The "I sometimes break a sweat" thread

[darksabre]

I started off curling detergent bottles (the ones with the handles) filled with water early in 2013. Couldn't have weighed more than five pounds. It was so pathetic — I could do maybe five reps. Now I'm up to a real 30-pound weight. I do three sets — something like 12 reps, then 10 reps, then 8 reps with my right arm. My left arm is a little weaker. I feel like I've hit a wall. I no longer see any gains and wonder if I should drop back to 25 pounds. My biceps are about 13 inches, which is probably only average, but coming from the actual non-existence of said muscle at the beginning, I am happy.

 

At the end of last winter I was at an all time high of 210. I weighed 175 this morning despite having a very bad weekend of eating. I think my metabolism is all fired up now, but I have to be careful not to yo yo back in the other direction. That's my M.O. I'm actually concentrating now on eating very healthy and exercising a lot and letting the weight fall where it may. I think if you get stuck on a number, when you get there, you quit. And then you're in trouble. And I'd love to gain back weight in the form of muscle, of course.

 

The problem with weight lifting is that you will inevitably hit walls with certain muscle groups. Just keep working them. I would say up the weight a bit and do really short sets, 5 reps tops. So maybe at 35 or 40lbs you'll be doing 5-4-2. Work with heavier weight at lower reps and don't worry that you're not doing enough reps.

[Guest Sloth]

The problem with weight lifting is that you will inevitably hit walls with certain muscle groups. Just keep working them. I would say up the weight a bit and do really short sets, 5 reps tops. So maybe at 35 or 40lbs you'll be doing 5-4-2. Work with heavier weight at lower reps and don't worry that you're not doing enough reps.

 

That is very true. If you do the exact same workout day in and day out, you will hit a plateau. Best way to avoid this is to mix up your workouts. So yes, have days where you go high rep, low weight, but be sure to have days where you go w/ low rep, high weight. This can go for running as well. Have long, easy paced runs and short, hard paced runs. It really depends on what type of shape you are trying to get into.

[Stoner]

The problem with weight lifting is that you will inevitably hit walls with certain muscle groups. Just keep working them. I would say up the weight a bit and do really short sets, 5 reps tops. So maybe at 35 or 40lbs you'll be doing 5-4-2. Work with heavier weight at lower reps and don't worry that you're not doing enough reps.

 

I keep reading that if you can't do eight reps, it's too much weight. If you can do more than 12, it's not enough. I don't think I can do eight reps at 35, but I might give it a shot.

[Jsixspd]

We have one already? I looked but I guess my search skills failed me :cry:

 

You should check with Tank before starting new topics.

[BuffaloSoldier2010]

LGR, As someone who just started a relatively intensive workout program put together by a very good friend who weight trains regularly, i would advise you to just watch what you eat! A lot of muscle growth really comes down to what you put into your body. As you lift weights you're breaking down muscle fibers, when they heal they get bigger. That's the dumbed down science of it anyway.

 

Now, I'm not advising weight watchers here or anything, just making sure you are getting enough protein in your diet so that your muscles can repair themselves is essential. So if you're going for numbers (40lb curls is solid) then go for it! It's impossible to not see gains regardless of diet but if you really want to maximize gains, the most often recommended daily amount of protein i see is your body weight (in grams). so if you weight 175-180lbs, then anything around 175-180 grams would be about what you're looking at.

 

Love to see people get active, the feeling after a nice run, bike ride, or lift is the best!

[Jsixspd]

I can't imagine why it didn't show up in your search.

 

http://forums.sabres...e__hl__exercise

 

;)

 

I never read that topic - I thought maybe D4rk was nervous or worried about something?..... didn't grok that it was the workout topic. :)

[darksabre]

I keep reading that if you can't do eight reps, it's too much weight. If you can do more than 12, it's not enough. I don't think I can do eight reps at 35, but I might give it a shot.

 

It's going to be up to you to figure out what is best for your body to build muscle. You can do smaller rep sets. Just make sure your form is good. If the weight is just too hard don't push it. You can absolutely mix weights during your workout. Do your first set at 35 and then drop it back to 30 or 25 for the other two sets. Just gotta work that extra weight in there in any way that wont hurt you.

[Jsixspd]

I usually hit the gym three times a week, been doing so since February 2012. I do the circuit of Cybex machines - chest press, then the Cybex assisted chin up, lat pull down, lat row, leg extension, leg curl, leg press, fly machine, shoulder press, sit up/back extension, tricep, and bicep. I finish with 30 to 60 minutes on the Cybex bike (watched the start of a lot of Sabres games on it too, as they have TVs attached - LOL)

 

Unfortunately at age 55, my knees aren't what they were - used to run quite a bit in my 20s and 30s - quite a bit of knee pain now when I kneel or get down on the floor to work on something. Also, I have a sciatic issue that started in 97, when I fell off the back of a tractor trailer while helping unload it for a charity event. I had started running last year again after years of not running - ran a Corporate Challenge 3.5 mile race but slow - took me 35 minutes - I had wanted to run under 30 this year, but... effin' sciatic flared up last July, which made it impossible to run, and I missed a month at the gym last year. I figured it was the running that caused the sciatic issue to return, so I gave up on it. I am now just sticking to walking and cycling,

 

Moral is - even working out, you'll still get old. LOL

[Stoner]

LGR, As someone who just started a relatively intensive workout program put together by a very good friend who weight trains regularly, i would advise you to just watch what you eat! A lot of muscle growth really comes down to what you put into your body. As you lift weights you're breaking down muscle fibers, when they heal they get bigger. That's the dumbed down science of it anyway.

 

Now, I'm not advising weight watchers here or anything, just making sure you are getting enough protein in your diet so that your muscles can repair themselves is essential. So if you're going for numbers (40lb curls is solid) then go for it! It's impossible to not see gains regardless of diet but if you really want to maximize gains, the most often recommended daily amount of protein i see is your body weight (in grams). so if you weight 175-180lbs, then anything around 175-180 grams would be about what you're looking at.

 

Love to see people get active, the feeling after a nice run, bike ride, or lift is the best!

 

Yowza, that seems like a lot of protein! In your opinion, does protein source matter? I eat meat only a couple times a week, but I do track protein from time to time and find that I am getting enough (or thought I was before seeing your post). For example, for breakfast, I had a cup of OJ, a cup and a half of shredded wheat with a banana and some blueberries, and a half a cup of soy milk. About 15g of protein.

[26CornerBlitz]

I usually hit the gym three times a week, been doing so since February 2012. I do the circuit of Cybex machines - chest press, then the Cybex assisted chin up, lat pull down, lat row, leg extension, leg curl, leg press, fly machine, shoulder press, sit up/back extension, tricep, and bicep. I finish with 30 to 60 minutes on the Cybex bike (watched the start of a lot of Sabres games on it too, as they have TVs attached - LOL)

 

Unfortunately at age 55, my knees aren't what they were - used to run quite a bit in my 20s and 30s - quite a bit of knee pain now when I kneel or get down on the floor to work on something. Also, I have a sciatic issue that started in 97, when I fell off the back of a tractor trailer while helping unload it for a charity event. I had started running last year again after years of not running - ran a Corporate Challenge 3.5 mile race but slow - took me 35 minutes - I had wanted to run under 30 this year, but... effin' sciatic flared up last July, which made it impossible to run, and I missed a month at the gym last year. I figured it was the running that caused the sciatic issue to return, so I gave up on it. I am now just sticking to walking and cycling,

 

Moral is - even working out, you'll still get old. LOL

 

Getting old is a privilege.

[Cereal]

It's impossible to not see gains regardless of diet but if you really want to maximize gains,

If you lift weights and then don't get ANYTHING to replenish the muscles within a short time (you'll hear anything from 20min to 60min), it can actually be worse for you than if you didn't even work out at all. You're tearing those muscles apart bigtime, and they're desperate to re-absorb nutrients and heal. If they're not fed immediately, they cannot heal effectively.

[26CornerBlitz]

If you lift weights and then don't get ANYTHING to replenish the muscles within a short time (you'll hear anything from 20min to 60min), it can actually be worse for you than if you didn't even work out at all. You're tearing those muscles apart bigtime, and they're desperate to re-absorb nutrients and heal. If they're not fed immediately, they cannot heal effectively.

 

Great point. I do IsoPure immediately afterwards.

[dEnnis the Menace]

If you lift weights and then don't get ANYTHING to replenish the muscles within a short time (you'll hear anything from 20min to 60min), it can actually be worse for you than if you didn't even work out at all. You're tearing those muscles apart bigtime, and they're desperate to re-absorb nutrients and heal. If they're not fed immediately, they cannot heal effectively.

 

This is huge and I didn't realize it when I started working out a few years back.

 

Now I make a smoothie every morning with a scoop of protein powder because I know I don't get enough protein with my diet paired with my workout regimen.

 

I used to lift at the gym 3 nights a week, focusing on different muscle groups each night, and then do cardio on 2 other days, and have 1 rest day per week. Now, with my summer softball league here, I do mostly body weight exercises (i.e. pull-ups, pushups, dips, situps, lunges, etc) on nights I don't play. I get about 30 minutes in.

 

I ski in the winter for cardio (trust me, some of those black diamond runs are more cardio and leg workouts than I can get running a 5k).

 

I hover around 230 - 240 weight wise, and I am very happy with it. If I really wanted to drop more, I'd run more/do more sprints

[spndnchz]

In before the merge.

 

I should merge the "What are you eating/drinking" thread in here too. :flirt:

[josie]

I need to get running again. Was just grumbling at poor d4rk this morning about how my lack of doing much (farm work and hockey once a week, that's it) has me feeling like a shapeless blob. Working out religiously only ever made me bigger, and as I've stated elsewhere, I'm not sane about that/can't handle it. I turn into a little tank. So maybe running and biking will bring das booty back without my brain thinking I'm fat. I badly need to work on my cardio.

 

I put away about 1000 - 1200 calories a day, and try to keep those mostly healthy things. I live on lean meat and eggs and grapefruit. Maybe I should cut it down to 800. At my craziest, I put in <400 a day and worked out like an idiot. It's just tough to find the time to work out when you sit all day at work and then go home and work/sit more.

I need to become a morning person.

[Cereal]

People gain/lose fat in very different places, depending on a lot of things (hereditary, age, etc.). For instance, if I gain fat, it's in my thighs most immediately.

 

Note that weightlifting CAN be cardio, so long as you're working hard and not just putzing around in the gym (the gym ain't no social hour for me). Of course, running, biking, elliptical, swimming, etc. are going to be your more direct ways of getting cardio. (I'm a long-distance runner myself; I'll spare y'all that stuff for now.)

 

And finally, someone mentioned interval training. This can be very effective for those looking to lose fat. With running/biking, this could be one minute of very intense pace every few minutes. For example, at a track, sprint one of the straightaways (100m), and then jog slower or walk the remaining 300m of the lap.

 

On nutrition, "Eat a wide variety of lightly processed foods" is a good simple guide.

[Weave]

Had to quit the gym when I lost my job last year. Can't afford to re-up. Prior to that I was 3 days a week at the gym focucing on weights and 3 days a week the wife and I would go for 4+ mile walks.

 

I really need to get back to those walks anyway.

[inkman]

...will bring das booty back...

:lol:

[darksabre]

Had to quit the gym when I lost my job last year. Can't afford to re-up. Prior to that I was 3 days a week at the gym focucing on weights and 3 days a week the wife and I would go for 4+ mile walks.

 

I really need to get back to those walks anyway.

 

Walking is the best exercise anyone can get. Even if you can't find time for anything else, find time for walking.

[BMWR100RT]

I am 52 years old, 6'0 and about 185. It's great to see all this activity. It was really frustrating when I hit about 35 and couldn't get any of my college buddies to get off the couch to do anything more than golf, and even then they'd ride a cart. Now I'm dealing with one after another with heart disease and they have diabetes and no energy. After an odd conversation I was thinking "hey, maybe if you could see your package you wouldn't need a pill", but what do I know. On my golf league last night most of the young people rode a cart to play 9 holes and then they ask how I stay so thin. I went to Darien lake Saturday because my kids were in a chorus competition, and it was so sad to see how obese this area has become.

 

I work out 4-5 times a week and when I don't, I start feeling lethargic. That makes it easy to keep working out. Tis morning I ran 4 miles before my kids woke up and I feel great.

 

I plan on getting 300,000+ miles out of this vehicle!

Edited June 3, 2014 by BMWR100RT

[LGR4GM]

LGR, As someone who just started a relatively intensive workout program put together by a very good friend who weight trains regularly, i would advise you to just watch what you eat! A lot of muscle growth really comes down to what you put into your body. As you lift weights you're breaking down muscle fibers, when they heal they get bigger. That's the dumbed down science of it anyway.

 

Now, I'm not advising weight watchers here or anything, just making sure you are getting enough protein in your diet so that your muscles can repair themselves is essential. So if you're going for numbers (40lb curls is solid) then go for it! It's impossible to not see gains regardless of diet but if you really want to maximize gains, the most often recommended daily amount of protein i see is your body weight (in grams). so if you weight 175-180lbs, then anything around 175-180 grams would be about what you're looking at.

 

Love to see people get active, the feeling after a nice run, bike ride, or lift is the best!

Yea I have actually started to eat more and been focusing on protein high foods. Before I was eating lunch and dinner. Now I have been trying to get breakfast, eat lunch, afternoon snack, post workout snack, dinner. I am hungry all the time now but am trying to not eat crap such as really fatty food. I have been drinking more milk and eating more peanuts/peanut butter. I make sure all my meals have a protein so lots of chicken with steak here and again. The biggest thing has been making sure I don't over eat.

[LastPommerFan]

I typically consume anywhere between 2000-8000 calories a day and I run anywhere between 0-50 miles per week. The past 6-8 months I've had a pretty solid streak of 4000-5000 calorie days and zero running. My weight didn't move at all, and I just had my physical, LDL is half the recommended limit and HDL is double the recommended minimum.

 

It's possible that this is my super power.

 

Still, even with my health apparently fine regardless of my best attempts at sabotage, I feel like I have more energy and better focus when my mileage is up.

 

Maybe tonight I just sleep in my run shorts as a reminder to put a few miles in in the morning.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Glass Case Of Emotion

[darksabre]

I typically consume anywhere between 2000-8000 calories a day and I run anywhere between 0-50 miles per week. The past 6-8 months I've had a pretty solid streak of 4000-5000 calorie days and zero running. My weight didn't move at all, and I just had my physical, LDL is half the recommended limit and HDL is double the recommended minimum.

 

It's possible that this is my super power.

 

Still, even with my health apparently fine regardless of my best attempts at sabotage, I feel like I have more energy and better focus when my mileage is up.

 

Maybe tonight I just sleep in my run shorts as a reminder to put a few miles in in the morning.

 

Do you just eat garbage plates everyday? How do you even intake that many calories?

[LastPommerFan]

Do you just eat garbage plates everyday? How do you even intake that many calories?

 

It takes effort.

 

For instance, before I go to bed I have two bowls of cereal topped with brown sugar....and heavy cream.

[darksabre]

It takes effort.

 

For instance, before I go to bed I have two bowls of cereal topped with brown sugar....and heavy cream.

 

....why?