Hobo_Jojo

ok theres a free gym in the complex where i live and ive decided to start gettin some use out of it. its only small with only a few peices of equipment. thing is i dont know what i should be doin to get into shape or for how long how often? the equipment they have is, excersise bike with all these weird pre programmed options, treadmill, cross country machine thing, rowing machine, and a sit ups thingy on the floor. i just want to get rid of a bit of fat n gain a little bit of muscle, dont wanna propper beef up or anything! i currently weigh 12 stone ish and am 5'9

NACRO

Take it easy at first, very easy. 20 mins or so of mild aerobic exercise should easily be possible. Try fast walking on the treadmill and a little light jogging.
Also stop using lifts etc outside the gym. You'll soon be pounding out the miles. I started again after yrs of neglect a couple of yrs ago and as well as regular sparring sessions am running about 10KM every other day now. It is possible however far you've let yourself go.
If you are old or have a history of health problems (ie heart) go and talk to a doctor- in fact it may pay to go and get a check up in any case, blood pressure etc.
The main thing is to do SOMETHING rather than sitting down in front of the TV with beer and pizza (you can do that after the exercise!)

Hobo_Jojo

na im not old im only 21! and have no health problems whatsoever, i went down on sat and did an hour (30 mins on bike, 15 mins on rowing machine, 10 mins treadmill n 10 min break between) n i didnt feel it :\

messiah

Unless anyone on here is a fitness instructor - take all advice with a pinch of salt.

Best fitness routine I've found was in a copy of Men's Health that was developed by an aussie bloke who trains triatheletes.

Once you've got a bit of fitness, and when you start doing the weights - only do 1 set of 15 reps on each aparatus - if you can do 15 then move up a weight, if you cant do 10 then move down. I found that doing this every other day my strength went up very quickly and I'd gone up quite a few weights in only a couple of weeks and noticed muscle defination in my shoulders that wasn't there before!

Always start exercising your torso - your abs and back, as these control your posture, and you need good posture to perform other exercises effectively and SAFELY.

enjoy it. don't go overboard at first, you dont even have to leave your home, sit ips and press ups to get the blood flowing - then start on a little jogging, just enough to get you out of breath.

My advice is get some weights for at home - I often get motivated to exercise but can't be arsed to physically go to the gym!

Hobo_Jojo

i technically dont have to leave the home to go to the gym, as its just 2 floors down from my flat. no weights tho so i might get a set for home...

messiah

try Orienteering. No.1 fat burning sport. No fancy equipment required (although you can hire stuff for as little as £1) all you need is a clapped out pair of trainers and a reasonable ability to read a map.

Beats jogging any day cos that bores the hell out of me! I suffer from shin splints and "O" is great for me cos it means running but not on hard "tarmac" surfaces.

scoob_babe

If you want a set of weights for home, POC had some on the for sale board. Quite a comprehensive home gym if you have the space for it!

NACRO

What the hell are shin splints exactly? I've heard loads of people say they suffer from them but nobody can tell me exactly what they are.
I do a fair bit of running on mud/gravel/grass in the local chateau gardens and never suffer from aches or pains. I am very careful to warm up and warm down/stretch after exercise though. Will this help me avoid them?

TurboKitty

About shin splints

ozzy

You should always run on soft surfaces and warm-up/stretch before and after any training. Always stretch a warm muscle, cold ones will lead to injury. Jog around and do dynamic stretches (side steps, kneee lifts, etc..) before doing any static movements (e.g. calf stretches).

If you're just 21 get out and start running - THE best for fitness IMHO.

I do lots of cross country and hill running. You pick up injuries from any sport if you do it often and long enough, but you just need to know how to prepare your body and it'll recover and become stronger. I no guys who've snapped shins, ripped knee tendons from running across muddy fields. Sometimes it's just bad luck

I'm no fitness instructor (although I would take advice from a gym with a pinch of salt too, unless they have years of knowledge and experience), but I have been trained by some of the best Royal Marine PTI's and can only pass on experience they've given me. Oh, and my experience recovering from running-related injury over the past 18 months.

Stefan

ozzy

I suffered from shin splints for over a year. Some people respond well to Physio, simple strapping or a change of shoes. Others like me have a more serious bio-mechanical problem and no amount of the other stuff would help.

A proper pair of Orthotics and correct running shoes to complement these was my cure. Starting gently, increasing milage slowly and keeping to grass is the way I've kept them from returning.

My brother's just 23 and he's had injuries from football. When you're just 15/16 you don't need to worry too much. 21 and your body has stopped growing and any new, strenuous exercise can lead to injury. I though I was immortal at 21 ...... turns out I'm not

Having said all that, there's no substitute for enthusiasm, so my advice is be carefulm warm-up/down and just train hard.

Personally, I'd stick with running (different speeds/distances) for CV and circuit training for strength and muscle endurance. Basically similar to a Boxers/Martial Artists training style.

Stefan

milo

i find that most of the time you need to take any advice from fitness instructors with a pinch of salt too

super_si

yeah with Milo , kinda
My instructors a WSM finalist so i can take his advice 100%

But most a just ********* with a GNVQ thinking there superman

NACRO

Thanks for the info on shin splints- I am now seriously worried, although I never run any distance on concrete.