Need some fitness/health help and advice.

[LosingFocus]

Hello, long time no post and all that...

OK, I'm not sure how I'm going to write all this down, so if it comes across a bit fragmented I apologise in advance.

2 years ago I got back into cycling in an attempt to lose weight and improve my general health and fitness. I had been losing a small bit of weight for a while before that but had not seen much movement with small dietary changes. At my heaviest I was a touch under 16 stone, standing at 5'8" tall, average build 30-odd year old male in a static/office job. I had gained weight after moving from working in London to working from a home base.

So, I started to cycle and got down to 12 stone rather quickly, combined with some more changes to diet (cut out the crap, basically).

Then I radically altered my diet to low calorie intake and got a road bike too, putting in 3 rides per week at ~30km per ride (mixed between the roadie and the MTB). This got me down to just over 10 stone at the middle of last year. My legs were great, muscles and power there. My top half not so much. I also started to run, using the couch to 5km. 10km came quickly, I really enjoy running now.

Tail end of last year I screwed up my knee falling off my bike and was forced to rest for 3 months from cycling or running, and my weight moved slightly back up to 11 stone. I happy with this weight as I look better at this that I did at 10. Diet hasnt changed, still looking at what I eat and trying to keep it health whilst adding the odd naught weekend/evening.

This month I have my first half marathon and Ive been putting in the running miles to gear up for it; so the bike hasnt been used since November bar a few rides now and then.

I've also started to add a small aerobic and weight training regime to my exercising to improve core strength and tone areas that running and cycling havent hit. I'm happy with my weight (exctly 11 stone), but Im still carrying a "tummy" and chest fat so need to tone I guess. Currently my calorie intake is around 1400-1800 per day inc. a protein-based recovery shake on the days I put in long runs or hard work outs.

I'm after some tips or hints on how to shift this last bit of blub around the middle and upper body. I know I could drop alcohol, takeways etc out entirely, but I want something that is sustainable that I can live with very long term. Once the half mara is out of the way Im back on the bike a lot more for spring (ha!) and summer, keeping small runs going and staying with the aero and weights.

Ideas please super people! Be brutal and honest please.

 

[Lee_M]

Be brutal and honest please.

ok

I hate you

Sorry not much help, but then again I'm 15 stone (although I am 6'3") and have the same problem around the middle

 

[thefollen]

If you have any boxercise classes near you or at your gym I highly recommend those. Boxing gets the heart rate soaring, gives you great tone and can take your fitness to new levels. Also it's a lot of fun and whacking pads is very therapeutic.

A workout would typically also include lots of pressups, burpees, abs work and various leg exercises. Higher intensity training is great to complement the distance stuff, and you'll improve in many other areas.

Just my personal experiences. A good circuit training class could also help if boxing isn't available.

 

[Lee_M]

If you have any boxercise classes near you or at your gym I highly recommend those. Boxing gets the heart rate soaring, gives you great tone and can take your fitness to new levels. Also it's a lot of fun and whacking pads is very therapeutic.

A workout would typically also include lots of pressups, burpees, abs work and various leg exercises. Higher intensity training is great to complement the distance stuff, and you'll improve in many other areas.

Just my personal experiences. A good circuit training class could also help if boxing isn't available.

yep, what he said, before my back op I used to do kick boxing (the real thing not just the namby pamby "what can we call kung fu this week?" type), and that was a real killer

 

[GlasgowFinn]

I reckon you need to up your calories a bit.

Run your stats through Scooby and see what it says

 

[LosingFocus]

ok
I hate you

If you have any boxercise classes near you or at your gym I highly recommend those. Boxing gets the heart rate soaring, gives you great tone and can take your fitness to new levels. Also it's a lot of fun and whacking pads is very therapeutic.

Interesting, I'll have to check boxing out. I have a punch bag set up stashed *somewhere* in the house that I got as a present last year, might rig it up in the garage and see what I can do; and check out he local Virgin place. Thanks.

yep, what he said, before my back op I used to do kick boxing (the real thing not just the namby pamby "what can we call kung fu this week?" type), and that was a real killer

The guy down the road runs a kick boxing class one night each week in the village hall, again might check this out.

I reckon you need to up your calories a bit.

Run your stats through Scooby and see what it says

This is what I was fearing. I'll check that out. I think I have a mental block about increasing calories to tone up, if you follow... thanks though!

 

[LosingFocus]

OK, so that Scooby site is saying I need 1600 per day to "live" on, up to 2250 a day based on my exercise regime to achieve my goal. Hmmm, I guess if they say so then maybe I should try, but does anyone care to elaborate on why I should increase?

 

[pubrunner]

. . . . . . . Currently my calorie intake is around 1400-1800 per day inc. a protein-based recovery shake on the days I put in long runs or hard work outs.

IMO, your calorie intake is on the low side; in my experience, limiting calories whilst training (fairly) hard, leads to the body becoming 'rundown', and in turn, has a negative effect on the ability to train.

. . . . . . . but Im still carrying a "tummy" and chest fat so need to tone I guess. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . I'm after some tips or hints on how to shift this last bit of blub around the middle and upper body.

IMO, it isn't possible to lose weight from specific areas; eventually though, if you do sufficient training and eat properly, you will lose weight.

. . . . . . . Once the half mara is out of the way Im back on the bike a lot more for spring (ha!) and summer, keeping small runs going and staying with the aero and weights.

What do you mean by 'keeping small runs going' ? Are they going to be at an easy pace, or used as the basis for an intense training session ? What is a 'small run' ? For me, it would be 5 miles; I simply wouldn't go out of the door for less - hardly worth getting changed . . . . . . . unless doing a Tabata session.

So far as running goes, if you want to get fit, I'd recommend using Tabata sessions (google 'Tabata sessions' to learn more). If you want to lose weight, long distance runs are good for this. Ideally though, you'll use a combination of the two.

If I were in your position, I'd first identify your short-term aims and longer-term objectives. Do you primarily see yourself as a cyclist, runner or triathlete ?

Regarding weight-training, are you doing heavy weights with a low number of reps ? or perhaps low weights with high reps ? A sprinter would be more inclined to use the former, whereas a distance runner might do the latter.

What is 'aero' ? what do you gain from it, that you won't gain from cycling or running ?

It is difficult to suggest what might be useful for you, a lot depends on what your other commitments may be and the amount of training time that you have in which to train.

 

[LosingFocus]

Hey pubrunner.

Interesting you say run down as Ive had a cold I havent shifted for 3 weeks now.

By "small run", I mean drop back to a couple of middle-fast 5km's per week, maybe a couple of 10km's per month just to keep at it - I wont have time for anything else when I bring cycling back.

As for what I see myself as, none of the above! I love cycling, and getting out for a long ride in the summer, or a shorter ride in the spring/autumn is as much fun to me as a 15km snow run that I had on Monday. Everything I do is purely for fun/sanity, rather than as a means to becoming something (if you follow). EDIT: Defo not a tri - cant swim (properly), hate the water.

Weight - low weigh, many reps. Ive got skinny little arms compared to the rest of my body, plus I dont see the point in bulking up as I cant see it working with running or cycling.

 

[ayceejay]

Calorie counting alone is not the best guide to a healthy diet as a lot of calories (from sugar or alcohol for instance) have no nutritional value at all and to cut a long story short, these empty calories are converted to fat and stored you know where.

 

[bornagainst]

IMO, it isn't possible to lose weight from specific areas; eventually though, if you do sufficient training and eat properly, you will lose weight.

Very much my experience. It might not happen quickly, but training + (not too drastic) calorie restriction will eventually remove any spare fat you have...

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

You were under-eating and calling bolleaux re: this subject before.

Perhaps start there?

 

[LosingFocus]

You were under-eating and calling bolleaux re: this subject before.

Perhaps start there?

Nope, that was weight loss. Hitting a low calorie diet lost me loads of weight. Now I want to maintain where I am, just shift the last bit of fat.

Hell, in that thread from July last year I stated when I want to maintain my weight I would increase my intake by a few hundred calories (which I have done) and stay the same (which I did), but you insisted I would gain weight (which I havent done). Ooops.

 

[LosingFocus]

But not losing any either. OOOOPS

Exactly, where in this thread have I said I want to lose weight? The aim is to maintain where I am currently.

Do keep up if you want to troll...

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Exactly, where in this thread have I said I want to lose weight? The aim is to maintain where I am currently.

Do keep up if you want to troll...

I'm after some tips or hints on how to shift this last bit of blub around the middle and upper body.

What do you think that is?

ps: I couldn't edit my last post hence I deleted it.

Exactly, where in this thread have I said I want to lose weight? The aim is to maintain where I am currently.

Do keep up if you want to troll...

I'm after some tips or hints on how to shift this last bit of blub around the middle and upper body.

What do you think that is?

ps: I couldn't edit my last post hence I deleted it.

Hitting a low calorie diet lost me loads of weight. Now I want to maintain where I am, just shift the last bit of fat.

And most likely muscle. Now you want to maintain and lose = pick one?

Hell, in that thread from July last year I stated when I want to maintain my weight I would increase my intake by a few hundred calories (which I have done) and stay the same (which I did), but you insisted I would gain weight (which I havent done). Ooops.

Did you not say you put weight back on in the OP?

moved slightly back up to 11 stone