Forum Keep-Fit Club - Sign up now!

[baad bwoy]

All I tend to do is 20 minutes on the treadmill at a high speed (12.5), finishing with a 5 minute cooldown time. Another 20 minutes either on the rowing machine or cross-trainer, then I do about half-hour lifting weights (nothing too heavy, mind) and finishing off with 40-50 press-ups and 50+ sit-ups.

Do you run 20 mins on the treadmill at 12.5 mph, if so that sounds pretty damn hard work.
As part of my routine I have begun running on the treadmill and can now manage 20 mins at about 8mph, and this feels quite challenging, I think to put it up to 10mph would do me in let alone 12.5mph

[dr_manhattan]

I only do one outdoor run a week, the rest I do on a treadmill. But on those outdoor runs, I tend to run the real glamorous routes around the Willenhall Road, Bilston Road, All Saints etc Some interesting sights around there first thing on a Sunday morning you know

Good lord, I'd stick to the tred mill!

[Extra Terrestrial]

Do you run 20 mins on the treadmill at 12.5 mph, if so that sounds pretty damn hard work.
As part of my routine I have begun running on the treadmill and can now manage 20 mins at about 8mph, and this feels quite challenging, I think to put it up to 10mph would do me in let alone 12.5mph

Yup, it is indeed 12.5mph.

It took me a long time to reach that target a year and a half ago but it gets easieras you progress. Just as long as you slowly build up the speed every week/gym session by 0.3-0.5mph, you should adapt to the situation in the near future but you must be patience and not to go crazy with the speeds.

I can do 10mph for a whole hour (depending on what music I am listening to/football on the TV) and not feel exhausted, but that took me a while to do that under normal circumstances. I can do 12.5 for half hour before sweating and developing hectic breathing rates so I do the 'cooldown' setting on the treadmill, which is great as it drops 2mph every minute.

-----

What can everybody or those who use weights can do on the bench-press in a flat position? I have been increasing my load lately: the bar itself is 25kg(!) and I add 15kg on each end (55kg total weight), which results in me doing between 10-12 reps on my own - 20 with assistance.

I can lift a couple of reps on 65kg on my own before almost collasping, which is not bad for a 17 year old although some 20 year old university students can lift 70kg without sweat - Jeez.

I might go up tonight if the weather allows me to get my bike out and ride outside for 30 minutes and back: biking to the gym is a perfect warm-up for everybody as it burns your muscles in your legs and gets your heart going in a steady workout-like pace.

Actually bugger that, I just looked out my window...

[marcus]

Update for me Im now just below 14 stone, based on my height id say 13.5 to be my optimum weight but this is a lot better than when I started out at edging towards 15 stone. Feel a lot better also for it.

Nowadays I goto the gym at lunch usually around 3 times a week, I do a 15 min run at 12.5MPH, and 20 or so mins cardio and some situps. Also I run at weekends, I do a 25 min brisk run. Then I play football on Sunday nights, the fitness is now noticeable especially when playing footy. Any more success stories?

[Kieran76]

I'm getting there! In the summer I was 14 stone, I am now at about 13 stone 4. I am trying to get to the gym three evenings a week. If I am feeling good I do a 5k run/jog, do some basic weights and then swim 15-20 lengths. As mentioned in the banter topic I have lost a bit of weight from my gut, but I feel that I should be about 12 and half really.
All my excess weight can be put down to drinking.

[MACO]

I did the NY marathon a few weeks ago and loved the first thirteen miles. The second half was very hard. Mainly because I had done hardly any training at all. Stamina and muscles were ok but joints really took a pounding. Age thing. Am going to try and train properly this coming year, quit the beer after Xmas and try and do it properly next November.

[oblivion_6]

NY marathon would be cool, me and the gf did a half marathon in london last year and were aiming to do the full marathon this year

The one tip ive got for losing weight is to go and get a food tolerance check, a lot of people are intollerant to certain foods like wheat, dairy etc and when this is taken out of their diet they notice a huge difference, my gf lost over 4 stone in 6 months by doing this and now shes running marathon etc

[PeteJ]

When this thread started back in 2004 I started at the gym going 5 days a week. After a few months this went down to twice a week...then after about six months I stopped going completely. I was fitter than I had every been before, though.

I hate to say this...but I don't think I've done any exercise in the whole of 2005. Shocking, I know.

I do a lot of running around at work, and I do around 10000 steps a day (tested with one of the pedometer things) which isn't so bad, but not nearly enough. I've started to notice me getting less fit and also I've put on a whole stone in the last month. Ok I'm only 11stone now, but I've always been stupidly thin!

So, as of about a week ago I decided too:
Eat less curry
Not eat a big lunch at work followed by a big lunch at home
Cut down on the all-dayers at the pub, which has become a regular Saturday event
Drink less coffee
Drink more water

Very little changes but it is a start. I was eating so much in the last month that I wouldn't stop until I felt ill.

Next step is to start getting out and moving about more. Bloody cold weather to start though

[Ish]

I'm still gyming and cycling and running. And now rowing too. I don't have a car anymore so go everywhere on my pushbike which is nice "free" exercise and means when I turn up to do the more vigorous sports I'm warmed up.

I'm actually struggling to keep weight on at the moment with all that. Just before starting rowing I found I was losing weight which I didn't want to do so worked out my bodies calorific needs over a week and to maintain my weight I need to eat about 3200 calories a day. Which is actually quite hard if you don't eat fatty foods and sweet stuff. Which I don't. Now if I add the rowing to that I guess its going to be around 3500 to 3800 a day.

Fortunately I love my food

So yeah a success story here. I was 16 and a half stone and seriously overweight and unfit about 2 and a half / 3 years ago. I know its vain but I was introduced to someone the other day as "this guy's the fittest guy I've ever known" and I was well chuffed.

[Ish]

Next step is to start getting out and moving about more. Bloody cold weather to start though

Ignore it and get out there!! Do some running - you won't be cold I guarantee it!

[Kieran76]

I try to row at the gym, but it nearly kills me. The stamina needed is incredible.

[Ish]

Its even harder on the water. If you get the technique wrong there are.... watery consequences!

I'm only learning at the moment but I think its going to be a lot of fun. My aim is to join the novice competitive squad of the club as soon as I've got my technique down and am competent enough.

[marcus]

I row about 2000m in the gym, but its one of the things I find really boring so dont do much more than that, it doesnt give me anywhere near the workout I get from doing say 15 mins on the treadmill.

Dietwise Ive cut down on fatty foods, the most notable change is now Im almost completely off full fat cola, I used to drink lots of the stuff but now I only ever have diet coke. Its not ideal I know but its better than before, plus I also like the variety such as the lemon, lime and vanilla ones. I do miss my fave though, cherry coke.

I plan to start badminton during the week, but I wont really get much of a workout till the guy I have been playing gets better, at the moment I can win without breaking a sweat as Ive been playing for a while now, I prefer a hard match and badminton can be quite exhausting sometimes.

[PeteJ]

Ignore it and get out there!! Do some running - you won't be cold I guarantee it!

Not quite a run, but I did just walk about 2.5 miles along the beach Quite pleasent it was actually, not as cold as I was expecting!

[Commander Marklar]

Its not ideal I know but its better than before, plus I also like the variety such as the lemon, lime and vanilla ones.

That's debatable considering it still ****s your teeth over like full-sugar Coke. Drink more water instead.

I'm doing Reading half after dropping out of Windsor due to illness. I can already do the distance, it's well easy. I only train three times a week, that's all that is needed.