12 Weeks to maximize overall fitness

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 9:23am

Greetings all, recently I had the good fortune to win a radio contest where I was one of 96 who got a free 12 week membership to Gold's Gym. This also entered me in another contest where the individual who increases their overall fitness the most in those 12 weeks wins some nice prizes.

My question is this: What is the best way to do this? I want to max out my training without creating undue negative effects.

My background: I am an overweight Aikidoist <insert joke here> who hasn't trained since October. I also have to be sensitive of my knees, both having been scoped for torn cartilage.

**MEGALEF** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 9:40am

Do you know how they will measure this increase in overall fitness?

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 9:50am

Not completely. I know they measure weight, waist, and would have to assume they measure body fat percentage. I just found the below and feel like an ass.

Decisions are based on before and after photos (75%), Measurements (15%), and essay (10% if required to break a tie).

In any case, for a 12 week intense program, what would be some recommendations? I intend to abuse these facilities as much as possible.

**EmetShamash** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 10:10am

Find a trainer. I think professional help is what would best maximize your efforts. I don't care if you are a teacher or some huge expert in whatever, sometimes you just need some outside direction.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 11:20am

A lot of personal trainers are garbage. Gold's Gym however may be the exception given their history.

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 12:03pm

Originally Posted by Emevas

A lot of personal trainers are garbage. Gold's Gym however may be the exception given their history.

Emevas has teh correct. Beware of personal trainers in general. Gold's Gym and World's Gym are usually the exception as most other gym franchises as LA Fitness and Bally's are nothing more than meat markets rather than serious places of workout... I digress. God I hate LA Fitness.

Nasal, first question: what limitations do you see with your knees? Do you think you can run, squat or do jumping jacks?

second question: do you think you can give us an idea of what your daily food intake is like, how often do you eat, what you eat, etc? - details man, details ;)

If you go and hire a personal trainer, explain to him/her your knee conditions and what your goals are. Ask him/her to devise a workout plan and you follow it to the letter.

Now, in my opinion, the best way to go (in a perfect world) for such a 12-week before/after contest is to do running, squats, push ups until the cows come home and chin ups/pull downs. You don't need anything else. But since your knees are sensitive, squats and running may be out of the question.

Anyways, whatever to be done must be kept simple and intense. Some people may dissagree, but I've given this suggestion to a few friends of mine with varied, but positive results:

Every day, devote three minutes of your day to do the following:

-- 50 to 70 jumping jacks followed by 20 to 30 push ups, no breaks in between
-- take 5 to 10 seconds rest and repeat
-- repeat for 3 minutes

If you can't do jumping jacks due to your knees, then replace those with 20 to 30 ab crunches or v-ups (this is actually one of the warm up routines used at my BJJ school.) You can adjust the intensity, but the key is in the effort given to it for 3 minutes. If you can do this for longer periods, the better, but no more than 5 minutes since you will be working out at the gym as well. The key is in the short periods of rest (5 to 10 seconds).

This is to be done on top of your workouts at the gym. If you go to the gym at night, then you do the 3 minute routine in the morning (or viceversa.)

Diet is also a big factor. A generalized suggestion would including the following on weekdays (assuming a workout routine is already in place):
- replacing all white bread/starch/pasta with whole wheat products (pasta, bread, whatever)
- calculating how much you eat a day and split all that in 7 portions
- every day replace one of those 7 portions with a low-fat protein shake (with 40g of protein or more)... ABB Extreme Body RTD 50 comes to mind.
- replace one of those 7 portions with a small salad (a cup of diced cucumber and tomatoes, no oil, no dressing, no salt, no nothing) 2 or 3 times a week.
- make sure you get enough fiber - supplement with metamusil products if you have to
- drink plenty of water

Tell us more about what you eat in general and how strong or weak your knees are, and we may be able to throw better ideas to play with :book1:

**smillard** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 12:41pm

If they test your overall fitness on a treadmill and/or weights you can always tank the test to improve your end results.

As bad as some personal trainers are there usually are some good ones and I'd recommend you take advantage of one if for no other reason than it forces you to go if you have no motivation.

Now since it's a 12 week program I'd work on overall fitness first where you work each body part one to two times a week, two to three excercises per body part 3 to 5 sets 12 to 15 reps per excersices. Work in about 20 to 30 minutes of cardio three to four times a week. Try to vary the cardio you do, don't do the some thing every time. This should give you a good baseline fitness.

After about six weeks increase the weight you lift and lower the reps to 8 to 10 reps per set. Work each body part out once a week. Then continue with the cardio but increase the duration to about 40 minutes. The heavier lifting will help build more muscle mass which will increase your metabolism.

Now mind you this is not knowing your health/injury history so you should get checked out before you start so you aren't doing something to cause an injury which will lay you up and delay results.

**zendeath2000** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 1:00pm

do you have to train clean? if not hammer the roids while working out...just kidding

There are so many good workout here in the forums. Also it saddens me that your only working out because you might win something, instead of taking the steps to a longer healthier life for your own good.

**Tom Kagan** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 1:04pm

Pick up a copy of Body for Life by Bill Phillips. There is nothing extraordinary in the book and there are perhaps better plans. But it's not bad and it lays out exactly what you are about to go through.

**NasalInfection** · Posted On: 2/07/2007 1:23pm

Kickass info all, thanks. As for some background I have no limitations on my actions with knees but I am just worried about reinjuring them. My big worry is with deadlifts/squats but I have heard, probably on this board, that those exercises done properly act as more as rehab than potentially damaging.

As for diet, that will require a complete overhaul. Imagine the worst possible eating schedule, and the worst possible foods comprising the diet, and that is where I am.

I am doing this workout not just to win a prize but to get back into shape and become a real contender at Aikido (for internationals next year) as well as Judo soon. BJJ was great but I am moving away from the school soon so i didn't enroll. After my knee surgery I just fell into a slump, and then the holidays, and just poor workout discipline other than Aikido classes.