Working Out

[malakaix]

I've been working out with weights every couple of days, with a rest day between for almost 4 months now; my diet is good and i've seen minor gains with muscle mass and tone. But i can't see myself continuing this.. i simply do not have the discipline or passion to make this apart of my daily routine; plus with plans to travel soon i can't maintain scheduled workouts. - Bodybuilding is a little too hardcore for me.

I have to say i have a whole new appreciation for those who put in the hard yards, it takes monumental dedication.

That said, is it enough to just eat healthy and exercise to maintain fit lean physique?

 

[Corazon]

You want to at least remain "active".
If you sit all day/every day behind a computer, stopping the workout routine will have a much worse effect than if you have a physically demanding job, or even if you do things like cut the grass, work in the yard, walk around the city, play a sport now and then, hot sex session etc.....

There's also ways to maintain some momentum without a gym like a couple sets of pushups, flexing in the mirror, maybe a set of bodyweight squats to failure. Our bodies were initially designed to at least carry us through the trees, hunt for food, fight our bros and have good sex, so we require some form of activity to at least stay fit.

 

[Maya]

I am currently on intense workout and that is because it is my passion. There is are 10-15 minute exercises you can do without having to exert too much effort. If you have I-phone there's this Nike training sessions you can look at.

 

[malakaix]

You want to at least remain "active".
If you sit all day/every day behind a computer, stopping the workout routine will have a much worse effect than if you have a physically demanding job, or even if you do things like cut the grass, work in the yard, walk around the city, play a sport now and then, hot sex session etc.....

There's also ways to maintain some momentum without a gym like a couple sets of pushups, flexing in the mirror, maybe a set of bodyweight squats to failure. Our bodies were initially designed to at least carry us through the trees, hunt for food, fight our bros and have good sex, so we require some form of activity to at least stay fit.

Thanks for the advice Corazan. Yeah, thankfully i have a physically demanding job doing manual labor so i usually remain quite active with that.. throwing a workout ontop has become too much recently.. as long as regular pushups, crunch's/exercise can help me maintain a fit physique i think that's where the balance lies for me.

I am currently on intense workout and that is because it is my passion. There is are 10-15 minute exercises you can do without having to exert too much effort. If you have I-phone there's this Nike training sessions you can look at.

Awesome, will check it out! Thankyou.

 

[Dare21]

Is your frustration coming from that fact that you've only seen "minor" gains in the past 4 years?

 

[thujone]

Four months is not nearly enough time to knows the ins n outs. Your diet probably hasn't been tuned, your workouts likely not as effective as they could be. Sure it takes dedication and passion but once you've cleared the major hurdles and know exactly what foods to eat and what exercises to do it's easy to just maintain at that rate. Can't get lean without muscles, only scrawny.

 

[Dare21]

Four months is not nearly enough time to knows the ins n outs. Your diet probably hasn't been tuned, your workouts likely not as effective as they could be. Sure it takes dedication and passion but once you've cleared the major hurdles and know exactly what foods to eat and what exercises to do it's easy to just maintain at that rate. Can't get lean without muscles, only scrawny.

Just realized that i misread the first post...I thought it was 4 years, not 4 months. I agree that 4 months isn't nearly enough time. What's your height/weight? How much are you eating?

 

[ilikestims]

It takes one day of strength training a week to maintain muscle mass. Two days a week to increase. Three days a week to really start packing on muscle.

Source: my diet & fitness class.

If you've only seen minor gains throughout four months, your routine is obviously terrible. I go on StrongLifts for 4-8 weeks for just 2 days a week and see moderate gains.

The quality of your protein sources mean a lot. The intensity and technique of your workout. Personally, I love SL because the routine only takes me ~45 minutes, including dynamic stretching before and static stretching after. When I did that three days a week, staying true to the program, I packed on a ton (too much for my goals) of muscle.

Discipline is a muscle. If you've done it for four months, you have the discipline.

In general I like to take a week off for every ~6 weeks of consistent training. Just take a break, refine your workout/food (a log for both helps a lot), and get back on it. Do you want to be healthful or unhealthful?

In the end, while I liked strength training, I like yoga and bike riding a whole lot more. Yoga and weight lifting don't really go together, so I've all but quit strength training. But you could at least do one day a week of something like SL/Starting Strength.

 

[XThexXTank]

Post yer workout schedule an diet.

Also, what do you mean by diet and exercise to maintain a lean phisique? Remember diet is 90% of the battle. Your workout will set you straight towards the path yer trynna acomplish. If you meant exercise as in just cardio than no, cardio does not pack on muscle. It will make you real skinny, like a toothpick. You have to incorporate some weight lifting into yer workout to have that skinny an ripped look if thats what yer goin for.

 

[Wolfmans_BrothEr]

That said, is it enough to just eat healthy and exercise to maintain fit lean physique?

In short, yes

You said u have a physically demanding job and u can't fit daily workouts into ur schedule. Is it that ur too busy or just too lazy? Honestly? To tell the truth the absolute best time to do a workout would be right after your physically demanding job. The brains already clicking and everything in ur bodys already working you'd benefit from it alot more than working out after you've been resting all day.

Find a gym on your way home from work. U don't need more than 30-45 min 3-4x/week to see real results. Eat a lot of fresh foods n meat. Stay away from processed food and preservatives and nothing in the microwave and you'd be fine

And the ppl who are saying 4 months isn't enough time are wrong. It's plenty of time if your doing it right, your form, routine, or diet are off if you've only seen moderate gains in 4 months.... Figure out which one and you've solved the problem. I have a feeling it's form and routine

 

[Joeof1]

Four months is not nearly enough time to knows the ins n outs. Your diet probably hasn't been tuned, your workouts likely not as effective as they could be. Sure it takes dedication and passion but once you've cleared the major hurdles and know exactly what foods to eat and what exercises to do it's easy to just maintain at that rate. Can't get lean without muscles, only scrawny.

This.

To the OP, your diet can not be even close to where it should be in only 4 months. Most people take at least a year or two to get their diet dialed in where gains slather on. I took almost 3 years to get it down right. Even still there is room for improvement in my diet, and I adjust it daily.