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I am just past the stages of developing a not-so-flat stomach, typical male calamity when you live an unhealthy lifestyle.

I am already on a healthier eating plan (thanks to my expecting wife).
What exercises are best to combat a growing stomach? I hate/abhor running.
I am a virgin active member... but am on the border of loosing the discovery vitality membership due to poor attendance.

Play squash or something where you don't realize you're exercising. Treadmill / stepper etc is a chore because it's not fun.

Cardio. That is all.

If you hate running, skipping and so on maybe try circuit training with really light weights, with high reps and short breaks between sets. That way you get some cardio disguised as resistance training.

Or try High Intensity Interval Training, you'll have to get on a stationary bike or do some skipping, for really short periods of time, maybe 20 minutes, but you end up burning more energy than if you just did an hour of regular cardio.

On the contrary you will lose fat quickest by starting a regimen comprising mostly weight training supplemented with 20 odd minutes of whatever cardio you enjoy at about 60-70% of your maximum heart-rate. Weight training builds muscle, thereby increasing your basal metabolic rate (the amount of energy your body requires for normal activity). While lifting weights, stored up fat cells are released into the bloodstream and hence do your cardio after some weights and you'll zap that extra fat.

If you need a sample weight training routine, drop me a pm and I'll send you a pretty good one to get you started.

Train 4 days a week in this manner, cut out your sugar and carbs after 7 and you'll shed the boep within 4 months (almost guaranteed).

Eh? That sounds very dangerous to me Jonboy. Weight training breaks down muscle fiber, doing cardio immediately afterwards means your body is going to start burning those proteins for energy right along with the fat - sure, you'll lose weight faster, but you'll be losing muscle mass too - which means a lower metabolic rate and a bigger boep later on.

Educate me if I'm wrong.

Fatass

Hey man that's what the festive season does to you....

Bottom line is, I need to do something like NOW... the longer I wait with this, the harder it will be.
Thanks for the advice guys!

D3PART3D wrote:Eh? That sounds very dangerous to me Jonboy. Weight training breaks down muscle fiber, doing cardio immediately afterwards means your body is going to start burning those proteins for energy right along with the fat - sure, you'll lose weight faster, but you'll be losing muscle mass too - which means a lower metabolic rate and a bigger boep later on.

Educate me if I'm wrong.

You're not wrong, just missing the details.

It's always advisable to do one's cardio following training because at that stage your available energy reserves are depleted and this is thus the best time to isolate a secondary energy source which is fat, or as you mentioned, muscle. If, however, you keep your heart rate at around 65% of your maximum, your body will always utilise fat instead of muscle. It's only when your heart rate elevates very high that the body will selectively utilise muscle instead of fat.

On the converse, doing your cardio before you work out is pointless because the body will utilise your available energy stores rather than fat (or muscle) and thus you won't lose any fat and you'll be too tired to do a decent weight training section.

A good idea is to always drink a shake with about 30g protein and 30-50g simple carbs (sugars like dextrose / waxy maize starch) immediately post workout to cut the anabolic phase short so that your muscle glycogen load will be replaced preventing the breakdown of muscle tissue. Then you should always get your whole food meal in shortly after.

maxxis wrote:Fatass

Not quite yet, although your comment is brilliant motivation!

I got the varsity bulge which only got worse when I started working. But it took me 18 months, a load of cash on supplements and proper foods, my virgin active contract and I managed to go from a size 36 waist to a size 32. Initially lost 11kgs of fat and went from 89kgs to 78kgs, then started weight lifting more and put on 4kgs of muscle so I now sit comfortably at 82kgs with a body fat percentage of roughly 10% (which was initially 16%). Believe me, the input is worth it and if you can cross the 3 month hurdle, you'll never stop.

I also hate running - I'm too heavy anyway and I get shin splints.

I hit the bikes at gym - the rowing machines are also quite good, but I dont like them because all the chicks use them and they klap it hard. When I sit there panting trying to keep up with them I feel like such a doos...

I hit the gym 2 or 3 times a week.
20 minutes on the bike to warm up, 3 different excercises on the machines - usually arms and chest, and then some abs. Then I hit the sauna and sweat it out a bit.
Works great for me - I'm not losing weight at a phenominal rate (1 or 2 kg a month for the last 5 months) , but then I'm not dieting.

Don't worry Sojourn you're not alone, i'm also planning to hit the gym after work, only a flat will stop me , cause i know myself by now, if i don't start early in the year to get in a routine I'm just gonna bypass it.

maxxis wrote:Fatass

What he said...

I am still missing about 4 or 5 people I thought would knock me for this thread.

The eating plan is a good move.

Otherwise, you go to gym, exercise and then feel hungry and you can end up putting back in more than you are burning.

Exercise only works if you maintain a healthy consumption habit and do not increase your intake due to exercising. There is a fascinating article in one of the recent time magazines on this. August 17 2009 edition.

Fascinating is hardly an adjective I'd use to describe an article about diet and exercise... especially on a computer forum

Jonboy wrote:A good idea is to always drink a shake with about 30g protein and 30-50g simple carbs (sugars like dextrose / waxy maize starch) immediately post workout to cut the anabolic phase short so that your muscle glycogen load will be replaced preventing the breakdown of muscle tissue. Then you should always get your whole food meal in shortly after.

Ah... makes sense!

@Sojourn -

Congrats dude!

jamin_za wrote:Fascinating is hardly an adjective I'd use to describe an article about diet and exercise... especially on a computer forum

D3 stop pumping iron and go spam

I must say I'm totally buggered from yesterdays gym session

I took the plunge and joined a gym two weeks ago and go there for just unde an hour every Saturday.
My heart rate during cardio is alarming high though and I haven't gone so far as to change my eatings patterns
yet other than to reduce my coffee intake and try to lay off the sandwiches.

I ate some 2 minute noodles yesterday.

StarPhoenix wrote:I took the plunge and joined a gym two weeks ago and go there for just unde an hour every Saturday.
My heart rate during cardio is alarming high though and I haven't gone so far as to change my eatings patterns
yet other than to reduce my coffee intake and try to lay off the sandwiches.

Dude, I don't want to pee on your parade but if you're going once a week you may as well not go at all. You need at least 20-40 minutes of vigorous exercise at least 3 times a week to notice any progress.

+1 I can vouch for that.

I used to dance 6 hours a day for 5 days a week and I could eat anything I wanted and I still lost weight. but if you are going to do it once a week you will put more carbs and stuff in that you actually use. If you can't go to the gym more than once a week try to at least take some decent walks. Hit the streets and just walk to get rid of most of it.

Hman wrote:I ate some 2 minute noodles yesterday.

hahaha FAIL Hman