdo it the first day, and not from the muscles. Start off low, and build up. If you curl three sets of 10 (ten times, rest, ten more, rest, ten more) at 20 pounds the first day and it was too easy, you can move up to 25 or 30. But if you try 30 the first day and end up in stiff agony, you did too much. Work your way up to 30. Start out light and comfortable, get the correct motion into your muscle memory, (throwing your back out to do a curl shows you are not doing a curl correctly), then move to a higher weight. I am not an expert, but this is something I learned from painful experience. Experts, correct me if I am wrong....

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by PassTheBypass

Also for those doing their first weight training: Yes, you can move that weight 5 times, even though it isn't easy. The good looker next to you is really impressed, and you decide to do 10 more. But guess what, your tendons are not ready for it yet. You will be a ball of pain if you overdo it the first day, and not from the muscles. Start off low, and build up. If you curl three sets of 10 (ten times, rest, ten more, rest, ten more) at 20 pounds the first day and it was too easy, you can move up to 25 or 30. But if you try 30 the first day and end up in stiff agony, you did too much. Work your way up to 30. Start out light and comfortable, get the correct motion into your muscle memory, (throwing your back out to do a curl shows you are not doing a curl correctly), then move to a higher weight. I am not an expert, but this is something I learned from painful experience. Experts, correct me if I am wrong....

Your concept is sound.

Always start off very slow and easy your first few times back in the gym, and never lift close to what you could do for a maximum weight. Don't push yourself to crank out as many reps as you can. Start VERY light and work on your form which is very important for new lifters.

The only exception is when you take your sister to the gym who hasn't lifted in 8 years to show her the ropes, and you have the urge to torture her.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by PassTheBypass

Also for those doing their first weight training: Yes, you can move that weight 5 times, even though it isn't easy. The good looker next to you is really impressed, and you decide to do 10 more. But guess what, your tendons are not ready for it yet. You will be a ball of pain if you overdo it the first day, and not from the muscles. Start off low, and build up. If you curl three sets of 10 (ten times, rest, ten more, rest, ten more) at 20 pounds the first day and it was too easy, you can move up to 25 or 30. But if you try 30 the first day and end up in stiff agony, you did too much. Work your way up to 30. Start out light and comfortable, get the correct motion into your muscle memory, (throwing your back out to do a curl shows you are not doing a curl correctly), then move to a higher weight. I am not an expert, but this is something I learned from painful experience. Experts, correct me if I am wrong....

That's the idea of progressive overload, yes.

Hardly anyone should be doing curls though.

[William Wallace]

Originally Posted by Steve

That's the idea of progressive overload, yes.

Hardly anyone should be doing curls though.

No bicep curls? That seems to be the most popular exercise for guys in the gym along with bench press. How do you work your biceps without curls?

[MikeB]

Pullups!!!!

[Steve]

Originally Posted by William Wallace

No bicep curls? That seems to be the most popular exercise for guys in the gym along with bench press. How do you work your biceps without curls?

Haha, yea and?

I concur... it's the most popular exercise in the gym. However, most guys look like they DON'T workout even though they are there almost every single day.

At least in the gyms I frequent.... and it is quite a few. I've trained in over 75 gyms so far.

That should tell you something. If everyone is doing something to "supposedly" improve their bodies, yet, none of them look the way you'd like to look..... DON'T do what they are doing.

I currently train most days in one gym. Not one person in the gym trains like me. And there is not one guy I would trade bodies with.

Why shouldn't you do curls?

I should have added context to my post. When you are dieting, there is no point in doing curls. Weight training's main purpose during a diet is to maintain muscle mass. In order to do so, you need to focus on heavy, compound lifts. Why?

These lifts are efficient and effective. The recruit the most amount of muscle in the least amount of time. They allow you to use heavy weights. These are things that send the right neurochemical signaling for muscle maintenance.

Isolation exercises are "okay" when you are bulking. Why? Because you are eating an excess of energy. During these times, your body actually has the capacity to build up above and beyond your current muscle mass. So, "refinement, accessory" moves are "okay" when energy is plentiful.

They are futile when energy is not, though. If anything, IMO, they are detrimental on an opportunity-cost scale.

Basically, you aren't going to be adding any appreciable muscle while dieting, if any at all..... so why do exercises like curls?

Even when I bulk, I rarely focus on arm isolation exercises. No matter what my current "energy-state" is, I am always doing heavy compound work. Heavy compound work trains your arms. Hence the word compound.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by Steve

Haha, yea and?

I concur... it's the most popular exercise in the gym. However, most guys look like they DON'T workout even though they are there almost every single day.

At least in the gyms I frequent.... and it is quite a few. I've trained in over 75 gyms so far.

That should tell you something. If everyone is doing something to "supposedly" improve their bodies, yet, none of them look the way you'd like to look..... DON'T do what they are doing.

I currently train most days in one gym. Not one person in the gym trains like me. And there is not one guy I would trade bodies with.

Why shouldn't you do curls?

I should have added context to my post. When you are dieting, there is no point in doing curls. Weight training's main purpose during a diet is to maintain muscle mass. In order to do so, you need to focus on heavy, compound lifts. Why?

These lifts are efficient and effective. The recruit the most amount of muscle in the least amount of time. They allow you to use heavy weights. These are things that send the right neurochemical signaling for muscle maintenance.

Isolation exercises are "okay" when you are bulking. Why? Because you are eating an excess of energy. During these times, your body actually has the capacity to build up above and beyond your current muscle mass. So, "refinement, accessory" moves are "okay" when energy is plentiful.

They are futile when energy is not, though. If anything, IMO, they are detrimental on an opportunity-cost scale.

Basically, you aren't going to be adding any appreciable muscle while dieting, if any at all..... so why do exercises like curls?

Even when I bulk, I rarely focus on arm isolation exercises. No matter what my current "energy-state" is, I am always doing heavy compound work. Heavy compound work trains your arms. Hence the word compound.

I admit to doing bicep curls myself while dieting, but that's the only bicep isolation exercise I do. Something about feeling the pump and having the muscle sore makes me feel better I think

Now, that being said, almost all of my exercises while dieting are heavy compound exercises.

I like your point of view on this topic; great feedback as always. Thanks Steve