The ~New~ SWF GYM! Newbies and New Years Resolution Peeps Wanted!

[Attila_]

soreness is normally related to 'damage' within muscle sacromeres, iirc.

if you're recovering better, and protein is one supplement that should help faciliate that, then you'd logically be less sore.

 

[Mota]

I've been going to the gym and participating in some casual Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about 5 months, and there's been a noticeable difference.

A lot more muscle tone and some size. Feels good

I'm trying to cut back on junk food, but it's hard when you're a uni student...I find I eat that stuff in one daily meal...
I don't use any powder or supplements, so I tend to feel sore most of the time. I usually take that as a sign that I've had a good workout.

Is there a quick way to get noticable abs haha, apart from doing a lot of sit ups and crunches XD

 

[Evil Eye]

Situps and crunches aren't fast abs in the slightest unless you have a mutant metabolism that burns a kajillion calories a day.

I'll let one of the SWF gym regs touch on that one though.

 

[Pluvia]

I dunno I've been doing situps and crunches for a month now and I can definately see a difference. It's pecs I'm finding it's harder to get than abs.

 

[Keblerelf]

Get less than 10% body fat and you can get noticable abs.

Pluvia - what exercises are you doing for your chest? I find it hard to believe that you have troubles building your chest compared to your abs. I thought it would be the opposite since you can use more weight on chest exercises than you can on your abs.

 

[Dastrn]

Muscle milk is ****. Don't buy it. Get some whey protein powder for your post workout shakes, and eat a lot of lean meats throughout your day. Cottage cheese is also good in your post workout meal, if you are trying to add bulk.

Just go easy on the dairy in the rest of your day, if you are loading up on cottage and whey after workouts.

Adding some creatine will show huge benefits as well. You will be able to explode with more hard lifts on the higher weights, and will recover between sets quicker. Just be sure to stay extra well hydrated if you are going to be on creatine.

 

[Darkshadow7827]

I've been going to the gym and participating in some casual Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about 5 months, and there's been a noticeable difference.

Is there a quick way to get noticable abs haha, apart from doing a lot of sit ups and crunches XD

Get less than 10% body fat and you can get noticable abs.

What Keb said. Abs are made in the kitchen, not they gym. Ab exercises and weighted ab exercises are mainly for shaping them - ie runner's abs, nice flat and wide spread, are usually the result of doing abs everyday. Body builder abs - ie the abs that have the grand canyon running down the middle, are usually results from weighted ab exercises once or a couple times per cycle. I think having a giant crevasse running down your abs looks gross though

I dunno I've been doing situps and crunches for a month now and I can definately see a difference. It's pecs I'm finding it's harder to get than abs.

I agree with ya there. I have little body fat to begin with so abs aren't an issue. Getting bigger pecs is another story though haha. I'm able to put up more weight but it's like my chest doesn't wanna grow. Maybe getting more efficient or something but not wanting to hypertrophy or at least hypertrophy as much as I want them to.

 

[theeboredone]

soreness is normally related to 'damage' within muscle sacromeres, iirc.

if you're recovering better, and protein is one supplement that should help faciliate that, then you'd logically be less sore.

Muscle Sacromeres?

Since it had been 3 weeks since I started working out again (this past week), I definitely have been feeling the soreness, and most noticeably in my legs. I was doing the same weight from Thursday in regards to squats, and safe to say, it was much more difficult due to the soreness.

And I agree with the kitchen aspect in getting abs. Body Fat is tough to regulate, cause even if you are skinny, you can fit the mold of "skinny fat". Nevertheless, I'm gonna stay away from getting any abs until I'm able to lift more again.

 

[Takumaru]

What Keb said. Abs are made in the kitchen, not they gym. Ab exercises and weighted ab exercises are mainly for shaping them - ie runner's abs, nice flat and wide spread, are usually the result of doing abs everyday. Body builder abs - ie the abs that have the grand canyon running down the middle, are usually results from weighted ab exercises once or a couple times per cycle. I think having a giant crevasse running down your abs looks gross though

Thank you for mentioning different types of abs. Not enough people talk about this. Most people think great abs = ryan reynolds, but they forget that ryan reynolds abs are just one shape.

WARNING: I'm about to get on a soap box here; bare with me.

Most people are concerned with the shape of their abs. Everyone want's a flat set of six-pack washboard abs. While they look sexy and they make you feel confident, they're also physiologically impossible for some people to get thanks to a fun combination of genetics, lifestyle, diet, and exercise. Just remember you should focus less on how they look and more on how your body feels. The whole point of having strong abs and a strong core in general is to stabilize movements and provide good posture (don't forget to work out your back too!). In my opinion you should be more concerned with how you feel after sleeping on your back or after carrying around a book bag all day. It's all about balance.

I don't want to discourage anyone from trying to get the body shape they want. I just want people to keep in mind that there is more to all of this exercise and diet stuff than looking hot or getting ripped. No one gets to keep the body they had in their 20s. So learn the health and wellness side of things now.

I'm getting off my soap box now.

On an unrelated note, my school changed the hours the pool is open. I can no longer swim at all thanks to classes. Time to learn to love running.

 

[Pluvia]

Pluvia - what exercises are you doing for your chest? I find it hard to believe that you have troubles building your chest compared to your abs. I thought it would be the opposite since you can use more weight on chest exercises than you can on your abs.

A ton of different dumbbell ones. I can feel it affecting my chest and I know it's working, but just not as fast as my abs.

 

[Attila_]

Muscle milk is ****. Don't buy it. Get some whey protein powder for your post workout shakes, and eat a lot of lean meats throughout your day. Cottage cheese is also good in your post workout meal, if you are trying to add bulk.

Just go easy on the dairy in the rest of your day, if you are loading up on cottage and whey after workouts.

Adding some creatine will show huge benefits as well. You will be able to explode with more hard lifts on the higher weights, and will recover between sets quicker. Just be sure to stay extra well hydrated if you are going to be on creatine.

iirc muscle used to be good, until they swapped the micellar casein for calcium casienate. terrible stuff.

can i ask why you'd consider cottage cheese good after workouts? i'd assume it's digested too slowly... and it wouldn't have the carbs required to bulk, either.

creatine is a funny one; i swear it did nothing for me, except water weight, but I know a bunch of guys who think it's awesome.

 

[Darkshadow7827]

Everyone want's a flat set of six-pack washboard abs. While they look sexy and they make you feel confident, they're also physiologically impossible for some people to get thanks to a fun combination of genetics, lifestyle, diet, and exercise.

...

Time to learn to love running.

Yea, it's funny. My brother has wider, more rectangular abs while mine is very square and looks like corn kob kernels. I don't really like the way it looks but it's not like I can make it stretch out haha.

Also, learning to love running seems like a tough thing. I for one still don't like running >.> Lungs burning...

iirc muscle used to be good, until they swapped the micellar casein for calcium casienate. terrible stuff.

can i ask why you'd consider cottage cheese good after workouts? i'd assume it's digested too slowly... and it wouldn't have the carbs required to bulk, either.

creatine is a funny one; i swear it did nothing for me, except water weight, but I know a bunch of guys who think it's awesome.

I don't like the texture of cottage cheese. Also, I use creatine and I haven't really gained any noticeable weight. I usually assume my 2-3 lbs fluctuation in weight is due to water and poop. I like creatine though; I don't get that sleepy exhaustion feeling when lifting anymore. I dunno though cause I know some people that don't like it either.

 

[theeboredone]

Don't you also have to drink a lot of water for creatine to work? Never used it so meh.

 

[Keblerelf]

A ton of different dumbbell ones. I can feel it affecting my chest and I know it's working, but just not as fast as my abs.

Do you have access to a barbell? It's easier to increase the weight on there so you might see more progress if you include that.


For me, I got all my chest definition from doing a bunch of push ups. (They're still covered in fat though. ha)

 

[theeboredone]

Anyone ever have their sternum popped from stretching your arms wide out or doing bench? Odd place, but not exactly a relieving sensation compared to popping say your back lol.

 

[Dastrn]

iirc muscle used to be good, until they swapped the micellar casein for calcium casienate. terrible stuff.

can i ask why you'd consider cottage cheese good after workouts? i'd assume it's digested too slowly... and it wouldn't have the carbs required to bulk, either.

creatine is a funny one; i swear it did nothing for me, except water weight, but I know a bunch of guys who think it's awesome.

Cottage cheese is good after an EVENING workout in particular, precisely because it's slow digesting protein. Same reason people use casein protein in evening shakes and whey in mornings. Whey gives a spike in blood amino acids and protein synthesis, whereas casein draws it out.

Cottage cheese contains mostly casein protein.

Basically, you hit your whey shortly after your evening workout, and then have some cottage cheese before bed. It'll digest slower, and your body gets a relatively steady protein boost all night to repair your muscles.

Don't you also have to drink a lot of water for creatine to work? Never used it so meh.

You have to drink slightly more water because it's a bit of a diuretic. Other than that, no, water doesn't activate it.

You DO need to get some glucose with it for it to digest properly. I used to just mix it with some vitamin water or orange juice. I'd add a little to my post-workout shake too.

Do you have access to a barbell? It's easier to increase the weight on there so you might see more progress if you include that.


For me, I got all my chest definition from doing a bunch of push ups. (They're still covered in fat though. ha)

You can increase chest mass by doing more barbell than dumb bell exercises, but most of us are more interested in definition than mass, unless we're specifically building. In which case, dumb bell exercises are preferred by most.

A good balance is usually good, though. I do a lot more dumb bell workouts this year, since I never feel well enough to go to the gym and I have a bench and dumb bells at home.

 

[deepseadiva]

I'm trying to cut back on junk food, but it's hard when you're a uni student...I find I eat that stuff in one daily meal...

They make it really hard, don't they? Now that I'm a working functioning adult in society, I'm noticing how horrifyingly awful our diets can get to be. Any person constricted by time has the worst options - fast food is just so easy to surrender to. Fortunately alternatives exist, Subway being a beautiful beautiful invention, and you can always pack your own food. There's never a need to drink soda and eat burgers, but it's those moments after I've paid $2 for a "drink" that I feel filling up with water would have been a waste of so much money.

I'm pretty lucky for now though. I eat at my university's dining halls, and being a very progressive institution they feature an alternative "healthy" dinner alongside the chicken strips and french fries. I'm trying to bulk up, so I eat everything anyway, haha. But here I can easily and consciously avoid crap like soda, chips, and snacks, and stuff my face with milk, meat, and veggies. Gonna be a gooood semester.

The whole point of having strong abs and a strong core in general is to stabilize movements and provide good posture (don't forget to work out your back too!).

Awesome post! Posture is neglected.

 

[Dastrn]

I haven't eaten a fast food meal in years.

Same with soda. I haven't had one for as long as I can remember. I bet the last one I had was 4 years ago. I don't even think about missing either one.

 

[ToferTheHuman]

Schmot, were you still going to make the Youtube videos?

 

[theeboredone]

Only fast food places I GENERALLY hit up are Chipotle (post workout meal), Subway, and Smoothie King.

I generally cook dinner, and on other days I just make lunch with whatever I have in the house.

Honestly, it's just us college kids being damn lazy when we pack on unhealthy weight in college.

 

[Attila_]

Cottage cheese is good after an EVENING workout in particular, precisely because it's slow digesting protein. Same reason people use casein protein in evening shakes and whey in mornings. Whey gives a spike in blood amino acids and protein synthesis, whereas casein draws it out.

Cottage cheese contains mostly casein protein.

Basically, you hit your whey shortly after your evening workout, and then have some cottage cheese before bed. It'll digest slower, and your body gets a relatively steady protein boost all night to repair your muscles.

You have to drink slightly more water because it's a bit of a diuretic. Other than that, no, water doesn't activate it.

You DO need to get some glucose with it for it to digest properly. I used to just mix it with some vitamin water or orange juice. I'd add a little to my post-workout shake too.

if it's casein, why would you take it after a workout? wouldn't taking whey be (significantly) more helpful?

you could then take your casein before bed anyway.

also, by itself, it won't promote bulk, due to a lack of carbohydrates.

finally, creatine is more definitely not a diuretic. it makes you store water, not pee it out.

Schmot, were you still going to make the Youtube videos?

it's more of a summer holiday (christmas-ish) project. still don't have a channel name yet though...

 

[Keblerelf]

Big macs are pretty legit if you need to gain a lot of weight.


Just saiyan.

 

[Darkshadow7827]

\
I'm pretty lucky for now though. I eat at my university's dining halls, and ...

I wish my college had a dining hall. My school sucks

Smoothie King.

I have never heard of smoothie king but it sounds pretty good. I love smoothies and shakes.

 

[Takumaru]

Only fast food places I GENERALLY hit up are Chipotle (post workout meal), Subway, and Smoothie King.

I generally cook dinner, and on other days I just make lunch with whatever I have in the house.

Honestly, it's just us college kids being damn lazy when we pack on unhealthy weight in college.

I make all of my meals for a week on Sunday. It's a good way to get rid of leftovers from the week and it saves time during the week.

 

[Evil Eye]

Let me tell you about being on a great new workin' out schedule and easing into supplements and everything else, then suddenly getting sick as all **** to the point I can barely see three feet in front of me and want to sleep all the time.

Why is life such a prick

 

[Omis]

Definition=diet.

Dumbells dont make your chest more "defined" than barbells do. They both just add mass which looks like crap if you are still a fatty. Barbells just do it faster.

 

[eighteenspikes]

^ wat

equal weight on dumbbells is significantly harder than on barbells because it's a lot harder to keep the weight stable during the lift, and because your dominant arm can't cheat/help your weaker arm like a barbell allows. because of this, any barbell chest exercise will be more efficient/"faster" in dumbbell form

 

[Darkshadow7827]

I hate how the dominant arm is stronger. I feel like my whole left side is just lop-sided.

 

[theeboredone]

So I hadn't have to deal with this for a while at the gym...and that is all the bench and squat spots were occupied for about 10 minutes. Then when I started working in with a guy, all the other bench spots became unoccupied -_-. And they stayed unoccupied for the rest of my workout.

 

[Omis]

Should I train upper body like I was scheduled to tomorrow despite still being sore from upper body on tuesday?

 

[Keblerelf]

Yes. Training a sore area helps it by allowing blood to deliver oxygen to that area.

 

[soju]

So I've been on an exercise/diet routine for the past 2 weeks and itll last for maybe another 2 weeks. Been working out twice a day and eating nothing but lean meat and veggies, but lately my appetite has immensely shrunk and I'm more tired then I usually am. Is it just my body adjusting to the change?

Also, who's in that crossfit hype? <3

 

[Takumaru]

Yesterday I ran first thing in the morning. I think that since I was not quite awake I let my throat get too dry or something because afterward my breathing felt shallow. My throat has been epically sore as well. I'm a little unsettled by this, but I don't normally exercise in the mornings so that might be my problem. Thoughts?

So I've been on an exercise/diet routine for the past 2 weeks and itll last for maybe another 2 weeks. Been working out twice a day and eating nothing but lean meat and veggies, but lately my appetite has immensely shrunk and I'm more tired then I usually am. Is it just my body adjusting to the change?

Also, who's in that crossfit hype? <3

It sounds like you might be over exerting yourself. The loss of appetite and exhaustion could be your body saying "take it easy!". The idea is to get healthier so if you're feeling pretty crappy you might want to tone down your routine a little bit. Also make sure that you are getting all of the nutrients your body needs. Evaluate everything you've eaten over the past two weeks and see if you're missing any vitamins or minerals that you need.

Or you could just be getting sick.

I have no idea what crossfit is.

 

[soju]

hmm i know im not sick or completely exhausted since my workouts still go quite well, so i'm going to need to look more into my diet, if there something amiss i might need to go grab some vitamin pills. No carb diets suck big time :/

and crossfit is some interesting lil thing thats been getting pretty big, short high intensity workouts that do wonders
http://www.crossfit.com/

 

[Darkshadow7827]

I've heard of crossfit before, but I don't know their routines or what specific exercises they do. I'm not a fan of premade workout routines; I'd rather tailor something suited to my needs. Not doggin on it though.

The only program I got problems with is whatever or whoever invented kipping pull ups. I don't remember who posted it first on here but damn. To this day, I still can't get over that video haha. It's like instant rage meter.

 

[theeboredone]

I only know CrossFit for one reason, and that's Charles Barkley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnjeQCprnMs

 

[SuperMatt]

i have a question

why can larry bird dunk (in the 80s) and i cannot. i'm definitely much lighter and in better shape than he was, the only thing i can guess is he somehow has more fast twitch muscles in his legs. and i think he has like 6 inches on me which might help. so im guessing if i work specifically on jumping exercises/plyometrics i should see some improvement

also, you can probably change the title now lol

 

[Takumaru]

i have a question

why can larry bird dunk (in the 80s) and i cannot. i'm definitely much lighter and in better shape than he was, the only thing i can guess is he somehow has more fast twitch muscles in his legs. and i think he has like 6 inches on me which might help. so im guessing if i work specifically on jumping exercises/plyometrics i should see some improvement

You pretty much answered your own question.


I hit a mile stone today! One of my goals was to get my diet under control so I could fit into my favorite pair of jeans again. I haven't lost any weight in terms of pounds, but I'm leaner than I used to be and I can fit into my skinny jeans again! YAY! I'm celebrating by wearing them to my pchem test.

I learned a lot about being creative with meals and how horrible fast food is in general. I feel fantastic today.

Next target(s):
Cut down on soft drinks. I still drink those too much.
Work more on my upper body. I generally dislike working on my chest and arms for some reason. I can feel that my upper body is weaker so it needs so love.

 

[theeboredone]

Bleh, second time I've gone to Smoothie King when these two n00bs are working there. Too much ice, and the flavor is diluted due to more water than ingredients.

 

[Keblerelf]

Crossfit is one of those "jack of all trade" type of deals that incorporates lifting and cardio all mashed up into one.

Unlike other programs, doesn't have a particular goal in mind. For example, a powerlifting routine gets you strong, a bodybuilding routine gets you bigger, a long distance running schedule makes you a better runner, but crossfit makes you good at...crossfit.

Yes, it DOES get you in shape (people who I've seen do the workouts look like they're DYING by the end), but it doesn't make you excel in any one area.

If you are interested in doing it, I'd recommend doing a powerlifting routine first to establish a good base strength and to familiarize yourself with the basic lifts (bench, squat, deadlift, press) and olympic lifts (clean and jerk, snatch) so you don't **** yourself up.

SO ANYWAY, I started the texas method today and I'm ready to see how far it can take me. I haven't done 5x5 sets in a while, so today sucked even though I've done the weight and sets before. I'm planning on starting 5/3/1 after I stop seeing weekly gains.