How often do you go to the gym, especially before coming to pattaya?

[wengweng]

I will be coming to Pattaya  next year in July, and so I have joined a gym, and I am now 51 so I want to get fit and keep that way as long as I can in life.  How many days a week do you go to the gym? and do you follow a set routine? 

Do you concentrate on upper body reps one day and then lower body on another, and  do  full body workout on another day?  How many days rest do you take now? 

I bought a protein powder shake called OPTIMUM  NUTRITION GOLD  STANDARD 100 % PERCENT WHEY. Do  you take this stuff or just stick to natural food? appreciate any info, especially from older  gym users.🏋️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♀️

[RRosenberg]

I only go to the gym 2-3 times a week, but consistently not just before Pattaya. 

I do a little cardio on the treadmill and lift weights.

My only goal is to keep weight off and build big arms. I do not care about the rest of my 'physique' nor do I care about actual 'fitness' other than not gaining weight and building big arms. Six packs, toned legs etc not interested.

I don't take protein powders or anything like that, however I do take supplements. Tongkat Ali, Ashwaganda, Zinc and High does of Vitamin D to try and keep testosterone levels high.

 

[Casadelpapei]

3 minutes ago, wengweng said:

I will be coming to Pattaya  next year in July, and so I have joined a gym, and I am now 51 so I want to get fit and keep that way as long as I can in life.  How many days a week do you go to the gym? and do you follow a set routine? 

Do you concentrate on upper body reps one day and then lower body on another, and  do  full body workout on another day?  How many days rest do you take now? 

I bought a protein powder shake called OPTIMUM  NUTRITION GOLD  STANDARD 100 % PERCENT WHEY. Do  you take this stuff or just stick to natural food? appreciate any info, especially from older  gym users.🏋️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♀️

First congratulations it is all about motivation and discipline 

if i were you i would pay a coach at the gym to make a program for gym and food.

 

 

 

[wengweng]

1 hour ago, Casadelpapei said:

First congratulations it is all about motivation and discipline 

if i were you i would pay a coach at the gym to make a program for gym and food.

 

 

 

Thanks for the encouragement , not sure i can afford a trainer, but I think maybe there are a lot of vids on youtube with experts sharing their knowledge on what to eat and drink. I  will be cutting  out on fizzy drinks , pies , crisps , fries and takeaways  for a long time while doing the gym work before going to Pattaya . I have heard trainers say that diet is extremely important to exericse,  or else the weight training is a waste of time if your eating junk .

[distantvoyeur]

You are asking for far too much info for just starting out.  First start very light and low to start to get tone and stamina.

Rest a muscle for 48 hrs to get maximum benefit.  Do a little bit of everything and look at what people are doing around you.  First you have to determine if it is for you, if you do too much too soon it can put you off.  I see a lot of people who disappear after a short period because they either push too hard to soon or have unreasonable expectations.

Most important thing is to make a commitment and realize that it is going to take up a part of your day.  Getting into a steady routine is harder than you think.

The protein powder is a good one, but don't obsess over nutrition in the beginning.  It is a lot more involved than you realize.  Even to the point of which type of protein at which time.  Start slow, cannot emphasize that enough if you want to get good results. Especially starting at that age.  Nothing wrong with it, just harder on your body in recovery than when you were in your 20's.

[walterb]

Yeah I started gym recently and Pattaya has been the motivation. I try to go every other day as part of my routine to burn belly fat. So I do 15  Min running and then 20-45 minutes of machines. Also I try to eat only two meals per day. So far I see some progess but need to get a bit more intense to be as in shape as  I plan to be when arriving there and resetting all the progress with the daily beers. Or maybe continue hitting the gym in Patts lets see.

[distantvoyeur]

If you are researching stuff online be very careful, make sure you look for routines for beginners.  In the beginning you want to train groups of muscles, over time you can start to do isolation exercises.  A lot of online stuff is for advanced gym users and some of it can even cause injury if not careful.

Cutting out junk food for you diet is a good thing but research a proper diet to help.  If it becomes something you do not enjoy, you will eventually stop doing it.

If you are looking at weight loss, do not neglect cardio.  Between diet and cardio it will give you the best weight loss in the beginning.  Building muscle will help the resting metabolism and using up energy, but fat loss is quicker via cardio.

[gentlemanne]

First: Get some creatine, it helps a lot, it's the safest supplement. 5 mg each day. 

Whey is good too and try to eat enough protein 

Then do google search for some programs.. i like to do PPL : 1 push day, 1 pull day, 1 legs day. 

Since you're noob, you should have somehting like this

Push, Rest day, Pull,Rest Day Legs,Rest day, cardio

And be consistent, keep working out and you'll start see results in a few weeks (8-10)

That's the best decision you can have at 50, you'll be a handsom man soon 😉

 

 

 

[Micky2]

Have never been to a gym, and don’t take dietary supplements. 

I just stay reasonably active in my day to day life…. Have long been a cyclist for local journeys, for instance. And I eat a varied diet, mainly home cooked meals made from fresh / unprocessed ingredients.

 

[distantvoyeur]

2 hours ago, Micky2 said:

Have never been to a gym, and don’t take dietary supplements. 

I just stay reasonably active in my day to day life…. Have long been a cyclist for local journeys, for instance. And I eat a varied diet, mainly home cooked meals made from fresh / unprocessed ingredients.

 

Getting fit and weight loss only requires increasing energy usage and lowering energy input.  Many  ways to do it, yours works for you as you enjoy it.  That is the key to any fitness regime, you either like the activity or the results it gives you.

The key is to make it part of your lifestyle, whatever you do. Usually on vacations I stop going to the gym so as to allow muscle recovery (that and the Gyms are usually crap).  When I get a trip to LOS I might keep with the gym to help curb the other planned body abuses, that and the endorphins give a better feeling of self which translates to better moods.

For years I never bothered with supplements as I considered it cheating for higher gains.  As I've gotten older I've concluded that to work a muscle properly you have to feed it correctly so I take the appropriate amino acids and proteins to help (having a background in biochem also helped). Also helps with recovery times. 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by distantvoyeur

[Gonetothedogs]

I go almost every day and especially when in Pattaya. If you are new to Gyms then there are millions of YouTube channels to follow. 
 

Make sure you start by getting the fundamentals right. You don’t need anything fancy or complicated when starting out.

push pull legs is fine 

[Welbeck]

8 hours ago, wengweng said:

I will be coming to Pattaya  next year in July, and so I have joined a gym, and I am now 51 so I want to get fit and keep that way as long as I can in life.  How many days a week do you go to the gym? and do you follow a set routine? 

Do you concentrate on upper body reps one day and then lower body on another, and  do  full body workout on another day?  How many days rest do you take now? 

I bought a protein powder shake called OPTIMUM  NUTRITION GOLD  STANDARD 100 % PERCENT WHEY. Do  you take this stuff or just stick to natural food? appreciate any info, especially from older  gym users.🏋️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♀️

I go to the gym 5 days a week, train like a Gladiator, am superhuman strong but I'm still a fat cunt but that's down to medication I take. 

My routine it Shoulders, Chest and triceps, cardio day, back and biceps, and arms day i.e. biceps and triceps. I don't train legs other than cardio due to having knee problems.

As for protein powder I buy it from bodybuilding warehouse. A trick to do here is, after your first purchase set up a second account then introduce yourself from your first account, they've always got discount offers running but by doing this  you'll also get and introductory discount. I did this last time and got 2x4kg for £35.

[cygnus100]

Are there any Gyms people would recommend? Do any of the hotels have good Gyms?

[Cropped Shaggy]

I do chest and back three times a week (2 days heavier, 1 lighter); legs and moderate-intensity cardio twice a week; high-intensity cardio once a week; and one day of rest.

I don't use supplements anymore as I need to keep my uric acid low for medical reasons. Not a big deal, I'm far more concerned about feeling good than increasing strength or bulking and the endorphin-release/general well-being still seems the same. I would certainly still use whey powder if I were able to, however. It's fantastic stuff and it's cheap.

[Essexman1961]

How often I go to the gym has nothing to do with Pattaya and more to do with retirement 6 years ago.Prior to that I went about once a week,plus tennis once or twice depending on the weather and my West Ham commitments.

I didn't want to slump into daytime tv,( Ia m 64 and live alone), so have a regular routine of the gym three times a week around 9.30 plus tennis where the weather and availability of others has an impact

[Welbeck]

5 hours ago, cygnus100 said:

Are there any Gyms people would recommend? Do any of the hotels have good Gyms?

Best hotel gym I've seen is PRS Fitness, it's more like a gym with a hotel attached. 

https://www.facebook.com/PRS5993.Fitness/photos_albums

 

 

[Goolabert]

I go so seldom we're not even on a first name basis. I call it the James.

[jampa]

You should do a split program, like legs and back on one day, then rest 1 day and then breast, shoulder and abs on another day and then rest for 2 days. Take it easy for the first weeks, then you can really go to the limits. You can stick to the usual, well known exercises, there is no need to do more than 1 hour of weightlifting on a training day, probably 40 to 50 minutes is enough, but it has to be regular, that is the key, go regularly. Of course, cardio is good too.

Eat healthy and take the supplements ( Vit D, C, all the B's, especially B12, Magnesium, Calcium, Omega3, Zinc, Selen ). Do it for 3 month and you can see a difference in the mirror, after 6 month it will really show.

There are many Gyms in Pattaya, I use the one on Soi Buakhaw at the market, but its crowded sometimes now.

[Bruce Mangosteen]

2-3x/week, at least one day between.  Back and biceps one day, chest and triceps one day, legs and shoulders one day.

The idea behind working the whole body instead of selected parts is to keep from getting injured due to your body not being able to stabilize you when you do something strenuous with the stronger body parts.  That is, for example, if your back and legs can't support you when you try to lift something that your arms are strong enough to lift, you're prone to back injuries, and also possible loss of balance.

For suppliments (other than vitamins I take it), I only use creatine monohydrate.  

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17674-creatine

This is well-known to enhance the ready energy available to your muscles, and also helps speed the recovery of your muscles after a workout.  It also is reputed to have positive cognitive effects.  I have discontinued taking it before as a test, and I (at least thought I) felt enough of a difference in my overall feelings of bodily strength and overall wellbeing to resume taking it.

In case you're interested, this is an excellent resource for exercise, nutrition, and general health:  https://exrx.net/

Exercise directory here:  https://exrx.net/Lists/Directory

[FarangBear]

Personally I have been lazy the last years (blaming covid), but I try to keep it up somehow with going to the gym twice a week and doing some hikes to keep up the cardio. I'm an certified Personal Trainer though so here are a couple advices:

Protein: People above 50 needs more protein than younger people. It's not a requirement for getting benefits from your exercise, but getting around 1.7 - 2 gram pr kg bodyweight will optimize your results from the time you put in the gym. If you need protein supplements or not depends on how much you get from your normal food (aim for at least 30-40 gram in each meal).

Workout split: Try to hit every major muscle group at least twice a week. Only once pr week will give you more soreness and the amount of work you have to do in one day for one muscle group will increase injury risk. If you go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week aim for a full body workout every day. If you go 4 times you could do a split (upper/lower or push/pull). 
A higher frequency (pr muscle group) will increase the number of times you are in a state of elevated protein synthesis and building muscles. Also only the first set is particularly effective for increasing bone mass or skeleton strength, so exercising every major muscle groups more than once a week will be better for strengthen your bones.

Reps (and exercises): Any repetions from 3-20 reps has been shown effective for building strength, but try to do some heavy sets at compound exercises (squats, deadlift, etc) for increasing bones mass too (be sure to learn good technique, and never go beyond technical failure). Keep 2-3 reps in "the tank" most of the time to avoid injuries and shorten recovery time (especially on heavy low rep sets on compound exercises). It's good to have both high and low reps in your program. However at the first months as a beginner 9-12 reps is good on most exercises and maybe 5 at more technical exercises (squats and dead lifts).

Sets: Aim for around 9-12 sets pr muscle group per week. But start with only 1-2 sets pr day for the first weeks and build up from that.

Edited September 28, 2023 by FarangBear

[tangerinetomatoesrat]

10 hours ago, distantvoyeur said:

Getting fit and weight loss only requires increasing energy usage and lowering energy input.  Many  ways to do it, yours works for you as you enjoy it.  That is the key to any fitness regime, you either like the activity or the results it gives you.

The key is to make it part of your lifestyle, whatever you do. Usually on vacations I stop going to the gym so as to allow muscle recovery (that and the Gyms are usually crap).  When I get a trip to LOS I might keep with the gym to help curb the other planned body abuses, that and the endorphins give a better feeling of self which translates to better moods.

 

This dude gave you a lot of good advice OP. I personally think it's ideal with swimming - it's enjoyable and you can't get hurt. Then do bike after some time. Then do gym after that. When your bones, muscles and heart start adapting to increased stress - go to something more challenging. Make it part of your routine - and something that you GET to do. Instead of something you have to do. The rest will come naturally. Food is simple - "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" Michael Pollan. You will learn the rest as you go along, good luck!

[Bruce Mangosteen]

10 minutes ago, FarangBear said:

Try to hit every major muscle group at least twice a week.

If only my work schedule would permit this!  When I lived in Pattaya and was self-employed I worked out 6 days a week and took one (Sunday) off.  Felt and looked much better than I do now, albeing partially because that was most of 10 years ago.  

[Craven Moorehead]

I try and concentrate on my core and lower back before a trip. The combination of not having sex for months, and sleeping on a different mattress, and then switching to sex mode can give me what my Aussie friend refers to as “fuck back”.  I normally increase my upper body workouts before a trip, but that is more about my ego, I don’t think most of the girls care that much. The first few days of a trip usually leave me with a stiff lower back, which leads to trying to find a good legitimate massage lady to work out the kinks. That’s one advantage of Thailand over Medellin, good and inexpensive massages

[FarangBear]

Just now, Bruce Mangosteen said:

If only my work schedule would permit this!  When I lived in Pattaya and was self-employed I worked out 6 days a week and took one (Sunday) off.  Felt and looked much better than I do now, albeing partially because that was most of 10 years ago.  

In teory it should require about the same time. Yes, you need to warm up more muscles for every workout, but you might also need a little less warmup when you are doing a higher frequency. The total sets/work for the week should be about the same.

Currently I'm doing a minimum workout routine for the full body that takes me about 45-60 minutes. If time is a limit you could also pair exercises that works antagonistic muscles (opposite), like pairing biceps curls with triceps pushdowns for example. 

Myo-reps (lately fashioned by Arnold) is also a time efficient way to do many type of exercises and let you achieve a high mechanical stress with higher reps thus creating a high anabolic response, but also keeping injury risk low.

[Bruce Mangosteen]

24 minutes ago, FarangBear said:

Myo-reps (lately fashioned by Arnold) is also a time efficient way to do many type of exercises and let you achieve a high mechanical stress with higher reps thus creating a high anabolic response, but also keeping injury risk low.

Thanks for this!  Some quality time with my friend google ahead!