Lets all Diet & get in shape

[Jeremy]

Here's my update.

After about 6 weeks of working on it I've lost 10 pounds although I haven't lost any of that in the last two weeks. I probably am losing some because I'm continually gaining muscle and going up in weight used on each exercise.

I have noticed a difference in my clothing and have moved up a notch on the belt.

I'm riding 40 miles a week on my bike, lifting weights 3-4 days a week and counting those calories.

My first goal is to get rid of the spare tire and love handles by my wife's birthday in October, I think I'll make it.

I have plenty to lose, so even though I'm replacing fat with muscle I wish it was coming off a bit faster.

[Accumulator]

AHA! This thread's alive again!

Jeremy- IMO, you really oughta get a body-comp test. It'll help you determine whether or not you're making the (specific) progress you're after. Sounds like it's going well, though! With 3 months to go, you can definitely make your deadline.

Intermezzo- <<Accumulator, I'm astonished at the level of knowledge you possess on so many different topics! >> Heh heh, I think some of our fellow Autopians might , well, that's

Like you, I gauge the success of my workouts by DOMS. CAN be a minor problem though, as I need to do cardio every third day and sometimes my legs/glutes don't feel recovered that soon!

Yeah, the RDL's are basically the same as SEMI-stiff legged deads. Slight bend to the knees, which, oddly enough, seems to work the hams/glutes better (at least for me) than having them totally straight. Keep the bar close to/touching the front of your legs. I've been varying my stance from normal to sorta-wide to narrow with good results.

Yeah, *IMO* squats are MUCH more effective than leg presses. The "experts" have some theories about open-chain (squat) vs. "closed chain" (press) exercises (pretty involved stuff) that made sense to me. I quit doing leg presses and now the ONLY quad exercise I do is the squat. Better results by far. Also:

- squats are a LOT better for the hams and glutes (often mine are sore even if I DON'T do anything ham-specific, just squats!).

-squats are MUCH safer for the knees. I had SERIOUS knee problems (had to quit driving a stick and the x-rays looked BAD), which I have pretty much alleviated through squats and hamstring work. BTW, I also had a disc that looked bad in the x-ray (was hospitalized on a demerol IV over it) and since switching (almost entirely) to free-weights, and not omitting any body parts, it hasn't bothered me at all (literally nada) in over a decade.

-squats involve all the "stabilizer" muscles in the lower 2/3 of your body. No other way to work them. These little things don't necessarily SHOW, but they make daily living a lot better.

-there's just something about doing strict (as in below parallel, good form), heavy (whatever that means to YOU, everyone's different) squats that few other endeavors can compare to. A real sense of accomplishment and efficacy that imparts self-confidence to EVERY aspect of one's life. This is something that everyone I know experiences if they stick with the exercise long enough to really master it. Squats *ARE* rather brutal, not everyone has the self-discipline for them.

WRXemALL- I'm a broken record on this, but since you're too sensible to read ALL of this thread, here I go again: DO FEWER REPS once you get back into the swing of things. I used to do around 10-12 reps for most movements, more for forearms. Now I hardly EVER do that many. Less than 10 for virtually everything, even fores. I never do more than 24 reps per set for abs! MUCH better results. If I can do 10 reps, I up the weight.

MOST muscle groups are primarily fast-twitch muscle fibers (as opposed to slow-twitch). The f-t ones are ALSO the ones that grow and get stronger (the s-t ones just get better endurance). F-t's should only be worked for 20-40 seconds at a time. At a reasonably slow, deliberate pace, that's not many reps. I figured this out after maybe 20 (!) years of exercising and made better gains in my 40's than ever before.

Note that for triceps, you really want to concentrate on the LONG head. It's the biggest muscle in the upper arm. The *ONLY* way to work this head is to use a weight that's SO heavy you can only do 7-8 reps. Anything lighter and the lateral and medial heads will do most of the work. No way around it, that's just the way our arms work.

I don't see any leg (see reply to Inermezzo, above) work. Building your legs will actually help the rest of your body grow (and will avoid the "bar body" look- the build that's only good for making initial impressions on girls in bars).

BTW, not knowing what you're doing for back, I'll get on my soapbox and say: you can't beat chins/pullups for back (and doing them with a supinated/palm up grip will work your biceps too). I've gone MONTHS without working my biceps directly, just doing back work, and I didn't lose ANY size on my bis! Really.

With the time you have, I'd try to work each muscle group once a week. If you hit 'em hard, that'll be plenty and you'll grow like you can't believe.

I'd suggest:

Mon.- what you said, except heavier weight/lower reps/more sets
Tues.- ditto
Wed.- ditto
Th.-Legs
Fri.- LIGHT back and chest. Lighter weight, lower reps (I do only 5-6 max) and as many sets as you have time for. Take it EASY, this is "active rest", NOT a workout that's supposed to build muscle.

Some of this might sound counter-intuitive, but (and I *HATE* it when someone says this!), trust me on this stuff. My approach has worked for me and for everyone who's followed it.

[Fluffer]

Accumulator,

At some point in this endless thread did you ever include any techniques on doing ab crunches? I'd like to begin doing them on my bench after my situps. BTW, I now do an hour bike ride (18 miles) on either Sat or Sun morning, so I'm running 3x and lifting 3x weekly. Thanks.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by Fluffer
Accumulator,

At some point in this endless thread did you ever include any techniques on doing ab crunches?.

Heh heh, beats me! I'm glad to hear you're working out the way you are

I don't do all THAT much ab work, as all the free weight stuff (where my abs stabilize my body) and the way I tense my abs HARD during every rep of every exercise combine to keep them strong. Being able to instantly tense your abs can be a handy thing, BTW (ask a boxer). I do my crunches on an AbBench. Much as I about exercise machines and gizmos, this one does two things: it starts the movement with your spine extended in an exaggerated arch (doesn't really work for Accumulatorette due to her spinal fusion), and it works with added resistance from weight plates. BUT...I think I can still offer some (regular) crunch advice.

Don't do too many per set! Abs should be worked for less than a minute per set. Use added resistance (like holding a plate across your chest) if you can to make those (few) reps really tough.

Work through the FULL RANGE OF MOTION (good advice for ALL exercises).

Blow all your air OUT HARD during the movement (breathing in as you go back down). Put your tongue against the back of your upper front teeth (weird thing that affects how your abs contract due to neurological pathways, it REALLY works) and make a sound like an air hose "SSSSSS!!!" when you blow out. Go slow, hold the peak contraction at the top for a second (while REALLY tensing your abs) and DON'T use momentum, especially when you start the movement.

Other good abdominal stuff I do: sit on the bench with your legs off it. Point your toes. Draw your knees up to your chest (SLOWLY), keeping your knees together and hold for a second, repeat. Experiment to find the right "groove" that hits your (lower) abs.

Hang by a chinup bar. Raise your feet up over your head with as little momentum as you can, trying to bend at the waist (as opposed to bending at the hips, at least as best you can- isn't REALLY gonna happen that way unless you're Bruce Lee, but try). Also try raising your knees up as high as you can while hanging (this is a LOT easier). If it's too easy hold a dumbbell between your feet. Try it with revolving sleeves on the chinup bar, this will also strengthen your grip (the bigger the outer diameter of the sleeves the stronger your grip will get) and keep you from cheating (using too much momentum) because they'll spin if you swing too much (this is also great for chin/pull ups).

Do "suitcase lifts". Load a barbell (not very heavy) and stand beside it (perpendicular to it). Bend at the knees, grab the bar in the middle like it's a suitcase and stand back up. Your abs/obliques have to stabilize your unevenly loaded body. Good for the whole body, actually.

Oh, and I assume you're doing your situps "Janda style" with your knees bent and your arms crossed across your chest. If not, try it You might need someone to hold your legs like in gym class. No momentum now, heh heh, and remember to "SSS".

[jem7vwh]

figured I'd chime in here.

I need to lose some weight.

More accurately, I need to convert some fat to muscle.

I'm 6'3", 230 lbs

I'd prefer to be closer to 210, and for that 210 to be more muscle than flab.

I'm 22. When I was 18, I weighed 185 and was nearly all muscle. Somehow, college changed that quickly. The biggest reason was that I stopped lifting weights. So, I've decided to start up again. I'm also working to cook more food at home and eat less junk

[Jeremy]

Originally posted by Accumulator
AHA! This thread's alive again!

Jeremy- IMO, you really oughta get a body-comp test. It'll help you determine whether or not you're making the (specific) progress you're after. Sounds like it's going well, though! With 3 months to go, you can definitely make your deadline.

I got a body-comp test back in January, but was not working out again until June.

I then bought a scale that also has the body-fat measuring built in. I don't think it's that accurate, but it was only a couple bucks more than the other scales.

The reason I'm not trusting it is that the % hasn't changed a bit in the 6 weeks I've been using it. I flucuate, but the average has stayed the same.

I have been meaning to go get another test even though I don't belong to a gym anymore. They might still let me in to take the test if I'm sneaky. I now work out in a small room the Marines in my building maintain and let me use.

[Accumulator]

jem7vwh- Well, at 6'3" (!) you could carry 210 really well if you replaced fat with muscle. Even 230 (you'd be a monster). As I said to PrinzII, get a body comp test done. Accumulatorette and I find it VERY motivational to watch the fat% decrease while the lean mass% increases. Easier to gauge your progress than going just by weight, too.

At 22 you can probably still achieve your goals with a "reasonable" diet, at least easier than you could in another ten years.

[jem7vwh]

Accumulator, you know it's funny, I did a little reading and I already know exactly where my diet is killing me. It's all the processed sugars. I'm not a fat person. In fact, if you saw me walking down the street, you'd probably call me a little skinny. That's because all my weight gain is right around the waist. According to my reading, that's because that's where all the highly processed sugars and carbs go when they aren't used immediately as energy.

*looks around desk at empty DrPepper cans*


I have no idea where it's coming from....


So, it's diet sodas, less fast food, and a new weight lifting regiment so I can get in shape while I'm still young and free of other responsibilities.

[PrinzII]

Originally posted by Accumulator
PrinzII- Sounds like you're making continual progress Ever think of having a body composition test (% of your weight that's fat vs. lean weight) done? Around here it costs $10 and only takes a few minutes.

I wonder where you can get those done.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by jem7vwh
Accumulator, you know it's funny, I did a little reading and I already know exactly where my diet is killing me. It's all the processed sugars. I'm not a fat person. In fact, if you saw me walking down the street, you'd probably call me a little skinny. That's because all my weight gain is right around the waist...

Yep, that's exactly where *I* was packing it on when *I* was 22 ! Simply not eating/drinking empty calories makes a world of difference. Plus, sugars/other high-glycemic index foods cause an insulin response that tells the body to store up fat.

Jeremy- Yeah, unfortunately the electro-impulse body comp tests (like your scale) don't really work. But as you said, it only cost a few bucks more so it was worth the try.

I had a set of calipers (cheapie plastic ones) but they got lost when we moved. I've been tested SOO many times I know exactly where I need to measure to gauge my progress, so I'll probably just get another set and start doing it myself.

PrinzII- Call the local sports/medical and physical therapy facilities, especially the kind that deal with rehabilitation of sports related injuries. To get useful results from the (simple) caliper-method, the only "trick" involved is to find a tester who is CONSISTENT (ask them who's been doing it the longest). They have to check EXACTLY the same places in EXACTLY the same way each time. Accumulatorette got measured by an inexperienced person one time and the readings were over 150% different from usual, and not in a good way (heh heh, she was NOT amused). The immersion-in-water method is VERY accurate, but what a hassle! I'd stick to the calipers.

[Intermezzo]

Accumulator,

Thanks for the info on DL's and Squats! I agree, squats require a certain element of discipline that not everyone possess. It's really interesting what squats did for your knees.....I'm definitely gonna start doing them.

[AlBoston]

I have been consistently going to the gym for 5 weeks and see a BIG improvement in my posture, weight reduction, muscle tone, etc. I am definitely going to keep it up. I find that it REALLY helps to go with someone else daily, it really keeps you motivated.