Woes of a fatass

**Locque** · Posted On: 1/06/2012 2:15pm

So, I've been a long-time lurker on this site, and from the way I see threads in general go, I'm not sure this is really going to be received well, or taken seriously, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Long story short, I'm 27, I smoke, and I'm outta shape. I have been, almost my whole life. I grew up a soft, tubby kid, although I was always strong for my ag- wait, this probably isn't helping anyone.

Alright, long story short, extensive mcdojo bullshit experience (GSTKD, The booj, the genbukan- tard central, basically). Got a taste of real judo competing in college and even came to love it (hard). I did, however, injure both of my shoulders, which, to this day, sometimes give me a weird popping sensation if I exert them at odd angles. I'm back in college now, and going back to German Ju Jutsu as a new year's resolution. ( I understand new years resolutions almost universally end in failure, but I intend to prove them wrong blah blah) Cutting to the chase:

1. Is there another solid way to improve cardio besides getting on the treadmill and jogging? It's monotonous, and every step reminds me of all these kgs I've packed on, like a total fatass.

2. Can someone give me some good exercises specifically focusing on the chest, shoulders, and back? My physio pointed out back when I first injured my first shoulder, that my shoulders were kinda underdeveloped, and the best way to keep my shoulder behaving itself would be to muscle up so that I didn't "overstrain" (can't remember the word he used) the joint.

Oh yeah, and I quit smoking, obviously.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 1/06/2012 2:47pm

Welcome to Bullshido.
1. You could start jumping rope, but a lot of beginners find it even more tedious than jogging. You could shorten the duration of running by doing hill sprints- run up a hill at top speed, walk back down, repeat. You can get better cardio for martial arts this way than longer periods of low intensity flat jogging. It's what I do if I'm gonna be competing in something soon. I like to pretend that a dog's chasing me.

I should also mention that I just started jogging recently, after hating running for years (part of why I liked martial arts is the exercise without running). When I quit smoking cigarettes, my body started to actually enjoy running. It became so much easier since I didn't feel like such an out of place bag of crap. Perhaps after a longer period of not smoking, your body will feel the same way.

2. You should look into Indian clubs (now they're repackaged as Clubbells too). Lots of the exercises are designed specifically to increase the suppleness and range of motion of the shoulder girdle, and will also include the back and chest to some extent. There's good sets available with instructional DVDs on ebay (of course, if you could find real life instruction, that'd be the ideal).

**elipson** · Posted On: 1/06/2012 4:15pm

A good shoulder article.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...overhead_press

For cardio you could also try swimming, or buying a bike to get around town.

I personally love running and also find that sparring is a great way to get cardio.

**jspeedy** · Posted On: 1/06/2012 4:41pm

Look into kettlebells maybe?

I'm just getting into it myself but everything i've read suggests they are a great tool for building strength and burning fat at the same time. It does take some research to do safely and properly though. I obtained a copy of Pavel's "Enter the Kettlebell" DVD via the internet as well as the "Enter the Kettlebell" book there is also an "Enter the Kettlebell Workbook" by Anthony Dilugio that lays out very specific workouts to get you started.

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/06/2012 6:24pm

Nice beginner workout, three 20-40 min units per day:

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building...arrior-workout

Don't overtrain, don't overstress (your mind).

Results will come in time.

And as to smoking: Quit. If you don't, don't bother training.

And as to the treadmill: http://librivox.org/

**HereBeADragon** · Posted On: 1/07/2012 11:03am

Great advice all around here. Clubbells and Kettlebells definitely get my vote. Also look up a program called FlowFit. It can be a grest cardio program. Lastly what is your diet like?

**Locque** · Posted On: 1/07/2012 11:15am

My diet's erratic (I eat crap more than I should) but my "core" diet is actually surprisingly healthy: A lot of rice and pasta, boiled veg, and lean meat. I'm also tidying it up post christmas- I figure the smartest thing to do is cook more often- it's not hard to cook relatively healthy food. I think kettlebells look pretty compelling, especially that you can use them in a confines space too, so I can work out without having to walk to the gym in the snow. Also, thanks a lot for the advice guys. Any reformed slobs around here, or were you all always cardio machines?

**jspeedy** · Posted On: 1/07/2012 11:37am

Someone else might be able to back me up here but I don't know that rice and pasta are good for you if you're trying to loose weight. Both are high in carbs and from what I remember offer little else nutrition wise, if you're trying to loose weight you might want to limit the amount of these that you consume. You could also eat brown rice and wheat pasta. Another option is quinoa, it's a grain that offers all the protiens your body needs it's considered a "superfood" by some sources. If you can't find it at a store you can order it in bulk online for cheap.

**Locque** · Posted On: 1/07/2012 12:28pm

From what i know of nutrition, yeah rice and pasta are quite carb-heavy, but if you're not also eating a lot of fat, you won't really pack on weight. Also, wouldn't brown rice and wheat pasta both be higher in carbs? I figured they were good because neither of them were fatty. What would people reccommend as a staple if not one of those two, out of curiousity? I am Irish (as in I was born and live in Ireland, not Boston) so please god don't say fucking potatoes.