I need help designing a workout routine.

I'm 6-0, 190, with a spare tire/beer gut. I haven't had a soft drink in a year. My goal is to loose fat, loose weight... want to get in shape for racing season next year (this year is shot, I'm out of the country till november). I have access to a small gym and I'm eating low-fat, high protein food here, and again, no sodas or sugary drinks.

I've been doing cardio on a stationary bike, but should probably add some weight training to that too. I'm a little confused between the "fat burn" setting and the "cardio workout" settings on the bike. The fat burn setting has me working out at 120 bpm and it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything, so I do cardio at 175 bpm for like... 30-40 min every morning before I eat anything. Am I doing something wrong?

The fat burning hype is yesterday news.

The percentage of fat burned at 120bpm can be about 60.
If you raise the bpm to 150 it goes down to maybe 50.

What 'they' don't tell you is that it's 50% of quite a lot more burned calories.

120 can be more than enough for beginners, but if you're comfortable at 150 - go ahead!
In fact, as high as you'd like and are comfortable with on a long term (next time and so on)

Your diet sounds fine.
While on a diet for weight loss, you are starving - easier to maintain if meals are many and close together, but small.

For a normal person, loosing weight over time, working out 2-3-4 times a week -  the diet counts for 60-80% of the weight loss.
So, it's much more important to eat right than to train right.

I'm not saying that working out isn't important - it helps in many ways.


If

.......

If you like strength training - go ahead.

It's not going to change your weight loss speed, but there are many other benefits.

Preparing for safe, controlled and capable riding includes strength and mobility training, so in that
respect it's a very good idea to include it.

Maybe you have enough to handle with the cardio and weight loss without also having to introduce another challenge now.
My advice is to get closer to where you want your weight to be - then shift your training towards strength and mobility.

(Personal Trainer, ~9.000 sessions by now)

Personally, I like Defranco's routines:

Start with this for a few weeks. It's a good program that doesn't take too much time.
http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/56-training-economy-how-to-maximize-efficiency-in-the-gym.html

Then move to this if you want to build muscle. It works very well and is fun, even if it isn't followed exactly.
http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/60-westside-for-skinny-bastards-part1.html

Lots of interesting articles on his website too. 

no sugar, no starch, no booze

eat like a carnivorous rabbit....

sit-ups and pushups, exer-cycle

and tell your loved one that you are like a dairy cow and need to be "milked" twice a day

since food is a stress mitigator


No I am not a PT....but I have slept in Holiday Inn Expresses

and used this formula with great results

You're going to get a whole plethora of responses from people on this subject that cross the spectrum of how to diet, how to exercise, how to this and how to that...

Take what you read from here with a grain of salt as what works for one person won't necessarily work for someone else. Find what works best for you and go with that.




You might try sifting through the "Not too Serious Get Fit Thread" for other insight as well.

Oh and GOOD LUCK!! 

If you're into pulp reading, I'd suggest this:

Cardio Strength Training by Robert dos Remedios MA CSCS
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MKLRVU/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d30_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0DKYXCR1MK56HZYVPP2B&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Thanks everyone. The diet is interesting... I'm working noon to midnight, every day, for the next 6 months. The dining facilities are open such that I get two meals in per day (usually asleep for breakfast), so the small meals thing is a little more difficult, unless I'm eating a lot of prepackaged food (as a civilian, I'm not allowed to take food out of the dining facilities). AAAAAAAAAND no booze here. at all.

Triple-J, I like the "training efficiency" idea.

Meats and vegetable, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar...

http://whole9life.com/  look for the whole9 program on here, it is 30 days, give it a shot.  As far as a workout program... move heavy weights, long distances, quickly.  And keep to compound movements, not isolation movements.

Quote from: Triple J on May 26, 2011, 09:11:01 AM
Personally, I like Defranco's routines:

Start with this for a few weeks. It's a good program that doesn't take too much time.
http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/56-training-economy-how-to-maximize-efficiency-in-the-gym.html

Then move to this if you want to build muscle. It works very well and is fun, even if it isn't followed exactly.
http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/60-westside-for-skinny-bastards-part1.html

Lots of interesting articles on his website too. 

I like Difranco too...........really about one of the only non-bullshit internet, training gurus around.

as for diet..... pick the one you can most easily stick to. Any diet that creates a calorie deficit will work. Personally I like a 'dead animals and green stuff' diet, but low fat, high protein works well for many people.

meal frequency can be whatever you like....... 6 meals a day..... 3 meals a day......even 2 meals a day......from a body composition perspective, all else being equal, meal frequency matters little

it sounds like based on your postings (being out of the country, being a civilian, etc.) that you are doing some sort of work with the military?  if that's the case, then you have access to the best trainers around - i.e. just do what they do.  i have done a variety of work-out routines over the years, and the one that has worked best for me is a "boot-camp" style workout.  you don't need much equipment or space to do it.  and you don't need much time either. 

basically give yourself 20-30 mins and just try to keep moving as much as possible during that time.  personally i try to mix it up between upper body and lower body exercises, but really i try to do stuff that incorporate several muscle groups at the same time. 

example: warm-up with jumping jacks, jump rope, pull-ups, standing squats, push-ups, burpees, pull-ups, mountain climbers, dips, jump rope, etc. etc.   you can start out slow and add minutes/reps/weight as you get stronger.  the key is to keep moving.  do each exercise for a minute, then maybe give yourself 30 seconds to rest, then the next exercise.  even if you can only do 5-10 minutes at the start, you will gradually be able to go for longer.

those are my thoughts.  good luck!

Quote from: RAT900 on May 26, 2011, 09:19:21 AM
and tell your loved one that you are like a dairy cow and need to be "milked" twice a day

WHAT?!         

Notice how no one has backed you up on this one?!

Quote from: Dragsterhund on May 26, 2011, 10:19:00 AM
Triple-J, I like the "training efficiency" idea.

That book a reference has a number of similar things going on. Great for efficiency as you're doing several exercises in groups with no down time between  the individual component exercises.

And if you're thinking more about functional sorts of things as opposed to 'old fashioned' iron pumping - do some hunting around for kettle bell exercises. Of course that assumes that KBs are available - though a lot of the exercises can be adapted to use other weights/objects.

Quote from: Stella on May 26, 2011, 11:46:20 AM

WHAT?!         

Notice how no one has backed you up on this one?!

I know....I know....it no longer surprises me Stella

it is lonely out here on the bleeding edge of junk science

but there may be some remote Rat-oidal merit in the idea that people eat drink and smoke to offset stress

reduce stress and voila...better to be snoring than engorging

Quote from: RAT900 on May 26, 2011, 12:41:38 PM
I know....I know....it no longer surprises me Stella

it is lonely out here on the bleeding edge of junk science

but there may be some remote Rat-oidal merit in the idea that people eat drink and smoke to offset stress

reduce stress and voila...better to be snoring than engorging

there is a fair bit of research supporting your contention that getting "milked" more frequently improves health markers.