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[Masterbainter]

I got tons of exercises you can do without weights if you are interested PM me.

[J-cob9000]

Why don't you post it?
OH! It's something like..
Your dominatrix makes you run naked in her dungeon and she won't let you stop. That's how you get your exercise but you can't post it because it's innapropriate. And now you are soliciting her because she makes you.
I'm sorry that was stupid and useless ignore it please.


BUT. On topic.
I haven't gained any weight over Christmas break. Woot.

[Nodaisho]

Ahhh getting in shape.

Pretty much, when I went into rehab I gained like...10 pounds. It's pretty horrible, since I'm used to being pretty fit. We weren't allowed to do much. Mostly because I was in a unit with a couple self injurers and a few kids who were suicidal and obviously you are going to try to kill yourself with weights.

Wow... I am so glad that I have never had to be in that situation, or anywhere else where I'm under the complete control of someone with their head so far up their ass their voice comes though their ribcage. Exercising causes the release of endorphins, that's why doctors tend to recommend exercise along with whatever medicine they give you for depression. At least, mine does.

[Runs_With_Scissors]

We did have yoga, and 10 minute walks (unless a new kid came, then they were a flight risk and we couldn't leave). But a 10 minute walk around a hospital is pretty lame. And the room we used for yoga was actually intended to be a regular hospital room, so it was pretty ridiculous with 8 kids and 1 adult.

And Masterbainter, if your exercises are appropriate for the forum, maybe you should post them for all of us? If not...umm...that's kind of strange..

[Masterbainter]

Well.. It's never simple as a set of exercises that cover all people.

What are you trying to do?  Gain Strength, Gain looks, Be healthier, or be happier? 

if it's purely a start, because it's been a while since you've worked out.

You'll want to make sure you don't burn out.  So for the first two weeks workout every other day.  Simple exercise like this.

with no breaks in between any of these exercises...
Jumping jacks for 2 minutes
10 to 30 pushups(if you haven't worked out in a long while it'll be the lesser)
25 to 50 crunches(not sit-ups, just raising up enough to bring your shoulder blades off the ground)
Stand up and stop hopping for 2 minutes
and repeat... turn on some music and try to keep this up for 30 minutes straight.

It'll be very hard the first few times because your cardio will most likely be weak.

Towards the end of the 2 week cycle you'll notice how it is becomming easier.

I suggest if you can to do walk/sprints if you don't like the pushup and crunches.

Again.  There is so many different exercises tailored for people with different goals and levels of fitness.

I can usually put together routines off the top of my head, but I will probably leave someone out... Which is why i requested PMs.

[Alex C]

Wow... I am so glad that I have never had to be in that situation, or anywhere else where I'm under the complete control of someone with their head so far up their ass their voice comes though their ribcage. Exercising causes the release of endorphins, that's why doctors tend to recommend exercise along with whatever medicine they give you for depression. At least, mine does.

Uh, see, you're not properly accounting for the fact that with enough determination people have managed to kill themselves with their own shoelaces. My aunt is a social worker specializing in troubled teens and she's got a bridge in her mouth from when an angry youth hit her in the face with a dumbell when she stopped by their place to check in. Another time, a young lady actually managed to kick out the windshield in her car. Apparently it's easier to do from the inside provided you apply steady pressure. I guess the trick is to either break the seal that actually keeps the glass in place or to be a 17 year old meth addict fueled by pure, unfocused rage. Young people who are going in and out of rehab do crazy things sometimes.

[Nodaisho]

Yes, but see, here's the thing. If they can kill themselves with shoelaces, they can find some way to do it, barring you rubber rooming them in a straitjacket, and even then they might be able to choke themselves on their own blood, don't know if that's actually possible, haven't tried it or looked it up. If you don't want them using dumbbells, how about a weight machine with the pulley system? They might be able to smash their heads with the weights, but that would be difficult, and I'm certain there would be an easier way to do it.

And are suicide rehab places and drug rehab places the same thing? I honestly don't know many details, I never asked, probably for my own mental health.

Honestly, speaking as a person with clinical depression, the description of the way things seem like they work in rehab makes me think that unless you stuffed me with enough happy pills to kill an elephant, I would just end up more depressed, therefore more pissed off, therefore more likely to be violent. Hopefully they would notice that and adjust the treatment so that I wouldn't try to repaint the walls of the rehab home, but I have no confidence whatsoever in any programs to help minors with issues, having seen a couple of them (not attending, knowing people that are in them).

The situation Hartley was in appears to be somewhat different than I thought it was, though. I thought they didn't let them exercise at all, no weights is better than no exercise.

[Alex C]

The important distinction I'm trying to make here is that limiting the scope of activities in the name of tighter supervision isn't just a case of people at these facilities having their heads up their asses. And yes, there can be an awful lot of overlap between the behaviors that happen at a rehab clinic and a mental health ward, since many people turn to drugs because that's their misguided way of coping with their problems. For example, my former stepfather suffered from depression, and drugs and alcohol was part of how he attempted to cope with it. Many of these people have a whole grab bag of issues to contend with and trying to deal with one issue at a time can be a recipe for failure. In my stepfather's case, his inability to deal with his issues never led to a suicide attempt, but it did lead to suicidal ideation and a stint at a rehab clinic with some suicide precautions. After all, he had a failed marriage, a drug habit and enough moral fiber to be deeply, deeply ashamed of what this put his family through. Honestly, he was a wreck, and I kind of doubt he would have got much exercise even if they had personal trainers on staff.

[Masterbainter]

Sitting here extremely bored at work.  So, I decided to give a *core workout for ya.  *=midsection:  mostly abs, olbiques(sides) and lower back.

I'll explain each exercise at the end so there is minimal confusion.

Exercise            Reps(how many times you perform the action)                   Sets(how many times you do the set of reps)
(1)Crunches         35 - 60                                                                              3
(2)side Crunches   20 - 40                                                                              2 each side
(3)Skydiver          10 reps each side                                                                 4
(4)suck ins           hold for 10 seconds, 10 times                                                2
(5)full leg lifts       5 seconds up, 5 seconds down, 10 - 20                                  3


(1) Crunches -  Laying flat on your back with your feet flat on the floor (knees bent).  You may either cross your arms over your chest and hold your hands on your shoulders(sorry if ya got big boobs it may not work as easy for ya) or for more resistance clasp hands behind your head like you are a prisoner of war.  Lift you shoulders up off the ground.  Your shoulder blades should just come up off the ground and you should fell it right in your gut.  It's especially important to feel the muscle working to you can even place your hands on your belly the first few times to help yourself to learn to isolate that area while doing the crunch.

(2) Side Crunch -  Lay exactly like you were during the crunches, but act as though you have tipped over.  Which ever side is on the ground place that arm out along the ground with the hand flat on the ground.  The other hand should be on the back of your head.  You will squeeze with your sides (feeling the squeeze between your bottom ribs and your upper hips).  You should only be moving 3 inches, it's not alot of movement but you will feel it.  Again, if you are having trouble isolation it, try placing your hand on your side to help your body figure out where it should be putting the stress of the movement.

(3)Skydiver - This one will feel goofy the first few times you do it and guys you might have to adjust your junk before you do it as well.  The Exercise involves strattling a pole naked and.. haha jk..  You will actually be laying on your belly flat with your hands above you head and your legs straight.  You will lift up your right arm and left leg for 1 second and then lift you left arm and right leg for 1 second.  Your whole chest on the side you lift should come off the ground and the opposite hip and leg should be rais completely off the ground as well.  You will feel it in those little back straps you have above the sensative area above your buttocks. (its the little area where your hip connects to your backbone)

(4)Suck ins - This one is done because people that are out of shape or not strong in the mid section (or any female that's had a baby) can delvelope Diastacis Recti(DR)  It's the seperation of the two "6 pack muscles" where you get a gap starting above your belly button up to your strenum.  You can have a ripped stomach and have this, and it's hard to treat but if you do this exercise every time you work your abs you can prevent or stop it from getting worse.  Lay on your back just like you did with the crunchs feet flat and all.  Place your two pointer and middle finger right below your belly button.  Now imagine a string pulling your belly button down to the floor.  As you suck in continue to breath normally with yoru diaphram.  You won't have to suck in much.  Once you feel the muscle below your belly button tighten (if you can feel through whatever may be between your skin and muscle ), Hold it and count to 10 breathing normally.  Release and repeat.  It really doesn't feel like you are doing a lot, In fact it's not really a muscle you can feel unless someone socks you in the gut really hard and you are not flexing.. That sick feeling is related to this "inner ab" muscle.

(5) Full Legs lifts - (DISCLAIMER - IF YOU DO THIS IMPROPERLY YOU WILL HURT YOUR BACK AND POSSIBLE CAUSE YOURSELF DR) Lay flat on back with hands under your buttox to help support your back.  legs straight.  Lift legs up slowly till you are almost making and "L" You will do this slowly. again just saying slowly so you get my point.  Count to five like this:  one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, ect, on the way up and once you reach the peak count the same way to five on the way down.  If you do it right you'll feel it and hate it.  If you do it wrong you'll be thinking this is too EZ and eventually end up having back problems months later.

I hope this helps some of you that don't have axcess to machines/weights.  I do have plenty more exercises you can do right in your own home that requires no weights.   Feel free to ask!





Edit: shitty spelling and spaces and stuff...

[Jace]

(1) Crunches -  Laying flat on your back with your feet flat on the floor (knees bent).  You may either cross your arms over your chest and hold your hands on your shoulders(sorry if ya got big boobs it may not work as easy for ya) or for more resistance clasp hands behind your head like you are a prisoner of war.   Lift you shoulders up off the ground.  Your shoulder blades should just come up off the ground and you should fell it right in your gut.  It's especially important to feel the muscle working to you can even place your hands on your belly the first few times to help yourself to learn to isolate that area while doing the crunch.

I wanna nitpick this:

You should not put your hands behind your head. That is a fantastic way of messing up your neck because your instinct while doing that exercise is to force yourself up, especially as you begin to get more tired.
What you can do is have your hands in "guards up." This is basically if you were trying not to get punched in the ears, your hands are in fists near your temples, with your elbows down. That way you don't strain your neck.

[Masterbainter]

(1) Crunches -  Laying flat on your back with your feet flat on the floor (knees bent).  You may either cross your arms over your chest and hold your hands on your shoulders(sorry if ya got big boobs it may not work as easy for ya) or for more resistance clasp hands behind your head like you are a prisoner of war.   Lift you shoulders up off the ground.  Your shoulder blades should just come up off the ground and you should fell it right in your gut.  It's especially important to feel the muscle working to you can even place your hands on your belly the first few times to help yourself to learn to isolate that area while doing the crunch.

I wanna nitpick this:

You should not put your hands behind your head. That is a fantastic way of messing up your neck because your instinct while doing that exercise is to force yourself up, especially as you begin to get more tired.
What you can do is have your hands in "guards up." This is basically if you were trying not to get punched in the ears, your hands are in fists near your temples, with your elbows down. That way you don't strain your neck.

sounds good to me.  It just depends on the dicipline of the person doing them.  But some do tend to pull on their head if they clasp behind the head.

[Spluff]

Honestly, the extra resistance from arm location is almost negligible.

[Caleb]

I always do sit ups and crunches with my hands in front of my face.

I figure you use the wrong muscles if you have your hands in the back of your neck.

[RedLion]

How are you using the wrong muscles? It seems to make it "burn" more for me when I put my hands behind my head, and I see better results from it.

[Masterbainter]

Honestly, the extra resistance from arm location is almost negligible.

True to a point.. really depends on the shape you are in and how many reps you are pulling. 

[nobo]

Honestly, the extra resistance from arm location is almost negligible.

not true.

i have a problem with tossing my arms forward to get momentum when i'm not consciously keeping them by my head. its enough to make a pretty big difference.

[Spluff]

That's not about the extra resistance of your arms, that is a matter of form. If you don't do it correctly obviously it's going to make a difference.

[RedLion]

Huuuuuh. I'm going to need the hit the gym extra hard tomorrow and start getting rid of this holiday flub.

[Masterbainter]

That's not about the extra resistance of your arms, that is a matter of form. If you don't do it correctly obviously it's going to make a difference.

Technique(form) is key so this is exactly right.  I would have to say when I do put hands behind my head it deffinately adds resistance.. but sometimes I hold a medicine ball when doing inclines or wear weighted gloves.. So it all depends what you are doing.

[jhocking]

Huuuuuh. I'm going to need the hit the gym extra hard tomorrow and start getting rid of this holiday flub.

My sister went to the gym the day after Christmas. She reported that the place was packed. I'm guessing it was lots of people with the exact same thought, that they need to work off their holiday flab. I would imagine maybe 10% will still be hitting the gym after New Year's.

[Spluff]

I'm sure a lot more will be, due to new years resolutions.

[jhocking]

oh yeah right. So give it two weeks for the numbers to settle.

[Juxtaposition]

Runa, I'm the same height, weight and body type as you almost exactly, and I'm in great shape! You look great in your picture, so don't get in shape for other people. If you want to be healthier because it makes you happy, go for it. but don't do it for other people, or for looks, because you already look great. Also, it's a good thing that you're seeing a doctor because I think your trouble exercising has nothing to do with your personal determination!

@Juxtaposition:

I'm not doing it for anyone but myself. I feel loads better exersizing, and I've always wanted to be the proud owner of a flat toned tummy. I've been close before but when "that time of the month" comes I definitely do not feel like lifting a finger and then I just stop.

Completely agreed. I'd love a six pack, just for my own personal happiness, but I just don't have the genetics to be much thinner than I am without being unhealthy. I'm always going to have that little muffin top, and I'm probably the only one who will ever notice.

Right now I'm doing a silly loophole filled diet with my mom just to support her. It's called the "no S diet", and the rules go like this: No sweets, snacks or seconds except on days starting with an s or special occasions. I've found this works pretty well if I don't go crazy on the weekends and I eat 5-6 small meals a day. The best thing it's done for me, I think, is encourage me to eat more small meals, which considering my borderline hypoglycemia I really should be doing anyway. Also, it keeps me from sitting down to a whole bag of salt and vinegar chips, which is my biggest weakness.

Also, I'm trying to ride my bike every morning. It'll be hard with the fact that I'll be leaving for school at 7:30 every day soon. I'm doing a 10 minute abs every day and at least an hour (two or three is better) of something else (bike riding, bellydance, bellydance fitness videos, skiing when portland has incredible crazy snowstorms, hiking with a weighted pack, aerial dance, contra dance, whatever else is going on.) I'm doing pretty ok at this, though mostly these days it's the videos at home with my family, because I'm too lazy to go out.

[tania]

january tends to be the busiest month for most gyms as so many people make it their new year's resolution to get healthy. you may be better off exercising some other way. the good news is that most of the aforementioned people abandon their resolutions pretty quick, so by february or even the end of january you should have much better luck.

[Spluff]

I'd love a six pack, just for my own personal happiness, but I just don't have the genetics to be much thinner than I am without being unhealthy.

That's just a cop out. Everybody can get get a six pack, it's just a matter of frequent, hard excercise (provided you've gotta a pretty okay diet, anyway).

[Juxtaposition]

Well, I eat collard greens and brussels sprouts and brown rice because I like them, I excercise 2+ hours a day with no more than one day off a week, and I just spent 11 weeks living outside and doing hard physical labor 40+ hours a week while also doing daily push ups and 5+ miles a day of walking (to and from work) as well as trail running, pull ups, partner acrobatics on the weekend and occasional yogo. While I was doing this I ate muesli, pbjs and beans & rice almost exclusively (since that's what was available.) I started off in decent shape and lost 20 lbs-ish. But I still have a layer of fat over my stomach. I'm beginning to think that it really is just genetics, since many people I know can get rid of belly fat pretty quickly and easily. crunches for a month? tada - instant abs! Genetics does come into play.

[Fenriswolf]

I'd love a six pack, just for my own personal happiness, but I just don't have the genetics to be much thinner than I am without being unhealthy.

That's just a cop out. Everybody can get get a six pack, it's just a matter of frequent, hard excercise (provided you've gotta a pretty okay diet, anyway).

Yeah not exactly. Lots of people have great difficulty getting abs, some people have difficulty building any bulk or definition though they'll get stronger and more "in shape". Abs do seem to be a lot to do with genetics, both natural fat distribution and how your abs are shaped. If you've ever looked at a whole lot of fitness models/bodybuilders you'll know what I mean about different shaped abs, it's quite interesting.

The the OK diet + frequent hard exercise won't even make some people look slim (no really, I know some incredibly fit people with good diets who look chubby and unassuming. Sucks man.). That's not to say that people with unhelpful genetics can't necessarily get a fitness-esque body or abs but it might be more effort than it's worth.

Interestingly my partner's sister only really got proper abs after she had kids. She's very skinny (they all are, stringbeans!), very active, fairly muscular arms and legs but never had any definition until after having babies. Obviously it's a lot harder for women anyway. 

[Masterbainter]

Completely agreed. I'd love a six pack, just for my own personal happiness, but I just don't have the genetics to be much thinner than I am without being unhealthy. I'm always going to have that little muffin top, and I'm probably the only one who will ever notice.

[/quote]

Girls with 6 Packs can be attractive but usually for them to get to that they lose alot of the "good" fat that males like.  I much rather have a curveous female that isn't too chunky than a super thin stick with no booty, if ya catch my drift

[Jace]

I've got a six pack.
Who am I kidding.
I've got an eight pack.

I do a lot of sit ups.
I did 85 today mixed in with 85 pushups and 85 leg presses. Also, between that, there was first doing the Tiger Crane 108, and doing punches. Then we learned how to choke and strangle people.
Acutally, if I'm gonna be honest about this work out...
We did 25 punch-kick-punch combos on each side (right leg, then left)
Then we did 25 push ups, held at halfway down for 25 seconds, then did 100 kicks (kicking down the wall)
After that 25 knee ups on each side, then 25 lock leg kicks.
Also, I'm not including when we held positions.
Then we did Poison Hands/Iron body. 10 pushups/situps/leg presses. Leopard, 10 pushups/situps/leg presses. Snake, 10 pushups/situps/leg presses.. Tiger, 10 pushups/situps/leg presses.. Backwards to snake again, 15 pushups/situps/leg presses.

And that was just the first class.

In the second class (the beginners class) which I stayed for because I'm an assistant and a badass, we did 100s of punches with push ups and situps and leg presses. And I love the feeling of being sore. It means I got better.
What I am saying is that if you want a good workout, do Kung Fu.

[Masterbainter]

I've got a six pack.
Who am I kidding.
I've got an eight pack.

I do a lot of sit ups.
I did 85 today mixed in with 85 pushups and 85 leg presses. Also, between that, there was first doing the Tiger Crane 108, and doing punches. Then we learned how to choke and strangle people.
Acutally, if I'm gonna be honest about this work out...
We did 25 punch-kick-punch combos on each side (right leg, then left)
Then we did 25 push ups, held at halfway down for 25 seconds, then did 100 kicks (kicking down the wall)
After that 25 knee ups on each side, then 25 lock leg kicks.
Also, I'm not including when we held positions.
Then we did Poison Hands/Iron body. 10 pushups/situps/leg presses. Leopard, 10 pushups/situps/leg presses. Snake, 10 pushups/situps/leg presses.. Tiger, 10 pushups/situps/leg presses.. Backwards to snake again, 15 pushups/situps/leg presses.

And that was just the first class.

In the second class (the beginners class) which I stayed for because I'm an assistant and a badass, we did 100s of punches with push ups and situps and leg presses. And I love the feeling of being sore. It means I got better.
What I am saying is that if you want a good workout, do Kung Fu.

EDIT: I'M A DICK

I hear ya.. I always feel so good for like a day after working out, why i'm addictied to hitting the gym.

[KvP]

So for the last few months I'd been feeling pretty gross, physically. The onset of Winter caused me to stay at home and stationary for prolonged periods of time, and I began to feel fat. I'm not terribly overweight, but I probably qualify for the title. This feeling of fatness contributed to my usual psychological doldrum periods. So after the holidays (the family dinner feast of which was canceled, luckily for me but unluckily for my cousin who suffered an aneurysm Christmas morn) I made a new year's resolution, like millions of others, to take better care of myself.

I've been doing alright so far. Every 2-3 days I undergo a workout regimen of my own rather uninformed design. I will ride our stationary bike over random simulated terrain for 15 minutes (covering about 4 miles, and burning around 90 calories) and then run a mile and a half on the treadmill. I have tried running outside, but I invariably slow down to a jog. The treadmill forces me to maintain a constant speed, so it is preferable. I start off at an amiable pace then after a minute thirty I increase the speed by a mile an hour and keep that up for a minute and a half. After that I slow down by half a mile an hour for a minute, then the cycle repeats itself. The slower intervals allow me to water myself as needed. As I near the end of my run I will generally wing it and go for longer periods at the faster speed. I started out running about a mile (+.2 miles cooldown) but tania was typing about her 5k runs and I felt that I should aspire to that, so I've been adding .1 or .2 miles to the run every time I start, and I haven't worn myself out yet. Currently I am at 1.8 miles (not including cooldown)

I try to run / bike every day, but on odd numbered days I add some various weight exercises as well.

I used to do things this way but it was not particularly enjoyable for me. I worked out in anticipation of a trip, during which I did a lot of physical labor. The workouts did not end up helping. So in addition to my routine being broken for an extended period I returned feeling rather discouraged about what exercise was doing for me, although I had noticeable increases in muscle tone, particularly in my shoulders for whatever reason.

But this time it's actually been enjoyable for me, because I've been doing things differently. Change #1, by far the most important, is that I've been keeping myself hydrated. Before I didn't even drink water in anticipation of exercise, sticking to sugary teas and sodas. As I strained during exercise I became dehydrated and supremely uncomfortable. Drinking lots of water has improved my stamina tremendously. Change #2 is that I'm stretching now, if to a limited degree, and it's kept my muscles from being sore and increased my stamina to some degree. Always before, after when I remember to do so. Change #3 is that I'm not running under the influence of sleeping pills.

There are a number of obstacles to overcome in order for me to get in shape. The biggest ones are the most obvious and common ones. I have to stay on routine, and I have to watch what I eat. The latter is going to be very difficult, as the stomach wants what it wants. Generally what it wants isn't usually terrible, but it's not often good. Lately I've developed a taste for salad, salmon and vermicelli pasta, which is beneficial, but I still have my lapses. With school coming up and the free time / sleep deficits that will bring, my regimen will come under further jeopardy.

One thing I've noticed is that after my workouts I have an irresistible sweet tooth. I guess my body needs to rebound from all the calorie burning. I'm trying to steer myself towards sugary cereals instead of ice cream and candy, trying to meet myself halfway, heh.

[KvP]

I guess it's also worth mentioning that I experienced the fabled "runner's high" tonight. I ran my allotted 1.7 miles, stopped, refilled my water, and found myself feeling surprisingly not tired, and conscious of my love handles. So after a short breather I got back on the old 'mill and hammered out an extra 2 miles, essentially exceeding my 5k goal several weeks ahead of schedule. And I had a lot of fun doing it, and I felt really great. If I can replicate that consistently (I'm hoping to run 30 minutes every day even into the semester, which with the new job is going to be tough) I stand to gain quite a bit.

The soles of my feet, meanwhile, are furious.

[Spluff]

Health thread, I am going to build myself a squat rack (with safety rails). This is something I am pretty excited about - I'm aiming to make it hold about 400 lb which shouldn't be too hard, provided I can get the joints together right.

[Gemmwah]

Health thread, I've changed my diet to help me lose more weight and be healthier. I'm gonna try and cut down on my dairy, and I've already cut out red meat because eurgh. I've also stopped having cereal for breakfast and instead am starting my day with a "green juice" smoothie, which is really tasty and I can feel the difference in how energised I am through the day. So January is looking to be a really healthy month for me, except for the cookie dough ice cream I had last night, but everyone has to treat themselves occasionally.

[Masterbainter]

Health thread, I've changed my diet to help me lose more weight and be healthier. I'm gonna try and cut down on my dairy, and I've already cut out red meat because eurgh. I've also stopped having cereal for breakfast and instead am starting my day with a "green juice" smoothie, which is really tasty and I can feel the difference in how energised I am through the day. So January is looking to be a really healthy month for me, except for the cookie dough ice cream I had last night, but everyone has to treat themselves occasionally.

Hey, I'm really interested in stuff that is healthy for food.  If anyone has some great nutritional knowledge.  Please let us know some easy but healthy things we can drink eat!

[Nodaisho]

Oh hey, this thread. I need to get back to it, I was gone for 10 days and didn't do any exercising, and haven't done any since I got back. I was thinking about bringing this thread back, so I would be reminded more often.

[tania]

juice tends to have a lot of calories and a LOT of sugar. you can get a lot of vitamins from juice but you don't really need a full glass, especially with something like orange juice where just 250 ml (one cup) will probably have all the vitamic c you need for the day. drink a smaller amount of juice diluted with water instead.

[Dimmukane]

Does anyone know if there's a similar program for improving cardio?  Like, I know what the end goal would probably be, but I don't really know how I would increment between steps.

[Ladybug]

I have heard good things about the Couch to 5K running plan, and considered trying it myself more than once.

[Spluff]

Through another forum some of you will be familiar with, I found this. I ended up in column three. I'm starting tomorrow!

Man, I hate to break it to you, but that is a silly website.

[Ozymandias]

I have heard good things about the Couch to 5K running plan, and considered trying it myself more than once.

I did this one summer.

It worked.

I was shocked and awed. I went from never having run a kilometer in my entire life to 5K. It was awesome.

[Jace]

Doing 100 push ups is pretty useless. Sets of 20 are the best. And if you only do push ups for excersize you'll build up some muscle but not really get any cardiovascular excersize from it. Its best to put push ups into another work out routine to help build your arm and chest muscles.

[Spluff]

You can improve your attitude towards working out and still do something that will actually be useful, dude. There's no need to just do pushups before you feel like your attitude is good enough to do something that will actually help you out. If you tailor your workout to your own body you shouldn't have any problems with a real routine.

If you are already heaving for air at the end of the 15 minutes, than consider your workout finished, or, take a decent break before doing the same thing again - don't ramp up the intensity when what you are already doing is clearly having effects.

The easiest (and most accurate) way of knowing what is right for your body is by paying attention to the signs it is giving you. For example, there are people I know who do ten rep sets of 150 kg bench presses - which is too heavy for me. On the other side, there are people who do ten rep sets of 70 kg, which is too light. By knowing my bodies limits, and listening to the signals it gives me, I can determine how hard I should be working.

The same applies to cardiovascular fitness - if your heart rate is at a high level, then you don't need to push any harder. An exercise program might be a good reference to base your own program on, but you should adapt it to fit your needs. Push yourself only as hard as you feel comfortable, at least to begin. When you've gotten a bit fitter is when you can start going about trying to hit your workout as hard as you possibly can - provided you want to, that is.

That said, after the first one or two workouts, you will be sore. That is just a fact of life, I'm afraid - and it applies to running, lifting, doing 100 pushups, whatever.

[Katherine]

If you think the 100 Pushups site is going to motivate you to get into a regular workout routine, then go for it Jeans! At the very least, it is going to have you moving more than you were before you started it so it is a win/win situation.

[Darkbluerabbit]

The program that set fifteen minutes as an initial warmup exercise was a general fitness thing, not just cardio - and it was set up by a personal trainer (it came free with the most useless gym membership I ever signed). I dunno. I just figured that if this is how professional fitness trainers do it, it would be the right thing to do. Maybe not, though.

Wow, that person sounds like an absolutely terrible personal trainer.  If you're too incapacitated to finish a workout during the warm up, they are telling you something wrong and should modify the instructions they give you.  A warm up is supposed to warm you up, increasing blood flow to your muscles so you are less likely to get injured during the rest of your workout.  A trainer should also know that most people do best with brisk walking, adding running as their body adapts to it.  It's their job to make you work hard, not to make you hate exercise and possibly injure you.

[nobo]

Did my first leg workout in about 2 months yesterday. 3 sets each of squats, leg press, lunges, leg extensions, leg curls, and calf raises.

It now hurts to sit, stand, move and lay on my back. I haven't felt this good in a really long time.

[Noff]

I can finally do pullups now.  No more than 3 at a time and with some leg lifting (not swinging), but still. 

Also, the gym I go to has some of those ab-wheel things as seen on so many infomercials, and damn that thing is for real.  I think I have a pretty strong core but I can only really do it from the knees, but then again my long arms and legs probably add some difficulty.

[Caspian]

Recently I've just been swimming and surfing like a bitch. Doesn't really do shit on land, but it's one hell of a lot more fun then normal exercising and I can now swim a lap of an olympic pool, underwater, with no fins. Still a heavy dude, but now heavy dude that can swim well and look all manly and tough when I'm in big waves.

[Jace]

Guys, did you see the picture of me in the tattoo thread? That's what my core looks like. I've got freaking ridiculous solarplexes. I did not know that there were even muscles there until like a month ago. They just sorta appeared. Also, if I can, I'll see about getting a picture of the RIDONKULOUS dimple between the two muscles on my forearm.

[Spluff]

What? The solar plexus isn't a muscle, it's a group of nerves, and you look pretty normal to me.