Health  Weight training and weight management

Marty

Cro-Magnon Man
Cro-Magnon Man
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Jul 17, 2013
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Hello friends,

Throughout my adult life I have struggled a little bit with fluctuating weight. I'm 6 foot even (183 cm). My waist normally sits around 33" but at exceptionally lean times I've gotten it down to 31" or even less; at fatter times it can go up past 34" (even 36" and beyond at the worst). Likewise with body-mass index (BMI), I've always been either side of that 25 mark that doctors regard as the upper healthy limit. My proudest moments were when I got it down to the low twenties (21.0 was my lowest-ever in recent years); but often I've been in the mid to upper twenties where it really should not be.

Years ago, in my early thirties, there was a dark time when it was around 28.5! But I've never been obese as such, I'm happy to say.

Right now I'm round about 25.5 BMI which is too much, but not disastrous. I eat sensibly with all-natural and home-cooked foods, although I do sometimes eat too much.

I do cardio every day (these days, around 4.5 miles' run outdoors if it is fine, which I complete in an unremarkable but not embarrassing 38 to 40 minutes; or the equivalent in the gym if the weather is unsuitable). However, nurses and trainers have often told me that the key to weight management is actually strength training, in that stronger muscles consume more energy at rest.

Only trouble is, I really don't like it. Lifting weights tends to raise my blood-pressure and make me irritable and short-tempered (very different from my normal personality). I feel dog-tired after it (not a pleasant tiredness like after a bike ride, run, or skiing, but an unpleasant, shattered one), and it causes me pain and stiffness the next day. "Stretching" as practiced by exercise supremos doesn't alleviate the stiffness, if anything just makes it more painful.

I just think it's not good for me. I have a somewhat gracile body type that doesn't put on muscle easily. Decent shoulders and chest (I did competitive swimming in my teens), and I have plenty of stamina and general energy, but can't lift really heavy weights. On the other hand, groceries I can carry home from the store on foot, with no especial effort, not bad for my age. I can manage a few pull-ups and other calisthenics but I have no love for weights... there is even a weights room provided in my apartment block, but I mainly stick to the cardio stuff.

My girlfriend says I look good but I think that's less a reflection of reality, than of the well-established fact that women tend to see their (satisfying) sexual partners as more attractive than they actually are.

If anybody has good suggestions to add a bit of strength without overdoing it, or another good way to avoid putting on weight, I'd be happy to hear. I know I could just as well ask this on a bodybuilding forum or something, but people know me here and I feel that this community is generally better-adjusted and consists of more intelligent and thoughtful individuals than I'd find elsewhere.

Thank you!

-Marty
 

Nova

Cro-Magnon Man
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Marty said:
Only trouble is, I really don't like it. Lifting weights tends to raise my blood-pressure and make me irritable and short-tempered (very different from my normal personality). I feel dog-tired after it (not a pleasant tiredness like after a bike ride, run, or skiing, but an unpleasant, shattered one), and it causes me pain and stiffness the next day. "Stretching" as practiced by exercise supremos doesn't alleviate the stiffness, if anything just makes it more painful.

when i first started lifting weights (and when anybody first starts for that matter) i suffered similar symptoms, namely the shattered tiredness and the pain/stiffness the next day (doms) (delayed onset muscle soreness) - it does get a lot easier with time, and honestly it eventually becomes a practice that you feel shit without. i would recommend making sure you are not lifting too heavily to begin with. work your way up in weight slowly, don't just pick up the big boys and think if you try hard enough eventually you will lift them more than four times, you wont - all that will happen is you will injure your connective tissues which aren't ready for that much weight.

like any habit, start slowly, keep working at it, suffer a little bit - eventually it gets a lot easier and you reap the rewards.
 

Marty

Cro-Magnon Man
Cro-Magnon Man
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Jul 17, 2013
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Thanks Nova. I'll try with the lighter weights.

I actually looked at a Pilates book in the summer that recommended using light weights, but I stopped after a few attempts because it felt like I was "doing nothing". Seems like it does have an effect though even if you don't notice it at the time.

What would be ideal I suppose would be some sort of hybrid between aerobic and strength exercise that involved a fair amount of jumping about but some light weights into the bargain. That way I'd feel like I'm getting a proper workout, but at the same time improve strength a little bit without it being painful.
 

Sophisticated Gent

Tool-Bearing Hominid
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Aug 5, 2015
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Marty,

There are different approaches to the weights. I use the weight machines in the gym. I use lighter weights with 3 sets of 15 rep each per machine. When finished with the 3rd set you should feel like you are barely able to make the last lift because the muscles are tired. If this happens earlier reduce the weight next time. I have slowly increased the weight over time. This creates stamina in the muscle rather than overall strength that is done with heavier weight and low reps. Try this approach. It will build muscle to burn the calories and may not cause you the side effects.

SGent
 

Marty

Cro-Magnon Man
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Thanks Gent. I looked at your journal yesterday by the way, good stuff.

15 repetitions 3 times over sounds perfect to me for keeping light and sleek. I will try it. It might work well for bodyweight exercises too, as I can do 15 push-ups comfortably (20 is a stretch) so let me try to do that 3 times over.

I can't do 15 pull-ups but I'll just try to do as many as I can 3 times over.

The trouble is whenever I go into the weights room I never know what to do. I can use the lighter barbells, but there's so many different ways they can be lifted I don't know what's right and what isn't. I think I might be better off copying videos. If anyone has videos I can copy your suggestions will be very welcome.

The other thing I struggle with is that I never have enough energy to do both weights and cardio on one day, and if I skip cardio even for one day I see my weight go up on the scale. Which is another reason why I hardly ever do weights.
 

Mr.Rob

Modern Human
Modern Human
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Jun 16, 2013
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Hey Marty! I think I might have a suggestion for you regarding:

Marty said:
If anyone has videos I can copy your suggestions will be very welcome.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

This is a database compiled with every exercise you could possibly imagine.

Start by choosing which muscle group you want to target (obviously choose are larger muscle group such as chest, lats, or quadriceps), then navigate the search criteria side bar.

On the side bar I would go down to "Mechanics Type" and select "Compound".

Then go to "equipment type" and select the type of equipment you want to use. Then simply browse through the exercises until you find something that tickles your fancy.

I used to do quite a bit of body building about 1 1/2 years go or more and I learned quite a bit from this site.

I recommend doing compound exercises only because their really is no point for you to isolate certain muscle groups at this stage in your development and it'll probably do more harm than good.

Marty said:
The other thing I struggle with is that I never have enough energy to do both weights and cardio on one day, and if I skip cardio even for one day I see my weight go up on the scale.

Regarding this the only thought that comes to mind is my current workout routine I engage in.

I run .6 miles to a local park in my neighborhood that has a pull up bar on it.

There I do 3-4 rounds of pullups (10), body weight squats (20), and pushups (20). I do this without taking any breaks in between sets (or as little time as possible) and then I immediately run .6 miles back home.

This way I get in my cardio as I work out my muscles at the same time.

Food for thought.

Let us know how you progress.

-Rob
 

Marty

Cro-Magnon Man
Cro-Magnon Man
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Thanks Rob, very useful stuff!

I too have a park with a pull-up bar about 1.0 miles from my home, so I think I'll start doing something similar.

The other day after my run I managed 3 sets of 5, 4, 4 pull-ups and then 10, 7, 6 push-ups. I'm not used to doing 3 sets of anything just yet, so the figures are rather low but I aim to add a little bit gradually as you and Nova suggested.
 

Motiv

Tool-Bearing Hominid
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Dec 18, 2013
Messages
211
Hi Marty—

You may remember me as ViolinPlayer and I remember you congratulating me on my first lay nearly two years ago today. It's good to see you around!

I am 36 years old going on 37 this January, and I just started training myself to lift at home about a year ago with online programs that help balance out the working of each muscle group, so that you get your entire body covered within a week's time and then rinse/repeat. In the beginning, I felt crazy soreness all over and even suffered from splints in several places, with one in one of my forearms at one point as well as my shin. I just worked my way through those periods with lighter weights or less intensity, and I haven't felt splint pain in over six months now. I do feel soreness whenever I do a good enough workout, especially in my legs day after leg day, but I want and expect to feel that way as an indication that my muscles are really growing. In the words of Sagi Kalev, "it's hurting to let you know that you are still here and working hard."

I've been enjoying the Body Beast program from Beachbody the last four months because it actually calls into play the lightest weights I have ever used in a program as the sets are so compressed time-wise that I simply had to bring my weight levels down. Since I am more interested in physique training than number boasting (and all the benefits that come with it, such as increased metabolism, greater fat burning, and more energy all around), I learned to get over the amount of weight I was moving and just focus on the quality and intensity of the actually movement. The best element of any weight training program in my mind is that you pick the weights based on your own goals. If you are worried about blood pressure or ill side-effects, just try going a little lighter and/or doing a few less reps.

When you transform your body, you're going to feel like a stud: the testosterone, the image you see when you look at yourself in the mirror, and the lastly the clear increase in female attention are all worth every bit of sweat and soreness, I can assure you!

Cheers

-M
 

Thedoctor

Tribal Elder
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Jun 13, 2013
Messages
512
Marty,

A good cure for muscle soreness from working out is a cold shower (or an ice bath if you can muster the courage). Or even applying ice packs to the region where you're experiencing the pain.

Make sure you're eating healthy - this can also delay your recovery and it becomes more crucial the older we get. If you're looking to lose a bit of weight, I've always liked the Harrison-Benedict equation to determine the amount of calories you require:

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calcu ... -equation/

If you're not into actual weightlifting training, there is a ton of info out there for good "body-weight" style workouts. You might find more enjoyment doing something like the 20 pull up challenge:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/al-kava ... pull%20ups
or here's another one about muscle ups:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/master- ... in-3-steps

As Rob mentioned, that site has a lot of good info. Word of warning that they do like to push their supplements, so do a bit of research before you decide to add any to your diet. I always recommend creatine, but again, personal opinion. I'd also be wary who you listen to should you decide to browse their forums. Other than that the info is generally accurate and it's a good place to start.

-John
 
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