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I went today to get an assessment by a personal trainer. Holy shitballs. We went through everything - legs, arms, shoulders, back - the works. I did everything he asked me to but damn am I sore. I'm going to be a mess tomorrow.

The worst part is then we went back, looked at my goals, and he gave me the costs. Cheapest would have been $360 today and that's only meeting with him once a week.

I just can't afford that. So now I'll be going to the gym and working on my own and I know I'm not going to be as motivated.

Aw, bummer!

Have you shopped around? The personal trainer that I had was still in school, so she was free, maybe you could look for someone similar?

Also, if you don't want to be in as much pain tomorrow; STRETCH. And don't ever skip it.

There are some pretty good YouTube work-out channels too, if you want to go that route. I follow these guys pretty closely: https://www.youtube.com/user/charliejames1975 I mean, it's a lot of women trainers, so if that...makes you uncomfortable, you can just watch the videos with Sean - their only guy trainer. I follow these guys because the exercises are pretty short, like 20 minutes or under, so I have no excuse not to do them.

Is there anyone who could/would go with you?

WasabiPoptart said:

Is there anyone who could/would go with you?

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We don't live close enough together, and I'm not gonna FaceTime in a gym.

--Patrick

As to the soreness, maybe try doing some low intensity cardio as active recovery?

What are your goals?

Lose 50 pounds, gain some definition. Be able to hold my head high when I get in the mosh pit next year.

DDP Yoga, man. I know I go on and on about it, but there's a good reason for it.

Is there a gym nearby that offers classes? The schedule keeps me motivated, and ours changes up their routines every quarter to keep from settling in.

Dave said:

Lose 50 pounds, gain some definition. Be able to hold my head high when I get in the mosh pit next year.

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If I were you, I'd probably just concentrate on diet and just try to stay at a 500 or so calorie deficit per day from your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Try this to find your TDEE. You'll probably need a couple weeks to adjust it a bit, but once you have a good idea of what it is, at least you know how much you need to eat, and how much weight you can expect to lose if you stay on course (I'd recommend using something like MyFitnessPal or MyPlate to keep track. Actually, I think MyFitnessPal has a basic TDEE calculator as well). Once your weight levels off, readjust TDEE and repeat.

If you want to work out at the same time, that calculator can also spit out a basic macronutrient guideline, as well as what you can expect based on your goal setting (can't vouch for how accurate it is, though). I think a 0/-20 is pretty common (0 means on workout days, you eat at TDEE; -20 means you take in 20% less of your TDEE on rest days) although if you want to lose 50 pounds in a year you may need to be more aggressive. I don't really know what to recommend workout wise; I'd say do whatever you think you'll stick with: swimming, weightlifting, kickboxing, etc. If staying motivated is a problem, maybe check out something like Fitocracy. Also maybe take a gander over at the sidebar in /r/fitness.

Keep in mind that a reasonable, achievable timeframe for losing 50lbs is somewhere in the neighborhood of 10-15 months, depending on how rigidly you stick to your program (based on the usual metric of 1lb/wk). So that means you aren't going to really see noticeable results until you've been at it a few solid weeks.

--Patrick

A program consisting of compound movements including squatting, dead-lifts, bench press, pull-ups, and the overhead press will be excellent for overall strength. Add in any cardiovascular training routine - as long as it's medium intensity - and you're on your way to a well rounded level of health. Keep in mind that starting any program should be gradually eased into, and proper forms for the exercises should be learned before attempting them. The next part is diet; think of ways to reduce intake of sodium, excess carbohydrates, trans-hydrogenated and saturated fats - these are usually the main culprits of poor health and obesity. Lastly is rest; a good eight hour sleep is needed each night. People tend to neglect their rest when starting their program, so allow me to stress just how vital sleep is to any exercise program - you can be a genetically gifted freak of nature when it comes to fitness, be on the highest quality steroid compounds, diet and supplementation is perfectly suited to you, and your programming is completely on point and w/ no rest it will mean no gains will be made - EVER.

A quick synopsis - three basic things to keep in mind to make any exercise program successful:
1. Programming (it's best if you find one that is suited to your level of health and fitness, barring that find a coach or someone who is authority who can create one for you)
2. Diet
3. Sleep

Hope this helps.

ThatGrinningIdiot! said:

you can be a genetically gifted freak of nature when it comes to fitness, be on the highest quality steroid compounds, diet and supplementation is perfectly suited to you, and your programming is completely on point and w/ no rest it will mean no gains will be made - EVER.

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If I remember correctly, sleepytime is when your body is most awash with growth factor. Seems like a no-brainer.
Oh, also sufficient sleep will help combat caffeine headaches and fuzzyheadedness, so double benefit.

--Patrick

The problem with diet is that I have no backing when it comes to eating healthier. So I'm doing my best to do it with exercise and cutting out crap like soda or fast food.

And my goal is a year. I turn 50 next October. I'm finding a mosh pit and want to be able to take off my shirt.

Dave, what's your diet actually like? Cutting out soda and fast food and you're more than halfway there, unless you're replacing it with empty calorie junk.

I have cut soda out and replaced it with either diet root beer (no calories and diet so I don't count it as soda) or lite lemonade. I am drinking more water but can't stand to drink water while I'm eating.

As to fast food, I'm trying, but unless I bring leftovers - which we have very few of - there's no real choice unless I want to eat the same boring sandwich every day.

I'm also cutting down on my ketchup use and I've replaced everything mayonnaise with mustard.

Have you considered making food in bulk on Sunday so you have food the rest of the week? For example, burritos are pretty easy to make, just wrap in foil or wax paper and freeze. Now you have lunch for two weeks. Easy to transport, easy to reheat. Or invest in some cheap microwaveable containers and make whatever.

Something like a George Foreman grill can help. It'll get you to cut out a lot of grease and fat.

That's what I do, @drifter. I make a big meal on Sunday and eat that until about Wednesday or Thursday. Then the last couple of days of the week I bring in a couple of boiled eggs and a V8 or a sandwich/salad. It gets boring sometimes eating the same thing, but it works with my schedule. Sometimes I have to deal with being "bored" at lunch in order to stick to my goals.

Sometimes I make a huge salad on Sunday and keep it in a plastic container through the week. I keep my dressing in my teacher mailbox (it's just oil and vinegar so it keeps) and just serve myself on one of the community kitchen plates.

It might leave a big hole in your psyche, but you're going to want to start skipping all that "diet" crap.
A better "diet" drink would be black tea/coffee, water flavored with citrus/cherry concentrate, or just straight up water.
If you absolutely can't give up the taste of root beer, you might look at mixing sassafras tea with a touch of club soda.

Anything which is marketed as "diet" should be avoided unless it's under doctor's orders, that's just my personal opinion.

--Patrick

The stuff in diet to make it "diet" is horrible for you, debatably more so than all the sugar in regular soda.

If you like your carbonated drinks (as I do), consider using a sodastream and adding fruit juice for flavor works really nicely (avoid the flavor packets they include).

Having just lost 50-ish lb myself, I'd recommend you give keto (or low-carb) a shot. It's very easy to follow around other people, as you basically substitute bread for bacon, and you always feel full.

Gym-wise, have you looked at Stronglifts' 5x5? This was my first workout routine, and I was extremely happy with it. http://stronglifts.com/5x5/

Brofisting for Stronglifts. Am currently going that route, and have been VERY satisfied with progress thus far.

Stronglifts will only get you so far. When your newb gains run dry, you can stick with the program to maintain, or find a program suited to intermediate lifters.

ThatGrinningIdiot! said:

Stronglifts will only get you so far. When your newb gains run dry, you can stick with the program to maintain, or find a program suited to intermediate lifters.

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That takes a relatively long while, though. No point anticipating something that might take him 6 months to a year to reach

If you want some personal training but don't want the price, maybe consider looking into Crossfit? I've been doing it since the end of August (before switching jobs and preparing for a move next week, so am temporarily on hiatus), and if you get in a good box, you'll get a lot of 1-on-1 with their coaches. It's more expensive than a gym membership, but a lot less so than a personal trainer, and generally you can go to as many classes per week as you want.

Crossfit is ridiculously hard, but a good coach will help you scale workouts to your fitness level (which, for me, was very, very poor) and tell you when to stop -- as well as making sure you're doing all the moves and lifts properly, as a personal trainer would. It's also, in my experience, a great balance between cardio and strength training. Most boxes have a free trial/on-ramp class -- might be worth checking out, if you don't want to go at it on your own?

Saw this, thought you might be interested.

http://fitnessblender.com

drifter said:

Saw this, thought you might be interested.

http://fitnessblender.com

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Wow that's an awesome site.

I played volleyball for the first time since middle school. So I'm sore as shit today

CrimsonSoul said:

I played volleyball for the first time since middle school. So I'm sore as shit today

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Oh but you had so much fun!

So it's been two weeks. How's the road to 50, you got a plan in place Dave?

Dave said:

I have cut soda out and replaced it with either diet root beer (no calories and diet so I don't count it as soda) or lite lemonade. I am drinking more water but can't stand to drink water while I'm eating.

As to fast food, I'm trying, but unless I bring leftovers - which we have very few of - there's no real choice unless I want to eat the same boring sandwich every day.

I'm also cutting down on my ketchup use and I've replaced everything mayonnaise with mustard.

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Wish I'd been reading this earlier so the advice was more timely but *shrug* no one has ever accused me of being timely into a thread.

For the eating side of things, I would recommend just stop thinking along the lines of "diet" all together and as other suggested, just learning to cook/eat differently. Also I recommend two books: "The abs diet cookbook" and "a man a can a plan". Both have got some great quick tasty recipes that will really help with your lunch problem (to get away from fast food and not have the "same boring sandwich."

I picked up these books a while back when I was very heavy into going to the gym, working out, eating better and etc. Although I have never had a problem with weight, I learned some amazing things about how and what to eat, and just how good and quick it can be.

I have been told by a little birdy that both of these books may be available in digital formats for the frugal who go looking for them.

Thread Necromancer said:

Wish I'd been reading this earlier so the advice was more timely but *shrug* no one has ever accused me of being timely into a thread.

For the eating side of things, I would recommend just stop thinking along the lines of "diet" all together and as other suggested, just learning to cook/eat differently. Also I recommend two books: "The abs diet cookbook" and "a man a can a plan". Both have got some great quick tasty recipes that will really help with your lunch problem (to get away from fast food and not have the "same boring sandwich."

I picked up these books a while back when I was very heavy into going to the gym, working out, eating better and etc. Although I have never had a problem with weight, I learned some amazing things about how and what to eat, and just how good and quick it can be.

I have been told by a little birdy that both of these books may be available in digital formats for the frugal who go looking for them.

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Twitter told you?

CrimsonSoul said:

Twitter told you?

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Hey @Dave if you needed more reason to drink lots of water, how about this: water is anabolic.

You can download a free 6 week program here: http://opexfit.com/ 6 weeks for results do the beginner stuff and youtube the movements you are unfamiliar with and do them with no weight if you feel form may be an issue. Some of the fittest people I know did it in their garage. Remember everything is scale-able and PM me if you need an alternative exercise.