Suppliments for fitness and weight loss?

RexEverything

After a pretty sedate life I'm hitting the gym to lose an inch or 3 off my waist and gain fitness.

I know I won't be able to acheive my goals without a good cardio programme and sensible diet but are there any suppliment I can use in conjuction with that which will help me?

scottswald

i personally acan't nswer your question, but i'd just like to know if you do follow a good diet? if yes, post it up.

Gazz

You forgot dedication and patience.If your diet is clean and your training is consistant,that should be enough.All i can think of are fat burner's and stimulant's,but they are'nt going to remove the fact that hard session's in the gym is the only way.

sketch

I totally agree with Gazz..dedication and patience are major factors with health and fitness.
a lot of people think that there's a quick fix to getting slim or toned up...there isn't i'm afraid!..obviously there maybe something that MIGHT help, but your main effort should be those 2 factors...understanding that a healthy outlook (regards to diet and fitness) is a lifestyle not a fad.
anyways!...

what are your exact goals? to just slim up? increase endurance? or to pack on a few more pounds of muscle as well?

presuming you are sorting your diet, have you researched differing types of cardio programs? HIIT, LISS, .....etc (use google or look up previous threads to find out what these are)
along with a basic weights program.
simple terms:
more muscle = more energy needed = more fat burnt off (of sorts anyway)

with being a beginner, (if you don't mind me saying so!) you will be suprised at how much weight you can actually lose given the 2 basics mentioned.

good luck

RexEverything

Cheers everyone.

My goal is to lose about a stone in fat (I'm 6ft and just over 13 and a half stone) and to get fitter. I'm a pro wrestling referee and while I don't need to be as big and buff as the guys in the ring but I still have to be agile and move around in matches which can go for up to 30 minutes. At 33 I'm usually huffing and puffing my way around the squared circle while the wrestlers (most of whom are a good 13 or 14 years younger than me) have barely broken a sweat.

I'm sure my local gym will work a programme for me but I'm assuming I'll be using the cross-trainer, treadmill, stepper and rower. As for my diet I'll be going for 'sensible' ie cutting back on the high-fat snacks and greasy stuff.

Getting fitter is my initial aim, weightloss is a close second.

Extreme

I would advise you to hit the weights as well, the more muscle you have on your frame increases the amount of fat you'll burn during aerobic exercise (each pound of muscle needs to use calories as energy).

If you can do 40 mins of cardio 4 times a week and hit the weights 3 or 4 times too then you should start to see/feel differences by the end of the first month.

With regards to supplements the main things for you in my opinion should be protein/whey powder to boost the protein content of your diet and possibly a fat burner to take before training + cardio to help shift the fat.

Remember Musclechat members get 25% off at Bodybuilding Clothes, Body Building Supplements, Protein, Gym Clothing and Sports Nutrition by entering the discount code MCD25, if you need any more guidance on this send me a pm.

RexEverything

Thanks for the offer, I may well take you up on it. So what sort of weights programme should I be looking at? As I've said I don't want bulk so would that indicate a high-rep/low-weight sort of workout?

Gazz

Exactly.Circuit training on the machine's and free weight's.A weight that you can feel resisting but not,obviously so heavy you can't move the last few rep's of your last set,that's bodybuilding.Start at the top of your body and work your way down,no more than 30 second's rest in between body part's.Take a 2-3 minute break after you complete the first phase then start again from the top.PM if you want me to break it down in Layman's term's.

RexEverything

OK cheers for that.

Are there any post-workout suppliments I should take? There are countless protein shakes about but would they really be any good if I'm not aiming to bulk?

Gazz

You wont bulk out if your doing cardio and circuit work as you're not stimulating your muscle's into growth in a massive way,you're just toning,shaping and burning.They might grow a little as they will obviously go from doing nothing to doing something and that will trigger a minor change but i would'nt worry.It will have a positive effect on burning calories like Extreme quoted.Supplement wise,a good whey protein just cannot be done without and is a major influence in the repair of muscles after any type of workout.