I would like to join. I just bought a set of dumbbells today becasuse I've been meaning to get into doing weights for a while now. Only problem is I'm a total novice at weight lifting.

Can anyone give me a basic workout routine, eg. what to do and how many times to do it?

dont over do ur self or your going to kill ur self at sum point jst do it till u had a nuf and try old ing a hevy waight that u cann lift and behind ur sholder and pull it to the top and down and carry on like dat

At 11/11/07 05:25 PM, Sistine1408 wrote: alright, ng gym, gimme a hand here. im 5'11 and weigh 188. so yeah, im a fat guy. most of my weight is in my stomach and thighs. how can i go a bout getting rid of it? as in specific excersices or whatev.

You can't spot-burn fat. It's a gradual process, and generally (and unfortunately), the abdominal area is one of the last places from which fat is taken when the body is starved for energy after a workout.

that being said, what i did was i started from scratch, and ran my ass off every day. Of course, this was mainly for fat-burning purposes because I'm out of my mind (just about a year ago, during December & January, I ran six miles a day, every day, uphill), which I wouldn't recommend doing. I mean, you could, but you'll lose a LOT of muscle in addition to the fat. I went from 183 to 145 in a four-month period (December-March, iirc), and while I did lose a lot of the fat I had, I also became much, MUCH weaker (my max deadlift was not much more than my actual body weight, at 180). It's been eight months since then, and I've gained more strength (weight back up to ~160-165 range depending on time of day and amount of food in me), but it's an idiotic method to go through.

To sum up what you probably won't read, the best way to go about losing fat is to do some HIIT work (high-intensity interval training, google that up) 2-3 times per week, and moderate weightlifting sessions 2-3 times per week working all over the body (not just the "mirror muscles", mind you). As well, keep yourself to a restricted-calorie diet (the general concensus is 2500-3000 for males, 1500-2000 for women, so keep to somewhere in between 2000-2500) that is high in protein (optimally, you want 1.5g of protein per pound of body weight from lean protein sources such as whey protein, boneless, skinless chicken breast, buffalo, london broil, fish, etc.) and low in carbs (veggies don't count, since they're fibrous). If you're going to consume a moderate to large amount of fats, make sure they're healthy fats (high in monounsaturated & polyunsaturated fats, low in saturated fats, NO trans fats...omega-3s are good too).

In addition with that. Don't eat a shitload of fats. It'll mess with your circadian clock, meaning you'll be too pumped and you'll have insomnia and/or you'll eat more foods in the middle of the night because your body is telling you it is hungry, of course causing obesity.

At 11/11/07 05:14 PM, Trypper wrote: need sfighting tips....

Lolz. im 5'7" and weigh bout 100-110 (dont really know) and im nor a particulary fast runner of sorts, but if i need to punch somonel i do it like a frekin thinderbolt. i think its about getting used to it more then exercising. if you do it enough, you can stirke again and agains without tireing. well i trie cus im almost always tired but anways, take up karate of tae qwuan do to build speed and stuff. or just sit in your room tyring to move parts of your body as fast a possible to see how fast you are. then maybe exercise that part so its strong enough stike again and again and not get tired, but not so heavy that you cant actualy move it fast. If im bored and i cant go outside (bad weather, ect.....) then i may just jump aroudn the room doing flying kicks and punching the air then a roundhouse kick or two, really fast. this sorta helps me, but it might not do for you cus im only 13 and you might be...15+ or summin so yeah. basicly, to summerize this:
1: Test yourself to see how fats you can move, like try and punch the air for a min or two to see how fast you can go for how long without getting tired or out of breath.
2: Take up a marshle art, like karate or Tae-Quan-Doe to build speed and disipline.
3: exercise the slow parts of your body so they are stong enough to be fast, but not so heavy you can tmnove them well.
4: Do a bit of yoga no and again to build flexibility, so you cna do a backflip! or to a mroe realistic extent, beable to worm your way out of somone grip.
5: learn a bit of anatomy. heres a lil lesson you mgith wanna remember:
If you squeze the muscle to the right of left of you neck, really, really hard for only a second, its inflicts terrible pain thats HURTS LIKE HELL!!! really. I sorta discovered tghat and i do it to my friend when he gets in a violent mood (which for him, is a hissy fit lolz, kidding). But try to find natural weak spots inj the body.

Thats all i gto for now, but it should be ok. just build up speed train then go and BOOM! kick ass!

thatll suprise em

My question is how do I lose my mini gut and how do I actually get my self to actually stick to a routine that works and be motivated about it?

At 11/14/07 09:42 PM, Jokeen wrote: My question is how do I lose my mini gut and how do I actually get my self to actually stick to a routine that works and be motivated about it?

If looking the way you crave to look doesn't motivate you, then you have to force yourself to do so. Shame yourself, make yourself feel like shit and take it out on the barbell/treadmill/stairmaster/wtfever you use, and go with it.

Sometimes tough love is what it takes, sometimes not. Depends on the person, I guess.

I find that sit ups are easy, and im not exactly thin or anything, and i guess they could get rid of a lil belly in a couple weeks. You cna practicly do them in your bed if you want to, just lie on the sheets and do em.

Yeah and most people do make up thier own fighting styles. i dont do it much but my friend sorta had some violence issuses

Got them outta his system in only a year and a half. at my shcool im some sort of therapist/encyclopedia guy. its what happens when your both smart and understanding.

so we did mock fight agianst eachother in the sand pit at our shcool. he tends to go for kicking like a repetitive lightning bolt. i just piss him off by walking backwards so he cant reach me,

you try moving fast doing repetitive roundhouse kicks

or disableing him by hiting a nerve in his back or by hitting his stomahe then fliping him onto the ground judo style. fun stuff. i never actualy hurt him, but he tried all his best to do so to me, but always failed as im at least four times more skilled then him.

best friedns though. funny situations. next stop..you tube! lolz no...

it was good exercise, well for him. cant say walking backwards was any good for ME. yeah. cool stuff, you guys should tyr mock battles, for fun. its like a fun self teaching self defence lesson with your freinds.

Think I'm gonna do one last 6-week session of heavy lifting & high-fat, high-protein eating, and then in mid-January do a small cutting phase, probably 4-6 weeks, with moderate-fat and moderate-carb. I'd wager I'll be between 165-170 by then, and I aim to cut to 160ish, with a more defined muscle look than I have now.

If I'm at about 135-138lbs, what should I do (exercise, foods) to build up muscle? I want to try to be around 145-150 in April/May.

At 11/29/07 09:34 AM, alienwarrior2 wrote: If I'm at about 135-138lbs, what should I do (exercise, foods) to build up muscle? I want to try to be around 145-150 in April/May.

Protein. Get yourself some whey protein, and start eating high-protein, preferably lower-fat foods (boneless skinless chicken breast, london broil, buffalo, sirloin or top loin steak, eggs or egg whites, etc.). Get 2500-3000 calories per day, perhaps up to 3500, depending on the amount of exercise you get.

Do heavy lifting, using mostly compound exercises such as the clean & press, deadlift, squat, and the like.

What do some of you experienced guys think of the hanging leg raise? I tried a few of them and found them to be pretty strenuous, but I'm mainly interested in whether they truly work your abs. I believe they do since I can physically put my hand down and feel them as I hang with the other arm...but making sure.

At 11/29/07 09:03 PM, Buddhist wrote:

At 11/29/07 09:34 AM, alienwarrior2 wrote: If I'm at about 135-138lbs, what should I do (exercise, foods) to build up muscle? I want to try to be around 145-150 in April/May.

Protein. Get yourself some whey protein, and start eating high-protein, preferably lower-fat foods (boneless skinless chicken breast, london broil, buffalo, sirloin or top loin steak, eggs or egg whites, etc.). Get 2500-3000 calories per day, perhaps up to 3500, depending on the amount of exercise you get.

Do heavy lifting, using mostly compound exercises such as the clean & press, deadlift, squat, and the like.

Thanks. In addition, is there a way I can do this without also putting on a lot of fat? I would rather not have to go down that road.

At 11/30/07 03:03 PM, alienwarrior2 wrote: Thanks. In addition, is there a way I can do this without also putting on a lot of fat? I would rather not have to go down that road.

Avoid carb-heavy foods, and try to keep a good ratio between fats, carbs, and protein when eating meals.

Also, try and follow the taper method of eating. That is, eat a hearty breakfast, and as the day wears on, make your meals lighter and lighter.

As well, try to eat 5-6 small meals per day, rather than 2-3 large ones, it keeps your body in a fat-burning mode because it has extra energy to work with, and thus doesn't have to store fat as energy.

At 11/29/07 09:48 PM, PhoenixTails wrote: What do some of you experienced guys think of the hanging leg raise? I tried a few of them and found them to be pretty strenuous, but I'm mainly interested in whether they truly work your abs. I believe they do since I can physically put my hand down and feel them as I hang with the other arm...but making sure.

It does work, but not as well as people make it out to be. Try doing things such as 60-second V-Ups (http://www.frixo.com/sites/fitness/exer cises/vup.html), Farmer Burns' Stomach Flattener (Inhale deeply. Now try to push the air out of your lungs with your abdominal muscles, but keep your glottis closed so the air is held in. Hold for a few seconds.), the Vacuum (Exhale maximally. Suck in your abdomen and hold for six seconds or so, while holding your breath. Inhale, relax and get your breath back before repeating), etc.

Matt Furey outlined this in his 2000 book, Combat Abs. I can say for a fact that they do strengthen the core a whole lot, especially when you do them as well as things like barbell good-mornings, deadlifts, etc., exercises that work the abdominals as a secondary benefit. He calls them the Magnificent Seven, and you can check them out here. From my personal experience using them, they work best on an empty stomach, and they do wonders after a period of time having done them daily, save for the trunk rotators, which don't seem to do much.

Im not a big muscle man, but I'm fit soo ill join this club.
A little about me.
Weight: 119
Height: 5'10"
% body fat: around 3% I beleave (I am all muscle and bones XD)

I am a runner and average 40 miles a week on season and 10 off season. During the off season I have to slow down to recover (off season is around 7 weeks).
I run a low 6 mile in a 3 mile race, consecutivly.

My legs are well build, and my abbs are, but my chest and arms lack. What can I do to get then into better shape, keeping in mind too much muscle weight will not do. I need to stay light for running.

materials at hand:
2 of each:
3 pound wweights
7 pound weights
15 pound weights
25 pound weights

Thanks

Jesus, it is hard to start eating a lot again! I've come down from about 230lbs last September, and just noticed that I've been eating about 15-25% DV of fat a day. I can't seem to eat a lot, because even a little bit makes me full. Any suggestions to help increase caloric intake in a healthy way?

At 12/1/07 11:58 AM, alienwarrior2 wrote: Jesus, it is hard to start eating a lot again! I've come down from about 230lbs last September, and just noticed that I've been eating about 15-25% DV of fat a day. I can't seem to eat a lot, because even a little bit makes me full. Any suggestions to help increase caloric intake in a healthy way?

Slowly work your way up in terms of caloric intake. How many calories are you eating daily now? That'll give me more room to help you out.

I've been eating about 1500 a day, but now I am trying to add a few hundred.

At 12/2/07 07:08 AM, alienwarrior2 wrote: I've been eating about 1500 a day, but now I am trying to add a few hundred.

Yeah, I was at that for a while...just add a hundred to two hundred calories per week until you get back up around 2000-2500, and go from there.

if im attempting to lose weight, is it unhealthy to eat very few calories a day?

for the past several months, ive realistically been averaging barely 1000 a day--a light breakfast, no lunch at school(as in, i dont each lunch at school--im never hungry during lunch period) and light snacking until dinner, which is usually 500 calories, since i dont eat a lot even then. im now about 194 pounds.

At 12/2/07 04:58 PM, Sistine1408 wrote: if im attempting to lose weight, is it unhealthy to eat very few calories a day?

for the past several months, ive realistically been averaging barely 1000 a day--a light breakfast, no lunch at school(as in, i dont each lunch at school--im never hungry during lunch period) and light snacking until dinner, which is usually 500 calories, since i dont eat a lot even then. im now about 194 pounds.

That is very, VERY unhealthy. At the very, very minimum, you should be eating 1500 calories. That's the bare minimum, below that, your weight will decrease exponentially, but your muscle weight will start to be destroyed much quicker than your fat. When you eat that few calories, the body thinks that it's in starvation mode, and it stores as much of the fat you have as it can for energy, and eats whatever muscle you have to make up for the lack of energy you're supposed to be getting from food.

So basically, calories that low may actually harm more than help.

oh balls.

does that make it okay to actually binge on junkfood and such when im that under the limit?

At 12/2/07 11:29 PM, Sistine1408 wrote: oh balls.

does that make it okay to actually binge on junkfood and such when im that under the limit?

Of course not. Just because you're under the caloric limit doesn't mean that what you take into your body is going to be any more healthful. Carb-heavy foods are still bad (especially ones that spike insulin levels a lot, such as pretzels, chips, etc.), high-bad-fat foods (saturated and trans fats) are still bad, and that won't change no matter what you may think. :I

On the list of things to avoid if you want to lose weight & get buff:

- Ice cream (if you must, go with low-fat, non-fat, or sugar-free frozen yogurt, or fruit sorbet)
- Fried foods (this is a huge one to avoid, go with lean meats or fish, Public Enemy No. 1 = Fried foods)
- Doughnuts & pastries (it's best to avoid anything of this type altogether, but if you must give in, go with sugar-free whole grain muffins, bagels, or english muffins)
- Candy, chocolate & other sweets (fruit has more flavor and less sugar, but is still very sweet, go with those, especially bright-colored fruits)
- Soda (diet soda ftw)
- Fruit drinks & other sugar-sweetened beverages (go with water, tea, coffee & diet sodas/juices)
- Potato chips (again, try to avoid it with something such as celery or carrots or cucumbers with low-fat or fat-free dressing [i like ranch, personally], but if you must, go with baked tortilla chips)
- Bacon, sausage (lean meat ftw)
- white bread (100% whole wheat, 100% rye, or multi-grain bread)
- Hot dogs, fast food burgers (lean meat ftw)
- Cookies (come on now, cookies?!)
- Sugary breakfast cereals (go with Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, Wheaties, or something of that nature)
- Whole milk (2%, 1%, or skim are all better choices)
- Buttered popcorn (go for butter-free or air-popped popcorn and add salt or spices)
- Canned fruit in syrup (go for it fresh, or if you can't, get it without the syrup in it, it's all sugar)
- Prime rib (london broil, buffalo, chicken, turkey, sirloin or top loin steak are much better for you)
- Mayo (pretty much anything works better, including but not limited to low-fat or fat-free mayo, mustard and ranch dressing)
- Cold cuts (go with turkey or boneless, skinless chicken breast)
- whole-fat cream cheese (go for partial or fat-free)
- Most oils other than extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), occasional peanut oil

I think that about covers the spread.

If you'd please, you could give me a layout of what you eat on a daily basis, and I can help improve it.

okay, i avoid most of those anyways, except coldcuts...;_; i love those

for breakfast, 1 or two apples, or english muffins w/ nutella, or maybe a granola bar. not all of those, just one of the choices, and a huge glass of oj cuz im addicted 2 it

then, unless i decide to mooch off my friends, nothing until 2:30, then more apples (sometimes grapes) sometimes another of the granola bars, if ive been baking lately then whatever i may have made (ranging from banana muffins to fudge bars), but not too much of that. Breakfast cereal too, cuz i never have enough time to eat it in the morn and i love my Raisin Bran. sometimes more oj and apple juice too.

supper is never a real definite, tho; if my mother is in a cooking mood, then ill eat whatever she puts on the plate, and if not, then probably just more of the same.

At 12/3/07 06:22 PM, Sistine1408 wrote: okay, i avoid most of those anyways, except coldcuts...;_; i love those

I know what you mean. They're good, but they're generally filled with excessive amounts of sodium and a large portion of their fat content is saturated. I'm not saying you have to shun it completely, but don't be making it choice no. 1 for your protein.

for breakfast, 1 or two apples, or english muffins w/ nutella, or maybe a granola bar. not all of those, just one of the choices, and a huge glass of oj cuz im addicted 2 it

Apples are a good choice, because they're simple carbs and you should eat your simple carbs in the morning. The english muffins are okay, but I would make them more of a rarity than anything else. As well, I'd avoid the nutella for two main reasons:

1) It's got 11 grams of fat per serving. That's not a lot because it's a peanut butter substitute, but the general rule of thumb is to eat your fat-heavy foods later in the day (I usually eat them after school), because they'll be used as energy, whereas in the morning if you're to eat them, they're stored as fat.

2) Unlike natural peanut butter, Nutella is high in carbs for a peanut butter, and that's because it's mainly sugar. If you look at the list of ingredients, the first listed ingredient, and thus the primary ingredient in Nutella, is sugar. Of the 23 grams of carbs per serving in Nutella, 20 come from sugar. This is something to avoid, and I would suggest going with natural peanut butter, which is much better for you in many ways. One of the more popular brands is Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter (http://www.smuckers.com/fg/peanutbutter /default.asp).

I'd avoid granola bars because they're generally really high in sugar, to more suit the palate of the general populus.

If you can manage the time, try making some egg whites and using salt & other spices to flavor it. One egg white contains 6g protein and virtually no fat. Other than that, I'd suggest getting yourself some whey protein powder (they sell it at places like GNC, Trader Joe's, etc.), and mixing a serving of it in with some skim milk (that's preferable, but if you must, go and mix it with OJ).

then, unless i decide to mooch off my friends, nothing until 2:30, then more apples (sometimes grapes) sometimes another of the granola bars, if ive been baking lately then whatever i may have made (ranging from banana muffins to fudge bars), but not too much of that. Breakfast cereal too, cuz i never have enough time to eat it in the morn and i love my Raisin Bran. sometimes more oj and apple juice too.

Read above for my opinion on the granola bars; and of course, avoid the baked foods you make. As someone who loves to cook and bake, I know how hard it can be to do this, but if it means avoiding baking those sort of things altogether, than so be it. You have to gain a willpower for those things before you can go back to them, you dig?

If you're going to eat cereal, eat it in the morning. You should avoid simple carbs (Raisin Bran, apples, etc.) after the morning, because they're not necessary. The best choice would be to eat plain oatmeal (none of that prepackaged, flavored bullshit, plain Quaker Oats rolled oats or steel-cut oats, but feel free to add as much cinnamon and or whatever you want to flavor it), but again, if you must eat breakfast cereal, eat it in the mornings and eat something that's not overly sugary (Wheaties, Cheerios, puffed wheat, Shredded Wheat [plain shredded wheat or plain mini shredded wheat, NOT frosted]). If you look at the nutritional information for Raisin Bran, one serving clocks in with an obscene 45 grams of carbohydrates. The fact that there's that many carbs isn't so bad if you're eating it in the morning, but what makes it bad is that nearly half of the carbs per serving are from pure sugar (18.9g sugar out of 45g carbs per serving).

& for goodness's sakes, avoid the juices. It's all sugar. If you have to, go with Crystal Light, diet soda, or something of that nature, but preferably just water & tea.

supper is never a real definite, tho; if my mother is in a cooking mood, then ill eat whatever she puts on the plate, and if not, then probably just more of the same.

Well, obviously the issue here is your diet. You're eating a very high-sugar, high-carb diet, with almost no protein. The thing that facilitates fat loss is low-carb dieting, and the thing that retains whatever muscle you have while you're on a low-carb diet is protein. I'll go into it more later, I'm tired and have tests to study for.

*shoots self in face*

alright, i think i get it now. i didnt realize the time of day you eat different foods really mattered. in any case, is bottled iced tea alright?

This exercise feels like a pretty good workout when I do it, but it's difficult to do. Not because of my fitness, but I find it hard to jump back to a squat position from the push-up position without overbalancing and falling over. However, I thought that true "mountain climbers" were started in the push-up position, with one leg forward and one extended, and then you would like kick back and forth and switch legs rapidly. Isirite? Or am I just incorrectly remembering? Also, does one of these work better than the other?

At 12/3/07 05:11 PM, Buddhist wrote:

At 12/2/07 11:29 PM, Sistine1408 wrote:

Carb-heavy foods are still bad (especially ones that spike insulin levels a lot, such as pretzels, chips, etc.)

...I fucking love pretzels D:, oh well I only eat a serving size a day anyway.

I've got a question.

I want to increase the amount of stamina and strength I have, but not increase the size of my muscles. I'd also like to get my gut out.

I only have about an hour to an hour and a half, a day, to dedicate to this.

Does anyone have any tips?

Also, I can't change my diet, and the most I drink during the day is Iced Tea, and one or two mountain dews.

At 12/20/07 02:24 AM, Splintered wrote: I want to increase the amount of stamina and strength I have, but not increase the size of my muscles. I'd also like to get my gut out.

You are aware that the reason people get stronger is continued muscle fiber tears leading to larger, stronger, and more durable muscles, right?

The only way they're going to get like...HUUUUGE, is through lots of big healthy eating + heavy lifting, and potentially adding in stuff like creatine. Other than that, your muscles will grow, but not a huge, bodybuilder-stylee amount unless you're eating 3000-4000 calories per day.

Also, I can't change my diet, and the most I drink during the day is Iced Tea, and one or two mountain dews.

Hahahahaha. You can't, or you don't WANT to change your diet?

Can't = diabetic, high cholesterol, hbp, something along the lines of that that would prevent you from making SPECIFIC changes to your diet, but EVERYONE can change their diet in one way or another, so don't feed me bullshit, my man.

If you're willing to rephrase your request, I can help you; but your attitude points signs to the fact that you want a quick-fix, but that's not how weight loss & strength/stamina/muscle gains work.

Anyway, today marks the start of the final week of my month-long super-low-carb cutting phase, which has done exactly jack shit for me in terms of overall body look. Maybe a tiny, tiny change here and there in the stomach, but other than that it's all the same, despite cutting my carbs from ~100g or so per day to 6-20g per day. I think the issue here is I'm just not eating enough...generally I only get 1800-2300 calories per day, the majority of which comes from meat and protein (even at very low calories, which is generally unintentional, I still get the 1.5g per lb of body weight in).

From this point, I'm really at a crossroads once next Friday rolls around. I could roll with the extreme, super-tough Velocity Diet, which is basically substituting all whole meals with protein shakes for 28 days, except for one whole meal per week and a serving of peanut butter in a protein shake at the end of the day. It looks grueling, but if it can lower my bodyfat percentage, I may very well go for it, despite how much I hate drinking protein shakes, even Metabolic Drive, which sometimes tastes like vanilla ice cream and medicine.

On the flipside, I could try and work my caloric intake up to 2500-3000 per day with over 300g protein per day (generally, I take in anywhere from 250-300g per day, even with the 1800-2300 I take in daily), probably going with high-fat, low-carb (ketogenic, w/ no carbs after 8PM), and restarting the heavy lifting (for the past month I've been trying out the 10x3 theory of fat loss workouts, in which you do 3 reps of 75-80% of your 1RM for 10 sets, and do that for 3-4 exercises for 2-3 days a week followed by 10-14 minutes of HIIT running, and then 2 days a week you do 10-14 minutes of jump roping) that I had been doing previously.

My main goal here is to lose the remaining bit of stomach fat that seems to be unremovable, and lower my body fat percentage. I've tried two seperate super-low-carb, high-fat diets at different points in 2007, and neither has netted me much help in the way of lowering my overall BF% to 8-10% (I figure I'm somewhere in the 12-15% range) so I can see my abs (which I know are definitely there and they're a relatively nice set; when I flex my stomach I can feel the ripples between each abdominal muscle, and I'd really like to see them) and that really cool bicep vein that I yearn to have going on there (I mean, hell, skinny little bastards have it, why can't the guy with some muscle have it? :[ ). I don't really know which would facilitate that more, massive eating with heavy lifting (which could potentially lead to muscle gain and moderate but unlikely fat shedding) or a continued fat-loss diet (which would guarantee some degree of fat loss as well as moderate muscle loss, but my overall body look would improve greatly). I'm at 160-170ish now, depending on the time of day and how much food & water is in my body, but even at 145 back in March, I was unable to see my abs.

I figued someone that visits here that's ripped to all hell, such as my man Trypper, could give me some sound advice on this subject, and help guide me to a more defined, muscular look to my body. So how about it, any advice from ripped fellow lifters?