Comment: I have read Fat to Fit, up to the end of the first routine. I have decided to make my workout time on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday AM to start. Is it ok, to start out doing the squats, bench press, using dumbbells? I will admit I am a bit intimidated by the barbells, especially with no workout partner, (not that the weights are going to be mega heavy). Also, for the cardio, I seem to have a low tolerance for boredom so I want to switch it up between, treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike and eventually the rower?
I am also reminding myself that this is a journey and it will take time to familiarize myself with the exercises and routine, and that performing the routine is the goal, not perfection. I tend not to give myself much slack when on a learning curve.
Thanks.
Roger
Answer From Ray:
You’re bang on Roger!
At first it is really important just to get the workouts done. You just need to put some time in. No perfection, just movement and feeling that “worked out, I’m starting to take care of myself” feeling.
I actually prefer dumbbells on a lot of exercises, so absolutely no problem there. If anything, it will help your stabilizer muscles become ready for real world activity instead of being all show and no go.
It’s the same for the cardio. You should go with your instincts Roger, they’re good! Variety really speeds up progress and nothing will kill your motivation more than continually trying to do something you don’t enjoy over and over. So do the cardio you enjoy. You’ll do fine as long as you follow the recommendations in the program.
As far as giving yourself some slack with needing perfection, think of this. If you had a kid (not a baby goat…) that was just learning to walk…would you yell at them and get disappointed every time they fell down? OF COURSE NOT. You would be so happy for them just because they are trying. You would be encouraging, motivating and happy for any progress at all.
I would think you deserve the same don’t you?
The crazy thing is that we spend so much time trying to achieve something and so little time at the actual goal. Yet, we pick methods of attaining a goal that we don’t enjoy or we make the process difficult. That ends up being a lot of time not enjoying yourself. ENJOY THE PROCESS and your happiness won’t hinge on the result. And even more funny is that when you enjoy the process, results seem to come effortlessly anyway!
[tags]workout[/tags]
Thankyou for answering all these reader questions! It helps me so much with my own training.
i am 18 this december(still 17) and i’ve been doing body building for one year!so please RAY, tell me a best amino acid(tablets) product to buy and how to use it!as well as i need to know about the side effects of those products!
> thank you max
Honestly its not about supplements Max. Its about getting stronger and eating a lot of really good quality REAL food. I’ve found SOME supplements that MIGHT have helped a LITTLE, but nothing works as good as squats, deadlifts, dips, chins, rows mixed with steak and eggs…..
I am 26, 5’11, weigh 94 kg (206 lbs), and i used to be 103 kg at one time… it took me no more than 4 months to get down to 94 but then i stopped tennis, and got busy with my job etc. I gained weight and lost muscle visibly in calves and shoudlers, an ended up being 98 kg again. Ive been working out for 5 months now and i had lost fat and gained musle in the first 3 months but last two months, im working our more but getting lesser results
im following a very health diet of 6 meals a day including mostly veggies, beans, peas, lean meat and water. I think ive hit a so called “plateau”. I feel from inside that i should play tennis once a week. Please advise how to burst through this plateau? should i go with my instincts and start tennis on a weekend too with my 3 workout days in the week??? i take no supplements nor whey protein. all natural.
please help me out !