Official Fitness Thread

Ok, thois is what I feel:

Working my deltoids (One Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Presses): It feels kind of heavy.
Workign my back: Feels a bit heavy at first but after like 15reps it gets pretty heavy.

Even though I feel like stoipping, should I or should I keep going and push my muscles to its limit?

Thanks DWeaver

hipn, you want to improve your gains and progress as you grow, but only doing so, you really need to focus on intensity. When I say you should do your reps until failure, it (failure) means you can't even lift your last rep halfway through. When I say you should keep it between 6-10 reps until failure, that means you need to pick a heavy weight where you can only do between 6-10 reps until you can't even pull your last rep out no matter how hard you try.

Does that make sense?

Yes, I fully understand you, but I got an important question. Right now I have a 15ldbs dumbbell, should I start lifting 20lbs? or go stright to like 30-35lbs and skip 20lbs? Or should I go like 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40?

It varies on exercises, for some exercises, you might want to use 15 lbs, or for some, you might want to go 35 lbs, but it's important that you keep that 6-10 rep range to failure for that specific exercise. I'd recommend keeping a logbook to keep track of your progress. If you have never tried an exercise before, and dont' konw which weight to use, then that's your trial and error period. Once you figure out which weights is optimal for that exercise, you should record it, and keep doing that exercise every week (for 4 weeks, then switch to a new program so your muscles aren't conditioned to that same program), and if you feel that you can go past 10 reps, then bump it up 5 lbs (and chances are, you'll probably only be able to do 6 reps with the increase).

It's expensive to buy dumbbells, so I'd recommend adjustable plates for dumbbells, but personally, I own Powerblocks, which are fantastic for home gym (www.powerblocks.com) and you save a lot of money, time, and space with them as opposed to a full rack of dumbbells.

Hey Cy, what are your measurements now.

I'm at 6' 2", 205 lbs...

Well jus to tell you guys, I am almost reaching my goal to hitting 155 LBS. That is my goal before the new year. Now I am at 148 LBS and standing 5'6".

Well , I am seriously going on a diet , I am becoming overweight , and my weight is all blubber , no muscle at all . I am 5'9" and I weigh 168 lbs . My goal is to go down to 150-155 , and most of it being muscle . I already am going on a diet , but are there any excersise tips where I can just lose weight , Not looking to get huge , but a little bit of Abs and and you know , a toned muscular body . Thanks in advance .

I hear this everywhere, if you want to get a toned physique (and are relatively open-minded) try pilates. I personally don't, so don't take my word for it. But I hear it's good for that. Maybe that, a bit of lifting, and frequent runs.

Everyone who doesnt excersice at all needs to stop being lazy and start getting in shape, I've been doing push-ups, sit-ups, and weights ( Not heavy weights, I need to upgrade, too lazy to go upstairs and grab them ) for over 3 months.

I find that funy Chezzy , first you say people have to stop being lazy and get in shape , yet your to lazy to get weights upstairs . What a role model ! Seriously though , It's not that I'm lazy , I excersise alot , but I eat ALOT of grease .I'm going to go on a food diet , and I just wanted tips on how to get my body toned quickly.

I hear this everywhere, if you want to get a toned physique (and are relatively open-minded) try pilates. I personally don't, so don't take my word for it. But I hear it's good for that. Maybe that, a bit of lifting, and frequent runs.

Ye I heard Pilates were good. Alot of girls do pilates.

Hey Cy, what are your measurements now.

I'm at 6' 2", 205 lbs...

5'11", 196 lbs, but you're about 6% body fat less than I am at the moment Actually, if you don't mind, can you make a short list of foods that would be beneficial when I do go on my cutting phase? So far, I can think of boiled chicken breasts, hard boiled eggs, veggies, nuts, beans and legumes...

but are there any excersise tips where I can just lose weight , Not looking to get huge , but a little bit of Abs and and you know , a toned muscular body . Thanks in advance .

If DWeaver can finish up the diet list mentioned above, those are the foods you should be eating, combined with weights and some cardio, you should be burning fat like crazy. Calories actually do count, but don't starve yourself, just eat good foods, and combine that with weights, your metabolism will rise and your body will become a furnace

So far, I can think of boiled chicken breasts, hard boiled eggs, veggies, nuts, beans and legumes...

I'll stick with my Pepsi, chocolate muffins and Doritos thanks.

Pepsi Max!


Don't worry, it has no sugar.

Everyone who doesnt excersice at all needs to stop being lazy and start getting in shape, I've been doing push-ups, sit-ups, and weights

stick with that instead of sig making

5'11", 196 lbs, but you're about 6% body fat less than I am at the moment

I'm probably at about 8-9% myself after my extended road trip... If you have attended gyms in places like Japan while up to your neck in work then you know you're a fitness junkie, right???

Actually, if you don't mind, can you make a short list of foods that would be beneficial when I do go on my cutting phase? So far, I can think of boiled chicken breasts, hard boiled eggs, veggies, nuts, beans and legumes...

That's pretty much it... You could add fish ( tuna and salmon are great, preferably fresh or fillet, although tuna is much more easily attainable canned in water), and (very) low fat yoghurt to that list...

How do you find out what the % of body fat you have?

i lifted weights in high school because of sports for a while. after i messed up my shoulder i really couldnt do too much lifting, but by then i was pretty much tired of football and basketball so it didnt matter too much. now with college and work and stuff i have found it extremely hard to get to the gym on a regular basis. i went a whole lot during the fall - doing pure cardio, but then i kind of got tired of my workout and i just didnt have time. since then ive started doing things from the comforts of home, much easier to keep a schedule that way. i bought one of those exercise balls - the ones you see at the gyms and i am in the process of finding some dumbell weights, probably the ones from bowflex. so i guess we shall see how that goes. i guess the key is to really keep and maintain a schedule, mix things up a bit with routines and eat well (right now im drinking some v8 juice - vomit).

what other workouts are there that i can do from home.. i do a couple variations of crunches, and pushups and stuff, but what else is there that is really effective

How do you find out what the % of body fat you have?

Calipers are the most popular and accurate way. Some digital scales do them, but it's not as accurate. Or you could book an appointment with a trainer at your local YMCA or something and they can do a test on you.

what other workouts are there that i can do from home.. i do a couple variations of crunches, and pushups and stuff, but what else is there that is really effective

I know what you mean, it's hard to be consistent and motivated, but once you're into it, it'll become a lifestyle. I mentioned earlier that Powerblocks (www.powerblocks.com) are great dumbbell substitutes. Combine that with a inclinde/decline bench, and an adjustable EZ curl bar with some weight plates then there's a lot you can do.

^ill look into it

im aslo looking at these: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 06-5895113

and: http://www.homefitnessclub.com/jump.jsp ... uctID=6006

also, if im not really doing workouts with wieghts (yet anyways) is it ok if i workout every day or is that still not considered good

The Bowflex weights actually look pretty good. Since Powerblocks came out, I haven't heard about the competitors, but those two links look pretty good

Well, depends on your goal. If you're just maintaining and just keeping in shape, then I guess doing cardio or doing resistance training on a daily basis (without overworking yourself) then you're fine. If you want to get bigger or more cut, then weights are the way to go, imo.

im looking to just get in shape again. i just dont really have time to do much cardio work... well in terms of hitting the track or the bike at the gym (cant really jog outside either - too cold for my lungs). will simply lifting wrights from my own place/pushups/situps be enough? or is it really really necessary to hit the bike to shed weight?

If you want to put on muscle and already have a good foundation then the weights should be enough, but if you have some flab on you you should definately do cardio.

Well, all I do is lift weights at home and I'm in good shape and made gains, but a combination of cardio and weights and most importantly - your diet, will be optimal if you want to shed the weight fast. A combination of just weights and a good diet can still work.

If you want to get bigger or more cut, then weights are the way to go, imo.

All the newbies should follow that rule, yes.

But from a certain point on, the things you have to do in order of importance are:

1. Eat according to your set goals. This is the hardest part to master and takes a lot of research ar at least asking around - 50%

2. Weight lifting. Goes without saying. 30% Necessary in order to see results from no. 1.

3. Good rest and sleep. Often overlooked, it is a fact that muscles grow and/or define themselves while the body is resting , responding to the strenuous exercise that came before. YOU DO NOT GROW WHILE YOU ARE AT THE GYM!!! . So sleep well - 20%

In a nutshell, those three points are the basic solid fundamentals to muscle growth