Exercise and diving (Not sure where to post this - medicine or exercise)

First off, sorry if I posted in the wrong section.
Anyways I have several questions regarding my body and am hoping that I can get some feedback.

Some background info, along with some questions:

I let myself go for the past 6 months, eating alot, studying alot, watching movies alot and minimal exercise.

So I just finished eating McD's breakfast and weighed myself.
Starting weight: 198 lbs (Sept 11, 2005)
Target weight: 175 lbs (when? Before Halloween of THIS year)

Asian guy, my height is 183 cm. Is my target weight appropriate for me? Is my target weight even possible? Because muscle weighs more than fat! I want to be toned and not bulk up.
Gotta cut down on sweets, maybe once a week or less, and have to stop those late night eatings. Because of my schedule I will be able to exercise monday to thurs for an hour and half, maybe even two hours. Friday, saturday and sunday will be days when I let my body rest up with an occasion sit up using my exercise ball.

Alright that my resolution!


Misconceptions and confusions that I have

So first off, my exercise regiment consist of warmup (cardio) running on treadmill or on the ellipse for 30 min, followed by an hour of lifting weights which usually consists of 15 reps, 3 sets each that works my back, chest, arms and legs (my whole body) I want to tone up and become fit without looking like Bobo (bruce lee fans should know him as the muscle up asian guy - I want to look like Bruce Lee )

I read somewhere that it is bad to exercise the day before or on the day that you go exercising due to something relating to nitrogen buildup. Is that a misconception?
I can only dive on monday and/or tuesdays which are the same days that I can go to the gym to work out. My main question is how much or can I exercise in the afternoon and if so how hard can I work out before I go diving?


...jeez it sure takes me a long time to get to my point. Sorry.
Thanks for any info that is thrown my way.

Avic7:

Starting weight: 198 lbs (Sept 11, 2005)
Target weight: 175 lbs (when? Before Halloween of THIS year)

Asian guy, my height is 183 cm. Is my target weight appropriate for me? Is my target weight even possible? Because muscle weighs more than fat! I want to be toned and not bulk up.

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Losing 23 pounds in 51 days is well beyond what I would consider reasonable. Can it be done? Yes, if you cut enough out of your diet to run about a 1500 calorie deficit EVERY DAY for the next 51 days. That's probably half of what you would need to eat to maintain your weight as it is, and such a deficit would put your body into starvation mode. Your metabolism would slow way down, and your body would try to store every excess calorie it could get. Most likely, you'd gain that weight back and more in a very short period of time.

1-2 pounds per week of average weight loss is all that most people can handle without having a serious rebound. That would put you at about half the rate that you list, at the most.

Oh yeah, and muscle weighs the SAME as fat- it has higher density, though. <g> Besides, the scale is a poor measure of fitness. It is much better to judge your changes in fitness by how you feel, how your clothes fit, and how you look in the mirror.

Misconceptions and confusions that I have

So first off, my exercise regiment consist of warmup (cardio) running on treadmill or on the ellipse for 30 min, followed by an hour of lifting weights which usually consists of 15 reps, 3 sets each that works my back, chest, arms and legs (my whole body)

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If you're doing that every day, then you aren't getting enough recovery to gain fitness as fast as you could. Exercise makes us weaker- recovery makes us stronger. Check out http://www.divefitness.com/html/workouts.html for some example schedules that balance cardiovascular and strength training in a way that allows your body proper recovery.

I read somewhere that it is bad to exercise the day before or on the day that you go exercising due to something relating to nitrogen buildup. Is that a misconception?
I can only dive on monday and/or tuesdays which are the same days that I can go to the gym to work out. My main question is how much or can I exercise in the afternoon and if so how hard can I work out before I go diving?

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I think you meant to ask about exercising on the day that you go diving. There is nothing that suggests exercising the day BEFORE diving would have any impact, short of making you too sore to respond to emergencies, etc., but that is something you can evaluate before getting in the water. Exercise the day OF diving is a little more controversial. Current recommendations are based upon altitude research, which shows that exercise creates bubbles that last for 4 hours. Though this will bend someone decompressing from surface pressure to altitude, several recent studies suggest this does not happen to divers. However, not enough evidence has accumulated to where DAN has changed their official position on pre-dive exercise. So, the conservative thing would be to avoid exercise in the 4 hour period before a dive, but anything earlier should be OK.

We do know that post-dive exercise can be risky. Until your tissues return to equilibrium with surface pressure, you run the risk of creating bubbles from exercise after a dive. However, these bubbles may or may not lead to DCS- it depends. That said, it is best to wait at least 6 hours after a recreational dive within NDL to exercise.

Cameron

THANKS Cameron, that was most informative. Is it only 51 days till Halloween? Where does time fly eh?... Guess I'll have to stretch out the days. Maybe within 5 to 6 months. Again thanks for the insight.

Victor

Just returned form Thailand, and discovered an interesting bit of info. First, I noticed that thai people tend to be quite slim. Second, they have huge appetites.

I also noticed I lost about 2kg in 4 days.

Basically, I read osmewhere that chilli is good for losing weight. I've been increasing my (already reasonable) chilli threshold since. Give it a try, add a bit of chilli to anything that you think will benefit.
Z...

Hey Zeeman,

Be careful with the chili cuz too much of it will give you diahrehea (spelling?). I'm serious. My family loves spicey food so the stories that I could tell ya....

well, Halloween has passed, what's you current weight?

As of yesterday, I'm stuck at 190. Final exams are happening soon, so haven't had time to go diving or to the gym. I probably spend 15 min in the gym to stretch my muscles before I leave to go study somewhere.
78% of the time I manage to consume sweets only on the weekends instead of the weekdays so I guess that helping abit.
One thing I have noticed is that I am gaining muscle mass and strength because the weights I am lifting are slowly increasing.
However since I don't want to bulk up I'm going to have to work on my cardio more.

Avic7:

As of yesterday, I'm stuck at 190. Final exams are happening soon, so haven't had time to go diving or to the gym. I probably spend 15 min in the gym to stretch my muscles before I leave to go study somewhere.

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15 minutes is PLENTY of time if you have the heart for it and put aside the conventional style of training. If you have the mental endurance to Superset 75% of your max in the squats with 65% of your max in overhead presses or pull-ups, and add rope jumping as active recovery, well, you'd be surprised. If you do not know how to jump rope properly, then learn, you'll have happy you invested the time to learn one of the most effective (though forsaken) tools for conditioning.

One thing I have noticed is that I am gaining muscle mass and strength because the weights I am lifting are slowly increasing.
However since I don't want to bulk up I'm going to have to work on my cardio more.

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Fallacy, Fallacy, Fallacy. Bruce Lee was one of the most powerful and strongest athletes ever in the martial arts and the man LIFTED A LOT of weight. He was known for doing barbell front raises with 135 lbs with good form. Was he a meathead? Heck no, far from it. And why would that be? Because he did not train like one (He was a man way ahead of his time) In fact, some of the most powerful and strongest men in the world exhibit physiques that conceal the tremendous levels of strength and power they've developed. Do an internet search for "Lance Frye". He is one of the top athletes in the sport of olympic weightlifting in the US with a physique that's lean, sculpted, AND unreal. He looks VERY athletic, but he's not "Bulky" or "Huge" by anymeans, yet he can put 150 Kg (that's 330 lbs) from the floor to overhead in a split second. The most amazing part is that he barely weighs 77 Kg!

The way you train affects your outcome. If you are not happy with the "bulk" you're putting on, ditch the bodybuilder training and start engaging into more strength endurance and power endurance training. You'll get far better results by it. Be warned though, this training requires a lot of guts and mental endurance. That's why only very few obtain truly outstanding results. Good luck!

coach_izzy:

15 minutes is PLENTY of time if you have the heart for it and put aside the conventional style of training. If you have the mental endurance to Superset 75% of your max in the squats with 65% of your max in overhead presses or pull-ups, and add rope jumping as active recovery, well, you'd be surprised. If you do not know how to jump rope properly, then learn, you'll have happy you invested the time to learn one of the most effective (though forsaken) tools for conditioning.

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Thanks for the encouragment coach_izzy. What I use to do and still am doing (when I have the time) is spending 30 minutes on cardio (laternate between swimming in the pool, elliptical machine, biking, running, or recumb bike) to warm up and get the blood flowing. After that I do various weight lifting using free weights and other equipment located around the gym; I lift the weights that I am currently at and do three set of 15 reps. This was suggested by the people that work in the gym at my university that I am currently studying at.

I thought the key to staying tone and to lose the fat is to do lots of cardio?

Could you please explain what is superset 75% of your max in squats with 65% of your max in overhead presses/pullups?
This is what I got when I googled it:

http://exercise.about.com/cs/exerciseworkouts/l/blsupersettotal.htm

I've also googled search phrases such as strength endurance and power endurance training but there is so much stuff, so if you could recommend a site that you feel comfortable with, please share with us.

Thanks

Avic7:

...is spending 30 minutes on cardio (laternate between swimming in the pool, elliptical machine, biking, running, or recumb bike) to warm up and get the blood flowing.

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That's WAYYYYY TOOOOOO LONG for a warm-up, and rather an activity in itself. A general warm-up should not be more than 5 minutes, followed by more activity specific warm-up. Here's a sample warm-up that many of my athletes use. You need an empty olympic bar. If the olympic bar is too heavy, get a lighter bar or a pair of dumbbells. Move fast with good form (there's a big difference between moving fast and rushing and being sloppy) No rest from exercise to exercise:

Back Squat 5 reps
Overhead press behind neck (if you're flexible) 5 reps
Front squat 5 reps
Front squat/Overhead press combo 3 reps
Upright Rows 4 reps
Romanian Deadlifts 5 reps

Repeat the cycle 2 more times. If you're not sweaty and warm add more weight next time. Variety is important. The above sample is good for two weeks. After that, not only your body will have adapted to it, it will become boring and innefective.

After that I do various weight lifting using free weights and other equipment located around the gym; I lift the weights that I am currently at and do three set of 15 reps. This was suggested by the people that work in the gym at my university that I am currently studying at.

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Not a bad start, and one that is more geared for endurance rather than hypertrophy if your rest time does not exceed 45 seconds. You may at this stage start experimenting with different rep schemes. See if the folks at your university can help you periodize a training program so you can vary the loads and maximize both your benefits and recovery. If you're lucky, hopefully you'll find someone literate in the Olympic Lifts. That will add an entirely different dimension to your training.

I thought the key to staying tone and to lose the fat is to do lots of cardio?

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That is one of those fallacies that refuses to die. Most people also fail to realize that both resistance training and endurance training (ergo cardio) are heavily intermingled and not two separate entities. When mentioning cardio unfortunately the first thing that comes to mind are those cumbersome machines and classes that are so abundant in fitness facilities. Without going heavily into science, simply take a look at most of the people engaged in "cardio". Reading, watching tv, in other words, engaged in a huge waste of time that does very little for conditioning. Now check out your track and field athletes, people you'll never catch in a recumbent bike, and check out their physiques. Enough said. Those machines have some use, perhaps in the initial stages of conditioning and some light physical therapy, but are for the most part, useless.

Could you please explain what is superset 75% of your max in squats with 65% of your max in overhead presses/pullups?

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Suppose you can lift 100 lbs. in the squat for only one rep in good form. You can only get one rep no matter how hard you try. That would be your one rep max. Ditto for the Overhead presses. Let's assume your max is 50 lbs. Superset means circuiting the sets for two different exercises one right after another. So the weight for the squats would be 75 lbs (75% of your max) and 32.5 lbs for the OH press (65% of max). According to load percentages, 75% of a max is equivalent to 10 reps. 65% of a max is equivalent to between 12-15 reps. For the squats, I'll stay with the 75 lbs. for 10 reps. Enough weight to be challenging, even at the later stages, but not so much that is overwhelming. A nice rep range gearing more for endurance. Any hypertropy effect is dimished by the lack of rest. I will not go as high in the reps for the OH press since the upper body is not configured for endurance the way the lower body is, and such high number of reps is more likely to produce inpingement rather than strength. Let's assume that you can jump rope. Your workout would go something like this:

Squat 65x10x1
OH Press 27.5 x6x1
Rope Jump, Basic & Alternating foot work 1 min
Squat 70x10x1
OH Press 30x6x1
Rope Jump Basic & Alternating foot work with Arm front cross 1.5 min
Squat 75x10x1
OH Press 32.5x6x1
Rope Jump, Alternating foot work with Arm front/side cross and power jump 2 min

THAT'S IT! Do all that non-stop. Should take you 15 min or less. Quality work and very beneficial. It gets even better once you master explosive lifts and explosive work (a far more advanced form of training may I say) Adjust the numbers according to your percentages.

I've also googled search phrases such as strength endurance and power endurance training but there is so much stuff, so if you could recommend a site that you feel comfortable with, please share with us.

Thanks

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I would if I could. I haven't found a single website that can explain properly, let alone grasp the concepts of power endurance, strength endurance, and their relationship with energy systems for conditioning and performance. Most sites are oriented towards the typical commercial gym stuff. You may start by browsing material more geared for performance and conditioning rather than simple fitness. Those techniques are used all the time with excellent results and the field keeps evolving. I can recommend the works of Mel C. Siff, Roger M. Enoka, Paul Juris, Istvan Javorek, Michael Yessis, Arkadi N. Voroyeb, and Viru. The Journals of the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) also have tons of info on the subject. Have fun and keep focused on your goal. Let us know how it goes will ya?