Just Starting Out

Hello Everyone! I joined this forum on a recent recommendation from a friend. I am just starting to learn about working out in order to be the best me I can be. The motivation to workout came from a friend offering to take me to a gym one night for a basic workout. To be honest I was a little apprehensive due to the fact that I have never really worked out seriously or exercised routinely but have always been considered in the "pretty darn" strong category as my friends put it.

Last week was my first time in a gym setting ( I was pretty sore after) and I need some direction on where to start. I have my baseline numbers and basic technique for the following lifts down: Bench MAX 265lb x1 ( buddy was surprised at this?) Squat 250lb x6 and dead lift (I think this is what it was called) of 300x1. To be honest I am 6'3" and about 280 so basically fat. I am thinking that I am strong enough on lifting weights for now and would like to focus on improving my fat-burning routine. I tried running on the treadmill but jogging at 6.0 speed on the flattest incline had me gasping for air shortly after the mile mark. Pretty embarrassing to say the least. I would rather jump rope instead. Will jumping rope be effective for weight loss?

Basically, I want to shed about 60 pounds slowly and effectively through healthy diet and exercise and nothing else. I am already practicing portion control and drinking lots of water. I want to create fairly attainable short-term goals to help me reach my long-term goals. Am I starting this right or am I way off? Advice and direction is more than welcome. Thanks to all who reply! I hope I posted this topic in the right section.

Find some form of cardio that you can enjoy and/or not easily bored. HIIT(High Intensity Interval Training) has worked for me in the past. Instead of jogging for 30 minutes straight, you sprint for like 30-45 seconds and walk for like 1min-1:30 min. This is definitely more interesting than jogging for hours on end. Jumping rope is a good form of cardio and it's low impact. Swimming is also another good form of cardio. I especially like swimming because it's like a workout in itself. You work your muscles in a whole new that they are not used to and swimming is just a good skill to have in general in my opinion. Also, I see that jogging leaves you pretty tired. You can also trying walking on an incline on the treadmill and work your way up to jogging. I hope this helped.

Your weight loss is going to depend more-so on your diet than your workout routine OP. Cardio like running, elliptical, row machine, biking, jump roping will all help your body burn calories and speed up the weight loss process. Diet will be more important than that though and if you are eating too much, the cardio won't help. I recommend heading over to the Nutrition section and reading the stickies to determine your daily calorie intake and then subtract 300-500 calories to make it a cutting diet.

If you are interested in keeping the muscle you have, I'd recommend looking to get on a lifting routine as well. Look up a good starting routine like Starting Strength and watch videos to see what the proper form on the lifts are. The lifting should help you maintain and maybe even build some muscle while losing weight.

Agree with Misctake7.

People have been around for maybe 25,000 years. Preservatives in the last, what 50 years? Our bodies haven’t had the time to evolve enzymes and metabolic rates to handle the sheer numbers of fast-food and junk food we put away.


After my wife died (she was 28) I put on 45 lbs. There comes a point for everyone who used to be an athlete but turns fat where you have to say to yourself,


“okay, I’m a now fast ass. I am now “that guy”. Am I gonna just accept it and suck in my gut around attractive women, walk into rooms knowing I’m the chunky dude? Or am I going to try to get it back?”


America is FULL of people who choose option A. I choose B. I changed my diet, didn’t eat too much, never after 7:00 pm, and used an elliptical machine for 30 minutes every night. I lost 45 lbs in three months.
Now I was skinny, but not built as much as I was. So you lift. And it is awesome. I played baseball in college so I know what I’m doing. I don’t lift to bang chicks; it’s too soon for me to even think about other women. You’ve got to lift for yourself, to master your body and mold it as you see fit.


Hang in there.

1)Wake up in the morning and just walk for an hour everyday, before having breakfast, and eat clean.
2)Know you maintenance caloric needs and be at a slight deficit i.e 200 - 300 calories
3)See results and keep us posted.