Work-Outs...How to Know What's Enough, Too Little or Too Much?

[Christolphe]

I am having problems with the fitness aspect of my new life changes here.

The diet changes are going great but I don't know what is enough, not enough or too much when it comes to work-outs!?

I have 3 "work-out programs" that I am considering. I own all three.

I have P90X, Wii Active Program and the Rebel Fitness guide.

-P90X feels like it could be way too much...it's about 1-2 hours of work-outs a day.

-Wii Active seems good but maybe not enough weights

-Rebel fitness seems great but is it enough to see weight loss results

Can someone help me out here? I just don't know what is best to do, what I will see great results on (I'm looking to loose weight and gain lean muscle)?

Any advice is much appreciated! Thanks!

[Mitch S]

Hey man i'm in the same boat as you looking to lose fat but retain/build body tone i guess..

That being said i don't really have any of your workout programs, mainly just been going off what's already available at NF.

The way i see it, if you set a fairly specific caloric intake, and then eat mainly healthy foods (paleo/primal seems to be the way to go as far as i know), while working out at all, you will lose weight and build muscle.

You'd have to talk to someone more knowledgeable than me about how many calories to eat, ATM instead of counting them i've basically worked out what size decently healthy meals i need to stave off hunger on a workout day, and then just stick to that, with generally some light activity and maybe less food on off days so i don't feel lazy.

[King_mob]

The way i see it, if you set a fairly specific caloric intake, and then eat mainly healthy foods (paleo/primal seems to be the way to go as far as i know), while working out at all, you will lose weight and build muscle.

The force is strong in this one. If you want to generally get fitter, doing conditioning workouts and taking control of your diet is your quickest way forward.

P90x is nothing magic, its gotta alot of very clever marketing around it but it doesn't present anything that other bodyweight programs (even ones you come up with yourself) offer. Saying that if you've already splashed out on it, why not give it a shot. There are many less effective ways of spending your time than trying something for yourself and empirically gauging the results.

NFG i've not read, but it has a lot of fans, and from steve's posts that i have read i can be confident in saying it will take the time to explain things sans the BS.

Wii is a computer game system, not an exercise system. Have fun with it by all means, but i would strongly advise against considering it as a serious component in your approach to your fitness and health.

[andygates]

Any workout program worth doing will offer an easy start and will increase in workload over time. So they should all start out not too much.

2h a day is just a time commitment I'd miss.

[m00se]

Yeah I'd say 2 hours a day is a lot. I do about 30 minutes a day.

I started out with similar goals to you - I wanted (and still do, because I'm not there yet!) to lose fat and put on muscle. Things I've learned:

1) Lifting lots of heavy things as often as possible makes you stronger (sounds like a 'duh' moment but it's surprising how un-obvious that is in conventional wisdom

2) Getting stronger means you have more muscle, and therefore more metabolically active tissue at rest - which means you'll lose weight. Therefore, being stronger means you're burning more fat in the background. I think of increasing strength as an indirect marker of fat loss

3) Squats, clean/press, and pullups (and deadlifts, if you want a fourth) will do more to pack on muscle than other lifts

4) You don't need to do "cardio" to lose fat (don't get me wrong - lifting heavy things will get your ticker going and therefore, at least in my book, counts as cardio - I mean cardio as in slogging on a treadmill or running for miles on end), but if you enjoy it, it will help

5) Lifting should be fun - as should everything that you do in the pursuit of health

6) Eating properly will either melt fat and pack on muscle, or it will destroy your ability to do these things. By eating properly I mean lots of protein, fat, and carbohydrate, in small amounts, of the correct sort

7) As well as eating properly, remember to eat enough. Eating too little while lifting will mean you fail to put on muscle, and therefore wreck your progress. I can't tell you how much time I wasted trying to do this and wondering what was wrong. Start eating loads while you lift, and your fat gets replaced with muscle. Win-win

8) Be happy! Find things that you enjoy doing. I hated long cardio with a passion - so I stopped doing it. If you're not having fun, sooner or later, you're going to lose enthusiasm, and you're going to quit

Good luck!

[ebm1224]

i think the first thing i would consider is what your current workout program is. and what are you strengths/weaknesses in that?

my answer/response will be different depending where you are now

[Maxine]

I agree with what said. I also would add listen to your body, if it hurt stop.

I know only the P90 X programm and I like it but because your work everyday a different muscle (type of work-out) but as said it's time consumming....

[Christolphe]

Thanks everyone for the responses...after reading these responses, finding reviews, researching articles I finally made a decision!

I like the P90X program but I don't really want to spend 2 hours a day working out, I believe it's unnecessary and probably a waste of time.

I found a free, online video that I have decided to do, it's strength training, that I can do at home with minimal equipment (just weights or bands) and will only take about 20-25 minutes a day. I will also be adding in some jogging/running/biking throughout the week.

Sound like an okay idea to everyone? It sounds like enough to me...especially when I do nothing now. I will just increase my weights gradually.

The video is here: http://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/ar...articleid=1058 Think it's good?