About Brian Expertise I can help set up a weightlifting program, give suggestions on specific exercises and how to deal with injuries. We can discuss your goals and effective ways to work towards them. I compete at powerlifting, and have been weightlifting for over 15 years.
Experience 15 years weightlifting experience, including competitive powerlifting.
I have a few questions, but I'll try to keep this as short as possible.
First off, I grew up a heavy guy all through elementary, middle and high school...240 was my top weight at 5'10". For the past four years (I'm 23 now), I've kept it off and am at 165, give or take a few pounds. But yet I still have the problem areas (man boobs, love handles, spare tire, the norm) that I've tried like hell to get rid of.
I haven't been working out at all the last few months, and the trouble areas seem to be getting more noticable. But I just got a membership to the YMCA and would love to take advantage of the classes they offer at all the branches in my city. I plan on doing so once my new job starts, or even sooner if the membership goes through soon. Also, I've heard that all the benefits yoga offers to men, especially men in their early twenties. I've never done that either, but I look forward to trying something new.
Now to the questions: Am I always going to have that nagging extra skin or extra fat cells unless I get some kind of surgery (God knows I can't afford it, but I'd do it in a heartbeat)? Also, I've wanted to do other things except lifting, as I have gotten kind of burnt out on doing it for nearly 3 1/2 years straight. I was thinking about this sort of plan:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday AM (5:30 AM or 6:00 AM) Body sculpting, bosu, essentially any kind of strength and conditioning exercise class. These classes usually last between 45 min-1 hour
Tuesday and Thursday AM
Spinning class, kickboxing, some kind of cardio or pilates
(Anywhere between 30min-1hour)
Monday-Friday PM (5:00 PM-7:00 PM)
Hour or more of yoga followed by maybe swimming or maybe even a little lifting or more cardio for 30min-1 hour
Saturday (or at least 2 Saturdays of the month)
Hopefully something outdoors (whitewater, kayaking, rock climbing, etc.)
Maybe some home yoga
Sunday
Rest, or at least something physical for 30min-1 hour and maybe more yoga.
I think I just wanna shock my system and do something new all the time. Anymore, I have a hard time motivating myself for just weightlifting, so if I have other people around, I think I'll challenge myself more. Is this too much to do?
I wanna get in the best shape ever, and be able to maintain it. So again, because I grew up fat, are these spots always going to be there unless I get the lipo? And is this too much exercising for someone who has been stagnant for too long? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you sir!
Mike
Answer Mike - First off, congratulations on all that weight loss! As you know, it is extremely hard to change your life in such a way to do that. Imagine the fun you'll have at high school reunions and the like!
As to your first question re: extra skin, to be completely honest, I have no experience with that. My suggestion would be to talk it over with your doctor. There may be something other than surgery that could help, or s/he may be able to answer your "is it always gonna be this way" question.
Your plan sounds good to me. And I absolutely encourage you to mix it up as much as needed to keep it interesting. You should be aware that in the next couple of years, your metabolism will begin to change and exercise will be mandatory just to maintain the weight you're at now. Losing weight as you get older is even harder than it was for you thus far.
As for the trouble areas (man boobs, etc.), let me try to explain. If you look around, you'll see people come in all different shapes. I don't mean "fat" or "skinny", I mean, like apple, pear, hourglass, etc. The reason for this is bodyfat distribution. Each individual has genetic factors that determine where their body stores fat. A lot of guys have a tendency to store fat on their abdomen. Even "thin" guys can have this. For women, it tends to be more hips and butt. Some guys like yourself, apparently, tend to store it more about their chest and back.
I have about 8-10% body fat (very low), and have never, ever really had "six pack abs." So, for me, while I have very low body fat, most of it is all in one place. I don't have a beer belly or anything, but I don't look like Terrel Owens with my shirt off either.
So, for some of us, bodyfat is stored disproportionately. The only thing you can do is lose as much as you can. Gaining some muscle can help by adding more mass to the area (esp. your chest).
Finally, yoga is a fantastic way to increase flexibility. My only caution is to keep in mind that in yoga you are really not burning very many calories, so, if you get in a time crunch, don't skip your other exercise and just do yoga.
