Fitness and Exercise

[KrayZ33]

don't you see that if energy is used that there is nothing to save? (nothing to make fat out of?)

or even if fat is saved, it will be metabolized during the next day then, I don't understand what you mean.

.. it all comes down to the point-> if you burn more calories than you eat, your body will use your fat reserves (after your carb-reserves which don't last long)

That's weird cause my body feels refreshed after sleep, but sleepy when I watch TV.

but it's true
I'm pretty sure if you google a bit you'll find a report or something.

and when you are at it google some reports about "eating in the evening" (or something like that) and you'll find studies which prove that it doesn't matter when you eat, but how much you eat.

edit: http://www.chetday.com/eatinglate.htm for example

[animus]

How are you gonna use the energy if you sleep shortly after eating? Unless you decide to go jogging then head to bed.

[KrayZ33]

As if I know every single thing about what the human body does at what time...

but "Furthermore, night is the time when growth hormone (GH) reaches a peak level. (Peak secretion during non-REM, SWS deep sleep). GH is known to be a potent muscle and bone builder and a fat burner. Late meals, if applied correctly could be most anabolic. " is a nice quote for now.

and during night happens something what people call the "afterburner effect" (at least in germany... I don't know if it's the word in english)
basically that's just what i've said -> building up muscles, regeneration and other metabolic effects

that's probalby the reason why you feel "refreshed" (as Animaniax said) when you wake up... because you regenerate. And you can't regenerate if you don't use ur energy you saved from eating/digesting stuff

btw I just realised that we are extremely off-topic, but it shouldn't really matter...(well, I hope so... it's fun to discuss this)

[Dansetsu]

Or you could be like this kid:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=4yk-ESYl7Bc&NR=1

lmao. That is classic Assert N. I wasn't expecting him to fall.

I think most of you guys are right. When it all comes down to it, just get up off the couch, do some cardio, and eat a balanced meal and fill the gaps with snacks that actually grow on a plant or tree instead of littering store shelves.

[XanBcoo]

Bumpity Bump.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through my fitness goals and I'm feeling pretty powerful. On Friday I deadlifted 300 lbs for the first time. My bench press and squat numbers aren't as high as I'd like, but I'm still working on them. Both are at 195 pounds for 5 reps.

Here's a good picture of myself that I found from the beginning of 2008, which is just before I started getting serious about exercising. I was 145 pounds and about 14% body fat:


Here's what I looked like on Friday, sans shirt. I weigh 187 pounds and I'd guess my body fat percentage is around 20%:
I suck at positioning cameras

Within the past year I've paid a lot of attention to my diet and made some major changes. This time last year I was about the same weight, but eating like crap (lots of mass gainers, bread, and pasta). I intentionally lost a lot of weight, but have since regained it. This time, however, I put a lot more importance on eating more vegetables and less starchy carbs. It has helped, because while I weigh more, I still feel relatively lean.

On most days I eat a big serving of vegetables for 3 of my meals. I'd like to be able to get that up to 4. I'd also like to find a way to eat more whole food sources of protein, because while whey is good, I'm getting tired of it.

My remaining goals are:
1. Bulk up to a weight of 200+ pounds (exact number to be determined later)
2. Diet down off that to a lean 200 or 190 lbs, with a body fat percentage of at least 12%.
3. Implement swimming as a cardiovascular exercise during that process.

I set my body fat percentage at a realistic level, because with my genes I think that's as low as I'm gonna get without taking thousands of dollars of supplements. However, if I can get that low, I'm gonna try and make it to single digits. < 10% would be awesome.

[Animeniax]

Damn, very impressive Xan. The 40+ lb difference is huge. Keep up the great work! Do you find the added size/muscle interferes with other activities, like playing guitar?

I've been working at getting rid of my gut, but it's been hit and miss with my school/work schedule and poor eating habits. The rest of my fitness goals and body shaping are going great.

[XanBcoo]

Aside from not feeling like a strong breeze could knock me over, I feel no different. I'm not all jacked to the point of immobility, I'm just flexing in that picture.

What are you doing to get rid of your gut? That's usually the last thing to go on males, and you'll only get rid of it as you approach single digit body fat, which is determined by your diet. I know you know the basics, so just try to make better eating decisions. Only have sugar and starches after you work out or first thing in the morning and make sure you're eating enough protein. Like I mentioned, the bulk of your diet should be vegetables. Eating late at night before bed is totally fine as long as it's good fats, protein, and veggies.

"Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym."

[Animeniax]

I guess since it was a gradual increase from 145 to 187, you wouldn't notice the difference in day-to-day activities. Way to stick with it, 200 isn't far off.

I'm trying to eat right, but I like pasta and grains too much, and lately I've been liking chocolates. I've also been bad recently about eating to the point of over-satiation. I'm testing a theory that I sleep better with a full stomach, but if it's true then it's a trade-off between a good night's sleep (which I need for my full school and work schedules) and easily losing this gut.

Really the gut is only noticeable after I eat a big meal, but I'd love to have a flat stomach.

[XanBcoo]

I'm testing a theory that I sleep better with a full stomach, but if it's true then it's a trade-off between a good night's sleep (which I need for my full school and work schedules) and easily losing this gut.

Well, all that other stuff you should definitely cut out, but there's nothing wrong with eating before bed. Just make sure it's stuff that your body can break down slowly as you sleep. Things like natural peanut butter, fruit, cottage cheese.

My bedtime meal is a shake made of a banana, 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese and yogurt, 1 scoop of vanilla whey, coconut milk, and blueberry tea. It's really filling and all the casein protein makes it good for bedtime.

I also snack on this peanut butter late at night: http://www.naturallymore.com/nutrition.html

[Assertn]

Yeah, I need to work more on my back and shoulders, but all around I'm making great progress. I decided to ramp up my routine, so now I go to the gym three times a week for an hour each, and receive kettlebell training an additional two times a week for an hour to an hour and a half each.

I've been eating out a lot less for lunch and a lot more turkey sandwiches, which should help as well, but other than that I still generally don't watch my diet much. Then again my brother is pretty ripped and he eats at chipotle ALL THE TIME, soooo.....

[Sapphire]

DEAR GOD XAN. AMAZING!

I suddenly became interested in running and getting in better shape this winter break. I made a plan to run half an hour every day for 60 days. On the first two days my legs felt like steel. The third and fourth days they felt like they were melting. But after that I could feel myself getting stronger and stronger and my stamina boosts were AMAZING and very noticeable. I anticipated an increase in concentration abilities and metabolism as well.

And then school started/I got sick. It doesn't help that I always feel really tired after coming back from class. My eating habits swing from horrible to excellent. So I completely lost my groove and I haven't been to the gym for like three weeks. And now I'm fairly certain that my hard work has gone down the toilet and means nothing now so I've been having initiation anxiety!

I've decided that the best time I can start up again is today though. Before I was doing 5 mins of running/REALLY pushing myself running alternately, with a minute or so walking rest in between.Like a variation of HIIT. When I got used to the speed I would just increase everything by .5. I want to continue that method.

I feel like running rather than biking/swimming/eliptical because I feel like running is the most efficient use of my time. My brother says I should lift light weights to build lean muscle and up my metabolism. I want to become very lean and not bulky. Any eating/exercise tips?

[XanBcoo]

My brother says I should lift light weights to build lean muscle and up my metabolism. I want to become very lean and not bulky. Any eating/exercise tips

Yeah, you won't become bulky. Ever. Like it's literally impossible unless you take steroids, or eat like 2000 extra calories a day while on a bodybuilding workout routine. Anyway, you should definitely lift weights if you wanna look better. Here's an amazing site for women:

http://www.stumptuous.com/

I've seen girls swear by it time and time again. I've also given it to all my female friends who've asked me for good resources and they all love it. It's got some good articles, explanations of exercises, and a list of several good routines (up under "training" and "workout ideas"). Most of the advice on that site is appropriate for men as well, it's just dressed up in a "tre chic" feminine package. It's actually got a good article debunking the "I don't want to get bulky" fear.

That's cool that you do HIIT. For anyone else who doesn't know what HIIT is:

http://www.hiitsource.com/
http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybui...tness_tip.html

Basically it's the most effective way to do cardio workouts. The idea is that instead of running at a steady pace for long periods of time, you run at short intervals (like a minute each) of intense speed and slower speed for a total of about 20 minutes. It sounds gimmicky, but it's been proven to be the best method to burn fat. If you complain that you don't have time to go running for several hours a day, this is for you because it takes 10-20 minutes tops and is actually a much better workout.

I've been eating out a lot less for lunch and a lot more turkey sandwiches, which should help as well, but other than that I still generally don't watch my diet much. Then again my brother is pretty ripped and he eats at chipotle ALL THE TIME, soooo.....

Yeah, some people get pretty lucky . If you are anything like me, though, you'd have to stick to a diet pretty rigidly if you wanna see any noticeable results. What are your goals?

Here's a link for everyone. I've posted this before, but it bears reposting. Dr. John Berardi's 7 rules for a healthy diet. If you're not even close to following this, all your exercising effort is wasted:

http://www.tomvenuto.com/articles/ru...utrition.shtml

1. Eat every 3 hours
2. Eat lean protein at every meal
3. Eat vegetables at every meal
4. Only eat starchy carbs within 1 hour of working out (or in the morning)
5. Eat only "good" fats
6. Drink only 0 calorie drinks
7. Eat mostly whole foods

[Assertn]

You can weight lift without getting bulky. Just focus on more reps with lighter weights.

@Xan: I feel pretty good about my routine. I think as long as I commit to it, I should be fine. When I go to the gym, I work out with my friend who has a lot of weight lifting experience (his dad is a fire chief, and he used to be able to bench 300). I'm generally sore the next day, so I feel pretty accomplished. I also cut out a lot of really greasy stuff and I mostly drink water and tea.

[XanBcoo]

You can weight lift without getting bulky. Just focus on more reps with lighter weights.

This is sort of true but not really. The caveat is if you're doing any more than about 15 reps per set, you're wasting your time.

Any person, regardless of their sex, is ideally going to want to do between 5 and 10 reps per set of heavy weight. In the end, the determining factor in getting bigger isn't what sort of workout you are doing, it's your diet. 100%. If a woman isn't eating (and injecting) like a bodybuilder, she won't become one.

Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=don7aNiNALA

[Animeniax]

I've been going to the gym twice a week for the past semester and a half, and now I'm going 3 times a week. I'm up to 158 lbs on an empty stomach, which is 8 lbs heavier than the last time I weighed myself more than 3 months ago. I'm almost halfway to my goal of 170 lbs before I join the police academy.

[XanBcoo]

That's good news broseph. What does your workout routine look like?

[Animeniax]

Every T+Th I run for 1.5 miles (time constraints) then go to Hapkido class (good cardio and stretching) then lift weights for 30 minutes. Now that I have to work on campus on Saturdays (my dept just started Sat hours) I go to the gym after work and run 2 miles then lift weights for 45 minutes.

I need to start lifting heavier and my diet is still victim to my somewhat busy work/school lifestyle.

The thing is I won't be joining the academy for another 2 years, so I have plenty of time (maybe too much time unless working out/living healthy becomes a lifestyle rather than a chore) to reach my goals and possibly change them and go even further (me at 5'8" 185 would be ridiculous though).

[Penner]

Nice to see other people who like working out ^^

When i was in middle and highschool the teachers and whatever all kept telling me to eat more cause i was too skinny, and the fact that i've always been somewhat tall just made me look even skinnier -.-

I've been lifting weights kinda on-off for a couple of years.. like, i get a gym card and train for 3-4 months or so, then for some reason i tend to stop, then start again after a few months, making the previous training almost moot, i have however managed to keep a little of my muscle gains from each time ive trained so over the years its gradually increased.

Now i've gotten a good "groove" going and i train 2-4 times a week, depending on various things.

I've never used a "fixed" work-out schedule, i've always just trained as i like :P

I'm 26 years old, 6'1 (187cm) tall and currently weigh in at around 192 lbs (~87kg)

[XanBcoo]

I've never used a "fixed" work-out schedule, i've always just trained as i like :P

How does that work for you? I was never so lucky.

I spent about 2 years lifting haphazardly, going 5 days a week and doing whatever I felt like in the gym, all while eating "a little better" and it didn't do me any good. I maybe put on 7 pounds and never got any stronger. It wasn't until I started following Berardi's 7 rules and putting myself on a set lifting program that I started getting strong as fuck/bursting out of my clothes/etc.

Personal update from my last post: I'm at 188-189 pounds and I've only been able to increase my deadlift to 305. I had to stay at 195 for bench and go back down to 190 for squats to work on my form. I can't wait until I break 200 for both of those.

Slow and steady, though.

[Raven]

It's been a fair few years since I posted in this thread (page 2, if anyone cares), and lots has happened in my life since then. I'm now around the 83kg mark (182 lbs) and I've joined a new gym after having moved house.

Over the time since that post I made I've started working full time which really cuts down on the amount of exercise I can do, as opposed to then when I had all the time I wanted. Looking back, I can see I've focused a little too heavily on weights and lifting as much as I can for as many reps possible, and I've neglected cardio a little too much. My arms, shoulders, chest and legs are a bit tanked, and probably a little too big for my liking when I look at myself today, and I think I need to shed some overall body fat.

Never really been one to get into the whole science of it though. Never measured percentages or anything like that. Since moving house and joining this new gym I've been doing boxing and step classes as part of a plan to focus more on cardio to slim down a bit and get rid of the slight man-boobs I've got going. You wouldn't look at me and call me fat, but I'm 6"3 and solidly built with about 3 years of consistent weights behind me so I'd like to be more slim and streamline. The plan is to shed those kilos as much as possible.

Gotta cut back on all the pastas, breads and rice, it's not doing me any favors at the moment. I need to build up my stamina so I'll try to run more as well. Snacking on vegetables during the day is better than just eating whatever's available at the time.

I think my problem is that I don't plan it enough. Like Xan mentioned above, it's all very haphazard, but lots of it (I can be pretty extreme when I set my mind to something) and whatever I feel like at the time. It also falls under the "eat a little better" umbrella at the moment.