Where do I go from here?

[Java Cafe]

First my stats:

Current weight: 148.5 lbs
Height: 5' 7"
Age: 52 years

Goal: Lose weight, keep off weight, tone upper body, especially arms, shoulders and, if possible chest and back.

Four days ago, last Sunday, I weighed my 148.5 lbs. Seven days, prior to that, I weighed 153.5 lbs. So, dropped 5 lbs in one week. At 153.5 lbs (the heaviest I have ever been), I didn't look obese, but I looked plumpish, the tummy stuck out noticeably.

So, I started spot-jogging at home (on the carpet, sometimes moving from room to room), once in the morning and once in the evening. I could not do this for more than 6 minutes when I started. But, today, I can do 20 min. at a time. In addition to this jogging, my diet was (and still is) one cup of coffee (with Splenda) in the morning, plenty of water throughout the day. (I was also doing about 3 or 4 Diet Cokes per day, for the first six or seven days; now I have Caffeine free Diet Coke once in a while). My one meal was dinner between 7:30 to 8:30 PM. And I made sure that there was as little carbs as possible. Usually, chicken or fish (cooked as a curry; I am of South Asian origin), in olive oil, and beans or egg-plant or some other veggies on the side. Oh! And I could not give up the two glasses of wine, with two handful of nuts (peanuts, cashew, almonds) just before dinner.

Some days, when I am weak-willed or the depression gets the better of me (explained in the nest paragraph), I will have one Atkins bar and a handful or two of nuts in the middle of the day.

I have done light exercises off and on throughout my life, but could never muster the motivation to to make it into an enduring lifestyle. In early February, a catastrophic emotional event plunged me into a depression so deep that I could not believe it was possible. That, along with the insomnia, made me near suicidal. So, this determination I have now, is to an extent an effort to fight back. And, so far, the fighting back is giving me the energy I need for this.

After the first week or just spot-jogging, I replaced the evening jog with some exercises on a Total Gym 100 that I had from seven or eight years ago. I do overhead pulls, inclined sit-up/crunches (all the way so that I reach and touch my toes), inclined push-ups, and inclined pull-ups. Also, a dumbbell (12 lbs. I think) I bought from Wal-Mart fours years ago for bicep curls (the Thinkers Curl, is what I think it's called).

I am sure I doing a whole bunch of things wrong. But, I am a TOTAL newbie to weights. I do not even understand the terminology well.

Now, I need help in devising a home-based gym that will let me achieve my goals. I certainly want muscles to show on my arms and chest. Not bulging, but . . umm. . definition, if you know what I mean. I would rather stay stay lean than be big. Actually, I think it may not even be possible for me to be big at my age.

I am looking for guidance (from a person, a web site, a book, or some other kind of resource) that will tell me what to do, and how to go about doing it. I could join a gym (I really don't like gyms), but the last time I went to one, seven years ago, I wandered from machine to machine, without much guidance, and did pretty much what made sense to me. Which means, it was all wrong. Or mostly.

But, if you insist, I may try to give a Gym another try.

So, dear folks, where do I go from here?

Thank you for your kind attention.

 

[KoolDrew]

First of all, since it's calories that matter, it's important for you to know how many calories you are getting. So I highly recommend making an account at www.fitday.com and start tracking what you eat on a regular basis. Then post here for us to look at.

As for exercise, it is important to do some sort of resistance exercise to prevent loss of lean body mass, so I suggest going to a gym. At your age I'd ease into it slowly and probably perform higher reps until you're more comfortable with things. Make sure to stick with the basics though - squats, deadlift, rows, pulldowns/chins, bench press, OH press, etc.

 

[yelo333]

First, I've only been exercising for a couple years. I've got WAY less knowledge and experience than the others who hang out here. In fact, what I recommend may actually be dangerous. Take my info with a big grain of salt.

I'd say 1 meal a day probably isn't too good for you. Perhaps try just eating less at each meal, but still stick to 3 meals/day?

Muscle size/hypertrophy is highly correlated with how much you eat. If you aren't eating all that much, you are not going to get big. So don't worry about that...

As it sounds like you have been, take things slow, especially at first. Remember, the way to become fit is to make it a lifestyle, not just a 1 month burnout. I like to think of fitness as a journey, not a destination...

A key to making it a lifestyle is to find something you enjoy. If you like jogging in place, maybe you'd like to try jump rope? You could build a killer aerobic or interval routine out of that.

However, as has already been mentioned, resistance training is super important. However, I would venture to say that going to the gym is not a necessary part of this. If you don't like the gym, there are other options.

Basically, any movement you can do at least a few of, but not (say) 20 of is a fine candidate for resistance training. The more "full-body" the exercise seems to be, the better. See the list of exercises KoolDrew listed.

OK, the rest of this is ***really*** just my opinion. There are plenty of right ways to go about resistance training. In fact, there are better ways than this. One of the great things about not having done much exercise lately is that you'll see improvement from just about anything.

You could just pick a few complimentary push/pull type exercises for the legs/arms/abs/back and make a circuit out of them. Perhaps repeat this circuit 2-3 times and call it a day. Be sure to give yourself plenty of rest. This isn't an aerobic workout, so try to be rested before starting the next round. Examples of exercises you could use include pushups, pullups, squats, hamstring curls, crunches, or anything on your total gym machine.

You could pick a couple days a week to do this, a couple days a week of jogging, and a lot of rest days in between. Also, variety is what keeps things interesting, so don't be afraid to switch things up every few weeks. I keep saying this, but take it slow. You may want to start with just 1x/week. Remember, the point is that you are making a lifestyle change, not getting some quick fix. Don't let an injury set you back from the start.

BTW, if you happen to enjoy bodyweight exercise, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of "Never Gymless", by Ross Enamait. It's seems somewhat geared toward boxers, so there is some info in it that is kind of specific to that, but most of it is very helpful no matter what your goals are. He explains why to do different things, not just how, so you may enjoy it. You can find a lot of excerpts from it here.

I think no matter what you decide to do, just make sure you eat healthy, consistently exercise, and get plenty of rest. Perhaps try out different things to see what you enjoy.

Have fun and enjoy the results!

 

[Kniteman77]

www.stronglifts.com

They have great resources for everything from beginners to experts. Subscribe to the feed and check out the free e-book. I posted a thread in the forum about it. The e-book is a great resource for figuring out basic strength training, and it includes all of the 'basics' KoolDrew was talking about.

Give it a shot!

 

[zebano]

I know you want toned arms/chest but don't turn into bicep guy who does nothing but curls and has really scrawny legs. It just looks bad. Just focus on non-isolation lifts and you will be better off than you are now =)

 

[skace]

Creating a home based gym:
- Make Space
- Buy a bench
- Buy dumbbells (maybe 4 variable dumbbells) and enough weight to range from 10lbs - 60lbs

That is all you need. Sure, there are other things, but this starting gear should give you plenty of room to test yourself, learn your boundaries, get room to grow and most importantly start working out sooner rather than later. If 60lbs is too light (it shouldn't be for someone starting out) you can just buy some more heavier weights.

As you become comfortable in this setup, you can eventually get a barbell and possibly some sort of power rack.