Gym

[Soup an Samajiz]

There's loads out there and everybody would tell you different but for me...

1st thing is get the diet right, or much better at least if your looking rid of stone(s). This can be as easy or complicated as you like but I'd say everybody has a fair idea of what to be at and what not.

Training wise, I wouldn't be focusing on long cardio sessions out running in the rain or treadmills, maybe do abit of running to prepare you for preseason to make it that bit less dreadful but that would be it. Google HIIT sessions and get on to the weights and interval sprints. Interval sprinting for GAA I found to be the best exercise of the lot, especially as a "finisher" (last exercise of the night to empty the tank)

Get the treadmill going at your max speed and take 15secs on 15secs off and get 8 - 10 runs done or any variation of that to get going and work your way up to longer runs and shorter intervals and more reps... write your progress down, always important, if only for motivation in the hard times cause its always good to see the progress.

Cheers for me diet will prob be the hardest thing, working in an office most of the day eating the right things can be tough but hopefully by doing packed lunches i will get round that.

heard the treadmill sprints are pretty good, friend plays IL football and he swears by them so think il give them a go. weights is  prob where the issue will be, what weights are best for shedding fat, but again it'll be a case of trial and error i suppose. might try cut down on the drink too.

I'd agree with soup, diet is number 1. You can't go wrong with loads of veg, eggs and lean meat and, as the news is pointing out, keep the processed stuff to a minimum.
If you don't have that much experience with weights go to a PT and get a programme rather than trial and error to start with. Ideally someone who knows a bit about GAA if your goal is to get back into shape for playing.

Yeah, a PT or someone with a good knowledge on the subject would take you for 3 or 4 sessions and you could easily come away with material to keep you goin for months. Its just about getting started, and don't underestimate how good some youtube channels are. I have a personal fav called "The strength camp" with Elliott Hulse, he's not everyones cup of tea but some of his stuff is great.

[93-DY-SAM]

IMO....without a doubt diet is the most important thing if you want to shed some serious weight. You can train 5 nights a week but if you don't have some handle on your diet then you are wasting your time.

Unless you want to be super lean then the diet part is not as bad as you think. Eat good decent food 80% of the time and you can eat crap the other 20% and you'll be surprised just how much you can shed.

[MoChara]

The wife started slimming there a while ago and I lost 2 stone of fat in a month and a half and I was eating more than I ever did before and I've been a gym regular (Weight Lifting) for about 5 years, basically if its heavily processed don't eat it try and cut the fat of things like bacon and eat as much fruit as you can stuff in your mouth.

Use the kitchen to lose your fat and use the gym to improve your stamina, strength etc.

[gallsman]

I've been a regular gym goer for the last 3 years or so, focusing on the three powerlifts and accessory lifts around each of them and doing one or two cardio/HIIT classes every week. For strength training as a beginner I found that using a programme I got online from a guy called Jonnie Candito worked absolutely brilliantly. From when I first used it, my 1RM squat went from about 1.5x bodweight to over 2x bodyweight inside a year. Have just joined up with the GAA club here in Barcelona so it'll be interesting to see how all that translates to playing football - I'll probably just be able to kick it further wide. Hadn't trained or played for a good ten years up until a couple of weeks ago and it nearly killed me. Completely different type of fitness altogether.

The other half is mad for clean eating so I find that it's not too difficult to avoid bad food. Poultry, fish all excellent and despite me being a massive carnivore, we probably only have red meat about once a week max. Plenty of good fats (coconut oil is a great tasting substitute for olive/veg/sunflower oil) and controlled carbs is key. A lot of lads I know do mad heavy weights while completely carb drained and in ketosis. Recipe for disaster if you ask me. Absolutely nothing wrong with having an occasional treat a few times a week, be that a biscuit or a beer or whatever. Cutting out dairy is the other big change in our diet and one I find the hardest. Only use cow's milk now in a nightly cup of tea. Have replaced it for the likes of porridge, scrambled egg etc with almond milk. Have more or less abandoned cheese but I miss it enormously. Fat free greek yoghurt (has to be greek, not "greek style") is the best replacement we've found for when I need cheese on food - burritos, burgers etc. Rabbit is big over here and is great, lean red meat. I supplement with protein and a couple of creatine cycles in the winter months when I've been trying to add bulk. The real key I find is to not let yourself fall off the wagon for too long after an "event". The longer it takes you to cut shite food back out of the diet or get back into the gym, the harder it becomes.

For football, I'm not too sure how much of a weights program is really necessary. All the strength required for such a fast, skillful game can be achieved through bodyweight workouts - TRX an especially good one.

[The Iceman]

The wife started slimming there a while ago and I lost 2 stone of fat in a month and a half and I was eating more than I ever did before and I've been a gym regular (Weight Lifting) for about 5 years, basically if its heavily processed don't eat it try and cut the fat of things like bacon and eat as much fruit as you can stuff in your mouth.

Use the kitchen to lose your fat and use the gym to improve your stamina, strength etc.

I know a lot of ones who would say stay away from the fruit. At least in the afternoons. It's mostly sugar. If it's sweet it has high sugar content.
A cousin of mine went to a personal trainer and nutritionist to trim down for her wedding. Toned up something terra and lost a load of weight. She said the diet was 60% of it.

On a bit of transformation myself - 6 days training a week now and consuming 3200 calories a day across 7 small meals.  Lots of protein.  Carbs at the right time. Good mix of veggies and lots of greens. Supplementing.
It all helps.

[gallsman]

I'd absolutely agree with that view on fruit. Massive sugar content, insulin spikes etc. Has to be controlled and moderated like any other source of sugar. Green veg much much better for getting your five a day. Spinach, broccoli, apparatus all a staple for me.

[themac_23]

I'd absolutely agree with that view on fruit. Massive sugar content, insulin spikes etc. Has to be controlled and moderated like any other source of sugar. Green veg much much better for getting your five a day. Spinach, broccoli, apparatus all a staple for me.

Might be a silly question but would plenty of fruit an hour or 2 before going and doing some training be ok? When i was training flat out a few years ago for football and eating (reasonably) well on a monday i would make a massive bowl of fruit, this would be a pineapple, a mellon, grapes and strawberries. i would take a bowl of the fruit mix with some greek yogurt about an hour before training and would think nothing of it, i felt it gave me a decent wee boost and was natural. was thinking of doing similar now that I'm gonna try and shift some weight, would it be wise to avoid this?

[The Iceman]

some decent info on bodybuilding forum where they tend to get very technical on their food types and when to consume. Make of it what you will:

PICKIN' FRUIT
Use the charts below to help you pick the best fruit for the job. If
you're worried about fructose spilling over to fat, try a citrate
supplement along with your fruit choice, such as creatine citrate or
calcium citrate. It helps direct fructose toward glycogen production and
away from fat.

PREWORKOUT
These fruits provide higher fructose than glucose for sustained fuel
that won't block fat burning. Eat one or two servings.

FRUIT TOTAL SUGARS* FRUCTOSE* GLUCOSE*

Pear (1 medium) 16 11 5
Watermelon (1 wedge) 18 12 6
Apple (1 medium) 14 9 5
Cantaloupe (1/2 melon) 22 12 10
Grapes (1 cup) 24 13 11
Strawberries (2 cups) 14 8 6
Raspberries (2 cups) 10 6 4

MORNING
These fruits provide equal or nearly equal fructose and glucose to
restock liver and muscle glycogen to help halt muscle breakdown. Eat two
or three servings.

FRUIT TOTAL SUGARS* FRUCTOSE* GLUCOSE*

Pineapple (1 cup diced) 13 7 6
Honeydew melon (1 wedge) 13 7 6
Orange (1 medium) 12 6 6
Banana (1 medium) 18 9 9
Blueberries (1 cup) 14 7 7
Nectarine (1 medium) 10 5 5
Kiwi fruit (2 medium) 12 6 6

POSTWORKOUT
These fruits provide more glucose than fructose for restocking muscle
glycogen and enhancing muscle growth. (The last five fruits from the
morning fruit category are also decent choices postworkout, for their
ability to fill glycogen stores.) Eat one or two servings along with
white bread, baked potatoes or a carb drink.

FRUIT TOTAL SUGARS* FRUCTOSE* GLUCOSE*

Cherries (1 cup) 14 6 8
Peach (1 medium) 8 3 5

[Gold]

What carbs would you recommend pre workout?

[gallsman]

What carbs would you recommend pre workout?

Medium sized banana. When I was being really focused and taking BCAA i used to start sipping it beforehand and then take it right the way through to the end of the workout.

[downtown]

best gym i ever joined was educo gym. they put you on a strict diet and train you 1 on 1. lost around 2 stone over 3 months going to it. high intensity weight training with a more or less no carb diet.

porridge in morn or two eggs.

plenty of veg and lean meat during the day. turkey, steak, pork, tuna, fish, chicken

the only fruit allowed was anything that ended in berries and oranges and kiwis.

if carbs are needed brown rice or brown pasta

[MoChara]

The wife started slimming there a while ago and I lost 2 stone of fat in a month and a half and I was eating more than I ever did before and I've been a gym regular (Weight Lifting) for about 5 years, basically if its heavily processed don't eat it try and cut the fat of things like bacon and eat as much fruit as you can stuff in your mouth.

Use the kitchen to lose your fat and use the gym to improve your stamina, strength etc.

I know a lot of ones who would say stay away from the fruit. At least in the afternoons. It's mostly sugar. If it's sweet it has high sugar content.
A cousin of mine went to a personal trainer and nutritionist to trim down for her wedding. Toned up something terra and lost a load of weight. She said the diet was 60% of it.

On a bit of transformation myself - 6 days training a week now and consuming 3200 calories a day across 7 small meals.  Lots of protein.  Carbs at the right time. Good mix of veggies and lots of greens. Supplementing.
It all helps.

I suppose the thing is I eat all my fruit during work and would have a dinner and a shake in the evenings so maybe that's why its working out for me.

I would train usually about 4 times a week, sort of caught in a Limbo though during on season where I find playing hurling counteracts my weight lifting and vice versa, too big to run and too much cardio to get stronger. Since the Off season kicked in my strength its shooting up again.

[Soup an Samajiz]

I've noticed people in the gym regularly over the course of this past 2 years and they're doing the same 6-7 exercises they've always done - don't underestimate the important of changing your routine up regularly, ud be surprised how much it "shocks" the body. Finished on the rowing machine last night towards the end of the session for the first time in months and months after talk of it on the forum here yesterday... buckled.

[TabClear]

I plan on trying to start the preseason at the weekend.  I haven't played seriously for  about4  years and as someone the wrong side of 35 I'm not aiming for supreme fitness.  Just want to keep the weight off and hopefully be fit enough to play some reserve football.

I travel a lot with work so going to try a programme of 2 runs per week of about 7 miles and 3 days a week a hiit circuit regime I can do in the garage that takes about 45 minutes. With work and family commitments 3 days a week in the gym or classes is not realistic.

The diet side will be the hardest.  The freezer had been getting cleared over the last few weeks.  All the southern fried chicken, sausages etc are going and getting replaced by pork chops and chicken. One piece of advice, anyone who tells you turkey bacon is just the same as the real thing is a lying bastard! 

[Soup an Samajiz]

I plan on trying to start the preseason at the weekend.  I haven't played seriously for  about4  years and as someone the wrong side of 35 I'm not aiming for supreme fitness.  Just want to keep the weight off and hopefully be fit enough to play some reserve football.

I travel a lot with work so going to try a programme of 2 runs per week of about 7 miles and 3 days a week a hiit circuit regime I can do in the garage that takes about 45 minutes. With work and family commitments 3 days a week in the gym or classes is not realistic.

The diet side will be the hardest.  The freezer had been getting cleared over the last few weeks.  All the southern fried chicken, sausages etc are going and getting replaced by pork chops and chicken. One piece of advice, anyone who tells you turkey bacon is just the same as the real thing is a lying b**tard! 

better men than me would say prepping your meals all at the start of the week is the way to go, iv seen a number of people do it successfully