35 y/o m. Recently started the journey to general fitness and well being. Looking for some advice

[danielc413]

Hello everyone. So I have never been a very active person when it comes to exercise and working out. I have tried to start eating healthy and exercise many times but like countless people I could never really get any of the changes to stick. I can gladly say however that a recent trip to the bathroom scale flipped the switch so to speak. My weight was 250 lbs. A number I never wanted/expected to hit. That was it. I don't know quite what happened but my mentality changed and inactivity and failure to follow through are no longer acceptable to me. I hungered for a real substantial change. I started a meal plan to change my eating habits and after 2 months I have managed to drop my weight to just under 240 lbs. I joined a gym a month ago and have hired a personal trainer to help get a strength training routine in place. Life is good and the hunger for a fitter self is still there.

I have a few items I am trying to figure out and am looking for some sound advice.

1. Strength vs Cardio. I am trying to figure out how to balance these two parts of my routine. I try to work out 4 days a week for now with a goal of 6 days of working out and a day of rest. Two of the days are spent with the trainer working on my strength. I am trying to figure out where to fit the cardio in. Should I do 2 days of the one and then 2 days of the other or should I alternate.
2. Long term motivation. Right now I wake up each day motivated and eager to workout but I know that over time I am bound to loose some of this desire. What are some good tricks to keeping myself motivated over the long term.
3. Protein supplements. Are they worth it, worth adding later, or not important?

Any advice on these items is greatly appreciated. Nice to know there is a subreddit out there for people my age who have made the choice to get fit.

 

[dawn16]

@danielc413 Motivation. It may or may not fade. Just make a schedule. Don't wait to want to go. Go because it's Tuesday @ 5 and that's when you go. When the motivation fades just lean on the schedule

 

[prettysailorvictoria]

@danielc413 I'll preface my comment by saying that I am by no means a fitness expert and what works for me may not work for other people.

You sound like you are in a very similar situation to what I was in when I was 35 years old (2 years ago). In my early 20s I was 190 lbs, but at 35 I weighed in at 258 lbs and I had very high blood pressure. Through diet and exercise I have managed to lose 54 lbs and reduce my body fat percentage to ~15%. I had several setbacks and a lot of trial and error, so don't be discouraged if it takes awhile. Setbacks happen to most of us.

To answer your questions with my personal experience of trial-and-errors:

1. I do 20 minutes of cardio after lifting weights. I use up my burst energy lifting the weights and do moderate cardio afterwards. I don't have any dedicated cardio days. I exercise 4-6 days a week, depending on the program (I have done several of the programs at bodybuilding.com)
2. going to the gym regularly was hard at first for me. I easily got demotivated, especially on leg day. I'd skip days, give up when struggling, and so forth. However, after going to the gym for several months and I first started seeing subtle results, I got hooked on going to the gym. I am now to the point that I feel a little sad if I miss a gym day. I look forward going to the gym and I really enjoy myself. I have read that exercise helps with depression. At any rate, after hitting the gym for awhile you will get hooked and will find yourself in a positive reinforcement feedback loop.
3. I recommend protein. I just take 2 scoops of whey protein in a shake after workouts. I don't take it in the morning when I wake up or in the evening before I go to bed. I don't drink protein shakes on days that I don't workout. I wouldn't worry about pre-workouts, BCAAs, creatine, or any of the other stuff at first. Just drink a protein shake. I also like eating protein bars as part of my breakfast. Other than that, I have a regular diet, but I do try to eat grilled or baked chicken for dinner as it is pretty healthy and a good source of protein.

I started working out and eating healthier at the same time as some of my younger coworkers, and they saw health improvements, weight loss, and strength gains faster than me. Part of it may be genetics, but I think age plays a big part in it. I don't feel old at 37, but I know my body isn't the same as it was in my mid-20s. I no longer worry about competing against others and just worry about competing against my yesterday self.

It'll come, just be patient and stay motivated. It takes awhile to see the first improvements, but one year from now you will look in a mirror and will notice a huge change. People around you will notice before you, and I urge that you believe their compliments and don't let body self-image get in your way.

That being said, one regret I have is that I didn't take a shirtless picture of myself before I started exercising and eating healthy. You are still early in your journey so take a "before" selfie if you haven't already. If you look at yourself in the mirror and wonder if you are getting more fit, your mind will play tricks on you. If you take a "before" selfie and look at it side-by-side with a current picture it makes it easier to determine your progress to yourself.

 

[discipleduchrist]

@danielc413

1. If your primary goal is fat loss while retaining maximum muscle, I would do at least 3, maybe 4 days per week of weight/resistance training, and cardio on the other two days. Or you could add cardio at the end of each weight training session, do 4-5 days per week with 2-3 rest days. Up to you, but IMO you should have at least 3 weight training days per week.
2. Part of maintaining motivation I've found is to find workout routines that you actually enjoy doing. Some people really like to lift heavy with low volume. Some like lifting lighter with higher volume. Some like doing metabolic resistance training. Or body weight stuff.
   
   The key is to find what you enjoy the most. If you ever get to the point where you start to dread working out or coming up with excuses why it's okay to skip your workout, that's when you know you need to change something up with your program or routine.
   
   However, one thing that I've also found happens is that once you start to see really visible results, it becomes self feeding. In other words, you don't want to give up your gains and progress, so you actually will get to a point where if you miss a workout day you feel like crap and antsy about it, which is a good thing. The key is to get that momentum going, then it becomes much easier to keep it going.
3. Protein supplements can absolutely be worth it, if you're not getting enough protein from whole food sources. To build or maintain muscle, you typically want to get 0.7g-1g of protein per pound of body weight, and that can get tough to do with just whole foods. So supplementing with protein shakes can be a quick and easy way to help hit your macros.

 

[danielc413]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I have a better idea on what I should do for my cardio and understand that the motivation should just come on it's own. I'll have to pick up some protein as well.

 

[thepool]

@danielc413 Motivation depends on attainable goals. From the business world try setting some SMART goals and check them off. (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Time-based). E.g. Increase squat by 20 lbs by the end of the month by using linear progression.

Take a break from weighing yourself and let your effort be your driver.

Other folks have commented that perhaps increasing your strength training to 3Xweek with light cardio in between may yield quicker results.

Eat less but keep a decent track of your macros. Use my fitness pal and try to achieve consistency in what you eat.

By all means try starting strength and have a discussion with your trainer on dialing in your form/technique.

Kettlebells may be a good way to go as accessory to your main strength lifts. Even 3x25 reps of swings should gas you as much as 20 minutes on an elliptical.

Just a few suggestions.

 

[maat]

@danielc413

• 1 - i do track right now, 3 days a week, and lift the other 2 days, i've struck a real nice balance where neither lifting nor track interfere with each other (5/3/1 ftw)
  • sunday - track
  • monday - weights
  • tuesday - track
  • wednesday - weights
  • thursday - track
  • fri,sat days off
• 2 - set goals for yourself! give yourself a reason to keep going
• 3 - try it and see for yourself

 

[aaronjosephhall]

@danielc413 Buy and read Starting Strength, and don't listen to anyone or anything else for a year no matter what.

That would be the best way. Promise.

I've had the privilege of maintaining close friendships with an exercise science professor, a published biochemist, a cardiologist who can squat six plates, and a few other high-caliber resources. Every single differential fact they have produced is found within Starting Strength, and none are missing from it. Other training resources (especially on the internet) are worthless trash, although a few of the barbell-based ones can be fun to read.

Training specificity is a myth, it does not exist until you are lifting twice your bodyweight in all the lifts. There is no such thing as balance, coordination, speed, tone, or even flexibility -- all these things are derived from strength, and nothing else.

I was a life-long book nerd until last year, getting strong is a life-changing premise especially for guys.

Protein supplements are the bomb. Optimum Nutrition is the best value by far (as long as you buy 5 pounds at a time.) Blender Bottles cost about 3 dollars more than you want them to, but they are worth it immediately.

Motivation will literally take care of itself. When weight that nearly killed you 3 days ago feels light today, there will be no questions about motivation. (Also, there is a schedule to optimized training: a 24-hour window in which you will realize improved results. That's quite a motivator too. It's in the book.)

And I don't know how to convey the effects on daily life, but they are huge. I went from clumsy and klutzy to never slipping and falling, or dropping anything, in a month. I have not slipped and fallen or dropped anything in the last two years, and it used to happen every week. If I wanted to kick a spot on the wall, it used to be accurate to within about eight inches. After two months, it went to about 8 millimeters.

I can open heavy doors with one finger, which is very useful at tax school. I carried a refrigerator up three flights of stairs by myself, and it was easier than carrying a microwave down the stairs was two months prior. If I need to break something that's in my way, I know that I can.

This isn't some jock person doing this, it's me! Me who used to be the last kid picked for kickball, me who didn't start until I was 29, but I followed the program and ate big and got big.

Finally, a decent prayer life is a good adjunct for numerous reasons but not least because you'll need high-quality sleep.

Edit: Almost forgot, I lost 33 pounds over the summer doing no cardio. Just eat less.