Questions about exercising

#1

Hi all,
I’ve been on keto for right about a month now and I’m 37 lbs down. The last couple weeks I’ve incorporated more intermittent fasting, usually ranging from 16-22 hour fasts. and I plan on extending that out (would like to be able to do 7 days if possible but in no rush to get there) I’m currently 327 lbs, 6’2 , male. No known medical conditions.

My main question is in regards to trying to find a workout routine that will help me burn fat. Also, the only piece of equipment I have available really is a total gym xls I bought several years ago. I typically work 4 12 hour shifts, pairing that with my commute, and a 2 year old, I really have very little time on those days. It’s not an exaggeration when I say trying to find 15 minutes to fit in some exercise can be quite the challenge. The upside to these days is it’s really easy to keep a routine, in fact I think that may be part of why my attempt at keto is going so much better now than in the past.

Anyway, I’m trying to find a routine that I can fit in that 10-15 minute window to help facilitate the fat burning. I’m very much a noobie when it comes to weightlifting (if you can consider a totalgym weightlifting?) I’ve been trying to find a routine online but it’s difficult to find something that fits my bill, specifically geared toward totalgym. I dont expect anyoen to have a routine specific for the total gym, but looking more at a set of exercises to meet my needs, and I’ll figure out how to do them on the totalgym as best I can.

From my bit of research, it seems that weight lifting would be more ideal than a cardio workout, especially with as little time as I have to dedicate toward it each day, since weight lifting keeps burning fat well after you stop. With the specific goal in mind of burning fat after the workout, would I be better off focusing on the larger muscles, or a bunch of smaller ones?

Also, a thing to keep in mind, and one of the reasons I went with a totalgym in the first place, is that I had a multilevel spinal fusion in my lower back a few years ago, so while its completely healed, I do have certain restrictions in regards to twisting motions and bending. For ab work (with a focus on building core strength) I’ve been looking at doing the lower leg lift things, and working my way towards planks since both those have minimal bending of the spine. Any other suggestion would be appreciated.

…and if you’ve managed to make it all the way through my rather longwinded questions, I do have one more question. I seem to remember reading something about fasting naturally increasing hgh (human growth hormone)? Anyone know if this is true, and if it is, is this something I should be taking advantage of? Will it help with my overall fat loss if i exercise when its supposed to be at peak? And any idea when it is supposed to peak, or if this only shows up on extended fasts?

Thanks

(Todd Allen) #2

Free weights are great and I’m sure you can get a good workout with a totalgym too. If your schedule is tight focus on getting the most that you can from brief intense workouts, ie repeated long, slow movements at moderately heavy load with good form/posture without rest to failure. Focus more on working big muscle groups like legs, butt, torso and back than on isolated small muscles like the biceps.

But I think your best bet when starting out is to look for things you can do to challenge yourself in small increasing ways without equipment as part of your daily routine throughout your entire day. For example when I walk I now make a conscious effort to walk briskly with great posture, head up, back straight, shoulders back, gut in, hips back, ass tight, etc. Then start parking father back in the lot, take an extra flight of stairs, carry a basket instead of pushing a cart at the grocery, stand whenever possible instead of sitting, sit on the floor instead of a chair, play with your child on the floor and rise to standing from the floor repeatedly, etc. Envision yourself as young and vital and approach everything with youthful vigor.

#3

Thanks for the reply!

I will try and develop some totalgym routines based on those groups you mentioned. Is it best to try and hit each of those groups each day or just a couple a day and alternate?

As for the rest, I actually put extra effort tonight at work to NOT do things the easier way (lifting 50 lbs item manually instead of a lift etc.) One thing having back surgery has taught me is the importance of good posture and how to lift things properly.

(Todd Allen) #4

Ideally you want to work every muscle at a frequency that maximizes your gains in performance. Which depends on your level of fitness, the intensity and duration of your workouts, how much stress you are under, how well you are sleeping, etc. But a good place to start is to try and work each muscle group a couple times a week and then adjust up or down from there looking for your sweet spot. Experiment with various approaches and see what works best for you and your schedule. Maybe focus on lower body stuff one day, upper body another and maybe do a whole body workout on a weekend day that you have more time.

#5

I’ve found it easy to get into a routine with kettlebell swings. A kettlebell is a fairly compact and easily stowed piece of equipment, yet it can be used to get your heart rate up in a very short period of time. To start out, try doing two sets of twenty swings with a 30 second rest between sets. That’ll take about one and a half minutes. (Or two minutes if you also take a 30 second rest after the second set.)

Try to gradually increase the number of sets you do. When you get up to doing ten sets (which will take about ten minutes), you can either increase the weight - i.e. get a heavier kettlebell - or decrease the rest period between sets.

There are a bunch of other movements that may be performed with a kettlebell too, but the one to start with is the swing. It is easy to learn and it’s very, very effective, especially for folks who don’t have a lot of time.

(Chris W) #6

I have a TG as well, I use it daily for around 1/2 an hour 5 days a week. I have found you tube to be helpful in this regard one fellow John Peel does a number of simple 3-4 routines videos that you can tailor to specific areas(back,abs, shoulders etc.). I use mine for core and upper body currently but it can do a whole lot for what it is. The videos make it much easier than written pictographs. You can find some quick workouts as well for less time that go like 5- 10 minutes.

I also use a small cheap exercise bike for LISS to help with cardio.

(Dan Kunz) #7

Not sure what the situation is at work but you could try to squeeze in a short workout during your lunch break, especially if you’re fasting. Even without much time or access to showers, you could do stair climbs (taking two steps at a time if singles aren’t challenging enough) or outdoors try walking lunges - all you need is a sidewalk or parking lot. I do like the kettlebell suggestion as well.

#8

Recently someone on here posted a video of Ted Naiman talking about exercise to failure. I don’t have time to search for it right now but it’s definitely worth your time to look it up! I wonder if it’s something that could be applied to TG - something like what Todd is suggesting?

#9

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions and I’ll definitely look more into it.

The kettlebell looks interesting, the only question I have is will it require a lot of twisting and extra stress on my lower back (have a few fused vertebrae)?

#10

There are a lot of ways to use a kettle bell! A variety of swings - which many folks consider one of the best and most effective exercises around - goblet squats, rows… there many possibilities, and most of them don’t involve twisting. You could look at a few YT videos to get an idea of the variety.

As with most movements, it really helps to know how to tuck your pelvis in and engage your abs (posterior pelvic tilt) to help protect the lower back.

#11

A proper kettlebell swing has no twisting of the back. The back is held in a neutral position throughout the movement. Here’s a good video…

She also has some good videos about the Turkish Get Up - which is also well worth doing. (But start with the swing.)

(Realhope18) #12

Anyone here think we can lose weight only doing keto?

#13

Weight loss with only keto and no exercise? Yes, definitely. Lots of folks have done it.
Long term health and vitality and loving the way you look? That’s another matter :slight_smile:
But the good news is that folks who go keto often find that they start really wanting to exercise. Lots of energy, and suddenly you want to move!

(Realhope18) #14

Thank you. I was in the gym a lot for the past two months and wasn’t getting nowhere. I just have no energy, I was constantly hungry, Felt like I was depriving myself . Now that I’m on keto, in the first couple weeks and very fatigued. After work it’s the last thing I want to do. I’ve been pretty lazy . :weary::upside_down_face::relieved:

#15

Absolutely! I lost 140 on KETO without ANY training whatsoever. At my goal weight now, I am 4 months into High Intensity, Low Volume resistance training, ala Dr Doug McGuff’s “Body By Science”.

My doc says weight loss is done best in the kitchen, not the gym. (80% diet, 20% gym) Having gotten past morbid obesity, I am safer @ 63 years and 185# lifting slowly to UTTER FAILURE…than at 333 pounds and mid 40’s.

I am enjoying my once a week training sessions, and seeing some improvement in functional strength, endurance at work, and added muscle. Highly recommend (for people in my age group especially) and the risk of injury is ridiculously low. Having said that, my doc MUCH prefers Stronglifts 5x5, and is encouraging me to give that a try. (My free testesterone is a little low.)

Stan

(Chris W) #16

That is pretty normal to feel fatigued, the time between full keto adaption and fat adaption can be rough it is when I started up my exercises and I would hit a wall after about 10 minutes. If you have no energy you should be checking your fat intake, try to get more of the short chain(butter) or medium chain (coconut oil, mct oil) and salt can also be a factor as well. The SCT and MCT’s get absorbed pretty quick so they can be used more effectively.

I lost 20# with out any exercise or very little as I had a knee that was messed up. Exercise is not the key to burning fat and loosing weight but it helps. I actually about a month after fat adaption desired working out, and once I started fasting two months after that really enjoyed working out. It seems odd but its true.

(Realhope18) #17

Thank you for reply. Much appreciated.
I really love all the knowledge here and hearing ones journey🙏

(Realhope18) #18

Thank you… :pray: