Started working out and...

[mojo1701]

My dad got me a membership at a gym to work off some of the pounds that I put on during school. As a result, I don't fit into some of my better pairs of pants. Luckily for summer, shorts still fit, but I want to be ready for non-summer weather.

I have 4 months to lose a bit off of my waistline. Any suggestions as to what is the best course of action? I plan about going every other day or at least 3 times a week.

 

[der_kluge]

I think if you manage to stick to your plan, it probably matters little what you actually do.

Most decent gyms have trainers that will work with you. Just tell them what you want, and they'll work with you to help you get the desired result.

 

[der_kluge]

I mean, really... asking a bunch of D&D geeks probably isn't the smartest way to look for workout advice.

 

[boredgremlin]

If used according to the directions both trim spa and stacker2 are both very good. Mix them with a decent diet and regular excercise and in 2 months you could almost have a 6 pack.

 

[Angcuru]

The best way to lose weight is......MANUALLY! *revs chainsaw*

 

[RangerWickett]

"I've got to lose twenty more pounds or I'll never be pretty!!!" *revs chainsaw*

Seriously, though, I'll go weigh myself tomorrow and exercise too, because I've got some free time. If you lose more weight than I do by July 1, you'll win a prize.

I'm somewhere around 215 pounds, at 5'10". Tomorrow I'll check for certain.

 

[Angcuru]

I'm at 5' 11 1/2", 200 myself. Of course, since I'll be doing manual labor under a hot sun for 40 hours a week for 20 weeks straight starting about a week, that's nothing to worry about.

 

[LeapingShark]

- Don't forget to add lots of cardio! Try to do something that gets your heartrate up for an extended period (but don't overdo it of course). Even something slower like walking can become super for losing weight if you can routinely make it a long trip, like 45min+.
- Working out is only half the battle, don't forget to compliment your workout routine with an improved diet. Less fat and sugar (specifically the sugars: sucrose and high-fructose-corn-syrup), More protein and fiber (fiber: beans, veggies, oatmeal).

Most Important Thing of All:
- Figuring out a good workout routine will be a good start, but it's more important to keep doing "something" and/or "anything" in the gym at all, and to keep doing it as long as you can, preferably the whole summer. Start planning ahead right now for ways to keep your motivation high and your gym visits consistent (go with a workout buddy, find a gym with lots of hot chicks, get a personal trainer, wear an mp3 player and rotate tunes frequently, stuff like that). At some point, you are probably going to start going to the gym less and less, skipping days when other "more-funner" stuff comes up, discovering really important reasons (i.e. excuses) not to go, etc. What are you gonna do when this happens? How do you plan to fight the urge to go sit at the computer to play more WoW instead of going to the gym? Huh? Huh? Huh?

Good luck!

 

[JoeGKushner]

Cardio is great for burning calories but weight lifting is important in helping to increase your muscle mass, which in turn consumes more calories even when at rest.

 

[nakia]

If your main goal is loosing weight, then activities that burn lots of calories (high intensity cardio) should be your primary focus. Interval cardio training (short busts of very high intensity followed by a few minutes of lower intensity) is very good at burning fat.

JoeGKushner is right, though. You will want to incorporate some resistance training (weights) into your routine. This keeps you toned as you loose the weight and also builds muscle mass. Increased muscle mass helps burn more calories when you are not working out.

If you are truly a beginner (never lifted weights before) and your goal is loosing weight and you can get to the gym four days per week, try doing cardio three of those days, then working in a circuit program (where you do 1-2 sets of resistance training on a variety of machines that work different muscle groups) two days a week. So one day a week you will end up doing both on the same day.

Some gyms offer a free training session or two to new members. Definetly check that out. My wife works at a fitness center (hence all this advice), and they give out a "fit pass" to new members that let you try all the services they offer once for free.

Good luck!