Workin' out

On March 25 2007 16:07 Last.Midnight wrote:
I'm sick of people saying that higher reps / lower weights tones you, it does not. You cannot spot reduce body fat, the idea of lifting weights every time you lift them is to bulk muscle and lift until failure, even when cutting.

On March 25 2007 15:57 SuN-TzU wrote:
So I'm a 20 year old guy. I'm 5'10", 140 lbs. avg. height and build. i've always wanted to have a great body, but up until now i've only been doing a couple of pushups here, couple of situps there.

i want to take the next step, more specifically, i want to start eating better, running on at least a bi-weekly basis, and... the reason why i'm posting this topic, i want to go to the gym and start doing a developed workout routine.

i'm not looking to bulk up, because my bone structure makes me a decent size, i'm rather looking for more tone and definition... everywhere: chest, arms, abs, etc.

so to you TL.netters who workout regularly... what advice can you offer me as a beginner?

On March 25 2007 16:42 Metal[x] wrote:
i remember someone mentioning running right when you wake up is the best time to run? someone have any sources where they heard this? or just give me more information in general would be great!

On March 25 2007 16:42 Metal[x] wrote:
i remember someone mentioning running right when you wake up is the best time to run? someone have any sources where they heard this? or just give me more information in general would be great!

On March 25 2007 15:58 .kaz wrote:
Micro and Macro
It was a simple troll joke?

On March 25 2007 16:01 Yogurt wrote:
140 510 is skinny as hell

On March 25 2007 16:29 Newblish wrote:
i workout regularly, and i believe my system is the best to follow.

its a high intensity low volume workout, which means less is more in terms of hours you spend in the gym per week, but you must put in maximum effort in order to stimulate growth.

its a 6 month thing that is intended to build up as much muscle as you possibly can, and then "cut" for 2 months which means get rid of the extra body fat youve added with that muscle by doing high intensity cardio.

Its worked for me so far, 2 months in ive increased my weight from 180 to 195 and my strength has skyrocketed, not to mention my size. I cant wait for the cutting phase :\ but ill follow this program to assure i get the maximum results it can bring. (im 21 years old and 6'1 btw)

Anyway, here are things you need to know - freeweights are the ONLY way to go, you must be willing to do heavy lifts like squats,deadlifts, incline/decline bench presses etc. Your body grows as an adaptive respose to its environment, so naturally you work it harder and youll grow more. 5-7 reps is ideal for most exercises you do, you want to break down as much muscle fibre as you can with a high weight to keep your energy high/lactic acid to low. Doing endless amounts of reps with low weights is extremely retarded unless youre aiming to build endurance(you stretch your muscle fibres endlessly without breaking them down, instead of well... breaking them down -_-) The goal in the gym should be to build muscle first THEN define(ie a cutting phase with almost purely cardio and few gym workouts), it makes sense if you think about it, its stupid to think you can just go in there to get definition whenever you want.

Eating is different of course, and thats something you have to research in order to fully grasp and implement properly, but it shouldnt be a big deal as long as youre committed.

bodybuilding.com is good i guess,
http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/weight-gain-programs.html is good for beginners to gain knowledge.

the program i bought is here, and its incredible and worthwhile if youre willing to spend $67, youll end up saving MORE money using his methods than blindly buying random supplements or what have you than if you do things the RIGHT WAY.

http://www.musclegaintruth.com/?hop=jpc1015


hope i was of help, if i didnt explain something properly, give me a shout by pm ;\ HF

On March 25 2007 16:49 StimD wrote:
the reason why you should be running right after you wake up or more correct before you eat breakfast, is because that's when you'll burn the most calories.

On March 25 2007 16:49 StimD wrote:
the reason why you should be running right after you wake up or more correct before you eat breakfast, is because that's when you'll burn the most calories.

On March 25 2007 16:57 Metal[x] wrote:


ok apparently there are some disputes on this issue...so someone CLARIFY!!

On March 25 2007 16:51 ApollyoN wrote:


High intensity/low volume would NOT be good for a beginner at all. How is he going to be able to put maximum effort when he cant even lift properly? At this point he's going to have a lot of wasted sets and the weight is going to be very low anyway, so he's not going to be able to cause enough damage with those low sets to get any decent results. I think doing as a beginner you have to work out more frequently in order to get your muscles and nervous system adapted to lifting the weights, plus it makes strength gains come quickly. The type of training your talking about does work but only if you can lift enough/know enough to go completely balls to the wall and is best for people who have been lifting for a while. With low volume you're not leaving any room for error, and what you get with beginners is them substituting squats with leg extensions or something.

On March 25 2007 16:57 Metal[x] wrote:


ok apparently there are some disputes on this issue...so someone CLARIFY!!

On March 25 2007 16:48 XCetron wrote:


Crap....I'm 6'1 with 124lb...........

On March 25 2007 16:57 Metal[x] wrote:


ok apparently there are some disputes on this issue...so someone CLARIFY!!

On March 25 2007 17:02 nortorius wrote:


You'll be burning more calories when you just wake up, but as ApollyoN said it'll be calories you don't want burned (ie. muscle).

On March 25 2007 17:05 Metal[x] wrote:


I see, so does it matter if you eat breakfast then run after you wake up? Or is it the same as just running sometime in the middle of the day?

On March 25 2007 17:06 Vin[MBL] wrote:
i'm a 5 '11 15 year old that weighs 115 pounds

yea
my BMI is like 15 or something
im SO underweight
the thing is i eat way more than any of my classmates....
i wonder if i just have a high metabolism
or if im just gay

would working out help me gain weight or will it worsen my situation?!@

On March 25 2007 17:01 Newblish wrote:


The guy who wrote my program was 130 pounds and 5'11 or something, and these principles allowed him as a BEGINNER to increase his weight to like 195 and be both extremely fit and strong.

Cant lift properly?(assuming he cant, we dont even know). When i began as a beginner i was able to do every single exercise that was asked of me. the olympic bars weigh only 45 pounds anyway, anyone is able to lift those properly without the chance of being injured or not being able to perform 5-7 reps(2 sets normally). If someone is not strong, he uses less weight.. its that simple. My first week was lower weights so that i could allow my body to adapt, and so can his i believe.. everyone has to start somewhere, and obviously the first week or two would be trial and error. Btw - after my first week my strength skyrocketed, and ive progressed so quickly after only being on this program for 2 months.

On March 25 2007 16:42 Metal[x] wrote:
i remember someone mentioning running right when you wake up is the best time to run? someone have any sources where they heard this? or just give me more information in general would be great!

On March 25 2007 17:23 pr0n wrote:


The best time to run is after 12 hours of fasting. This forces the body to burn a significantly increased percentage of calories from fat than the normal ration between fat and muscle. This would usually be in the morning for most people. You can search for the article that explains the biology behind it on testosterone nation (t-nation.com).

On March 25 2007 17:10 ApollyoN wrote:


The reason running on an empty stomach burns more calories is because you're muscle glycogen stores are empty when you wake up, so your body has to look for other sources. So it starts to use itself, in the form of fat(good) and muscle(bad). Basically it thinks you're starving, and since fat stores last longer it will use up primarily muscle. Just a survival mechanism. Before running, if you have to do it in the morning, I would recommend you eat some carbs, like a bannana or other fruit, and some low-fat protein at least 30 minutes before hand. Otherwise do it later in the day.

On March 25 2007 17:27 pr0n wrote:


That is incorrect.

www.t-nation.com

On March 25 2007 17:36 ApollyoN wrote:


From that site (which i sometimes read).

"T-Nation: Holy crap, Lowery, leave something for the others to talk about! Okay, Barr, let's hear your opinion. Is fasted cardio good or bad?

David Barr: It's horrible! We should never be completely fasted for any reason. As soon as you're protein starved, you start breaking down muscle, which directly contradicts our goals, whether they be fat loss, muscle growth, or athletic performance.

Throw a catabolic activity like cardio on top of that and you're practically begging to waste away. Fortunately, it's not too difficult to prevent this muscle catabolism, because all we have to do is eat a little protein.

When it comes to cardio, eating protein before the session will preserve muscle tissue without impacting on fat loss. While some of the protein will be "burned off" as energy, the amount of muscle saved will more than make up for any minor alterations in fat calorie expenditure. Low-Carb Grow! is the perfect protein for this, because its slow entry into the blood limits the amount of amino acids that'll be used for energy (i.e. oxidized). "

(Cons on fasted cardio)

Thibaudeau: If fasted state cardio could potentially increase fat mobilization, it's also potentially more catabolic to muscle tissue. This is due to an increase in cortisol production during fasted exercise. Since cortisol levels are already high in the morning, this could lead to more muscle wasting than during non-fasted cardio.

In fact, cortisol levels could increase muscle breakdown and the use of amino acids as an energy source. This is especially true if high-intensity energy systems work is performed. If an individual uses lower intensity (around 60-65% of maximum heart rate), the need for glucose and cortisol release are both reduced and thus the situation becomes less catabolic.

I personally do believe in the efficacy of morning cardio, but not in a completely fasted state. For optimal results I prefer to ingest a small amount of amino acids approximately 15-30 minutes before the cardio session. A mix of 5g of BCAA, 5g of glutamine (yeah, I know that Dave Barr won't agree with me on this!), and 5g of essential amino acids would do the trick in preventing any unwanted muscle breakdown.

However, I'll also play devil's advocate and say that morning cardio won't be drastically more effective than post-workout or afternoon cardio work when it comes to fat loss. Personally, I prefer to split up my cardio into two shorter sessions (morning and post-workout).

On March 25 2007 17:37 pr0n wrote:
From the article at http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=835725 (not the one I read before, and said some different things):

Is AM fasted cardio for you?

You're an ectomorph
NO

You're a mesomorphic strength/power athlete
NO

You're an endomorphic strength/power athlete
NO

You're a mesomorphic bodybuilder/exerciser
YES

You're an endomorphic bodybuilder/exerciser
YES

Basically if you're trying to cut fat, it IS the best way for you to do cardio. People who CANNOT handle ANY loss of muscle (true hardgainers like myself and people who only care about absolute size/strength) should not do fasted am cardio. You aren't tiny for your size, and you aren't looking for strength, so you fall in the mesomorphic exerciser catagory (OPer, that is).

Just take some protein before you run if you are really concerned about muscle loss (read: NOT CARBS)

On March 25 2007 17:06 Vin[MBL] wrote:
i'm a 5 '11 15 year old that weighs 115 pounds

yea
my BMI is like 15 or something
im SO underweight
the thing is i eat way more than any of my classmates....
i wonder if i just have a high metabolism
or if im just gay

would working out help me gain weight or will it worsen my situation?!@

On March 25 2007 17:22 ApollyoN wrote:

Why would you buy a program for someone who is 130 lbs? Anyway the program is working for you, thats great, but the point is HIT wont work for a beginner. There are a lot of factors in your success, such as how long you've been training and how strong you are. Since you're 195 lbs. I'll assume you're not new to weight lifting. The reason a lot of people respond well to HIT at first is because it provides a nice change of pace and forces them to give their muscles appropriate recovery time, which believe it or not a lot of people dont. Any time you change how you train with reasonable programs its going to give you some progress.

With the OP, if he's only working out for less than 2 hours a week and performing a few sets of 5-7 reps thats simply not going to get the job done. He's probably going to start out doing less than 100 lbs. on bench for example, and while for him that may be relatively heavy its not going to be able to get the same results as me for instance who would do about 240 for that. While its our 5-7 rep max for both of us, its more of a true max for me and is going to cause a lot more damage, while for him its not really his strength, its just that his nervous system is inefficient at lifting the weight and is holding him back.

On March 25 2007 18:17 rS.NonY wrote:
Ugh that "inspirational video" just disgusts me. Most people don't want a body like that. I would guess that the OP wants (and what most people want) is a physique kind of like this: brad pitt or brad pitt2 and even getting to this size is too much for some people christian bale

The goal for everyone in a weight room isn't to gain mass. Don't equate "weight lifting" with "building mass" or "being in a weight room" with "body building". For example, I am a runner and gaining mass at this point would be counter-productive. I built mass in the weight room for a while until I hit a good weight for the distances I run. Now, I do many reps to build endurance without adding on an ounce of weight. It seems like the OP desires a similar thing. Starting at 140 pounds, some mass needs to be gained, sure, but not much. Once the desired mass is achieved, the goal of the weight lifting is simply to keep fit, or (in my case) to improve fitness but in other ways than explosive strength.

Anyone can have a nice physique without radically changing diet, or cutting out all cardio, etc etc. As far as I can tell, the body builders here are pouncing on the OP w/o reason.

On March 25 2007 17:06 Vin[MBL] wrote:
i'm a 5 '11 15 year old that weighs 115 pounds

yea
my BMI is like 15 or something
im SO underweight
the thing is i eat way more than any of my classmates....
i wonder if i just have a high metabolism
or if im just gay

would working out help me gain weight or will it worsen my situation?!@

On March 25 2007 18:56 Yogurt wrote:


my friend is like 105 at 15

i suggest buying some weight gainer or eating a shitload of girl scout cookies or something

i dunno, i thought i was skinny as hell at like 147 5'9

but 115, thats just gross

On March 25 2007 17:58 EnergyBlast wrote:


Aight, i'm 16 i went 5'11 and 190lbs and i consider myself to have an athletic body(12% body fat) im training to get into bodybuilding, which isnt working so well since it is lacrosse season for me(i can't bulk up with all the cardio excircise im doing). A trainer at the gym i go to tells everyone if their goal is to gain muscle mass, which i think is what u want, then your gonna need to eat more than u do right now of bulking foods(proteins: steak, beef, beans, pork, and any other heavy proteins and eat LOTS of carbs for bulking this does not mean fatty snack food carbs, instead carbs such as baked potatoes, bowls of pasta, rice, and other heavy starches) by eating 4-6meals a day (meal consisting of: veggies,fruits, one of the heavy carbs, and one of the heavy proteins) u will not have a problem of not being able to gain weight. If u maintain this kind of diet for about 2monthes and lift weights 4-5 days a week you will gain 10-30lbs of muscle mass, gaurunteed.

Also someone listed before their muscle group workout plan before and reading it assured they didnt know what muscle groups the basic excircises worked on and the muscle groups that go together. The Bodybuilding weekly workout.

Monday: Chest(pecs),Triceps- these to muslces are placed together because the pectoral muscle excircises all work the triceps also, as a secondary muscle. Ex: bench press, dumbell presses,incline bench press, pushups.

Tuesday: Leg workout(quads, hammies,glutes)not calves- these excercises include quad extensions, hamstring curls, barbell squat, front squat/hack squat, leg press, and stiff-leg deadlifts. these go together because the excirces work the whole upper leg muscle group.

Wed: Rest/Abs

Thursday:Back/Biceps- These two muscle groups are worked out together for the basic motion that the back excirces work biceps as a secondary muscle workout. ex: pulldowns and bent rows, and curls

Friday:Calves Delts- Calves can really be done on any day of your choice, but since delts are the odd muscle out you'll have some extra time to do calves with them. Excirces: calve raises, front delt raise, military press which works tricep as secondary muscles and the tri's should be well rested since monday(w/ smith press, or dumbells), bent rear delt raises, and side delt raises, ect.

Sat/Sun: Rest/abs

A days workout should be at 45mins-1hr and 30mins for maximum effect

Following this diet and workout plan will help u gain 10-30lbs of muscle mass depending on your metabolism/bodytype.

And here's a little inspirational video to help ya get started also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EwYPG4ZBBY

On March 25 2007 16:49 Newblish wrote:
mistapooh what metabolism? you have no food in your system.

On March 25 2007 19:11 Yogurt wrote:


working secondary muscles on the same day is actually a bad idea because they become pre-fatigued and you can't work them as hard

On March 25 2007 19:53 BrutalMenace wrote:
wow we weigh the same but im 3 inches shorter and probably would knock your ass out.......

THAT IS Extremely skinny man. You need to gain some fat. From now on you should EAT as much food as u can, go to fast food. Buy protein shakes, eat powerbars. 140 for 5"10 is not avg build. I have a friend whose 5'10 and hes about 160-180 lbs.

I am the skinniest guy in my group. And right when i thought i was rly skinny TL.net people filled with a buncha stick people.

On March 25 2007 20:58 {ToT}Strafe wrote:
im 230 and im 6'8. im a monster

On March 25 2007 20:55 bErAtEd- wrote:
I'd have to agree with rawrx on this one. If you are just looking to tone yourself and not bulk up then just being active is really all you need to do. Go to the gym and experiment with things and just try a lot. Doing anything is better than doing nothing.

Most of the posts in here seem a little extreme to me and wouldn't be followed except for serious lifters (or people who are serious about building muscle). If you could stick to your regime you can become extremely toned by simply running and doing core workouts such as pushups/situps.

As to when you run I don't think that that really matters either. The biggest thing is finding something that works for you. If you aren't a morning person then I don't care how many studies are done that show it is better to run in the morning, don't schedule it then.

I was a competitive runner in highschool and ran basically whenever I found time. As I said its a matter of preference. I enjoyed either running early in the morning or late at night to beat most of the heat. There is nothing fun about being out in the middle of nowhere on a 10 mile run with the sun beating down on you at 5pm when its 105 degrees. Overall though, I never lifted weights but yet I was extremely tone just off of running and doing situps/pushups.

Basically, as I've been saying, the key is finding what works for you. You are not going to see results unless you stay dedicated to what you are doing. I for one would like to see you post your progress and how things are going. Motivation to work out does not always come easy.

On March 25 2007 23:09 lil.sis wrote:
i suggest the lil.sis workout

it consists of going to the local butcher and buying a 300 pound side of beef, carrying it three blocks home, then up three flights of stairs before eating it, raw.

On March 25 2007 21:41 mistapooh wrote:
I don't like the BMI because healthy body builders and most athletes are considered overweight. The method is just an outline, so don't use it to assess fitness. Height to weight is just a ratio; don't stress out so much about it ^ ^. For example, one of my hero Kid Yamamoto has the same bmi as you Strafe, 24.5, but I'm sure his body fat composition is much less = P (just teasing).

+ Show Spoiler +

On March 25 2007 17:10 ApollyoN wrote:


The reason running on an empty stomach burns more calories is because you're muscle glycogen stores are empty when you wake up, so your body has to look for other sources. So it starts to use itself, in the form of fat(good) and muscle(bad). Basically it thinks you're starving, and since fat stores last longer it will use up primarily muscle. Just a survival mechanism. Before running, if you have to do it in the morning, I would recommend you eat some carbs, like a bannana or other fruit, and some low-fat protein at least 30 minutes before hand. Otherwise do it later in the day.