[Samurai]

I rarely visit this thread, because I don't like the premise of this thread. Do elephants think they are overweight? Keep in mind they can cover 80kms in a day.

I saw a mention of ideal weight few posts ago. What is it? I am 172cm tall, 84kgs with 38 inch waist. According to most ideal weight calculators I should weigh 68kg and with 30 inch waist. I last weighed 68kgs in my mid-20s which is over 2 decades ago. It will be nice to go back to that weight and waist, but I have seen my dad at my current age, so I have no illusions. My dad walked everyday for 5-6kms and ate very wisely. Any attempt to change the diet affects my metabolism, I feel bloated, lethargic, etc. So I try not to change my diet much. I have never counted calories, don't even want to know how.

The real goal should be functional fitness, not right dimensions. If you are functionally fit, which means flexible, strong, agile and healthy, your weight doesn't matter. There are many paths to becoming flexible, strong, agile and healthy. Merely losing weight to reach that ideal dimension may not get you any of those 4 attributes. Why these 4 attributes? Because those are the 4 things you lose more and more once you cross 25-30 and beyond. If you keep those 4 attributes, you can do stuff like this well into old age.

[Piyadassi]

Originally Posted by govigov

I have a question.

Weights before cardio OR cardio before weights?

It doesn't matter, till the time you want to lose weight. Yes, if you do cardio before weight training, you will be able to lift more, but the difference, depending on your routine, would be negligible. Choose the path where you feel more comfortable.

Originally Posted by Samurai

The real goal should be functional fitness, not right dimensions. If you are functionally fit, which means flexible, strong, agile and healthy, your weight doesn't matter.

True. At the same time you would agree that knees of an overweight person have to bear lot more load, to give just one example. If I were given a choice I would prefer to be functionally fit and slightly underweight than otherwise. But that's my choice.

[DieselFan]

@ samurai - In my view weight is one of the most important component of ones fitness. Rather than just weight I would put it as body fat content. Lower the better. But as we age the fat content increases due to various reasons (lower metabolism, reduction in testosterone etc.). It is inevitable that every 10 years of age after 20 we add up 5 kgs to our body weight as fat. It is left to us as to how we minimize the same.

If we have a good exercise regime we can have a fit and lean body even when you are 45 or 50 or 55 years of age. I myself am 45 years and over last 18 months I have gone down from 86kgs down to below 70 kgs (my height is same as yours 172 cms). My waist dimensions reduced from 36.5 inches to 31 inches. I am much more fitter now than I was 18 months back. I can run a 5 km run in 27 minutes, do 40 pull ups and 100 pushups. I have not done any diet control except for reducing carbs and increasing protein intake. 40-50 % of my calories come from protein.

Even my dad at my age was fat and I felt I am destined to be the same until I hit the gym and followed a disciplined approach to weight reduction. Cardio being primary reason for most of my fat reduction. Addition of muscle mass came from strength exercises. in the beginning I was unable to run at 8 kmph for more than 5 min. Now I easily do 11 or 12 kmph for 20+ minutes. pullups was a dream till I reduced my weight to around 75kgs and now I can do 40 reps easily in 5 sets.

So my experience shows that age is not a factor to have your body fit. Body fat content definitely need to be maintained below 22% to be functionally fit - Strong, agile and healthy with good stamina. Flexibility can be achieved either ways. either you are fat or thin doesn't matter.

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

If we have a good exercise regime we can have a fit and lean body even when you are 45 or 50 or 55 years of age. I myself am 45 years and over last 18 months I have gone down from 86kgs down to below 70 kgs (my height is same as yours 172 cms). My waist dimensions reduced from 36.5 inches to 31 inches. I am much more fitter now than I was 18 months back. I can run a 5 km run in 27 minutes, do 40 pull ups and 100 pushups. I have not done any diet control except for reducing carbs and increasing protein intake. 40-50 % of my calories come from protein.

Truly inspirational, DieselFan! It would help us if you posted more details

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Piyadassi

True. At the same time you would agree that knees of an overweight person have to bear lot more load, to give just one example.

The knee muscles can be strengthened. That is how heavy muscled athletes managed to remain agile despite their weight.

Originally Posted by DieselFan

If we have a good exercise regime we can have a fit and lean body even when you are 45 or 50 or 55 years of age. I myself am 45 years and over last 18 months I have gone down from 86kgs down to below 70 kgs (my height is same as yours 172 cms).

You are closer to your ideal BMI weight, which is for people who are not heavily muscled.

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Even my dad at my age was fat and I felt I am destined to be the same until I hit the gym and followed a disciplined approach to weight reduction.

My dad wasn't fat either. When he passed away at nearly 83, he was only taking one tablet a day for BP. He had no other problem.

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Cardio being primary reason for most of my fat reduction. Addition of muscle mass came from strength exercises. in the beginning I was unable to run at 8 kmph for more than 5 min. Now I easily do 11 or 12 kmph for 20+ minutes. pullups was a dream till I reduced my weight to around 75kgs and now I can do 40 reps easily in 5 sets.

I can do pullups of 30 reps in 5 sets without kipping at my weight, I can reach your number if I try while staying in the 80s. You lost weight due to cardio, so that was your choice. I hate running, I get my cardio doing combat conditioning, which doesn't provide much weight loss.

Originally Posted by DieselFan

So my experience shows that age is not a factor to have your body fit.

Not disputing it, I am 46.

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Body fat content definitely need to be maintained below 22% to be functionally fit - Strong, agile and healthy with good stamina.

This is what I dispute. Weight higher than ideal BMI chart doesn't automatically mean high body fat and bad for health. I don't have any jiggly fat on me, it is mostly muscle.

[sudeep.pandya]

Originally Posted by alpha1

How will lifting weights help you lose chest fat in particular?
Why don't you grill your gym trainer about this?



On the other hand, it is always beneficial that you lifts some weights. Perhaps very light, but at least something. It helps you during your aging process (which we all embark upon after reaching 25-30).

He is recommending chest related exercises. I am following it and keeping it light. Should I increase the weight intensity and duration?

Weights and ageing process? Interesting

[DieselFan]

@samurai - I am of the view that BMI is not the right reflector of body fat. You have body fat evaluating machines now a days which give a good approximation of the body fat content and is available in most gyms. Easiest way is to measure your waist size which is a really good indicator of fat loss.

As you rightly said each person may have a particular frame and muscular body which can make him heavy without much fat. To even out such person specific issues best way to deal is take your body weight when you were 20 years and fairly fit. Add 5 kgs weight for every 10 years of age beyond 10 for a reasonable estimate of your weight at a later stage in your life. This is a good thumb rule which I have used successfully with many of my acquaintances.

@piyadassi - Knee problems creep up when supporting a heavier body with lower leg muscles. Strengthening leg muscles should be top priority before even trying heavy cardio.

@blue_pulsar- I have detailed out what I do/did in the thread on bodybuilding -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post3828393
Haven't updated much recently. I hit they gym regularly min 4 days and max 5 days a week. spend around 1.5 hrs a day. 20 to 30 min cardio and rest strength. I have been doing cardio first and then doing strength. Now thinking of shifting to strength first as I feel I have reached a plateau in the strength exercises.

In a nutshell - Fitness should be our way of life everyday of every year and not just for a couple of months and forgetting about the same.

Do let me know if you need more inputs/details and will be glad to share.

[hybridpetrol]

About 7 years back I reduced my weight at that point of time by 17 kg over a period of 6 months. I read a book called "I can make you thin" written by Paul McKenna and listened to the subconscious mind programming cd that comes with it.
In this book and CD he tries to make us believe that weight loss is simple and a desirable activity. Thus without doing any traditional exercises and just by walking and removing the obsession for food he makes it happen.
After seven years now I have slowly regained those 17 kilos and want reduce again. But what I had then, the absolute commitment to lose weight, I don't have now due to various factors such as work load, time etc.
Hoping to soon find enough patience to start this activity.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by sudeep.pandya

He is recommending chest related exercises. I am following it and keeping it light. Should I increase the weight intensity and duration?

Weights and ageing process? Interesting

Not required unless you enjoy doing it.

Weights and ageing process because as we grow old (older than peak sperm production age) our muscles become weak, bones become less dense. Training with some weights gives some incentive to the body to hold on to muscles and bones that were present during the peak (20-25 yrs).

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

the subconscious mind programming ... weight loss is simple and a desirable activity. Thus without doing any traditional exercises and just by walking and removing the obsession for food he makes it happen.

Do you know any wild animal that is obese?
Do you know any pet animal that is slim?

The author is absolutely right. We (all living creatures) are OBSESSED with food. Wild animals are not obese because they invest a lot into finding food, but the returns (actual food eaten) are often not commensurate. Pet animal are almost always obese because they get steady stream of easy food delivered right at their platter at regular desired intervals.

Just like humans.

If one wishes to stay slim, one has to get over this addiction to food and sweet stuff (like drinks). Because unfortunately we cannot change our lives by making food difficult to come by.

[Piyadassi]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Knee problems creep up when supporting a heavier body with lower leg muscles. Strengthening leg muscles should be top priority before even trying heavy cardio.

Sure but I have heard doctors advising people to reduce their body weight to prevent knee problems. Strengthening muscles can mitigate the problem but at times culprit is the load on the ligaments and cartilage that causes it to fail.

[TurboGuru]

Guys, please try tabata. There are several articles available on web, just Google for 'tabata', for eg:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training
I'm naturally slim built 30 year old and gym addict since last 12 years. It was recently that I was held up with office stuff & was not able to dictate much time when I decided for tabata and was able to loose over 4 kgs (from 78 to 74) in 2 months with 4-5 tabata sets (each spanning 4-5 mins) bit of cycling (~10 kms on weeknd). And actually could manage 4 packs. Need to regain those lost KGS as my mom is complaining now
PS: I'm 6' and wear 32" waist and my gym instructor says as per BMI 77 kg is ideal for my built. I conscious on my breakfast other wise I don't bother what I eat

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by Piyadassi

Sure but I have heard doctors advising people to reduce their body weight to prevent knee problems. Strengthening muscles can mitigate the problem but at times culprit is the load on the ligaments and cartilage that causes it to fail.

that is the reason why I said one has to strengthen the leg muscles. If muscles are strong then the load on knee, cartilage etc. will be very minimal. Almost all load will be taken up by the muscle. This has been my experience.

[sukhoi]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

that is the reason why I said one has to strengthen the leg muscles. If muscles are strong then the load on knee, cartilage etc. will be very minimal. Almost all load will be taken up by the muscle. This has been my experience.

Sorry for a very noob question but could you or other members point towards some exercises which could be taken up to strengthen the leg muscles (preferably without involving a visit to the gym). This and some good warm up routines are things I am looking out for.

any help is much appreciated.

Cheers,
S

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

Sorry for a very noob question but could you or other members point towards some exercises which could be taken up to strengthen the leg muscles (preferably without involving a visit to the gym). This and some good warm up routines are things I am looking out for.

any help is much appreciated.

Cheers,
S

Squats (Both regular and Sumo), Lunges, Leg extensions,Leg curl and calf raise are the basic leg exercises. They are many more variations that you can find on internet.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

In a nutshell - Fitness should be our way of life everyday of every year and not just for a couple of months and forgetting about the same.

This is the point which many miss. Weight loss is not some course which one get off when done and passed with flying colors!

Originally Posted by DieselFan

that is the reason why I said one has to strengthen the leg muscles. If muscles are strong then the load on knee, cartilage etc. will be very minimal. Almost all load will be taken up by the muscle. This has been my experience.

This is the other problem. Samurai is true that weight and fitness levels go hand in hand. But if you note, many people, once they get into vicious circle of life (work, family etc), they just are not able to get that active lifestyle. Getting into a work out or a fitness regimen may not be possible. Surely that is no excuse. But we cannot assess other's situation and predicaments.

From that point of view, I find, diet a simpler way to regulate the lifestyle. If you cannot strengthen muscle; reduce the load that it needs to hold by regulating/reducing the intake (Again not at the risk of starvation!). Works perfectly well. In that aspect I find a low-carb diet, a very useful tool. Also if not workout, a simple evening brisk walk on a daily basis for 45 minutes can do wonders to one's metabolism.