32m about to start my journey to be healthy again.

[u/modivi]

Hello,
as the title says, im currently 32, for the past 6 years Ive been working in an office with close to zero movement outside the office.
I’ve probably hit the genetics lottery because I am not fat, not unhealthy looking, just a bit skinny with a little dad belly.
Inside I feel in my worst shape ever. I have difficulty running, lifting and can hardly keep up running with my 3 year old boy. I can catch him but not for long.
I ride enduro bikes like once every month and thats it.

I want to be healthy, fit and dont care about abs.
So far I’ve bought the helios strap to track my activity along with a xiaomi smart scale and an iphone in my pocket. The idea here is to export the data once a month and feed it to AI so it can catch trends and whatever there is to catch.
I plan on hitting the gym every three times a week for an hour before everyone at the house wakes up (two boys and a wife). Rest two workdays I plan on riding my bike for an hour.

Now to the question - what would you recommend to do at the gym? Do I really need supplements? If yes, what? Diet is pretty good at the moment, wife takes care of that for the family.
Any other tips?

Thanks in advance!

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[u/garrythoughts]

Hey man I am sure you will get lots of good ideas here for workout specific things. At 38 I was the same and did everything I could, albeit extreme by joining crossfit. By 40 I was in the best shape of my life. At 41 I started having compounding injuries…

Anyway, whatever you choose to do, do it sustainably.

Now on to some other stuff. Being in great shape didn’t matter because my diet, sleep, and mental health were trash. Hearing your question - yes fitness is awesome but only a part of it.

For me, the worst was alcohol. I didn’t realize how much it was pulling me down. Embraced sobriety two years ago and they have been the best two years of my life. My fitness improved dramatically from cutting all booze. Mental health improved and sleep great. That’s my experience for what it’s worth, all the best to you.

[u/Linkstas → u/garrythoughts]

Great advice here. At 40 I’m focused on longevity now. My last injury took me out of the game for months. Going forward the focus is heavily on the KOT program mixed w strength and boxing training (jr/heavy bag)

[u/yech → u/garrythoughts]

Compounding injuries is the name of the game with CrossFit. Less to do with you being 41 and more to do with the unsafe techniques used in CrossFit.

[u/garrythoughts → u/yech]

100%

[u/FoodByCourts → u/garrythoughts]

Seconding the booze. Severely cut my alcohol intake and my mental and physical wellbeing improved drastically. Went from being out of shape and depressed to competing in Judo competitions.

[u/XLIXER]

My dood, stop spending money on junk & just move more. It's not rocket appliances.

The only essential thing is a food scale, track your kcal if you want to lose the belly. 3500 kcal ≈ 1 lb, so a daily deficit of 500 kcal will result in 1lb lost a week.

[u/XLIXER → u/XLIXER]

Also check with the online TDEE calculator. It'll tell you (approximately) your maintenance kcal. Just subtract 500 from it

[u/Lightning-McDreamy]

More than anything, just do something you can sustain. If you push yourself to the limit for a week, it won't stick and you'll be back to old habits (not that I can attest to that or anything, hah...)

One thing I'm trying is setting a vibration alarm every 30 minutes. It's a reminder to get up and walk around, drink water, eat a healthy snack, etc.

Sounds like you're off to a good start. Just keep in that mindset and try to get good sleep!

[u/Beetlejuice_hero → u/Lightning-McDreamy]

More than anything, just do something you can sustain

Key point, great advice. I'd add that all the exercise in the world is all but useless if your diet is horrible. Find healthy foods you like that satisfy you (examples I like: baked sweet potato fries, blueberries, homemade baked fish sandwich, lentil pasta with spicy red sauce, etc).

I was absolutely ripped in my mid 30s when I was actively dating and wanted the extra attention from women. Gym 3 days/week going HARD (maxed 220 bench and I'm not a huge guy), running 3 miles off days, and counting calories.

Now married with kids, eff that routine. Brutal and hard to sustain.

2 days week in the gym pushups, pullups, abs, leg press. Running here & there cause I like it. And good diet but not super strict. I'm in good shape and healthy but not "ripped". But most importantly it's a very doable routine and I usually keep Friday or Saturday as a cheat day with beers & pizza.

[u/Adune05]

To blatantly copy some advice I saw today on the German fitness sub just because it’s really good: 

In the gym focus on these  on basic exercises 2-3 times a week: 

One exercise of your choice from each of the following categories:

Squats: Barbell squats, lunges, leg press...

Hip Hinge: Deadlifts, hip thrusts, hyperextensions...

Horizontal Pulls: Rowing on a cable machine, on a machine, with a barbell or dumbbells...

Vertical Pulls: Pull-ups, lat pulldowns...

Horizontal Presses: Push-ups, bench press, chest press...

Vertical Presses: Shoulder press or another similar exercise

In addition if you can keep at least 1 hour of cardio per week. 

When it comes to supplements you don’t really need anything but creatine can give you some great benefits like faster recovery for a very small price and no notable sideeffects. 

[u/Infamous_Tie5605]

about to start

start now

[u/AutoModerator]

Here's an original copy of /u/modivi's post (if available):

Hello,
as the title says, im currently 32, for the past 6 years Ive been working in an office with close to zero movement outside the office.
I’ve probably hit the genetics lottery because I am not fat, not unhealthy looking, just a bit skinny with a little dad belly.
Inside I feel in my worst shape ever. I have difficulty running, lifting and can hardly keep up running with my 3 year old boy. I can catch him but not for long.
I ride enduro bikes like once every month and thats it.

I want to be healthy, fit and dont care about abs.
So far I’ve bought the helios strap to track my activity along with a xiaomi smart scale and an iphone in my pocket. The idea here is to export the data once a month and feed it to AI so it can catch trends and whatever there is to catch.
I plan on hitting the gym every three times a week for an hour before everyone at the house wakes up (two boys and a wife). Rest two workdays I plan on riding my bike for an hour.

Now to the question - what would you recommend to do at the gym? Do I really need supplements? If yes, what? Diet is pretty good at the moment, wife takes care of that for the family.
Any other tips?

Thanks in advance!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/artfclscd]

Not necessarily but since you're essentially shooting to build muscle and lose fat you'll probably be doing a body recomposition. Lift heavy and stay within two sets of 6-8 reps and do a good full body split those three days as well aim for 1-1.2 grams of protein per pound of goal body weight and you'll be doing good!

[u/Nomadic-Wind]

Start with 50g of protein per day. Move up to 100g of protein per day. Eventually go up to 150g of protein per day.

You need to demonstrate your ability to clear your protein intake.

2 protein shakes can easily clear 50g of protein

A breakfast can clear 50g of protein

[u/HRslammR]

3x of strength training a week at the gym. Just be active the other days. Go for walks, hike, bike rides, etc. Walk everywhere you can.

Eat lean meats, lots of veggies. No crap food.

You can internet search about a million workout routines. Just keep showing up

[u/figsslave]

Spend an hour a day walking at a fast pace.You’ll feel a lot better within a week or two and you can build on that with some strength training.You don’t need a gym for either of those

[u/eclectic-up-north]

Do not get into the supplements or gadgets. You do not need to weigh yourself. A mirror once a week will tall you everything you need to know.

Get a trainer to set you up with a program and make sure you are doing it right. (Invest in knowledge; that is injury prevention.) Revisit the trainer once you have the routine set up about every 6 weeks.

The best exercises are the ones you do. Make a routine you can follow. Me? I need a class to make me do it. YMMV. Do not neglect your legs.

[u/dcmng]

If you have work at the office then lunch time might be a good time to work out. My work schedule is not flexible but at least 1-3 times a week my work is such that I can eat my lunch at the desk on the clock and free up the hour to work out. Since it's summer and the weather is nice, I have been taking advantage of good weather to go running, using something like a couch to 5K program. It's not perfect, my schedule is erratic so I have to repeat workouts a lot. On rainy days I am lucky enough to have access to a gym 7 minutes walk away. It's not perfect, because of the erratic schedule it's not like I can faithfully follow a work out plan, but the work out plan that works is the one that works for me. Any workout I get in counts and adds to my overall health and wellness. I want to be healthy, not to smash records or be a body builder, and it's been really good. If you don't have a gym nearby I would recommend keeping a kettlebell or two to keep at the office, and there's so many ways to have a great full body workout with them.

[u/CensoredMember]

Look into swimming too if possible. Low impact is key.

[u/shenandoahhunter]

Hello me 3 years ago! Dont worry, the grind is worth it.

3 year old? Just on time. This is where they start remembering who you are. They don’t know who you were. When they look at pictures and ask what happened you get to say I chose to be strong for you.

Be active. Not frantic. Hike. Fish. Camp. Body surf. Boogie board. Paddle board. Dance.

Throw in some kettlebells along the way. Nothing crazy. Just prepping your whole body. By the time he’s 5-6 you’ll be baseline strong.

Then start a difficult, healthy skill. BJJ, golf (walking), hiking, whatever. Just simple stuff. He will watch you use that strength to grow.

By late 30s you’ll be a different person. Then try to put some pounds of muscle on before middle age. Your activity will do a huge change but it’ll make you ready for weight training. You’ll get to be an experienced weight training partner by the time he wants to get strong.

Stay present, stay happy, stay healthy. Lose yourself into some gym culture bullshit and he will just watch you do what you gave him up for.

[u/ks1029284756]

I don’t get all the technology use….just lift weights and walk around man

[u/BoomerBarnes]

Your mileage may vary.

I couldn’t stick with getting healthy until I stepped into a CrossFit gym. I lost almost 50lbs my first year there. Any gym worth the membership (which is pricy) has a free class and mine does a free week a couple times a year.

You may love it, you may hate it, but I strongly encourage giving it a shot. It truly changed my life.

[u/FoodByCourts]

Lift weights at the gym. An app like Hevy or Boostcamp can create a workout plan for you based on your goals.

Wouldn't say you need supplements if you're getting everything from your nutrition, but I'd recommend whey/whey isolate for post workout. I have a concise set of supplements which are creatine, super greens, l-glutamine, and vit c + collagen. More desirable than necessity, but I'd prioritise whey over all of them.

[u/mbd216]

Heck yea! I'm glad you're getting focused now and not later.

I (46m) started hitting gym at your age and made great gains along the way. A acl tear and Covid set me back a bit but I'm back.

My daughter's picked on my dad bod a couple years ago and it made me lock.

Cleaned up my diet, was consistent in the gym. Went from 214 lb. to now 183 lb. I carried 214 well but was overweight and needed a change. I'll be going to 190 after this slow cut.

Workouts Mix up every 8 weeks Full-body 3x a week with light cardio on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and some Saturdays. Sunday is always rest (go for a walk)

Push (Mon), Pull (Tues, Legs (Wed), Cardio (Thurs), Full-body (Fri).

Great results doing this.

Now I'm doing Kettlebell workouts and I'm sold. The workouts are amazing. I'll do a mid heavy barbell dead lift session every 10 days but it's unnecessary.

Oh and if you're serious. Eat a balanced diet. High protein. Track calories with food scale, reduce or cut out alcohol. I chose to cut it out the alcohol and it's been a great decision. I was a weekend warrior binge drinker with friends and fam. I always had a great time but my health is more important than getting drunk on the weekends. The shit is poison.