QuestionQUESTION: Dear Robbie,
I am 40 years old. Healthy, stay at home Mom of 2 young children. I have exercised most of my life. I am 5 foot 3 inches tall, weigh around 137 pounds but my body fat is around 29% at this time. In 2006, I completed a 12 week "Body For Life" challenge. I worked out 6 days a week for 12 weeks - weight training and cardio. I ate 6 small meals a day of healthy protein and carb, and I did not miss ONE workout the entire time. I had wonderful success - lost 10 pounds, went down 2 sizes and felt great. After that I started working with a personal trainer at my gym and continued working out several times a week, cardio and weights. I belong to a Gold's gym that is fabulous - excellent equipment of all types, many classes, cardio, yoga, weight training. I got down to about 24% body fat, felt great and then my PT quit the gym, and my friend that I used to work out with moved to another state :( I completely "fell off the wagon" and have barely been to the gym since July of this year.
I do walk my dogs, but it's a short walk. I also have a horse and ride 3 to 5 times per week and take lessons. Sometimes I do work up a sweat but it's no where near the exercise I used to do. It is, however, very relaxing and my "zen place" is certainly with my horse :)
I tend to do best with a plan, but I am feeling quite indecisive about where to start. I have been running once a week but I cannot get myself to do more?!!! I'm not sure what's going on. On the days I do run, I have wonderful energy the rest of the day. I am also blessed that my children are in school most days of the week - I do work part time but only a few hours per day at the most. I have a treadmill at home, numerous videos (Taebo, The Firm, "Cathe" videos). I also have a recumbent ex. bike, stability ball and a good set of free weights and bands.
I did best with the pers. trainer but cannot afford the rates where my old trainer now trains ($50 to $90 a session!!)
I can honestly say the only thing that worked for me was a combo of the small meals per day, journaling my meals and foods, and the weight training/cardio combo.
An example of my plan with my personal trainer was:
4 days of weight training for 1/2 hour each session split up as: Day 1 - Legs, Day 2 - Triceps, Chest - Day 3, Biceps, Abs - Day 4 - Shoulders, Back - I woud stay and do 1/2 hour of intense cardio afterwards - either intervals or steady intensity, target HR of 140-160. I have a HR monitor. With the above plan I was down to 128 pounds and 24% body weight, however I didn't like the intensity of the weight training. I felt I was bulking up some and wanted to tone down/get smaller. The best shape I was EVER in was in my mid 20's to late 20's and I did the FIRM videos religiously with light to medium weights - the old Firm videos that combined weights with cardio for an hour. I still have those videos :)
I guess my question for you is, where should I start??? Get a trainer? Work out at home? Write out a schedule? For some reason I feel lost and can't get the fire burning again. I am NOT happy with my weight or body fat. My family is quite overweight - I am heading in that direction and I want to stop it before it gets worse. They gym is 1.5 miles from my house and I cannot figure out why I can't get myself to go?!! Would love any advice. Thanks!
ANSWER: Hi Linda,
Thanks for the in depth analysis of your current situation. It sounds like you know what works for you and what to do. It's just that you aren't motivated to do it.
As you pointed out the plan you followed when you were with your PT you got great results so my advice is that you try and find another PT that you feel comfortable with and go from there. Don't be afraid of sacking the ones you don't feel understand you or that you feel uneasy with. If you can't afford then below is some tips.
The plan you outline above with your PT is fine if you're into the bodybuilding type split routine and with a plan like that you need to be super vigilent with your eating and cardio. The best body's in the world are bodybuilders or bodyshapers or fitness models. But they live for this stuff. There life revolves around their meals, training and cardio. My plans are a little more realistic and I have heaps of clients who just don't have the time to live the lifestyle. So I give them interval based resistance training and it seems to work well. It is a mixture of dynamic functional exercise with weights with bootcamp type drills. High reps with medium weight using compound exercises with very little rest between sets and exercises, if any.
I rarely do very heavy weights with them especially females and never heavy leg workouts because most girls seem to gain muscle very easily on their thighs and butts.
I'd workout in the gym, because it makes it a definitive place for a certain action. If you have to go somewhere specifically then you are more likely to put in some serious effort. You can do the medium cardio stuff at home or outside. But the high intensity workouts should be at the gym.
Here are my tips:
1. Cycle your starchy carbs. Medium on weight training days, low on non weight training days and none on no-training days.
2. No starch carbs after 6pm
3. You must drink at least 2.07 litres of water per day. Most preferably in the first 2/3 of the day so you don't have to keep going to the toilet at night.
4. No fruit after 6pm
5. Small meals as you mentioned
6. Fasted Interval Cardio first thing in the morning.
7. Journal your food as you mentioned
8. Try not to stress out as stress stops you from losing weight
Hope this helps. I've got a tonne more information available. Please signup for my free newsletter at: www.xfitness.com.au
Hope it all works out for you
Robbie
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you! Very helpful. I have 2 follow up questions.
For the fasted cardio intervals, is this okay? On treadmill, moderate jog (HR around 135-145) for 2 minutes, then sprint for one minute (HR reaches 160 peak)...then back to moderate...continue cycle for 30 minutes. Is that okay? I also mix up the times sometimes and do 2 minutes to 2 minutes, or 1 minute recovery to 2 minute sprint.
For the weight training, by compound exercises do you mean perhaps a squat with bicep curl, or a lunge with overhead press? Working multiple muscles - and in between, cardio "sprints" for 30 to 60 seconds like squat thrusts or high knee jogging to keep HR up?
Thanks so much!! Linda
AnswerHi Linda,
By fasted, I mean no meals beforehand. Do 3 types of intervals on the treadmill. Vary it, so you're not doing the same type on consecutive days.
1. 2 minutes moderate, 1 minute sprint..30mins that would be for one day.
2. 1 minute moderate, 30 secs sprint...30mins. Another day.
3. 30 secs moderate, 30 secs sprint...15 mins. On another day.
Yep, exactly. Compound exercises work multiple muscles within the one type of movement. Do sets of 1 minute (high rep)In between you can do your high knees, jumping jacks, burpees etc for 1 minute. Repeat 4 times. Then rest for a minute.
Then choose another compound movement and another cardio movment and repeat 4 times.
Do this for between 30-40 mins and finish with some moderate cardio at a steady HR for the last 10-20mins depending on how you are feeling.
Hope this helps
Robbie
