LowCarbRob's Exercise Log
I just started Atkins (November 1, 2007) and found this website a week later. It seems with so many people here it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of everyone's wisdom and inspiration.
Current weight is 304. Body measurements are posted in my Journal. Looking to lose 90-100 lbs. I've been successful on Atkins in the past but never added any exercise. I currently lead a very sedentary lifestyle...desk job at the computer all day. I don't have any particular fitness goals for the time being, just want to get moving to facilitate weight loss. I have a pretty decent home gym (which I need to dust off) and have the opportunity to ride my bicycle to work most days (just under a mile one way). I'm also considering joining a nearby gym so I can get use of a treadmill. I'm hoping that pushing myself to write in this log everyday will inspire me to get the exercise in and help me lose weight. |
Morning-walked dog - .68 miles
Ride bike to work - 1.66 miles (.83 miles each way) Evening-walked dog - .68 miles |
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Walked dog - .68 miles |
I've decided to start posting my hours of sleep (from the previous night) as I've noticed insufficient sleep really zaps my energy and desire to do anything physical.
Sleep - 4.5 hours Walked dog (x2) - 1.36 miles |
Sleep - 6.5 hrs
Walked dog - .68 miles |
Sleep: 4 hours
Bike to work: .83 miles |
It's been a disruptive and turbulent week. I asked my girlfriend of eight years (living with me for seven) to move out. Dietwise, I've stayed on plan, but haven't exercised at all. I stopped by a Bally's gym last night and toured the facility. I got a one week free pass and will try it out next week. It's less than a mile from my home, so it should be easy to make regular visits.
I am really getting a lot out of MyPLAN. I especially like looking at the weight chart. I can see a pattern of loss, stall, loss, stall that is making the stalls easier to bear. |
I'm starting my trial membership at the gym tonight. Glad I started at this forum first. I just found this article in another thread and thought I'd cut and paste it here so I wouldn't have to go looking for it again. This is completely opposite of what I had intended to do, so again, I have much to learn...
(FYI-sedentary heart rate = 102) Men's Fitness, August, 2005 by Bill Hartman True or false: Losing fat is 90% diet and 10% training. False. That's actually the formula for losing weight-a very different goal. I'll explain. Most trainers will tell you that your diet is the most important factor in your pursuit of a fat-free body. After all, you can eat 1,000 calories (think two Snickers and a Big Gulp) a lot faster than you can burn them. But that's still only half the equation. Simply cutting calories without exercising--or worse, doing the wrong type of exercise--doesn't just burn fat. It burns fat and muscle. So you'll weigh less, but your body will be weak and soft in stead of lean and hard. The fact is, the way you train is every bit as important for fat loss as the way you eat. Unfortunately, when most people think of exercising to lose weight, they think of aerobic activities such as jogging or cycling. And while both burn lots of calories (which is important if you have trouble sticking to a diet), when it comes to burning pure fat, aerobic exercise is about as overrated as Lindsay Lohan's acting. Here's why: * Your body adapts to cardio. Meaning, the more you do it, the more efficient your body becomes at burning fat for fuel, causing you to burn fewer calories from your fat stores each time you exercise. * It takes longer. Because your body adapts to aerobic activity, your workouts have to last increasingly longer in order to provide the same calorie burn. This not only increases the amount of time you have to spend in the gym but also increases the odds that your body may start breaking down muscle instead of fat for fuel. * The benefits are temporary. Aerobic activity doesn't increase the amount of fat you burn after your workout. Your metabolism returns to normal shortly after stepping off the treadmill. THE WORLD'S MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO LOSE YOUR LARD At this point, it should come as no surprise that hitting the weights is the best way to get rid of unwanted fat. The trick, though, is knowing exactly how to train to accelerate the rate at which your body burns fat, without sacrificing any of your hard-earned muscle. The first step: Forget about training individual body parts. Instead of doing arm and shoulder days, think of your body as a single unit and try to work as many muscles as possible each session. Studies show that the more muscle you stimulate in a workout, the greater the boost to your metabolism for the next 24-48 hours (a process known as "afterburn"). That means your body burns fat at an increased rate long after your workout is over-while you're driving to work, watching TV, or even sleeping. OK, so you ready to start lifting? Aim for three full-body workouts per week, resting a day between each. (Because you're working your entire body each session, you'll want to avoid lifting on back-to-back days, in order to give your muscles time to recover for your next workout.) Here are the four essential rules you must follow to ensure you get the most out of your muscles--and your fat-loss workout--every time you set foot in the gym: 1 Use free weights. Machines are designed to target individual muscle groups. This actually reduces the total amount of muscle involved in moving the weight. For instance, a leg-extension machine works one major muscle group: the quadriceps (and maybe your jaw if you grind your teeth hard enough). A free-weight squat, however, hits more than 250 muscles. 2 Stay on your feet (whenever possible). Nothing shuts off muscle like sitting or lying down. For example, a standing curl is generally better than a seated curl because your back, hip, leg, and even big-toe muscles have to work just to keep you standing. 3 Do compound exercises. Always opt for exercises that force you to move at more than one joint--the squat (hip and knee joints), bench press (shoulder and elbow joints), and rows (shoulder and elbow joints) are all excellent examples. These "big" lifts require a tremendous amount of energy, stimulating the release of muscle-building and fat-burning hormones and accelerating your results. 4 Go heavy. Conventional wisdom used to suggest that high-rep, light-weight workouts were the best way to lose fat and increase muscle definition. But in reality, low-rep, heavy-weight workouts burn more calories. More important, they also work more muscles, increasing your "afterburn" once you leave the gym. (Low-rep, heavy-weight workouts also have a much greater protective effect on your muscle, preventing it from being used for energy and ensuring that your weight loss comes purely from fat.) The bottom line when lifting to lose fat: Stick to 5-12 reps, using the heaviest weight that allows you to complete each rep with good form. Perform 3-5 sets of 4-6 exercises per workout. (If you do four exercises, do more sets per exercise; if you do six exercises, perform fewer sets.) |
This will be my editable gym log for December. I'm still debating between joining a gym and using the equipment I already have at home and maybe adding a treadmill. Anyway...
Format: exercise (weight# x reps x sets). Where 10 reps are listed with 3 sets, it MAY actually mean a 3-set of 12, 10, and 8 reps. Dec. 1 - none Dec. 2 - none Dec. 3 - treadmill 20 min x 3.5 mph, walk 1/4 mile, curls & rows (25#x10x1), leg extensions (60#x10x1) Dec. 4 - none Dec. 5 - treadmill 20 min x 3.5 mph, walk 1/4 mile, curls & rows (25#x10x1), chest press (60#x15x1), ab crunch (80#x10x1), elliptical 5 min. Dec. 6 - none Dec. 7 - none Dec. 8 - walk 0.68 miles, lat pulldown(40#x10x3), curls and rows (20#x10x3), chest press (40#x10x3) Dec. 9 - walk 0.25 miles, curls (25#x5x1), rows (25#x10x1), DB chest press (20#x10x3), leg extension (70#x10x3), leg curls (50#x12x1), elliptical (2min at lvl 6), lifecycle (15min at lvl 7) Dec. 10 - none Dec. 11 - none (purchased new weights - dumbbells, rack, and incline bench)) Dec. 12 - none Dec. 13 - curls (15#x12x2), incline arnolds (15#x12x1), incline flys (15#x12x1) Dec. 14 - curls (15#,12x1) Dec. 15 - curls (25#x15x3), incline arnolds (25#x15x3), incline flys (15#x15x2), bent over rows, (25#x12x2), good mornings (15#x12x1), leg extensions (40#x12x2) Dec. 16 - moved GF's stuff out of house (with friends' help) - 4 hours - Now THAT is a workout! Dec. 17 - pulled carpet out of guest room and chiseled out old tile Dec. 18 - curls (25#x10x3) Dec. 19 - tear up carpet and tile in office and hallway, packing & relocating boxes. Dec. 20 - moved office furniture and equipment back to my home office. Dec. 21 - none Dec. 22 - lat pulldowns (50#x15x1), chest press (60#x15x1), shoulder press (50#x15x1), leg extensions (50#x15x1) Dec. 23 - none Dec. 24 - none Dec. 25 - none (unless lugging suitcases through an airport counts) Dec. 26 - moved office furniture and equipment back to my home office. Dec. 27 - none Dec. 28 - none Dec. 29 - curls (25#x10x3), incline bench press (25#x15x2), bent over rows, (25#x12x1), DB squats (25#x15x1), lat pulldowns (40#x15x2), walked dog - .68 miles Dec. 30 - curls (25#x10x3) Dec. 31 - none |
That really is true about the free weights.
I used to always use the cable machines at my local Y and then a friend of mine showed me the free weights and wow. Doing the same amount of weights or even less I was completely done when I first started. 10 x the workout! |
My guest pass at the gym expired today so I went out and purchased an incline bench, dumbbells, and rack for my home gym. Much cheaper than a gym membership. If I can move the bookcases and other garbage out of the room I should have a pretty decent work out area. I am considering an elliptical machine but will probably wait until the GF moves out and I have a little more space.
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Editable gym log for June 2008.
Goals for June: Minimum 3 workouts per week. Swim min. 3 times/week. Format: exercise (weight# x reps x sets). Where 10 reps are listed with 3 sets, it MAY actually mean a 3-set of 12, 10, and 8 reps. June 1 - swim 50 laps (about 20 minutes) June 2 - none June 3 - swim 50 laps June 4 - none June 5 - swim 50 laps, walk dog June 6 - none June 7 - none June 8 - none June 9 - none June 10 - swim 50 laps June 11 - swim 100 laps June 12 - none June 13 - swim 100 laps June 14 - none June 15 - swim 50 laps June 16 - swim 100 laps June 17 - swim 100 laps June 18 - none June 19 - swim 100 laps June 20 - none June 21 - swim 100 laps June 22 - none June 23 - none June 24 - swim 100 laps June 25 - none June 26 - none June 27 - none June 28 - none June 29 - swim 100 laps June 30 - swim 100 laps |
Editable gym log for Juy 2008.
Goals for July: Minimum 3 workouts per week. Swim min. 3 times/week. (50 laps = about 20 minutes) Format: exercise (weight# x reps x sets). Where 10 reps are listed with 3 sets, it MAY actually mean a 3-set of 12, 10, and 8 reps. July 1 - swim 100 laps July 2 - swim 100 laps July 3 - swim 100 laps July 4 - none July 5 - swim 50 laps July 6 - none July 7 - none July 8 - none July 9 - none July 10 - none July 11 - none July 12 - none July 13 - swim 100 laps July 14 - none July 15 - swim 100 laps July 16 - none July 17 - none July 18 - swim 100 laps July 19 - swim 100 laps July 20 - none July 21 - swim 150 laps July 22 - none July 23 - swim 100 laps July 24 - swim 100 laps July 25 - swim 100 laps July 26 - swim 100 laps July 27 - swim 100 laps July 28 - July 29 - July 30 - July 31 - |
Editable gym log for October 2008.
Goals for October: Minimum 3 workouts per week.Format: exercise (weight# x reps x sets). Where 10 reps are listed with 3 sets, it MAY actually mean a 3-set of 12, 10, and 8 reps. Oct 1 - none Oct 2 - none Oct 3 - none Oct 4 - none Oct 5 - none Oct 6 - none Oct 7 - none Oct 8 - none Oct 9 - none Oct 10 - none Oct 11 - none Oct 12 - none Oct 13 - curls (15#x15x2), incline arnolds (15#x15x2), bent over rows (15#x12x1), DB squats (25#x15x1), lat pulldowns (40#x15x2) Oct 14 - none Oct 15 - curls (25#x15x2), incline arnolds (25#x15x2), bent over rows (25#x12x1), DB squats (25#x15x1), lat pulldowns (40#x15x2) Oct 16 - none Oct 17 - curls (20#x15x2), incline arnolds (25#x15x2), bent over rows (25#x12x2), DB squats (25#x15x2), lat pulldowns (40#x15x2) Oct 18 - none Oct 19 - cleaned garage (a minor workout, but I'm counting it!) Oct 20 - curls (20#x15x2), incline arnolds (25#x15x2), bent over rows (25#x12x2), DB squats (25#x15x2), lat pulldowns (40#x15x2) Oct 21 - none Oct 22 - none Oct 23 - none Oct 24 - curls (20#x15x2), incline arnolds (25#x15x2), bent over rows (25#x12x2), DB squats (25#x15x2), lat pulldowns (40#x15x2) Oct 25 - Oct 26 - Oct 27 - Oct 28 - Oct 29 - Oct 30 - Oct 31 - |
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