15 yr. boy needs a cardio plan

[Narya]

I'm turning 15 next month, and before school starts again i wanna lose any excess weight i have, to be fit for next year and look better.
I'm around 5'4 im estimating, or almost. I weigh 130 lbs. I believe my workout routine is decent, but my cardio and leg workout is poor. I think id like to lose around 15-20 lbs within 2 months, 3 months at most (before school preferably lol).

Ok i was thinking running would be good cardio, but i dont know how far i should push myself and for how long to lose weight and get my legs in shape. Currently my max non-stop jogging time is sad; not more then 3-4 mins. ( :S ) I find it rather boring, and usually pullout before 20 mins, but hopefully my iPOD will help with that. Unfortunately that doesn't come until my birthday.. so the most important thing now for me is motivation- i need to know what to do and be confident it will work. Sooo... let the question spam begin

How long should I run? Jog, or sprint? How far should i push myself, should i jog until my chest hurts and i'm completely out of breath, or should i set up a set time? Around how much weight could i lose before school?

Thx a ton to anyone who can help

BTW, just to make this clear- yea i am slightly overwieght; my excess belly fat and chests screams that

[Kickmedood]

Hey, I'm 17, and (relatively) recently lost about 35 pounds from pure cardio.

Originally Posted by Narya

How long should I run? Jog, or sprint?

I started off with 1 mile a day. You might want to start off with 2 or 3, depending on how in-shape you are. I'd say make it a hard jog--don't go too easy on yourself, especially if you want that weight loss. You could also slip in some HIIT, which means High Intensity Interval Training. Pretty much you run at full speed until you can't run anymore, then jog to recover for 1 or 2 minutes. If after the workout, you feel like you can't possibly do any more exercises, you're doing it right. I've never actually done this, I've just read up on it, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Studies show that HIIT is much more efficient at burning fat and building muscle than just regular cardio. Make sure you alternate between hard/easy days, and every three weeks take an easier week off, where you do more distance jogging (which is much easier, at least for me) and much less sprinting.

Hopefully somebody else who is more knowledgeable can help you out, but this is my advice.

Good luck with your weight loss! You'll be much much happier after you do it, and you'll wonder why you didn't do it earlier!

[KMKfan]

I would do interval training. Walk for 5 minutes (comfortable pace for 2 minutes, then gradually increase the pace each minute until the 5 minute mark...do not increase so much that you are jogging, yet.). Then increase the pace about as fast as you can go for a full 1 minute. Walk for 2 minutes. Continue with run 1 and walk 2 until you can't do it any more. The goal is that your running will be twice as fast as the top walking speed. This will simulate a run the straightaways and walk the turns on a track. For a cool down, reverse your 5 minute warm up.

Keep track of how long you were on each time. If you go for 15 minutes this time, aim for 18-20 the next time. Continue this until you hit about 40-45 minutes. The iPod will help because you will only have to tell yourself "1 more song...1 more song". Until then, try to find some kind of goal (distance, calories burned on a treadmill, etc.) to keep track of until then. Once you get to 40-45 minute, start increasing your overall pace.

[Narya]

thx!
today i only managed to go barely 18 mins... i guess ill keep that up for this week, then go up around 5 mins every week. I just cant wait for my iPOD, then running by myself wont be so boring...

[KMKfan]

Originally Posted by Narya

thx!
today i only managed to go barely 18 mins... i guess ill keep that up for this week, then go up around 5 mins every week. I just cant wait for my iPOD, then running by myself wont be so boring...

Good job. 18 minutes is better than none...and is about what I can muster without a partner or MP3s.

[A1food4U]

Originally Posted by KMKfan

Keep track of how long you were on each time. If you go for 15 minutes this time, aim for 18-20 the next time. Continue this until you hit about 40-45 minutes. The iPod will help because you will only have to tell yourself "1 more song...1 more song". Until then, try to find some kind of goal (distance, calories burned on a treadmill, etc.) to keep track of until then. Once you get to 40-45 minute, start increasing your overall pace.

This is great advice KMK, Narya, set both short and long term goals. Short term goals can be added time or added speed or added distance. Don't give up, if you need to slow down do so but don't give up, as soon as you have your breath, get back on it. Just don't quit altogether. You'll get there......JUST DON"T GIVE UP !!!

[Narya]

well its been nearly 4 weeks now... at the moment im regularly doing 25 - 30 mins every other day, around 30% of that time is jogging, 5% sprinting, and 65% speed walking xD finally ive got an mp3, it really helps.

would nearly every day be alright? or do i need to let my legs rest... but i dunno if i need to at 15 yrs lol. so which is better- every other day, or every day.

[tooncesthecat]

Are you losing weight? That was your goal, right?

[Narya]

Originally Posted by tooncesthecat

Are you losing weight? That was your goal, right?

well... according to my scale, almost 4 pounds

dunno if thats decent progress or not. its certainly not noticeable, except to me in the shower haha

but whether i lose lbs or not, should my legs get a rest every other day? or am i too young for that.

[KMKfan]

Originally Posted by Narya

well... according to my scale, almost 4 pounds

dunno if thats decent progress or not. its certainly not noticeable, except to me in the shower haha

but whether i lose lbs or not, should my legs get a rest every other day? or am i too young for that.

Just an opinion:

Every other day is fine, but you could probably get away with 2 days in a row fairly regularly. After a while, you'll learn what your body is telling you as far as when to rest.

[torofuerte]

Narya, doesn't your school has a wrestling, track and field, or olympic lifting program?

Wrestling or track and field will get you in shape and drop weight in no time.

No need to fumble around at your age on the internet looking for routines that you will most certainly not follow through if your school has a solid wrestling or track and field program with coaches and all.

Seriously.

[Narya]

Originally Posted by torofuerte

Narya, doesn't your school has a wrestling, track and field, or olympic lifting program?

Wrestling or track and field will get you in shape and drop weight in no time.

No need to fumble around at your age on the internet looking for routines that you will most certainly not follow through if your school has a solid wrestling or track and field program with coaches and all.

Seriously.

I've been homeschooled nearly my entire life, im only going to 9th grade after summer in public school.

No there aren't any athletic-related prgrams at the school, besides football. And it just turns out i hate football with a passion, dunno why. Ill play any other sport though xD

I got some help at this forum. Yes, there was some need. I got what i wanted- opinions on my cardio routine.

[A1food4U]

Hey 4 pounds is a great start!!! Be up-beat, and stick with it. another thing to remember is that muscle is heavier than fat, so the scale won't always show your true progress. More Muscle also burns more calories, so as you continue you may find better results. You didn't put it on all at once, don't get discouraged if it doesn't just melt off....Keep at it, chin up dude!!!!

[Narya]

ok now that school is getting painfully closer and closer im starting to actually want to push myself because i just HAVE to get rid of like 10 lbs more at least... so here is basically what im doing

i read in a couple places that eating less then 20 carbs a day would speed up weight loss a good bit, so ive decided to try that

for a few days now ive eaten on average a toast with honey or similar for breakfast at around 8:30, a hot pocket somewhere just after noon, a fruit like a banana (i happen to love bananas dunno why) a nectarine, or some watermelon for supper (i guess not a real supper) today i ate 2 full scoops of strawberry ice cream, i couldnt resist but im hoping something like this not more then a couple times a month wouldnt impact my weight loss.

is this good or bad (my meal plan)? and do u think it will be hard to stop myself from gaining the weight back if i succeed by the middle of august?

btw i tried doing my regular cardio routine (jogging and walking today) when i had done it just yesterday, and man did my shins sting. i guess it would be better to stick to every other day.

[tooncesthecat]

You stated that you are trying to limit your carb intake but the diet you described is nothing but carbs! BTW, you'll need more than 20g of carbs per day IMO. But you really need to have some protein in there somewhere, even if you're not trying to gain muscle. Need some lean meat and fish in there. Hot Pocket is bad, period. The rest is good food. Watermelon of a nectarine for dinner? That's all you're eating? Hmmm...I am sure many others will give more dietary advice.

[KMKfan]

Originally Posted by tooncesthecat

You stated that you are trying to limit your carb intake but the diet you described is nothing but carbs! BTW, you'll need more than 20g of carbs per day IMO. But you really need to have some protein in there somewhere, even if you're not trying to gain muscle. Need some lean meat and fish in there. Hot Pocket is bad, period. The rest is good food. Watermelon of a nectarine for dinner? That's all you're eating? Hmmm...I am sure many others will give more dietary advice.

I agree. You need to aim for some protein with each meal...chicken, turkey, salmon, tilapia, & the occasional lean ground beef good. Stick to about 4oz. For carbs, I go mostly with California style mixed veggies when I'm cutting...you can occasionally go with starches like brown rice (stay away from white rice & pasta) for your lunch.

You want to cut your calories, but not to an extreme level. Cutting too many calories will actually cause yourdy to want to store fat and not build muscle. Try something like:

Wake up: Do cardio (In this case you've been running...3 days per week). If you don't run in the mornings, run at least 2 hours after a meal.

Breakfast: 3 eggs (only 1 yolk); 1 packet of plain instant oat meal (sweeten w/ 1 packet of Splenda or Sweet & Low if necessary...NOT sugar) or 1 slice of whole wheat bread (no butter).

Meal 2-4: 3-4 oz protein (chicken or lean fish, etc), 1/3 cup brown & 1/3 veggies (or just 1/2 cup mixed veggies w/ no rice...fruit also OK. No rice for Meals 3 & 4.

If the 4th meal is a bit much, just add a snack (fruit) instead (stay away from the Hot Pockets...even the light ones...and the ice cream for the most part). You can get away with maybe 1 day a week with allowing 1 serving of junk food (MAKE SURE YOU ARE ONLY TAKING ONE SERVING). This combined with eating more often will keep your metabolism up.

You will probably have to play with the amounts above since I don't really know what you are eating now. Maybe even lighten the portions up some and move some of that food to a fifth meal. If you add a 5th meal, make sure your calories are remaining fairly constant with the 4 meal plan.

Also, make sure you are drinking lots of water. If you aren't drinking some now, you're probably not drinking enough.

[torofuerte]

Narya, I still don't get why you want to lose X number of pounds. 130lbs at 5'4" is not overweight. If you are worried that parts of your body are not as "toned" as you'd like them to be, then the answer is to work your ass off and gain some muscle and strenght, not on turning yourself into a cardio bunny.

Originally Posted by Narya

I've been homeschooled nearly my entire life, im only going to 9th grade after summer in public school.

No there aren't any athletic-related prgrams at the school, besides football. And it just turns out i hate football with a passion, dunno why. Ill play any other sport though xD

I got some help at this forum. Yes, there was some need. I got what i wanted- opinions on my cardio routine.

That's weak mentality dude.

If losing weight and/or getting fit were that important, you'd take whatever is the best tool at your disposal. After all, training is not fun, it's not pleasant. It's hard work. And hard work involves doing things we don't necessarily like sometimes. And that's the difference between training and "working out" (which is why the majority of people spend years... and $$$ going to the gym without ever making any tangible, measurable and satisfatory progress.)

It all depends how bad you want it (to lose weight and change your physique.) If you really, really want it, use football. It's the best tool at your disposal right now, much better than any advice you will ever get off the internet from people that most likely will never meet in person to guide and coach you.

Besides, you are just 15 years old and still growing. Chances are you won't be able to change your physique until you hit your 20's. I'm telling you this not to put you down or clip your wings. I'm telling you this just in case you do engage in some serious training and yet do not see any changes. It happens a lot with teens. I was 5'6" and 90lbs since 14 till I was 21-22. It was until then that I managed to pack some weight. It is not uncommon.

Whatever you do, just eat healthy.

[Narya]

Originally Posted by KMKfan

I agree. You need to aim for some protein with each meal...chicken, turkey, salmon, tilapia, & the occasional lean ground beef good. Stick to about 4oz. For carbs, I go mostly with California style mixed veggies when I'm cutting...you can occasionally go with starches like brown rice (stay away from white rice & pasta) for your lunch.

You want to cut your calories, but not to an extreme level. Cutting too many calories will actually cause yourdy to want to store fat and not build muscle. Try something like:

Wake up: Do cardio (In this case you've been running...3 days per week). If you don't run in the mornings, run at least 2 hours after a meal.

Breakfast: 3 eggs (only 1 yolk); 1 packet of plain instant oat meal (sweeten w/ 1 packet of Splenda or Sweet & Low if necessary...NOT sugar) or 1 slice of whole wheat bread (no butter).

Meal 2-4: 3-4 oz protein (chicken or lean fish, etc), 1/3 cup brown & 1/3 veggies (or just 1/2 cup mixed veggies w/ no rice...fruit also OK. No rice for Meals 3 & 4.

If the 4th meal is a bit much, just add a snack (fruit) instead (stay away from the Hot Pockets...even the light ones...and the ice cream for the most part). You can get away with maybe 1 day a week with allowing 1 serving of junk food (MAKE SURE YOU ARE ONLY TAKING ONE SERVING). This combined with eating more often will keep your metabolism up.

You will probably have to play with the amounts above since I don't really know what you are eating now. Maybe even lighten the portions up some and move some of that food to a fifth meal. If you add a 5th meal, make sure your calories are remaining fairly constant with the 4 meal plan.

Also, make sure you are drinking lots of water. If you aren't drinking some now, you're probably not drinking enough.

i guess my meal plan was kinda ridiculous, but i live with my grandmother who is a heavy cooker (like BBQ or gumbo every sunday, and sth like spaghetti or stew some weekdays) so its that much harder to eat healthy. Ill try sth like the above meal plan, but im curious why plain instant oatmeal. we have a ton of oatmeal at my house, but its all fruit... ilke peach, strawberry, blueberry, etc is that ok? or is there added sugar in that.
would it be alright to alternate between oatmeal and poptarts? i heard poptarts arent very good but ive been eating them like my whole life.

one last question

what time should i run? it gets VERY hot down here, so ive been going for a run somewheres after 7:30 pm, and i wake up kinda late in the summer to go in the morning before its too hot.

besides that, other cardio i do on an average day are

mowing the grass, takes around 30 to 60 mins depending on the day
moving and burning heaps of fairly small branches, this takes around half an hour aswell
and if i happen to be at a friends house (i live a half hours drive from anyone i know so im home most of the time, and considering ive been homeschooled up until now, my friend circle is relatively small)
then ill do stuff like play baseball, ride 4 wheelers, go to the store, or stay inside and play video games for 3 hours straight

looking at this it seems as if my average cardio time per day is not more then hour and a half, is this alright?

i also lift weights every other day, this takes not more then 20 mins and even though i work myself into a sweat by the times its over, ive been told weight lifting doesnt count towards cardio time.

thx for all the replies, and the ton of help

[tooncesthecat]

Lifting weights can count toward cardio if done a certain way. If you take only 30-45 seconds between sets, you'll get a good cardio workout, but I would go longer than 20 min. Maybe more like 45-50 min.

[Narya]

Originally Posted by tooncesthecat

Lifting weights can count toward cardio if done a certain way. If you take only 30-45 seconds between sets, you'll get a good cardio workout, but I would go longer than 20 min. Maybe more like 45-50 min.

so basically if i can keep my heart pumping the entire time, its cardio?

just fyi here is what im at now:

pushups: 25; 20; 15; 10 (in the morning, then the rest in the evening)
benchpress, 80 lbs: 12; 8; 5
dumbell curl, 20 lbs each arm: 20; 20 while alternating
dumbell side raises, 10 lbs each arm: 20; 20; 20 while alternating
dumbell frontal raises, 10 lbs each arm: 20; 20; 20; while alternating
crunches: 25; 20; 15; 10

its not complete i know, but i could never understand how to do proper squats and hamstring exercises from me friends or online vids. the one time i tried, i was so sore i could hardly walk for 2 days...