Fitness and Exercise

[Buffalobiian]

You guys are way too light.

I'm trying to lose as much fat as possible before starting weight training, since I'll have to eat more than my daily requirement then, and gaining some fat along with muscle is inevitable.

I do agree with you though. I don't consider my build ideal.

[Raven]

gaining some fat along with muscle is inevitable.

I can say from experience that it isn't.

I had fat to burn that I could have burnt off with pure cardio, but I lifted weights and avoided cardio altogether. BF% went down, and lean mass (muscle) went up.

[Animeniax]

I'm 5'7.5" and 165lbs/75kg. I'd like to be about 170-175lbs, to achieve my ideal "light tank/baby gorilla" physique.

Buff: I don't know if you want to get really lean before trying to put on mass, because then you'll have to eat more to gain mass, instead of just letting your fat reserves fuel you. I'm not sure how that works exactly though.

[Buffalobiian]

I was under the impression that muscle growth only happened when you're in a anabolic state, while fat loss only really worked when you're in an catabolic state. I don't know too much about it neither, and this is mostly from internet sources rather than textbooks.

PS: if something says "3 Sets Of 15, 12, Then 8 Reps", that means I do 15, then 12, then 8 right?

Not 15x3, 12x3, 8x3..

[Animeniax]

I think you gain muscle from working out period (lifting weights is basically tearing muscle and then letting it repair itself). You will just have muscle under fat if you aren't a lean person. I guess if you're already lean, then you won't need to work on cardio as much. As far as gaining fat as well as muscle from increased food intake, that won't happen if you eat the right foods.

[UChessmaster]

I think you gain muscle from working out period (lifting weights is basically tearing muscle and then letting it repair itself). You will just have muscle under fat if you aren't a lean person. I guess if you're already lean, then you won't need to work on cardio as much. As far as gaining fat as well as muscle from increased food intake, that won't happen if you eat the right foods.

Protein gives you more muscle mass, excercise defines said muscle.

[Animeniax]

Protein gives you more muscle mass, excercise defines said muscle.

I think you need to read up a lot more before starting your workout routine if that's how you think it works. You can eat all the protein you want, your body won't do anything with it unless you give it something to do with it, like creating muscle tissue that is damaged by working out.

[Archangel]

Protein gives you more muscle mass, excercise defines said muscle.

...like i said, go educate yourself. Read some articles, visit forums, ask your doctor.

[UChessmaster]

I know how it works, i tried to simplify it :P

[Animeniax]

I know how it works, i tried to simplify it :P

That's cool, just it sounded like you had it all wrong. But it's a pretty basic formula, especially if you just want to "get bigger" and not necessarily be a body-builder or make a drastic change to your physique. Eat more (proteins and carbs) and workout on a set schedule at least 3 times a week. Just realize it takes months of this to see real gains, maybe get a workout partner, and learn to enjoy it as a lifestyle change instead of a chore.

[Buffalobiian]

I went for a DEXA scan today, and it clocked me in at 19.6% body fat.

My lean body mass is 52kgs.

Stupid scales... should have spent the hundred bucks on headphones instead.

[enkoujin]

Stupid scales... should have spent the hundred bucks on headphones instead.

I recently started doing my cardio that I've been delaying for the last several years or so due to laziness... I'm clocking in at 210 lbs right now, but I'm losing 600-700 calories an hour daily just through the elliptical. I'm hoping to lose a pound a week until I reach a target ~170 lbs and then start weightlifting.

The only problem is trying to weightlift on my own... has anyone had any problems or experiences with this? (I'm hoping I can dumbbell or use gym machines for the most part).

[animus]

I recently started doing my cardio that I've been delaying for the last several years or so due to laziness... I'm clocking in at 210 lbs right now, but I'm losing 600-700 calories an hour daily just through the elliptical. I'm hoping to lose a pound a week until I reach a target ~170 lbs and then start weightlifting.

The only problem is trying to weightlift on my own... has anyone had any problems or experiences with this? (I'm hoping I can dumbbell or use gym machines for the most part).

I lost weight by just dieting until I hit 180, then went back to the gym. I'm currently at 168ish. I sometimes do 30 minutes of moderate cardio or 15 minutes of HIIT. And another hour or so of just lifting.

And yeah, I lift alone. There's no problem alone especially on machines. But ideally free weights are just better. And for the heavier weights if you're at a gym with friendly people they should have no problems if you go up to one of them and ask if they could spot you for a quick set.

[EpyonNext]

I recently started doing my cardio that I've been delaying for the last several years or so due to laziness... I'm clocking in at 210 lbs right now, but I'm losing 600-700 calories an hour daily just through the elliptical. I'm hoping to lose a pound a week until I reach a target ~170 lbs and then start weightlifting.

The only problem is trying to weightlift on my own... has anyone had any problems or experiences with this? (I'm hoping I can dumbbell or use gym machines for the most part).

I'd start weightlifting while trying to reach your goal bro. I'm not talking about heavy lifting, however, but it's a good idea to start incorporating weightlifting into your daily workout for a few reasons:

1. You can start using light free weights now to help build your stabilizer muscles. This will allow you to put more strength into a better excercise as you shift for a primarily weightlifting workout.

2. The weightlifting promotes protein synthesis, and assuming you are also sticking to a diet that limits(not negates) your carb intake and keeps your glucose from going out of control, your body will be forced to burn fat to rebuild muscle.

3. You can start working light weight now and figure out a lifting routine that works for you.

4. You won't feel like death after the first day of heavy lifting if you ease into it.

[enkoujin]

I'd start weightlifting while trying to reach your goal bro. I'm not talking about heavy lifting, however, but it's a good idea to start incorporating weightlifting into your daily workout for a few reasons:

1. You can start using light free weights now to help build your stabilizer muscles. This will allow you to put more strength into a better excercise as you shift for a primarily weightlifting workout.

2. The weightlifting promotes protein synthesis, and assuming you are also sticking to a diet that limits(not negates) your carb intake and keeps your glucose from going out of control, your body will be forced to burn fat to rebuild muscle.

3. You can start working light weight now and figure out a lifting routine that works for you.

4. You won't feel like death after the first day of heavy lifting if you ease into it.

I'd really like to do that... I've looked around and I'm pretty sure that's the best way to go, but I'm just lacking a lot of time (especially when school starts), so I thought I'd concentrate on one goal first and work on the other after. Otherwise, I'll be in the gym longer than 1.5 hours...

[Animeniax]

I went for a DEXA scan today, and it clocked me in at 19.6% body fat.

My lean body mass is 52kgs.

Stupid scales... should have spent the hundred bucks on headphones instead.

As has been said, the home scales are best for establishing an approximate level and to gauge progress. The DEXA is far more accurate (valid?) but at the price it's not something you can check weekly. Besides the first reading you posted of 12.5%, what has the scale been reading the past couple of weeks?

The only problem is trying to weightlift on my own... has anyone had any problems or experiences with this? (I'm hoping I can dumbbell or use gym machines for the most part).

I workout on my own. Every workout partner I've ever had has dropped out, they just didn't have the motivation to keep the program going, even though they saw definite gains in the time we worked out together.

You can do everything using free weights, which has the benefit of working your other body parts for stabilization. It would be nice to have someone spot you and help talk you through those last few reps when you want to quit, but it's better to have the motivation within yourself.

[Buffalobiian]

I've calculated that I can lose like... another 7kgs in practice. Nice to see that going for you Enkou. I had to stop running because of a foot injury, and was asked to get better shoes. I spent 180 dollars on this pair (after getting some instructions from a podiatrist), but they irritated and rubbed against the outside of my foot. I returned them during the 30-day period for this next pair. I used them for two days but got right knee pain soon afterwards (misalignment when I put my weight down?)

So right now I'm using my old shoes to see if I can alleviate the problem (knee pain apparently comes quickly, but subsides slowly), then try the new shoes again to see if I could reproduce it. Meanwhile, the window for returning the shoes keep counting down...

I also found this video online that was pretty informative. I'm a little confused about his thoughts on burning fat though. He seems to suggest that low intensity workouts are better than HIIT for weight loss.. (from what he said, he doesn't think ketogenic diets work either)

I thought HIIT was better for like... everything. Anyway, here's the link if you're interested. 30min in length total.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cm...articleid=1145

[Buffalobiian]

It's still around there Ani, anywhere from 11.5 to even 14-15%. It's supposed to be a good way of tracking progress as you've said, but I have my doubts since it relies on hydration and puting you foot in the exact position each time. Choice mag supposedly thought mine was a pretty accurate model so I had expected it to be more precise than it is right now.

I also learned that the electricity only passes from one leg to the other since mine doesn't have handles (which are required to measure trunk resistance), so that one large part of fat that goes unmeasured (perhaps only projected from measuring my thighs and hip). Funnily enough, the closest result to the dexa scan was thigh/waist measurements (circumference, not calipers).

[Animeniax]

My feeling is that if you can't lift it on your own, you're probably lifting too heavy. Of course, gym workouts are most about isolation exercises, do that kind of defeats my argument. But still, in general I think you should lift whatever you can safely lift on your own.

It's still around there Ani, anywhere from 11.5 to even 14-15%. It's supposed to be a good way of tracking progress as you've said, but I have my doubts since it relies on hydration and puting you foot in the exact position each time. Choice mag supposedly thought mine was a pretty accurate model so I had expected it to be more precise than it is right now.

I also learned that the electricity only passes from one leg to the other since mine doesn't have handles (which are required to measure trunk resistance), so that one large part of fat that goes unmeasured (perhaps only projected from measuring my thighs and hip). Funnily enough, the closest result to the dexa scan was thigh/waist measurements (circumference, not calipers).

My DEXA measurement (27%) was a bit higher than the home scale (22-24%) too, probably also owing to the lack of upper body measurement on the home scale. DEXA scans cost $75 at uni here, $40 for students, free if you're registered for a phys ed class (which costs around $1k per semester).

[Raven]

Would like to try these for fun