Dan's going to get fit for next years summer holidays.

[Dan84]

Hello folks, well over the last few years i've let myself go slightly (a lot) I've got quite a broad frame naturally but have let myself develop lots of flab and due to not taking part in any sports my fitness has plummeted as well.

I'v joined a gym a few times but my motivation has always dropped off after a month or two. This time though i'm really going to go for it and i'm going to use this forum as a tool to keep me motivated... as such i'd really appreciate any advice or motivation anyone could give me.

For me fitness is probably the biggest issue along with shedding a few lbs so i'll be fitting some cardio into every workout (even if it isn't optimal for muscle gain).

Just to give you some vital stats for myself i'm 22/male/212lbs/6ft.

I'd like to drop say 20lbs of fat by christmas then focus on building up till about april before a cut to get me into super shape for my summer holidays. I could spend this time bulking i suppose then just cut once before the holidays but i am a uncomfortable with my body shape at the moment so something needs to be done.

This is what I'm planning to do currently...

Tuesdays Back/Bi's
3x5 deadlifts
3x8 Pull Ups
2x6 Dumbell Rows
2x6 Barbell curls
1x8 chin ups
10minutes interval sprints or cycling.

Wednesdays
45 minutes of swimming (forgotten how to swim at the moment so will be very stop start but want to spend 45 minutes in the pool).

Thursdays Legs/abs
3x5 Back Squats
2x6 sldl
2x8 Lunges
2x4 Leg Press
2x8 Weighted Decline Crunch
2x6 Ball Crunch (helps with balance yeah?)
10 minutes on the rower.

Fridays (off will probably struggle to walk let alone exercise)

Saturdays Chest/Tri's/Shoulders
3x6 Bench Press
2x6 Incline Dumbells
2x6 Dips
2x6 Close Grip Bench
2x6 Pushdowns
2x5 Military press
2x6 Lateral Raises
10mins Interval Sprints

Sundays
swim for 45 minutes
20 minutes stretching

I live 25 minutes brisk walk from the gym and thats how i'll be getting to and from.

I know that diet is a big factor in losing weight and while i'm not going to detail what i eat every day i'll be making a few changes.

Alcohol down to special occasions or nights out with the lads this will probably be about once every two weeks instead of me going to the pub 4 times a week with friends.
No sugary drinks
No junk (ie mcdonalds, crisps, chocolate etc)
There will still be the odd treat but it'll be the exception rather than the rule.
3 litres minimum water per day.

A typical day might consist of.

07:30
3 boiled/poached/scrambled eggs 2 slices wholemeal toast 1 small serving of malted bran with semi skimmed milk

10:00
Banana, handful of mixed nuts and a yoghurt.

13:00 Chicken on a bed of mixed salad (grilled)((the chicken not the salad))

16:00 Tin of Tuna with cucumber and lettuce peppers and onion in a pitta bread.

17:00 Workout.
Post workout drink bout 32g of whey and 12 oz of semi skimmed milk

18:00 Main Meal. Typically consisting of chicken, beef, mince or pork plenty of veg ( i love brocolli (can't spell it though) cauliflower, peppers, peas, carrots etc etc) and a small portion of pasta potatoes or rice.

20:00 small handfull of seeds

21:30 protein shake with milk

I'll be updating with my progress regularly and post a few pics soon I've taken some before pics on my phone just need to upload them. any comments suggestions etc would be gratefully received...


Cheers all, Dan

Hello Dan and welcome to Discuss Fitness.

Glad you joined us in the Online Journal section of this forum.

Train hard and keep your goals in front of your face at all times. If you want it bad enough, it will be yours, but you got to do the hard work, pedal to the medal style.

You'll get lots of support here and many who will privately cheer for you.

Have a great day!

[Dan84]

thanks pierini,
Ouch is all i can say after yesterday, worrying how low in strength I am in my legs and how badly i was puffing after just a few minutes on the rower, still onwards and upwards.

My routine went (weights include 20kg for bar on free weights, just the plates on leg press)

2 warm up sets of squats 60kg x8
3x5 100kg squats

2x6 80kg sldl

2x5 60kg lunges (trying to find my balance with these at the moment)

2x4 180kg leg press

4 sets of abs with 15kg plate 2x8 on ball 2x8 on decline.

After about 3 minutes on the rower i didn't see how i was going to make it to 10 but i coaxed myself minute at a time into completing it and felt great for it afterwards.

Todays a rest day but instead of catching the bus i walked (40minutes) to work. Legs and butt are a bit sore but it's a good ache i guess.

Hopefully i should be able to keep adding to the weights as i get more used to the exercises.

[CF-OC_gal]

Coming back is always harder than starting something new I find.

Don't worry much about the loss of fitness. It happens to everyone when you've been away from it. We understand!

Good work on getting through your workout!:

[Dan84]

rightio, today i'll be hitting the vanity muscles. dread to think what my bench is... will let you know how it goes.

As an aside i broke from my plan a little last night and had a fun swim. i've forgotten how to breathe in the front crawl though?! as i try to twist my head to breathe i'm letting loads of water in and completely losing the rhythm of my stroke. any quick reminders of what i'm meant to be doing here?

[Dan84]

ok yesterday was fun, i hit the bench but could only manage 60kg for my main sets. I used the 22kg dumbells for the incline press, blimey my arms were shaking as i pushed those up. Dips i used a 20kg assist for my sets, I'd like to get back bodyweight dips as soon as possible.

Close grip bench was 40kg tops and my pushdowns were 45kg with the rope attachment. I felt a little twinge in my shoulder so I went onto a machine for my presses i didn't want to risk any kind of injury in my first week back. I managed 45kg for the sets and reps but obviously i don't want to be using the machines every workout. Side raises were done with 15kg dumbells.

I enjoyed my sprints to finish though I was sweating like crazy after about 30 seconds.

Today i hit the pool and practised front crawl for a while. When absolutely pooped i switched to backstroke for some time to recover before going back to the crawl. My technique is way off but can only improve I suppose. It's a bit embarrassing though when your moving through the pool like a lame duck being overtaken by small children and grannies alike.

Even after a few days back in it i do feel better in myself, it's obviously mainly psychological but hey any benefits a benefit!

[Dan84]

Ruddy deadlifts, blimey!

Back/Bi's
Deadlifts
1x8 70kg
3x5 120kg (the last set killed me -very nearly not even in a figurative manner-)

Pullups
1x8 20kg assist
1x6 20kg assist (failure)
1x3 20kg assist (failure)

Pulldown (due to failure)
2x5 72.5kg

Dumbell Rows
3x5 25kg

Barbell Curls
2x6 30kg

10mins HIIT Stationary Bike

Dropped the chins, as i couldn't hack them after my failed pullups. I enjoyed the workout. Deadlifts are probably my favourite exercise even though they knock me out.

I'm planning on a run with my dogs this evening, probably just over a mile the route i'm going to take. Might time myself, will let you know my time later.

[Dan84]

well i had to pull an all day shift at work today so I couldn't fit in the leg workout I wanted, instead I've shifted that to tomorrow morning and my chest will be on sunday now. By the time my next back workout comes around i'll be back on schedule.

I really wanted to do something today so when i finally got home from work I dug out my jump rope and went out onto my driveway.

I did approx 15 minutes of
2 minutes skipping
10 pushup burpees
30 seconds rest.
repeat ad nauseum < almost very literal

I then ran as fast as i could around my block <1m

This workout absolutely knocked me about it's fair to say that by the end of it my pushups weren't full and i'm fairly sure my jumps were a couple of inches lower than they had been to start but hey, i tried!

Well I'm a week in now and a little lighter, a little faster, a little stronger and a little fitter. It's going to be a long haul but i'll get there.

Good, efficient workout. Remember: something is better than nothing.

Burpees are the real deal. Keep up the good work and don't quit before the fitness miracle happens.

[Dan84]

thanks for your comment, getting fit is going to happen for me, then i just want to keep on improving and improving. I don't see it in anyway as a short term thing or indeed something which i'll stop after my 'beach holiday'. I'm under no illusions that health is anything but a life long issue and i sincerely hope and am determined that i'll be putting the work in and reaping the benefits throughout my life.

[Dan84]

Just a quick check in, been away from pc for a few days because i've had to travel for work, luckily the hotels i've been put up in have had gyms (of varying quality) so this week i've done a fully body workout (squats deads rows chins bench and dips) at slightly under max effort and then hit 30 minutes on whatever cv machine is available. managed this 3 times so i'm not too worried though it is a pain being sidetracked so early in my regime still something is better than nothing.

You'll never go wrong with the "something is better than nothing" mantra. I chant it all the time on days when I am busy, and it fosters short and smart training. It sure is a lot better than the "it's all or nothing" mantra which I used to chant and which got me nowhere on very busy days.

Keep up the good work and have a great weekend!

[no-frills]

Welcome. I too joined this forum about 2-3 weeks ago. I generally log any and all activity I do daily to keep me accountable and top of mind each day which really helps. Look for ways to "sneak" in exercise that you can log and you will find yourself doing more and more along the way. Your effort while traveling was a great start. Keep up the good work.