Have you ever used a personal trainer?

[loochy]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Are you calling me a Jew?!

Don't hire a Jew personal trainer

[penguinz]

A good personal trainer is worth much more than what you will actually be paying them. A bad personal trainer can make you never want to lift again.

Make sure you go with one that has been recommended by people you trust the opinions of.

As far as your knee, It is 98% mental. Not much physical therapy needed for a meniscus repair. Just make sure your PT knows so they ease you in on the leg exercises until you get the strength back up and feel confident in it.

[notorious]

Don't have food in the house you shouldn't be eating.

My wife is horrible about bringing sweets home. FFS STOP!!!!!

We all have our moments of weakness. Make it harder to relapse on the bad stuff.

[SuperChief]

Thanks for chiming in, folks! I really appreciate the input and advice.

My wife and I both have experience lifting weights, so the main thing we're looking for is the accountability part of the arrangement. Personally, I'm the least motivated person in terms of lifting and cardio, so I am desperately needing someone to help me get started. I'm confident that, over time, I'll be able to pick up the routines and workout plans quickly and be able to take it over for myself.

Slow and steady, though. I'm absolutely looking more into the "lifestyle" changes that some have mentioned already. I'm headed down the right path w/ nutrition (no soda, veggies w/ every meal, fairly clean eating overall), but it's the fitness part for which I need a swift kick in the arse.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by SuperChief

Thanks for chiming in, folks! I really appreciate the input and advice.

My wife and I both have experience lifting weights, so the main thing we're looking for is the accountability part of the arrangement. Personally, I'm the least motivated person in terms of lifting and cardio, so I am desperately needing someone to help me get started. I'm confident that, over time, I'll be able to pick up the routines and workout plans quickly and be able to take it over for myself.

Slow and steady, though. I'm absolutely looking more into the "lifestyle" changes that some have mentioned already. I'm headed down the right path w/ nutrition (no soda, veggies w/ every meal, fairly clean eating overall), but it's the fitness part for which I need a swift kick in the arse.

Sweet.

I mentioned in another thread that my wife and I (and now my son) are basically groundhogs.

We emerge from our holes to workout when spring hits, then we hibernate again in the winter. Been that way for well over a decade now, lol.

We make it a point to eliminate alcohol, chips and soda. Aside from that we eat however the **** we want. I understand that isn't the BEST thing to do, but so ****ing what.

We're staying in shape. Looking good for our age. Keeping our "beach bodies" ready to go for the next hot summer beach day.

At this point im too old and too busy to give a **** about 6 pack abs or looking perfect in my Calvin's. Eat good, live how you want. Just eliminate the pointless REAL bad shit. Booze, chips, soda.

I just feel like calorie counting and stressing over that shit simply puts too much stress on a person and sets forth some often difficult and unrealistic expectations. Im not saying it's not effective, just that i'm past the point of caring, and i can see gains and FEEL gains w/o it.

[SupDock]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Sweet.

I mentioned in another thread that my wife and I (and now my son) are basically groundhogs.

We emerge from our holes to workout when spring hits, then we hibernate again in the winter. Been that way for well over a decade now, lol.

We make it a point to eliminate alcohol, chips and soda. Aside from that we eat however the **** we want. I understand that isn't the BEST thing to do, but so ****ing what.

We're staying in shape. Looking good for our age. Keeping our "beach bodies" ready to go for the next hot summer beach day.

At this point im too old and too busy to give a **** about 6 pack abs or looking perfect in my Calvin's. Eat good, live how you want. Just eliminate the pointless REAL bad shit. Booze, chips, soda.

I just feel like calorie counting and stressing over that shit simply puts too much stress on a person and sets forth some often difficult and unrealistic expectations. Im not saying it's not effective, just that i'm past the point of caring, and i can see gains and FEEL gains w/o it.

I think it depends a lot on the person. I have spoke with a lot of people that struggle with their weight. Many of them are convinced they are in a calorie deficit and cannot lose weight because “that’s just how my body is”

Calorie counting is the only solution I see to this issue, and even with tracking most people still don’t accurately track.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by SupDock

I think it depends a lot on the person. I have spoke with a lot of people that struggle with their weight. Many of them are convinced they are in a calorie deficit and cannot lose weight because “that’s just how my body is”

Calorie counting is the only solution I see to this issue, and even with tracking most people still don’t accurately track.

Oh for sure.

[InChiefsHeaven]

Originally Posted by SupDock

I think it depends a lot on the person. I have spoke with a lot of people that struggle with their weight. Many of them are convinced they are in a calorie deficit and cannot lose weight because “that’s just how my body is”

Calorie counting is the only solution I see to this issue, and even with tracking most people still don’t accurately track.

One thing I have learned over the last 4 years is...counting calories is not the be all end all. You have to look at what you are eating. In fact, my coaches have been having me eat MORE than I thought I should, concentrate on protein and when I lift, I lift as heavy as I can. Quality reps over quantity, and time under tension, so go slow. It ain't a race, and it's about your body, not the fitness model on YouTube. That's just me, but I really saw improvement this year. I don't even get on the scale anymore, I go by how my clothes fit.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by InChiefsHeaven

One thing I have learned over the last 4 years is...counting calories is not the be all end all. You have to look at what you are eating. In fact, my coaches have been having me eat MORE than I thought I should, concentrate on protein and when I lift, I lift as heavy as I can. Quality reps over quantity, and time under tension, so go slow. It ain't a race, and it's about your body, not the fitness model on YouTube. That's just me, but I really saw improvement this year. I don't even get on the scale anymore, I go by how my clothes fit.

Idk how i feel about that whole low and slow vs light and fast debate.

IMO, they're both effective strats as long as you're reaching atrophy and working out consistently.

Atrophy and consistency are what REALLY matters. Its up to you the path you wanna take to get there.

[SupDock]

Originally Posted by InChiefsHeaven

One thing I have learned over the last 4 years is...counting calories is not the be all end all. You have to look at what you are eating. In fact, my coaches have been having me eat MORE than I thought I should, concentrate on protein and when I lift, I lift as heavy as I can. Quality reps over quantity, and time under tension, so go slow. It ain't a race, and it's about your body, not the fitness model on YouTube. That's just me, but I really saw improvement this year. I don't even get on the scale anymore, I go by how my clothes fit.

This is mostly wrong, at least if your primary goal is weight loss. I’m not saying it’s wrong for everyone, it’s just usually wrong in my experience when dealing someone who has struglgled for years with losing weight. People know what it means to eat healthy, they just can’t sustainably do it.

The only thing at you lose weight is with a calorie deficit. All the diets, all the workouts are just mechanisms to create a deficit. Someone who cannot succeed with weight loss needs to find a long term way to create deficit

When I am counseling on weight loss, sometimes I don’t even talk about macro quality. People need to focus on volume eating. They need to find low calorie high volume foods so they can feel full. To me this is a different conversation than someone who is looking for dietary changes to be more healthy.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by InChiefsHeaven

One thing I have learned over the last 4 years is...counting calories is not the be all end all. You have to look at what you are eating. In fact, my coaches have been having me eat MORE than I thought I should, concentrate on protein and when I lift, I lift as heavy as I can. Quality reps over quantity, and time under tension, so go slow. It ain't a race, and it's about your body, not the fitness model on YouTube. That's just me, but I really saw improvement this year. I don't even get on the scale anymore, I go by how my clothes fit.

That's the beauty of progressive overload... you can only bullshit yourself for so long.

I started lighter on a lot of stuff, sometimes to get the movement down and sometimes just not knowing where I was in terms of reps. But, if I'm at 12+ reps in a set, I'm adding weight. And with each workout I'm trying to add one more rep and then level up on weight.

Outside of simply not doing the exercise correctly (such as not having a full range of motion), eventually there's no where to hide. I could do a bunch of quick or sloppy reps, but eventually I'd be at a weight where I'm just kidding myself if I'm still doing the movement correctly.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by SuperChief

Thanks for chiming in, folks! I really appreciate the input and advice.

My wife and I both have experience lifting weights, so the main thing we're looking for is the accountability part of the arrangement. Personally, I'm the least motivated person in terms of lifting and cardio, so I am desperately needing someone to help me get started. I'm confident that, over time, I'll be able to pick up the routines and workout plans quickly and be able to take it over for myself.

Slow and steady, though. I'm absolutely looking more into the "lifestyle" changes that some have mentioned already. I'm headed down the right path w/ nutrition (no soda, veggies w/ every meal, fairly clean eating overall), but it's the fitness part for which I need a swift kick in the arse.

Do you track your weights and progress? Helps to have every single exercise laid out with reps and weight you do so you can see progress but also prevent yourself from getting comfortable.

[T-post Tom]

I hear Eric Berry is looking for a job. In addition to training, he’ll be happy to polish any excess football helmets you may have about.

[InChiefsHeaven]

I'm gonna blow the trumpet for Orange Theory Fitness. It's a coach led class style workout, about an hour per workout. I've been doing it for 4 years. Oddly I have not lost much weight, but I have gained a tremendous (for a 51 year old guy) amount of muscle, balance and stamina and I've lost a lot of fat. I'm not a six pack abs guy, but I look good in my clothes and my arms are pretty stout.

The workouts are fun, and they also have (how many per year depends on the membership you sign up for) a BMI index scale that will let you know your fat and muscle content so you can track your progress. You work out with a heart monitor and you can see the amount of calories, your heart rate, and the amount of time your heart is at 84% or higher, which is the "orange zone". It really helps to see what your body is doing as you work out. The studio I'm at is like a family. I go on the same nights every week so I have gotten to know many of the other members, and that helps for accountability as well. They also have consultations with the coaches, and all of our coaches really know their stuff.

Diet and routine is key. You can't outwork a bad diet. That's frankly been my biggest stumbling block. BUT...I don't drink nearly as much as I used to, and my wife and I both are eating clean and cooking at home. We rarely go out to eat, and if we do, it's even more rare that it's a fast food thing.

Basically, it ain't cheap, but if you consider how many times you go in a month and divide your cost by that, it's hella cheap for a coached workout in a friendly environment that gives solid results, IF you stick with it. There's probably a studio in your area. I highly recommend at least giving them a call. I think they give you a free workout so you can see what it's all about. I used to be a planet fitness guy, but I didn't really know how to push myself. I am now able to run (Never used to do that) and I am lifting much heavier weights than I ever used to. For what it's worth, they have an annual Transformation Challenge that they do, and this year, I took 2nd place...which was bloody amazing to me.

Give it a try and good luck!