Advice on weight training and cardio training

I'm going to start this by saying I'm a big guy, wanting to lose weight but also gain as well.

Not sure on where to go with or even start as In the past I've tried what I know myself. I have knowledge on the whole weight training but cardio I'm not so good on.

I have a full set of weights in my house and a bike/cross trainer. I've struggled to lose weight because I don't know where to go after I've started because I usually go a few months and not see much results, I know a few months Isn't much but I mainly mean losing weight.

I need help on what to do so I can keep it up, rather than quiting after not seeing any results.

Also I want to know, is it best taking protein while losing weight or wait until I've lost weight?

Any help would be grateful, as my weight is getting me down alot in the past months, I need to sort myself out! Thanks to whoever replies/helps.

P.S Before anyone says go on bodybuilding websites I've tried it and didn't get one response from anyone.

Most people who are trying to gain muscle mass usually follow a set workout routine where they train different body parts on different days, ie; Monday- Chest, Shoulders, Triceps Wednesday- Legs Saturday- Back, Biceps, something along those lines for gaining muscle.

Just going for a 25 minute run at a steady pace is cardio and will burn calories and fat and will be beneficial to your fat loss goals but to really burn fat I think you'd get more benefit from doing shorter cardio workouts at a high intensity. This is really good for getting your heart pumping and burning body fat and will also boost your metabolism meaning your body will be burning off calories a lot faster throughout the day even when you're resting. Some good examples of high intensity cardio workouts are;

* Sprints- You could go for a run but instead of running at the same speed you sprint at full pace for a set distance then slow down to a jog then sprint etc. How far/long you jog/sprint is up to you. You can count steps (sprint for 20 steps, jog for 30 steps), you can use some kind of marker, I used to use lampposts, sprint when I reached one lamppost, jog when I reached the other.

* Stair runs- Lately I've found running my stairs very beneficial, there's no messing about travelling to the gym and its free. Basically I have your standard 14 stairs at home, I sprint to the top as fast and powerful as I can then walk back down and repeat 10 times. Rest for 2 minutes then repeat 9 times, rest, repeat 8 times etc until I get down to 5 sets. Nothing gets my heart pumping as much as this workout. Just don't fall down them, I don't want to get sued.

*Circuit training- Again can be done at home, the idea is to do one exercise then immediately transition to another exercise without rest until you've completed your circuit of a set amount of exercises, I do about 15 different exercises for 3 circuits. There should be plenty of websites with examples of different circuits. For example I have mine written down, off the top of my head I think it begins shoulder press with light dumbbells x 30, squats x 25, dumbbell chest press x 25, squat thrusts x 16, sit ups x 20, press ups x 22, squat thrusts x 12 reps, shadow box for 1minute, etc until I've performed about 16 exercise then rest for 2 minutes then perform another circuit this time decreasing the reps slightly.

* Hill Running- Simply running up a hill set at a decent incline is a good workout. Run up as fast as you can, walk or jog down then repeat however many times you want.

Definitely take in protein while you are trying to lose body fat or there's a chance you'll be burning off muscle as well as fat, you need the protein to maintain your muscle but also don't be afraid to take in good carbs too. Don't ever try and starve yourself to lose weight its not worth it. Losing body fat takes time, nobody likes to hear that but its true. And don't be afraid to experiment and use your imagination when it comes to your workouts. Experiment with weights and different exercises at home, just because something not a conventional exercise and you haven't seen it in a book or magazine doesn't mean it doesn't work, judge it by how your body responds to it.

Sorry for the long post, whoever reads it all give yourself a pat on the back.

So if I do something like that. How many protein shakes would be advisable to take? Including days I don't train, cardio I usually do 6 days and weights 3-4 days a week

Hi KieronJMW

You can easily and safely lose some of your excess weight by seriously cutting down on salt and salty food. This reduces water retention. Reducing water retention has many health benefits and it makes you feel a lot better too.

HTH

I haven't used protein shakes for years, I like to get all my protein from food such as chicken, tuna, fish etc. If you are using protein shakes then the most important time to take a shake is after your weights training preferably within 45 minutes after. Everyone has different health goals, I don't want to be bulky like a body builder that's why I don't bother with shakes but if your goal is to build some serious muscle (and bear in mind the more muscle you have the faster you metabolise fat) then you need to take in a lot of protein. I wouldn't rely too much on shakes though maybe one after workout and one mid morning with a snack.

Though I don't take shakes I do use creatine. As with all supplements there are people who don't believe in its effects but from my own personal experience it works and is great for boosting muscle growth, aiding in recovery and providing muscle stamina and energy.

And make sure you're eating right and regularly. You should be eating every 2-3 hours.

Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread, but I also have a question re. weight training. If you were to train specific bodyparts on specific days per week, what happens if you miss a particular session? Does that session become your next, or do you skip that particular workout for that week?

Apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread, but I also have a question re. weight training. If you were to train specific bodyparts on specific days per week, what happens if you miss a particular session? Does that session become your next, or do you skip that particular workout for that week?

I usually train 3 days a week, which I mix it up. ie:

Monday - Chest/Shoulders(Or back)

Wednesday - Biceps/Triceps

Friday - Legs/back(If you haven't done back already in that week)

I also may add another day on such as a saturday and maybe target only certain areas or do a full body routine. I know i said in this post that nothing works for me but i do see a difference i lift weights, i just struggle to lose weight. On top of th weight lifting I've also start cardio everyday even if it;s just 10-15 minutes a day.

If I miss a day I usually do it on my next session but because i missed it on the normal day i add on a few extra sets or reps. I myself learnt this from a guy who i watched on YouTube and everything he was doing he gained every single month even if he missed a session but made up for it the next with adding on extra sets or reps.

I'd say try that but others may say different.

---------- Post added 30-09-2014 at 22:47 ----------

I haven't used protein shakes for years, I like to get all my protein from food such as chicken, tuna, fish etc. If you are using protein shakes then the most important time to take a shake is after your weights training preferably within 45 minutes after. Everyone has different health goals, I don't want to be bulky like a body builder that's why I don't bother with shakes but if your goal is to build some serious muscle (and bear in mind the more muscle you have the faster you metabolise fat) then you need to take in a lot of protein. I wouldn't rely too much on shakes though maybe one after workout and one mid morning with a snack.

 

Though I don't take shakes I do use creatine. As with all supplements there are people who don't believe in its effects but from my own personal experience it works and is great for boosting muscle growth, aiding in recovery and providing muscle stamina and energy.

 

And make sure you're eating right and regularly. You should be eating every 2-3 hours.

I mainly asked because I sometimes use the shakes as a meal replacement due to the fact of the whole intake if your bodybuilding you need protein or some form of protein. I do eat alot of meat but i also find the shakes very good, some people say they don't feel a thing but i have done.

I find it helps specially to start your day off with some cereal or as a snack for mid morning as you mentioned.

Eating right is probably my main problem, I don't really know where to start when it comes to food, because i am very picky when it comes to my food. I eat meat, my green veggies and rice, salads... but i have a thing where i get bored easily of what i eat, i need variety and i don't know what to eat so i can lose the weigh but also gain.

To the creatine, I've heard that can be dangerous taking thats why i haven't mentioned it, i've looked and wondered if i could take them but i don't know how to take them, I don't want to damage myself if that makes any sense.

I am not qualified to advise but I would say that a whole body routine, 3 or 4 times a week is best, make sure you are doing squats one day, dead lift another day, and clean and press (lift from the floor to your chest and then press over head) another day. Compound movements like bench press, overhead press, bent over rows.

For cardio, mix it up, the best way is intervals, short bursts of sprints with jogging in between, five or ten minutes of that is gruelling. You can do slow, steady runs on other days.

Protein, leave the shakes, just drink skimmed or semi skimmed milk, and if you want more protein, buy powdered milk and add some of that, much cheaper than shakes.

Cut out bread, pizza, cakes, biscuits, drink black coffee and water.

I am not qualified to advise but I would say that a whole body routine, 3 or 4 times a week is best, make sure you are doing squats one day, dead lift another day, and clean and press (lift from the floor to your chest and then press over head) another day. Compound movements like bench press, overhead press, bent over rows.

 

For cardio, mix it up, the best way is intervals, short bursts of sprints with jogging in between, five or ten minutes of that is gruelling. You can do slow, steady runs on other days.

 

Protein, leave the shakes, just drink skimmed or semi skimmed milk, and if you want more protein, buy powdered milk and add some of that, much cheaper than shakes.

 

Cut out bread, pizza, cakes, biscuits, drink black coffee and water.

Where I worked several of the guys were into lifting and body building and they ate huge amounts of food and not just the healthy stuff.They were "big" but they were also clearly overweight.

The key to losing weight is not just doing cardio and weights but getting diet right too.

Certainly not an expert on body building but there seems to be a culture of eating more than you need and while this may well help build muscle it probably is not going to help you lose weight particularly if you are eating the wrong stuff.

You don't say how old you are but have you seen a Dr or been to a well man clinic before you start all this?

There are a lot of different tasty healthy foods out there. You don't have to try and survive on chicken salad and rice and just the basics, I personally don't think its good for you and I think most people would get bored with that. Eat healthy foods that you enjoy the taste of, don't let your diet became monotonous. Eating right used to be my biggest problem too, I knew what foods were a good source of protein and what foods were low in fat but I didn't know or understand anything else about what I should be eating. Its crazy, I remember when I was 21 I was just taking a banana and a tin of tuna to work because I thought all I needed was the tuna for protein and the banana for carbs and I would try to eat to that extreme all day long but its just not sustainable or healthy. By evening I would be shaking from hunger but I though it was just a matter of willpower so I'd still force myself to workout. Not good, but I didn't know any better.

Now I like to eat many different varieties of food and I'm not scared to eat carbs or take in a little fat. There are many different tasty varieties of fruit and vegetables, don't just stick to one or two types. There's some tasty brands of rice cakes out there; cheese flavour, barbecue flavour. Same with cereal bars, many different types and brands. Usually for dinner at work now I'll have either a tuna Mayo sandwich, a pre-packed tuna meal or some chicken breast strips. I'll also usually have 2 or 3 different pieces of fruit, 3 or 4 rice cakes, maybe a cereal bar. Everybodies different but it works for me, keeps me full and keeps away cravings and provides plenty of energy. It might not be lean food like chicken salad but its still good healthy food and better for you than chips and burger so I don't worry about it. In the evening I pretty much eat what I feel like within reason. If I want chicken, fruit and a few rice cakes again I'll have that. If I want chicken curry and rice with naan bread I'll have that.

I find it helps to not try and obsess over weight loss. I find its better to go as long as you can without weighing yourself because you'll see a bigger loss. Try to set a date not too far away to get weighed such as in two weeks rather than getting weighed everyday or two. You could try using a tape measure around your waist to record fat loss it might be a good indicator of fat loss as your weight may be steady due to increasing muscle mass and tone. Losing weight takes a lot of time, especially if you're doing it the right way and not just looking for a quick solution. Be prepared for a long term fight and don't get too frustrated if you don't see results straight away.

Hi,

So, my background is that i have always done walking, running, weights etc... but after becoming a dad i put on a bit of weight. i didn't look fat, and used the excuse that i lifted weights so was just muscular. however, i noticed i was blowing a bit more when walking (backpacking) etc...

i then started to use herbalife, and it has changed my life. i am fitter,stronger and leaner. i have lost 35lb, and am now training for the loch ness marathon next year. i do two 10 to 13 mile runs per week and weights at least once.

Herbalife offers weight management products, but also sports recovery / performance products.

If you want to gain lean muscle, great.

i can put a plan together, would be my pleasure.

please get in touch and we can discuss further.

adam