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. Last year I had a stress test- the doctor said my heart was what he wanted his other patients to be.
I am a 51 year old guy, about 5'10, 275lbs. When I was younger I was a really fit athlete / player. My lifestyle is mostly sedentary, with heavy work occassionally. I have been walking about 1/2 hour several times a week for the last two months. I want to get in shape, not any bigger. My chest and waist are about 56". Normal bp, no diabetes. I don't smoke, my diet is bad- but it is improving. I went undiagnosed with sleep apnea for 17 years, psoriatic arthritis, wasn't able to nose breath until surgery 1 year ago. I joined a gym that has about 20 cybex machines. As I just started, I use 10 lbs and very slowly do 10 reps. I use the "arm bicycle" for a few minutes, then head to the treadmill. So far- I'm doing a 2.5 speed with a 2.5 incline for 20 minutes. The machines have the heart rate in the handles. I have gone twice so far. I know i'm not in great shape. I think I averaged about a 105 heart during each. Is there a " cardio " target rate I want to work up to? Would there be a progressive goal for each week? I'm trying to take the slow, safe, and steady route. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance-Mark
Last edited by elvisluvs; 02-15-2015 at 09:50 AM..
Reason: adding content
I'm the type of person who truly believes in the miracle of healthy foods (it's the cure all). I know, you're at a point where you can't do much intensive exercise. So, I suggest, focusing more on you're diet to lose weight and not so much through exercise. Once you've lost enough weight, and have your diet in place, you'll feel better/stronger to exercise and get into shape. Just my suggestion.
I'm the type of person who truly believes in the miracle of healthy foods (it's the cure all). I know, you're at a point where you can't do much intensive exercise. So, I suggest, focusing more on you're diet to lose weight and not so much through exercise. Once you've lost enough weight, and have your diet in place, you'll feel better/stronger to exercise and get into shape. Just my suggestion.
I think you should at least get your heart rate up to 135 or 140 for a constant 20-30 minutes. Stick with the resistance/weight training as well and just keep setting a higher personal goal for yourself in regards to either the weight amount or the number of sets/reps. I definitely think your diet and your caloric intake is a huge issue, but I don't think losing any muscle tone at all is the right way to go. I think by lowering your calories to between 1500-1800 calories a day along with doing what you can in the gym will be a good combination for you. I have seen too many people lose muscle while losing weight, but in order to increase your metabolism you absolutely need every bit of muscle you can have.
Give yourself a goal of eating clean 6 days a week and allow yourself a cheat day. As time goes on and you see the results of the 6 days of clean eating, you just may find yourself on the cheat days not wanting to cheat all that much. When that day starts to appear, you will know you are definitely on to something,, what that something is will become a whole lot of somethings. Good luck, just keep trying.
I would recommend you to very gradually get in shape, take it slowly. A big part of this process is bringing structure to your eating habits...and slowly but surely make improvement to what and how much you eat.
I highly recommend a pulse-oximeter. I have been using one and it is a great feedback device.....really clues you in on how well you body is doing oxygen wise, a very important detail, especially when you are exercising.
Re: "a 2.5 speed with a 2.5 incline for 20 minutes"
Quote:
Originally Posted by elvisluvs
. Last year I had a stress test- the doctor said my heart was what he wanted his other patients to be.
I am a 51 year old guy, about 5'10, 275lbs. When I was younger I was a really fit athlete / player. My lifestyle is mostly sedentary, with heavy work occassionally. I have been walking about 1/2 hour several times a week for the last two months. I want to get in shape, not any bigger. My chest and waist are about 56". Normal bp, no diabetes. I don't smoke, my diet is bad- but it is improving. I went undiagnosed with sleep apnea for 17 years, psoriatic arthritis, wasn't able to nose breath until surgery 1 year ago. I joined a gym that has about 20 cybex machines. As I just started, I use 10 lbs and very slowly do 10 reps. I use the "arm bicycle" for a few minutes, then head to the treadmill. So far- I'm doing a 2.5 speed with a 2.5 incline for 20 minutes. The machines have the heart rate in the handles. I have gone twice so far. I know i'm not in great shape. I think I averaged about a 105 heart during each. Is there a " cardio " target rate I want to work up to? Would there be a progressive goal for each week? I'm trying to take the slow, safe, and steady route. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance-Mark
I started like you are 18+ months ago. I am doing 60+ minutes, 3.3+ miles/hour, 15/15 incline for 4 times/week. I am doing light strength exercise. I need to spend more time on strength/resistance training. Muscle burn more calories.
Fitness is life-long journey and there is no short-cut.
. Last year I had a stress test- the doctor said my heart was what he wanted his other patients to be.
I am a 51 year old guy, about 5'10, 275lbs. When I was younger I was a really fit athlete / player. My lifestyle is mostly sedentary, with heavy work occassionally. I have been walking about 1/2 hour several times a week for the last two months. I want to get in shape, not any bigger. My chest and waist are about 56". Normal bp, no diabetes. I don't smoke, my diet is bad- but it is improving. I went undiagnosed with sleep apnea for 17 years, psoriatic arthritis, wasn't able to nose breath until surgery 1 year ago. I joined a gym that has about 20 cybex machines. As I just started, I use 10 lbs and very slowly do 10 reps. I use the "arm bicycle" for a few minutes, then head to the treadmill. So far- I'm doing a 2.5 speed with a 2.5 incline for 20 minutes. The machines have the heart rate in the handles. I have gone twice so far. I know i'm not in great shape. I think I averaged about a 105 heart during each. Is there a " cardio " target rate I want to work up to? Would there be a progressive goal for each week? I'm trying to take the slow, safe, and steady route. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance-Mark
Even if the Dr. said you have a healthy heart being 125lbs overweight means you could send it too high when straining without being accustomed to hard workouts.
I would start a food diary at myfitnesspal.com and customize to your personal inputs and desired weight loss rate. Then focus on cardio 3x(5x being ideal) with weights in the intervening days. Get yourself a hr monitor Polar FT7 or similar. Gym ones have too much variation.
When you are new at this and without training you will notice when you reach your limit in cardio workouts as you will simply be unable to continue. Shortness of breath is the key indicator.
I do not know what hr rate you should be at as we are unique and my example should not be extrapolated to another person. I would be cautious with all of the extra weight and focus on slowly ramping up stamina and reduce weight via diet reduction.
At the beginning you would be best to walk, fast walk at a lower speed for longer than a higher speed for less duration. You want to do this several times a weak not go max for one day per week. Extend your duration gradually. If you are at 20min, aim for 30min, then 40, then 45, then 60. etc. Until you can do 1 hr minimum then either increment slowly again or add speed or resistance,same as incline.
Vary your training-treadmill, elliptical, stairs(if any) and incline. If you have a rowing machine-those are wonderful.
As for weights that is another issue. I would joint a body weight or light weight workout class.
Plan for a 18 months weight reduction program to lose 100lbs. It could be sooner depends on your overall condition.
Drink plenty of water and always when you feel overheated.
Thanks everyone- I appreciate all of the advice. Unfortunately, without going into too much detail; lets say I am in a serious mid- life crisis. I'm struggling to have patience with where I'm at vs where I would like to be. In a few weeks I also have to empty my basement and move to a different location. I'm a record hoarder/ dealer of sorts. My guess is about 125 cases of records, plus the usual basement stuff. I was hoping to get a bit of improvement in before I started on it. The good news is I have about 1 month to accomplish it. I am quite motivated; one fear I have is having baggy skin. Can anyone give me the "skinny" if I lose a substantial amount? Or is it more of an individual thing? I am very appreciative-Mark
Thanks everyone- I appreciate all of the advice. Unfortunately, without going into too much detail; lets say I am in a serious mid- life crisis. I'm struggling to have patience with where I'm at vs where I would like to be. In a few weeks I also have to empty my basement and move to a different location. I'm a record hoarder/ dealer of sorts. My guess is about 125 cases of records, plus the usual basement stuff. I was hoping to get a bit of improvement in before I started on it. The good news is I have about 1 month to accomplish it. I am quite motivated; one fear I have is having baggy skin. Can anyone give me the "skinny" if I lose a substantial amount? Or is it more of an individual thing? I am very appreciative-Mark
Don't worry about that; cross that bridge when you get there. GL
You can easily find your Target Heart Rate (thr) with this simple method. Subtract your age from 220 (226 for women) to calculate your Maximum Heart Rate (mhr). Find your training zone below and multiply that number times your maximum rate....
TRAINING ZONES
Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!
Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.
Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.
Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.
I would suggest you not get above the "Fitness Zone" of 60-70% of your MHR for now.
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. Last year I had a stress test- the doctor said my heart was what he wanted his other patients to be. 
Re: "a 2.5 speed with a 2.5 incline for 20 minutes"
