Running towards that goal.

[mol]

In this thread we will be discussing different techniques when it comes to physical fitness and health in general.

Lets start with a pep talk.

Let me start by saying that the first step is to get your butt on the treadmill (or street, etc) and walk. Walk, walk, walk. I cant express it enough. The biggest hindrance we have is our own laziness. Our own ability to make an excuse at every corner.

I am the worst.

I started working towards a goal of amatuer bodybuilding. I worked hard for more than a year and cut a LOT of my bodyfat off and worked on building muscle. I went from 215 pounds to my lowest at 151 pounds. Do you see a problem there? 151 pounds??? A bodybuilder. Even though i was in the best shape of my life and feeling great I decided that NOW I needed to gain weight. I needed to take a break from working out and eat.

*shakes head*

What a great excuse to be lazy. It was absolutely perfect. That is until I vowed to stop making excuses. I was up to 185 pounds and not looking that great anymore. I said to myself "Not again." And so I made my trek back into the gym. I cut all the saturated fat from my diet. I stopped drinking the dr. pepper. I stopped reaching for that last slice of pizza 30 minutes before bedtime.

Then came the next excuse. Time. I just didnt have time to get into the gym. Work, work, this place, family, school, etc...

There is just not enough time to get into the gym.

Another great excuse. But, this time I was ready for it. I asked myself "Too busy today to work out after work...fine...what am I doing at 6 am?" Im getting up and going to the gym, thats what I am doing. In fact, it is the best time to cut and burn fat. Right when you wake up. Dont eat yet. Just get up and go to the gym. Get a good 45 minute workout and run for about 20 to 30 minutes. it all works out great and the rest of the day...is easy.

Then came the next excuse. "Well, I am not busy after work today. So I will cut the morning workout and just work out this afternoon." Thats a real good one.

You have to be ready for it. Why cut the workout? Not busy? Then put some more effort into it. The morning workout we can dedicate to cardio and the afternoon can be for weight training.

Now that is putting some effort into things.

No more excuses.

[Myst]

Interesting.

My fiance, Matthew, goes to the gym for an hour five days a week. 3 weeks on, 1 week off. Legs, chest, arms, focusing on one of those each week. He also is a brown belt in karate (has been there about 2-3 years I think), has classes of his own 3x a week, and teaches classes 2x a week. Now he's jogging before work every morning. He makes a mixture of whey with club soda and crystal light for after his workout to help mend muscles.

Currently I think he's about 270lbs, at 5'10" or so tall. Motivation is not his issue; he swears that his gym and karate schedules help him handle stress and relax. He's also in the IT field but is a network admin/pc tech.

[mol]

Originally posted by Willow Raven


Currently I think he's about 270lbs, at 5'10" or so tall. Motivation is not his issue; he swears that his gym and karate schedules help him handle stress and relax. He's also in the IT field but is a network admin/pc tech.

A great point. Motivation is very personal. Using the gym as a stress reliever is GREAT! I know quite a few folks who do the same. I dont get that out of it. In fact, sometimes I get stressed when I think of the kind of punishment I am going to put myself through on any given day. I can usually psyche myself right into it though...

What kind of whey is he currently using ?

[Illuminatus]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mol
Lets start with a pep talk.

Yes it is very much a war with yourself, isn't it!!

I started working towards a goal of amatuer bodybuilding. I worked hard for more than a year and cut a LOT of my bodyfat off and worked on building muscle. I went from 215 pounds to my lowest at 151 pounds. Do you see a problem there? 151 pounds??? A bodybuilder. Even though i was in the best shape of my life and feeling great I decided that NOW I needed to gain weight. I needed to take a break from working out and eat.

*shakes head*

Now my trainer is very bent on converting my rolls of fat to muscle. He says it's easier and more efficient than just losing the weight. So while we've been successful in building some muscle, the fat doesn't seem to be receding much. Me, I don't know.

What a great excuse to be lazy. It was absolutely perfect. That is until I vowed to stop making excuses. I was up to 185 pounds and not looking that great anymore. I said to myself "Not again." And so I made my trek back into the gym. I cut all the saturated fat from my diet. I stopped drinking the dr. pepper. I stopped reaching for that last slice of pizza 30 minutes before bedtime.

Yes, diet control is the hardest for me. I hate to say it, but fat burning suppliments are a real help... on a good day, they outright negate the desire for food. Sometimes even to the point of nausea. So I don't eat before bed any more (a big no no) ... however, I usually do have a beer, I really can't say no to beer!

Then came the next excuse. Time. I just didnt have time to get into the gym. Work, work, this place, family, school, etc...

There is just not enough time to get into the gym.

Another great excuse. But, this time I was ready for it. I asked myself "Too busy today to work out after work...fine...what am I doing at 6 am?" Im getting up and going to the gym, thats what I am doing. In fact, it is the best time to cut and burn fat. Right when you wake up. Dont eat yet. Just get up and go to the gym. Get a good 45 minute workout and run for about 20 to 30 minutes. it all works out great and the rest of the day...is easy.

I tried that once, working out before breakfast. I nearly passed out, I was so fatigued! Perhaps you prefer to climb where the cliff is steepest, but I cannot.

Then came the next excuse. "Well, I am not busy after work today. So I will cut the morning workout and just work out this afternoon." Thats a real good one.

You have to be ready for it. Why cut the workout? Not busy? Then put some more effort into it. The morning workout we can dedicate to cardio and the afternoon can be for weight training.

Now this I don't understand... going to the gym twice a day, that's just plain not efficient. I have, on occation, done an hour of cardio and half an hour of lifting, but I do it all in the same session. I've heard that's the better way to do it, doing cardio after lifting, because your energy reserves are already spent when you climb onto that bike or treadmill or whatever.

Anyway, this all may change when my company moves to its new building. We're going to have a dedicated gym room (we did before, but it it was turned into more office space, and the showers became storage.. ich).

The only real redeeming value of going to the gym, IMHO, is all the cute chicks.

[mol]

Originally posted by Illuminatus

Now this I don't understand... going to the gym twice a day, that's just plain not efficient. I have, on occation, done an hour of cardio and half an hour of lifting, but I do it all in the same session. I've heard that's the better way to do it, doing cardio after lifting, because your energy reserves are already spent when you climb onto that bike or treadmill or whatever.


Actually...the two-a-days are only going to really help if you are splitting the activities based on energy and fat storage levels.

For instance, the reason for doing to cardio in the mornings is to TRIM fat...it is the absolute best time to do it because your body is almost completely at a loss of carbs so you start going to fat storage asap.

At the end of the day, you have had a meal, you have the stress of the day to drive you..this is the best time for lifting. Use that momentum to boost the performance of the workout.

In your case of converting fat...then you will want to lay off of a lot of cardio, because it will get burnt off. I have always tried to build lean mass on top of mass. Meaning, I cut...then lay off (not lay off working out...but tone down a bit...increase the food intake as well), then I do power (for building lean mass), after I have squeezed as much as possible out of that round, I cut again.

[Myst]

Not to mention that raising up your levels twice a day and doing any working out for a period of time is better then raising them up once a day for a longer workout. The longer workout will leave your body all pumped up for the work so it'll be easier. Meanwhile if you have to get your body going twice a day for a shorter period of time it's a bit harder both times. Hope that made sense. Even a jog in the morning and then lifting later would be helpful.

In Matthew's case, he does mostly muscle building exercises. The only non-weight lifting stuff he does most of the time now is riding a stationary bike, doing crunches, and then the cardio workout of teaching and taking karate classes several times a week. In the beginning tho the cardio is as important as the muscle building - not only for your heart and lungs, but also because of the fact that it doesn't matter how many muscles you have if they're too covered in fat to be noticed.

[mol]

Originally posted by Willow Raven
Not to mention that raising up your levels twice a day and doing any working out for a period of time is better then raising them up once a day for a longer workout. The longer workout will leave your body all pumped up for the work so it'll be easier. Meanwhile if you have to get your body going twice a day for a shorter period of time it's a bit harder both times. Hope that made sense. Even a jog in the morning and then lifting later would be helpful.

In Matthew's case, he does mostly muscle building exercises. The only non-weight lifting stuff he does most of the time now is riding a stationary bike, doing crunches, and then the cardio workout of teaching and taking karate classes several times a week. In the beginning tho the cardio is as important as the muscle building - not only for your heart and lungs, but also because of the fact that it doesn't matter how many muscles you have if they're too covered in fat to be noticed.

Excellent point Willow Raven. Of course, your hubby, being the massive...needs to focus less on cardio and more on building and MAINTAINING. When guys get as massive as he is...then it really starts to become VERY HARD WORK.

[Myst]

Originally posted by mol


A great point. Motivation is very personal. Using the gym as a stress reliever is GREAT! I know quite a few folks who do the same. I dont get that out of it. In fact, sometimes I get stressed when I think of the kind of punishment I am going to put myself through on any given day. I can usually psyche myself right into it though...

What kind of whey is he currently using ?

Well he mentions he's been at this for a few years. In the beginning it wasn't stress relief for him either, it was difficult and painful! Nowadays even if he feels sick he goes in, it does make him feel better. It also helps him get rid of the "aggressive tendencies" that come from dealing with users all day. :)