Basic exercises to do regularly to help get fit?

[CobaltTree]

I have a trip to the beach coming up in July and I'm not as fit as I would like to be. I would like to get in shape before the trip and I was wondering what are some basic exercises that I could do regularly to help lose a little weight? I'm already changing the way I eat. I've eliminated carbonated drinks and coffee as well as reducing the amount of sugar I eat. I'm not expecting to get a six pack in 3 months but I want to be fit enough to feel comfortable being shirtless in front of a bunch of girls.

[ArtistBboy]

Make sure you understand the basics of human nutrition... Carbohydrates, proteins, etc.. Just cause a product says: "Fat free" or "Enriched Wheat" doesn't mean it's good for you. Be sure to check the ingredients and apply a healthy food diet. This way your body is going to get what it needs to encourage muscle GROWTH, while giving you the similar weight loss.. In turn, you get a skulpted body, versus a flabby mass which is contracting.

A good looking body is a high percentage of what you eat and a low percentage of what your activities are like. Just keep that in mind.

Here's the workouts I'd recommend:

Every morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb0kp6nrbZE

Go to the gym every afternoon and do complex exercises which target a muscle group and not just a muscle region. Also, change your circuit often.. This will keep your muscle fibers in a constant state of shock (where they don't get accustomed to the same strain). The point of "shocking" your muscle fibers is that by putting a different strain on them, you are targeting different muscle fibers (More / Less / or completely different ones).. And as such, your muscles are going to grow.. When your muscle grows, it's going to need nutrition, and if your getting MOST of what it wants from your diet, yet it needs a little extra.. it'll turn to your fat cells to break them down, and convert them, into energy for the new muscle growth.

Stuff like Squats, Dead man lifts, bench press, inclined bench press, skull crushers, leg raises, etc - These are the types of exercises that I use on a weekly basis.. And it helps me a lot.

The other thing your gonna need, is to realize that your body needs rest. Don't go to the gym for hours at a time (exception: After you've been going a while, your muscles will require more work or more weight). If you try to "push yourself" too hard, your gonna tear a muscle/tendon/etc and in turn, your gonna be sitting on a couch for the rest of the time up to your vacation, trying to recover.

Lastly, I've noticed a dramatic difference in my passion for body building by doing two things:

1) Stretching (Yoga).. I can't back up this with scientific facts, but from what I've noticed, the more I stretch before and after my workout, the better I feel and the stronger I get (faster). It's not a way to increase your muscle size, but if I stretch before a workout, I tend to lift more. And if I stretch after a workout, I tend to feel better. Almost the same effect as meditating?

2) MP3 / Music (Ipod) - When I go to the gym, I bring my ipod loaded with some adrenaline pumping soundtracks.. I've noticed a trend where if I'm wanting to relax, then I don't try my best. And if I'm "on edge" and my hearts pumping, then I really want to kick some ass and take names.

Overall, just stick to your goal but in the sense of "steps".. Like adding 10 lbs to your workout, or being able to run for 1 more mile, etc. It helps to prevent you from giving up when you don't reach your goal.

~ ArtistBBoy

[Undoubtable]

Well, there's a few basics.

First off, the more muscle you activate when you exercise, the more growth hormones and especially testosterone is released. So the four exercises you should focus on are the deadlift, the squat, the bench press and the pull-up. The first few weeks, maybe a month, do a full-body routine that incorporates all these exercises. Monday, Wednesday and Friday you could do weight lifting, and on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday you could do cardio.

Second of all, the amount of repetitions you do in weightlifting decides what muscles you activate, and by extension build. The repetition range of 8-12 is the one that builds the most muscles, 3-6 builds strength and 15-18(and above, for that matter) builds muscle stamina(it varies somewhat with your genetic make-up, but the basic numbers boil down to thereabouts.

Third, keep every session at the gym below the one hour mark. After one hour of hard work the body is depleted of glycogen, so if you need more time, split it into two one-hour sessions, morning and evening for instance, with a high-carb meal in between them to refill your glyco stores.

Fourth, technique and form trumps weight. Keep in mind that you're not at the gym to be or look strong, but to get stronger. If you perform an exercise awkwardly at 30kg, you get more effect quicker by dropping to 25kg and performing it perfectly, especially when you're in the 8-12 rep range, which you'll mostly confine yourself to if you intend to build muscle size over a short period, like the next 3 months.

Fifth, variation is key. Every month or so, do variations of your exercises. For a couple of sessions, do a higher or lower repetition range, or change from a straight up squat to a sumo squat, or do narrow and then wide grip pull-ups instead of shoulder-width. When you follow a program for a while, your muscles become accustomed, and you'll see less progression. Some people will tell you that you have to switch all the time, but really, once a month or so does the trick for most people.

Sixth, eat protein. Lots of it. Gaining weight in muscle before you lose weight in fat is what I would do in your situation. With more muscle, you'll lose fat much quicker. The most useful protein tip, and a scientifically proven one, is that by consuming 20 grams of protein right after your workout, or before stretching, whatever, increases the effect of a weight lifting regime by around 25%. At any rate eat a sizeable meal within the hour, with plenty of carbs and protein.

Seventh, carbs aren't really the enemy. Fast digesting carbs are, on the other hand, like sugar and starch, which you find in white bread, pasta and, well, sugary stuff. Good carbs are slow digesting carbs, they give you energy for getting through the day, and you find it in whole grain products, potatoes, rice, nuts, vegetables, cultured dairy, et cetera.

That's it for weight lifting exercise. I've some about what cardio you should do, if you're interested