... from beta male to alpha male.
Every week for the next 8 weeks I'm going to journal my progress as I try to improve my health and fitness.
I'm not a fat shit or anything. I'd estimate I'm 63kg & 5'6". I do have some skin problems. I haven't focused a lot on building upper body strength. The main point is to get a reasonable amount of strength and to improve my diet. I'm not looking for abs or to be @pmya's top twink. It's just about moderation so it's easy to maintain.
The main goal I have is to do around an hour and twenty mins or so of exercise a day. Starting from today, 19th of May.
A dietary change I want to make is my consumption of coke. Lately over the past few months I've been easily drinking a bottle a day (1.25l and even 2l). I need to cut back because my skin around my neck is going fucky. My plan here is to drink the equivalent of a coke can a day while balancing it out with a bottle of water to wash it down. I'll be drinking alternatives like cups of tea and/or juice to provide an alternative with a taste but is more healthier.
As for the exercise plan I want to get back into biking more again. I have been doing around 8km a day for most of 2021. Last year doing 20km+ was not uncommon. Starting from tonight I'm going to start doing a 14km bike ride for 45 minutes.
I don't have any weights and I want to focus on building some muscle strength. But something I have that is equivalent to 1kg are laptops. I figure that if I just bag up some laptops and lift I should be able to build some strength but getting some dumbbells would be better. I'll be logging my reps.
The last thing will be doing push ups. I tried doing some the other night and I struggled like a bitch. I've read that noobs should do 3 sets of 5.
This is going to fuck my arms for a few days. Likely tomorrow I'll have a break except for cycling. Though the day after I'll do the same exercises again.
Overtime I'll push myself to do more and to the increase the intensity. This week is just getting started and into the swing of shit.
This is admirable, OP, but making a 8 week scope is setting yourself up to fail. If you were working daily with a qualified trainer then you'd notice some gains in that short period, but on your own it's probable that any improvements will be small and therefore you'll lose any incentive to continue. The fitness journey starts today and ends when you decide that it's too much work to get out of your chair.
I suggest that you alternate cardio and strength training for 6 days then take one day off. Do not work the same muscle groups two days in a row.
Riding a bike is fine as long as you can maintain an elevated heartbeat for at least 30 minutes.
Push-ups are arguably the best single (non-equipment) exercise for toning. It's important however to get your form correct, this vid is pretty good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLJiB5Ac9II
There are a tonne of other strength exercises that don't require weights or equipment and you can search YT as well as I can so have at it. Squats are recommended, however.
Once you build muscle you never lose it (unless you're starving and the body starts breaking it down for energy) and building new muscle is never easier than when you're young.
I was a runner my whole life and never bothered much with my upper body. But now that I'm older I want to build some upper body strength and it's really hard to do. Toning existing muscle is much easier than building new muscle so build that muscle while you're still young.