I will be starting T within thr next few months and i know working out will help soo much. But i will be honest I'm pretty lazy but motivated. Right now all i do is walk (dont own a car so its my main mod of transportatin) but i really want to start working out more. What could i do to help and won't be too hard since its been a while since i worked out?

Push-ups. Just drop and do max sets at random points throughout the day.

Sit ups are good. Also, if you get some bar bells at goodwill or something, you can use those for curls and bench presses. Start light and go up as you get stronger.

sam1234

What are you trying to do? Gain muscle or lose weight?

If you're trying to lose weight than it's more about dieting than exercising. Figure out your current caloric intake, drop that number lower and lower every [other] week until you find a good maintaining weight/calorie intake (and yes, have cheat days once a week). Somewhere between 1800-2200 is usually for maintaining a healthy weight, so to lose weight your intake needs to be less than that. You will likely have to change your portion sizes and types of food to do this. This is the laziest way to lose weight too (though potentially dangerous). Be cautious and safe with this kind of approach.

If you're just trying to tone up or build muscle, eat as much as you want of lean meats and protein. Lifting weights is pointless. Find an exercise that includes several small exercises done in a row for multiple sets. For example, I used to do an exercise that included squats, lunges, push ups, pull ups, inverted rows, and a couple other small set exercises in quick succession, rested for 60 seconds and repeated 7 more times. This was hard as hell, but it burned fat and toned my body like crazy (even with estrogen, weight loss, and far less protein my body still shows the effects of those days). The only problem with this route is it's not very lazy. It's just quick. About 45 minutes if you can do all 8 exercises 8 times. So if you want to get in and out real quick, this is best as it will build muscle and destroy fat.

And I really am no expert. My advice may be completely and terribly unhealthy. But I used to be 175 at my normal weight. I have weighed as much as 195 lifting weights and built like a football player. I weighed 165, lean and muscular. And now I'm 130 (and I weighed 155 in October). So I have some experience changing my weight. And I get the lazy thing too, because I prefer sitting around baking and eating cookies than running a marathon.

I set a goal of doing 100 push-ups and 100 sit ups every day. It didn't matter how many I did in a row or when I did them, just that I did it every day. Worked out pretty well for me when I was setting my exercise routine up.

Quote from: Ayden on April 02, 2015, 09:59:33 PM
I set a goal of doing 100 push-ups and 100 sit ups every day. It didn't matter how many I did in a row or when I did them, just that I did it every day. Worked out pretty well for me when I was setting my exercise routine up.

Thats a great idea! I think I might start a plan like that. Even though I do workout, my work schedule makws it hard to workout as regularly as I should, and this would be a great way to get more exercise in my day!

No matter what youre trying to achieve, the best way to workout is to go hard. Working out ans being lazy are completely different things. I also used to hate working out, but once I really got into it, I felt so good! Now I love it, and look forward to my workouts and the results. You can always start out small and build your way up to a good workout, but small, at-home workouts will only take you so far unfortunately.

I have a picture on my tumblr with ideas to get workouts in throughtout your day. If I wasnt on my tablet Id link it, but Ill try to remember them.

One of them, you leave a dumbbell at the stairs, so every time you go up and down the stairs you take it with you.
10 squats every time you use the bathroom
50 pushups and 50 crunches every time you shower
Park far away and walk (even if it doesnt apply to you personally, still a good one)
Do bicep curls with your ahopping bags

Thats all I remember right now.

I also use "dead time" to exercise, like a few of the other posters.

Squats during tv commercials, pushups while waiting for the shower to get warmed up, holding a squat while brushing teeth--make use of time you wouldn't normally use for anything else and squeeze in some exercises. It'll get you in a good pattern, even if you don't feel like it's making much of a dent, and keeping up with that pattern of exercise is key.

Good luck!

Quote from: Abby Claire on April 02, 2015, 09:59:04 PM
Lifting weights is pointless.

If by "pointless" you mean the best way to build strength and muscle, sure.
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/progressive-overload/
There is also no such thing as a "toned" muscle. There is muscle, and there is fat. What most people call "toned" is a lower body fat percentage, that is, less fat covering up the muscle. General rule of thumb, if a piece of exercise equipment promises to help you "get toned", it's garbage - save your money.

I dedicate a good portion of time and effort to working out. I used to think I was too "lazy" too but the thing is, if I'm going to put ANY effort into doing something, it needs to be worth my while. I'd rather put in a little more effort and get meaningful results than put in a tiny amount of effort and get jack all.

For those doing push-ups, bear in mind you need a pulling exercise too (e.g. pull-ups, rows) or you'll eventually develop a muscle imbalance.

Quote from: blink on April 03, 2015, 02:47:15 PM
If by "pointless" you mean the best way to build strength and muscle, sure.
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/progressive-overload/
There is also no such thing as a "toned" muscle. There is muscle, and there is fat. What most people call "toned" is a lower body fat percentage, that is, less fat covering up the muscle. General rule of thumb, if a piece of exercise equipment promises to help you "get toned", it's garbage - save your money.

Okay, let's rephrase. Free weights are pointless. Unless you're a body builder focusing small muscle areas, free weights never need to be touched. Bench, pull down, barbell squats, military press, and other exercises that hit multiple areas of the body are great for strength building, but are usually better done when you know how to properly lift to focus the right areas to their full effect.

If we're aiming for a toned look, I still stand by weights not really serving a purpose, especially if you're a novice or never worked out properly. All it will lead to is improper workouts and likely no change.

Instead, aim for 10 proper, slow push-ups. 5 pull ups. 5 chin ups. Squats, lunges, inverted rows. Do these and gradually aim for 20 push ups, 10 pull ups, etc etc. Improve your reps. And if we want to burn fat, do 60 second planks with only 30 seconds of rest between sets. If I'm to understand the poster's desire and likely experience level, this is a much better route to go than hitting the weights.

Free weights are a great choice for losing weight or bulking. Lifting weights along with getting plenty of protein while cutting calories is ideal so you can make sure the weight lost is fat and not muscle.

Quote from: Abby Claire on April 03, 2015, 03:22:18 PM
Okay, let's rephrase. Free weights are pointless. Unless you're a body builder focusing small muscle areas, free weights never need to be touched. Bench, pull down, barbell squats, military press, and other exercises that hit multiple areas of the body are great for strength building, but are usually better done when you know how to properly lift to focus the right areas to their full effect.

If we're aiming for a toned look, I still stand by weights not really serving a purpose, especially if you're a novice or never worked out properly. All it will lead to is improper workouts and likely no change.

Instead, aim for 10 proper, slow push-ups. 5 pull ups. 5 chin ups. Squats, lunges, inverted rows. Do these and gradually aim for 20 push ups, 10 pull ups, etc etc. Improve your reps. And if we want to burn fat, do 60 second planks with only 30 seconds of rest between sets. If I'm to understand the poster's desire and likely experience level, this is a much better route to go than hitting the weights.

I'm no body builder, and free weights have been the ticket for me to build the strength I want at a price I can afford, in my own home. Body weight exercises such as pull ups are great, but my progress doing that alone would be very slow and not comparable what is achieved by the combination of body weight and free weights. It's easier to achieve progressive overload with free weights than with body weight exercises, and they can be complimentary to each other. For example, my grip improves more by doing barbell deadlifts than by pull-ups. If one's hands fatigue quickly one will not manage many pull-ups. Basically, doing deadlifts lets me do more pull-ups.

It's said too often that free weights are no good because they can be used improperly and lead to injury. There's a wealth of resources online to learn how to do it properly at no cost. As far as doing it improperly and hurting yourself goes, statistically people are more likely to screw up and hurt themselves running. But all anyone says about that is "take up running, all you need is a good pair of shoes!" ... and learning proper form or you will hurt yourself. Proper form is essential for bodyweight exercises too. Many useful activities in life can be done wrong and lead to injury, that doesn't make them useless, just means it's important to be careful and learn to do it right.

With free weights it's easy to start with as little weight as one needs to safely begin and focus purely on form, on getting it right, before adding weight as appropriate. With body weight exercises it can be difficult to adjust. Some people can't do even one unassisted/unmodified pull-up or push up to start with, but how many people won't be able to lift a 2 or 3lb dumbbell? I got an adjustable dumbbell and barbell set and used them unloaded for some exercises when I first started, to focus on form. That's 3 pounds (dbs) and 16lbs (bb) respectively. I've been lifting a couple of years now, gradually adding weight, and have yet to hurt myself. In fact I've protected myself from injury doing ordinary life activities requiring lifting, since I've developed strength and internalized good lifting practices.

Lifting weights is an effective way to build muscle, which increases metabolism (helps get rid of unwanted fat). And it, well, builds muscle. The more muscle under the fat, the easier to see the muscle.

And I will understand if someone reads this and has only the take-away of "hurrr I like to pick things up and put them down."

Blink, you nailed it. All of the above.

I'd add that contrary to popular belief, there's actually no such thing as "toned." The concept was invented as a way to market exercise to women who are afraid they'll build too much muscle and/or think that it's unfeminine to be, um, strong. Working out does three things, and "toning" isn't one of them: it increases strength and endurance, builds muscle mass, and can help to lower one's percentage of body fat. You can gain strength without building much in the way of muscle mass, or if you're out to build muscle, you can put that ahead of gaining strength, although you will also get stronger while building muscle. Regardless of how much muscle you have, the definition of the muscles -- how visible they are -- depends entirely on your percentage of body fat. Many powerlifters look pretty fat -- they're not interested in looking good, and it's easier to build strength (and muscle mass) if you don't mind some body fat along with it. On the other hand, this is why bodybuilders "bulk and cut" -- they go through cycles of building muscles and gaining some fat followed by losing the fat while keeping as much muscle as possible. (You can also work out with the goal of increasing muscular endurance rather than strength or size, but you'll still get some of each along the way.)

If you want to build a lot of muscle and lose body fat at the same time, it can be done, but it takes serious attention to nutrition.

"Toning" is nothing but a combination of building a bit of muscle and losing enough weight for it to show.

Keep in mind though, that since it's been a while since you worked out, you need to ease into it if you want to avoid hurting yourself. It's very common for people to jump into exercising, only to overdo it and end up worse than they started.

Increase your walking distance. This is easy to do without any kind of exertion. You can get a cheap pedometer at Walmart for $10, or one of the fitness trackers for ~$100. There are free apps you can download on your phone to help you start running if you're so inclined. Or you could cruise Craigslist for an inexpensive bike or other workout equipment. Loads of cheap stuff, especially in the warmer seasons where I live. Lots of people start moving in the summer and they don't want to lug around a slightly older treadmill or elliptical. 

IMO, I think it's much harder to maintain a consistently healthy diet than it is to maintain a certain level of fitness. It's easy to squeeze some kind of physical activity into my schedule, but eating right at every meal requires a lot of planning and commitment.

Quote from: Tysilio on April 04, 2015, 10:34:59 AM
Blink, you nailed it. All of the above.

I'd add that contrary to popular belief, there's actually no such thing as "toned." The concept was invented as a way to market exercise to women who are afraid they'll build too much muscle and/or think that it's unfeminine to be, um, strong. Working out does three things, and "toning" isn't one of them: it increases strength and endurance, builds muscle mass, and can help to lower one's percentage of body fat. You can gain strength without building much in the way of muscle mass, or if you're out to build muscle, you can put that ahead of gaining strength, although you will also get stronger while building muscle. Regardless of how much muscle you have, the definition of the muscles -- how visible they are -- depends entirely on your percentage of body fat. Many powerlifters look pretty fat -- they're not interested in looking good, and it's easier to build strength (and muscle mass) if you don't mind some body fat along with it. On the other hand, this is why bodybuilders "bulk and cut" -- they go through cycles of building muscles and gaining some fat followed by losing the fat while keeping as much muscle as possible. (You can also work out with the goal of increasing muscular endurance rather than strength or size, but you'll still get some of each along the way.)

If you want to build a lot of muscle and lose body fat at the same time, it can be done, but it takes serious attention to nutrition.

"Toning" is nothing but a combination of building a bit of muscle and losing enough weight for it to show.

Thanks Tysilio.
Yeah, "toning" is a lie used to market gimmick exercise equiment. And thanks for bringing up some differences between bodybuilding and other types of lifting. This is why I'm definitely not a bodybuilder - although I aim to maintain a reasonably low bf%, and build muscle mass, my primary motivation is strength. I also have no desire to get my bf% into single digits. Working out and eating right (along with HRT) can also help expedite body fat distribution changes, which is great. Maybe I'm biased but for the reasons you said and more, I'd recommend weight lifting to almost anyone. It can help with just about any goal depending on how you use it, and the financial and storage space requirements are relatively small.

Quote from: ftmax on April 04, 2015, 10:54:41 AM
Keep in mind though, that since it's been a while since you worked out, you need to ease into it if you want to avoid hurting yourself. It's very common for people to jump into exercising, only to overdo it and end up worse than they started.

Increase your walking distance. This is easy to do without any kind of exertion. You can get a cheap pedometer at Walmart for $10, or one of the fitness trackers for ~$100. There are free apps you can download on your phone to help you start running if you're so inclined. Or you could cruise Craigslist for an inexpensive bike or other workout equipment. Loads of cheap stuff, especially in the warmer seasons where I live. Lots of people start moving in the summer and they don't want to lug around a slightly older treadmill or elliptical. 

IMO, I think it's much harder to maintain a consistently healthy diet than it is to maintain a certain level of fitness. It's easy to squeeze some kind of physical activity into my schedule, but eating right at every meal requires a lot of planning and commitment.

Yeah, definitely don't rush exercise, including weight lifting. Slow and steady progress is better than rushing and sustaining preventable injuries and setbacks.

A healthy diet isn't too hard if you make small changes and get the hang of what you've already changed before changing something else. Sorta like the exercise. Don't rush, make steady, careful progress and then when you get to a level you're happy with just maintain it. Eating healthy can often be cheaper too. I eat mostly stuff like rice, beans, dairy, fruits, vegetables and fish. It's tons cheaper than TV dinners and other processed junk. I cook up a bunch of rice & beans (or whatever) at once and have enough for a few meals ahead so it's not too inconvenient either.

Yep. There's no reason for anyone not to lift weights, and a lot of reasons why just about anyone can benefit. And there's so much good information available online now, for free, that it's easy to learn how to lift correctly and find programs tailored to just about any fitness level and any goal.

As far as equipment goes, if you're in a populated area, you can get everything you need, and almost anything you might want, for free or very cheap off Craigslist or local "freecycle" sites. People are always trying to unload exercise equipment; they're either moving, or they've quit using it and want it gone. With a little online research, it's not hard to figure out what would work in your space, for your particular goals.

People talk up body weight exercises a lot, and they can be great, but I think most of the time they should at least be supplemented with weight work. If all you ever do is pushups and situps, for instance, you are going to end up with muscular imbalances which put you at risk of injury and can screw up your posture. Even if all you have is a set of decent dumbbell handles and some plates, you can put together a balanced workout. It's important not to focus only on the muscles you see in the mirror.

Quote from: Tysilio on April 05, 2015, 02:53:14 PM
People talk up body weight exercises a lot, and they can be great, but I think most of the time they should at least be supplemented with weight work. If all you ever do is pushups and situps, for instance, you are going to end up with muscular imbalances which put you at risk of injury and can screw up your posture. Even if all you have is a set of decent dumbbell handles and some plates, you can put together a balanced workout. It's important not to focus only on the muscles you see in the mirror.

Pull-ups are a good counter balance to push-ups. I do mine off a door with something stuffed under the door to support and hold the door in place. Cheap and makes it impossible to kip.
Another good pulling exercise is band pull-aparts. I bought a bag of great big rubber bands and looped a few through each other to make a longer band (cheaper than buying an actual "exercise band" marketed as such). When that's too easy you can loop pairs of rubber bands through each other, to make a double thick band.

I'm also gonna second Blink... Lol@ the "lifting weights/free weights are pointless". If you want workout advice, it's best to target an audience who knows what they're talking about. You wouldn't ask a  seamstress how to change the brakes on a car. Like I tell people all the time... YouTube and Bodybuilding.com. Everything you could possibly ever want to know about dieting, excersizes, weight loss, muscle gain, etc, can be found for free. And just because it's called bodybuilding.com doesn't mean it's exclusively catered towards "bodybuilders". They have information for any and every fitness goal.

Do your research. Track your progress. You can't be lazy and expect to enhance your fitness.  There is no shortcut, you have to be consistent with your excersizes and diet, and it can take months to years for drastic changes.

as people say, abs start in the kitchen. you can work out all you want but you won't get any progress if you aren't eating properly. when i started a physically demanding job, i was doing more physical activity than i have in YEARS. my diet was poor though. not that i didn't eat healthy, because i do, but because i wasn't eating enough. once i started doing that, that's when the weight came off + being physically active. it isn't hard to eat healthy and making simple changes like white rice to brown, or white pasta to whole grain, it helps.

also, you might want to look at these to see what work outs are best for what muscle.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/5f573a821925caf4fccdb21fdca03589/tumblr_nim4c5ebzL1s819puo1_1280.png
https://40.media.tumblr.com/45b036795f14cece2bda777bead0e317/tumblr_nim4c5ebzL1s819puo2_1280.png
https://41.media.tumblr.com/d6945a168a1bfb4ec204fa870b09a8e5/tumblr_nim4c5ebzL1s819puo3_1280.png

also, drink lots of water and cut out things like pop and junk food. i know people who shed weight easy just by cutting out the junk food. not saying you eat that stuff but diet is seriously important and if you want to start anywhere, maybe start with that + walking, then do more and more as you progress.

Quote from: AeroZeppelin92Like I tell people all the time... YouTube and Bodybuilding.com. Everything you could possibly ever want to know about dieting, excersizes, weight loss, muscle gain, etc, can be found for free. And just because it's called bodybuilding.com doesn't mean it's exclusively catered towards "bodybuilders". They have information for any and every fitness goal.

There's lots of good information on Bodybuilding.com, but many of their articles are thinly disguised advertising for a product or service. Another site I like is Breaking Muscle -- it's less commercial, and they cover everything fitness-related. For instruction on how to perform just about any strength training exercise correctly, some YouTube channels I like are Athlean-X, Omar Isuf, and Strengthcamp. They all emphasize good form and show you how not to get hurt.

Another good diet tip, especially if you're trying to lose weight, is a really simple one: if you drink alcohol at all, either stop altogether or cut back to no more than a couple of drinks a week. Any form of booze is loaded with calories and devoid of nutrition -- depending on how much you drink, it can easily add up to a pound a week or more in calories you're not taking in any more. Also, your liver will thank you.

Otherwise, if you want to add muscle: eat more protein, and eat real food: if it comes in a box or is otherwise processed, pass it by in favor of something in its natural state.

As far as being lazy... you pretty much have to decide how much you want this, and go from there. Just start with small changes, and know that this is a gradual process and a lifelong commitment. It's NOT a commitment to depriving yourself, though -- it's a commitment to feeling better, liking yourself more, and being happy in your body. It's totally worth it.

On the topic of beverages, it's no wonder so many people don't want to give up soda, when the popular idea is that it's soda or plain water. Doesn't have to be so boring. There's unsweetened tea (tastes better and is actually cheaper if you get whole leaf instead of bagged, although bags are rather convenient), there's also adding flavorings (e.g. rosewater) or spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom). If there's an Indian foods shop in your area look for something called tea masala. Goes great in tea, but it's also good in just water.

Cheaper and better for your teeth. Leaves more money for hobbies and saving up for expensive needs.