Signed up today need a routine please.

[Maxpowers878]

Hello first time poster. I am 36 years old and currently 5'8 230 lbs. At one time 11 years ago I dropped 87 pounds from 276 down to 193. My general laziness and the married life has me currently having gained back close to 40 pounds. I have been diagnosed by my dr as having degeneration of the bone in my lower back along with a torn disk which has caused permanent nerve damage to my right leg. My Dr. recommended that I start an exercise routine to work on my general fitness and to strengthen my lower back. I was wondering if any of you on here could help me out with a routine for someone returning to the game after an 11 year break? I opened my membership this afternoon to the local YMCA and have access to about anything I could need to get back in the groove. I would like to focus on strength and conditioning and of course some cardio. Thanks

[Xscoot]

Start with diet, then focus on diet then get your diet in place then figure out your diet. Then when you have a firm hold of your diet and if you can afford it get a good personal trainer for a couple of weeks to help you with a program that caters to your medical issues.

Maxpowers hmmmmmmm.

[Maxpowers878]

Start with diet, then focus on diet then get your diet in place then figure out your diet. Then when you have a firm hold of your diet and if you can afford it get a good personal trainer for a couple of weeks to help you with a program that caters to your medical issues.

Maxpowers hmmmmmmm.

Max Powers is a Homer Simpson reference I haven't been able to let die lol. Diet wise I have been for about the last 2 weeks eating baked boneless skinless chicken breast, white rice , low fat yogurt, and cottage cheese. Good start point or no? It is getting pretty boring so always up for new ideas. Thanks for the reply.

[Xscoot]

Max Powers is a Homer Simpson reference I haven't been able to let die lol. Diet wise I have been for about the last 2 weeks eating baked boneless skinless chicken breast, white rice , low fat yogurt, and cottage cheese. Good start point or no? It is getting pretty boring so always up for new ideas. Thanks for the reply.

Sounds like my diet 15 years ago. (despise white rice now) Then I was taught that its all about eating within my caloric range and getting my micros. (took a while before I would listen) But its real. No food is off the table now (except white rice of course).

[GeneralGreybush]

I am 5'10" and was 230 lbs. Back in September of last year I was online and found a program called DDP yoga. It's a men's yoga program built around resistance training using your own body. I bought it and it sat on my shelf till Jan of this year. I started this 20 min every second day program on Jan 19 2015 and to date have lost 45lbs. Along with diet this program has been the best. I no longer have back, shoulder, neck pains that i use to have and can rock 50 pushups without stopping( could not do 2 before)

I don't like sounding like a infomercial and I'm as skeptical as the next guy but this program works and has worked for a lot of people with back problems including tons of professional wrestlers. Did wonders for me. Now that I'm down to 184 I started my Sronglifts 5x5 and will continue this on off days.

Check it out!

[shaneinga]

Scoot has given some great advice. I will add getting a calorie tracking app. Lose it, my plate, and Myfitnesspal are a couple popular ones.

While you are at it grab a foodscale. If you are not weighing your food you are not counting calories. Use this for awhile so you can get an idea for portion sizes.

Losing weight is really as simple as eating less. Having an easy way to track it is what makes calorie tracking apps so popular. They flat out work as long as you actually use them.

Discuss workouts with your Dr. and see what you are able to do.

As for food, this website as well as many others online have low cal recipes that are great.

Pork chops are my new kick right now. Easy to season, and are a good break from chicken. Pork chops, corn, sweat potato, cottage cheese makes for a pretty decent meal and is quick and easy to cook.

[Maxpowers878]

Thanks for all the advice so far!! My Dr. was very vague on what I can and can't do motion wise. I work a 10 hour a day fairly physical job m-f and I notice just getting my butt back to work has helped some. I have always kept a fairly decent diet through the years with occasional bad days. Always watched portions and tried to pick healthy options when possible. I will for sure get one of those apps going and a food scale is now on my shopping list for my next Walmart trip. My biggest problem has been after those 10 hours at work I have been coming home and sitting till bed time lol. That seems to be my biggest problem to date. After the 4 months I had off work and not being able to move very well have caused me some huge motivation problems to say the least. I plan on starting out with at least 2 miles at a walk on the treadmill with some strength training as well. I should be able to get 2 hours in a night so I want to make sure I'm spending it wisely.

[shaneinga]

Elliptical will work you a lot harder than the treadmill and it's less hard on joints. I like them a lot. Getting weight off is honestly probably one of the best things you can do for your back.

Use machines, try to balance your push and pull volume. If your dr says it's ok, use some machines and work your legs as well.

If I was stuck to doing machines I would concentrate on doing big muscle groups first. A seated chest press will work more than just you chest, the same as a lat pull will work more than just your back.

The main things with following a routine will be balance, progression, deload protocol and exercise selection that will help to address exercise overlap. You don't want to be doing three different heavy shoulder presses a day and overworking your shoulders so you end up with an injury.

I would look for a good push pull routine and try to build your routine around what you can do with machines. Take some time to google and research some programs, go to your gym and find machines that mimic the free weight exercises that are in the program and build your program with machines.

You should be able to get in pretty good shape doing that.

This of course is dependent upon the dr giving you the ok.

[JungleBoots]

THIS!

After losing my first 30 #, my back felt hella better than when I was carrying my flesh backpack in the front.

When you are checked out by the doc in terms of what your body can physically handle, I suggest as well, push pull routines. I had a lot of success losing weight with stronglifts, which coincidentally allowed me to put on a lot of muscle as well. Its stupid simple, requires just 45 minutes at first, then over time, with the increased weight, you need longer to recover, but ignore that for now.

Food scales, tracking apps like myfitnesspal are also essential in tracking what you are taking in and knowing when to stop.

I lost most of my weight without a cardio routine of any kind, just in doing the lifts. Cardio will accelerate your weight loss but be careful as it can wipe you out for a lift - if you do cardio, keep it low impact like with an elliptical and do it after lifting.

otherwise, good luck and take it from a guy who is 80# lighter, its very doable.

Elliptical will work you a lot harder than the treadmill and it's less hard on joints. I like them a lot. Getting weight off is honestly probably one of the best things you can do for your back.

Use machines, try to balance your push and pull volume. If your dr says it's ok, use some machines and work your legs as well.

If I was stuck to doing machines I would concentrate on doing big muscle groups first. A seated chest press will work more than just you chest, the same as a lat pull will work more than just your back.

The main things with following a routine will be balance, progression, deload protocol and exercise selection that will help to address exercise overlap. You don't want to be doing three different heavy shoulder presses a day and overworking your shoulders so you end up with an injury.

I would look for a good push pull routine and try to build your routine around what you can do with machines. Take some time to google and research some programs, go to your gym and find machines that mimic the free weight exercises that are in the program and build your program with machines.

You should be able to get in pretty good shape doing that.

This of course is dependent upon the dr giving you the ok.

[billb7581]

I lost quite a bit of gut doing Starting strength, and strong lifts used to have constant back pain, now not so much.

[Maxpowers878]

After 6 days in... all of your advice has helped a lot. I started with straightening out the diet by using myfitnesspal app on my phone which is absolutely incredible by the way. My neighbor gave me an elliptical and a stationary bike and I've been logging time on there up to this point ( 15 mins on the elliptical then a 20 min cooldown on the bike). Got the all clear from the Dr. today to do any workout I want to do just have to listen to my body and avoid going to heavy for the first month and then I need to check back in with him. The scale today was a big uplift and weighed me in at work on a certified scale at 224 lbs that is 6 pounds down so far. I should mention I also gave up soda which I think has something to do with the amount I lost this week. hopefully I wont continue to drop at that rate but it is still encouraging. My goal is two pounds a week but when I add the strength training tomorrow that might help even it out? I hope any ways. Thanks for all the help so far feeling great

[KoolDJVader]

Surprised your doctor didn't prescribe physical therapy. Your doctor said to strengthen your back but didn't seem to tell you how. One thing you might want to look at is Stuart McGill's Big 3 (but probably run it through your doctor or a PT if you can get one prescribed to make sure it's okay)

[dalylink]

I agree wholeheartedly with giving up soda. Calories with no value

[Maxpowers878]

Surprised your doctor didn't prescribe physical therapy. Your doctor said to strengthen your back but didn't seem to tell you how. One thing you might want to look at is Stuart McGill's Big 3 (but probably run it through your doctor or a PT if you can get one prescribed to make sure it's okay)

I went through 12 physical therapy sessions last month before I could return to work. And yeah my dr has given very little guidance at all. Just kind of said take it slow. Only gym option I have is the local ymca. We have no others within 30 miles so im stuck with that. Their personal trainer only works till 11 am and I work till 430. So im kind of on my own as far as that goes. Thankfully people here have been helpfull.