Beginning to Lose Weight
The oldest trick in the book...
1. Eat better.
2. Get off your tuff.
There are no secret diets -- there are no secret workouts -- no shortcuts. Eat better. Move. You don't need to count calories, and you don't need to take supplements.
-Losing Fat
.Get on a treadmill, run a mile. Don't stop until you hit a mile.
.Next day, do it again...faster.
.Next day, break.
.Repeat this three-day process.
This will make you look better. It will essentially give you "definition," which is alright if you already have something to define. However, if not, we move on to...
-Gaining Muscle
.Use it. Seriously -- people are always advertising this *CRAZY NEW EXERCISE MACHINE* -- bull****. Unneccessary. As long as the gym has free-weights, a lat pull-down, chin, a bench, and somewhere for squats, you're well equipped. Want bigger shoulders? Move in a way that exercises your shoulders. Now do it with resistance. Repeat.
I am personally blessed (along with all other Humber students) to attend a school that has a really nice gym. This includes all manner of machines...about 70% of which are a waste of space. You don't need them.
Slightly More Advanced
First, take Wednesdays and weekends off. Don't kill yourself.
Losing Fat
-Do 20 minutes of cardio a day, or 30 minutes after a session of lifting. One possible mix might be 10 minutes on the bike, 5 rowing, and 15 on the elliptical. This way you can sustain cardiovascular activity for a greater period of time and exercise a variety of muscles in your body.
Gaining Muscle
-Exercise a muscle group twice a week with three days rest minimum between sessions. eg, Chest on Monday/Thursday and Back on Tuesday/Friday.
-Eat protein. I eat 2 grilled chickens a day, because everything else in my caf sucks except chicken fingers and chicken fingers also require me to get fries, both of which are terrible for you. Coincidentally, grilled chickens are also high in protein. Get BBQ sauce if you like, but none of that mayo ****.
-Bench. Deadlift. Squat. Free-weights are your best friend, so use them.
-Develop your own routine. Don't take one from a book, make one for yourself. eg, I don't really have a routine that I think of, it just started happening after I spent a lot of time in the gym learning, experimenting, and watching other people.
One of your best tips: Watch other people at the gym. If some guy has crazy arms, *what does he do for his arms?* Figure out how he does it, then do it yourself. An exercise that works for you will work for me and it'll work for your aunt and the Govenator too if he wants it.
Supplements
-I wouldn't advise supplements to someone new to working out. IMO, they should come as a result of when you've hit a plateau in working out (which does happen.) I'm currently trying NO2 ("Nitrix" by BSN) and nearing the end of my container. It works similarly to creatine, more of a predecessor kind of thing though. Good stuff. It's an easy world to get f'd over in though. Before getting into them at all, do a lot of research. However, that said, I've never met or heard of anyone on any kind of 'roid that DIDN'T show at least significant changes in mood and temperment. They do mess with you. 'Roids and supplements, however, are not the same thing. Mark the difference. Love the Nitrix. Screw the Deca.
Lastly...
MOTIVATION
-Don't overdo it! The easiest way to burn it out is to overdo it.
-Keep a journal. You aren't accountable to anyone but yourself. The only reason I ended up going to the gym on Friday was because I was looking at my journal and the last thing I could stand was a 3rd blank mark. It ended up being one of the best workouts I've ever done, and I got a really awesome new one for my arms that I liked.
-Get something specific to really inspire you. I bought Bruce Lee's "The Art of Expressing the Human Body," a book about Bruce Lee's "legendary" workouts. Essentially it's a great book for people looking for specific exercises (organized by muscle group). Also importantly is that it's filled with articles about Lee and his life, as well as pictures of him all throughout his career in film and martial arts that are all guaranteed to make me want to get into the gym and lift somethin'. My buddy Stefano bought Arnold's "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" which does the same for him, just another example.
-Take progress shots. Front and back. Every few weeks, put your camera/web cam/laptop on a timer, and take a picture. Same pose and setting every time. In early December I wanted a better V -- you know, slimmer waist and a wider chest/back. Took a picture 12/01/06. I take another one 02/01/07, and compared to the one I took two months ago, there's a huge difference. The thing about losing weight is that it's such a gradual process it can be hard to mark, so without actually marking your progress, you could be slowing yourself down. The more inspired and motivated you are to do this, the better you'll end up doing!
...lastly, you can't spot-reduce fat. Train your abs every day. If going to the gym is boring, play a sport. Personally, I'd advise martial arts. Brazillian jiu-jitsu's my recently found love (long admirer, first time participator), but any sort of boxing class will be not only a great workout, but very practical too. If you really get into it, the cardio and conditioning they do in muay-thai is pretty sick.
