In another post, we briefly mentioned how it can be hard to stay motivated to keep exercising. Maybe we can try to motivate each other here by saying what exercises we've done, and updates on our progress?

I used to work out a lot, and my arms were actually pretty buff. I used to lift weights 6 days a week and going for a run while holding two pound weights. After I tore some tendons in my wrist at work and a change in friends, I stopped working out, and now my arms are all weak and scrawny.

I started working out again recently, now that I have a coworker who does P90-X and Insanity every day and tells me all about it every day, it makes me feel really out of shape. I don't have any workout equiptment, I don't have the room to do cardio DVDs, and there's no sidewalks where I live and there's an evil dog up the road so I am not going to be running outside at home.

Lately, I've just been doing some yoga DVDs (I like Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn and Strength Building Yoga); and then for cardio I just try to jump around like an idiot while listening to something like System of A Down. I usually just try to randomly alternate between running in place, jumping jacks, squats, boxing, and some moves I saw on Insanity/P-90X infomercials. Afterwards, I stretch and do crunches, oblique exercises (I think they're called bicycles and I've even heard them referred to as "Rocky Balboa's"), and pushups (which I suck at).

So, this morning I did my version of cardio described above, and I am planning on doing Strength Building Yoga tonight. My main goal is to really flatten my stomach; my waist is currently at 31.5 inches. If it's not any smaller in a few weeks, feel free to scold me. 

The five-stomach series or what some call the pilates stomach series are super helpful IMO.

I dont work out alot, but I usunally dance once in a while after I had done alot of computer work or while im taking break. just putting on some music and dance for a moment. I got inspired by a schoolmate who had been a druguser and who said he somethimes liked to danse to get in a good mood.

also if I watch tv I usunally work out while wathing some show, or you can do it under the comercials and then have a break when the show starts.

I haven't exercised in a month since I messed up a nerve in my arm that is still healing and I really miss it, yet I know that getting back into it will be so hard. Momentum is the key, the longer you stay without exercising the harder it is to build back the habit, you have to really force yourself in the beginning.

I found that setting up a reward system helped build the habit - I'd allow myself a square of dark chocolate or tea with a half-teaspoon of honey after a workout (I used to not eat any sugar except fruits before my injury, now I've slipped back into it and have to clean up my diet again! ugh that stuff is so addictive). If you're more of a masochist I guess you can punish yourself in some ways if you missed a scheduled workout instead, like eating something (healthy!) you hate or donating x amount of money to a charity.

As for the workout itself, one day out of two I did the beginner bodyweight workout from NerdFitness, and 30mn of biking as cardio on the off days.
That workout is the most efficient thing I've ever done when it comes to both losing weight and getting stronger, and it really kicked my butt for "beginner" stuff (the advanced one looks ridiculously hard, completing it one day is my long-term fitness goal).
I tried learning yoga on the off days watching youtube videos but I just kept hurting myself again and again, I'm way too clumsy to get into it without a teacher supervising me.

I think this is a great post! I've let my weight get a bit out of hand lately and I need to lose some pounds so this has inspired me to do so. Anybody got any tips on what to start off with? I've never really thought of exercise as a way to look more male but after reading some posts I realise that it can help and this motivates me even more.
Joey

I used to go running a lot, and then I was no longer trusted to go out of the house alone, so that stopped and I never got back into it again.  I started seriously smoking because it helped my depression and have been smoking about a year.  I told myself that I was going to quit smoking and get back into exercising at the beginning of the month because Halloween is a really important day for me, but I had a motorcycle accident that day this year and was too battered and bruised to do anything strenuous for about a week and my motivation slipped.

Back when I used to do some exercising I used to follow the 100 push ups, 25 pull ups, 200 sit ups, etc routines and modify the plans to include dumbell curls etc.  I've got a beam I can do pull ups on and a pair of 5kg and 2kg dumbells, so I've got those.  I really should do something structured with them instead of just picking them up when I feel like/stubbing my toe on them constantly.

This thread is an amazing idea. I was doing so well for about a month keeping up with a schedule and everything, but then college came along with a thousand hours of major assignments and I sort of just stressed out and stopped. : /  Guh.

It's a great idea, but I think it would make me look bad, even though I have started to work out.

--Jay J

Great idea!

I'll admit I have two gym memberships - a corporate one at work complete with a Personal Trainer, and another one at a gym near home. This is because I work an hour's drive away from home so it's cheaper to have a second membership for evenings & weekends.

My Personal Trainer knows I'm a pre-T FtM and he has devised a workout to help me burn fat & build upper body strength so I can change my profile whilst waiting for T. If anyone wants a copy of what he's got me doing, I'm happy to share.

But I do think it's important to stress that nobody should take up exercise without consulting their doctor first. And so should anyone with pre-existing conditions.

As an avid weightlifter, I thought I would chime in here as well. Exercise is great and I love weight lifting, or bodybuilding, whichever term you want to use. I've been bodybuilding for about 3 months now. I started in March 2012 but had to put in on hold because I had top surgery then I was able to start back up again in September. I have seen very nice results with my workout programs but I did have to do a lot of research. While exercising is important, your diet is what is most important. If you exercise, but don't eat right you are basically ruining everything you are working for. I'm not saying you have to go on an all vegetable and protein diet but you should stay away from fast food and just about all junk food but you can cheat once a week just to get by but eventually you will be able to cut all of it out of your diet.

Exercising and keeping a healthy diet going will give you the best results in the shortest amount of time. Buying a tub of whey protein would be beneficial as well to make sure you are getting all the protein you would need if you want to gain muscle. At first it seems expensive, but you will find that it yields great results in a cost effective way because it would be ridiculously expensive to eat high protein foods to get the protein intake you need in order to support your bodybuilding/exercising lifestyle.

If you are interested in any other information that I could give you regarding supplements or workout programs, I have 42 workout programs that you could choose from that I can either post on here or email to you. Whether you want to achieve fat loss, build muscle, or do both I have programs for each of those and more. I know I am not a doctor or a professional but I do feel like I could help many of you in this aspect of your life.

Quote from: FTMDiaries on November 19, 2012, 09:12:32 AM
But I do think it's important to stress that nobody should take up exercise without consulting their doctor first. And so should anyone with pre-existing conditions.

What? Why.

Quote from: kenton_07 on November 19, 2012, 10:54:15 AM
As an avid weightlifter, I thought I would chime in here as well. Exercise is great and I love weight lifting, or bodybuilding, whichever term you want to use. I've been bodybuilding for about 3 months now. I started in March 2012 but had to put in on hold because I had top surgery then I was able to start back up again in September. I have seen very nice results with my workout programs but I did have to do a lot of research. While exercising is important, your diet is what is most important. If you exercise, but don't eat right you are basically ruining everything you are working for. I'm not saying you have to go on an all vegetable and protein diet but you should stay away from fast food and just about all junk food but you can cheat once a week just to get by but eventually you will be able to cut all of it out of your diet.

Exercising and keeping a healthy diet going will give you the best results in the shortest amount of time. Buying a tub of whey protein would be beneficial as well to make sure you are getting all the protein you would need if you want to gain muscle. At first it seems expensive, but you will find that it yields great results in a cost effective way because it would be ridiculously expensive to eat high protein foods to get the protein intake you need in order to support your bodybuilding/exercising lifestyle.

In a nutrition class I took about two years ago, the book and instructor said that most supplements aren't very effective because the body can only absorb a small portion of all the vitamins/protein that the companies put in them. Everything that doesn't get absorbed just gets flushed out. I am just wary of spending the money and just pissing out most of what I bought. Do you just make the drink/shake and then just slowly drink it over the course of the day?

My coworker uses the Scientology powder and puts it in a fruit and vegetable smoothie; she swears by it, so if I was to use any, I might try that one. She's had great results in loosing weight and getting in shape.

I don't have a weight problem, I just want to get toned. I eat well-I was raised vegetarian and my parents were very strict about having sweets and snacks, and we never had fast food. Eating healthy just kind of comes naturally to me I think because of all those years of being vegetarian. I do have to make an effort to get protein though-I usually eat a Greek yogurt daily since it has protein in it, and I try to eat a serving of nuts/seeds (unsalted) everyday. Sometimes I add silkened tofu to fruit and vegetable smoothies. I don't eat meat everyday, so some sort of supplement would probably be helpful for me.

Quote from: Sparrowhawke on November 19, 2012, 10:55:28 AM
What? Why.

Some people can hurt themselves or have health problems if they exercise, like people with heart problems. A doctor may want to do some tests to see if they're healthy enough to exercise. Someone with heart problems might be advised to only do a short walk daily, because if they just jump into doing cardio work it might be too much for them. People with back problems might be advised not to lift weights, etc.

LH-
It really depends on which supplements you are going to take. I only take a few myself and a multivitamin. The main supplement I use is whey protein. A whey protein supplement, depending on which one you buy, aids in the recovery process after working out. As a bodybuilder, your protein intake should be about 1 gram per pound of body weight. So since I'm about 5'6" and 145 pounds, I would have to take in 145 grams of protein. My protein shakes have 25 grams of protein per serving and I have 1 serving per shake. Some days when I know I might not have access to healthy foods, I will drink two shakes. One right after a workout, and one before bed.

Whey protein supplements can aid in recovery immediately after a workout, or you can get a whey protein that is slow release which means the protein is absorbed over 6-8 hours instead of 20-30 minutes after your workout. I buy a 5lb tub of whey protein for at most $40, and it lasts me a while. I don't always have a protein shake on days I don't workout, but I always have one after a workout.

The other supplements I take are fish oil and a pre-workout supplement (mostly caffeine). The fish oil helps with the fat burning process and muscle building. It is essential to get your Omega-3s but I know not all people can afford to buy extra supplements in these tough times. I recently started taking  pre-workout supplement because it helps me keep my focus and I am able to lift more because it gives me more energy from the caffeine. Now, I know you might be thinking that taking in caffeine to get energy is horrible, but it is usually extracted from green tea or some other natural source which makes it so that I don't crash later on.

Your body can only absorb between 40-50 grams of protein at one time, so your instructor was right in some way. As for other supplements, I'm not 100% sure. My knowledge is mostly of whey protein, casein, and some vitamins. hope this helps!

Yes it was helpful, I'll have to consider getting some protein supplements. I don't think taking caffeine to get energy is horrible, Runners Worlds recommended it back when I used to read it.

Haha, I just remembered, I did try to buy whey protein back when I was lifting weights a lot at GNC, but the female sales lady wouldn't sell it to me. She kept saying "this is for men my dear, you don't want to get muscular," even though I kept saying that I did.

Quote from: LearnedHand on November 19, 2012, 04:29:36 PM
Yes it was helpful, I'll have to consider getting some protein supplements. I don't think taking caffeine to get energy is horrible, Runners Worlds recommended it back when I used to read it.

Haha, I just remembered, I did try to buy whey protein back when I was lifting weights a lot at GNC, but the female sales lady wouldn't sell it to me. She kept saying "this is for men my dear, you don't want to get muscular," even though I kept saying that I did.

Even so, the GNC woman shouldn't even be saying that. Protein isn't just for men anyway. Women just haven't had the information they need to know that in fact protein doesn't add weight to your body, it helps in the recovery process and building muscle. Women automatically think they will get huge or fat if they take whey protein when it fact whey protein actually helps if you want to build muscle or tone.

For buying supplements, consider ordering them online because they will be much cheaper, GNC is too expensive. I just recently placed an order at www.bodybuilding.com because it is very helpful and the lowest supplement prices I've been able to find. bodybuilding.com also has a lot of other resources you might be interested in.

Quote from: LearnedHand on November 19, 2012, 03:39:08 PM
Some people can hurt themselves or have health problems if they exercise, like people with heart problems. A doctor may want to do some tests to see if they're healthy enough to exercise. Someone with heart problems might be advised to only do a short walk daily, because if they just jump into doing cardio work it might be too much for them. People with back problems might be advised not to lift weights, etc.

I see. I personally don't do anything too hard for me because I'm just trying to be healthy (I 'forget' to exercise, but that's another problem). If you want to press your body to the limit or at least something more stressful than I do. By all means talk to your doctor.

Quote from: LearnedHand on November 19, 2012, 04:29:36 PM
Haha, I just remembered, I did try to buy whey protein back when I was lifting weights a lot at GNC, but the female sales lady wouldn't sell it to me. She kept saying "this is for men my dear, you don't want to get muscular," even though I kept saying that I did.

That is so sexist. I mean it's your money. Why does she even care?

This is a good thread to help be motivated. People should post picks of their progress

I have a friend that's got a PhD in nutrition who I basically get meal or supplement plans from and ask questions. I also know 2 personal trainers (and have worked with both of them on workouts) and someone who was in the amateur body building circuit. On top of that, I've personally studied natural health for over a decade. I've got a lot of knowledge and access to knowledge on this type of stuff.

The thing with protein supplementation (or just eating massive amounts of protein) is you have to be seriously training so that the protein is utilized by the body properly. Otherwise mass amounts of protein are hard on your kidneys. If you're just doing a ton of protein and a simple workout expecting to get huge, that's not going to serve you well.

I think the more P-90x type workouts are great for fat burning and sculpting. I was injured for most of the year but had been trying to incorporate more days of the sort of short burst type of exercises with reps until failure (like mountain climbers, push ups, squats, etc.) They're very difficult to do and even if you can only do a few minutes you're still giving your body a workout.

If you're after that V shape you'll want to work on your deltoids and your lats. But be careful with the shoulder exercises. It's really easy to screw those up and wind up with a shoulder injury like I have.

i always get uber motivated for like a week and inevitably get sick, and there goes the workout plan lol
anywho, this is a pic from the summer
flexed

not flexed


soo impressive right? lol

Quote from: RagingShadow on November 20, 2012, 01:08:57 AM


soo impressive right? lol

nice you look like an average dude, and very white.

"and very white"...lol