The Fitness Guide

[J J]

Hello, I just discovered that there is also interesting threads in the NLSC aside from the NBA Talk, anyway, I have two problems.

1. I'm contented on how I look except for the chest and abdominal area, I want to know workout/workouts that target those areas without going to the gym and risk hurting your neck/back(sit-ups) that gives you the best results, I'm 5'10" and weigh about 72-75 kg.

2. I stopped jogging and playing basketball in the morning since I often tire myself out and not be able to perform at night, I have sex around 2-4 times a week. What my problem is while doing it, I get cramps in the legs(more specifically in the calves area) like 2 times in 10 nights. I want to know if there's like a brief warm up to avoid these kind of experiences?

Thanks in advance.

[shadowgrin]

I have sex around 2-4 times a week

What do you need to be fit for? You're already doing the best exercise.

[J J]

I'm not contented with my chest/abs appearance-wise. I think it needs a little more cutting/toning.

[cyanide]

I got a new blender for Christmas as one of my gifts, and I made the ultimate meal replacement shake without using whey protein. Been experimenting for a few days, and found one that gives a good ratio of carbs, protein and fats, as well as a crapload of vitamins, minerals, anti-toxidants, etc.

The ingredients are as follows, which makes two meals:

- 1 banana (or substitute with pineapple chunks)
- 1 cup of oatmeal
- 2 cups of skim (no-fat) milk
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1 tablespoon of flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 1 cup of yogurt
- 2 servings (fistfulls) of frozen berries

It tastes better than the average protein bar and protein shake with water, but one might find the peanut butter taste to be too strong or not sweet enough. In that case, add more frozen berries or orange juice. The health benefits are terrific and makes a really good afternoon snack (meal).

[Matt]

Anyways, it's been over a year since i took up the challenge of a new lifestyle and i couldn't be happier. Granted i don't look like Brad Pitt in Troy....either way, it's been a long journey with many ups and downs. Just as i was hitting my stride last June, i was interrupted by a 6 week holiday which undid all my work. After returning from my holiday (in which i lost 6kg) i had a lot of work to make up. Time was scarce and workouts were rare if any. However, during this time i really focused on eating. Not really healthy eating, but eating just to regain some weight, which i have successfully done.

So as of November I have been able to find regular time for workouts. Plus my diet has improved and I've also picked up swimming every Thursday for 3hrs (of which at least 2 is done doing laps).

At the moment i can't afford a 'proper' diet but i have established a routine with my exercise which i believe will carry over until i get a FT job that can fund my demands (in about 5/6 months). More importantly, i am seeing results. I've ditched an "overall" workout and decided to focus on specific areas for weeks at a time. First was the biceps, which look pretty good at the moment, and now the shoulders are rounding into their own. Next up is the chest. I'm not the only one that's noticed the change since no one calls me skinny any more.

[cyanide]

Good to hear your progress, Matt. I just wanted to comment on the part where you can't afford a proper diet. It's actually cheaper to buy foods and make your meals. For example, I bulk up on multigrain bagels, buy a pack of bacon, and buy a dozen eggs to make myself a bacon egg bagel every lunch. A big bag of oats to make myself oatmeal every morning does it for my brunch when breakfast is milk and inexpensive cereal. Those kind of things save a lot of money in the long run.

[peaches]

um anyone have any skin tips? my skin is getting really dry/flaky.

[J@3]

Eat 6 egg whites every morning and 12 kilo's of oat meal, then go to the gym and lift 500lb dumbells while watching yourself in the mirror and CRUCIALLY work on those abs! Bulk up!

Yeah I don't know what I'm talking about. Moisturize, keep hydrated.

[peaches]

homg i moistoruize.. exfoliate.. whatever... not working !

both in decent amounts.. not like just a quick slap slap.

[J@3]

Maybe you're doing it too much... or you have some sort of skin condition. I suggest leprosy but you never know. I have noticed my skin does that if I've been drinking alot of alcohol.

[Dan's Brain]

homg i moistoruize.. exfoliate.. whatever... not working !

both in decent amounts.. not like just a quick slap slap.

How often are you doing that though?

[cyanide]

homg i moistoruize.. exfoliate.. whatever... not working !

both in decent amounts.. not like just a quick slap slap.

I might be wrong, but doesn't exfoliation cause dryness? Moisturizer does the trick, but if cutting down on the amount of exfoliant doesn't work after a couple weeks, then maybe see a dermatologist. It could be a skin issue that requires a prescription.

[shadowgrin]

Try placing peaches in your skin peaches.

Are you sure you just didn't forget to take a bath?

[Jackal]

Woakay people, I's got fat. Gotta get back in to my fulltime routine starting tomorrow.

Lost a lot of muscle, gained a bit of weight so I'm not too happy about that. I'm at 78 but that's bad weight, fat weight. Well tomorrow the training schedule starts again, going to be focussing on weight loss a lot more than building muscle as of now.

Trying a different approach, instead of cardio + muscle gain, I'm going to do a lot more cardio. No, I'm not cutting out weights, that's absurd. Just toning it down.

Okay, time for bed.

[Indy]

2. I stopped jogging and playing basketball in the morning since I often tire myself out and not be able to perform at night, I have sex around 2-4 times a week. What my problem is while doing it, I get cramps in the legs(more specifically in the calves area) like 2 times in 10 nights. I want to know if there's like a brief warm up to avoid these kind of experiences?

Switch positions when you start cramping. Sit down, put pressure on your feet and let her ride you. Less work, same pleasure, less cramps.

[shadowgrin]

Too bad the one who posted that is now banned.
Jae made him snap.
Not a good treatment by Jae to the future father.

[Joe']

I'm at 185 lbs (83 kg) right now (I was 170 in August). It's been almost four months since my last workout session so I get lazy real quickly.

You guys think it's possible I could get back to 170 without extreme workouts and diets?

[Pera]

I'd suggest some water days, maybe a few meals where you don't eat until your full. It also depends on your body. I myself can lose to about a kg or two if I go on a water day and not eat fully the next one. Might be some health factors involved in that, but I don't really know about them. I think you should also consider staying at 83kg if you don't have to much fat around your waste and hips.

[Jackal]

Water days? As in drinking water only during a whole day? That sort of slows your metabolism down to a crawl, so I wouldn't suggest doing that. Especially for you Pera, with your irregular sleeping habits and all.

Joe do you workout at all anymore? Do you eat junk? It doesn't have to be an extreme diet but just clean up your current one. (No candy, no soda, no chips.) Eat 5-6 small meals (by meals I don't really mean meal, just something to sustain you every couple of hours.)

Most importantly make sure you're doing some sort of physical activity for atleast half an hour every day. (Walking, running, cycling, swimming, fighting, sexing...whatever, as long as it gets your heartrate a notch above the regular heartbeat.)

That should pretty much be enough to get your weight down over due time. See, no extreme diets nor extreme workouts. That's only for when you're trying to achieve an "extreme" physique.

[Joe']

Well, I'm just 5-11 so staying at 83 kg isn't really an option (the max. healthy weight for a person that's 1,80m tall is 80 kg), especially considering I haven't worked out at all since October.

Pera, I don't suggest you do the "water days" routine. I tried crash diets (Only thing I ate was a banana or an apple, an egg, and 2-3 cups of coffee during the whole day) back in September and it just doesn't work. You may lose a lot of weight in a very short period of time (I lost 10 lbs in just a week) but you'll gain them back in no time (I re-gained those 10 lbs I'd lost in four days).

It'll also fuck up your sleep and you'll lose muscle even if you're also losing weight. I wasn't even able to work out because I couldn't lift my own arms.

Thanks for the tips, Jackal. I'll try cutting off the junk food and alcohol and run for about half hour a day and see how that works.

I'll also try the whole "smaller meals" thing. I've never tried that, even when I worked out regularly.

[Jackal]

The smaller meals really make a difference. If you're eating 2-3 meals, you're sort of going all out whenever those meals come around. (Pigging out.) If you're eating smaller but more often, you're more likely to feel "full" which in turn makes you eat less at for example dinner.

You cut out the junkfood and alcohol for a month and you'll see that you've lost weight, not only that...you'll feel a lot more crisp in lack of a better word.

I've been alcohol free since May 2007.

[el badman]

The smaller meals really make a difference. If you're eating 2-3 meals, you're sort of going all out whenever those meals come around. (Pigging out.) If you're eating smaller but more often, you're more likely to feel "full" which in turn makes you eat less at for example dinner.

Actually, I believe most nutritionists would argue that 6 or 8 smaller meals a day is not a solution. Having 3 square meals a day, and the kind of meals that get you full, is much healthier in my opinion (as long as you diversify what you eat). It obviously depends on each individual, but in France, we usually don't eat more than three times a day, but we make sure that we eat enough so we don't have to munch in between meals. We're not the healthiest people ever, but I think we're definitely around the top.
Of course, doing a few situps/pushups everyday doesn't hurt either.

[Pera]

Water days? As in drinking water only during a whole day? That sort of slows your metabolism down to a crawl, so I wouldn't suggest doing that. Especially for you Pera, with your irregular sleeping habits and all.

Luckily those sleeping habits are getting better. I sleep for five hours non stop at night now and thats a major improvement indeed.

Thanks to you both for giving me some insight on water days. I really didn't know it could slow ones metabolism. I've done it few times or so and I never really saw difference. I was just a little more sleepy then usually as far as I can remember. I should be aware of the risk's when I try a new thing out next time.

[Jackal]

Actually, I believe most nutritionists would argue that 6 or 8 smaller meals a day is not a solution.

Proof or ban.

Smaller meals work in Holland, you need time to prepare three square meals, six "small" meals (which can consist of a simple sandwhich/fruits/fruitbiscuits/anything healthy on the go (low fat yoghurts, whole grain bars etc etc) is much easier to have on the go than a "square meal".

But as you said, to each their own. Whatever works for each individual.

[Joe']

Here in Italy people (especially kids my age) tend to eat very little or nothing at all for breakfast, usually a tiny espresso and a crappy-tasting croissant or a piece of brioche. The result is people getting off work at 10 AM for second breakfast and then again at 4 PM for brunch.

What's more amazing is, they manage to eat pasta for lunch and dinner every single day of the year. It's like they don't survive without pasta.

I personally have three consistent meals a day. I usually have pancakes, waffles or cold cereal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and most of the times meat for dinner. But I always feel the need to eat something in the afternoon or before dinner.

I think five small meals a day is a good solution, since you won't feel the need to eat in-between meals.