Recoil
04-23-2010, 06:46 PM
Warning- long, long, long read
Firstly the thread title is an oxymoron. There's no 'easy' way to get in shape. If staying fit was a simple matter than everyone would be walking around with wash board abs and squatting 3x their own bodyweight with ease. But unfortunately people don't, and we all know that modern society has made people weak and lazy. So how can someone maintain adequate levels of fitness whilst living a modern lifestyle? Pretty easily actually, but people love to make excuses. The following 'routine' that I'm going to post is something you can easily do in the comfort of your own home, and the nutrition footnote will give you all the basics of how to eat right, and if you ask I'll even give you advice on how much you need to eat to maintain/ gain or lose weight.
Stretching
"Why tell us to stretch in a thread about keeping fit?" You say? Well, you don't, but it's a necessary evil. Modern life has people sat most of the time, and arms are usually confined to lifting the hands high enough to type. The result is that most people have tight hamstrings, painfully short hip flexors and about as much mobility in their upper and lower body as someone in a cast.
The remedy is simple. Move, and move often. Failing that, stretching!
1- Toe touches
Many people have tight hamstrings, limiting mobility. Here's a simple stretch to solve this issue. Stand with your legs straight and bend over to touch your toes. Don't force the movement since your knees may bend naturally to compensate for the lack of mobility and you may hurt yourself. Go as low down as you find comfortable and hold for up to 15 seconds. Then stand up straight, and go back into it. As you keep going you should find that you can get lower and lower, and day after day you'll be even more flexible. Can also be done dynamically (not holding it for a period of time) but don't jerk up and down; slow and controlled movement is critical.
2- The squat stretch
Sitting for prolonged periods of time results in shortened hip flexors (muscles on the inside of your legs, either side of your meat and veg) and this results in many people feeling sharp pain if they squat down or having a muscle imbalance in the lower body due to the body compensating for it. Here's a simple way to sort this issue out.
Stand with your feet more than shoulder width apart and squat down. To squat correctly move your hips back and then bend at the knees. You should sit back rather than down, and it's normal for your upper body to lean forward when you do this. Make sure that your knees stay in line with your toes and don't buckle in or push out. Now squat down as low as you can. You may find that your lower back has rounded; straighten it as much as you can, raising up a bit if necessary. Place either elbow against the inside of your knees and grip your hands together in the middle- this keeps your knees out and your hips stretched. It's normal for this to be a bit painful at first, since most people have incredibly inflexible hips, but if you do it correctly the pain should subside very quickly. Hold the squat stretch for at least 15 seconds and do this 3 times.
3- Shoulder dislocates
These sound much worse than they really are. Grab something long, thin and preferably rounded (eg a broom, couldnt think of the right word to describe it) and hold it down in front of you with a wide grip. Lift it up overhead and back as far as you can, then bringing it down behind you. It may sound unnatural but people can eventually bring the broom/ object around so that it touches their lower back. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and legs straight throughout the movement. This will make your shoulders and your chest more flexible with time, and is more of a dynamic movement, as you should try and get further and further each time you bring it back overhead.
Those are 3 simple stretches that will help you gain more mobility in the more crucial parts of the body. Feel free to google them and more to read up on proper technique. Now, onto the actual exercises you can do.
Exercises
Here are a few exercises that will work upper, core and lower body muscles.
Push ups (upper body)
We all know how to do these. Arms shoulder width apart, feet are generally kept together, if not touching then close. Lower to the ground until your chest touches the floor and then push back up, keeping your back straight rather than slouched throughout. Don't look up, but instead keep your eyes on the floor, it'll put less stress on the neck. Works the tricep (muscle in the back of your arm, LARGER than the bicep), chest and shoulders. Google for proper form and variations.
Pull/ chin ups (upper body)
Get yourself a chin up bar and put it in the way of one of your doors. These range from £10-£30, and can be as simple as a bar going across the threshold of a door or a piece of equipment you can hook up behind the doorframe to use when you want. Look around and get reviews for these.
To perform a pull up grip the bar with your arms facing out. To do it with a chin up your palms face you. Your grip should be further out for pull ups and closer for chin ups, but experiment till you find what's right for you. With a firm grip on the bar bend at the knees until your feet come up behind you (imagine your lower body forming a right angle) keep your shoulder blades pulled back and pull yourself up to the bar- think of 'driving' your elbows into the floor if you struggle, as it helps- until your chin reaches the bar or goes above. If you struggle with these get someone to hold your legs/ waist to help take some of the weight until you can manage your bodyweight on your own.
Both variations work your arms but primarily your back, and add serious strength if done correctly. Google for proper form and variations.
Reverse crunches (core)
Lie on your back gripping something behind your head (chair leg or something, ensure it's heavy) and raise your legs up until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Keep your knees flexed at a right angle to your legs and push your hips forward- there should be no gap in your low back. Flex your abs and bring your knees towards you until they touch your head. Don't move your head forward, and when you bring your legs back down don't let your thighs pass perpendicular to the floor. Your lower back should be flat at the beginning of each rep (ie, can't place your hand in the small of your back)
I can't stress enough how good these are, but how much proper form is needed. Type 'stronglifts reverse crunches' into google and click on the first link, read that page and study it religiously. It tells you proper form and shows how to do it correctly as well. Done badly you risk hurting yourself, done correctly you'll cry like a little girl from the burning in your abs.
Turkish get ups (core)
Google these, I seriously can't put this into words properly, but these are a fantastic exercise. If you can, hold a dumbbell in one hand and hold it overhead all the time.
Bodyweight squats (lower body)
This is exactly the same as doing the squat stretch, but start with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointing out slightly. If you can't find a comfortable position jump up and see how you land; this should be your starting position. Cross your arms over and touch your hands to the opposite shoulder- your arms should form an 'X' with your elbows out in front of you. Do the exact same motion as I said for the squat stretch; bend at the hips and then knees, lean forward slightly, keep your chest up and a slightly curve in your lower back. Lower down till your hips are at least parallel with the floor. Go lower if you can and then explode up. Your hips are the driving force in this movement. Things to remember-
-Keep your chest 'up.' Take a deep breath before you go down, keep the chest large and don't let it 'sag' and breath out as you reach the top.
-Knees in line with toes. No buckling in or straying out to the side.
-Weight on the heels. If you find the movement uncomfortable your weight may be wrongly distributed; curl your toes up and try again. With the weight on your heels the movement should feel better
Google for proper form and variations.
Diet
Diet is the be all and end all to how you look. It's the difference between having a layer of fat over your body or having a lean physique. More importantly, it gives your body the energy and nutrients it needs to get you through the day and keep your body protected from disease. Here are some basic points about nutrition you should know, and if possible, follow
FAT IS NOT BAD
This is a fact. People who get scared of the fat content of their foods are idiots. Healthy fats, such as oil, nuts, fish oil and dairy are not only good for you, they're needed. Without, among other things, fat, your body can't produce testosterone, which in turn makes you a man. Don't have an entire tub of peanut butter and wash it down with a jug of olive oil, but don't be scared of them either.
Eat fruit or veg with every meal
Fruits and veg give your body the vitamins and fibre it needs to stay strong and repair itself. A banana here, an apple there, salad with this meal and couple of servings of spinach or broccoli later will keep you healthy and, most of all feeling good.
Losing weight isn't the same as losing muscle
Muscle is heavier than fat. That's a fact. It also needs to be maintained by a certain amount of calories and protein. A 6'4 120kg man will need to eat a lot to maintain his lean bodyweight and even more to gain muscle. It's the basics of nutrition.
That said, a lot of people eat so little or not enough protein that they're not light because they're healthy- they're light because there's no muscle on them! Eating enough throughout the day is crucial to how you look and how well your body can perform. Think of your body as a car; it needs petrol if you want it to get anywhere.
Caloric requirements vary from person to person. Body type, height, muscle mass, activity level and metabolism are all factors that vary from person to person, so a smaller man will need to eat less than a taller man. A general rule is that if you take your weight in pounds and multiply it by a set amount that's what you need to gain/ lose/ maintain weight. All I can remember is that the number needed to gain weight(muscle) is about 15-18, but that's it- a general rule. It doesn't take in any controlling factors, and so is not completely reliable.
That's all for now. Long ass post and I'm off to go lift, might update later. If you take the time you read it you can at least gain some valuable knowledge about eating healthily, and if you follow the stretches and exercises provided you'll feel a difference in yourself.
This list of stuff is no sub for actually doing consistent exercise, but it's better than sitting on your arse all day!
Firstly the thread title is an oxymoron. There's no 'easy' way to get in shape. If staying fit was a simple matter than everyone would be walking around with wash board abs and squatting 3x their own bodyweight with ease. But unfortunately people don't, and we all know that modern society has made people weak and lazy. So how can someone maintain adequate levels of fitness whilst living a modern lifestyle? Pretty easily actually, but people love to make excuses. The following 'routine' that I'm going to post is something you can easily do in the comfort of your own home, and the nutrition footnote will give you all the basics of how to eat right, and if you ask I'll even give you advice on how much you need to eat to maintain/ gain or lose weight.
Stretching
"Why tell us to stretch in a thread about keeping fit?" You say? Well, you don't, but it's a necessary evil. Modern life has people sat most of the time, and arms are usually confined to lifting the hands high enough to type. The result is that most people have tight hamstrings, painfully short hip flexors and about as much mobility in their upper and lower body as someone in a cast.
The remedy is simple. Move, and move often. Failing that, stretching!
1- Toe touches
Many people have tight hamstrings, limiting mobility. Here's a simple stretch to solve this issue. Stand with your legs straight and bend over to touch your toes. Don't force the movement since your knees may bend naturally to compensate for the lack of mobility and you may hurt yourself. Go as low down as you find comfortable and hold for up to 15 seconds. Then stand up straight, and go back into it. As you keep going you should find that you can get lower and lower, and day after day you'll be even more flexible. Can also be done dynamically (not holding it for a period of time) but don't jerk up and down; slow and controlled movement is critical.
2- The squat stretch
Sitting for prolonged periods of time results in shortened hip flexors (muscles on the inside of your legs, either side of your meat and veg) and this results in many people feeling sharp pain if they squat down or having a muscle imbalance in the lower body due to the body compensating for it. Here's a simple way to sort this issue out.
Stand with your feet more than shoulder width apart and squat down. To squat correctly move your hips back and then bend at the knees. You should sit back rather than down, and it's normal for your upper body to lean forward when you do this. Make sure that your knees stay in line with your toes and don't buckle in or push out. Now squat down as low as you can. You may find that your lower back has rounded; straighten it as much as you can, raising up a bit if necessary. Place either elbow against the inside of your knees and grip your hands together in the middle- this keeps your knees out and your hips stretched. It's normal for this to be a bit painful at first, since most people have incredibly inflexible hips, but if you do it correctly the pain should subside very quickly. Hold the squat stretch for at least 15 seconds and do this 3 times.
3- Shoulder dislocates
These sound much worse than they really are. Grab something long, thin and preferably rounded (eg a broom, couldnt think of the right word to describe it) and hold it down in front of you with a wide grip. Lift it up overhead and back as far as you can, then bringing it down behind you. It may sound unnatural but people can eventually bring the broom/ object around so that it touches their lower back. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and legs straight throughout the movement. This will make your shoulders and your chest more flexible with time, and is more of a dynamic movement, as you should try and get further and further each time you bring it back overhead.
Those are 3 simple stretches that will help you gain more mobility in the more crucial parts of the body. Feel free to google them and more to read up on proper technique. Now, onto the actual exercises you can do.
Exercises
Here are a few exercises that will work upper, core and lower body muscles.
Push ups (upper body)
We all know how to do these. Arms shoulder width apart, feet are generally kept together, if not touching then close. Lower to the ground until your chest touches the floor and then push back up, keeping your back straight rather than slouched throughout. Don't look up, but instead keep your eyes on the floor, it'll put less stress on the neck. Works the tricep (muscle in the back of your arm, LARGER than the bicep), chest and shoulders. Google for proper form and variations.
Pull/ chin ups (upper body)
Get yourself a chin up bar and put it in the way of one of your doors. These range from £10-£30, and can be as simple as a bar going across the threshold of a door or a piece of equipment you can hook up behind the doorframe to use when you want. Look around and get reviews for these.
To perform a pull up grip the bar with your arms facing out. To do it with a chin up your palms face you. Your grip should be further out for pull ups and closer for chin ups, but experiment till you find what's right for you. With a firm grip on the bar bend at the knees until your feet come up behind you (imagine your lower body forming a right angle) keep your shoulder blades pulled back and pull yourself up to the bar- think of 'driving' your elbows into the floor if you struggle, as it helps- until your chin reaches the bar or goes above. If you struggle with these get someone to hold your legs/ waist to help take some of the weight until you can manage your bodyweight on your own.
Both variations work your arms but primarily your back, and add serious strength if done correctly. Google for proper form and variations.
Reverse crunches (core)
Lie on your back gripping something behind your head (chair leg or something, ensure it's heavy) and raise your legs up until your thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Keep your knees flexed at a right angle to your legs and push your hips forward- there should be no gap in your low back. Flex your abs and bring your knees towards you until they touch your head. Don't move your head forward, and when you bring your legs back down don't let your thighs pass perpendicular to the floor. Your lower back should be flat at the beginning of each rep (ie, can't place your hand in the small of your back)
I can't stress enough how good these are, but how much proper form is needed. Type 'stronglifts reverse crunches' into google and click on the first link, read that page and study it religiously. It tells you proper form and shows how to do it correctly as well. Done badly you risk hurting yourself, done correctly you'll cry like a little girl from the burning in your abs.
Turkish get ups (core)
Google these, I seriously can't put this into words properly, but these are a fantastic exercise. If you can, hold a dumbbell in one hand and hold it overhead all the time.
Bodyweight squats (lower body)
This is exactly the same as doing the squat stretch, but start with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointing out slightly. If you can't find a comfortable position jump up and see how you land; this should be your starting position. Cross your arms over and touch your hands to the opposite shoulder- your arms should form an 'X' with your elbows out in front of you. Do the exact same motion as I said for the squat stretch; bend at the hips and then knees, lean forward slightly, keep your chest up and a slightly curve in your lower back. Lower down till your hips are at least parallel with the floor. Go lower if you can and then explode up. Your hips are the driving force in this movement. Things to remember-
-Keep your chest 'up.' Take a deep breath before you go down, keep the chest large and don't let it 'sag' and breath out as you reach the top.
-Knees in line with toes. No buckling in or straying out to the side.
-Weight on the heels. If you find the movement uncomfortable your weight may be wrongly distributed; curl your toes up and try again. With the weight on your heels the movement should feel better
Google for proper form and variations.
Diet
Diet is the be all and end all to how you look. It's the difference between having a layer of fat over your body or having a lean physique. More importantly, it gives your body the energy and nutrients it needs to get you through the day and keep your body protected from disease. Here are some basic points about nutrition you should know, and if possible, follow
FAT IS NOT BAD
This is a fact. People who get scared of the fat content of their foods are idiots. Healthy fats, such as oil, nuts, fish oil and dairy are not only good for you, they're needed. Without, among other things, fat, your body can't produce testosterone, which in turn makes you a man. Don't have an entire tub of peanut butter and wash it down with a jug of olive oil, but don't be scared of them either.
Eat fruit or veg with every meal
Fruits and veg give your body the vitamins and fibre it needs to stay strong and repair itself. A banana here, an apple there, salad with this meal and couple of servings of spinach or broccoli later will keep you healthy and, most of all feeling good.
Losing weight isn't the same as losing muscle
Muscle is heavier than fat. That's a fact. It also needs to be maintained by a certain amount of calories and protein. A 6'4 120kg man will need to eat a lot to maintain his lean bodyweight and even more to gain muscle. It's the basics of nutrition.
That said, a lot of people eat so little or not enough protein that they're not light because they're healthy- they're light because there's no muscle on them! Eating enough throughout the day is crucial to how you look and how well your body can perform. Think of your body as a car; it needs petrol if you want it to get anywhere.
Caloric requirements vary from person to person. Body type, height, muscle mass, activity level and metabolism are all factors that vary from person to person, so a smaller man will need to eat less than a taller man. A general rule is that if you take your weight in pounds and multiply it by a set amount that's what you need to gain/ lose/ maintain weight. All I can remember is that the number needed to gain weight(muscle) is about 15-18, but that's it- a general rule. It doesn't take in any controlling factors, and so is not completely reliable.
That's all for now. Long ass post and I'm off to go lift, might update later. If you take the time you read it you can at least gain some valuable knowledge about eating healthily, and if you follow the stretches and exercises provided you'll feel a difference in yourself.
This list of stuff is no sub for actually doing consistent exercise, but it's better than sitting on your arse all day!