Hello everyone, my name's Phil and I'm 21.

 I'm not new to excercise, I played rugby since I was 10 but gave it up when I was 19 (while at Uni) due to various reasons (too many to explain right now)

 problem is that I stopped working out as well, and the last 3 years have seen my weight spiral as a result. When I was 16 I was 14.5 stone and very strong. No, at 21 I'm weaker, fatter and more unfit than I've ever been. I weighed myself before christmas and topped the scales at 17.11!  I want to start playing rugby again as it was a great way to keep fit and strong but I need to do some serious training in order to build myself back up again.

 I started back at the gym in February and my weight is now down to 16.9, which is the lightest I've been  since summer 2006.

 My main request is for help in getting fit quickly. I know there are no miracle cures and it will take hard work, which I am more than prepared to give, but i dont want to slug it out for 6 months and lose minimal weight. I have trained before but that was always to maintain my weight, never to lose it. Any help on how long to run for, what level and how frequent would be helpfulk, plus any tips on how to get fitter but also develop and maintain muscle would be very much appreciated.

 I'd love to get back to 14.5, but I know it will be a long time coming, it's the price I have to pay for giving up so easily.