Back to the gym

“WHOOOHOOOO I ROCK!!!!
Sorry...I had to get this of my chest real quick.”

“Nice workout Gem?”

“Whew....I am starting to be able to breath again so On sunday I am starting my working out again. Breathing is a good thing!”

“welcome back currahee”

“I think I am actually looking better. I appear to be losing tumy as I gain arms, legs and chest. TO hell with the scale. I am just going to work to be fit and as strong as I can be given the arthritis and enjoy that.

I did two sessions this week with "Mini-moose", my personal trainer. He works me hard, but within reason given the arthritis and has gotten me to a place I never thought I would be. I actually now enjoy working out.

One drawback: the fitter I get and the more cardio I can do, the more I sweat. After a half hour of cardio on the ellyptical runner I am usually drenched even though I don't feel like I have been working that hard. Good thing my sweat does not smell at all!!! Yeah right!!!!LOL”

“AJ, when doing all the weight training you are doing, the scale is going to read wacky. Glad you are choosing to ignore it.”

“I used to be obsessed with the scale but I cant get on it anymore. The only thing that really matters is how I feel and how my clothes fit.”

“Exactly!”

“my clothes are gettin' tighter. yikes. traveling in your car for long trips and eating fast food is not a good health plan.”

“Ok opposite problem, I need to gain weight. I have a high metabolism and now that i'm running and toning up, I get very skinny. i want to put on some mass in a good way any suggestions on diet etc.”

“When my dad was in the airforce in WWII thay wanted to wash himout because he was so skinny. They even nicknamed him "the assless wonder". that's how thin he was.

The Doc gave him an order in writing to eat as much as he could at each meal (nothing to drink) and then when he was done, he was to drink one quart of milk. (Today, I would recommend slim milk.) After three days, he was gaining a pound a day. He made his weight goal and they let him stay in.

That's the only info I have on anyone wanting to gain weight. Of course they had all the troops on daily PT between gunnery classes and flying duty. So keep up your exercise. You may not need a whole quart three times a day, but try something like this and you should gain plenty”

“IJ, lift hard and eat big!!! you've got a fun job ahead of you. unfortunately i'd say you have to keep the cardio to a minimum if you're wanting to gain weight.
you'll want to eat 6-8 times a day. get a portion of complex carbs and protein with a little bit of fat in each meal. towards the end of the day lighten up a little on the carbs and make up for it with "good fat."

food sources:
protein- chicken, lean ground beef(92-96% lean), lean steak(top round, sirloin, london broil, filet mignon), eggs, ham, turkey, whey protein powder, tuna fish, salmon, cod, low fat cottage cheese

complex carb- oats, barley, brown rice, sweet potatos, yams, whole wheat tortillas, pita bread, or pitas, whole wheat pasta

fats- flax seed oil, fish oil, natural peanut butter, safflower oil, olive oil

you can't go wrong with any green leafy vegetable either.

keep that cardio down to once or twice(at the most) a week to keep fat gain to a minimum.
take how much you eat now and add about 250 cals a day to it. if you don't gain add another 250. after you hit a plateau add another 250. it will feel funny eating so much at first but you'll get used to it. adding the cals slowly will keep fat gain down. eating clean(low sugar, low bad(saturated) fat) will keep you in a constant anabolic state by keeping your insulin sensitivity very high. this means everything will go to your muscles.
go to www.abcbodybuilding.com and check out the nutrition and workout tabs at the top. awesome stuff. you'll have no need for a trainer if you use this site.
last edited: 5/26/05 3:32:54 PM”

“Eat big!!”

“I've been working out for three weeks now. I can't remember the last time I was in shape, if I ever was. I've been lifting weights M,W,F and "moving for fitness" on T, TH. On the T, Th workout, I do two miles of walking/running. I hope to be running the whole two miles eventually. And I do 10 sets of stairs in the ice arena. Here's my question. Last night after mowing the lawn, I was up until 1:30am studying. After only 4 1/2 hours of sleep, I decided that I would walk the entire two miles today in my Moving for Fitness class. Normally, I run some of the two miles AND do stairs. I was totally surprised to find that I had shin splints the first 20 minutes of WALKING AND I stopped twice to stretch! Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?”

“Are you sure its a shin splint and not leg cramps? I had shin splints a couple of years ago and man they hurt and I had to go easy for a couple weeks untill they healed...I felt a loud "SNAP" everytime I reinjured them.”

“Shin pain can also be some muscle or tendon (I forget which) in the shin that gets sore. Far less serious than shin splints. I sit in a chair after running and do toe lifts briskly for a minute or so and it seems to loosen up whatever it is and I don't get pain. If it's shin splints you'll need to do icing and take Advil for inflammation. As with anything, stop doing it if it causes pain. See a doctor, etc.”

“A friend of mine is going to check out LA Fitness (seriously not me).

Is that primarily a woman's gym? It seems to be marketed toward women. It's hard to tell from their site, although all the pics have women.

Anybody been there?”

“walking can be strenuous on the shins. a lot of shin muscle is used to hold you back, especially if you're used to running. My guess is you just have muscle cramps and can work through them. I think you'd be best off with a muscle creme (aspercreme, etc) before the walk. Eventually, it should stop. I used to get the same thing when I first started walking before I got into hiking. I got it mostly on gentle hills.

I used to get shin splints (which I sort of doubt you have) and easily fixed that by stretching after the run. Pull the foot up to your glutes and also press against the wall with your hands as you keep your foot flat and leg straight to stretch the shin. Haven't had shin splints since doing that.
last edited: 5/27/05 1:31:42 PM”

“every single freaking day.... 45 to 50 minutes cardio, then free weights, a couple machines... I can't stand it anymore!!!!

I am not gonna do this until I die, I can tell you that much.

After I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish you'll be seeing me at the gym every other day. This every day thing...naaa....not gonna work for me.”

“Ok, sounds like I had muscle cramps. They worked themselves out after twenty minutes but my shins still felt tight today when I walked across campus. I'll try the aspercream or equivalent next time. I took today off to see my daughter's class play. A friend told me that what I'm experiencing is normal 3-5 weeks into a new workout routine. I also increased the amount of time running the Tuesday before. My body didn't like it too much but I need to push myself a little. And then I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. I think I over did it for my weak and out of shape body. It will get better... after I buy some aspercream. ;o)”

“Glad it wasn't something worse sunshine.”

“Sunshine, i'm just getting back into running and i have the same problem. Lots of stretching and remember to take a day off. Maybe two in a row once a week.”

“are your legs bothering you because of your shoes? old running shoes or shoes that don't fit just right can play he!! with your legs.”

“that's true, I wore my running shoes out and has some weird shin problem. It went away after I bought new shoes.”

“I agree! Everytime my shins/ankles/knees start to hurt while running, I get new shoes and the problem goes away.

That reminds me.....I need to get some now!”

“Back to the gym tonight with the Mini Moose (my personal trainer)”

“Thought I'd miss today because of a meeting. It was cancelled!! Now I gets to go sweat!”

“2 hours in the gym and 4 egg whites later...
i did good today...surprised me sort of. I thought I would slack...but not really.

My cardio is increasing a lot lately. Weights...same...pretty drastic in the last week.

I could almost consider myself buff. I said "ALMOST".

Tim, the trainer got a new workout ready for me. I am scared. He will kill me!! LOL”

“PICS! ... PICS!”

“Egg whites rule. 3 in the morning with a tsp of Spicey Bean Dip, pinch of low fat shredded cheese and a fat free tortilla shell = Brkfst Burrito that rocks.
I eat them most every day.”

“I repeat... I said "ALMOST"
still way to much body fat. It's gonna take me forever to get rid of this crap.

I eat like 10 egg whites every freakin day lately. I mix them until the are moose like, then I add splenda and a little bit of coco (just a tinny bit). it's a chocolate moose.

do you really spell it "moose"??
last edited: 5/31/05 8:42:20 PM”

“I repeat... I said "ALMOST"
still way to much body fat.

In that case, n/m. LOL”

“I worked out with my trainer last night, Mike the Mini Moose. I was his last client, so after we went to a Japanese restaurant and ate sushi YUM I especially liked the raw scallops with rice and wasabi.”

“eat like 10 egg whites every freakin day lately. I mix them until the are moose like, then I add splenda and a little bit of coco (just a tinny bit). it's a chocolate moose.

huh? do you drink that? or is it like the stuff on top of banana pudding?”

“It's mousse. A French term I believe.”

“carlette, nope, I mix it up with the mixer. so yeah it looks sort of like meringe. actually it would be meringe if you would let it dry in the oven. i eat it like a mousse (thanks HPM)

I love sushi and I eat it on my "cheat" days. only the raw stuff thou...i am not to much into the cali roll. sushi got to be raw!!”

“I'm so allergic to egg whites. Ay Carumba!

You guys I totally suck. I lack motivation. *sigh*”

“Caffeine For Weight Lifting
by Jacob Wilson

We've all downed tons of jolt soda to keep us up late in order to study for an important exam. However, caffeine is much more than a cerebral pick me upper. It is also an extremely effective aid for enhancing our exercise performance. If you are interested in increasing the rate at which you burn fat and enhancing your intensity, than you can rejoice, because one of the most functional exercise aids may be right under your nose! However, you need to understand exactly how to use it!

Caffeine Burns Fat!

If you are attempting to reduce your body fat than caffeine can be a great ally. This is because it will increase the level of free fatty acids in your blood, thereby facilitating the use of fat as fuel. Countless studies have also shown that caffeine increases fat oxidation. In fact, in one study it actually increased it by a whopping 50 percent! The aerobic fat-burning advantages that you can get from caffeine supplementation are fantastic! For example, lets say that I were to burn 1,000 calories riding the stationary bike for an hour. Typically half of those calories would be burned due to fat oxidation. If I were using a caffeine supplement the fat oxidation process could be increased up to 50 percent, which means that I might end up burning a total of 250 more fat calories! That means that 750 of my calories burned would be from fat, while sugar stores in my muscles would account for the remaining 250. Simply amazing! However, studies aside, I can tell you from personal experience that I have noticed a significant difference in my ability to burn fat with caffeine as opposed to without it.

How Caffeine Tremendously Enhances Performance !

Its all about intensity! If you don't have it, then you might as well stay home! Caffeine not only improves this aspect of training, but many others as well that increase athletic performance. In fact it does it in three different, yet equally important ways!

1. Spares Our Prime Energy Stores!

Fat mobilization not only increases our ability to burn fat, but it also improves our total anaerobic and aerobic capacity! Any time you exercise your body burns both stored fat and glycogen or sugar. However, as soon as the glycogen in the muscles that you are using is burnt up, your performance is greatly reduced! The great news is that by taking caffeine your body will actually increase the amount of free fatty acids in your blood. By doing this you will create a " glycogen " sparing effect. Simply put your body uses more fat as fuel and your sugar store depletion rate decreases, which in turn delays fatigue and allows you to workout longer and harder!

2. Caffeine Actually Increases Our Muscles Ability To Contract!

Its important to understand, that before our muscles can contract calcium ions must be released inside of your cells. Caffeine assists in this area by actually increasing the cells sensitivity and availability of this mineral. When this takes place it is easier to create a twitch tension, which allows your muscles to contract with less effort. Not only does it allow your muscles to contract easier, it has also been shown to actually increase the contraction force of your diaphragm! Which will enable you to breathe with greater ease during exercise! This can be of extreme benefit to people working out in higher altitudes or even with breathing disorders.

3. Caffeine Strengthens Your Pain Threshold

Caffeine also effects the central nervous system by literally masking our perception of fatigue. Using several testing techniques, namely the " Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale, " athletes have consistently reported a reduced perception of fatigue. During this test while on caffeine, subjects tend to choose and maintain a higher exercise intensity, they actually perceive the intensity to be lower. In other words, if you hit an exercise plateau in your training or " hit the wall, " caffeine's fatigue masking qualities can help you to exceed previous limit.

Exactly How To Use Caffeine For Performance Enhancement.

I can sense the excitement in you! Your all but ready to go out and purchase a jug of jolt or put on another pot of coffee right? Unfortunately I am going to have to dowse that excitement. You see as far as caffeine is concerned, the more is better approach is not the way to go. You need to use it strategically. Remember, we are bodybuilders and everything we do should reflect continuous improvement not necessarily satisfaction, as in just for the pleasure of using caffeine. You see this can have very positive effects on our training, but not
if we abuse it. My main theme in this article is using caffeine as a weight training or aerobic " enhancer. " And abusing caffeine like most of the world does will take away from the effectiveness of this supplement. I personally only use it for exercise and avoid it the rest of the day. This means that you need to cut out the cokes and cups of coffee throughout your day and keep caffeine's effects potent for your training sessions. By doing this you will see tremendously better results in your workouts. Now if you are a heavy coffee drinker, then I don't suggest cutting it off all at once. Rather slowly reduce your intake. This could take several weeks to get it down to where you want it. Another strategy I use when I sense my body is adapting to caffeine is to not take it for 72 hours. After which I always get a 100 percent jolt and am ready to rock and roll again!

Dosage: I personally take 200 milligrams of caffeine 30-45 minutes before training. ( unless I am on the ECA stack, in which I may take it twice daily every other day ) However, I also weigh around 255. Therefore you might start with half that dosage if you are around 150 or below. But 200 seems to work well for most, and several bodybuilders take 300. Just make sure and work your way up.

Hydration and Questions Concerning Caffeine And Creatine!

Caffeine is a diuretic, which means that it dehydrates you. Creatine, on the other hand heavily depends on hydration! However this is easily made up for by simply consuming more water! Do not and I repeat, do not,
neglect hydration when on or off caffeine. This is a mistake for a hard training athlete, or even a sedentary person. So my advice is to increase your water intake while on it. If you do this, then you will get 100 percent of the benefit from creatine and caffeine at the same time. Its all about hydration.
Note: In a 1990 Canadian Study, athletes exhibited no abnormal fluid loss after consuming 7.5 milligrams killogram of bodyweight and running 60 minutes at about 89 percent of their maximum heart rate. Still, do not overlook the hydration factor.

The Pills!

I personally believe and also studies have shown that the pill form of caffeine absorbs better in your body.
I would strongly suggest purchasing a packet of caffeine pills rather than relying on coffee. Plus it is easier to measure your dosage.

Conclusion

If you asked me what my top ten supplements were, caffeine would be right at the top of the list! This powerhouse of a supplement has gotten me through many a leg workout and will most certainly do the same for you! Good luck and enjoy your gains!”

“sorry, i didn't realize it was that long”

“So caffeine before the workout but not other times. Makes sense. One of the expensive supplements I bought last year and always forget to take is some sort of stimulant to take before working out. Same idea, I suppose.”

“interesting.

I wonder if my so called "good days" are due to the addional cup of caffeine.

pain threshold: grins...my pain threshold increasing by me thinking "it's only in your head, it's only in your head...it's not really hurting right now" LOL

if caffeine helps...hey.... i'll take a pot with me to the gym.

Honestly though...I need to check the new workout energy pills that are on the market right now.”

“I normally have a cup of green tea before a workout....not so much caffeine as a cup of coffee, but just enough for a little boost.”

“i just came from the gym and he gave me my new workout. woah...i never knew leaning agains a freakin' wall would feel like that.

i don't know why...but I LOVE leg workouts. Don't think there is one I dont' like.

I don't like upper body (i know I said that already 100 times, but it's true).

strangly that's where you REALLY see that I work out. My upper body rocks (i think).
I guess it must be due to the smaller muscles (meaning smaller muscels define quicker)

larger muscles take longer to define. sucks!!
I want cut legs muscles dammit”

“I wish I was excited about working out as you Gem!
I think a workout buddy would help. I tried to find someone on ExerciseFriends.com, but unsuccessful. Met up with one gal, but our workout style and times to go to the gym varied too much. : (”

“yeah, a workout buddy would be great...would make it more fun I think...maybe I should start looking...

oh I forgot...the people here in Columbia are stinken lazy.

Oh btw: I have tried exercisefriends lol...got a couple emails from some...but never really worked out with any of them.

couple messages from guys... tsk...yeah right!! their message was so ovious that there's no way I would've worked out or run with them.
last edited: 6/01/05 4:09:46 PM”

“after finally getting all my equipment paid off i decided to rejoin the gym. i went to the new gold's gym down the street from me. they have a huge cardio cinema and always seem to be playing a decent movie. also, all the other cardio machines have a 17 inch tv screen mounted to them. you just plug your headphones in. pretty neat stuff.
i forgot how much nicer commercial equipment is than home equipment. the pully's are so much smoother for one. plus, i like to finish up with a machine or two even though the bulk of my workout is with freeweights.
the only thing i don't like is this trainer keeps calling me wanting to give me my free first session. i've left him 3 messages saying im a trainer myself and i don't want a free session followed by a sales pitch. the last message i told him if he really wanted me to come in so bad i would have him take my 9 point fat measurement and i haven't heard from him since. i knew he wouldn't want to do that.”

“one reason why I left the golds gym was their trainers sales pitch. I hated it. I felt like someone wanting to sell me a car. (and I absolutly hate car dealers)”

“I drink Spark from Advocare which has caffiene in it. It makes a noticable difference for me. I also have a cup or two of coffee before the gym.”

“I went to the gym last night! I only had time to do 20 mins on the bike. And then since my knee is still not normal, I did no resistance. The first couple of minutes was tough. My knee kept popping. : ( Then it mellowed out. It's sad tho. I had my hands resting on the heart rate thing and I noticed my heart rate was only 90. *sigh* Oh well, I can't push it. Need to heal up first. And I guess 90 isn't too bad since my resting heart rate is really low around 53.”

“Oh, and I love the tv's at the gym! I'm usually too uncomfortable during a harder cardio workout to try to read. And music just doesn't cut it. I can get really distracted by what's on tv and the time flies by!”