Texas Newbie

[hkarre]

Hi, My name is Howard Karre and I am new to body weight exercise, well just exercise in general. Earlier this year I was selected to attend a police academy which shall remain nameless. I showed up there extremely out of shape (330+lbs.) and barely able to run (or do anything else for that matter). Needless to say, I struggled with the PT program there. I worked hard though and found some people to help me out. After four months there I had lost about 60 lbs. of fat and am now able to run and do exercises like a normal person. Unfortunately, I was still unable to pass my final PT test (missed it by about 10 sec.) so I was dropped from the academy. I will have an opportunity to reapply and go back in about 4 to 6 months.

My goal in coming here is to build upon what I have achieved so far. I weigh about 270 lbs now and still have quite a bit of fat to cut. Basically, I need to find a good program that will allow me to continue to cut fat and build upper body and core strength. I am not afraid of pain so if anyone has any suggestions for me, I am more than willing to listen. Also, if anyone is willing to kind of give me some pointers on where to start I would be most appreciative. One of the goals that I am most interested in is pullups. I need to be able to build as much strength as I can so I can maybe do at leat 3-4 pullups per set.:)

[koltz]

Welcome aboard , Howard!
60lbs in 4 monthes is very good! , if you keep it up , even when things slow down when your lighter , you will have a six pack(and big arms to match if you don't screw up and loose muscle) in a year or less!
well , that's a lot of time to get lean and a lot of refeeding phases (noone can stay on a diet for a year nor should he)
but you will have a lot more muscle then a skinny guy training for a year.

I just talked to another guy in another forum who was very fat and basically dieted all his way to a bodybuilding competition , without a bulking phase.

Probably your goal is to pass the police physical test, but dropping weight and gaining muscle will obviously help... less weight to move and more weight that moves you! so it should be a priority..


a good circuit that's easy to understand and do is my "the fool proof workout" thread also it usually has good carryover to PT tests.
I think that if you gave it a honest try you would like it!

anyway, good luck.

[hkarre]

Thanks for the advice koltz. I really intend to see this through and get in the best shape of my life. I will incorporate your workout into some of the other things that I am already doing. I like the idea of the bodyweight exercises because I can literally do them anywhere.

[cheesedog]

Welcome to the forum. You accomplished more in 4 months than most people would accomplish in 4 years, you should be proud!

In addition to the fool proof workout, on the days off from that get your aerobic work in. I assume you've already been jogging or something similiar; once you are in pretty good shape aerobically (meaning you can go at a steady pace for 20 minutes or so without feeling like you're going to die) you should start doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) a couple of days a week. In HIIT you sprint as fast as possible for a certain length of time, then go at a slow to moderate pace for a time, and repeat. This type of training burns fat a good deal faster than steady-state aerobics. A good way to atart out for this would be to jog slowly for a few minutes to warm up, then run full-out for 20-30 seconds, then walk or jog slowly for 30-40 seconds. Repeat a few times a build up to 8-10 intervals (or more it you can) slowly. If you have a track to run on a good method is to sprint the straightaways and walk the curves.

[hkarre]

Hey cheesedog thanks for the advice! Yes, I have been doing a lot of running lately and have been wondering what else I could do for myself aerobically. I appreciate it and I look forward to being an active member of the forum!