Regarding exercising properly: toning and cardio routine for mid-section

b.cummins said:
I weigh 14kg and I'm not technically overweight, I have a good BMI.

I drink occasionally, probably once a fortnight at most. I'm driver most of the time and live out in the sticks so i don't really do alcohol on anything more than once fortnightly and that's being generous.

I'd rather just aim at my core. Running seems to be doing what i want for my legs and the core is the only part of my body that isn't in good shape and i've been at overall exercises for two years seeing no improvement and i'm getting kinda sick of it tbh..
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14 stone im guessing, so your in a good place for your height. maybe aim to get down to 13 and a half stone as a ideal weight. but only if you have packed on some muscles around your core and upper body.

ignore BMI its hairy gonads to be honest.

if you have been at this for two years sounds like you need a change, hence the overall work out route.

even if you just do squats/deadlifts/benchpress it may just give your body enough of a kick up the backside to change a bit more. you dont have to go heavy on them, just enough to get a good sweat on and improve your strength which will aid in your running.

maybe go over your diet product by product to make sure you aint eating something thats loaded with rubish and you just didnt notice it.

other than that start lifting a bit, im sure if you hit google you could find a middle disntance runners routine someplace.
 
GAC said:
14 stone im guessing, so your in a good place for your height. maybe aim to get down to 13 and a half stone as a ideal weight. but only if you have packed on some muscles around your core and upper body.

ignore BMI its hairy gonads to be honest.

if you have been at this for two years sounds like you need a change, hence the overall work out route.

even if you just do squats/deadlifts/benchpress it may just give your body enough of a kick up the backside to change a bit more. you dont have to go heavy on them, just enough to get a good sweat on and improve your strength which will aid in your running.

maybe go over your diet product by product to make sure you aint eating something thats loaded with rubish and you just didnt notice it.

other than that start lifting a bit, im sure if you hit google you could find a middle disntance runners routine someplace.
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lo and behold! Not looking to poo-poo anyone else's input so far but it's nice to see an answer that takes on board all the concerns I have - thank you.

I'm quite happy to take on board the suggestions for squats and deadlifts but I'm going to throw a spanner into the works and be difficult.

If this is what's needed then i'll accept this and have to sign up for the gym.
But I've just invested in a swiss ball, ab wheel and fitness mat. I've still got my 7kg dumbbells ofc. Is there any kind of routine I can benefit from by using this equipment instead for getting the results I want?
 
also can i come back to my original question - is it more beneficial to do my workout THEN go for a run or start with a run THEN do my workout?
 
b.cummins said:
also can i come back to my original question - is it more beneficial to do my workout THEN go for a run or start with a run THEN do my workout?
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I'd place less importance on that tbh.
IMHO GAC hit it right, you need to shock your body into responding, after basically spending 2 years doing what you're comfortable with.
Squats and basic compound exercises will help your core no end. Done right, you don't always need heavy weights.
If you can set yourself a decent routine that shocks....i'll be surprised if you have the energy to run afterwards.
Don't worry, consider giving running a miss for a week or so, whilst you get into your new resistance routine. It WILL drain you and the upside is your body will burn more calories at rest from such a routine.
Warm up sure, but don't be too fussed about your 20 min run afterwards. Not yet at least.
By all means look on youtube, make a note of the exercises (and advice) that look ok (not dangerous) and try them. If they work, great. If they don't, learn from it and pick one that will/does.
Don't be in a great hurry, cos if you go nuts and experience DOMS so bad that you can't even feed yourself properly, it may put you off, lol.
 
20 minutes a day, 5 days a week running?

you need a proper running regimen - are you trying to progress or just stay at the same, static level? What you're doing is pointless.

4 days a week, 5k, 8k, 10k and then a weekend 16k+ ***
 
You've been doing the same routine for ages and you're wondering why nothing has changed...
 
Banzai_Joe said:
I'd place less importance on that tbh.
IMHO GAC hit it right, you need to shock your body into responding, after basically spending 2 years doing what you're comfortable with.
Squats and basic compound exercises will help your core no end. Done right, you don't always need heavy weights.
If you can set yourself a decent routine that shocks....i'll be surprised if you have the energy to run afterwards.
Don't worry, consider giving running a miss for a week or so, whilst you get into your new resistance routine. It WILL drain you and the upside is your body will burn more calories at rest from such a routine.
Warm up sure, but don't be too fussed about your 20 min run afterwards. Not yet at least.
By all means look on youtube, make a note of the exercises (and advice) that look ok (not dangerous) and try them. If they work, great. If they don't, learn from it and pick one that will/does.
Don't be in a great hurry, cos if you go nuts and experience DOMS so bad that you can't even feed yourself properly, it may put you off, lol.
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how about this routine?? If it's sufficient to tire me out, surely it'll procure some results?


And er, what is DOMS??
 
I'm pretty sure he is capable enough of copy and pasting 'Delayed onset muscle soreness' into Google himself.
 
robotCocks said:
what a pointless combination of ASCII characters this post it - if you have nothing to add, then you add nothing.
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Lol, what?!
Azza answered the OP's question about whats DOMS are, plain and simple.

If expansion were required, i'd simply say (without too much science) that its the pain and soreness you feel after putting your muscles through rigorous exercise. Lactic acid, tissue breakdown yadda yadda all play a part.
The point is, if you go balls to the wall on the first week and can hardly walk for the pain the following week, it may put some off.
Believe me, and no doubt others here have felt it, that there are just some levels of DOMS that almost make you cry.....lol, oh the memories. :(

edit: regarding the youtube vid. Sure give it a try. You'll almost certainly struggle with most core exercises on the swiss ball, but hey, ya gotta start somewhere.
Earlier you mentioned situps, don't know if you were being generic, but if not, i'd stay away from full situps, they have as much emphasis on the hip flexors as they do the abs. For isolation do low crunches and ball sits.
At the end of the day, try em all a few times, if they don't feel right, try something else. I'm sure you can gauge whether you think they're safe to try or not.
 
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b.cummins said:
how about this routine?? If it's sufficient to tire me out, surely it'll procure some results?


And er, what is DOMS??
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I've tried to not post in this thread as I'd be very tempted to write an epic but posting that link pushed me over the edge :p

That guy is a total moron, the video is playing right now but I don't even need to watch it to know it's going to be mostly wrong/useless.

Other points:
- don't rely on long running pieces for fat loss. Big mistake unless you're *only* doing it for pleasure. You will end up not burning much fat and losing quite a bit of muscle mass. This is a bad thing even if you don't want to be a muscle-y chap.

- Crunches/situps are NOT good for core strength. I posted a pretty comprehensive list recently

*video playing update: wow, he's doing bicep curls for core. Idiot.
 
robotCocks said:
what a pointless combination of ASCII characters this post it - if you have nothing to add, then you add nothing.
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You seem a little bit of an ass.

@OP, You could look into HIIT, High intensity interval training. With the correct diet, its unbeatable for dropping the fat. I dropped a shed load in just a month, although you have to be careful as too much can hurt you legs. Its not something to do daily, without rest. But if you're wanting to see abs, you need to get your bodyfat % down. Keep doing situps!!! Dont stop just because people say you wont see anything yet, As you are still developing the muscle, even if its covered up, and its still going be burning calories aswell.

And yes, robotcocks, I'm expecting him to google it ;)


*edit, Lol i wrote week instead of month :p
 
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Not sure why u saw fit to have a go at azza, seeing as he was answering my question.

Like a lot of responses on here.

Today I tried a mixed routine. I went for a run then had a bit of a rest. Then a go on the swiss ball. I did try most of the things in the video but I kinda see ur point that it's not predominantly core focused so did a few more. Did a bit of planking (!), did an exercise that involves sitting and balancing with ur legs in the air and rotating a weight from left to right, an exercise on the ball which involves assuming a push up position and putting ur feet on the ball then rolling it back and forth and also some actual push ups.

Pretty knackered now which I suppose is the important thing?

I guess tomorrow I should expect, if I've done it correctly, the muscles that ache should be the ones I want to work out specifically??
 
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