New to the whole 'Healthy' scene but, um..

So, as stated above I’m new to this and had a few questions about this section right here: Exercise Programs!

I’ve started calorie counting and drinking more water but I also wanted to slim down and trim up (get rid of some squish), but I don’t want to have the scary man muscles.. I just want to feel comfortable in my summer clothes.

Anyway, back to the point.. I wanted to know if there was an exercise program out there like p90x or something to that effect for people who can’t afford the gym or the in home equipment, meaning I pretty much have nothing to work with minus my own body and maybe a chair? lol.

Sorry for my ignorance on this subject and any information you could give me would really be great.

Names and types of the programs would be absolutely amazing.. I’ll do all the foot work after.

Thank you so much for your time.

Well, if you just have your body to work with you will have to do with just your body. And your body and bodyweight is an excellent tool to workout with. Besides walking, running, jumping and some other cardio type activities, you can use your bodyweight to do push-ups, bodyweight squats, dips, chinups and or pull ups etc.. There is a site http://www.bodyweightculture.com that specializes in bodyw excersises. Don’t be scared you will gain incredible ugly muscles because that would take several years of specialized training and very balanced nutrion. Doing bodyweigth excersisis would in fact just do want you want slim down and trim up..

The scary man muscles. So you going to look like arnold if you pick up a weight. That is ridiculous, Even if you had perfect nutrition, and lifted religiously for a year. The average person can only gain 5 lbs of muscle. I dont mean to slam you, you talk like it is so easy to put on muscle and it isnt. If people would shut up and go pick up some weights they would see how WEAK they really are. P90x requires the use of dumbbells in some of their routines. If you are lifting your bodyweight you might get muscles, so I would stick to cardio – running or jogging.

@rigglemg Wow thats a nice piece of crappy advice to scare people of… Why do you do this? To make you feel better about yourself?

Sounds like turbulence training might be a great option. They are books that you buy in pdf format. They contain the entire work out with pictures and directions on how to do each step correctly. They have a variety of just body weight exercise programs, one just for women!
www.turbulencetraining.com

Also there is are fit decks that use minimal equipment as well. A fit deck is like a deck of cards on each card is a new movement. You can “play” a game for a workout where you just flip over the top card and do each exercise for 1 minute. It makes the workout fun and usually you get a whole body workout.

P90X requires equipment (dumb bells, exercise band, pull-up bar). I like the program but it takes at least an hour 6 days a week. We just ran out of time!

Hope that helps!

wedzir, if more people attempted to put on muscle in our american society, maybe we would not have 65% Obesity. <-That is scary.
I would rather live in a society of muscleheads who count calories, calculate macro ratios, push themselves, and train hard everyday. Who find time to make fitness a priority in their lives.
Its not crappy advice, if you dont want to put on muscle like the scary muscle guys, do cardio (running, elliptical, swimming, aerobics) and eat at a 500-1000 Calorie deficit daily. Eat 1g protein per LBM to perserve what muscle you have.
I have used the fitday cards, they are great.

@wedzir just ignore him.

What wedzir posted is completely right. You don’t need anything more than your own body if you just want to get in shape.

I have been sticking with primarily body weight exercises myself (have a few where I use some light dumbells) because right now I’ve been working out in my living room. It’s nice as I can watch TV while I work out (and there’s no fighting over what to watch).

We all had to start somewhere…so don’t get scared off by someone like rigglemg…most people on this site are nice and helpful.

Well maybe he should practice what he preaches…. When I look at his log I only see cardio hahahahah

I agree, there are many great exercises you can do with just your bodyweight. From what I understand P90X is some what pricey. However, there are many great books available (Like Weight Training for Dummies or New Rules of LIfting for Women) that can help you understand more about weight training and give you some options for different programs. DB also has great programs available as well.
As far as muscles go, women don’t have the hormones (naturally in most cases) to gain a lot of mass. I have been weight training for 11 years and I hope no one would call me scary. :) Muscle is a good thing, it boosts metabolism. Don’t be afraid to train with weights. :)
Pamela

www.ThrivePersonalFitness.com

Before I start the other reply I just wanted to start off first by saying that I preemptively apologized for any ignorance I had to this whole subject and stated that I was in fact new to this whole scene, that includes my perception on how some of these body types are achieved. So, there was no need for most of your (rigglemg) ranting. Again, I apologize.

Secondly, I am so happy that I was sent to this website and I want to thank all of you so much for your valuable input. As, soon as I finish this up I am going to start the reading and reviewing of all things posted so that I too can join all of you in working on a more healthier body.

@wedzir: I really enjoyed that website, it was easy to use and now I’m feeling foolish for not looking a little bit harder.. I just wasn’t sure what to exactly call the exact type of exercising I was looking for.. which made Google search a tad confused lol!

@aheath: Oh wow, I really like the idea of the fit deck. Sometimes finding the motivation to even start is hard some days.. but turning it into a game of sorts sounds like a great idea. But, I have yet to check out the site you mentioned.. I’ll look at that once I’m done looking at wedzirs.

@thor79: Yeah, I like the idea of watching TV while working out as well. Makes it go by a little faster and not feel so.. I’m not sure if boring is the right word.. but I’m sure you know what I’m getting at. Also the way you talked about that type of exercising made me feel a little bit better about only doing that type vs. the weight lifting route. Also, do you have a certain routine that you would recommend or exact positions you prefer?

@PamelaH: Wow, thanks for all the nifty information. Maybe I should read up a little bit more before posting! Also I am extremely sorry for my “scary man muscle” statement.. it wasn’t meant to be a knock of any sorts more of.. that’s just not the type of body I’m looking for (granted that I can’t achieve it), but I hope you know what I mean.

@JDanielle: I have been using the “Weight Loss Training Plan” since I started here. It combines bodyweight exercises with some dumbbell work and is working quite well for me. I augment it by doing some additional running on my off days (I try to workout 6 days a week in some form or another). I like the training plan so far, the only exercises I don’t like doing in the training plan are the 8 count body builders, as they absolutely kill me. Once I get a bit more fit I’ll start doing them again but until then I’m skipping them.

Pamela is right…using weights will not cause you to be a muscle-bound scary man…that only happens if you really work at it (going above and far beyond what most fit people do). Weights will help give your muscles a workout and that will help you burn calories for longer after your workout. Cardio is good for the heart and good for burning calories but weights will do the most to get your body in shape. This is why my weight loss plan includes weight training.

On TV: I gotta have something to keep me entertained…whether it’s a TV show, a podcast, or just some music…I need something to keep my mind occupied…as that helps keep me focused on my task…getting fit.

On the subject of video games (from your post on my journal): I still game regularly and I don’t see any issue with continuing to game…after all…if I were to cut out every sedentary activity in my life, I wouldn’t have much of a life (I am a programmer). You just have to keep in check what you snack on while you game. For snacks while gaming I use stuff like grapes or an apple. Sometimes beef jerky since it’s high in protein (not so much anymore as I’m trying to cut down on sodium). For what to drink, I just keep my water bottle handy. You can still snack…you just have to keep yourself accountable.

I’m rather new to all this myself and I’m still learning as well. I’ve learned a ton since I first got to this site. One thing you should already have if you’re counting calories is a good food scale. Measure everything. I start my day by measuring out my Cheerios and Milk. Every meal I have is measured…and that is the best way to keep track of what you eat. No guessimating as you will either overestimate or underestimate. The only way to be sure is measuring. The hardest part with measuring everything is when you go to family gatherings or business lunches, you’re not in control of how the food is prepared, so you don’t know all the ingredients. You might be able to get a recipe or something but chances are, unless you carry your scale with you everywhere (I don’t), you won’t know how much your food weighed.

Measuring is important because when you record what you eat, it is like looking at yourself in a mirror, you come to the realization about certain things you should and shouldn’t be eating. For instance, I’ve almost entirely given up beef because I realized it was hurting my weight loss goal (I plateaued for a couple of weeks). That doesn’t mean you can’t have the occasional treat…but you have to budget for it like you budget for your bills every month if you want to continue to progress towards your goals.

I train with weights 6 days per week, I dont log my weight training sessions due to my slow connection here in afghanistan. I try to save my bandwidth for tracking my calories and macros, And I practice what I preach as I do cardio everyday except for my current diet which isnt for everyone CKD. I do it to increase my survivability, because I go outside the wire everyday.

Disprove me that I am wrong?
500-1000 Calorie deficit daily incorporating diet and exercise. Eat 1g protein per LBM to perserve what muscle you have.

If you are not lifting weights or doing cardio, Well I guess you are either not exercising or doing bodyweight exercises – Wow wedzir you are Genius

just run! :D

Don’t be afraid of the muscle:

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/ChickenTuna/
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/buffmother/
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/msfitfern/

Bodyweight excercises are great, but you might also want to invest in a moderate amount of equipment. A dumbell set, skipping rope, etc….

http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/homeEqpt.htm

Walking/running when you can is what has really worked well for me… I also have just started going to the gym (it’s free) at work and they have a very nice elliptical, which is always good for a sweat… body weight exercises will be my next addition.
Also just putting EVERYTHING I eat into the food log… I have friends from work who are my motivators and since i see them every day we all see what the other eats, and I’ve discovered I’m too stubborn to put junk food down – so now I just don’t eat it – LOL!

Thanks for the links WSteven: I’ve just spent the last hour gawking at those “hot & fit” ladies. I wish I could (will) get my body in just 1/2 that good of shape.

No reason to be sorry for the description “scary man muscles”. I appreciate the fact that not every woman wants to look like a figure competitor. I use myself as an example because I have a long history of weight training, yet I don’t think I am bulky in anyway. Asking questions on the forums is exactly what you should do. No one here has all the answers, :) Good luck and don’t be afraid to ask more questions.
Pamela

www.ThrivePersonalFitness.com

“beautifulgrace” on the Bodyspace inspirational pages is really inspirational!

@Raytodd, totally agree

Bodyweight exercises are great, and totally sufficient when you’re getting started. If you want more (and some heavier) ideas, try this: http://www.stumptuous.com/no-weights-no-problem.

Stumptuous.com is a fantastic resource for resistance training information. If you want an explanation of why you’re very unlikely to end up looking like the neck-less strong man at a circus, try this: http://www.stumptuous.com/dont-fear-the-testost… and this: http://www.stumptuous.com/lies-in-the-gym.

@rigglemg

You also might want to consider that the obesity rate in this country is determined largely by BMI, which is the most ridiculous indicator of health possible. By that standard, most of the people we consider to be in the best physical shape are obese…

I haven’t read everyone reply.
But lifting weights will not get you scary man muscles lol.
It takes years to get those, if you use weights, do your exercises with very high reps.
say 3 sets of 15.
you will gain muscle, but not bulk.
itll be cute lil lady muscle =P

i too have not read every post…but, like others have said, body weight workouts are great…in fact, lots of gymnast use only their body weight for their workouts….many (most?) of them have great physiques…there was some videos of Dominique Dawes workouts a couple years ago – i think the Washington Post did the article on her and her workouts….they were awesome…

bottom line – you can get a lot out of your body weight when working out….

Here’s the link to the info on Dominique Dawes’ workout (as well as that of Justin Spring, another Olympi gymnast):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar…

“Dominique Dawes has three Olympic medals, one of the best nicknames in sports (”Awesome Dawesome") and the ability to sit in a split for hours on end. So what doesn’t the legendary gymnast have? Weights. "

that’s the one!