How tall are you and what weight are you, Sugartits?

[Dr Gloom 21759]

missed my boxing class so went to 45 minute kettlebells class instead.

 

anyone tried it? fuck me, one of the most savage ways to build muscle and get the heart rate pumping. it has russian roots so give it a go if you want to be built like one of the klitsckos.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

I've balanced off at the much healthier heavier end of 12 stone. Not a gym person, running, cycling and swimming have got me fit again.

[Dr Gloom 21759]

Whats your aim at the gym Gemmill? 5 days a week is pretty obsessive.

 

Just to get fitter really. I'm only going 4 days a week now, and running 4 days a week outside. So I only do weights Mon, Tues, Thu, Fri and I've started running Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun.

 

Is that too much, you reckon?

 

nah, not as long as you mix up the workouts and make sure you're eating right, getting plenty of calories, lots of protein in your diet and a good nights sleep so your muscles can recover and rebuild.

 

i'm only training 3 or 4 days a week now. it's tough when you've got a sprog. i'm mostly going to classes, mainly because they're quick and efficient. a mix of circuits, boxing, kettlebells and spinning.

[JawD 99]

I think 3 days a week is good for weights. You need the rest time as well so I do like mon, wed, fri and then cardio tues and thu or sat.

 

If you want to lose weight as a first goal then you want to eat around 20% under you BMR. But have a day when you eat 100%

 

If you can be arsed it's worth looking up carb cycling. If not, then like Dr Gloom says make sure you are getting enough protein. Typically people eat mostly carbs without thinking about it.

 

Most of my progress has came from moderate training, cutting out shite (pastries, chocolate and late night carbs) and readdressing my food so I eat around 45/35/20 protein, carbs, fats.

 

I'm not hugely strict so that it's too hard to stick to but enough to make a difference.

 

Also drink lots of water.

[Gemmill 44101]

Aye I might knock the weights down to 3 days. Would be nice to have an extra day where I'm doing nowt cos at the minute there's only really Saturday. Trying to shift a bit of timber as well, so possibly not eating as much as I should.

 

Think I'm eating about 1800 calories a day, but if I go for a 4 mile run that's supposedly 5 to 600 calories and i don't know if I'm supposed to eat some more to make up for that, or just be glad of the calorie deficit. The weight's going like so I guess it must be working.

[Gemmill 44101]

That's a canny effort with kids to chase round as well, JawD!

[JawD 99]

Well I go to the gym in the morning, usually leave house at half six and in the gym for 7am. Nee chance after work. Too tired and as you say I've the kids to contend with.

 

As for cals, there a method to check what to eat I'll post later, but if it's working now and you don't struggle with what to eat etc then just stick to that.

[Gemmill 44101]

Nice one, I'll have a look at this method if you get a chance to post it later.

[McFaul 35]

There's a reason I've kept away from this thread.

[Dr Gloom 21759]

Aye I might knock the weights down to 3 days. Would be nice to have an extra day where I'm doing nowt cos at the minute there's only really Saturday. Trying to shift a bit of timber as well, so possibly not eating as much as I should.

 

Think I'm eating about 1800 calories a day, but if I go for a 4 mile run that's supposedly 5 to 600 calories and i don't know if I'm supposed to eat some more to make up for that, or just be glad of the calorie deficit. The weight's going like so I guess it must be working.

 

whoaah, mate that sounds like way to few calories to me for the amount of work you're doing. as bizare as it sounds, you actually need to eat more in order to cut the fat while training heavily. if you under eat, your body will cling on to fat and burn muscle.

 

our bodies aren't designed to look sculpted, they're designed to survive. the human body is a stubborn thing. it will hang on to the fat for as long as possible. i'd up your calorie intake by about 6-700 dependign on how much work you're doing. make sure you eat plenty of protein and carbs post work out. don't be afraid of healthy fats and if you want to drop fat while building muscle, just stay clear of the refined carbs and don't eat any carbs past 4 or 5 in the afternoon other than vegetables.

 

one of the biggest mistakes i made for years was not eating enough. serioulsy, getting the right fuel is so important. it's worth remembering that your body will burn about 1500-1800 calories a day as standard. that's befioe you've done any training.

[Barney 0]

I've tried kettle bells Gloomy.

 

Mental.

[Kitman 2204]

What race you doing? You've probably mentioned it so apologies if I've missed it.

 

Auckland Marathon on 31 Oct. One of the cool things about it is you get to run over the harbour bridge (without getting run over)

[Gemmill 44101]

Aye I might knock the weights down to 3 days. Would be nice to have an extra day where I'm doing nowt cos at the minute there's only really Saturday. Trying to shift a bit of timber as well, so possibly not eating as much as I should.

 

Think I'm eating about 1800 calories a day, but if I go for a 4 mile run that's supposedly 5 to 600 calories and i don't know if I'm supposed to eat some more to make up for that, or just be glad of the calorie deficit. The weight's going like so I guess it must be working.

 

whoaah, mate that sounds like way to few calories to me for the amount of work you're doing. as bizare as it sounds, you actually need to eat more in order to cut the fat while training heavily. if you under eat, your body will cling on to fat and burn muscle.

 

our bodies aren't designed to look sculpted, they're designed to survive. the human body is a stubborn thing. it will hang on to the fat for as long as possible. i'd up your calorie intake by about 6-700 dependign on how much work you're doing. make sure you eat plenty of protein and carbs post work out. don't be afraid of healthy fats and if you want to drop fat while building muscle, just stay clear of the refined carbs and don't eat any carbs past 4 or 5 in the afternoon other than vegetables.

 

one of the biggest mistakes i made for years was not eating enough. serioulsy, getting the right fuel is so important. it's worth remembering that your body will burn about 1500-1800 calories a day as standard. that's befioe you've done any training.

 

Fuck! I'm all for eating more but getting these extra calories in sounds like hard graft. I don't want to be one of these cunts who walks round with chicken breasts in his pockets. Just nuts and fruit and shit? I don't want to start eating more only to pile the beef back on!

 

Cheers for the advice btw, it's really helpful. I did wonder when I added the running in whether I was gonna be eating too little.

[Gemmill 44101]

What race you doing? You've probably mentioned it so apologies if I've missed it.

 

Auckland Marathon on 31 Oct. One of the cool things about it is you get to run over the harbour bridge (without getting run over)

Nice one. Are you working off a proper training programme and that, or are you an old hand at this sort of thing? I'm genuinely considering applying for the GNR next year, but I don't think I've got a marathon in me.

[Gemmill 44101]

There's a reason I've kept away from this thread.

 

Hit 17 yet?

[Barney 0]

Aye I might knock the weights down to 3 days. Would be nice to have an extra day where I'm doing nowt cos at the minute there's only really Saturday. Trying to shift a bit of timber as well, so possibly not eating as much as I should.

 

Think I'm eating about 1800 calories a day, but if I go for a 4 mile run that's supposedly 5 to 600 calories and i don't know if I'm supposed to eat some more to make up for that, or just be glad of the calorie deficit. The weight's going like so I guess it must be working.

 

whoaah, mate that sounds like way to few calories to me for the amount of work you're doing. as bizare as it sounds, you actually need to eat more in order to cut the fat while training heavily. if you under eat, your body will cling on to fat and burn muscle.

 

our bodies aren't designed to look sculpted, they're designed to survive. the human body is a stubborn thing. it will hang on to the fat for as long as possible. i'd up your calorie intake by about 6-700 dependign on how much work you're doing. make sure you eat plenty of protein and carbs post work out. don't be afraid of healthy fats and if you want to drop fat while building muscle, just stay clear of the refined carbs and don't eat any carbs past 4 or 5 in the afternoon other than vegetables.

 

one of the biggest mistakes i made for years was not eating enough. serioulsy, getting the right fuel is so important. it's worth remembering that your body will burn about 1500-1800 calories a day as standard. that's befioe you've done any training.

 

Fuck! I'm all for eating more but getting these extra calories in sounds like hard graft. I don't want to be one of these cunts who walks round with chicken breasts in his pockets. Just nuts and fruit and shit? I don't want to start eating more only to pile the beef back on!

 

Cheers for the advice btw, it's really helpful. I did wonder when I added the running in whether I was gonna be eating too little.

 

 

I'm the same. Some of the lads in the gym tell me to get the chicken breasts in and up the calories. Don't know if I want to make those sort of changes though.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

I'm making those sorts of changes. Going to start getting in high quality carbs and proteins like broccoli, steamed chicken, plenty of pasta and rice, shitloads of veg. Mainly to help with my stool which has been playing up again. I've gone up to 13 stone, not been working out at all and have stopped cycling as much since I got my driving license. I'm naturally thin though so it's good to put some weight on, now I can convert it into muscle.

[Kitman 2204]

What race you doing? You've probably mentioned it so apologies if I've missed it.

 

Auckland Marathon on 31 Oct. One of the cool things about it is you get to run over the harbour bridge (without getting run over)

Nice one. Are you working off a proper training programme and that, or are you an old hand at this sort of thing? I'm genuinely considering applying for the GNR next year, but I don't think I've got a marathon in me.

 

Yes, I did a fair bit of research on-line and started off with a generic programme (from marathontraining.com). Then I signed up with a personal trainer who refined it for me (reckoned I was over training and not doing enough speed and hill work). The guy's nails, is a specialist long distance runner (his top race distance is 100 miles or just under 4 marathons!) so was a lot of help. I've also done some gym work with him designed for helping with running.

 

Happy to share his running programme if you're interested - it's just for the 10 weeks or so leading up the race though iirc.

 

The funny thing is I've found a lot of distance running is in the head. There's some basics like nutrition, stretching and recovery, as well as keeping fuelled and hydrated, but a lot of it is just persevering regardless of weather or how you're feeling or thinking. The satisfaction comes from beating the part of you that just wants to jack it in or sit in a comfy chair when it's pissing down.

 

I run because I love it and having a race to look forward to (like the GNR) is a great motivator....but for me the marathon is a bucket list sort of thing. I'll get through it then think seriously about whether to do it again as the time commitment is a bit of a drag (for instance you do a long run on Sundays which typically varies between 2-3 hours).

 

You sound like you look after yourself, are pretty fit and you should have a long stride (you jammy bastard). I'd be amazed if you couldn't nail the GNR especially with a good lead time to build up to it. The question is whether you can be arsed to do the training or you allow yourself to talk yourself out of it.

[Jill 0]

The funny thing is I've found a lot of distance running is in the head. There's some basics like nutrition, stretching and recovery, as well as keeping fuelled and hydrated, but a lot of it is just persevering regardless of weather or how you're feeling or thinking. The satisfaction comes from beating the part of you that just wants to jack it in or sit in a comfy chair when it's pissing down.

 

I'd absolutely agree with this. I had it in my head that because when I was younger I was always a sprinter rather than doing any sort of distance, that I couldn't physically run anything long and the hardest part was getting over that mental block that would kick in when I've done a few miles. Lost count of the number of times a while ago that I set out to run 7-10 miles and ended up stopping after 3-4 and thinking I couldn't do any more, when in fact I was quite capable. Obviously that's a little different to marathon distances like.

[Kitman 2204]

The funny thing is I've found a lot of distance running is in the head. There's some basics like nutrition, stretching and recovery, as well as keeping fuelled and hydrated, but a lot of it is just persevering regardless of weather or how you're feeling or thinking. The satisfaction comes from beating the part of you that just wants to jack it in or sit in a comfy chair when it's pissing down.

 

I'd absolutely agree with this. I had it in my head that because when I was younger I was always a sprinter rather than doing any sort of distance, that I couldn't physically run anything long and the hardest part was getting over that mental block that would kick in when I've done a few miles. Lost count of the number of times a while ago that I set out to run 7-10 miles and ended up stopping after 3-4 and thinking I couldn't do any more, when in fact I was quite capable. Obviously that's a little different to marathon distances like.

 

When I was in my 20s I used to think 10k was a massive distance. But then I mainly spent my time sitting on my arse drinking and smoking weed. It's just what you're used to, and I had to build up to where I am now. But I've never run more than 30k, and the marathon is about 42k

If I listened to the defeatist wimp in my head I wouldn't bother turning up on the day

[Dr Gloom 21759]

Aye I might knock the weights down to 3 days. Would be nice to have an extra day where I'm doing nowt cos at the minute there's only really Saturday. Trying to shift a bit of timber as well, so possibly not eating as much as I should.

 

Think I'm eating about 1800 calories a day, but if I go for a 4 mile run that's supposedly 5 to 600 calories and i don't know if I'm supposed to eat some more to make up for that, or just be glad of the calorie deficit. The weight's going like so I guess it must be working.

 

whoaah, mate that sounds like way to few calories to me for the amount of work you're doing. as bizare as it sounds, you actually need to eat more in order to cut the fat while training heavily. if you under eat, your body will cling on to fat and burn muscle.

 

our bodies aren't designed to look sculpted, they're designed to survive. the human body is a stubborn thing. it will hang on to the fat for as long as possible. i'd up your calorie intake by about 6-700 dependign on how much work you're doing. make sure you eat plenty of protein and carbs post work out. don't be afraid of healthy fats and if you want to drop fat while building muscle, just stay clear of the refined carbs and don't eat any carbs past 4 or 5 in the afternoon other than vegetables.

 

one of the biggest mistakes i made for years was not eating enough. serioulsy, getting the right fuel is so important. it's worth remembering that your body will burn about 1500-1800 calories a day as standard. that's befioe you've done any training.

 

Fuck! I'm all for eating more but getting these extra calories in sounds like hard graft. I don't want to be one of these cunts who walks round with chicken breasts in his pockets. Just nuts and fruit and shit? I don't want to start eating more only to pile the beef back on!

 

Cheers for the advice btw, it's really helpful. I did wonder when I added the running in whether I was gonna be eating too little.

 

 

I'm the same. Some of the lads in the gym tell me to get the chicken breasts in and up the calories. Don't know if I want to make those sort of changes though.

 

it's really not difficult to eat 2500 calories in a day if you're training. if you're working hard you should be famished after your workout. i find the way to do it is to eat smaller portions, more frequently. i eat typically 3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day. keeps the metabolism up too so you don't overeat in one sitting.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Done my usual 3 mile this morn and tried that mp3 (the 33min one). Just to see what it was like. Ill use it in the gym later in the week.

 

Was canny. I like the basic idea behind it and the hill / interval running. The music can be canny to bizarre but you get used it. Good though, Ill certainly give it a bash when in the gym. Main thing I think is it breaks the monotony of treadmill running.

 

Aye that's it, it just makes things a bit more interesting. The music is shite, agreed! Makes me work harder than I would without it as well.

 

Aye, its spot on. Stayed off the treadmills for a bit and been sticking to the Bikes but gave this a blast last night and have to say it made the usually as boring as J69 treadmill, a lot more interesting and spurs you on to put more effort in. So much so I nipped up this morning and done it again before graft.

 

I reckon if I can get our lass talking filth in my ear in the scratcher she'll see a lot more effort from me as well.

[JawD 99]

Ok, this is a basic BMR calculator here

 

If you are training 3-4 times per week then select moderate. This is how many cals you need to stay still weight wise. For example, mine is around 2450 per day. So I eat that many (approx) once per week. Other days I aim for 80% of that which is near enough 2000 cals per day.

 

This is solely to lose weight.

 

Bare in mind you may lose lean mass as well as fat doing this. Thats why its best to read up on carb cycling if you are bothered about that.

 

If you want to grow (lean mass) then you need to be in a calorie surplus so like say 10-15% over you BMR.

 

This is why body builders have cutting phases (to shed fat) and building phases (to pack in muscle but likely some fat with it).

 

Some people also go on about protein drinks etc. Thats only if you want to boost your daily protein macro and you cant get enough from real food (which is a better option). Its not a wonder drink or anything, just replaces eating yet another can of tuna for example. Need to watch out for them though as some are loaded with sugar (simple carb).

 

Basically its as simple as eat way over your BMR you get a fat bastard and cut too much you become a skinny weakling. Its not recommended to cut more than 30%. I find 20% comfortable. And try to stick to around 40/40/20 P/C/F as a basic macro ratio unless you want to read into tinkering with that.

[Gemmill 44101]

What race you doing? You've probably mentioned it so apologies if I've missed it.

 

Auckland Marathon on 31 Oct. One of the cool things about it is you get to run over the harbour bridge (without getting run over)

Nice one. Are you working off a proper training programme and that, or are you an old hand at this sort of thing? I'm genuinely considering applying for the GNR next year, but I don't think I've got a marathon in me.

 

Yes, I did a fair bit of research on-line and started off with a generic programme (from marathontraining.com). Then I signed up with a personal trainer who refined it for me (reckoned I was over training and not doing enough speed and hill work). The guy's nails, is a specialist long distance runner (his top race distance is 100 miles or just under 4 marathons!) so was a lot of help. I've also done some gym work with him designed for helping with running.

 

Happy to share his running programme if you're interested - it's just for the 10 weeks or so leading up the race though iirc.

 

The funny thing is I've found a lot of distance running is in the head. There's some basics like nutrition, stretching and recovery, as well as keeping fuelled and hydrated, but a lot of it is just persevering regardless of weather or how you're feeling or thinking. The satisfaction comes from beating the part of you that just wants to jack it in or sit in a comfy chair when it's pissing down.

 

I run because I love it and having a race to look forward to (like the GNR) is a great motivator....but for me the marathon is a bucket list sort of thing. I'll get through it then think seriously about whether to do it again as the time commitment is a bit of a drag (for instance you do a long run on Sundays which typically varies between 2-3 hours).

 

You sound like you look after yourself, are pretty fit and you should have a long stride (you jammy bastard). I'd be amazed if you couldn't nail the GNR especially with a good lead time to build up to it. The question is whether you can be arsed to do the training or you allow yourself to talk yourself out of it.

 

Fucking hell, your trainer sounds hardcore! I didn't even know there was such a thing as an Ultramarathon until recently. People running nonstop for 80 hours ffs. Crazy.

 

That sounds like a hell of a lot of time to commit to, but if you enjoy it then its worth it, I guess. I couldn't even dream of running 2-3 hours at the minute! Know what you mean about the mental thing. Both getting out there when the weathers a bit crap, and also keeping running when you're fucked. A few times recently I've noticed that if I allow myself to think I'm fucked, I really start to feel it. 2 minutes later when I've forgotten about it, I suddenly realise that I've been going along fine and I'm not that fucked after all.

 

I was pissing about this afternoon at work looking around for basic advice on getting your distance up. They reckon 10% increase per week is safe to avoid injury, but that would have me running 30 mile a week in a couple of months, including a long run of 10 miles. Which is terrifying!

 

Cheers for the offer with the training programme thing. To be honest, I'm so far removed from the distances you're doing that it would probably just terrify me at this stage, but i might pester you for it at a future date if that's ok!

 

Let us know how you get on with the race anyway. Just checked the date of it there, and looks like you've got a month to go. How close to a marathon distance will you get in a single training run?

[Gemmill 44101]

That calculator reckons I need 3058 calories per day to stay the same weight. Can that be right?

 

6ft 3, 202 pounds, 35 year old. And it reckons over 3k calories.

 

Cheers for all that info JawD. Will have a proper read of it. I don't really want to get into protein drinks and that, cos it just feels like they can't be that good for you.