Need Help

[razorback_in_bama]

Ok, so, i am ready to change my life. I just quit smoking and im about 25 to 30 lbs overweight. I cant afford a gym membership and im clueless in how to lose the weight. any help will be appreciated. Any ideas. Go HOGS 1-0

[H&D]

Start by cutting any soda/coke/pop (I never know what to call it) type products.  I detest the place, but if there is a Planet Fitness near you, Join. It's only $10 a month.  If not, do 100 Pushups a day, 100 squats and 100 situps.  All body weight only.  Start walking/jogging/running, which ever one you can. 

With the diet, don't go cold turkey.  If you do, it won't work.  Just slowly start making healthier decisions with your food and you will come around. DO NOT SKIP MEALS, especially breakfast.  It only causes your body to panic and store fat for use later.

[razorback_in_bama]

Start by cutting any soda/coke/pop (I never know what to call it) type products.  I detest the place, but if there is a Planet Fitness near you, Join. It's only $10 a month.  If not, do 100 Pushups a day, 100 squats and 100 situps.  All body weight only.  Start walking/jogging/running, which ever one you can. 

With the diet, don't go cold turkey.  If you do, it won't work.  Just slowly start making healthier decisions with your food and you will come around. DO NOT SKIP MEALS, especially breakfast.  It only causes your body to panic and store fat for use later.

thanks brother, will be taking ur advice seriously and at full effect. Bo HOGs. 1-0

[H&D]

Something I forgot to mention.  Do not try to do all of the pushups, squats and situps at once.  Do like 25 each when you get up, at lunch, when you get home and before you go to bed.

One thing I do is, calve raises while I'm brushing my teeth.  I do 50 in the morning, 50 after lunch and 50 before bed.....yes I brush my teeth three times a day, sometimes more.

[clutch]

I agree with everything H&D said. All great advice. Also, as you progress and the body weight exercises start to become easier I'd suggest making them into a circuit type training. For example, do 25 pushups, 25 squats, 25 situps all without stopping in between then take a short rest (about 1 min.) and repeat the circuit. Do that 4-5 times. It will keep your heart rate up throughout your workout. If you are really bad out of shape though I would ease myself into it.

Look around online, there are numerous body weight exercises you can do at home or the office. Get a pullup bar and a couple of dumbbells if you can and that only increases your options, or even a set of resistance bands.

The main thing though is to find a diet that you can stick too. Find healthier options that you enjoy. If the foods horrible you will never stick with it. Healthy food doesn't have to taste bad. I've found quite a few healthy recipes that are some of my favorite meals.

One more thing I might add, if you have a desk job try to get up and walk around a little throughout the day. If you are stationary all day long your body will slow down your metabolism. You don't have to walk far. Just get up and go get some water or walk around the office for a minute to stretch your legs. A good way I've found to keep yourself doing this is to drink lots of water. I drink at least a bottle of water each hour throughout my work day. This works in two ways. One I get up to refill each hour and two, I have to take a lot more bathroom breaks. Both get me up and out of my chair for a few minutes each hour.

[Buff]

Serious question:  I know you're talking about just bodyweight exercises, but is it healthy to do those exercises mentioned (100 pushups/situps/squats) every day?

[H&D]

Serious question:  I know you're talking about just bodyweight exercises, but is it healthy to do those exercises mentioned (100 pushups/situps/squats) every day?

Yeah, over the span of a day.  Over-training is a myth (to a certain point).  Arnold trained for three hours a day (on top of military PT) on a poor diet with little protein when he lived in Austria. It's just body weight. We did three to four hundred push ups a day in the military, all along with other PT, "smoke breaks", ect. If you hydrate, take in protein you will be fine.

[clutch]

Yeah, over the span of a day.  Over-training is a myth (to a certain point).  Arnold trained for three hours a day (on top of military PT) on a poor diet with little protein when he lived in Austria. It's just body weight. We did three to four hundred push ups a day in the military, all along with other PT, "smoke breaks", ect. If you hydrate, take in protein you will be fine.

I think over training is how you actually grow.

[clutch]

Serious question:  I know you're talking about just bodyweight exercises, but is it healthy to do those exercises mentioned (100 pushups/situps/squats) every day?

If you spread that throughout the day, it really isn't that much considering it's only body weight exercises.

If you are in decent shape, it really isn't that much NOT spread out throughout the day.

It's a heck of a lot healthier than doing nothing.

[H&D]

I think over training is how you actually grow.

I agree.  I train Wendler 5/3/1 Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri.  On Wed, Sat and Sun I do extra assistance work.  Mostly because I feel like a slug if I don't do anything and I need the stress relief.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

I agree.  I train Wendler 5/3/1 Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri.  On Wed, Sat and Sun I do extra assistance work.  Mostly because I feel like a slug if I don't do anything and I need the stress relief.

How's the 531 working for ya H&D?

[clutch]

How's the 531 working for ya H&D?

I recently started doing 531 and have seen incredible strength gains. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I had backed off strength building type programs for a while as a change of pace so I hadn't done anything like it in a while, but the program is still amazing. I had forgotten how good it worked.

[H&D]

How's the 531 working for ya H&D?

Pretty damn good.  I started off really light since I'm coming off of a surgery.  I start my second cycle in the morning. Even though I don't really want to, I'm going to stick with going up in weight slowly. It's one of the reasons I have added in a couple of assistance workouts on the "down days."  This cycle I'm probably not doing the deload in week four.  I'll just redo week one. 

Going light to start though has helped me focus on form though and work on getting those squats deep.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

I recently started doing 531 and have seen incredible strength gains. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I had backed off strength building type programs for a while as a change of pace so I hadn't done anything like it in a while, but the program is still amazing. I had forgotten how good it worked.

Ha I know what ya mean I cycle on and off 531 fairly often and it never fails to bring back the strength and then some every time.

Guess that's why I'm such a 531 junky. 

[clutch]

Ha I know what ya mean I cycle on and off 531 fairly often and it never fails to bring back the strength and then some every time.

Guess that's why I'm such a 531 junky. 

I was always hesitant to try it at first because at first glance, it didn't look like enough. It gets the job done..... and then some.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Pretty damn good.  I started off really light since I'm coming off of a surgery.  I start my second cycle in the morning. Even though I don't really want to, I'm going to stick with going up in weight slowly. It's one of the reasons I have added in a couple of assistance workouts on the "down days."  This cycle I'm probably not doing the deload in week four.  I'll just redo week one. 

Going light to start though has helped me focus on form though and work on getting those squats deep.

Good to hear man just was curious how you were liking it.

I've been on a couple different versions of it over probably the last 5 months and am as strong as I've been in years.

If you like it you might try out his new ebook "Beyond 531". It's like $25 but to me it's been money well spent and I almost never by books like that.

In it he's got tons of new info and programs based off 531 like rest pause stuff, supersets, joker sets (really heavy work), etc. and really helps take the idea of 531 to the next level.

Honestly there's enough info and variations that I'll likely stay on some form of 531 for the rest of the year before cycling off again.

Anyway glad you're getting some benefit from it.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

I was always hesitant to try it at first because at first glance, it didn't look like enough. It gets the job done..... and then some.

I totally can sympathize.

It's funny I've been insanely busy lately so I've had to cut my weight training back to two days a week and have been doing it for several months.

Anyway I was sure I'd lose some size and prob some strength too from less frequency but it's been just the opposite. I'm stronger and bigger than I've been in years. It's crazy but I guess it's from sticking with the big lifts and pushing hard to set PR's.

Heck my joints are even feeling decent and my body too for the most part, well except for the calluse I ripped wide open doing deads today but that's another matter.

Freaking hate when that happens it hurts like a beech!

[clutch]

I totally can sympathize.

It's funny I've been insanely busy lately so I've had to cut my weight training back to two days a week and have been doing it for several months.

Anyway I was sure I'd lose some size and prob some strength too from less frequency but it's been just the opposite. I'm stronger and bigger than I've been in years. It's crazy but I guess it's from sticking with the big lifts and pushing hard to set PR's.

Heck my joints are even feeling decent and my body too for the most part, well except for the calluse I ripped wide open doing deads today but that's another matter.

Freaking hate when that happens it hurts like a beech!

I had to cut my lifting back to 2-3 days a week over the past month or so too. It blew my mind when I started getting stronger and bigger too. I honestly think my body needed somewhat of a rest or something.

[ATU HOG]

Pretty damn good.  I started off really light since I'm coming off of a surgery.  I start my second cycle in the morning. Even though I don't really want to, I'm going to stick with going up in weight slowly. It's one of the reasons I have added in a couple of assistance workouts on the "down days."  This cycle I'm probably not doing the deload in week four.  I'll just redo week one. 

Going light to start though has helped me focus on form though and work on getting those squats deep.

On your 531, I'm going to start it once my shoulder feels better.  Hopefully in a few weeks.  Strength has gone down since I haven't lifted in over a month. 

My question is, what kind of diet are you on with it?  Ton of protein 4 to 5 meals a day with carbs?  I'm gonna try and gain some muscle mass.  Actually a lot of muscle mass hopefully along with the strength gains.

I dropped 15lbs this summer through cardio/working out/ eating great, but since it's about to get cold I weigh 180 I'd like to get up to 190 to 195 or so but clean.

[H&D]

On your 531, I'm going to start it once my shoulder feels better.  Hopefully in a few weeks.  Strength has gone down since I haven't lifted in over a month. 

My question is, what kind of diet are you on with it?  Ton of protein 4 to 5 meals a day with carbs?  I'm gonna try and gain some muscle mass.  Actually a lot of muscle mass hopefully along with the strength gains.

I dropped 15lbs this summer through cardio/working out/ eating great, but since it's about to get cold I weigh 180 I'd like to get up to 190 to 195 or so but clean.

My diet is that I drink a 30g (protein) shake before I lift, 40g after I'm done.  I drink about a gallon of water a day.  I don't skip meals, period, even if I'm not hungry.  I eat just about anything and only count protein (and that's just to make sure I get enough).  But I'm not going for the super lean fitness model look either.  I just want size and strength.

But, by saying I eat just about anything, I don't mean fast food.  The only fast food place I eat is Wendy's and that's only because their spicy chicken nuggets come from heaven.