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

[Chill]

It's officially been one year since I started lifting. Time sure goes by quickly.

I've been bulking for the last few weeks. It's kind of hard sometimes because I'm just not the biggest fan of eating excessively but I've been doing much better recently. A blender helps.

Abs are starting to disappear. I'm still not sure if I care or not. I think you can look good without them but I have a smaller frame so I'm not sure if I can pull it off or not.

 

[CAOTIC]

congratulations, chill! this may sound creepy, but i actually have before and after pics of you, from the summer of 2010 to the summer of 2011, lol. big difference.

anywho, the problem with eating a lot is that your belly is always round and it hides the abs, whether you have them or not, lol.

but i digress.

it's just a preference thing with me, but i think abs enhance the appearance of big build body type more than they do lean types. but everyone looks good with abs, so w/e lol

 

[Attila_]

good job chill!

I hear ankle weights are generally a bad thing to put on =/. Can lead to tendonitis.

tendonitis is actually a misnomer in itself. the condition does not involve inflammation, so the correct terminology is 'tendonopathy'.

congratulations, chill! this may sound creepy, but i actually have before and after pics of you, from the summer of 2010 to the summer of 2011, lol. big difference.

anywho, the problem with eating a lot is that your belly is always round and it hides the abs, whether you have them or not, lol.

but i digress.

it's just a preference thing with me, but i think abs enhance the appearance of big build body type more than they do lean types. but everyone looks good with abs, so w/e lol

skinny guys with abs are like fat women with big boobs... its just kinda expected. being big and having abs is significantly more difficult.

 

[Pluvia]

So I'm still working out. I'm just keeping it gradual and I can see a great improvement in my body. I thought it'd take a lot longer than this but it's actually been quite quick seeing as though it's only been about 2 months(?).

 

[Keblerelf]

Just finished a 5k here at my school.

I got 29:51.

Im satisfied with my performance since I wanted to break the 30 min mark and I was only running twice a week for about a month. I was also able to pass a person, so that felt pretty good.

I'm planning to lift 3x a week and run 3x a week, with sunday off. Hopefully in a year I'll be breaking 20:00.

 

[eighteenspikes]

Just finished a 5k here at my school.

I got 29:51.

Im satisfied with my performance since I wanted to break the 30 min mark and I was only running twice a week for about a month. I was also able to pass a person, so that felt pretty good.

I'm planning to lift 3x a week and run 3x a week, with sunday off. Hopefully in a year I'll be breaking 20:00.

hey cool, I just ran one this morning too : ) my time was really bad tho, not gonna post it. I haven't run since a foot injury over summer but I figured if I forced myself to run 5k it'd get me back in the swing of daily running. They had a raffle afterwards and I won a $50 grocery gift card so I'm glad I went!! Then I went to a yogurt eating contest and undid all the work I've done this year. 2,100 calories of yogurt in 3 minutes....

 

[Darkshadow7827]

What brand and what flavor of yogurt? I've never heard of a yogurt eating contest.

 

[eighteenspikes]

yoplait, various flavors. It was an ad hoc thing a sorority put on for breast cancer donations.

 

[Shadic]

Got a pullup bar set up yesterday. It's one of those Iron Gym ones, and works pretty well on my doorframe.

I did ten pull-ups with it yesterday, and then another eight afterwards. Muscles are still a bit tired from that today, so I'm just gonna let 'em rest.

I'm surprised how well it works for pushups, actually. Really works chest muscles a lot more than my old fist-pushups did. It's not super spectacular for dips, but I think I can mess with it and get a working setup.

Hyped I can do more exercise than I was before - Which was restricted to only one adjustable free-weight that only goes up to 15LB... Still need a second weight to go with the first, though.

 

[theeboredone]

Second time in three weeks that my hamstring tightened up while squatting despite doing warm ups. I'm gonna have to now go from simple stretches to something more intense.

 

[MasterShake]

Hello fitness experts.

I was wondering what is a good way to dispel body fat? As of now I am under the impression that you can just run and over a period of time your figure will become lean. If that is not true and there are area specific things you can do, how can I trim the waist area? I have 40 days before a dinner with high school friends and I want to look sharp.

 

[theeboredone]

Diet, diet, diet, diet. Running does help, though depending on what your current stats are, the style of running may differ.

 

[eighteenspikes]

Yup, diet is the quickest way to lose weight. 500 calories worth of exercise is WAY harder than just eating 500 calories less. You also cannot "spot reduce", so just try to get healthier overall. 40 days is kinda short notice but should still allow for a visible change. I don't know your current eating habits, but if you cut 500 calories a day (dropping soda is by far the easiest way to do this) and do some light exercise (jogging, swimming, don't go crazy or you WILL burn out) you'll probably drop a good 5 lbs bodyfat and another couple pounds of water weight by the dinner.

If you post more info about yourself we can try to give you more detailed advice. Just remember that getting in shape is more a lifestyle change than a "get fit in 40 days" sort of deal so hopefully you will hang around this thread and continue making healthy choices

 

[MasterShake]

Diet is the best way, huh? Unfortunately, my current situation doesn't really allow for me to eat "the best" way...but I guess I can give some details.

My breakfast is a tall glass of milk/orange juice, a fruit, and a serving and a half of a fiber cereal or some wheat cereal.
My lunch varies but usually includes a meat and another fruit, I usually snack on things like peanuts and bread though too (no added butter though lol).
My dinner is either mac n cheese ("organic", lol)or another kind of pasta, assorted vegetables, sometimes I get to have things like steak, fish, and pork chops.

I drink about 60 - 80 fl. oz. of water and only water per day. I started doing light workouts a month and a half ago, I lift 3 times a week, do legs 2 times a week, and run/walk 4 to 5 times a week. I'm trying to run twice a day, every day in hopes of burning a lot of calories but I'm really bad at waking up to do it...oh and I'm 5'10'' and somewhere between 142 and 149 lbs.

 

[theeboredone]

You wanna lose weight and you're only at 142-149? I honestly would not recommend that. It would be better to put on more muscles and eat more rather than lose more weight.

With that being said, in 40 days, you're not gonna have that many visible results unless you do P90X or something.

 

[MasterShake]

It's not the weight I want to lose (honestly I do want to gain lol, would like some mass), it's specifically the weight centered at my stomach. I think my genes might have screwed me on that one, my family has a history of big bellied guys. And I think I have a lot of body fat content from years and years of eating really unhealthy that I would like to get rid of.

 

[theeboredone]

You're in a tough bind then. You're not guaranteed to lose weight there. 18spikes alluded to that by saying you can't "spot reduce." If you do end up losing what BF you have...well it might not be in that area.

You might also wanna look up a High Intensity Interval Training method. Basically, if you are in good enough shape cardio wise, you'll be sprinting your *** in short bursts for a set amount of time. It's designed to burn fat, but only recommended if you have the endurance to do it.

http://www.criticalbench.com/high-intensity-interval-training.htm

 

[Mota]

Urgh findint it hard to do much exercise these days

Gym membership going to waste

 

[Grandeza]

Hi SWF gym! I've posted here before but never consistently. I'm 16 now about 5' 6" and about 110 pounds. I'm pretty skinny with very little fat but also very little muscle. I've been doing wright training at school which is 30 minutes a day 2-3 days a week, but unfortunately I stop that soon(no choice there). I also recently started doing TaeKwonDo 3-4 days a week which has weights and a couple machines downstairs I have access to. I'm trying to start leading a more fit life style.

So I have a couple of questions.

What should I be doing to bulk up a little? I'm not talking any serious muscle but enough so that I'm not skin and bones.

And more importantly, in TaeKwonDo the most difficult thing for me is sparring just because of all the moving around and getting hit and such. The thing is, I'm asthmatic. I just found out I have asthma a couple of years ago when I had my first attack and my endurance sucks. I have to sit out a lot during sparring because of difficulty breathing. How could I increase my endurance or should I be asking my doctor this?

Thanks!

 

[Keblerelf]

Bulk up by eating more.

As for the endurance thing, the more you spar, the easier it gets. Your body will get used to it.

It would be helpful to ask your doctor to prescribe you an inhaler.

 

[theeboredone]

A great routine for beginners like you should be the Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. I recommend you google that. There's a wiki page to it that shows you how to do each exercise. You can potentially do a day's routine in about 45 minutes so it's not like you're spending an eternity in the gym either.

With that program, you're gonna be eating a lot. The program actually recommends you drink a gallon of milk everyday, but that's definitely pushing it for a beginner.

 

[Omis]

In his case, GOMAD isnt pushing it at all. At 5' 6" 110 lb he needs to be eating signifigantly more food.

 

[theeboredone]

I didn't mean it in a sense that a gallon of milk won't hurt him. More or less that it's hard to just start eating a lot if you've never been the type.

 

[Chill]

@cao and about shmot, thanks guys but I couldn't have done it without everyone here.

You have to take age into account when giving advice. At 16 the gallon of millk a day its not only impractical (annoys parents, you spend 8 hours a day in school) but unnecessary. He's 16, he's still going through puberty.

 

[theeboredone]

I don't think it's impractical. 24 oz (3 cups) in the morning. 16 oz is usually a bottle for lunch. 24 more when you get home. You're halfway there. Another 24 at night, and while not a gallon, it's about 3/5.

Like I said earlier, it would be pushing it given he's a beginner, and I'm sure parents would rather have him drink milk vs buying him expensive protein powder.

Speaking of protein powder, you should definitely check out a weight gainer. Can help you get those calories.

And I don't think it's unnecessary. I mean, he's not a student athlete (I assume), but you can't put on weight if you're not eating enough.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

Diet is the best way, huh? Unfortunately, my current situation doesn't really allow for me to eat "the best" way...but I guess I can give some details.

My breakfast is a tall glass of milk/orange juice, a fruit, and a serving and a half of a fiber cereal or some wheat cereal.
My lunch varies but usually includes a meat and another fruit, I usually snack on things like peanuts and bread though too (no added butter though lol).
My dinner is either mac n cheese ("organic", lol)or another kind of pasta, assorted vegetables, sometimes I get to have things like steak, fish, and pork chops.

I drink about 60 - 80 fl. oz. of water and only water per day. I started doing light workouts a month and a half ago, I lift 3 times a week, do legs 2 times a week, and run/walk 4 to 5 times a week. I'm trying to run twice a day, every day in hopes of burning a lot of calories but I'm really bad at waking up to do it...oh and I'm 5'10'' and somewhere between 142 and 149 lbs.

Doing core training will not remove body fat but it can help flatten your stomach if you have a weak core. I'm in the same boat as you. Good everywhere but my gut lol

 

[eighteenspikes]

It's not the weight I want to lose (honestly I do want to gain lol, would like some mass), it's specifically the weight centered at my stomach. I think my genes might have screwed me on that one, my family has a history of big bellied guys. And I think I have a lot of body fat content from years and years of eating really unhealthy that I would like to get rid of.

IMO you are going to look better if you fill out everything else. 5'10 and 140's is really light, at that weight I wonder how bad the stomach weight can be. Can you post a picture of you with clothes on, just so we can get a feel of what you mean by big bellied guys? And re:SuperSonic core training works only if you have less body fat to begin, otherwise working those muscles out will actually push the fat out and make a gut looks bigger

Grandeza I think you should maybe wait until you're out of high school to worry about "bulking up", but it's really good to start a healthy lifestyle as early as possible. I think you should wait because you might not have access to the gym equipment or food choices that make bulking easier. If you have transportation and disposable income to buy your own groceries (or supportive parents), and if your gym has a lot of equipment, then give Starting Strength a shot and eat a lot. Don't do GOMAD tho, you'll feel like crap and acne/diarrhea are common side effects, that's a death sentence in high school lol

 

[theeboredone]

Let's not forget excessive protein will make you start farting a lot as well LOL.

You should naturally be able to get some beginner gains even if you keep your diet relatively the same as what you have now. Though buying a protein powder will definitely help you. I still recommend you buy some sort of weight gainer shake if you feel like you won't be able to chug down that extra plate of chicken and rice.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

re:SuperSonic core training works only if you have less body fat to begin, otherwise working those muscles out will actually push the fat out and make a gut looks bigger

Stomach completely relaxed.

Stomach lightly flexed

Your abdominals can be flexed all different ways. You can puff them out, suck em in or make them (relatively) flat. Making them flat is the strongest and best looking imo way to have them. Control over how you have them comes with pratice and utilizing them if you don't know how to already.

I'm 215 lbs and 5'10" or 11" somewhere around there lol I got like 60-70 lbs on you Master Shake if you're only around 140-150. lol

If you do it right it will help your waste line( not your pant size but how big around you are ) and strength training for your core is very good for you anyways. Best way to avoid a hernia is to keep your front equal with your back. Keeps your spine happy too.

 

[Chill]

I don't think it's impractical. 24 oz (3 cups) in the morning. 16 oz is usually a bottle for lunch. 24 more when you get home. You're halfway there. Another 24 at night, and while not a gallon, it's about 3/5.

Like I said earlier, it would be pushing it given he's a beginner, and I'm sure parents would rather have him drink milk vs buying him expensive protein powder.

Speaking of protein powder, you should definitely check out a weight gainer. Can help you get those calories.

And I don't think it's unnecessary. I mean, he's not a student athlete (I assume), but you can't put on weight if you're not eating enough.

Assuming that he is not an only child it is impractical. While they may not want him on protein powder your average parent is also not going to be too keen on buying 7+ gallons of milk a week. I'm not saying that he shouldn't eat more, by all means add some calories to your diet, I just think the "milk advice" specifically isn't going to fit into his life very well at this point.

I would say the same about protein powders to though. When you are dependent on someone else to buy things for you it's better to just focus on having a good diet and exercise. You can worry about the supplements later. Start lifting now and you can give yourself a good base to work with later.

 

[theeboredone]

In all technicality...I think it would be cheaper for him to somehow go through a gallon of milk vs eating more for his meals. One just tastes better than the other >_> and is more expensive. Like I said, he doesn't have to drink a gallon of milk everyday, but he should definitely up it up as it's a good source of protein and if he's worried about fat, get 1%.

And I honestly don't think it's bad to be taking protein shakes at his age. He's 16, not 14. This was around the same age I started it along with many others I personally know. If he or his family can afford it, buy it.

And he is dependent on his family to make him food/buy it. Unless his parents demand he buys his own food and cook it, I'm pretty sure he's just having whatever mommy or daddy gives him. Asking to buy protein is just an extra cost.

 

[MasterShake]

Your abdominals can be flexed all different ways. You can puff them out, suck em in or make them (relatively) flat. Making them flat is the strongest and best looking imo way to have them. Control over how you have them comes with pratice and utilizing them if you don't know how to already.

Dang those pictures sure look familiar lol. So I have to try and keep my stomach "sucked in" as much as possible to make 'em flat?

 

[eighteenspikes]

Dang those pictures sure look familiar lol. So I have to try and keep my stomach "sucked in" as much as possible to make 'em flat?

If you strengthen your core it'll kinda come naturally with improved posture and better endurance to keep that. People who work out carry themselves differently and tend to be more confident than people who do not, this might be the more noticeable over a 40 day span than the actual weight loss

grandeza please don't make any huge dietary changes, just pick up every weight you see. pick them all up. lift every weight. you will find it easy (and fun ) to just eat more than you do now. avoid junk food/soda tho.

 

[Grandeza]

I actually drink a decent amount of milk every day. Not a gallon but I drink two tall glasses of milk with some carnation instant breakfast powder my parents want me to drink so I don't look like a stick. And i try to get my hands on as much milk as possible at school(which is generally not much) The most unhealthy thing I do besides soda here and there is i drink a Monster energy drink every morning because otherwise I'd fall asleep in all my classes. And I know that's extremely unhealthy. I'm going to start lifting more. I just finished weight training in school and we'll move on to something much less helpful so I'll try using the weights at my taekwondo place a lot more.

In regards to the asthma thing, I have an inhaler already but I end up using it a lot at taekwondo(my asthma is pretty bad =\ ) and I don't like using it cause i dont want to gain reliance on it. I think I'll talk to my doctor about ways I can improve my endurance unless you guys think its as simple as lots of cardio.

But yeah thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[Pikaville]

Green monster is so tasty though hahaha.

I've been going to the gym a bit with my friend since he got a bunch of free passes.

He goes quite a lot and his sessions are nearly killing me the next day.

The other day my forearms felt like they were being ripped out of my arms.

 

[Keblerelf]

My favorite feeling to get at the gym is getting the pump in my forearms.

embrace it.

 

[Pikaville]

I like the uber tense feeling you get in your muscles after a hardcore workout.

But I really hate the pain that lasts 2 days afterwards.

 

[Attila_]

i definitely love it when your alarm goes off the morning after a big session, you roll over to turn it off, and realise that rolling over is really difficult :D

 

[theeboredone]

Guys, I need some advice.

I workout three times a week, and I've been having trouble getting back into the thick of things squat wise after I stopped fasting a month and half ago. The problem came up two weeks ago when during my second workout of the week, I tweaked my right groin area. I was feeling pretty sore after my Tuesday workout, (So this happened on Thursday). Overall, it felt pretty tight, there was some pain/discomfort, I couldn't do anymore squats, I was walking gingerly, and I had to take a week off (last week) from squats.

I resumed doing squats on Saturday, and everything went well. Today, the same thing happened to groin area, when I was doing warm up squats. It practically felt like deja vu, except this time, I took some measures to spend a bit more time stretching and warming up.

Anyone know why this has happened to me twice, in the same area, on my second workout day vs my first? I feel like it has something to do with the soreness or that my groin area might be a bit weaker than the rest of my legs.

 

[eighteenspikes]

Guys, I need some advice.

I workout three times a week, and I've been having trouble getting back into the thick of things squat wise after I stopped fasting a month and half ago. The problem came up two weeks ago when during my second workout of the week, I tweaked my right groin area. I was feeling pretty sore after my Tuesday workout, (So this happened on Thursday). Overall, it felt pretty tight, there was some pain/discomfort, I couldn't do anymore squats, I was walking gingerly, and I had to take a week off (last week) from squats.

I resumed doing squats on Saturday, and everything went well. Today, the same thing happened to groin area, when I was doing warm up squats. It practically felt like deja vu, except this time, I took some measures to spend a bit more time stretching and warming up.

Anyone know why this has happened to me twice, in the same area, on my second workout day vs my first? I feel like it has something to do with the soreness or that my groin area might be a bit weaker than the rest of my legs.

does your school have any trainers/physical therapists? asking smashers about your groin injury probably wont result in much advice