A
male
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:Ok, i am 18 years old, male, about 5'10".I am trying to plan a workout/weightloss/muscle gain or what ever you would like to call it so that i can try and gain muscle and lose fat.Would a detox THEN workout work best or just workout?Also, what foods is best to eat as i only like:fish tunameat chickenveg everything apart from cauliflor, broclyif somebody can give me a routine of what time to start, how long/how many miles etc.. a routine would be best for me to do that would be 100% amazing.PS. i havent done much running in a while, but i can sure jog for a long period of time without stopping.Thanks.
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male
reader, Jmtmj  +, writes (29 July 2010):
 I'd recommend hiring a personal trainer for a few weeks, they're expensive, but you can pick their brain, get into a routine and then go it alone in the gym. Weight loss and muscle gain are two different things, you really should figure out which one you are aiming at to start with.
I'd recommend reading a book called "the abs diet", its a great book which doesn't overload you with information and myths about fitness and includes both healthy effective instruction on diet and exercise. As a personal trainer, trust me, this book is great and worth spending a few bucks on.
Best of luck... stick with it :)
A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (29 July 2010): Forget the "detox", they are a con.
There are two aspects to this: eating and exercise.
Eating is about right quantities of right foods. You can build a right diet out of the foods you list. Forget the fad diets in magazines, any low fat diet which suits your lifestyle will do the job. People seeking to put on muscle often opt for a low carb, high protein diet -- there's an element of faddishness to that, but also some justification. The "CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet" is a good low carb, high protein diet.
More important than the diet is eating habits. You need to develop some consciousness about this, so that you don't undo a day's good work with a 3pm snack attack, but have good food at hand if you know you always want something at that time. Similarly, when you are away from home, that consciousness is needed to select the best of the foods on offer in the right portions.
Exercise consists of two types: aerobic and strength. A good gym will initially set a highly aerobic program. As you improve they'll introduce strength exercises, starting with the "core strength" areas of back and abs. Then they'll ease you into limb strength. The aim of this roughly two year easing into a full workout is to prevent injury -- if you start right into free weights you'll hurt yourself badly within a week. Don't fret, you'll be looking much better from about six months in, just from the aerobic work.
The advice to join a gym is good. However, do shop around. You want a gym with both aerobic equipment (bikes, rowers) and with strength equipment (machines, hand weights, free weights). More than that, you want their knowledge. So ask about what sort of programs they run, what other members do, and so on. Look for a gym with members that do their gym work to support their other activities -- that goes a long way to avoiding the unhealthier gym cultures.
I'd also suggest a personal trainer at the gym. Firstly, they'll spot you and correct your technique. Secondly, they'll track your progress. Thirdly, they'll set a program and keep you to it. A program is a set of exercises aimed at a particular muscle group each visit.
The one thing you didn't mention is motivation. A lot of people find working with others motivating. So go along and try out your local "masters" swimming group, your local cycling club, your local triathlon club, your local rowing club, your local surf club, your local ski club. They nearly all have non-competitive grades. Find one or two groups you like and go regularly; you get both motivation and aerobic work.
If possible, cycle to work. It's an easy exercise win, in that it takes about twice the time as driving, but you get the exercise for free.
Regulate your television and non-work screen time. You'll find that one hour a day is plenty. The best plan there is to get the TV guide at the start of the week and to mark the shows you must see. Similarly, when using the Internet have a list of tasks and set an alarm clock. The Internet blogs and forums for the activities you like can be highly motivating.
Don't stint on the kit, because bad kit is demotivating. If you cycle, buy a nice low-end road bike and the right comfortable clothes. If you run, buy good shoes, socks, shirts and tights from a shop servicing runners and triathletes (this won't be a in a shopping mall, however much those shops might pretend to be the real deal). One of the pluses of joining a gym or sporting club is that they'll share the knowledge of what works well and where to get it.
Finally, you are making a lifestyle change. So don't fall into the beginner's mistake of setting the bar too high, of doing too much too soon. Certainly fix the diet right away, but ease yourself in to the exercise. I swim 2Km three times a week, cycle 60Km per work day, run 10Km on Sunday morning, and do a weights session twice a week. But this took about five years to work into. I don't look muscle-bound, but I do look buff, not to be messed with, and get chatted up in bars by women (sadly for them, but not for me, I'm married to a wonderful girl).
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A
female
reader, romany +, writes (29 July 2010):
 Hiya, Congratulations on making a commitment to yourself to make yourself healthy, I've dated alot of body builders, and altho they look great, they can't run a flight of stairs, so jogging is a good thing, my last boyfriend was into cardio as well, and so he was ripped and fit, which is a great combination!!!
I've spoken to him about your question, and he said the best thing for you would be to visit a gym, and get advice from people that can set you a program and monitor your progress and advise you of healthy supplements to help.
He also said, dont be taken in by quick weight loss, to define muscle, or by taking anything that you know is illegal, he said, with the right training, you will start to see a difference in muscle tone within 2-3 weeks if your training and eating correctly.
Good luck.
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