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MyEyeIsOpen · 09-18-2008, 08:00 PM

I'm in a bit of a bind.

When I was younger (maybe 17 to 19), I was in phenomenal, ridiculous shape. I worked out almost 3 hours a day, it was sort of my socialization and hobby time. I also ate really well, which is something I still do -- I actually eat better now than I did then, that's not an issue for me. I'm vegetarian, btw, so if you're thinking supplements later in this post, just bear that in mind.

I lost that hard body entirely, and a couple months ago got fed up -- body wasn't toned at all and about 10lbs overweight, so I went on a diet.

Because of my schedule (so I told myself), I didn't work out during this process, but I was successful at losing the weight through portion control. I actually lost 15lbs, so my excess fat is gone.

The issue is that without working out, I also lost muscle and strength. Today I caught site of myself in the mirror, and I realized that even though I am not fat at all, I'm not happy with the shape of my body. I'm not at all built like I used to be.

So I decided to get that back -- but my situation is very different from all those moon ago, when I was a lean 18 year old. I work pretty long hours, have a wife and kids, and side projects, etc.

My goal is to:

1) Do cardio
2) Build muscle mass
3) Achieve muscle tone and overall fitness
4) Do it in 30 minutes or less per day

Ta Da!

So that's my bind... I'm setting any unreasonably short amount of time for myself to achieve my goal. I'm also doing two opposing things: carido and trying to build muscle.

How would you start? Is there some kind of densely packed, intense workout that I could use to achieve my goals?

I'm no stranger to designing workout routines, but this strikes me as impossible, so I wanted to get some help! Thanks!

09-18-2008, 08:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
MyEyeIsOpen Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 154	Short, Intense workout I'm in a bit of a bind. When I was younger (maybe 17 to 19), I was in phenomenal, ridiculous shape. I worked out almost 3 hours a day, it was sort of my socialization and hobby time. I also ate really well, which is something I still do -- I actually eat better now than I did then, that's not an issue for me. I'm vegetarian, btw, so if you're thinking supplements later in this post, just bear that in mind. I lost that hard body entirely, and a couple months ago got fed up -- body wasn't toned at all and about 10lbs overweight, so I went on a diet. Because of my schedule (so I told myself), I didn't work out during this process, but I was successful at losing the weight through portion control. I actually lost 15lbs, so my excess fat is gone. The issue is that without working out, I also lost muscle and strength. Today I caught site of myself in the mirror, and I realized that even though I am not fat at all, I'm not happy with the shape of my body. I'm not at all built like I used to be. So I decided to get that back -- but my situation is very different from all those moon ago, when I was a lean 18 year old. I work pretty long hours, have a wife and kids, and side projects, etc. My goal is to: 1) Do cardio 2) Build muscle mass 3) Achieve muscle tone and overall fitness 4) Do it in 30 minutes or less per day Ta Da! So that's my bind... I'm setting any unreasonably short amount of time for myself to achieve my goal. I'm also doing two opposing things: carido and trying to build muscle. How would you start? Is there some kind of densely packed, intense workout that I could use to achieve my goals? I'm no stranger to designing workout routines, but this strikes me as impossible, so I wanted to get some help! Thanks!