Solar Spider

My heaviest weight was 250lbs, mostly fat. Then I got a job at a UPS warehouse, worked really hard and lost about 90-100lbs in the first year, and it stayed off until I quit the job. It may not sound like that kind of job, but trust me...being on your feet for 8-12 hrs a night, sorting mail, pulling 400lb pallets and cages of mail, and constantly bending over and walking things around the warehouse adds up quick.

Since I quit, I started putting on weight again, and decided it was time to put together an exercise routine, but I don't have money for gym access or equipment. So, here it is:

Push-ups: 15 x 10 = 150
Feet-off-the-ground crunches: 15 x 10 = 150
Knee-ups w/arms straight out to sides: 30 x 10 = 300
5 days a week. I usually split these in half, so like x5 in mornings, x5 in evenings, for the total x10 on each.

Occasionally add other things like squats, weightless curls, gripping/ripping exercises (simple as folding a newspaper or magazine and trying to rip it), and controlled breathing (more important than most people think).

And basically just don't sit down for more than 1 hour. Add some walking/jogging/running/swimming for cardio/stamina.
Don't forget to do some stretches before and after, and get enough sleep & proper nutrition.

Most important thing when working towards weight loss/physical fitness is to not give up. Setbacks will happen, you will occasionally make bad food choices, you will attend parties, you will have lazy days...but the most important thing is to not let the setbacks become habitual. Even if you can't do the whole thing, do half, do something.

id up your routine to like 300 reps per day at minimal. or maybe 200 reps in morning and 200 at night.

i did 200 knee highs once and it got me a nice burn, if i pushed myself i could do that daily, i was also up to 70 swim kicks to where it really started to burn, i coulda went for 80 but i dont like to make noise and grunt when i workout.

jumpin jacks are cool too, i do sets of 1,2,3, (1) all the way up to 100, so i really do 400 counted as 100.

give it your all one day and see how far you can really push yourself.

N' keep it up.  if i see any more people get involved in training logs i might have to start up again, it got boring posting all my stuff all by my lonesome ((((

I don't know if you need to up the routine, it really just depends on your diet and metabolism. As long as you stick to what ever you do then it should work.  Also if you can get a good jump rope it's a good workout and it makes you a bit more light on your toes.

Yeah, been doing more research on fitness and I def need to up it, but I don't think in the strength training....at least not yet. Some cardio is needed if I want to get the most of my routine. Adding 35 mins cardio to each day would be plenty. I can up the routine as it gets easier...add weight, add time, hold positions, etc.

when i use to wrestle we lost weight by running what seemed like miles in a bunch of clothing with no water brakes until the end then eat health. You should try running with lot of clothes and jump roping with lots of clothes

I added a functional core work out called the "Rotisserie". 2 full rotations, 45 seconds on each "side" of the rotisserie, twice a day. Designed to strengthen core muscles, especially the small balancing ones in your back.

youtu.be/oOvo2PDmL0E

If you can do any of these for more than 45 seconds, add small weights until you can't do them for that long.

1. 45 sec "Superman"s: lay on stomach and raise chest, arms/hands, and legs off the ground, slowly sway from side to side.
2. 45 sec left side planks: with left elbow on ground, raise your body up while keeping your back straight and hold or bob
3. 45 sec weighted crunches
4. 45 sec right side planks: reverse of left side planks
5. 45 sec push-up plank: with both elbows resting on ground, lift body up while keeping back flat and bob or hold.

I've lost my faith in Calisthenics and weight lifting; it's too hard to truly push your limits. Your body tells you to quit under pressure and so you wind up doing less than your capable of, as well as risk plataeu.

I'm a firm believer now though in hard, arduous labor. It's more boring and hard and tiring, but just two weeks of:

1. Digging a trench 18 inches deep and 18 inches high for sixteen hours a day.
2. Hiking three to five miles with 100 pounds of gear.
3. Carrying Chainsaws, Fedcos, Cubes of Water, Cans of Gas and Crates of MREs to distant locations, usually about a mile away.

Combine all three of those aspects in one day for two weeks, and you'll look like a god. But, you have to stay on a high protein diet; you're gonna burn a helluva lot of caleries.

I got super buff after my first crew job, but I lost a lot of weight, and I was already thin. My skin looked like taut leather stretched over my muscles, not enough meat.  I started drinking egg yokes and MREs became my typical diet and I started packing on more mass too.

I had to though since it was my job; I couldn't quit even though my body was screaming as loud as it could at me to stop. You have to push past it and keep going. Helps when you have an entire crew to encourage and support each other. I'd reccomend signing on with forestry for a season if you get the chance; best workout ever. Good money too.


--John

Yeah, I dig with my cousin's plumbing business when he offers a gig, which isn't often at all... best workout I've had in my life, though I'd say 16 hours is quite a long time to be digging one trench. After 2 nights of digging, I felt like I needed to sleep for 3 days straight. I just don't have the chance to go out and do that all the time, and doing it on my own time is hard, too, because I stay home with my son (1-year old) and have 0 equipment (no shovel, no land to dig up, no weights, no bars, no punching bag)...so my workouts are more structured around the time i have available and being able to do the exercise with my son close.

Calisthenics means nothing will fall and hurt my son, he wont fall onto anything but the floor, and I can watch him closely while i workout. For cardio, I put him on my shoulders and walk hard with good posture for a good 40 mins. I also just try to not sit down for long, and stay active doing SOMEthing. It all adds up.

Nice. 

I do something similiar with my niece. I use her as the weight, lifting her up towards the ceiling, swing her down between my legs, wait for the hysterical giggle, then do another repitition, haha. XD

Yeah, I want to eventually do things like that, but I need to make sure my core is strong enough first (don't want to hurt him or myself)...that rotisserie workout is intense, and you can always add weight.

Coolness.

How goes the training, you keeping to your routine? Lose any weight? Reps getting any easier?

I've been keeping up with it...used a calorie calculator to find out my caloric needs for my weight, height, sex, age, and level of activity. Counting calories, protein, carbs, and fiber. Running at about 500 calorie deficit. No scale weight drop yet, but it's only been a little over one week of monitoring my food. My clothes do seem to fit better, though...so something is happening. Reps aren't getting much easier, but since I'm on a cut, that's normal. Doing lots of cardio to rev up my resting metabolic rate...I've read it takes 4 weeks for others to notice a difference, 7 weeks for myself.