Posts by littleshellys

Original Post by cichlidgold:

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Beginner is a relative term. For instance, my husband lifted from middle school on (so a good 15 years or so?) and would consider himself a "novice" at lifting. Partly because like most teenage guys (and up til his 20s) he was doing stupid lifts like a million different curls and shoulder shrugs etc.

Then he started doing some reading, including Starting Strength - currently we are both following that program (which is done with 5 lifts - squats, bench, deadlift, shoulder press, power cleans, all with a barbell, divided between 2 workouts - squats are done in both).

Isolation movements are appropriate for, as sully put it, experienced, high level bodybuilders (especially the chemically enhanced), but for the rest of us, starting with the full body and compound movements is more beneficial.

You had said you were doing squats, but also leg press. Why the leg press? And you are doing military press, shoulder press, and dumbbell shoulder press... that's kinda redundant, no? That's why people responded the way that they did - it sounds like you are throwing in every exercise you know of, not doing a thought out routine.

Why not the leg press? I do it and I have been getting stronger by doing it so what is it hurting? and about the redundancy of the shoulder exercises, I do not do them in one workout, I change up my routine often. Anyways thanks for the help im going to focus more on the compound exercises for a few weeks and see how much it helps.

 You can get benefits from all types of lifting. I use free weight and machines.  I use the leg press and also do squats. It works different muscle groups in different ways. Do both.

Original Post by cichlidgold:

Original Post by littleshellys:

How often are you lifting? You want to make sure you have a rest day in between. Don't work the same muscle groups on consecutive days. I prefer total body workouts 3 days a week. Some people do splits but that does not work for me. I also do my cardio before lifting. Some say that you are to exhausted after cardio to lift. I find that not to be true and the cardio warms me up for lifting. Three days a week is enough for the average person trying to build lean muscle and strength. Rest is just as important as lifting. Muscle is built during recovery. Strength training is key in fat loss. Epsom salt baths and bufferin help with soreness. Also make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

I know you that muscle is built during recovery and I do take several days off in between. I will provide an example of my routine and you guys can critic it for me. A usual week goes like this for me sometimes not in this order tho if I am too sore if I'm lifting heavy

Monday - Arms and back -  For arms standing curl, preacher curl, some type of barebell curl and cable curl. For back possibly deadlifts , rows lat pulldown etc  cardio after

Tuesday - Chest and triceps - for chest Bench press, incline or decline, flys, cable crosses or a number of other workouts , for triceps tricep pulldown, close grip bench, skullcrushers etc , cardio after

Wednesday- legs and shoulders -  for legs sometimes squats , legpress, calf raises of different kinds. extensions, for shoulders military press, shoulder press, dumbell shoulder press, shrugs etc. , cardio after

The rest of the week I base when I work arms again upon how sore I am, for instance I did arms today (thursday) because I did them monday and was not sore anymore. Friday and saturday will be cardio days, walking jogging bike, and sunday off. What do you guys think?

 

 Looks good but maybe try full body days. Monday, Wed and Friday or Saturday. In between do a lot of stretching, maybe some cardio. I find complete days off from weight training work best. I recover better. And if you are feeling run down, tired, sore take a week off. Rest and then get back at it.

1250 calories is not enough for anyone. The key to successful weight loss is a change in lifestyle. Not a "diet" but changing your diet to be clean and balanced. That with the proper amount and right exercise is the only way to loose and keep it off. Quick fix diet's are a waste of time. Building muscle is key in fat loss. Read this article with offers excellent advice http://www.shapefit.com/why-cardio-alone-does -not-work.html?utm_source=MailingList&utm _medium=email&utm_campaign=November+2009+ -+Week+%233

Skip the diet foods, fat free and sugar free foods and foods with a lot of preservatives or artificial sweeteners. Choose whole, fresh foods when possible. Drink plenty of water.

What are you specs? Age, height, weight. I agree with Jane. If you are not sleeping, your hair is falling out and you are cold all of the time it sounds like you may have an eating disorder. How many calories do you eat a day? What is your activity level?

Original Post by flamaze13:

Use the 50% rule. I do not believe in eating anything fake because you "need sugar".

Many processed foods and desserts don’t have a good enough flavor to tempt me… I want the real thing. An apple tartin. Crème brulee. Flourless chocolate cake. Those things are incredibly hard to binge on because they are so rich eating too much makes one insanely sick. A little bit goes a long way, and when your mouth is screaming with mousse and cream, it is actually easier to put the fork down.

So savor. Very slowly. If you love it, there is no need to fight it to lose weight. After three bites our palates are generally bored anyway.

 I agree, when I eat desert I eat the real thing. Not diet foods, fat free or sugar free. Regular sugar may not be the healthiest thing you can eat but it is far better than the artificial sweeteners.

Have you ever had your blood sugar checked? I am hypoglycemic and I get that like that. Especially on my weight lifting days if I don't eat on time or don't eat the right kind of food, protein, carbs, fruits. If you eat something and the trembling goes away that is a pretty good sign that it is low blood sugar. Make an appt. with your Dr. and have it tested. They can give you a kit that you take home with you and test your sugar throughout the day. Then you record the readings to get an idea what is going on.

Yes, age definitely comes into play. No one said age alone. Age along with many other factors.

Original Post by nikki1990:

Please help!

 What? You will have to be more detailed. What is your activity level, how tall are you. How many calories do you eat a day? What is your diet like? Do you have any health problems.

Yes, that is not a balanced diet. You need fruits, vegetables, who grains, plenty of water. Pizza is fine but not everyday.

I counted and kept track for close to a year. Now I just know. I rarely log food or exercise anymore. I am not trying to loose, just maintain. Occasionally I will log just to check.

Artificial sweeteners are not good for you. I lost weight after I gave them up. Everyone has an opinion on this but my personal belief is that they wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels, increase appetite, are linked to a variety of strange symptoms and diseases. They are chemicals. If you believe in clean/balanced eating they should be avoided.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/ 080210183902.htm

http://www.emaxhealth.com/11/586.html

http://preventdisease.com/news/09/090309_diet _foods.shtml

Original Post by xxheysarah:

I know crunches must be the most beneficial, though as glorious as they may seem, they're not doing much for me. My waist-hip ratio is about .86, and I somehow need to lose about 5 inches off the waist (according to an online calculator). Obviously, spot training doesn't work on its own, but it's not like I'm ONLY working my abs. I run and lift weights and all of that. Is there anything else I could do to lose some flab around my waist, or is this a pointless question and I should just keep doing crunches?

Waist: 31 inches, Hips: 36 inches

Flat abs are about a low body fat %. It's about what you are eating. How many calories, what kind of food.

There are all kinds of different theories and old wives tales about different foods. What you want is clean/balanced eating. A healthy diet that includes fruits (like tomatoes)  and other fruits. Vegetables, lean meats and proteins, whole grains, low-fat dairy, healthy fats. You want to avoid processed foods, foods full of preservatives, diet foods, fat free and sugar free foods, artificial sweeteners, trans-fats and fast foods.

Don't get your calories from your beverages. Save them for foods. Drink plenty of water. Eat enough. Don't go too low with your calories.

Read this article. http://www.shapefit.com/10-things-know-about- building-muscle.html

You need to lift hard and heavy. 3 days a week, not consecutive. You want one or two recovery days in between lifting. That is when your muscles actually grow and repair themselves. 10 minutes is not enough. What are you doing in that 10 minutes? How heavy? What type of weights. Many women think they need to lift light weights with a lot of reps and that is wrong. You want fewer reps with heavy weights.

I have 2 cheat meals a week. I still watch, I get grilled chicken instead of fried. If it is something with cheese I ask for half. I don't get mayo or butter sauces. Things like that. But I do have desert. I love sweets and never keep them in the house so 2 days a week we order out and I get desert each time. I eat it on those days and the other days I don't. I workout  hard on my cheat meal days and eat less for lunch or don't eat lunch and eat dinner early.