Getting Physically fit

[bornagain]

I am NOT Fat so I am NOT trying to loose weight, but I want to get a very strong physical body I also want some abs, and overall great agility and endurance in sports activities and the like. I am thinking of taking Martial arts classes. We ran the mile in school today I did poor 9:30 minutes, how can I improve? also I do not want to rush my body towards this transformation I want to lure it in slowly so my body is able to advance each lever properly, what could I do to start off what kind of exercises should I look at? what should I eat? what kind of activities would help me improve?
thanks :)
~Born Again

[cafetimes1991]

I recommend Jason Vale's Slim For Life (not necessarily for people who want to lose wait). This book is genius. http://www.slim4life.com/

[supertzar]

For strength, practice anaerobic training, bornagain. Anaerobic activities are short and intense such as lifting weights heavy enough that you can do no more than 10-12 reps. I would highly recommend powerlifting style training for strength. You will develop strength you never imagined having.

Powerlifting is essentially practicing squats, benching and deadlifting with assistance exercises added as necessary. The caloric demands of this kind of training will require you to eat a lot more than you probably do now. Don't worry because your metabolism will skyrocket and your body will burn it off easily. My girlfriend has been training with me for years now and has developed respectable strength and her body looks great.

Running the mile requires strength endurance. Martial arts will help you there with all the pushups and situps and everything else.

[unusual_suspect]

For strength, practice anaerobic training, bornagain. Anaerobic activities are short and intense such as lifting weights heavy enough that you can do no more than 10-12 reps. I would highly recommend powerlifting style training for strength. You will develop strength you never imagined having.

Powerlifting is essentially practicing squats, benching and deadlifting with assistance exercises added as necessary. The caloric demands of this kind of training will require you to eat a lot more than you probably do now. Don't worry because your metabolism will skyrocket and your body will burn it off easily. My girlfriend has been training with me for years now and has developed respectable strength and her body looks great.

Running the mile requires strength endurance. Martial arts will help you there with all the pushups and situps and everything else.

I can vouch for anaerobic training, however, I like to only really do stuff that uses my own body weight.

This is a great site that can give you loads of ideas : http://www.bodyweightculture.com/ <<btw, its not about weight loss, but training you can do using just the weight of your own body, for free and without equipment or having to join a gym.

Martial arts are awsome, they also help build the mind/body connection and teach a lot of self discipline.

[bornagain]

Thanks for the suggestions guys and the website looks awesome suspect.


~Born Again

[matt d]

Bornagain . If your thinking of martial arts do Brazilian jiujitsu you can get
in great shape doing it . strength ,speed ,agility ,flexability ,endurance the lot
. Its great fun too ,i think its half the battle if you enjoy something .
I used weights for years then when i started Bjj i found weights too boring
and im in far better shape now than i was just doing weights and cardio.
I f you cant find any clubs try judo also .Great fun

[white horse]

I am NOT Fat so I am NOT trying to loose weight, but I want to get a very strong physical body I also want some abs, and overall great agility and endurance in sports activities and the like. I am thinking of taking Martial arts classes. We ran the mile in school today I did poor 9:30 minutes, how can I improve? also I do not want to rush my body towards this transformation I want to lure it in slowly so my body is able to advance each lever properly, what could I do to start off what kind of exercises should I look at? what should I eat? what kind of activities would help me improve?
thanks :)
~Born Again

I'd highly recommend gettin gyour hands on a Bullworker!

It's image is linked with moustachioed macho men of the 70s, but it is a superb bit of kit. I picked mine up for £1.50 in a charity shop! You can work all the muscles with it and you can find some decent charts of exercises on the net.

http://homegym.ws/_wsn/page3.html

Also big muscles are not necessarilly a good sign that you are healthy.

Obviously a balanced diet is a good thing - plenty of cardio-vascular exercise is must to use as a foundation for other types of exercise.

Exercise tip: Get a couple of weights (you could use two bags of sugar). Hold one in each arm held in front of; be comfortable, don't strain, you don't need to hold them at dead horizontal, just in front of you and away from your body.

Then do a step exercise. Just one step, up, down, up down. Make sure both feet are flat and seetled on the step before stepping down, and then back up. Do this for 20 minutes and you will feel a differerence (sweating and achig in arms and legs, possibly stomach also!)

Do this once a day and you wont 'see' a muscle tone difference, but you will FEEL a lot more physically fit. :D

[bornagain]

Thank you for the suggestions guys, I will definitely try it.
~Born Again

[iitokio]

For abs i recommend doing crunches as they are just as effective as sit-ups but do not do any damage to your lower back over time. A few google searches will provide some instructional videos on this. A key part to visible abs, and most people do not know, is that building the abdominal muscles is only maybe 10% of getting good looking abs, the rest is purely down to doing plenty of cardiovascular exercise and getting your body fat percentage down.

Also if you are looking to gain strength it is important to understand how muscles grow. Each time you do physical exercise such as resistance training what you are actually doing is tearing the muscle fibres in which ever muscle you are working. Then over the next couple of days your body repairs the damaged fibres and adds a bit extra so it does not happen again (developed in an evolutionary environment).
It is important to eat around 5 small meals a day with a steady intake of protein aswell as plenty of vegetables and water :)
I don't know much at all about martial arts :p

[gushen]

Martial arts is a great way to be "forced" to get fit. You will have to adapt yourself to the level of the classes, students and teacher though, if you are not already.

However, you will still be dependent of a teacher and external circumstances that give you the motivation to get to a certain place and train with certain people at your side. If the school closes you are pretty much back to where you were before and will lose some of the gains, at least physically (the gain in consciousness (mental power) is never lost).

The most difficult thing is to develop a training routine of your own that you do just for the sake of getting fit, according to your own principles. Very few people have this kind of mastery of mind and body. People usually only train their bodies due to external motivations such as looking good (aesthetics), diseases (recovery) or because their jobs require it. If you are doing it because you feel that TSWHTF, it is a valid, noble motive, but it is still rooted on external circumstances.

Doing exercises (not only physical but also mental) and being alive is the same thing. We are only alive and breathing because we have blood flowing and muscles contracting all the time. More exercises = more life. This is an example of how exercise is an universal principle of its own and not just a "hobby" or a particular activity that is only sought and required in times of need. I would say that doing physical exercises has actually more priority than 70% of all the irrelevant stuff that people do nowadays.

[1971]

If your looking to improve your core stability then try pilates or yoga.

[supertzar]

For abs i recommend doing crunches as they are just as effective as sit-ups but do not do any damage to your lower back over time. A few google searches will provide some instructional videos on this. A key part to visible abs, and most people do not know, is that building the abdominal muscles is only maybe 10% of getting good looking abs, the rest is purely down to doing plenty of cardiovascular exercise and getting your body fat percentage down.

Also if you are looking to gain strength it is important to understand how muscles grow. Each time you do physical exercise such as resistance training what you are actually doing is tearing the muscle fibres in which ever muscle you are working. Then over the next couple of days your body repairs the damaged fibres and adds a bit extra so it does not happen again (developed in an evolutionary environment).
It is important to eat around 5 small meals a day with a steady intake of protein aswell as plenty of vegetables and water :)
I don't know much at all about martial arts :p

Excellent information. Nutrients and rest are anabolic or muscle-building. Lifting is actually catabolic. It destroys the muscle fibers. The good thing is that if you eat like crazy and get enough sleep, you will stop the catabolism and get into an anabolic state.

Another major, major component to strength is neurological development. Strength is a skill. Over time, lifting heavy will train your nervous system to recruit more muscle fibers at a time. Your muscles can do much more work right now than you believe they can do. Imagine your little brother was being crushed under a car. You could lift it like it was nothing. Normally our bodies inhibit such displays of strength to protect from injury, but under extreme circumstances or through training we can overcome this neurological inhibition.

http://drsquat.com/forums/main/training-and-nutrition

[icke_is_right]

http://www.mattfurey.com/mattfurey_uncensored/

If you're serious.........

[unusual_suspect]

http://www.mattfurey.com/mattfurey_uncensored/

If you're serious.........

Combat conditioning eh... I really like his take on fitness, I like him!

[darketernal]

For strength, practice anaerobic training, bornagain. Anaerobic activities are short and intense such as lifting weights heavy enough that you can do no more than 10-12 reps. I would highly recommend powerlifting style training for strength. You will develop strength you never imagined having.

Powerlifting is essentially practicing squats, benching and deadlifting with assistance exercises added as necessary. The caloric demands of this kind of training will require you to eat a lot more than you probably do now. Don't worry because your metabolism will skyrocket and your body will burn it off easily. My girlfriend has been training with me for years now and has developed respectable strength and her body looks great.

Running the mile requires strength endurance. Martial arts will help you there with all the pushups and situps and everything else.


Well said, and I very much agree, free weight training with basic compound movements (squats, deadlifts, bencpress, rows, chinups dips etc) is the fastest way to speed up metabolism, build strength and get a firmer body... althought if you are new to this I would recomend you do some reading and get instructions from a trainer or someone very knowledgable of proper form and technique.

[unusual_suspect]

Well said, and I very much agree, free weight training with basic compound movements (squats, deadlifts, bencpress, rows, chinups dips etc) is the fastest way to speed up metabolism, build strength and get a firmer body... althought if you are new to this I would recomend you do some reading and get instructions from a trainer or someone very knowledgable of proper form and technique.

Free weights and compound movements are much better as they recruit more muscles and you are using your body in a ntural way and in the way it was designed to move.

The weight machines are abit of an odd idea imho, what's the point in isolating these muscle groups for certain exercises when you can use many more with free weights or just the weight of your own body?

Also eating in the first half hour of training will help prevent your body entering a catabloic state.

[lemonique]

I am NOT Fat so I am NOT trying to loose weight, but I want to get a very strong physical body I also want some abs, and overall great agility and endurance in sports activities and the like. I am thinking of taking Martial arts classes. We ran the mile in school today I did poor 9:30 minutes, how can I improve? also I do not want to rush my body towards this transformation I want to lure it in slowly so my body is able to advance each lever properly, what could I do to start off what kind of exercises should I look at? what should I eat? what kind of activities would help me improve?
thanks :)
~Born Again

Well done, running the mile :-) My daughter managed to wriggle out when things like running came into her school day. 9.30 minutes is a lot better than Zero minutes :-/

Walking is really good to get things under way. But it has to be done regularly, and is more fun done with a friend. 30 mins quite fast walking every day to start with. Then walking interspersed with some jogging once you become much fitter.

I have in my hand a book titled 'The Core Program' by Peggy W Brill, P.T.

It says, " Introducing the fitness program designed by a physical therapist exclusively for women - proven to increase strength, tone muscles and reduce aches and pains in just 15 minutes a day. "

"Few women realize that the most popular fitness regimes are designed for men"

Now THAT is a fact. So, I live in NZ I managed to get this book at my local library.......you should be able to access this as well at YOUR libray.

I haven't actually read it ( just had a good flip through ), it has great graphics and looks really easy to follow. It has weights, floor exercises and explains how to get started etc. Really worth a look-see.

Regards diet....you are intelligent, and your common sense will be your guide.
Drink lots of water, eat veg, fruit, some grains (oats maybe), etc

Well done, ! I admire you wanting to get fitter, and good luck.

Lem

[darketernal]

Free weights and compound movements are much better as they recruit more muscles and you are using your body in a ntural way and in the way it was designed to move.

The weight machines are abit of an odd idea imho, what's the point in isolating these muscle groups for certain exercises when you can use many more with free weights or just the weight of your own body?

Also eating in the first half hour of training will help prevent your body entering a catabloic state.

I agree. Eating some low glycemic index carbs (whole wheat bread, oatmeal, etc) with some type of protein and essential fatty acids has always worked best for me immediately before an intense workout. I find either natural peanut butter with flax added, or just adding my own flax oil, mixed with oatmeal, or some plain fat free yogurt and flax oil mix with either of the above makes a solid workout field with everything necessary to avoid the body using muscle tissue as a source of fuel for the intense training to come.

Bornagain, if that fails a nice chicken or turkey sandwhich on what bread (or half of one if your bodyweight is fairly low as a young fit female) is almost as effective, however if you are trying to gain, power and performance, pre-workout nutrition is definately something to consider.

Post workout some high glycemic index carbs can be of use (although I find the dextrose/glocuse + whey suppliments and energy drinks many use to be overkill on this and natural foods are a better choice), but keep in mind it is less critical to get more protien if you have eaten enough pre-work, and the idea is a bit of a ploy to get you to buy yet more suppliments. A banana or orange is just fine as a post workout carb, although some will argue that the choice of sugars in fruits (fructose) is not optimal post-workout because of its propensity to refill liver glycogen more quickly than muscle glycogen. However I would not worry about this sort of detail at your level of training. Your goals are simply to gain more strength and overall performance without gaining any bodyfat, but are not concerned with setting any national records, and fruit will work just fine for this.

If you have more questions there seem to be a couple of knowledgable people on training and nutrition in the thread, so feel free to ask away.

[bornagain]

How about bicycling? I know it pretty much just works on your legs, but according to my friend if you move your waste while doing it you will lose fat and gain muscle around the waste?
And from one of the videos from a link given by icke_is_right, one of the exercises the one where you pull down holding in the abs, I do the same thing with this home exercise dvd that I have with denise austin, I really can't afford yet to take martial arts so I do yoga, run, take cold showers and work out with home dvd, I feel good so far.
lemonique, thanks for the suggestion that looks very interesting.
~Born again :)

[supertzar]

if you are new to this I would recomend you do some reading and get instructions from a trainer or someone very knowledgable of proper form and technique.

+1

Before I even started lifting I read as much as possible about how to do each lift. I started very light and paid excruciating attention to executing perfect form. Good form is essential. Just pay attention to that and add ten pounds a week. It will get heavy before you know it. And be careful of trainers that don't know what they are doing. There are way too many out there.

:D She's probably like ":rolleyes: Okay!"

[tyler]

Surely anaerobic exercise is the sort that gets you puffing and involves high reps and low weights? The heart and lungs get involved.
Power lifting will put on weight and slabs of muscle but no definition. It won't get you fit.
You will be strong but not particularly fit.
Cycling is an excellent exercise as is swimming.
When you walk....walk very quickly and swing your arms. Going down to the corner shop can be good exercise if you walk fast.

Gentle jogging is good too. Don't try too much too soon as you will be bored and stop.
A Bullworker is the most useless of tools because it is so boring to do. Most people give up after a few days. Don't waste your money. It looks good in the adverts but the guy using it got his muscles from weight training.

Pressups are very good.

Stop eating junk food and try eating more raw veggies. Raw brocolli with humous is lovely.

DO NOT TOUCH DIET COKE.

[deca]

what about jogging ??? yeah I hate jogging and sit ups.....got one of the ball things but that sort takes effort as well:confused:..???
Is any way to get rid of the odd inch? I do loads of walking cycling and bit of weights.......

[darketernal]

Surely anaerobic exercise is the sort that gets you puffing and involves high reps and low weights? The heart and lungs get involved.
Power lifting will put on weight and slabs of muscle but no definition. It won't get you fit.
You will be strong but not particularly fit.
Cycling is an excellent exercise as is swimming.
When you walk....walk very quickly and swing your arms. Going down to the corner shop can be good exercise if you walk fast.

Gentle jogging is good too. Don't try too much too soon as you will be bored and stop.
A Bullworker is the most useless of tools because it is so boring to do. Most people give up after a few days. Don't waste your money. It looks good in the adverts but the guy using it got his muscles from weight training.

Pressups are very good.

Stop eating junk food and try eating more raw veggies. Raw brocolli with humous is lovely.

DO NOT TOUCH DIET COKE.

The bolded part is not true. That is a popular gym myth just like spot reduction, that has been disproven by research many years ago. The only factors that determine muscle definition are body fat, skin thickness and subcutanious water. You cannot train definition or cuts into a muscle, their shape is 100% genetically determined...you can only make them larger or smaller.

[noir]

If your looking to improve your core stability then try pilates or yoga.
I agree with this. I also think no matter what fitness plan you do you should mix it up a little so your body does not get used to your work out.

I currently do Belly dancing, Yoga, Pilates, Elliptical and Muay thai kick boxing (at the gym). I hate running... :( So the Elliptical is what I use to keep my weight steady, everything else is for toning/strength minus yoga which is for my mind. :)

[deca]

hmm Noir ever thought about pole dancing....as well as keeping you fit....it might not do much for your mind but works wonders for mine ;)
http://www.hirethings.co.nz/photo/image/1038/large/Pole_Dancing1.jpg

[deca]

http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/992/899/99289990-dd93-4ea0-b38c-321009a99ebc.large-profile.jpg

very charming thou......:p

[iitokio]

How about bicycling? I know it pretty much just works on your legs, but according to my friend if you move your waste while doing it you will lose fat and gain muscle around the waste?
And from one of the videos from a link given by icke_is_right, one of the exercises the one where you pull down holding in the abs, I do the same thing with this home exercise dvd that I have with denise austin, I really can't afford yet to take martial arts so I do yoga, run, take cold showers and work out with home dvd, I feel good so far.
lemonique, thanks for the suggestion that looks very interesting.
~Born again :)

Cycling, as long as you don't cycle leasurely, is a good cardio exercise.
Your friend is incorrect as it is impossible to do "spot fat removal" i.e. doing a certain exercise to burn fat from a certain part of your body.
Also it can be good to exercise after you wake up in the morning before eating as your body will start burning the fat reserves to use as energy.

[darketernal]

Cycling, as long as you don't cycle leasurely, is a good cardio exercise.
Your friend is incorrect as it is impossible to do "spot fat removal" i.e. doing a certain exercise to burn fat from a certain part of your body.
Also it can be good to exercise after you wake up in the morning before eating as your body will start burning the fat reserves to use as energy.

Correct, as I said in my last post, spot reduction of fat is impossible through conventional means. It can only be achieved through liposuction or spot injection of 2 illegal and dangerous drugs.

[unusual_suspect]

What I don't understand is the fact that women are not encouraged to work out as heavily as men. I love doing strength training and I am a very strong lady, my old Kick Boxing teacher always commented on how I had good strong flexible hips - not in the wrong way though :p

I was very sad when I had to hang up my gloves due to an unfortunate accident when I got my hand caught between a barge and a tree, I would post the pics, but I might get banned lol. I still enjoy doing the body weight exercises and being physical and when my kidney stone has been removed and I've healed up I will be starting judo again - I can recommend that to anyone, when I first started it really was the most fun I'd had since I was a kid, kinda like play fighting when you were a kid, rolling about on the floor and practising your break - falls and being thrown on to a big crash mat :D

Imo women need to train more like men, they won't get to muscular unless they take steroids, they will just be able to enjoy the benefits of feeling strong and powerful.

[darketernal]

What I don't understand is the fact that women are not encouraged to work out as heavily as men. I love doing strength training and I am a very strong lady, my old Kick Boxing teacher always commented on how I had good strong flexible hips - not in the wrong way though :p

I was very sad when I had to hang up my gloves due to an unfortunate accident when I got my hand caught between a barge and a tree, I would post the pics, but I might get banned lol. I still enjoy doing the body weight exercises and being physical and when my kidney stone has been removed and I've healed up I will be starting judo again - I can recommend that to anyone, when I first started it really was the most fun I'd had since I was a kid, kinda like play fighting when you were a kid, rolling about on the floor and practising your break - falls and being thrown on to a big crash mat :D

Imo women need to train more like men, they won't get to muscular unless they take steroids, they will just be able to enjoy the benefits of feeling strong and powerful.

Very true. I've never seen a woman get excessively muscular from heavy power training unless she was on steroids. Ever. I've seen some women who do use steroids and power train who still just look like they "are in good shape".

Women generally lack the hormones and structure to obtain man-like muscles naturally.

[deca]

Women generally lack the hormones and structure to obtain man-like muscles naturally.

doh get fit but keep looking like women!!!!!!..........do you think guys look sexy with man boobs????.........
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e104/teddymadmoemo/man_boobs.jpg

[darketernal]

doh get fit but keep looking like women!!!!!!..........do you think guys look sexy with man boobs????.........

No danger of looking like men unless they inject male hormones. Ei you can train as hard as you like in the weight room as a female, and as long as you not not injecting testosterone or testosterone derivatives (anabolic steroids) you will not look like a man.

Power training will however increase metabolism greatly, which will allow a woman to stay leaner while eating more food.

[unusual_suspect]

No danger of looking like men unless they inject male hormones. Ei you can train as hard as you like in the weight room as a female, and as long as you not not injecting testosterone or testosterone derivatives (anabolic steroids) you will not look like a man.

Power training will however increase metabolism greatly, which will allow a woman to stay leaner while eating more food.

I can vouch for that, back in my meat-head days I was never manly, I was just solid and I ate an incredible amount of food.

[deca]

hmmm I have peace meat that needs some head....:D

Dam I sure the dude do the gym sold me the wrong steroids, my hairy man boobs are turning me on......

[darketernal]

I can vouch for that, back in my meat-head days I was never manly, I was just solid and I ate an inredible amount of food.

It of course has a different effect on men. Off season me at 260 lbs 5 years ago.. around the same time I took my avatar pic.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/338/downtoptoplessrg2.jpg

I think I was benching around 505x2 and deadlifting 615x2 at the time... which are not particularly impressive for my bodyweight, but I was not a power lifter, I just enjoyed training heavy in different phases of my workouts.

[unusual_suspect]

hmmm I have peace meat that needs some head....:D

Dam I sure the dude do the gym sold me the wrong steroids, my hairy man boobs are turning me on......

Well that is one fine set of jubblies lol :D

It of course has a different effect on men. Off season me at 260 lbs 5 years ago.. around the same time I took my avatar pic.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/338/downtoptoplessrg2.jpg

I think I was benching around 505x2 and deadlifting 615x2 at the time... which are not particularly impressive for my bodyweight, but I was not a power lifter, I just enjoyed training heavy in different phases of my workouts.

Wow, you look very different there! You are in USA, I don't know my imperial measurements, only metric, just had to look it up. I used to do 100kg on the leg press and use 10 kg dumbells for bicep curls, my arms have always been on the feeble side though, I was not a power lifter, I just wanted to be really powerfull for kick boxing, Thai boxing and judo and the strength training gave me a real buzz.

It is amazing how the human body adapts to the stresses we put on it though :)

[supertzar]

It of course has a different effect on men. Off season me at 260 lbs 5 years ago.. around the same time I took my avatar pic.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/338/downtoptoplessrg2.jpg

I think I was benching around 505x2 and deadlifting 615x2 at the time... which are not particularly impressive for my bodyweight, but I was not a power lifter, I just enjoyed training heavy in different phases of my workouts.

Are you kidding?! Those are awesome numbers and you are a beast!

[noir]

hmm Noir ever thought about pole dancing....as well as keeping you fit....it might not do much for your mind but works wonders for mine ;)
http://www.hirethings.co.nz/photo/image/1038/large/Pole_Dancing1.jpg

Actually I have, I just have yet to find a class that fits my schedule! :D

[unusual_suspect]

Are you kidding?! Those are awesome numbers and you are a beast!

Yes a beast indeed!

[darketernal]

hmmm I have peace meat that needs some head....:D

Dam I sure the dude do the gym sold me the wrong steroids, my hairy man boobs are turning me on......

Yeah that was deprovera in the bottle.. look on the bright side, at least you don't have to worry about getting pregnant or a period while you are on it.


Wow, you look very different there! You are in USA, I don't know my imperial measurements, only metric, just had to look it up. I used to do 100kg on the leg press and use 10 kg dumbells for bicep curls, my arms have always been on the feeble side though, I was not a power lifter, I just wanted to be really powerfull for kick boxing, Thai boxing and judo and the strength training gave me a real buzz.

It is amazing how the human body adapts to the stresses we put on it though :)

I used to leg-press 1000 kg for 20 reps at my peak.

Power training is a great idea for partial arts to add more explosive power to your kicks and punches.

The same rules apply for gaining mass in your arms as any other muscle in your body. Tons of isolation excercises are for people on lots of drugs to enhancer their recovery. They really should not be in the routines of poeple training without drugs, and the personal trainers writing these routines should take some excercise science courses instead of reading muscle & fiction magazine.

Heavy rows and/or chinups for biceps, heavy presses and/or dips for triceps, with very limited amounts of isolation work.

Are you kidding?! Those are awesome numbers and you are a beast!

Thanks, but I do not look like that today, although I am pretty huge by conventional standards. It is genetics though. Yes I know those numbers are solid, but definately not the weight to power ratios one would need to complete in powerlifting meets.

Actually I have, I just have yet to find a class that fits my schedule! :D


Pole dancing classes exist now as a form of excersize? One learns something new every day. :D

[amethyst]

It of course has a different effect on men. Off season me at 260 lbs 5 years ago.. around the same time I took my avatar pic.
http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/338/downtoptoplessrg2.jpg

I think I was benching around 505x2 and deadlifting 615x2 at the time... which are not particularly impressive for my bodyweight, but I was not a power lifter, I just enjoyed training heavy in different phases of my workouts.

Darky, while you look quite buff, you don't look 260 lbs in this photo. You must be tall...or does muscle weigh that much?

[darketernal]

Darky, while you look quite buff, you don't look 260 lbs in this photo. You must be tall...or does muscle weigh that much?

Muscle weighs that much and my leg development was slightly more advanced than my upper body, which accounted for a bit more weight. I wish I had a good picture of them somewhere at that size, but unfortunately I do not. The one I have up from 10 years ago that shows them I was only 195 lbs or so.

[darketernal]

Amethyst I don't have that many pictures above 230ish in weight on my computer. Here is one I had put up some time back at about 250 lbs or so in the pet threads to show my parrot when she was a baby (I censored out my sister and neice), but it is not a great picture either because I have on all black.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9867/legolaseditjs9.jpg

I wish I could find some photos of me at contest time, but my mother had all those and is dead now, and I've no idea what she did with the photo albumns.

I need to ask some of my friends if they have any others. My roomate is on this forum too actually, and we have been friends for 14 years, so maybe he has some laying around.

[amethyst]

Muscle weighs that much and my leg development was slightly more advanced than my upper body, which accounted for a bit more weight. I wish I had a good picture of them somewhere at that size, but unfortunately I do not. The one I have up from 10 years ago that shows them I was only 195 lbs or so.

That's interesting. Since you mentioned it, I have strong legs, so I'm thinking my lower half weighs probably more than my upper half.

Question for you:

Is eating 6 small meals better than 3 square meals a day for maintaining/losing weight? And, should each meal have protein in it? I find it hard to eat that many times a day, due to schedule/appetite.

[amethyst]

Amethyst I don't have that many pictures above 230ish in weight on my computer. Here is one I had put up some time back at about 250 lbs or so in the pet threads to show my parrot when she was a baby (I censored out my sister and neice), but it is not a great picture either because I have on all black.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9867/legolaseditjs9.jpg

I wish I could find some photos of me at contest time, but my mother had all those and is dead now, and I've no idea what she did with the photo albumns.

I need to ask some of my friends if they have any others. My roomate is on this forum too actually, and we have been friends for 14 years, so maybe he has some laying around.

Your arms looks big there.

[noir]

Pole dancing classes exist now as a form of excersize? One learns something new every day. :D

Yes! In fact it is supposed to be very good for gaining strength and toning in your upper body! I can hardly open a jar of jam so I need that!

[darketernal]

That's interesting. Since you mentioned it, I have strong legs, so I'm thinking my lower half weighs probably more than my upper half.

Question for you:

Is eating 6 small meals better than 3 square meals a day for maintaining/losing weight? And, should each meal have protein in it? I find it hard to eat that many times a day, due to schedule/appetite.


6 small meals is better than 3 larger ones because you can maintain a more constant blood sugar level, however if you are having difficultly with this, just try to eat lower glycemic index carbs and more fiber (raw greens help) for a slower digestion and absorbsion. Yes you should get complete protiens in at every meal, but that does not mean you must eat meat or dairy. You can combine incomplete vegetable protien sources that compliment each other. Almonds or other nuts with an apple, or beans with your rice or pasta can give you a complete protien while still allowing you to eat light for a smaller meal/snack.

For that type of meal schedule you have to learn to just eat the smaller meals by the clock rather than waiting until you feel hunger, if your goal is to trim down a little.

[amethyst]

6 small meals is better than 3 larger ones because you can maintain a more constant blood sugar level, however if you are having difficultly with this, just try to eat lower glycemic index carbs and more fiber (raw greens help) for a slower digestion and absorbsion. Yes you should get complete protiens in at every meal, but that does not mean you must eat meat or dairy. You can combine incomplete vegetable protien sources that compliment each other. Almonds or other nuts with an apple, or beans with your rice or pasta can give you a complete protien while still allowing you to eat light for a smaller meal/snack.

For that type of meal schedule you have to learn to just eat the smaller meals by the clock rather than waiting until you feel hunger, if your goal is to trim down a little.

That makes sense, thanks. Final question: Like the op, I would like to tone or firm up. Aerobic exercize keeps my legs toned but my upper body, not as much- Is more protein at each meal better if one wants to do strength training? I haven't done any lifting in a while.

[darketernal]

That makes sense, thanks. Final question: Like the op, I would like to tone or firm up. Aerobic exercize keeps my legs toned but my upper body, not as much- Is more protein at each meal better if one wants to do strength training? I haven't done any lifting in a while.

Every bodybuilding forum and book will say yes, but the scientific literature says not so much. The ultrahigh protien intakes suggested by many seem to have gone up and up over the years, as protien suppliments have become more popular. In 1990 professional bodybuilders were recomending .7 grams of protien per lbs of bodyweight, and some of these guys were 300 lbs off season at 5'8". Over the years the benchmark keeps going up and up. Now it is anywhere from 1 to 2, or more grams of protien per lbs of bodyweight.

However I'll be honest, there is no science to support these claims. Just eat a balanced healthy diet, and if you include a couple small portions of meat, or dairy in there every day, you will get more than enough protien to gain muscle and strength. I would say outside of that, getting good pre-workout and post-workout nutrition is the most important factor there as well as making sure you get enough essential fatty acids (flax oil in moderation, fish oil caps, salmon, assorted nutts) will give you the most anabolic effect in your diet. I'm a huge proponent of large amounts of essential fatty acids (with a higher amount of n-3's than n-6's) for anyone who wishes to lose bodyfat or gain muscle or strength.

Arms are traditionally more difficult for women to develop than their legs, due to body structure predisposition. Just take the same advice several of us gave BA and US as general guidelines for this.

[unusual_suspect]

That makes sense, thanks. Final question: Like the op, I would like to tone or firm up. Aerobic exercize keeps my legs toned but my upper body, not as much- Is more protein at each meal better if one wants to do strength training? I haven't done any lifting in a while.

Google squats and lunges, they should be the core of any lower body workout and there are lots of variations. I would always advise doing strength training that uses your own body weight and compound movements.

Pilates is great for your abs and will actually make you very strong and toned if you persist to the advanced level. Exercises such as the plank and pushups, chin ups and crunches are all good to and will make you strong, build muscle and fire up your metabolism. I found Judo really toned up my upper body and gave a very different kind of workout.

You actually don't need loads of protein, it's a myth as far as I know (although darketernal might know better than me) just make sure you eat some carbs and protein within half an hour of training otherwise your body will start breaking down it's own muscle for fuel.

Also, I found interval training (about 30 mins of running mixed with sprinting) will help preserve more muscle mass that long endurance cardio sessions.

[amethyst]

Every bodybuilding forum and book will say yes, but the scientific literature says not so much. The ultrahigh protien intakes suggested by many seem to have gone up and up over the years, as protien suppliments have become more popular. In 1990 professional bodybuilders were recomending .7 grams of protien per lbs of bodyweight, and some of these guys were 300 lbs off season at 5'8". Over the years the benchmark keeps going up and up. Now it is anywhere from 1 to 2, or more grams of protien per lbs of bodyweight.

However I'll be honest, there is no science to support these claims. Just eat a balanced healthy diet, and if you include a couple small portions of meat, or dairy in there every day, you will get more than enough protien to gain muscle and strength. I would say outside of that, getting good pre-workout and post-workout nutrition is the most important factor there as well as making sure you get enough essential fatty acids (flax oil in moderation, fish oil caps, salmon, assorted nutts) will give you the most anabolic effect in your diet. I'm a huge proponent of large amounts of essential fatty acids (with a higher amount of n-3's than n-6's) for anyone who wishes to lose bodyfat or gain muscle or strength.

Arms are traditionally more difficult for women to develop than their legs, due to body structure predisposition. Just take the same advice several of us gave BA and US as general guidelines for this.

Thanks Darketernal :) I'll pm you if I have some specific questions

thanks also unusual_suspect

[darketernal]

Google squats and lunges, they should be the core of any lower body workout and there are lots of variations. I would always advise doing strength training that uses your own body weight and compound movements.

Pilates is great for your abs and will actually make you very strong and toned if you persist to the advanced level. Exercises such as the plank and pushups, chin ups and crunches are all good to and will make you strong, build muscle and fire up your metabolism. I found Judo really toned up my upper body and gave a very different kind of workout.

You actually don't need loads of protein, it's a myth as far as I know (although darketernal might know better than me) just make sure you eat some carbs and protein within half an hour of training otherwise your body will start breaking down it's own muscle for fuel.

Also, I found interval training (about 30 mins of running mixed with sprinting) will help preserve more muscle mass that long endurance cardio sessions.

Interval training, particularly HIIT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training , is a very good form of cardio to get into condition quickly for those willing to put out large amounts of effort but have more limited time to workout.

HIIT tends to be more anabolic (stimulates muscle development) and less catabolic (burns muscle for fuel) than lower intensity types of cardio. It should be noted that you cannot maintain this type of cardio for long periods of time, and although you tend to burn far more calories per minute than slower paced cardio, you may not burn as many calories from a session as a result. It should be noted that HIIT burns a lot more glycogen (sugar) for fuel than fat, compaired to low intensity long duration cardio as well. The real benefit to it is the afterburn. Low intensity cardio tends to burn a good deal of fat calories if you maintain it for an hour or two, but has almost no effect on one's metabolism for the rest of the day. HIIT's real beauty is that it has a prolonged effect on the metabolism for many hours after doing it, and can be completed in a short period of time. This effect is lesson a bit in someone who is on a serious resistence traing program though, but this does not completely remove the effect.

The downfalls of HIIT: It is hard. Doing serious HIIT cardio will kick your ass if you are not ready for it, and if you are combining it with resistance training one can very quickly get into a state of over training, by doing too many sessions a week.

Don't go by what you read in a magazine about a professional bodybuilder or athelete doing 5 sessions of HIIT a week, while on a brutal weight training program as well. Virtually all professional atheletes have a genetic tendance to recover faster from training, have many years of conditioning to build up their ability to recover, and are on a cocktail of drugs that speed up protein synthesis and recovery from training. So copying their routines is a shortcut to disaster.

[d3v_]

I reccomend mark riptoes starting strength book. will teach you how to squat, deadlift, bench press and power clean like a pro.
get his video too. it's on www.tracker.conspiracycentral.net

[darketernal]

I reccomend mark riptoes starting strength book. will teach you how to squat, deadlift, bench press and power clean like a pro.
get his video too. it's on www.tracker.conspiracycentral.net

I've heard a good deal about Mark Riptoe, and know of a few serious power lifters who endorse his training protocols.

[d3v_]

I've heard a good deal about Mark Riptoe, and know of a few serious power lifters who endorse his training protocols.

that's good to hear. I too only hear good said about him, never a bad word.
His lifting philosophy plain works. My squat is going up 2.5 or 5kg week to week following his advice.

another point about getting strong is hand strength. you can have the strongest arms in the world but it wouldn't mean shit in the real world without the strong hands to use such powerful arms.
Farmers walks using dumbells and difficult-to-grip weight plates performed at the end of a workout are excellent workout "finishers" and of course will skyrocket your grip strength and forearm size & endurance. Check out this site I just came across http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/


and lastly, avoid conventional workout/PWO shakes. Most whey is horrendous to the body. Either buy a proper whey like this http://products.mercola.com/pro-optimal-whey/ or just stick to fruit and vegetables shakes/juices. I mix up a fruit smoothie for my workout shake and it works for me perfectly. Failing that, easy to chew foods like bananna pear and carrots are great workout snacks that will provide your body with everything it needs.

[darketernal]

that's good to hear. I too only hear good said about him, never a bad word.
His lifting philosophy plain works. My squat is going up 2.5 or 5kg week to week following his advice.

another point about getting strong is hand strength. you can have the strongest arms in the world but it wouldn't mean shit in the real world without the strong hands to use such powerful arms.
Farmers walks using dumbells and difficult-to-grip weight plates performed at the end of a workout are excellent workout "finishers" and of course will skyrocket your grip strength and forearm size & endurance. Check out this site I just came across http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/


and lastly, avoid conventional workout/PWO shakes. Most whey is horrendous to the body. Either buy a proper whey like this http://products.mercola.com/pro-optimal-whey/ or just stick to fruit and vegetables shakes/juices. I mix up a fruit smoothie for my workout shake and it works for me perfectly. Failing that, easy to chew foods like bananna pear and carrots are great workout snacks that will provide your body with everything it needs.

You need to work out at this gym.

DeFrancosGym.com - DeFranco&#39;s Training montage! - YouTube

[darketernal]

For those in this thread interesting in specific fitness goals, I started a stickie for everyone to discuss their training regiments, diets, etc for specific goals, and keep a journal for those who are interesting in doing so. I've including my own as well.

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64809