Workout Advice

CC · Jan 24, 2002

allie, email/icq me and i'll give you some advice on this. there are so many options for you to take. the best way to gain muscle and lose fat is to lift weights. there are a couple different theories on how to do it, and i would say that you should pick the plan that you would enjoy most.

forget arobics and running altogether for this. you can get all your cardio done on the weights, or you can use the bike.

shawn

Smiley Jo · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by CC:

forget arobics and running altogether for this. you can get all your cardio done on the weights, or you can use the bike.

shawn

Huh???
How can you get cardio done by weights alone?
I'm confuzzed.

Joanna

<-- not noticing much of a difference even after running 5 times a week for a couple months.

stir-fry · Jan 24, 2002

you can't exactly get cardio done by only lifting weights.
but as your muscles grow, they can provide your body with thermogenic properties, and thus can aid in fat burning.

it can help you lose weight, but it won't raise your anarobic (sp?) threshold.

416 · Jan 24, 2002

This is all getting very complicated.

I think the best advice is this:

Quit eating like a pig, you're not 18 anymore. Do something that makes you sweat and ups your heart rate for a decent amount of time, a decent amount of times a week.

Not complicated.

Guest · Jan 24, 2002

go to the gym, pick up those heavy things and lift them up and down

kennyboy · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by 416:
This is all getting very complicated.

I think the best advice is this:

Quit eating like a pig, you're not 18 anymore. Do something that makes you sweat and ups your heart rate for a decent amount of time, a decent amount of times a week.

Tru dat.
I think it's safe to say that none of us are training to be professional bodybuilders/atheletes. It's very easy to make things much more complicated than they need to be.
Take a walk after dinner every night. Do some pushups/situps etc. if you can't afford a gym. Change your diet. Cut back on the booze. It doesn't have to be complicated and you don't need to spend hours in the gym. The key is to just do something.

JayIsBored · Jan 24, 2002

what is this jane=skank regiment? i need to add some variety to my routine...

Fir3start3r · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by 416:
For sure. But check a source's (say, Health Canada) daily recommended fat intake. Then try (it's really to hard to do for non-psychos) to monitor your daily intake.

Wouldn't you agree that North American's eat way too much fat in general?

Fat? Not as much as sugar and processed wheat and corn. NA is sugar mountian.
sucrose, glucose (all the 'oses'), corn syrup, enriched whole wheat, blah blah ad naseum.
Remember, there's good fat and then there is bad fat. (Won't get into that...that could be another thread entirely)
Diet is going to be MORE than half the battle.
I've really been watching what I've been eating but I do treat myself to a day off
once a week where I eat whatever I want.

(ie. I've cut out ALL sugars and processed wheat/corn; you'll be AMAZED at what that leaves...)
I take a good high quality multi-vitamin and protein powder for my much needed building blocks.
My workout?
I always start out with 15-20min. of the crosstrainer to warm up (unless it's a total cardio day then I'll do 40-45min.).
Then I'll either do 'upper' or 'lower'.
Upper (for me) is either Chest/Shoulders/Back or Arms/Abs
Lower is quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes.
Now depending if you're looking to build muscle or just tone, your workout will be different than mine.
For muscle you want to do a small intense amount of sets/reps (say 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps) working towards your max. weight for that exercise.
For tone you'll do more sets/reps probably working towards 70% of your max.
I won't bore you with my routine enless you really want to hear it.
Here's a few links though that you can check out...(I'm a Men's Health mag junkie

)
http://www.muscle-fitness.com/
http://www.menshealth.com/index.html

poker face · Jan 24, 2002

I am a www.musclemag.com member and I have gained a lot of knowledge from these pro's. If you have any questions they will answer it right away.

stir-fry · Jan 24, 2002

agreed with both of you.

it's all about altering your lifestyle.

but it's also about finding what works for you.
about a year ago, i came to the conclusion that i needed to get back into shape. I also decided to do something about it.
my first step was to enrole into judo, which i had done as a kid, but quit for 8 years.

i started going a couple of days a week, and sweating my ass off. After a few months, i decided to get more into shape to benefit my judo and myself. So i started cutting out almost all the junk food that i was eating regularly. ( i still pigout once in a while, cause it tastes too damn good) But now i think twice before putting something in my body. ie, i will very rarely eat BK or McD's (maybe once every other month, compared to every day 2 years ago), and i don't drink pop anymore.

after a while, i decided that since i was so focused on judo, i'd join a gym and get stronger and thus help me improve my overall body conditioning. (cardio + weights)

from these changes i have lost almost 30 pounds in just about a year and dropped quite a bit of fat %'age. (i haven't gotten it tested in a long time, but just looking in the mirror tells me all i need to know)

and the thing is, i don't spend enough time in the gym so that i feel like it is a horrible chore, i actually look forward to a quick one hour workout after work. so i'm totally doing stuff that i enjoy, and none of it feels like a hassle.

kennyboy · Jan 24, 2002

All good points.
Something else to consider is that exercise helps you sleep better and is proven to improve your mental health and overall sense of well being.
A great way to help beat the winter blahs. And it's a good time to start gettin' ready for summer.

stir-fry · Jan 24, 2002

i used to get tons of headaches and take tons of advil to make them go away.

i find that if i go to the gym and do an hour long workout, TA DAH, no more headache.
it's feel good medicine!

Mr_Furious · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by Temper Tantrum:
I was wondering what's the best sort of workout plan in terms of building muscle/losing fat?

Allie who are you kidding? you don't have any fat

CC · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by Smiley Jo:
Huh???
How can you get cardio done by weights alone?
I'm confuzzed.

Joanna

<-- not noticing much of a difference even after running 5 times a week for a couple months.

if you circuit train with weights, you get your heart rate up. cardio training is just training for your heart. as long as your heart beat is in the target range, you just the cardio work. basically you just rotate around different weight machines. it makes you way more tired than running in half the time. i have a few circuit things that could have you crying for mommy in about 10 minutes.

CC

stir-fry · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by CC:
if you circuit train with weights, you get your heart rate up. cardio training is just training for your heart. as long as your heart beat is in the target range, you just the cardio work. basically you just rotate around different weight machines. it makes you way more tired than running in half the time. i have a few circuit things that could have you crying for mommy in about 10 minutes.

CC

if you get some time could you send me an email with one of these circuits ??
i'm interested in altering my workout once in a while to shock my system and i could use something like what you just described.
except, i'd probably be screaming for my teddy bear and not my mommy. he gives me more comfort

iamstirfry@<remove-this-first>hotmail.com

Chris · Jan 24, 2002

I recomend reading Body for Life-Bill Philips

excellent book for beginers, in terms of diet and work out routines. provides the basics to follow, to develop a basic understanding and routine. Once completed, you can fine tune your program and move to something more advanced.

Dont listen to 416 about their diet plan, no meat????? no fat???? fats are important to any healthy diet. what important is the ratio.

Cri · Jan 24, 2002

aww Shawn..wish you were still at my school so we could workout together!

CC · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by ChrisD:

Dont listen to 416 about their diet plan, no meat????? no fat???? fats are important to any healthy diet. what important is the ratio.

i agree. there are so many theories that come out about diets that are abondoned a couple years later. don't follow fads. there needs to be a balance. i'm gonna look in my room for some of my old info on diets and workout routines. i used to do tons of reading when i was in track and field.

CC

CC · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by stir-fry:
if you get some time could you send me an email with one of these circuits ??
i'm interested in altering my workout once in a while to shock my system and i could use something like what you just described.
except, i'd probably be screaming for my teddy bear and not my mommy. he gives me more comfort

iamstirfry@<remove-this-first>hotmail.com

ok, i'll do that. there are a few different workouts that do different things. i'll try to track down the actually papers i have on them.

CC

alexd · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by Sassy:
I just started going back to the gym on Tuesday. I did a kick boxing class yesterday and I am doing a spinning class today at lunch. I think the key to working out is to have variation so you don't get bored. One day work on cardio and the next work on muscle strengthening/building and stretching.

Or to get a 'gym hottie' (as my friend angelique calls them). SOmebody who motivates you to show up, regardless.

Sassy · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by alexd:
Or to get a 'gym hottie' (as my friend angelique calls them). SOmebody who motivates you to show up, regardless.

Like the blond girl in your spinning class?

416 · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by ChrisD:
Dont listen to 416 about their diet plan, no meat????? no fat???? fats are important to any healthy diet. what important is the ratio.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I didn't say no fat. I said a lot less fat.

It's worked just dandy for me. 10 years of no meat (starting at age 15), 6'5. 200lbs.

Not to mention that I've got the body of a taunt young sweedish boy.

416 · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by CC:
i agree. there are so many theories that come out about diets that are abondoned a couple years later. don't follow fads. there needs to be a balance. i'm gonna look in my room for some of my old info on diets and workout routines. i used to do tons of reading when i was in track and field.

CC

HEY!

I just saw that.

Vegetarianism is not a fad.

Weirdo.

CC · Jan 24, 2002

as a vegetarian, you should still eat fat. not all fat comes from animals.

CC

CC · Jan 24, 2002

Originally posted by Cri:
aww Shawn..wish you were still at my school so we could workout together!

ya, i wish i had someone to work out with near me. if anyone is near burlington, i just got a membership to the YMCA here and i need someone to work out with. i think bias is a slacker, and he wouldn't come...

CC

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