Thunder wishes it could be the snow. ([info]panikmanik) wrote in [info]musclebears,
@ 2008-06-05 17:23:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Current mood: bouncy

Dear muscle bears
please tell me what I'm doing wrong.. or what I should be doing since I don't really know what I'm doing..

I'm 5'10" 262lbs size 40 waist.. for the past month Ive been weight lifting first, doing 3 sets of 10 reps lifting as much weight as i can without feeling like i'm gonna pass out at the 10th set of each rep alternating upper body and lower body work outs each day.. after the weight lifting i have been doing cardio for 30 minutes a day keeping my heart rate at a steady 160(according to the elliptical and treadmill machines) I've manged to go from 276lbs to 262lbs and i went from being a size 42 or a bit higher to a loose size 40 waist.. but I seem to not be able to go lower than 262lbs I haven't measured my waist size.. to see if i'm loosing waist fat.. but i feel like i'm not.. my gut seems just as big.. and i been eating at least 3 regular meals a day dealing with mostly protein and vegetables...

I need some guidance .. I don't really know how to train but I do know I'd like to become a lil muscle bear :)..

any tips or words of wisdom would be GREATLY appreciated (seriously though.. diet.. exercise.. sleeping patterns.. supplements... special saints or primitive deities i should be worshiping to get a muscle bear body.. anything will do)

:D


(Post a new comment)


[info]altf4osu
2008-06-06 01:21 am UTC (link)
do longer cardio at a slightly lower level (130 max) for longer.
What are your regular meals? What are you cutting out of your diet? Soda? Candy?

Also: Muscle weighs more than fat, if you're losing some fat, and gaining some muscle, you have to actually lose a lot more fat than muscle. I think you're probably putting on muscle at the same time you're trying to lose the fat, and that's why you're not really losing.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]panikmanik
2008-06-06 01:41 am UTC (link)
No soda...no sugars.... was a cheesecake guy but I stopped that a month ago..haha

My biggest issues would be eating before I go to sleep... normally I'd do cereal or pb and j sandwiches..or burritos!..but since the change...I've substituted those for fruits if I get hungry at night...mainly 5 hours before I go sleepy...

No candies here...but I'm a bread cheese potato and pasta addict.... but I been staying away from those... I was told they're no bueno for loosing weight

Also one of my friends told me that if I do weightlifting first..i ll burn more calories when I cardio...so I think I might be loosing fat as I'm gaining muscle..but I'm not sure... do u recommend I get a trainer to track my body fat and other stuffs?

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

[info]altf4osu
2008-06-06 03:20 am UTC (link)
Trainer wouldn't hurt, sounds like you're serious about it, so yeah, go for it. Also, measure yourself, biceps, arms chest, stomach, waist, thighs, calves, anything that you want to get a number for. Measure yourself and keep track as you go. The final weight number might not be where you thought you'd end up, but you might be healthier and in better shape and at a better place by the measurements.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

[info]panikmanik
2008-06-06 03:30 am UTC (link)
i'll definetly have to get a tape measurer thingie.. i'm very serious.. I don't even like to go one day without doing cardio at the VERY least.. i'm 26... i wanna stop putting off having the best shape that i can get.. and yeah.. i know it'll take a long time.. prolly a year or so.. but as long as i'm making some progress that's what i hope for!

i already inquired my gym about a trainer.. they didn't have much info (weird) cuz their system was down.. i just hope i can afford one! they should be getting back to me in a day or so

(Reply to this)(Parent)
It almost certainly took you some time . . .
[info]henare
2008-06-06 01:30 am UTC (link)
To achieve the shape you have now . . . What makes you think that a month of new habits will change that? Do you have someone working with you to plan your progress, diet, etc. ?

(Reply to this)(Thread)
Re: It almost certainly took you some time . . .
[info]panikmanik
2008-06-06 01:34 am UTC (link)
Yeh =D ..I'd just like some ideas on how to continue...like a routine or some foods I should eat, etc....I'm pretty excited I've done what I been able to in 30 days...but I'd like a little help by being pointed the right direction....

I don't have anyone to help me with tracking any results or anything ....and as I said...this is all extremely new to me...

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]alexjon
2008-06-06 01:41 am UTC (link)
Stay the course... you'll notice results in the first month, but you won't notice them again until sometime 3 months in, then a few months after that-- it's step-by-step. If you obsess over how you look now instead of how you want to look, you may sabotage yourself eventually.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]panikmanik
2008-06-06 01:44 am UTC (link)
Patience is key..

Got it..=)...

Slow and steady..etc.. =D

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]mondragon
2008-06-06 02:31 am UTC (link)
You went from a 42 to a 40 in a month? That's actually pretty fucking amazing.

Cardio is really good for you but has less effect on fat than people would like to think. A combo of lots of cardio and fewer calories ingested as a slow graze every two hours during the day seems to be the best from what I've read. Veges, lean meats, nuts, a little fruit (it's sugar, and you can get your fiber from veges.) Stay away from simple starches like rice or pasta or potatoes. Your stomach will shrink and you won't feel hungry because you've always got a little food there.

I think trying to lose significant amounts of weight while you're trying to put on muscle makes no sense - you're at cross purposes. The muscle wants the food that you're taking away from the fat. That's why bodybuilders get fat and then lose drastic amounts of weight before a contest.

What might make more sense is more aerobic muscle stuff, like the crossfit idea of doing an exercise for 20 seconds, resting 10, then 20 more seconds, then rest 10, for 8 times. Pushups, situps, lighter-weight squats, deadlifts, pullups, - natural motions. You'll be getting stronger and building endurance and sweating like a pig.

I think that the standard 10-rep weightlifting is not good for you right now. Later, when you get closer to your goal waist size.

When you do get close and want to start bulking up, I am really fond of the full-body workout. Look at section 2.5 here.

As others have pointed out, it's just dedication over time. Since I was 21 I've gone from 175 to 250, most of it muscle. But that's 30 years of working out on and off. You just have to get to like it and do it and your body will change.





Edited at 2008-06-06 02:32 am UTC

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]panikmanik
2008-06-06 02:36 am UTC (link)
"What might make more sense is more aerobic muscle stuff, like the crossfit idea of doing an exercise for 20 seconds, resting 10, then 20 more seconds, then rest 10, for 8 times. Pushups, situps, lighter-weight squats, deadlifts, pullups, - natural motions. You'll be getting stronger and building endurance and sweating like a pig.

I think that the standard 10-rep weightlifting is not good for you right now. Later, when you get closer to your goal waist size."

ooooh.. it makes sense...

so focus on loosing the weight THEN worry about bulking up... aha.. funny that ya mention that..
the pushups situps pullups.. i'd rather run for an hour than do those exercises!.. they're hard as hell!.. but you're right!

:D

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

[info]mondragon
2008-06-06 03:01 am UTC (link)
One thing that you will learn, if you try, is that what you think you can do is far far less than you can actually do. "It hurts I want to STOP NOW" is probably about 60%, and you have to learn to push beyond that. When you do, at your age, you will be astounded at how fast what was hard gets easy and what was impossible gets doable.

I also recommend taking 600mg ibuprofen before a hard workout. Works wonders.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

[info]bnsd70
2008-06-06 05:12 am UTC (link)
I've always read Ibuprofen inhibits muscle growth, so I avoid it. "Damaged muscles release a healing prostaglandin called Cox-2, that causes muscle growth and increased strength. Ibuprofen blocks Cox-2 and therefore will delay or inhibit muscle growth."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

[info]mondragon
2008-06-06 10:45 am UTC (link)
Thanks to the internet I found a reference to that study and a follow-on study here.

People in their 60s were given daily doses of acetaminophen or ibuprofen and then did resistance exercise. The ones taking it had "substantially greater increase" in muscle mass than people not taking it over three months.

They were surprised since the one-day study had shown the suppression of COX.

So a one-day study showed a reduction in an enzyme believed to be critical to building muscle. A three-month study showed that at the very least, use of the two drugs didn't have cause significant suppression of muscle growth (because you could argue that by taking away old-person aches and pains it made it possible for them to exercise more and that was causing the result.)

So theoretically it should have an effect, but in practice even people who are pressing themselves far harder than almost anyone else take lots of antinflammatories to no bad result.

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]cellboy
2008-06-06 03:42 am UTC (link)
Yep. A good trainer is the key. And he can help you on nutrition too. I'm the opposite. I want to bulk up. So my trainer suggests, light cardio, more weight lifting, eat/drink lots of protein. Then once I bulk up, then increase the cardio. to get more cut. So maybe less power lifting, and more cardio? I don't know. But eat lean, and no sweets, carbs (for awhile). My trainer is training for competition and needs to lose. So he is nixing carbs and only doing protein, and weights, and lots of tread milling. But you know. Every body reacts differently. So you need to find what works for you :).

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]mondragon
2008-06-06 10:54 am UTC (link)
Trainers can be really expensive, though. I think a few sessions to work out a plan can be good, especially if you're concentrating on weight loss. There's not point in paying someone watch you run on a treadmill :)

I work out with a trainer on the days I want to go heavy. He stacks the weights on, I do them. I don't think. I push. And I have been able to cop the attitude that I can do what he puts on. That's how I put on 20lbs over the last year.

Finding someone experienced and motivated to work out with can be as good as a trainer and a LOT more affordable.

My trainer competes too, and I think it's really unhealthy (but exceedingly hot to look at.) The yo-yo weight gain and then rapid loss is hard on your body.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

[info]cellboy
2008-06-06 02:22 pm UTC (link)
I totally agree. For now, I am keeping my trainer for awhile, to help me with technique, and he does make me push harder which I need. (I do have some experienced friends I could work out with, but they live too far away :(. But Ugh! Wish there were something easier :)

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]whispers_loudly
2008-06-06 06:34 am UTC (link)
I like to do cardio before I do weights, I heard thats the best way to do it. I've lost close to 70 pounds in a year and that has been my routine. 25-30 min of cardio on the the elliptical, weight loss setting. I usually don't exceed lvl 6. The I move on to a upper body work out. I'm finally seeing some defined muscle in the chest and stomach areas. And don't over do the weights either. I'm no trainer nor have I met with one but I feel that by losing 70 pounds it proves I'm doing something right. Diet? Just make sure you watch your portions.

(Reply to this)

[info]ibeef
2008-06-06 07:12 am UTC (link)
Weight loss can be easy, the Adkins diet has been hugely successful in my family; a family of very very obese people on whom diets have never worked. However I have been told by friends that this diet and wiehgtlifting is almost impossible. Get someone to work out with; they are good motivators. On days you don't want to go, they do, so you rarely miss days. I have dated bodybuilders before and their secret is low to no carbs. That's why I mentioned the Adkins thing. Beef

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]mondragon
2008-06-06 10:50 am UTC (link)
I'm one of the people whose body seems to run best on fat and protein; both times that I've done Atkins over the years I felt great. I wasn't working out hard on it, though I was doing weights. It was just.... different to not be burning sugar.

With Atkins, when you're 10-15lbs of your target weight you start adding in more complex carbs so you continue to lose but start to find an equilibrium. The Atkins maintenance is a healthy diet for a lot of people (it is for me.)

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]hippierage
2008-06-08 09:55 pm UTC (link)
Low Glycemic Index Diet
.. nough said.
see:
SugarBusters
Nutrisystem
Low Glycemic Index Diet
Southbeach

Loose the excess fat and then work on building muscle tone through controlled eating.
Eat 6 times a day.

(Reply to this)
hang on sloopy
[info]wjhyde
2008-06-18 07:01 am UTC (link)
babe-
give yourself a break! you've only been at it for a month. continue with a balance of weights, cardio and diet and it will kick in for you. trust me.

(Reply to this)

[info]chrisopotamus
2008-07-03 12:05 pm UTC (link)
Ummm.... 276lbs to 262lbs in a month? That's 14 lbs! Unless you're planning to take up meth, it's unlikely to see weight loss more amazing than that!

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]panikmanik
2008-07-04 05:37 am UTC (link)
hehe.. it's been about 8 weeks since i started working out and i'm down to 254lbs!! 22lbs gone so far!.. building some sweet muscle AND now i'm down to a size 38 waist!!



yaye! and no... no drugs.. drugs are bad.. lol.. i'm staying away from that shit.. just working out and eating healthy for me!

(Reply to this)(Parent)

Create an Account
Forgot your login?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…