Green_Manelishi
Contributor
Missdirected:
Well I have Phil Coulter's "The Enchanted Glen" playing in mine. I think I'll have to play it on the CD.
Started working out, started gaining weight
- Thread starter Ber Rabbit
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Well I have Phil Coulter's "The Enchanted Glen" playing in mine. I think I'll have to play it on the CD.
OP
I ordered one of the body fat calipers recommended by Wayward Son. I think I was using it correctly but will see if the YMCA trainer knows anything about them when I meet her on Dec.28. I took a bunch of readings and they were consistently in the 20-22% range.
If indeed these readings are correct I wonder what my original body fat percentage was. I was 123 pounds when I started this desk job and was consistently seeing 137 pounds on the scale before I started exercising. I hadn't done anything that would have put muscle on so that was a 14 pound fat gain. Whatever the body fat level was it must not have been unhealthy for me; it had remained pretty much the same my whole life and I never noticed any ill effects other than I got cold faster than other people (DUH!). I'm seriously starting to doubt I can get my old body back, I think I just picked up some essential fat.
Ber :lilbunny:
If indeed these readings are correct I wonder what my original body fat percentage was. I was 123 pounds when I started this desk job and was consistently seeing 137 pounds on the scale before I started exercising. I hadn't done anything that would have put muscle on so that was a 14 pound fat gain. Whatever the body fat level was it must not have been unhealthy for me; it had remained pretty much the same my whole life and I never noticed any ill effects other than I got cold faster than other people (DUH!). I'm seriously starting to doubt I can get my old body back, I think I just picked up some essential fat.
Ber :lilbunny:
OP
Well the trainer I met with didn't know anything about body fat measurement BUT he set me up with the person who does. Tomorrow I go to get an "official" body fat measurement using their calipers and the woman said she would help me learn to use mine and see how similar the results are.
It was time to add 5 more weight machines to my workout program: leg extension, leg lifts, shoulder press, bicep curl, tricep curl(?). When he was showing me the bicep curl the trainer asked if I had worked out before and was surprised to hear "no". He said my biceps really bulge when I work them, I told him that was from my old job. I used to spend almost 8 hours a night lifting 20-35 pounds from a shelf near my knees to one over my head LOL! I was pleased with the compliment, it made the work I've been doing feel like it was paying off even if I hadn't been working my arms.
I was out of the gym for 4 days over New Year's and although I didn't actually "miss" it I did look forward to going back, that's a start right? We were in Chicago on Friday and while my hubby and his friend watched trains his friend's wife and I walked all over town. Neither of us are big shoppers, we had 8 hours before we had to catch the Amtrak train home and we walked for 6 of the 8 hours. I think we went into 4 stores and only to purchase items we needed because it was 52 degrees outside and a beautiful day for a walk. Neither of us are slow walkers either, my conservative estimate for distance was 15 miles but I don't think saying we walked 20+ would be out of line. My hips, legs and feet were a bit sore but overall the long walk felt great!
I bought a heart rate monitor while I was in Chicago and used it for the first time during my workout yesterday. It has a chest strap which I really didn't want but I couldn't resist the half off price
I did my 20 min on the elliptical machine and my average heart rate was 156, the monitor said I was working at anywhere from 87-97% of my optimal heart rate. I left it on for the weight machine part of the workout and still kept my heart rate in the 70-80% range for most of that. Overall I was pretty pleased but could definitely feel the effects of having been off for 4 days.
Ber :lilbunny:
It was time to add 5 more weight machines to my workout program: leg extension, leg lifts, shoulder press, bicep curl, tricep curl(?). When he was showing me the bicep curl the trainer asked if I had worked out before and was surprised to hear "no". He said my biceps really bulge when I work them, I told him that was from my old job. I used to spend almost 8 hours a night lifting 20-35 pounds from a shelf near my knees to one over my head LOL! I was pleased with the compliment, it made the work I've been doing feel like it was paying off even if I hadn't been working my arms.
I was out of the gym for 4 days over New Year's and although I didn't actually "miss" it I did look forward to going back, that's a start right? We were in Chicago on Friday and while my hubby and his friend watched trains his friend's wife and I walked all over town. Neither of us are big shoppers, we had 8 hours before we had to catch the Amtrak train home and we walked for 6 of the 8 hours. I think we went into 4 stores and only to purchase items we needed because it was 52 degrees outside and a beautiful day for a walk. Neither of us are slow walkers either, my conservative estimate for distance was 15 miles but I don't think saying we walked 20+ would be out of line. My hips, legs and feet were a bit sore but overall the long walk felt great!
I bought a heart rate monitor while I was in Chicago and used it for the first time during my workout yesterday. It has a chest strap which I really didn't want but I couldn't resist the half off price
I did my 20 min on the elliptical machine and my average heart rate was 156, the monitor said I was working at anywhere from 87-97% of my optimal heart rate. I left it on for the weight machine part of the workout and still kept my heart rate in the 70-80% range for most of that. Overall I was pretty pleased but could definitely feel the effects of having been off for 4 days.Ber :lilbunny:
ShallowDiverDave
Contributor
Ber Rabbit:
Good job, and keep it going! I have been lifting for 7 years now and have had so many lifting partners come and go. Consistency, in my opinion is the most important factor in lifting.
piikki
Contributor
Scuba Jerm:
How come? Never heard that before... I tend to pick a group of lower and a group of upper for one night (when I am thinking and not just in stupor of "I gotta do something-anything, and it will be better than couch-potatoing"). I do some leg work and when I need a break because of getting the muscles tired, I go and start on arms. Then i return for some more cool-off leg-work and finish the arms after that. Stomach/back muscles I do every visit but not with a lot of weight, so I get the boring torso work done.
I know many who do day in -day out routines. Give a day's break to muscle group you trained, do another, then again the same. I am curious to know what your advice is based on and is it only for if you do work with maximums.
Right now is the 'heavy weight' training season for me, and I try to do reps on 80% of my max, and then minimum reps above that or when testing if my max is higher. I am gaining weight like crazy but that always happened at this point. (Just getting older and more worried I won't get it all off).
Scuba Jerm
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piikki:
There is a certain release of growth hormones, electrolights, etc when you are in the gym breaking down your muscles. When you work your lower half, you are pushing these chemicals out and up..... this makes your upper body more ready for it's workout after legs.... just the opposite when you work your upper body... your leg workout will improve.
If you work your lower body and upper the same day, your body has a more difficult time recovering properly.
Also, you need a good 6 days inbetween workouts for a specific muscle group. So if you did legs on monday, I'd wait till sunday or monday to work them again. Once you tear down your muscle in the gym, you need to give them time to heal, which takes about 2 to 3 days, then allow time for them to tone, build, tighten... this takes another 2 to 3 days. Give it a try.... it flat out works.
piikki
Contributor
Scuba Jerm:
Well, in that case I'd need to contact you for more ideas for some muscle groups
I have particular problems doing a lot of lower body exercises same day (because my back starts giving in) that's one main thing I bang on the upper body to give some rest to legs already during the same stint one night.I used to do a fair amount of PACE training too. I kind of like going through different things, so i do not get bored.
Thanks for the explanation!
Green_Manelishi
Contributor
Scuba Jerm:
This assumes you are beyond the beginner stage as well as capable and willing to work out hard enough to "tear down" the muscles.
OP
So how do you know the muscles are being torn down? Do you have to get sore after a workout?
Ber :lilbunny:
Ber :lilbunny:
Green_Manelishi
Contributor
Ber Rabbit:
Train to failure with good form. Add 1 or 2 forced and negatives. Then stop. Building muscle is like developing a callus; overdoing it just causes a blister and festering wound. You need to stimulate the muscle, not injure it. The reason that beginners need to do multiple sets is because their muscles are unaccustomed to the work of lifting and they need to build a good base. After the base is well established and you know "how" to lift and how your body reacts to different stress then you can begin to experiment with split routines and incorporate different exercises to continually stimulate growth. It's ironic that the stronger you become the more possible it is to overtrain and/or injure yourself.
