Fitness AMA from a highly-trained personal trainer

[leoric]

Hey guys! Thought I would do a fitness AMA as a way to contribute in my own little way to the community.

Some background on myself
3 major certifications
NASM-CPT
ACE-CPT
Master Rehabilitation Certified

Please feel free to ask any questions regarding workout routines, fat loss/muscle gaining, diet, supplementation, strength and conditioning for sports as well as injury rehabiliation and prevention.

[Milly]

Whats a program you would run a beginner on?
What do you supplement, currently all I take is a multi, whey isolate and creatine

This is cool of you man , thanks!

[leoric]

Whats a program you would run a beginner on?
What do you supplement, currently all I take is a multi, whey isolate and creatine

This is cool of you man , thanks!

For workout program, it really depe nds on your current mobility / strength level. I would highly recommend focusing on increasing your mobility via dynamic and power stretching. This will help prevent injuries moving forward.

Some good solid workout programs are the classic Starting Strength and 5x5 which are very easily looked up online

As for supplementation, multi is key along with a protein supplement (isolate or concentrate, its a extremely minimal difference). Go with the protein you can afford and taste you like for consistency. Isolate and hydroisolate only really matter for those actively competing or advanced training. Dont believe the marketing.

Creatine is great for endurance but remember to keep your water intake high to avoid bloating. Loading on it is unnecessary and is a marketing tactic. Stick to 5g a day.

I personally advice having a preworkout on-hand to increase focus prior to working out. (Given you have no underlying heart conditions)

A great brand I personally use is c4 (in your case, get the c4 ripped variant as you already have a creatine supplement. Other preworkouts and c4 variants have creatine. Ripped does not)
Add some fish oil and a nice joint supplement like glucosamine for overall health

[Synth Salazzle]

I have some physical disabilities that make walking/running difficult. I can however use an exercise bike, and things like it.

Have any light work out ideas to get me started before I get into it all hardcore?

And a what's the best fat burning diet plan?

[leoric]

I have some physical disabilities that make walking/running difficult. I can however use an exercise bike, and things like it.

Have any light work out ideas to get me started before I get into it all hardcore?

And a what's the best fat burning diet plan?

Hi! What disability? You can pm me if you're uncomfortable sharing here

But if you're currently on the heavy side which make high-impact cardio difficult, the best indication of fat loss is an elevated heart rate while exercising. This means that anything that keeps it up will be good to start with such as the exercise bike or even something like yoga (which i highly recommend even to my bodybuilder clients)

As for the diet, I am really not a fan of diets like keto and atkins since I believe in a balanced diet. The most important thing is finding the diet AND food you're comfortable with and allows you to build consistency.

Start off with basic portion control and finding the aspects of your current diet which you can reduce (not cut-off completely for now) that are bad for you.

I.e. decrease sodas from 2 cans a day to 1 then eventually none

So many people fail because they can't stick to their diet. Also research a ton on healthy recipes like chicken, eggs, etc and find the ones that you love

This'll let you prepare for when you start dieting seriously

[Synth Salazzle]

Hi! What disability? You can pm me if you're uncomfortable sharing here

But if you're currently on the heavy side which make high-impact cardio difficult, the best indication of fat loss is an elevated heart rate while exercising. This means that anything that keeps it up will be good to start with such as the exercise bike or even something like yoga (which i highly recommend even to my bodybuilder clients)

As for the diet, I am really not a fan of diets like keto and atkins since I believe in a balanced diet. The most important thing is finding the diet AND food you're comfortable with and allows you to build consistency.

Start off with basic portion control and finding the aspects of your current diet which you can reduce (not cut-off completely for now) that are bad for you.

I.e. decrease sodas from 2 cans a day to 1 then eventually none

So many people fail because they can't stick to their diet. Also research a ton on healthy recipes like chicken, eggs, etc and find the ones that you love

This'll let you prepare for when you start dieting seriously

I don't really wanna go into great detail about it, but basically, my hips don't like to stay in the sockets and walking/running makes it worse. Biking, and other activities where I can sit = A okay for me. I can lift weights even as long as I'm sitting.

I am on the extremely heavy side and am trying pretty hard to change that with little results.

As far as diet goes I'm doing really well. I cut out soda completely months ago but I still have too much of a taste for junk food which is my biggest downfall. How do I cut cravings while giving myself proper nutrition?

[leoric]

I don't really wanna go into great detail about it, but basically, my hips don't like to stay in the sockets and walking/running makes it worse. Biking, and other activities where I can sit = A okay for me. I can lift weights even as long as I'm sitting.

I am on the extremely heavy side and am trying pretty hard to change that with little results.

As far as diet goes I'm doing really well. I cut out soda completely months ago but I still have too much of a taste for junk food which is my biggest downfall. How do I cut cravings while giving myself proper nutrition?

Sorry to hear that Ashoka. It seems to me that low-impact cardio is perfect for you. It'll get easier as the weight comes down but for now stick to the exercise bike, an elliptical or imo the best cardio for fat loss, swimming.

Cravings never truly go away my dear and thats what misconception #1 is. The key is to control them and satisfy them in a way that'll keep you sane without hindering your progress too much.

If you could, please pm me or post here what your meals daily look like.

If its junk food like chips that you're always craving for, then we're the same. I used to eat at least 1 bag a day then i slowly transitioned to cutting it out completely by learning how to bake my own sweet potato chips and treating myself to a bag once or twice a week.

[Synth Salazzle]

Sorry to hear that Ashoka. It seems to me that low-impact cardio is perfect for you. It'll get easier as the weight comes down but for now stick to the exercise bike, an elliptical or imo the best cardio for fat loss, swimming.

Cravings never truly go away my dear and thats what misconception #1 is. The key is to control them and satisfy them in a way that'll keep you sane without hindering your progress too much.

If you could, please pm me or post here what your meals daily look like.

If its junk food like chips that you're always craving for, then we're the same. I used to eat at least 1 bag a day then i slowly transitioned to cutting it out completely by learning how to bake my own sweet potato chips and treating myself to a bag once or twice a week.

That sounds easy enough for a workout. I don't live near any pools or anything but I'll try seeing if there's one near by. I can actually do swimming without my hip coming out of the socket if I'm careful.

I usually cook my daily meals. Yesterday for example for dinner I had sauteed green beans, sauteed carrots, and some home made kani sushi. I usually try to eat stuff along those lines, but some days you just say 'fuck it' and get one of those lean cuisines.

And I crave a lot of chocolate and corn chips rip me. I try to avoid them though.

[leoric]

That sounds easy enough for a workout. I don't live near any pools or anything but I'll try seeing if there's one near by. I can actually do swimming without my hip coming out of the socket if I'm careful.

I usually cook my daily meals. Yesterday for example for dinner I had sauteed green beans, sauteed carrots, and some home made kani sushi. I usually try to eat stuff along those lines, but some days you just say 'fuck it' and get one of those lean cuisines.

And I crave a lot of chocolate and corn chips rip me. I try to avoid them though.

Also be sure to look into hip strengthening exercises and stretches. The article below has some great IT band stretches to help all alleviate the pain.

(you need an account to see links)

The first thing I ask my clients to practice is portion control. One fist of carbs (preferably complex carbohydrates like sweet potatos), one fist of a lean protein (I personally do not recommend chicken breast unless you can stomach it and cook it well consistently, this is why I recommend the thigh part since the macronutrients are very similar only having slightly higher fat content) and a fist or two of vegetables to keep you satiated. This basic eating protocol while decreasing your snacking will already help you lose weight consistently.

Kale chips I find have helped me with the corn chips cravings but they take some getting used to. I also make baked sweet potato fries for my french fry obsession. It's always about finding that substitute and consuming it in moderation.

[Todoroki]

What's your opinion on intermittent fasting?