athletics

I never thought of posting this before, but since I work in the fitness and training field, if any one has specific or general questions, hit me with em.

MexicanOnABike

ah cool stuff.
i have a question for you: i'm super thin but i'd like to get toned up on my upper body(arms and stomac) how do i gain muscles there? what sports or excersises and what type of food would work best? if this is too much to ask, let me know.

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noahfor

i know i'm not the thread starter, but i might as well throw this in here, and the thread starter can add or subtract from what i've said, or correct me if i'm wrong:

i'm assuming by tone you want to build muscle, since that's really the only thing that's going to change the way your muscles look, since you said you're already super thin

your upper body will gow faster if you work your lower body as well. build your routine around heavy compund lifts: deadlifts, squats, dips, pull ups, rows, bench press, military press. pick weights that you can only do between 6-15 reps with, and just do a couple sets per exercise 1-2 times per week. take it slow. learn good form. try and increase the reps, weight, sets, or time in between sets every workout.

eat clean and healthy, whole foods: meat, fish, chicken, turkey, yams, sweet potato, brown rice, oats, corn, nuts, peanut butter, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, lots of veggies, fruits, stuff like that

1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight, .4 grams per pound of fats, and toy around with carbs until you are gaining ~ a pound per week.

i'm writing this assuming you're a guy, i didn't look at your name, but even if you're a girl i bet you'd be happy with the results of this kind of training, maybe play with the diet so you're only an ounce a week or something like that

remember abs are like any other muscle, if you want them to show lose fat, if you want them to grow use low reps and heavy weight, only do 100's of crunches if you want muscular endurance in your abs


i have a question as well: i want to get better at rock climbing, specifically bouldering. what is the fastest way to accomplish this? should workout besides climbing, or will that hinder my gains? any tips will be appreciated. if you don't know about climbing specifically, that's cool.

ironman

I'm a beer lover, usually i drink 1 beer every night when i get home. I started doing the MAX OT routine 2 weeks ago after a year of no weight lifting. Should i cut off the beer? Should i cut of the alcohol ingestion?
I'm not interested in bodybuilding, just having a nice lean body.
Thanks.

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Willravel

A beer a night can be just fine. So long as you eat well and exercise, you should be fine. Just be sure to drink it during a meal so it gets digested with a lot of other stuff.

athletics

I battled the same problem for years, too skinny and gaining mass was hard for me. I know...good problem to have. I would suggest the following for your upper body. For your chest, do a flat bench. This will work your chest and triceps in a serious way. For your arms, if you have access to a pull up bar, grab it with your palms facing inward. You want your forearms to hang perpendicular to the ground, this usually equates to 8-10 inches between your hands. For abs, you can elect to do sit ups or crunches, which ever is most comfortable. Make sure you use proper form. Form is essential for abs.

The best activities for fitness are swimming, biking and running. Do either of these for 30 - 60 continuous minutes at a high intensity and in two months you will love the results, as long as your diet is helpful.

Some diet suggestions would be limited sugar, nothing fried. Try and eat very few processed foods and cook your own meals (that way you know what is really in them). If your diet isn't right, your physique won't be either.

Hope this helps.

I agree with this, very good. For beginners, overhauling your diet is very tough and should be done over time to lead to longevity. The foods you eat and crave are very much a part of your lifestyle. This needs to develop over time. Any one can start with small goals, no fried foods, little sugar, no late carbs. Have a long term goal and remember no one is perfect. One thing I have done for a while is through out the week, eat like you should to gain your goals, then once a week for dinner eat what ever you want.

You want to focus on the muscle groups that you will be using constantly while climbing. I would certainly suggest a specific workout for it, but different than what most do in the gym. All the normal routines are fine, bench, squats, etc, but for climbing you need endurance. I recommend organizing a workout based on specific muscle usage.

Start with a wrist curl, hold a dumbbell and curl your wrist all four directions. Then a preacher curl. For endurance you can do 10 sets of 10. Light weight of course, your last few will be tough.

Then various pull ups with different grips. Palms facing towards, then away, then palms facing each other. The last one you will have to do twice. Right hand closer then left hand closer.

Hope this helps.

Alcoholic drinks are empty calories, meaning there is little or no nutritional value. Consuming more than moderate alcohol could make it harder to attain your desired physique. I would recommend limiting your alcohol if you notice weight gain given you are working out and eating right; or an inability to fall asleep. Otherwise, if it is something you like to do and you don't notice any consequences, don't sweat it.

Willravel

I'm considering getting back into a running routine of some kind in the near future. I've run before, but usually only on a track. Nearby, there are trails that run through a forest, and they include some excellent inclines (something I'm interested in). My question is two fold: 1) What kinds of running should I be doing with inconsistant ground incline and decline? Should I sprint up? 2) Do normal running shoes (I wear New Balance) work in this situation, or should I get something better equipt to deakling with running over rocky terrain?

My main goal is general improvement of my cardiovascular system, and also managing my metabolism (keeping off excess fat, being efficient at digesting what I eat in how well the nutrients are distributed).

Muchos gracius!!

athletics

To meet your overall goals, try and build up to a 30 minute routine of continuous running. Your regular New Balance should be fine, unless it is an area that gets wet then you may want to consider a cross trainer shoe. With running I have found that just because you are going downhill doesn't make it easier. I love the idea of running on a trail, less stress on your joints each step. I would also suggest buying a heart rate monitor. You want to try and get your heart rate around 150 bpm during exercise and do it for 30 minutes. Since you are getting back in to running, you may want to work up to the 30 minutes, what ever you can do. Push yourself, but don't kill yourself in the process.

Willravel

Ah, excellent advice. I don't expect too much rain over the next few months (North America, mediterranean climate), so I'm glad I can keep the shoes I have. Shoes are freaking expensive. I'm not expecting downhill to be easier than uphill, in fact I find it to be much more difficult. I usually (usually meaning over the past few weeks) do a slow jog downhill, and wind sprints uphill. I can do about 12 minutes of running right now before having to slow to walking. My asthma is slowly dissapearing, though, which will make life much easier.

Thanks very much.

oracle2380

I've been trying to lower my body fat for the two months but it seems like I,ve hit a wall at the 10% mark. I increased my cardio and abdominal workouts, and I reduced my daily caloric intake to about 1500 calories, but still i can't seem to get any lower than 10%. Is there anything else Ishould do?

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Willravel

The last 10% is the hardest, but have no fear...it's far from impossible. What you've done is quite important, but don't neglect weight training. I've found that lunges with weights (on my ankles) are magnificent for the final 10 pounds. Just don't starve yourself.

noahfor

I'd definitely try hitting the weights.

Have you ever heard of HIIT? I hear that's pretty good for losing fat.

It ultimately comes down to your diet though. Make sure you're eating super clean.

And ab excercises aren't going to make you lose fat in your abs any more than calve exercises or any other exercises.

quadro2000

Thanks for mentioning this. I went to a nutritionist back in October of last year, in the hopes of improving my diet - I'm also skinny and am gaining muscle, but I feel like I could be seeing much better results if I fix what I'm eating - and she gave me this complete overhaul of every single meal, and after about six weeks, I gave up. It was too much. I've been feeling guilty about it ever since.

Now I know that even making small changes for the moment are a good step in the right direction.

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athletics

Willravel is correct. Losing those final few percentages are that hardest part. Before I get to my answer, let me ask a few questions.

- What is your current workout and current weight?
- What kind of cardio are you doing. How often and what time of day?
- What is a typical day of eating for you?
- What fat percentage measurement are you using?
- What is your fat % goal?

thingstodo

Lifting is very important as it builds more muscles to amp up your metabolism. However, HIIT won't take off the fat. It makes your body take sugar from muscles mass when it run out of fuel. Some high but a lot of low will drop the fat. HIIT is for your heart while the lower stuff is better for fat.

There's a key point when your body shifts from burning equal amount of fat and sugar to all sugar. You can tell when you're already there because you want to breath in and out through your mouth and you'll have a mental focus to maintain the pace. If you can breath in through your nose and out through your mouth you are just under. You burn the most fat/ calorie spent when you do cardio and can breath in and out only through your nose. It just takes more time. the good thing is that you will be training your body to process fat for fuel and over time can move your heart to higher bpm levels.

I've posted some heart rate training stuff out hear. PM me if you'd like more.

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athletics

I think she was asking too much up front. Your reaction is natural. If you want to change your diet for good and it sounds like you want to be dedicated to it, give yourself time. Gradually grow towards your goals. You have to gain one pound before you can gain the second or the tenth. Her diet should probably be seen as a long term goal. Set up steps that will get you there and be a little agressive on it. You will have to make yourself sacrifice some very tasty foods in order to reach your goals. But you will be so glad you did once you get there.

Zeraph

I'm not sure if you would know this but I'm concerned with my joints and bones, specifically my knees and ankles. I've been jogging hiking trails for the past 3 years or so and I particularly like running down trail and it can get pretty rocky. Will the extra pressure on my bones be detrimental in the long term? I'm worried about my knees or even my back when I'm 50 (im 21 now if that has anything to do with it).

thingstodo

You're probably OK for now. Glucosamine Chondroitin is a good product to maintain joint health. You can Google around to find out more details.

I'm 50 and take it religiously...

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athletics

To build on what 'thingstodo' said, do you know of any family history of bone or joint problems? If so, take those things in to account in your activities. However running on softer ground will be much easier on your joints. Any activity at high intensity will take a toll on your joints. If you strech and stay flexible, you will have a much easier time as time passes. Staying flexible is key to longevity.

Zeraph

Ya my dad has arthritis and some other joint problem. Thanks to both of you. I think ill start taking Glucosamine Chondroitin.

What kind of soft ground? Like I heard the beach was too soft and could be bad for knees. So run on grass?

athletics

Right. The beach would be too soft. Even the wet hard packed sand is not good for long term. You want the ground to be responsive and not make you work harder, but a little cushion is important. Grass is great. Some trails with grass get so much traffic that it becomes dirt and that's ok too. As long as you are not sinking.

thingstodo

Down hill is supposed to be rough on the body as well. I hear that walking down stairs is much worse than going up.

Are both of those assumptions correct?

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hannukah harry

walking down stairs is worse on your body because there's more of a force natural force exerted back on your body from the ground. when you walk, the force going up each leg ends up having 2 - 3 times your body weight. because you strike the ground with your heel, that force travels up your bone structure and can cause knee/hip problems. so walking down stairs should cause your feet to hit with even more force than walking. but whether it's more of a force than running, i couldn't tell you.

running up hill is better for your knees because it front loads the impact and allows some of the force to be absorbed by the muscles in your leg.

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level five

interesting. i just walked down the stairs to check this heal thing and found that i use the ball of my foot when walking down stairs. does that mean i won't have to worry about knee and hip problems from going down hill a lot?

joemc91

I have a sort of lengthy question for you Oh Guru of Fitness. Basically I am in decent shape, but not close to how I want to be. Used to excersize once a day, sometimes twice, but due to scheduling constraints, I barely ever work out anymore. In fact, even the gym membership is gone. Most of this centers around traveling for a living (and of course for fun on days off). So my question is this:

I have about 2 months of training coming up where it's 8-5 work but I am spending it in a hotel and will not have a car. Would it be possible to get in shape and bulk up? I'm not looking to get super huge, just gain about 5-10 pounds of muscle and lose a little fat on the gut (not much of a gut really). What sort of exercises could I do to accomplish this without a gym or freeweights?

In case it helps, I'm 6' and 155lb.

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hannukah harry

i have no idea... i think i said it above, but in case i didn't, i really don't know too much about the physics of it all. an engineer that works out at my fitness center told me that it had to do with where your foot hits the ground in walking uphill vs. down. but i do know that your muscles do absorb impact and am pretty sure the more forward on the foot you strike the ground, the more energy is absorbed by the muscles.

but running down hill... give it a try... picturing it in my head i'm picturing a heel strike unless you do some weird ankle bend. but i could be wrong. try it out and let us know!

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athletics

Most people land on the ball of their foot when walking down stairs. There is nothing wrong with this and preferred. You would not want to land on your heel when walking down stairs. The difference in running down a hill and walking down stairs is kinetic force. You have some speed built up and your body is not perpendicular to the ground. If you want to test that, try and lean forward when running down a hill, but wear some sort of facemask because you will eventually fall on it.

The difference between walking down stairs is your body is dropping to meet each stair, not leaning back for balance. There is very little between the two that are similar and not an indication of no future knee or hip problems. A tip for going down stairs is to turn at a bit of an angle. This will only ensure your foot has more room to land on each stair. Thats about it...and hold on to a rail if possible for balance.

You will need to decide which you want to do first. Add mass or loose fat. They cannot be done simultaneously. It is true that your muscles will get stronger from running every other day, however it will not result in mass gain.

Being on the road, like I have been many times before, leads to fewer chances to drive to a good gym and pump. However, you will have a lot of down time before and after work. Can you tell me which you prefer? Morning or night workout? Fat loss or mass gain? How much time do you want to devote? This will help me answer your question better.

balefire88

Hi,
I've just started working about about 2 weeks ago. My current goals are pretty modest: to gain about 10-15 lbs (hopefully all of it in the upper body). I've talked to a couple of people about workouts, but my own work schedule, home life and work situation is dictating what I can and cannot do. Please comment on my plan and suggest changes.

My weights: 2 adjustable dumbells (40 lbs in weight total, or 20lbs each).

My workout schedule:
Biceps & Back -- Day 1
Chest & Triceps -- Day 2
Shoulders & Abs -- Day 3
Repeat

The specific excercises are alternating curls (biceps), forget what the name is for the back, pushups for chest, overhead curls? (triceps), side raises (shoulders) and "The ab roller" for abs (got it from a friend, seems decent).

I'm not putting aside any days for a rest. Keeping to a good schedule is something I really need to stay on task. Is this bad? Should I try and rest on day 4 and then repeat? If it is better to rest atleast one day, I can try and work it into my schedule. However, I definitely can't do a rest day every other day (as someone suggested to me).

I know a gym would be better, but my financial situation doesn't really allow for it.

The specific excercise plan is to do 3 sets going from 10 to 8 to 6 reps for each muscle group. So each, its a total of 6 sets, and to max out those two groups by the end. Should I be trying to do multiple types of excercises for each muscle group, or is one excercise and 3 sets of it enough?

I don't really have any plans for cardio, my endurance is quite good as I used to be a runner. I do, however, play tennis or basketball about twice to three times a week. This happens whenever my friends want to play. Should I not workout on these days? If I can do both, does the order matter?

Nutrition: I eat quite healthy, so I'm not to worried about that. I did get advice that I should eat some protein directly after my workout. That person suggested eggs or tuna. I can't bring tuna home, so that leaves eggs. But I'm worried about cholestrol (especially if I work out everyday).

Thanks a lot.

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gal

Hi athletics, I have some nutritional questions as well.

I've been off training martial arts for 10 months. I started training again two weeks ago following my old schedule, with 5 evening workouts a week and a few morning runs. It is just painful to see how much endurance I've lost - I'm usually crawling out of the gym every day. In addition, I've got different office hours now, so I have like 1 hour from end of dinner to start of training. Clearly that's not very good, as I struggle to keep the food down and also run out of gas halfway through sparring.

So here's my adjusted eating routine. I know there's some bad stuff in there, but hey, I gotta be realistic. My main goal is to be able to do high intensity training so I can improve condition and technique.

I'm 6'2 and 196 lb. I used to fight at 183, cutting from 190.

• Breakfast at 8, after running if I did that: Every other day I eat 2 eggs, bacon and beans. Oats + 50g protein powder on other days. Orange juice and 2 cups of coffee.
• Lunch at 1130: chicken salad or sandwich, maybe with ham,cheese, feta and olives. 2 cups of coffee.
• Dinner substitute around 4pm: fruits and 100g of protein.
• 630-8: training
• Dinner at 9pm: chicken and rice, pork, or pasta and beef; all of them with lots of veggies. Sometimes I just can't bother though, so I just get a pizza or fry me some burgers. 1-2 times a week I also hit the pub and could drink anything from 1-5 beers.
• 60g protein with lots of water before I go to bed.
• I also take creatine once a day and ribose before training.

athletics

I would certainly suggest working out your legs somewhere. Day 1 and 2 are fine. I think you can mix shoulders in on Day 2 and abs should be done each day, which could leave Day 3 for legs. You could do military type exercises, you can find them online. Your workout shouldn't stop you from playing some ball in the same day.

For your exercises each day, it is fine to workout a muscle group once.

You can get a protein powder and mix that after a workout.

Let me know if you have any more questions.


Here are a few of the things I see:

You have too much protein in one sitting. Keep it around 40 grams. Anything much more than that and your body can't use it. You can think of it like watering a plant, you can give it a lot of water, but too much it spills over and its wasted. Instead, mix it through the day in more even amounts.

You see to be getting a lot of late carbs. I am not an anti-carb guy in no means, but you also don't need 100+ grams of carbs in the evening and night. Rice and beer are all carbs, so keep that in mind.

You have a lot of good things in your routine. Keep it up. And if you notice that its not working like you wish, take another look at it. And if you want a second opinion, let me know.

gal

Thanks, athletics. Good points. Kinda hard to avoid carbs when I'm eating dinner that late though. Are potatoes better than rice?

balefire88

Thanks, athletics.

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level five

i switched to fruit and yogurt when I have to eat late and then try to eat something more solid a few hours before working out. don't know if that will help you. my main goal is to not go to bed REAAAAL hungry before bed. i also might eat high fiber cereal with skim milk. either way it's a smaller amount. i find i sleep much better if i eat very little 2-3 hours before bed. but that's all just me!

athletics

Potatoes aren't really any better. Probably worse because of their glycemic index. Certain veggies would be much better. You can research the glycemic index for some good ideas.

joemc91

Slow reply here. I would prefer an evening workout since it takes my mind off of what I've learned that day. I have also been thinking about the goals and how to accomplish them and feel that since I don't have access to a gym with any sort of weights but can run and swim I'll focus on losing the little bit of fat first. As for time, up to three hours a day can be set aside since I won't have any transportation in the area at all. Thanks for the help!

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athletics

What would you think about running or swimming about an hour after dinner? If your schedule permits you to do that later in the evening, like say around 8 or 9, this would work out great. Then provided you ate well through the day you would have the calories you needed and then not eat anything after the workout, just unwind. Would that be suitable?

No weight needed, on off days, mix in a full body military type routine for 30 minutes. I can give you ideas there too if you want.

level five

boy, swimming can sure be a great workout. it really hits a lot of muscle groups and it's low impact. i've known a lot of people over the years that never lifted but looked great because of all the swimming they did. that's not to say that you don't need to lift, but man, i wish i looked like some of them!!

joemc91

That sounds really good to just go running then. Should be cooling off nicely around that time as well. What sort of military routine would you recommend?

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ryfo

Hope you can help....I go to gym and want to really get the most out of the treadmill, but I take 150mg of a beta blocker everyday. As this slows the heartbeat I was wondering what would be the best way to find out what min/max heartrate i should have while working out? I know its not the normal as my doc has made the comment that there is no way I could reach that rate but gave me no clue as to find out the heartrate that i need to acheive. Any ideas?"? Thanx

level five

i would work with a trainer and take the O2 test. that's how you would know for sure. a good trainer would be able to figure out how to help you through your challenge, i'll bet. some gyms have cardio trainers that specialize in the O2 training.