Tips for getting back in shape

[Jay]

I assume you want cardio to lose weight.

Sure it is one tool.

But remember weights burn calories too. Sometimes more. Circuit training could be a good solution for your problem but im not sure what your home setup is like so could be tricky.

Honestly I wouldn't bother with crunches and situps.

Good old pushups, dips and one legged squats will do the trick. They all require core stabilization anyway. If you want to do direct core work then do planks and work up to one arm one leg planks fro 2x30s.

Start slowly and best of luck.

[todome]

Sorry but I have to disagree. Circuit training maybe as a part of the plan, but not weight training in general. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists weight training as the metabolic equivalent of just barely jogging (6 METS). Circuit training with minimal rest and aerobic elements is about the same as running at around 5 miles an hour (8 METS) so if calories are the issue it seems to me that something light and substainable is the better first choice.

There are a lot of good reasons to get into resistance training. Burning calories isn't one of them.

[mr_obvious]

It's certainly better than sitting on the couch; but not a replacement for cardio.

Heh....anybody else like taching it up past 190bpm a few times a week?

[todome]

Not without a stress test but even at that I think its fair bet I'm too old to expect that avenue of pleasure to be available to me any longer.

[Turtle]

I actually want to do the cardio to build endurance. I get out of breath too easily. And since I don't have a gym membership, I don't really have access to the good weights for training anyway, just the five-pounders I have here at home.

I could care less about my weight, I'm more worried about my fitness level. And ... maybe this makes me a freak, but I really LIKE crunches and sit-ups.

[mr_obvious]

You gotta get inventive! Back when I was a poor college student (and before my school built the awesome fitness facility it now has) I used to stack old magazines in a duffel bag for resistance training. Admittedly, I couldn't really tax the Trapezius and Quads that way, but did the trick for most everything else. Oh....and a cheap doorframe-mounted pullup bar too.

[mr_obvious]

Not without a stress test but even at that I think its fair bet I'm too old to expect that avenue of pleasure to be available to me any longer.

Technically 190 is slightly above the theoretical maximum I should be able to achieve for my age. But when I do take it to that altitude, it most always feels like my lungs or legs give up before my heart (that sucker's like "let's go faster!!!")

[todome]

It sounds like you're in good enough shape to push your body to your heart's limit without hurting yourself. Finding your max means no matter how hard you push it your heart rate doesn't increase any more. That point doesn't last long. The failure is in the body, not the heart, because its anaerobic system seizes up.

Me, I've been finding that redlining (90% of max) my theoretical @ 160 for a few moments during my intervals is plenty. Some trainers say that will increase your limit.

I Might think about substaining that redline later on but not these days. I'm making plenty of progress as it is.

[mr_obvious]

I guess one's definition of "in good enough shape" varies. I'd really like to sustain a max intensity run for 18 mins, then the balance of 30 mins with an inclined speed walk. But right now I'm struggling to go 10-12, plus walk. That's one of my goals for the next year. Don't know if I'll get there, but Im darn sure trying!!!

Tying back to the OP -- I'd say get your diet squared away first, while slowly phasing in some resistance and cardio training. If funds are low, you might see if a Planet Fitness exists near you. They aren't the best gym out there, but for $10/month it's way better than any "home gym" option.

One thing's for sure: fitness doesn't come without exertion!

[todome]

You're not going to able to go 100% of your real max for 18 minutes. It just doesn't work that way because your body can demand more oxygen than the heart muscle can deliver.

The way a stress test works (if the med tech doesn't spot trouble in the heart readout and call the whole thing off - which is what I meant by good enough shape) is the intensity keeps on getting increased until they get the same heart rate two and maybe three times in a row. Then they make a serious point of ending the whole thing gracefully before your body seizes up like an engine that's dropped its oil pan.

You're probably well over your real redline (90% of max), and doing very well at that, but you're not hitting your real max for the full 10-12. Hitting your limit and then adding even more effort will ferret out your real max. Remember the formulas are only estimates. When you fall over and haven't even got the strength to take your pulse you'll know you've hit your real max.