What would you recommend as a starting point for rowing? Should I combine it with any other exercises? Right now I just want to slim down a bit and ditch the fatty man boobs and fat around the stomach.
What would you recommend as a starting point for rowing? Should I combine it with any other exercises? Right now I just want to slim down a bit and ditch the fatty man boobs and fat around the stomach.
Some rowers like to incorporate a bit of weight training with rowing, some weight lifters like to incorporate a bit of rowing, it all depends on what your goals are, if you're looking to shift fat quickly then I would make rowing your main thing for about 12 weeks then mix it up a bit with some weight training.
To start just get on a rower, set your resistance to a medium setting and then work on using correct form, I've seen people use bad form on the rowing machine so many times.
To start set a goal, say 5 to 10 minutes when you're a beginner, pace yourself and try and make those 10 minutes. After a couple of weeks your stamina will have improved and then do 15 minutes, then after another two weeks 20 minutes. Then start doing things like two 20 minute sessions with a 5 minute break in the middle, or one long paced 40 minute session. Interval training where you do 2 minutes easy rowing followed by one minutes fast rowing. Pyramid rowing where you row hard for increased lengths of time say 1 minute hard rowing, followed by 1 minutes easy rowing, followed by 2 minutes hard rowing, followed by 1 minutes easy rowing, followed by 3 minutes hard rowing etc etc..
There's all kinds of ways you can change it up.
As you get stronger and go for longer, increase the resistance on your machine. Make a note of how many meters you cover in a particular amount of time ( say 20 minutes for instance) and then try to maintain that distance or beat it the next time you row.
Just don't be surprised if on your first time you struggle to even make 5 minutes, don't over do it, it can be really hard work but it will build up your stamina very quickly it'll surprise you. Once your fitness improves you can start throwing in a couple of sets of stomach crunches or an ab exercise of your choice to get a really complete workout.
Coupled with my cycling and a change of diet, Im hopeful of results. Your input has been genuinely welcomed (in terms of buzzing/shaving) and now this.
I've been sticking to a traditional bodybuilding routine plus basketball and running for cardio. A few years back when I got out of shape (skinny fat) I gave P90X and shot and got solid results. It gave me a good base to work with before I started lifting heavy. It's pretty tough, but it's worth.
Anyways, I know how tough that is working and trying to find time for the gym. I did that last summer when I was working at my dad's factory. Basically, waking up at 4 in the morning, and getting home at 5-6 (rush hour). When I got home, I'd be so tired but I forced myself to go to the gym at like 8-9 or 9-10. Get home, eat and sleep at 12ish.
It was such a ****ing bitch I never wanna do that again. The only reason I went was because I had a couple workout buddies and they always forced me to go. On top of all that, after work (pure physical labor all day building transformers and various tasks), I had to BIKE!!! Not far like maybe a couple of kilometers to get to the gym. Man oh man, that summer I was ripped as shit. I weighed about 160lbs with a body fat of i'm assuming around 8-9%.
My meals were simple.I ate anytime as long as there wes a meal at lunch and after workout. I always made sure I consumed for that day anytime:
1x can of light tuna : 30g protein
250ml milk : 8g protein
2-3x eggs : 5g protein each
2x table spoon of peanut butter : 6g each scoop
2x slice of bread : 6g protein both
500g lean ground beef : 70-90g protein (bought like 50lbs of it and froze it cause of it was on sale for 4 bucks per lb)
Whatever veggies I feel like eating that day.
Any missing calories, I load up with rice or potatoes.
Lots of water.
Eat that for a month and you'll notice weight loss quick time. Plus with that regimen, I got room to eat anything else I feel on the weekend like going out or just eating 100 chocolate bars without worrying about weight gain. You can split the ground beef into smaller portions and eat it throughout the day too but i eat it all in one go cause I don't want to waste my days eating away like a slave to maintain muscle or lose weight. This is quick and easy. Oh and when I say I eat 500g of ground beef, I eat ONLY the ground beef. I don't season my food or add things that aren't neccesities. Plus, the times I do go out to eat, meals are that much more amazing cause my taste buds have't been hit with lots of sugar and salts and everything nice during the diet. I eat that year round. Sometimes I feel like a soldier cause some people complain about how my diet would taste like shit but whatever, they don't got the body I got. Oh yeah, and I used to be skinny as shit, like somalian skinny. My arms were like toothpicks. So for those who think it's not possible for an ectomorph to get big, that's a real shame cause they have the potential to look amazing when built right. It will be harder, yes, but that means you'd have to work harder. I can get bigger if I wanted to by eating more but I want to stay at around the weight I am now, maybe get to 170-180 of pure lean muscle in the future (mainly cause budget can't support more food atm) and I'm happy forever.
Quick Note on Nuts
I wouldn't recommend nuts. Roasted ones are rancid and raw ones are inflammation promoting. That's inflammation via the arachidonic acid cascade, so if you know much about prostaglandins, it's definitely not good for health and probably not good for hair loss either.
Worth a Google: Omege 6 inflammation, good omega ratio, omega ratio of different foods, pgd2 and hair loss
Quick Note on Whey
Whey is an old standby for most people, but even the dairy industry admits that it's insulinogenic. Whey promotes insulin, insulin promotes fat storage. No brainer, other protein is better when specifically trying to lose fat. Plus, if you're a human being over a few years old, you're probably a little allergic to dairy anyway.
Worth a Google: Whey and insulin response, insulin and fat
My Suggestion for Protein
Hemp or gemma pea are my main sources of non-animal protein. They're both "complete", noninflammatory, noninsulinogenic, vegan, and all kinds of good stuff. Truenutrition.com is a good place to look. If you order from them, I'd recommend typing "true nutrition coupon code" on Google. You can pretty much always get 5% off whatever you're buying.
Also, little known fact, avocados are sources of complete protein. The necessity of single foods with "complete protein" is played up really, really hard, but avocados are delicious, so why not?
Worth a Google: Vegan sources of complete protein, truenutrition coupon code
Fats
Your body simply can't make hormones without fat, and you're not going to get slim and fit without good hormone levels. Some people avoid fat so they don't get fat, which is one of those "common sense" ideas that make no sense. A great source of vegetarian fats is coconut oil. Google it. You're gonna want to eat a bunch of that stuff. I wouldn't cook with it though. You risk destroying parts of it. Just eat it by the spoon, it's tasty anyway. Personally, I'm of the opinion (from what I've read and from experienced) that fats are a lot more important than protein when training.
Worth a Google: dietary fats and hormones, hormones and weight loss, coconut oil benefits
Exercise
Someone already mentioned big lifts, but they're worth a second mention. Like with fats, it's worth your while to pick some lifts that promote hormones. Big lifts that utilize most of the body (done at heavy weight) have been shown to increase levels of hgh. A couple to a few times a weeks, you should go full retard on a deadlift or a squat. Follow it with a burn out set. Just what the research seems to suggest (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article...0_111/_article).
In general, your noncardio sessions should be based around one of the big lifts (squat, deadlift, or maybe bench) or a big olympic lift (like cleans or olympic style presses).
Worth a Google: Deadlift hormonal response, increasing hgh naturally, Ed Coan Deadlift Routine
Diet
Someone already mentioned intermittent fasting, but like big lifts, that's worth a second mention. Here is an article worth a read:
It's really well cited, which is good. It doesn't focus too hard on the weight loss aspects, but many of the general health benefits naturally lead to fat loss. I, personally, only eat once a day (huge meal) and have never been stronger or leaner in my life. I think someone named that style of fasting, but I can't think right off hand what it is.
Worth a Google: Intermittent fasting
Anyway, those are my two cents. It's mostly "health based", but becoming healthy comes with a healthy body fat. Hope some of this helped. Good luck, man!
P.S.
In general, you're going to want to ignore routines and advice derived from anyone using steroids. Personally, I like powerlifting as a sport, so I'm by default all about steroids. But people on steroids pretty much get to ignore the hormonal effects of diet and exercise because their hormone levels are otherwise taken care of. This is probably where the idea that protein was the god of nutrition came from. If you're on steroids, you get to significantly ignore the role of dietary fat in strength, weight loss, and muscle building. Just, grain of salt, you know?
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Originally Posted by Exodus
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