Gym, Fitness, etc.

[TdC]

your trainer at the gym will do that for you

as to water, I hear that 8 glasses of water per day is what you should drink. myself I try to drink a glass of water for every cup of coffee I drink, which has me over ten (very bad, I know).

also, you are going to have to eat, and eat good stuff if you want to go running and stuff like that to keep your energy levels up. I can't do shit on my mtb if I haven't eaten properly during the day.

 

[Louster]

I've been put on this GP-referral "prescribed exercise" program which just means I get to go to a gym with a large discount and get 5 sessions with a trainer, 10 sessions overall, to get me back to a semblance of fitness (obviously I'm planning on continuing afterwards, these are pretty much just a learning experience). The trainer guy recommends drinking 2 or 3 pints of milk a day and eating eggs regularly (for putting on weight, as I'm underweight also - I was below 8 stone not that long ago, am now 9.7), but he also said that it'd be a good idea to get an appointment with a dietitian (it's kinda harder for me anyway as I need to avoid any food with wheat in).

 

[TdC]

ooh arr, troo that. the best way to go is a proper prescribed diet, as that will get you where you want to go fastest. do you actually do the milk drinking thing Louster? guh, but I hate the taste of milk, and 3 pints of chocolate milk daily doesn't strike me as too good of an idea tbh

 

[Mobius]

Aye milk is disgusting. I'm bearing it though.
Prescribed diets are difficult because I eat meals with my family so we get chips etc occasionally. We do have 3 or so pasta meals a week, fish dishes, chicken..etc. Its quite varied. I read that the George Foreman grill is actually quite good for cooking chicken in, is that because it doesn't give any fat or something?

 

[Louster]

do you actually do the milk drinking thing Louster? guh, but I hate the taste of milk, and 3 pints of chocolate milk daily doesn't strike me as too good of an idea tbh

Yeah I do usually, but I've always liked drinking plain old full-cream milk. 2 or 3 pints a day is pretty much what I'd drink anyway.

 

[Cyradix]

ooh arr, troo that. the best way to go is a proper prescribed diet, as that will get you where you want to go fastest. do you actually do the milk drinking thing Louster? guh, but I hate the taste of milk, and 3 pints of chocolate milk daily doesn't strike me as too good of an idea tbh

Melk, de witte motor!!

which would translate into something like : Milk, the white engine

 

[tris-]

Aye milk is disgusting. I'm bearing it though.
Prescribed diets are difficult because I eat meals with my family so we get chips etc occasionally. We do have 3 or so pasta meals a week, fish dishes, chicken..etc. Its quite varied. I read that the George Foreman grill is actually quite good for cooking chicken in, is that because it doesn't give any fat or something?

George Forman grills are excellent. i got a mini one for around £25. now you can eat burgers and its not so bad . one fresh burger dripped out nearly a full collecting tray of fat uke:

 

[inactionman]

Ok, healthy eating tips:

Avoid fried food (once a week is fine, it's just that it's full of fat).
Eat at least as much veg (that's veg not potatoes) as you eat meat.
Milk is good if you need to gain weight (or muscles), just make sure you do excercise else it will turn to flab!
Grilled food is your friend, it's low fat and tends to taste better than oven cooked food.
Stir-fry's are great, pretty easy to prepare, varied ingredients, low fat, and loads of vegies!
Salads are good, but can be bland.
Avoid chocolate, sweets, etc.
Eat lots of grilled fish.
The george foreman thing is ok, it just tends to squeeze all the fat out of stuff, so anything it cooks tends to be dry, top that up with some low fat dressing.
Oriental food is good, particularly japanese ramens, & sashimi.
Drink lots of water.
Learn to cook, that way you can influence what your family eats (and make it more healthy), it also gets you brownie points!
Avoid simple carbohydrates (white rice, cheap pasta, potatoes, white bread), complex carbs tend to have more roughage and are harder to digest (no sugar rush).

All this goes to show that I need to hit the gym again! Despite being rather large, I eat very healthly, and when my doctor last checked me they were shocked at how low my cholesterol was! All I need to do is start exercising regularly again.

Tips for the gym:

Start on CV (cardio-vascular); you need to build general fitness before you start body building, as building muscle whilst being unfit is bad for you! Do CV until you no-longer feel too out of breath after jogging for 10 minutes or so.
Alternate routines; your body gets used to the same routine and it will have little effect if you do it all the time.

 

[Mobius]

Thanks alot Inactionman. Is there ANYTHING from places like Mcdonalds/KFC etc that aren't bad for you? I go there quite alot with family, friends so are there fillet o' fish thingys any good? I have to eat something.

 

[Mobius]

Oh and Cardio Vascular that stuff like running/jogging/cycling etc right?

 

[inactionman]

I hear mcdonalds do salads and things now, dunno I tend not to eat there! Nandos are pretty healthy if there are any near you (grilled chicken, salads, rice, etc.), but they can be pricey. Also kebabs are ok if you go for a shish (no chips though).

Yeah, CV is those, basically it's about improving general fitness, but the best form of CV is cross-training, it's a machine that looks like you're skiing when you are using it. It works on all the limbs, and has *no* impact on your joints (unlike jogging or running, which will knacker your knees if you do it too often). If you join a gym, try to cross-train for 1/2 an hour every 2 sessions. Else use a cycling machine, almost as good but no exercise for the upper body. Swimming is really good as well.

Another tip for exercising, use an MP3 player whilst doing it, or make sure the gym plays good music, this will distract you from the exercise and will make it a lot less hard.

When you start building muscle make sure you do CV every other session. Also you'll need to eat more then, and lots of protein (red meat preferably).

 

[tris-]

Oh and Cardio Vascular that stuff like running/jogging/cycling etc right?

the rowing machine is best imo. does everything! you can do legs, arms, back, stomach and cardio in one.

 

[Tom]

The salads from McDonalds are actually very tasty, although most of the calorific content is in the sauces.

 

[gmloki]

Avoid simple carbohydrates (white rice, cheap pasta, potatoes, white bread), complex carbs tend to have more roughage and are harder to digest (no sugar rush)

Not necessarily true. The Corner stone of any good HEALTHY diet is based on at least 30% Rice, Pasta, Pulses and Wheat Products. Unless of course yuo have a wheat allergy. Things like Rice & Pasta, Wholegrains and Starches are Complex Carbs not Simple and are essential for the body to have energy. They also stop that feeling of feeling hungry a few hours after a mars bar. Basically the good stuff if you want to exerise as it reduces fatigue

 

[WhippetEDS]

My tips

I've always been a regular gym go-er/exerciser.

I joined my latest gym in December last year, after a break from gym, instead I was doing a lot of running so I got quite slim.

I've put on a stone of solid muscle in the last 6 months, I'm 5ft 9.5" and I now weigh 11.5 stone, and I've never been fitter or looked better....I like being hunky )

You can bulk-up and get muscle mass....believe it! I'd always been skinny and it worked for me.

My quick tips:
1. 60% Nutrition, 20% exercise, 20% rest.....workout 3 times/week and never on consequtive days, REMEMBER the _nutrition_ (more below).
2. Protein - loads of it! you want 2 grams protein for ever KG of your weight a day - that for me is around 145 grams/day.....look it up that's a helluva lot. Use protein powder to make it easier (Holland & Barrett), Whey based might overload your lactose tollerance (you'll get diahorhea) so try soya based if that's the case. Eat lots of meat, tuna and chicken good. Drink a lot of water.
3. Do the heavy stuff.....Squats, Bench Press, Lat Pull-downs...the stuff that makes you shift BIG weights using multiple muscle groups. For Triceps do Parallel bar dips...there's nothing better.
4. Just go out and buy Mens Health or Mens Fitness magazine, they're always full of tips and workout schedules that'll tell you all you need to know...Mens Fitness did a special a few months ago "Just Workouts", get it if you can, it'll tell you everything.
5. Increase sets and weights gradually, otherwise, trust me on this, you'll hurt yourself. But always aim to overload the muscle, hit repitition maximum on every set (that's the point where you can't do another one without breaking strict form).

 

[Tom]

I remember when I went to the gym regularly, monday would be back/biceps, wednesday chest/shoulders, and friday triceps/lower back. I missed the legs because I was so into cycling.

I remember the feeling waking up the following day, feeling the pain in each muscle group. Was most excellent.

 

[Mobius]

So jogging actually makes you lose weight?! I want to gain weight.

I'm 10.8 stone so how many grams of protein is that?

Also what do you mean by

" 1. 60% Nutrition, 20% exercise, 20% rest."

Ta.

 

[Tom]

Mobius, get yourself to a gym, speak to a personal trainer, they will sort you out.

If you don't do the shopping, while you're exercising get your mum to buy more meat.

 

[jaba]

snip
5. Increase sets and weights gradually, otherwise, trust me on this, you'll hurt yourself. But always aim to overload the muscle, hit repitition maximum on every set (that's the point where you can't do another one without breaking strict form).

generally some great advice there other than a few things. firstly only hit the protein if you want to put on lots of muscle mass, you can do it without though as I have. A word of warning though if you hit the protein hard as a lot of body builders do it can have negative effects such as early osteoporosis (bones deficeint in calcium leads to problems such as arthritis) as the body cannot deal with vast quantities of protein and take in as much calcium as it normally does. So my advice is if there is anyone in your family with a history of arthritis then dont bother with the stuff as you dont need it to supplement your diet, just eat healthy with red meat, fish such as tuna and chicken/turkey etc.

Second point, the quote above is dangerous, its called doing a burnout if you overload a muscle until temporary muscle failure. It puts enormous stress on the bodies central nervous system and generally should only be done a few times a month if that and really only on a body part that is lagging behind or is at a plateau (no increase in strength or mass for quite a while).
A good idea to start with is pyramids, start on a light weight for about 10-12 reps then for each set drop the reps by 2 and increase the weight.

However as everyone has said, talk to a personal trainer as its all very well us giving you all the advice in the world but without someone being there to supervise you, you will hurt yourself.

Good luck! and if you want any more advice on diet pm me as I am getting a bodybuilders diet written up for me from my local gym, will be happy to write it up for you.

 

[Mobius]

Good luck! and if you want any more advice on diet pm me as I am getting a bodybuilders diet written up for me from my local gym, will be happy to write it up for you.

That'd be great to look at, cheers.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Don't take up jogging.

It will damage your knees after a while. Some suffer more than others, but the repeated shock your knees go under can cause serious problems. There's a lot of people out there who go jogging (and only jog) to stay fit - most of these people don't realise that their sloppy running does a lot more damage than it does good.

If you're after cadiovascular stuff, Swimming, Cycling, rowing etc are your best bets. Try and stick with excersices that don't specialise in a certain area.

 

[Xtro]

Agreed, jogging is bullshit - no high impact stuff for me ta.

Btw, couldn't be more different from you Mobius. I do wado-ryu karate, kung fu and cycle. I'm 5ft 8" and 13.5 stone.

I eat a lot of fruit and veg (how can you not like bananas strange boy!) and I have recently quit the booze. I don't think you drink anyway do you? If you do - STOP

 

[Tom]

Isn't it better to jog in fields? And without big gay 'shock' trainers?

 

[Mobius]

I eat a lot of fruit and veg (how can you not like bananas strange boy!) and I have recently quit the booze. I don't think you drink anyway do you? If you do - STOP

Nah I don't drink. And thank FUCK about the jogging. First time today and I was dreading doing it every morning. Fruits disgusting, but I'm trying to get through it.

 

[GekuL]

Jogging is not bad for you as long as you don't overdo it and is good for building up bone density when you are younger. If you don't enjoy it though, pick something that you will enjoy, you're not likely to give up as easily then. Also, you have to be prepared to stick to the changes you are bringing in indefinitely, rather than approaching it with a mindset of achieving your goal and then reverting to old habits.

 

[Wij]

Agreed, jogging is bullshit - no high impact stuff for me ta.

Btw, couldn't be more different from you Mobius. I do wado-ryu karate, kung fu and cycle. I'm 5ft 8" and 13.5 stone.

I eat a lot of fruit and veg (how can you not like bananas strange boy!) and I have recently quit the booze. I don't think you drink anyway do you? If you do - STOP

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b33r plz

 

[dysfunction]

Swimming is very good exercise as it works almost every muscle in your body with no harm to your joints...

Try Clementines (fruit). They are easy to eat and are delicious!

 

[jaba]

Swimming is very good exercise as it works almost every muscle in your body with no harm to your joints...

Pah! No harm to your joints my ass! I had to stop competitive swimming at the age of 17 because swimming had screwed my shoulder up so badly! However it is the daddy of all exercise and unless you do it for some stupid length of time per day the above is true

 

[WhippetEDS]

Few clarifications

>I'm 10.8 stone so how many grams of protein is that?
I dunno, work out your weight in KG, it's just less than me so about 130 grams/day....I acknowledge the post that says too much protein is bad, but if you really want to put on muscle mass fast, it's good to do it for a few months. Miniumum protein recommended for the average man is about 60g/day. If you stop going to the gym though, of course drop the protein, I'm currently working out twice a week - Chest/Arms/Shoulders Weds, Back/Biceps Sunday....I only intake a lot of protein for 48 hours after a workout so I drop to about 60-70g on Saturday. If you're not working out and you take a lot of protein you'll get fat.


Also what do you mean by:
" 1. 60% Nutrition, 20% exercise, 20% rest."

That's how important each factor is when you're bulking up muscle, what you eat (and how much) is the most important thing, but of course you need all 3 to make it work. Note that resting your muscles is as important as exercising them, if you hit the same muscles hard every day you'll end up shrinking rather than growing, you have to let them recover....normally 48 hours is enough, sometime more....I seem to take more like 3 days to recover form a hard workout.

And to clarify my point about hitting 'repitition max' (RM), I'm not talking about absolute burnout here. RM is defined as the point where you can't complete another rep without breaking strict form, basically doing as many reps as you can do without cheating, the recommendation is to always hit at least 80% of repitition max if you want to grow bigger and stronger....you have to overload your muscles to stimulate growth, it's no good just doing 10 reps of an easy weight everytime without finding it difficult, you'll never get anywhere doing that. Basically keep going until you hit a rep where it's a bit of a strugle to complete....and you feel you might not be able to do another.

Now numbers of sets and reps....should probably start off with 1-2 sets and 10-12 reps, but work towards 4 sets of 4-8 reps (moving weight slowly...4 seconds down, 2 second hold, 3 seconds up sort of speed) -or- 4 sets of 2-6 reps with a heavier weight moving the weight as quick as makes it easier. I find it good to alternate between heavier sets and slower lighter sets every 3 or 4 weeks....the heavier 2-6 reps sets build better strength the lighter 4-8 rep sets build better size (hypertrophy). If you get tired though, drop the sets or weight. And don't hit RM without a spotter or you might hurt yourself, that said you'll probably use machines and it's only free weights that present a danger.

I think now you want to start at the gym then post again after a week or 2 for more tips (like what exercises are best etc).

Should we add a Health & Fitness forum do ya think?

 

[WhippetEDS]

Weight training and booze


Just another point....don't drink alcohol if you can help it for at least 48 hours after a workout....it inhibits your bodies ability to recover and build muscle mass by quite a bit.


I drink myself, but never straight after the gym, I usually go 24 hours without alcohol, then just limit my intake a bit the next day.

If you drink heavily, and you workout hard, you'll really stress your liver and you'll feel pretty bad uke:

You'll probably also want to limit your caffeine intake a bit too.